"Brother Zhou, haven't you found any written records?"
Zhuang Rui had been busy these past few days. Although he was so excited that he couldn't sleep, his eyes were bloodshot. However, his biggest concern now was whether they had found any artifacts with written records.
Zhuang Rui is not very knowledgeable about foreign history. Without relevant written materials, he would probably have to ask some foreign researchers to participate in the dating of these cultural relics.
However, this would inevitably lead to the premature disclosure of the secrets of Golden City, which would deviate somewhat from Zhuang Rui's original plan.
He wanted to rebuild the city in China according to the specifications of this golden city, and then put the cultural relics obtained from it back in their original state, just like the ancient Roman and Greek exhibits in the British Museum.
According to Zhuang Rui's plan, he would only announce the findings of this expedition to the world after all this was done. One can imagine the enormous impact the sudden appearance of a golden city would have on the world's exploration and scientific research community. However, Zhou Liang shook his head after hearing Zhuang Rui's words and said, "It's all just scribbles. How could my soldiers possibly understand it? Brother, you'll have to figure it out yourself when we get back home..."
Some of the objects were engraved with strange patterns, but they were definitely not in English. Even Zhuang Rui wasn't sure if they were written characters, let alone the soldiers who didn't even know English.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work, comrades. I'll treat you all to a big meal later..."
"Reporting to the commander, a secret room has been discovered..."
While Zhuang Rui and Zhou Liang were chatting, a soldier suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"A secret room?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. He had carefully surveyed the three buildings with his spiritual energy before, but even the most meticulous plans can have flaws, and he really hadn't thought of surveying underground.
"Go quickly, go check it out, and tell the soldiers not to damage anything inside..."
When Zhuang Rui and Zhou Liang arrived at the back hall, several soldiers had already taken out the items from the secret room. There weren't many items, only three in total.
"This, this is what was taken out of the secret room?"
Although there were only three items, they still made Zhuang Rui's eyes widen. The reason was simple: the combined value of these three items probably exceeded that of the entire Golden City.
Chapter 1274 The Golden Scepter
"A crystal skull?"
Of the three items, the one that attracted Zhuang Rui the most was the crystal skull placed in the middle.
The entire crystal skull is life-size, with two rows of teeth neatly inlaid on the skull's jawbone, all carved from crystal.
The skull's eyes were adorned with round crystals, revealing two holes. The size and proportions of its facial features were exactly the same as those of the human skull specimens that Zhuang Rui saw every day at the Peking University Archaeological Research Institute.
This was the second time Zhuang Rui had seen such a crystal skull, and it would be the second crystal skull he owned.
However, this completely transparent skull had a faint blue hue, slightly different from the one Zhuang Rui had obtained on Pirate Island last time.
What surprised Zhuang Rui even more was that although the crystal skull contained extremely dense spiritual energy, he was unable to draw upon it and was no longer able to upgrade the spiritual energy in his eyes by using the crystal skull as he had done before.
"Is it only the first one who can absorb spiritual energy?"
Zhuang Rui stroked the smooth surface of the skull with his hand, his mind churning. When he first saw this crystal skull, he thought that the spiritual energy in his eyes could be upgraded once again.
"Forget it, don't be greedy..."
After thinking for a while, Zhuang Rui chuckled. Human desires are endless. The fact that his eyes could undergo a mutation was already beyond reason. Did he really want to become a hero like Ultraman to save humanity?
Zhuang Rui didn't want to think about the skull anymore, but Peng Fei, who was standing next to him, said, "Brother Zhuang, apart from the different color, this skull is exactly the same shape as the one on Pirate Island!"
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this and said, "Yes, including this crystal skull, there are now three in the world, all of different colors. It seems the Mayan legend might actually be true..."
"What Mayan legend? Why do I just want to sleep when I look at this?"
Zhou Liang was somewhat confused. As he stared at the skull, he felt a little drowsy but couldn't see anything different about it. In his mind, he simply defined it as a work of art.
"These are all foreign legends, and there are several different versions of the story..."
Zhuang Rui smiled. After obtaining the last crystal skull, he actually studied the relevant records and found that the accounts of the crystal skull were confusing and there was still no definitive conclusion.
Among the Native Americans, there is an ancient legend: long ago there were 13 crystal skulls that could talk and sing.
These crystal skulls contain information about human origins and death, potentially helping humanity unravel the mysteries of life in the universe. According to legend, all the skulls must be found by December 21, 2012.
That day marks the end of the Mayan calendar, which has been in a cycle of 5,126 years. Unless the 13 skulls are gathered together and placed in the correct positions, the Earth will fly off its axis. Only by doing so can the supernatural power of the skulls save the Earth.
