Could you solve this literary puzzle and win a prize worth £646,000?

A literary puzzle could lead you to a life-changing treasure, if you can solve the conundrum.

The prize is a golden casket that had been given to France by the UK in April 1904 at the time of the signing of the entente cordiale. The casket, containing a scroll celebrating the relationship between France and the UK, was made by Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company in London.

The casket was recently bought by artist Michel Becker and has been valued at €750,000 (£646,000).

Becker has decided to put the golden treasure forward as a prize for the winner of his treasure hunt book, The Golden Treasure of the Entente Cordiale.

Two versions are to be released–one in French and another in English– and will be published on Thursday. Each version will contain nine different puzzles leading to two separate locations. The nine puzzles are made up of illustrations by Becker and secret text hidden within a story written by Pauline Deysson.

Readers must first crack the code hidden in the illustration which will lead them to the text and help solve the puzzle. Once the readers have cracked it they will discover where in the UK and France the two geode crystal keys are buried.

The creator of the puzzles, Vincenzo Bianca, said: “It was Michel Becker’s idea. He found the golden case, bought it, and learned everything that you can know about the entente cordiale. He fell in love with this story between France and England, which existed thanks to the will of the two men [King Edward VII and Loubet]. He wanted to bring this story to the world with this treasure hunt. Michel is an artist. He does things that some won’t understand but which amuse him. He doesn’t hope to make any money from this operation, but at least he hopes to break even. If people are passionate about the adventure, he will have achieved what he wanted.”

“A paper and a pencil will be enough to discover some solutions,” Bianca and Becker write. “For others, you will need to do additional research … the internet will be a valuable ally in finding the information you need without leaving your chair. This is not an easy treasure hunt. In order to conquer it, you will need tenacity: a treasure is accessible only to the brave.”