Chapter 820: Abducting the Spirit Tower

archaeologist……

Aleister actually knew one.

That is Avalon's most authoritative historian, Professor Budd, the college mentor of Aiwass and Lily.

There aren't many archaeologists in Star Antimony itself—even the fewest among the lands split from the Helasar Empire.

The original inhabitants of Avalon were giants, and there was nothing worth archaeologically exploring. However, Avalon's archaeology is much more developed than that of Star Antimony.

One of the important reasons is that the Xingtan people are too particular about "practicality" - just like the Xingtan alchemy they inherited.

A great artist is most likely a high-level transcendent in the path of beauty; a great mathematician may be a favorite of the Geometry God, and a great sage in the field of speculation and philosophy may also be favored by great philosophers.

Not to mention theology, alchemy, astrology, rituals, and other mystical knowledge inherently linked to supernatural skills, which themselves signify power. A Leveler specializing in plant knowledge is called a "botanist," while those specializing in animal knowledge can become a "hunter," and even those with only a sufficient understanding of law and politics can become a lawyer.

But history is different.

This should have originally belonged to the "rubbing" field of Lingbo Tiansi, or the "preservation" concept of amber... However, the skills extended from these two fields are called necromancy and preservation respectively.

In other words, even if an archaeologist becomes the best in the world, he or she will not gain any extraordinary abilities.

Unlike Aiwass and Aleister, ordinary people couldn't gain "experience" by killing powerful beings. To advance in their profession, ordinary people typically had to rely on personal practice, extensive reading and study, or significant achievements based on their own path. Regardless of the method, it required considerable effort and time.

——If that’s the case, what’s the point of spending so much time studying history?

On a planet full of extraordinary people, this means they will become the "weak ones".

And they could have become "strong".

But the archaeology of this world is extremely prestigious——

Compared to the history of world civilization, the human race in this world is incredibly short. Many ancient peoples, long before humanity emerged, had already begun to develop from primitive tribes and forged numerous civilizations. It wasn't until the Beastmaster created hundreds of beasts—a new race with vast numbers, slightly inferior individual abilities but immense reproductive potential—that their rapid growth and development gradually eliminated these ancient, generally small populations.

"Scientific and technological development relies on archaeology" is no joke in this world. Even immortal elves attach great importance to archaeology.

At least in the field of mysterious skills, it is perfectly normal for those inherited powers to be lost.

In a world with a small population, this model of teacher-student inheritance, with generations deteriorating, would only require a natural disaster or a single war to destroy most inheritances. In this era, there wasn't even the technology to mass-produce purple equipment. Most of the existing purple equipment came from ruins excavations—whether it was a blessing from an apostle or ancient craftsmanship, everything had to be dug up from within the ruins.

Humanity has only been around for two thousand years, and with such a history, there's no cultural heritage to speak of. Naturally, the extraordinary powers developed from scratch can't compare to those of our ancestors who existed for over ten thousand years.

Occupations, skills, equipment, technology... these things rely heavily on archaeological discoveries.

In a sense, archaeology in this world is equivalent to "life professions" like weapon or alchemy in fantasy and immortality worlds. Although lacking in combat power, it holds a high status.

Professor Budd wasn't a transcendent, but he could converse directly with the Queen. He could even chat and laugh with important figures like the Grand Arbitrator and Bishop Mathers. He also knew many high-ranking ministers, and his opinions could even influence them—this was enough to demonstrate his status.

So the Xingti people developed another idea.

That is to directly invite archaeologists to come here to conduct archaeological excavations.

They don't train archaeologists themselves, but they regularly open up their territories to archaeologists, even paying for them to come and conduct research. They simply submit reports upon entering and exiting the ruins, so it's not considered theft. Once they've completed their studies, they can then directly purchase or even buy out their excavation and research findings.

Anyway, Xingti is powerful enough and generous with the money, so there is no need to worry that they will not sell.

Relying on the power and wealth of Xingti, this trading model has continued for a long time.

Much of the inspiration for alchemy today comes from the "ancient prototypes" corresponding to these technologies.

Ancient people had already developed them using another technical direction, but the Xingti people just optimized and modernized them.

