At the beginning of the XXI century, a country in Asia, in the era of the Tang empire, there was a vassal. of the Chinese empire, it was called Small Ann.
The territory is slightly larger than Austria, with a population of 40 million people, a former colony of two empires.
The gross domestic product is about $ 60 billion.
The average salary in the capital is 200 dollars, in the prefectures about 80 dollars.
Utility tariffs grew three times a year by an average of 40 percent. Utility organizations were a state monopoly. But since independence, Small Ann has not been able to establish a transparent system of payment and control based on resource consumption. Therefore, fake, non-existent debts constantly came to consumers. The courts, without understanding, immediately issued orders to recover fines and pay a penny. Consumer accounts were frozen until a fine was paid. These were all problems of the Third World. Money was everything.
The country that survived the SuperPower era, which had its own electronic, space, aviation, and tractor industries about 20 years ago, has now become a third world country.
Money and communication were everything, without them it was difficult to find a good job, the level of professionalism did not play a decisive role.
The getting money fast was the dream of many young people. who wanted to live and not survive!
One of them was Dara. He was a second-year student in the history department of the university, and in preparation for the diploma, he worked in the library. While looking through 19th-century books, the student found strange Hebrew inscriptions and Chinese characters in the margins of the book.
Dara was more interested in these inscriptions than his project. It was a mystery! It might not have been expensive, but it was interesting. Maybe some words were hiding behind these words?
Dara could write a note about it and sell it to a friend from the journalism department, say, for $ 20.
Maybe there was something else in these words, and then Dara could become a little richer.
In the 20th century, it would be difficult for him to decipher the words; there would be a leak of information. Since in those days, all the translators worked in state security agencies.
Anyone who was interested in foreign languages, and was not connected with scientific activity could easily be taken under surveillance. As a potential defector or spy.
Now at the age of 21, it has become easier, by downloading the application on android, quickly translate from a foreign language and get a high-quality translation.
The Hebrew text read: "I think I was right. The city of hundreds of wells is definitely not located in northern Afghanistan, but in our country! In Little Ann. We need to carefully study the names of geographical names. To look at the Arabian guides once again, compare them with the Chinese, you need to find an inventory of the exported treasures of the three kingdoms, there we will find out whether this map is still with us or we need to look in the archives in the northern capital of the second empire! "
Dara stupidly looked at the text, he did not understand anything, what kind of topographic map are we talking about? What about treasures? Does it smell like the money?
Hundreds of thoughts flashed through his head, Dara could not help himself, he was tormented by doubts.
He wandered from one corner of the room to another, his shoulders were lowered, his back was hunched over.
His eyes were directed from the window to the android, he frowned.
"I do not understand anything but I have a feeling in my head that there are a thousand small bubbles, and I cannot and do not want to think anything".
"I need to solve this possible riddle! "
Dara convinced himself to calm down, but he again plunged into his world, began to scratch his head hard. Then, he ran out of his office into the kitchen. He took the cup, poured water, left it in the kitchen and returned to his office. To return to the kitchen in a minute, take a cup and return to the office again.
There he stupidly looked at the android screen, again looked at the translation with a blank look.
If Dara read the safety instructions, he would know that he worked too much. You can't work for more than 4 hours, as the old instructions said. You had to take breaks and give your brain and eyes a break.
After sitting for another half an hour, staring blankly at the android, Dara decided
"Research has brought me into such a state! I can't understand anything! It's good, as the Russians say: "Morning is wiser than evening", "I will go to sleep!", Dara told himself gloomily.
Dara, could not fall asleep. He kept thinking about the Hebrew text, what topographic map was he talking about?
"Is this a map with the forgotten city of a hundred wells, or is it some other map?"
"Where to look for it"?
"Where to find the inventory and what year"?
"I forgot something to see the Chinese inscription and its translation!"
"It will be necessary to clarify ?! I wonder if it will be possible to find this city? So it does not appear in the register of protected monuments of cultural heritage!"
"This is already great! So it doesn't fall into the red zone, which is forbidden to conduct searches with a metal detector!"
"If there are wells, then there are treasures too!"
"Gold, silver, jewelry"!
"Manuscripts are likely to be at the bottom of the wells!"
"We need to take a metal detector, maybe two types, a pointer, it would be nice to have a quadcopter" ...
"You can ask Fang * for clarification of the first, he seems to have arrived already."
Dara fell asleep.
***
When he woke up, Dara first sent a telegram in Chinese to the telegram.
After 30 minutes I received a response:
"Man, let's go together in search of treasures, I have a new device, we will definitely become rich!"
After 10 minutes came the translation of the Chinese part of the text:
"We need to look for an inventory of the 1868 and 1873 years of exported treasures to the First Empire, see number 470861."
***
"Now something is becoming clear," thought Dara.
I wonder who was the one who left a note in Hebrew, a scout? Researcher? Scientist?
Apparently, the one who left the note in Chinese was a student or teacher of the one who left the note in Hebrew.
What is interesting, probably, thousands of people have already watched this record, and probably there are no maps anymore? But is it worth it to try?
Fang, sent another message with a link to the article "Where are they the treasures of Emir Small-Ann"?
Dara realized that all Roads lead to the Archive !!!
---
* Fang, a friend of Dara, he is a 4th-year student in the history department of Chengdu University from Sichuan, came for an internship at the local Small Ann University. They became friends with Dara. Fang came to visit for the second year, also on a visit, now lived with Aunt Dara Firuzekh (you can find out about Dara's relatives in the novel if you wish, the Magic Farmer Dara - 2nd Edition - https://www.webnovel.com/book/13599217205409305/36505296612417968/Magic-Farmer-Dara---2nd-Edition/Descriptions-and-clarifications-to-the-novel ).
I rewrote the first chapter - for the third time, now we need to rewrite the rest, but this is only raw materials. I will do the grinding of the text, taking into account the comments, on Sat-Sun.