He opened the book and, by the light of the oil lamp, began turning the fragile pages.

"What I told you earlier is just a small part of the story," he said. "This book contains knowledge that my ancestor received from old David, the last keeper of the Nestorian secret."

Rustam frowned, turning the pages.

"Strange," he muttered. "There should be a map here… Or at least a description of it."

He quickly looked through several pages, then stopped.

"Here it is. The map was hidden in the medallion. In that very medallion you now have, Alexei."

Alexei took the medallion from under his shirt.

"But I've already opened it. There was only a parchment with Latin inscription and a schematic drawing."

"Perhaps there's a second hiding place," Rustam suggested. "Let me see."

Alexei handed the medallion to the old man. Rustam examined it carefully, turning it different ways and studying each symbol.

"Interesting," he murmured. "According to the records, the medallion contains not only the location of the treasure but also the key to opening it."

He pointed to a strange symbol located in the center of the cross on the front side of the medallion.

"Do you see this sign? It's not just decoration. It's the arrangement of stars on the summer solstice. If you look from a certain point on the shore of Issyk-Kul, the stars align in exactly this order above the place where the treasure is hidden."

"So the medallion is a kind of astronomical instrument?" asked Alexei.

"A map, a compass, and a key," Rustam nodded. "The Nestorians were not only religious figures but educated people, knowledgeable in astronomy, mathematics, medicine. They created a protection system inaccessible to the Mongols with their primitive understanding of the world."

Rustam turned a few more pages of the book and suddenly froze.

"Here it is," he whispered. "Just as I thought."

On the page was text in old Kyrgyz and a drawing depicting a crystal of strange shape, surrounded by radiance.

"This is the 'Key of Solomon,'" said Rustam. "A crystal found in the mountains of Judea during the time of King Solomon and crafted by ancient masters. They gave it a special form which, it was believed, enhanced its natural properties."

"What properties?" asked Alexei.

"Healing," Rustam replied. "Insight. The ability to see the true essence of people and things." He shifted his gaze to Alexei. "That's why Karabaev is so desperately searching for it. He has a rare form of degenerative disease. Doctors give him no more than a year to live. He believes the crystal can heal him."

"How do you know about Karabaev's illness?" Alexei asked in surprise.

"In small communities, it's hard to keep secrets," Rustam shrugged. "Especially when you're rich and influential. His frequent visits to Swiss clinics didn't go unnoticed."

Suddenly, noise came from outside—through the roar of rain and wind penetrated the sound of engines.

"Have they found us?" Dinara asked anxiously.

Rustam approached the cave entrance and carefully looked outside.

"Not yet," he said. "They're combing the slope in a large group, but they haven't found this cave yet."

He returned to the book and quickly flipped through several pages.

"We need to find the exact location of the treasure before the summer solstice," he said. "And for that, we'll need another item."

Rustam pointed to a drawing in the book—a strange disc with concentric circles and unusual symbols.

"This is an astronomical instrument created by the Nestorians. With it, one can calculate the exact time and place to look for the entrance to the cave with treasures."