This is the long-standing theory of the 2012 disaster. As 2012 approached, many people who study mysterious phenomena have been searching for these crystal skulls in recent years, hoping to draw mysterious power from them.
According to the book "The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," there are a total of 52 crystal skulls. The Maya had 13, and the others are scattered in sacred places around the world, including many other indigenous tribes in the Americas, as well as Tibetan and Australian Aborigine tribes.
The book says that 12 of the skulls have movable jawbones, called "singing skulls," which store a wealth of knowledge and are gifts from aliens from the Sirius constellation to Earth. To assist in the spread of knowledge, the aliens also created 40 skulls on Earth with immovable jawbones, called "talking skulls." However, the two crystal skulls that Zhuang Rui obtained both have immovable jawbones and were carved from a single piece of crystal. He doesn't know if there are really crystal skulls with movable jawbones in the world.
"Haha, if 2012 really happens, we'll all hide where you are..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's explanation, Zhou Liang burst into laughter, treating it as if he were listening to a story.
Zhuang Rui didn't take it seriously. Although he had absorbed a lot of spiritual energy from the first crystal skull, there was no reaction in his hand. He figured it was just an ancient work of art.
After shifting his thoughts, Zhuang Rui focused his attention on two other objects. On the left was a scepter, entirely golden in color, with a dazzling ruby set at the top, crystal clear and shimmering with an alluring luster.
Around the ruby, there was a ring of tiny diamonds, making the ruby at the top even more magnificent. Below that was the handle, which was slightly recessed. Zhuang Rui stretched out his right hand and squeezed it, fitting his palm perfectly inside.
"It's so heavy..."
Zhuang Rui lightly weighed it in his hand. This scepter, which was only about one meter long, weighed at least five kilograms. Below the handle, there were also wave patterns carved on it, making it extremely exquisite.
Zhou Liang, being somewhat knowledgeable, asked, "Brother Zhuang, this thing must have been used by at least a foreign monarch, right?"
"That's right. From the pharaohs of ancient Egypt to the rulers of ancient Greece, they all liked to hold scepters. They have been unearthed in Egypt as well, but a golden scepter like this is extremely rare and has very high artistic value..."
Zhuang Rui nodded upon hearing this. In terms of material, this golden scepter was no less than the cross scepter used by the Queen of England. Although it did not have the rare diamond of Cullinan I on the Queen's scepter, the ruby on it was also very rare, especially the diamond setting under the ruby, which showed an extremely high level of artistry.
"Brother Zhuang, how much is this thing worth?"
Li Zhen asked, "For people who aren't collectors, the market price is the most direct way to reflect the value of an object."
"How much is it worth? That's hard to say..."
Zhuang Rui pondered for a moment, then said, "If we can trace the origin of this item and it finds someone who likes it, its value is estimated to be at least five hundred million US dollars..."
"How...how much? Five hundred million? Or in US dollars?"
When Zhuang Rui estimated the price of the scepter, Colonel Zhou was completely dumbfounded. After hearing the price, he even had the urge to take it for himself.
"Hehe, Brother Zhou, art is priceless. Even if it were worth eight hundred million US dollars, I wouldn't sell it. It might represent the glory of a dynasty, and the story behind it is the most intriguing part..."
The greatest joy for archaeologists is uncovering the truth behind history and bringing back the events of thousands of years ago. It's like a camera rewinding time, taking people back to ancient times and allowing them to travel through the river of time.
"No wonder you're so rich, kid. It seems like your money came way too easily, didn't it?"
Zhou Liang clicked his tongue in disbelief. He knew a little about Zhuang Rui's net worth, but he really thought that Zhuang Rui's money came from buying and selling these items.
“Brother Zhou, I have a typical Pixiu personality; once these things are in my hands, they only go in and never out…”
Zhuang Rui smiled but didn't explain. To be honest, Zhuang Rui's initial capital accumulation, apart from the manuscripts he sold early on and a painting by Tang Bohu, was basically all obtained from gambling on stones.
After Zhuang Rui accumulated a certain amount of capital, especially after opening the Dingguang Museum, he never sold any of the items he acquired. Otherwise, given Zhuang Rui's net worth, he would definitely be among the top three richest people in China.
Material needs no longer hold much appeal for Zhuang Rui. His greatest wish now is to transform the Dingguang Museum into a large-scale, comprehensive archaeological museum of international standards.
The appearance of this golden city brings Zhuang Rui one step closer to his wish. If he can restore and recreate this golden city, it will definitely shock the entire world's scientific research community.
