Shortly after your mentor's passing, you received an envelope along with the following note:
My Dear Disciple,
I am afraid my time to leave this world has come but don't let it bother you, for I have already lived a long and fulfilled life. As a final goodbye and an honour to all the precious moments we spent crafting and solving puzzles together, I have spent these last few months orchestrating this treasure-hunt just for you.
The key and the chest have been sent to my most faithful friend overseas and are now being kept/ buried in different locations. Every piece of paper in this envelope has all the clues you need to find the specific location of both the key and the chest.
This treasure is not only my final gift to you but also to your family. The fortune inside is more than enough to lay a foundation of a good life for your children. Let this treasure be the legacy that will pass on to their generation and the beginning of their endless opportunity that is to come.
Love,
Your Mentor
Inside the envelope are three zipper bags with a label attached; each bags contain pieces of paper with clues. One of the papers has been torn up to smaller pieces.
Here are all the pieces of paper found in each bags:
#
⌂⌂⌂, ⚑
⌂, ⌂⌂⌂, ⚑
Text:
Kb iochy uv bawmoj
Find the key and the chest.
Hint:
- The fish lost his toque blanche he usually wears.
- the fish = ⚑, cardinal directions = ⌂⌂⌂
Hint II (Hoping this will make the puzzle less of fumbling in the vast dark room.):
- ⚑ = country, ⌂⌂⌂ = city/ town/ village
- Mentor's favourite land is where the potatoes turn french. (This hint bypasses the fish by narrowing it down to a province)
Hint III:
Hint IV:
We’ve already established what country and province the key and chest would be in from @OmegaKrypton's answer. The next step should be finding out what ⌂⌂⌂s each cardinal direction represents.
Hint V:
- Save every image and inspect closely what distinguishes the white from brown paper.
- Google Maps is your friend.
- Although the last two papers possess the same quality as the second paper, they're not meant to be used with the same reference.
- Observe back and forth between all the pieces of paper and find a relation between them.