118: Chapter 118 The Glory of Archaeologists

For a moment, the members of the Archaeological Team were moved to tears, their overwhelming excitement plain to see.

Command Headquarters

Seminar Hall

Professor Zhou and the other experts were also incredibly excited at this moment.

The moment they saw so many books, everyone felt emotions that were difficult to put into words.

Filling in the gaps in the nation's history was something that satisfied every archaeologist.

Their work was not just about unearthing artifacts; the countless missing pieces of Great Xia's history also relied on their hands to be brought out, one by one, to bloom under the sunlight.

Such emotions were beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

Therefore, at that instant, Professor Zhou's voice could not help but waver.

He hurriedly pressed the button on his headset and said:

"Ye—yes, you are approved to enter, but you must be careful! I will not allow a single page of these books to be oxidized!"

A single page of a book represented a piece of history.

No piece of history should ever be buried.

Professor Yang also understood the importance of this, so he immediately wiped away his hot tears and said firmly:

"Rest assured!"

Saying this, he had all the team members prepare their protective gear before slowly walking into the grand hall.

However, suddenly, looking at the countless books before him, Professor Yang felt as though he did not know where to begin.

He looked at the countless books before him as if he were a traveler who had endured hardships at sea and finally obtained the long-dreamed-of treasure.

His lips were trembling with excitement.

Professor Yang steadied his emotions and walked with determined steps toward the nearest bookshelf.

The rest of the Archaeological Team behind him were also preparing to follow Professor Yang inside.

But suddenly,

Professor Yang stood before the bookshelf. When he saw the four characters on the blue cover of a book on the shelf:

Tears as big as beans streamed down from the corners of Professor Yang's eyes.

Professor Yang acted as if he had gone mad, swiftly sweeping past one bookshelf after another, quickly inspecting the books on every shelf.

Sure enough, on the blue covers, the same four large, square characters were printed.

Professor Yang stopped.

He knelt on the mahogany floor, tears streaming down his face.

At this moment, Professor Yang was crying like a child.

Yet no one knew why Professor Yang was crying.

The Archaeological Team behind him was stunned by this situation.

For a moment, they did not understand what had happened.

They simply stared blankly at the seemingly crazed Professor Yang.

In the Seminar Hall, Professor Zhou and the other experts were also confused.

Although there were indeed countless books here, there was no need to be this excited, right?

Professor Zhou frowned slightly.

Professor Yang had been his comrade for many years.

The last time he saw Professor Yang like this seemed to be when the Simuwu Ding was unearthed.

But even then, Professor Yang seemed to have only cried for a while.

Unlike now, where his emotions seemed to have completely erupted?

The Archaeological Team behind him stood by the stairs, afraid to enter the grand hall.

They just stared blankly at Professor Yang, who was kneeling in the center of the hall, sobbing uncontrollably.

The audience in the Live Stream Room could not help but be confused as well.

They flooded the live stream with comments, asking what was going on.

"Is Professor Yang crying out of joy or sadness???"

"This... why does it feel like Professor Yang is crying as if his own father died..."

"Could there be hallucinogenic substances in this hall that caused Professor Yang to hallucinate?"

"I'm not sure either. Although seeing so many well-preserved books is indeed exciting, there's no need to be this worked up, right?"

"Professor Yang seems to have lost control of his emotions! Professor Yang has given us lectures for a long time, and I have never seen him like this!"

...

It was not just the audience in the Live Stream Room who were confused;

the many experts in the Seminar Hall were also baffled.

They had no idea what happened or why Professor Yang had suddenly lost control of his emotions.

Professor Zhou frowned slightly and kept asking through the headset:

"What's wrong, Old Yang? What happened?"

Professor Zhou asked many times.

However, Professor Yang seemed not to hear him, remaining kneeling on the mahogany floor with his eyes already bloodshot.

Everyone watched this scene quietly, completely unaware of what had occurred.

After a long time,

Professor Yang finally stopped crying and reached up to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Then, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse from crying, and said to Professor Zhou with a tremor:

"Old Zhou, our dream from when we were young has finally, finally been realized..."

By the end, Professor Yang's voice was completely hoarse.

The moment Professor Zhou heard this, he felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, and he froze from head to toe.

A memory immediately flooded into Professor Zhou's mind.

In a daze,

Professor Zhou felt as if he had returned to his youth.

At that time, the Yongling Mausoleum had just been unearthed.

Although they had successfully unearthed the Yongling Mausoleum, everyone who participated in the excavation was incredibly disappointed after the archaeological operation concluded.

Because the great work that archaeologists believed was most likely to contain the "Oriental Homeric Epic" — the complete volume of the yongle encyclopedia — had not been found.

This was an ocean where the origins of Great Xia civilization converged.

Yet it had been lost in the long river of history.

Everyone looked dejected, and the disappointment in their eyes was visible.

At that time, although Professor Zhou was just a young lad, he always held a heart of pure sincerity toward archaeology.

He treated every archaeological operation with the most fervent attitude.

That excavation of the Yongling Mausoleum also left him incredibly disappointed.

Professor Yang was about the same age as Professor Zhou, and the two had met during that excavation operation and became good friends.

They studied archaeology together and researched ancient books and antiques together.

When the Yongling Mausoleum excavation ended and Professor Zhou was at his most depressed and discouraged, the still-young Professor Yang found him.

He put his arm around Professor Zhou's shoulder and sat beside the dirt pit.

"Hey, what does this matter? Archaeological operations are inherently full of uncertainty; how can you be discouraged by such a small thing?"

"How about this, let's make a pact! In the future, we must find the yongle encyclopedia together to make up for this loss!"

...

However, later, as the other Ming Imperial Tombs were excavated, there was still no sign of the yongle encyclopedia.

This matter was gradually forgotten.

But finding the complete volume of the yongle encyclopedia had always been the dream of all archaeologists.

And recalling this,

the scene before Professor Zhou's eyes gradually dissipated.

He lifted his head somewhat mechanically, looking blankly at the large screen in the center.

He could not help but mutter:

"Old Yang, did... did you find it?"

At this moment, Professor Zhou could no longer control the trembling of his hands or his voice!

Or more accurately, Professor Zhou was trembling uncontrollably!