Chapter 592: 592 Insights
However, inside appeared to be quite a large space, seemingly a passage, for Yuanyuan saw a stone gateway, made of the same material as these stones, yet the interior remained unseen.
The stone on this side had already opened, large enough for a person to pass through.
But going down posed a problem since the opening was at the top.
Shao Hongming arranged for some stones to be brought over, presumably intending to create stairs.
It was only a little over three meters, so making stairs shouldn’t be too troublesome.
But it truly was unbearably hot in these outfits. "Yuanyuan, it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere anytime soon. I’m taking off my protective gear; it’s too uncomfortable."
Yuanyuan nodded, and the two female colleagues went to the other side. Once they had removed their gear, they sat down and waited.
Heavy lifting wasn’t necessary for them, but even standing here was quite uncomfortable.
They weren’t too far away and could see the construction site.
Many people, seeing what they did, also took off their gear.
Indeed, with many hands, work gets done more efficiently. By noon, they had actually managed to make the stairs.
After lunch and a half-hour break, everyone was geared up and ready to descend. By then, someone had figured out how to open the door.
Thirty people went down in total. Ten were responsible for safety.
After descending, Su Yuanyuan and Zeng Hongling separated; she wasn’t there to play and had to stay alert at all times.
After they went down, they were responsible for security, though if anything truly happened, human effort might not be able to stop it.
As they meticulously studied everything, Su Yuanyuan gestured to the nine people, and the ten of them dispersed but remained in the corners, careful not to obstruct the others’ work.
Upon reaching the site, Su Yuanyuan fully extended her Divine Sense and found nothing amiss, which put her at ease. However, the stones were still covered in many symbols of great value, indicating they’d likely be here for days.
Su Yuanyuan kept her eyes on Zeng Yaozu and Wei Guangxiang, thinking that they might know something or recognize the symbols.
All staff continued copying the symbols until evening, and then they all ascended.
Tonight, Shao Hongming was on duty the entire time. Even a simple entrance captivated these archeological experts so profoundly.
Su Yuanyuan had been standing all day and was truly exhausted. Nevertheless, she got up in the middle of the night to patrol twice, with her Divine Sense constantly on alert.
The next day continued; this time, Su Yuanyuan didn’t go down. Shao Hongming went to deploy more personnel, as manpower was evidently lacking.
Wei Guangxiang was below studying the symbols. He did recognize some, but not enough. It seemed he’d need to let others know he recognized a few, potentially piecing together the puzzle.
Su Yuanyuan maintained her focus on the area below, merely seeming bored and sitting by the side.
Fang Dayong was not at ease with the woman who slipped through his fingers.
When he approached to speak, "Behave, or you’ll never see the light of day again. Just your assault on me at night is enough to warrant that."
Fang Dayong was startled, sulkily retreating. How did this woman know about him? Yet, why did she still allow them to enter?
When Shao Hongming returned, she descended. Wei Guangxiang had now discovered some patterns in the arrangement of these symbols, indicating they likely described the tomb owner. Just waiting for the scientists to verify.
Wei Guangxiang approached Su Yuanyuan, "Mr. Su, I can recognize some characters, but I can’t piece them together."
"So, you don’t recognize many of them."
Wei Guangxiang nodded, "Correct."
"They can all be copied today. For tonight’s meeting, don’t hold anything back. You should know this is your chance to clear your name."
Wei Guangxiang gave Su Yuanyuan a complex look, realizing she already knew.
Now, her main focus was on Zeng Yaozu. He likely knew more than Wei Guangxiang.
He was silently reciting, and Su Yuanyuan had a general understanding, realizing it was the Zeng Family’s ancestral tomb.
She didn’t believe in anything about immortality but watching the persistence of this group, her curiosity mounted.
This time, the speed of copying was significantly faster. Their aim was to quickly decipher the information, potentially greatly assisting the excavation of the tomb chamber.
After coming up that night, the copying was complete. These scholars were quite driven. Now she somewhat understood archaeologists: it truly was zeal, not for treasures but the thrill of uncovering mysteries.
After dinner, they voluntarily headed to the meeting room.
Su Yuanyuan sat at the side, taking notes.
She had read Zeng Yaozu’s mind. Thus, she recognized many symbols too.
Wei Guangxiang knew he had to take the initiative; Su Yuanyuan was right: this was his opportunity to clear his name.
He thus volunteered that he recognized some characters, writing them down and indicating their meanings.
Two archaeologists also recognized some, though not as many as Wei Guangxiang. The process was similar.
Both parties pointed out that it was the Zeng Family’s ancestral tomb.
Now it was up to Zeng Yaozu. Su Yuanyuan stared directly at him. The Zeng Family also knew. They were quite anxious, unsure of how Grandpa would decide. It was a kind of trial now.
Zeng Yaozu had actually started considering this since yesterday; now, he had no choice, realizing that if he didn’t express an attitude, he might have no chance of entering.
"We recognize these characters. Let my grandson translate them."
This made the two scientists happy. Now they no longer rejected the Zeng Family members. They looked down on their behavior, yet, when it came to academic discovery, they were simply eager to learn the outcome.
Zeng Yixin translated a sheet of the copied symbols in roughly an hour.
Su Yuanyuan sat waiting at the side, now understanding the meaning of these characters too.
It seemed entrance to the interior indeed required an application.
Not to say this might be a mere scare tactic, but now she decided to believe it.
The translated sheet was directly handed to Su Yuanyuan. She scanned it, which matched what Zeng Yixin had thought. She then handed it to the archaeologists.
Everyone worked through the night, only managing to understand the information afterward.
Now everybody’s expressions were heavy.
The tomb chamber contained numerous mechanisms without specifics. Moreover, the area behind this door wasn’t the true tomb chamber, but a passage; the actual chamber was in the mountain itself.
Su Yuanyuan knew that the location was indeed not close to the mountains, which suggested that reaching the tomb chamber involved numerous dangers. It wasn’t a simple task.
The two leading archaeologists were somewhat anxious, eyes red, staring at Shao Hongming, waiting for his words.