"Alright, let's see what's in this box..."
After joking around with Zhou Liang and the others for a while, Zhuang Rui focused his attention on the last item, a box made of wood that Zhuang Rui couldn't identify. It was grayish-brown all over, without a trace of insect damage or decay, and was very well preserved.
The box is flat, about 45 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide. The surface of the box is engraved with various floral and bird patterns, and the lock and clasp are made of pure gold, making it quite exquisite.
"What...what is this thing? Could it be...could it be a golden book leaf for recording writing?"
The box was gently opened, and a dazzling golden light immediately came into everyone's view, which excited Zhuang Rui, who had been very calm all along.
Inside the box was a book made of gold as thin as cicada gauze. Since Zhuang Rui hadn't used his spiritual energy to examine the wooden box beforehand, the sight before him was a great surprise.
As mentioned more than once before, the most valuable aspect of an unearthed tomb or site is not the objects themselves, but the inscriptions on them. These inscriptions are the most important clues for humankind in discovering ancient civilizations.
Zhuang Rui wasn't very knowledgeable about the history of ancient civilizations, so he needed to rely more on written materials. The appearance of this golden book would undoubtedly provide the best explanation for the origin of this golden city.
After flipping through the pages, Zhuang Rui discovered that although there were only eight sheets of gold paper, including the cover, each sheet was filled with text written from right to left.
Zhuang Rui believed that once these texts were translated, the secret of the Golden City would be exposed.
Chapter 1275 Solomon's Treasure
Peng Fei leaned closer to look at the golden paper in Zhuang Rui's hand, muttering, "Is this scribbles...writing?"
It wasn't that Peng Fei was blind; the lines on this gold paper looked more like symbols than characters. He estimated that if he took this thing out, someone might mistake it for a musical staff invented by the ancients.
"What do you know? This should be Hebrew, but I'm not sure..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at Peng Fei with annoyance, his brows furrowing slightly. The writing on these gold papers was neither English nor Arabic, but rather resembled the legendary Hebrew.
Hebrew means "native Israelites" and is the national language of the Jewish people. Its history dates back thousands of years, and like the oracle bone script of China, it can be considered one of the oldest languages in the world.
"Could it be Solomon's treasure?"
Looking at these characters that appeared to be ancient Hebrew, Zhuang Rui and that ignorant David actually had the same thought: these characters immediately reminded him of Solomon's treasure.
Although this treasure origin story comes from a novel, the ancient and powerful Kingdom of Israel was a real entity.
Solomon's father, David, founded the Jewish dynasty and sought to establish an empire stretching from the borders of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
After Solomon ascended the throne, he gradually eliminated his political enemies and placed his friends in positions in the army, government, and religious institutions. He also strengthened his position through marriage alliances, marrying the daughters and sisters of kings from various regions, including the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh.
Like all founders of empires, Solomon maintained his territory by force, and in addition to his infantry, he also had an astonishing number of chariots and cavalry.
Solomon's reign marked the peak of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah. The army was powerful, commerce was prosperous, and the Temple of Jehovah and a magnificent royal palace were built in Jerusalem. He is therefore regarded as the greatest king of ancient Israel.
Nowadays, people often use the phrase "the wisdom of Solomon" to describe someone's intelligence and talent.
Along with the "wisdom of Solomon," his mysterious treasures have also been passed down. During his reign, Solomon used the port of Eilat as a base to vigorously develop maritime trade. His trading fleet sailed the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, reaching as far as Africa and India.
As a commercially based empire, Solomon possessed immense wealth. In Salazar at that time, it was said that silver was as worthless as stone, and gold was readily available. However, after King Solomon's death, the kingdom split into the southern Kingdom of Judah and the northern Kingdom, and this wealth seemed to mysteriously disappear along with Solomon's death.
For thousands of years, countless people have searched for Solomon's treasure, but no one has ever made any truly valuable discoveries. The book "Solomon's Treasure," which became a worldwide sensation in the 18th century, was written by Henry Haggard, who was also a devoted admirer of Solomon.
"I hope there are still people who can recognize these characters..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head with a wry smile, put the golden book back into the wooden box, and put it away along with the crystal skull and the golden scepter. The origin of this castle would probably have to be verified by these items.
The cleanup of the castle lasted for three whole days. Apart from the animal carcasses and garbage, Zhuang Rui moved everything out, including the stone tables and chairs.
Zhuang Rui also carved off any wall with carved patterns and numbered them. As the saying goes, it's easy to demolish a house but hard to build one. In just three days, this magnificent castle was completely transformed.