Another model is "sponsoring archaeology."

Essentially, a sponsor is particularly interested in something within a site—a piece of technology, an antique, or a legacy of knowledge. But they don't know where it is, so they pay an archaeological team to come and excavate the site. Aside from the items they most desire, which the sponsor takes away, anything else they can retrieve belongs to the team.

They can take the rest of their harvest back with them, but there is also a chance that it will be intercepted and bought along the way.

Sponsors can also provide their research reports and continue to sponsor other teams to excavate the ruins. Of course, if a team is wiped out within the ruins, it is not the sponsor's responsibility. At most, the sponsor will need to raise the price for the next sponsorship.

Master Chongbo should belong to the latter.

Although he is at least 500 years old, he obviously knows nothing about the history of 2,000 years ago. In this case, it is better to hire a professional guide to show you around.

"The 'Master of Amber' is named Albrecht Dürer."

Dark Adolf saw that Aleister was a little moved, so he directly provided more detailed information: "He is now in Narcissus Territory and should continue to recruit archaeologists until next month. If you have a reliable candidate, you can bring him to see.

"Of course... maybe soon, that land can be called the 'Daffodil Principality'.

"Now that Valentine VII is dead, and Pomponazzi, who killed him, is also dead... Once this news reaches the front lines, the morale of those Black Eagle legions will probably collapse.

"Add to that the heavy snow that fell during the winter promotion, and I don't think we'll be able to fight.

"Once the Narcissus Principality splits itself off, the next in line will be the Black Hawk Principality—also a former principality swallowed by the Stars less than fifty years ago, and possessing the largest and most advanced Stars army. If the Black Hawks see the Narcissus people re-establishing their nation, they probably won't be able to settle down."

"Isn't the Ziggurat planning to join the war?"

Aleister smiled and said, "I remember... the Psychic Tower and the military were cooperating."

"You mean Odwal Raxmi?"

The Black Phase directly mentioned Professor Rashimi's name. "His collaboration with Leipzig was also within my expectations. Previously, it wasn't a big deal. Pomponazzi is a restless person... He has a strong desire for control. If there weren't an eye in the Psychic Tower, he'd probably be in a state of panic."

"And now, Pomponazzi is dead... Not only that, the one who was promoted to the throne, Valentine VIII, has never been recognized by me or the principal. He is not a monarch we recognize, so there is no need for the Ziggurat to serve them anymore."

What this means is that the Ziggurat intends to withdraw the undead legions from the front line and bring them back to the Ziggurat.

Once this important auxiliary force is lost, the casualty ratio between the Black Hawk soldiers and the Narcissus mages will increase significantly.

- Although the Ziggurat had no ambitions at all, with the deaths of Valentine VII and Pomponazzi, no one could shake the Ziggurat's determination to lie low and let things go.

It was an ironclad determination. Aleister had no doubt about it.

"I do have an idea."

Aleister smiled and asked, "Since the Ziggurat doesn't intend to serve Valentine VIII...what if I invite you all to Avalon?"

"I think... that's not necessary."

Adolf didn't even think twice and politely declined, "It's too much trouble. Anyway, Xingti shouldn't cause any more major trouble. We can finally have a few decades of peace."

"That may not be the case."

Aleister said meaningfully.

Albert was stunned when he saw Aleister's reaction.

He recalled his previous conversation with Count Leipzig and blurted out, "Is it that... the Tail Ring Ceremony?"

"Yes, there is something wrong with that ritual."

Aleister stopped looking at Adolf and turned to look at Albert: “You are the next Black Prime Minister, right?

"In that case...if the Dark Phase were you, would you want to move to Avalon?"

"Is this what you requested?"

Albert confirmed.

"It's my request."

Aleister affirmed.

"Then I agree."

Albert agreed without hesitation: “If I can inherit the position of vice-president, I will be responsible for persuading the principal to move the psychic tower to Avalon.

"It should be much quieter in Avalon than in Star Antimony!"

He had obviously been looking forward to it for a long time.

Dark Adolf sighed helplessly and covered his forehead with his hand.

You should bargain a little, kid...

(End of this chapter)