Chapter 875 Professor Budd's Dream
It has been some time since Professor Bud arrived in the Narcissus Principality.
Royal Law University begins its summer break in mid-April, and the third semester will resume on May 1st, which is dedicated to internships, experiments, certifications, and exams.
Now it is the exam season for the second semester and the formal teaching time has ended.
——As for trivial matters like exams and marking papers, we can just find a teaching assistant among the students. The school has no control over him at all.
Although Aiwass could no longer return as his assistant, he had inspired Professor Budd's thinking. When Aiwass went abroad to study in the Church and became an archbishop on his first day, Professor Budd had already foreseen and found his second assistant.
At that time, Professor Bud had a premonition: there was a high probability that Aiwass would not come back to teach.
He had originally planned to go to Xingti at the end of the second semester, which was mid-April.
Xingti's archaeological model is quite beneficial to foreign archaeologists like him.
Whether it was hiring an archaeologist or sponsoring an archaeological expedition, it didn't matter—he wasn't going to resell antiquities, he just wanted to come back and write his paper. With the official Xingtan signature, no one would worry about him committing academic fraud. Since he wasn't a Xingtan member himself, there was no point in helping him lie. It was a matter of mutual benefit.
And the order Queen Isabel gave him was exactly what he wanted.
Originally, he just wanted to conduct an excavation of the ruins from the Hengwo era - that would be at most to dig up the remains of the elves, and there was a possibility of encountering some guardians such as monsters and undead.
But when he heard that someone had found a relic that might be from the Amber Age, Professor Bud suddenly became excited.
That is an ancient relic from before the birth of humans...even before the birth of elves!
——This is exactly Professor Bud’s regret!
He knew that the era before the elves was called the Amber Age... It was a time when the Winged and Scaled Ones reigned supreme, and the "Hundred Children of the Great Tree," the "Breasted Ones," were newly born, still in the throes of civilization. It was only with the death of the second sun that that era gradually came to an end, and the Age of Elves and Warcraft gradually began.
Different from island nations like Avalon and the Theocracy.
As a continental nation bordering the sea, the Herasil Empire should have harbored traces of ancient civilization. However, to this day, human historiography has failed to confirm any traces of civilization prior to the Eternal Age. The oldest historical fragments available to humanity are the "civilization of rituals and language" left behind after the fall of the Second Sun.
Although they knew from the elves and dragons that civilization existed in that era, they knew nothing about it, and the elves were unwilling to share the secret.
As an archaeologist, there is nothing more exciting than discovering this prehistoric civilization!
Professor Budd was already very old. Although he looked only in his fifties or sixties, and his hair wasn't even completely white, just completely bald, he was actually from the same generation as Meg... He was already ninety years old.
Minister Droste, who was his age, already needed to rely on potions to stay alive. Even under these circumstances, Minister Droste had developed the adaptability of the Twilight Path—that is, he began to fear death.
Professor Budd's ability to travel abroad at this age is entirely due to the blessing of the Sand Timepiece, which he has received through his academic research. This, coupled with the attention paid to him by the Avalon authorities, allows this old man to travel freely and energetically every day without any illness or disaster.
But even so, the old man's energy and condition are obviously declining.
He knew this might be his last time to personally conduct archaeological excavations. So after acquiring the healer Aiwass, he boldly wanted to open a relic from the Hengwo era—and only the Hengwo era.
Because the elves have strict regulations regarding archaeology, the "Ancient Monuments Restoration Society" generally forbids non-professionals from engaging in excavation. They believe that any form of archaeology could potentially damage the ancient monuments. This is precisely why the old man couldn't find a priest teammate. No priest above the rank of bishop dared to come, after all, it might offend the Ancient Monuments Restoration Society.
That is a core force composed of three cardinals.
Professor Bud had originally asked Aiwass to go with him because Aiwass was still a student, not a regular clergyman with holy orders. The core rule of "children are ignorant" was applicable in various places. This would not bring any bad influence to Aiwass.
The more ancient the ruins are, the greater the danger inside.
But Professor Budd not only wants to become "the most powerful historian since the founding of Avalon", but also wants to... go one step further.
Historical knowledge doesn't belong to the Nine Great Daos, but the act of excavating and restoring history aligns with the philosophies of the Path of Balance, the Path of Twilight, and the Path of Wisdom. If he could gain the favor of the Celestial Master or even the Pillar God, perhaps he could become an Apostle!
——That is Bud’s ambition!
This was not a fantasy, after all, he had already received a blessing once.
If you take one step further, you might become an apostle!
As long as one could become an apostle, they would never grow old and die again. Furthermore, they could maintain a clear mind and explore the dream world, which was vaster, more mysterious, and more ancient than the physical world. They could personally communicate with those ancient deceased great figures and obtain firsthand information directly from their mouths... Nothing could be more attractive than this.
Whether he can become an apostle... depends on this last archaeological excavation!
Turn to ashes, or step into eternity——
It is for this reason that Professor Bud attaches great importance to this archaeological excavation.
Because his employer, Master Dürer, was planning to hire a top-tier team at a high salary, Professor Budd didn't even bring his own team with him. He traveled alone overseas... Although he was escorted by the Griffin Legion, he had to take care of his daily life on his own.
He was also quite satisfied with the quality of the archaeological team.
The six fourth-level protectors were a Temple Guardian Monk, a Dream Monk, a Grand Mage, a Trap Master, a Survivalist, and a Great Wizard. One on the Path of Devotion, two on the Path of Wisdom, two on the Path of Adaptation, and one on the Path of Transcendence—plus the employer's own Twilight Path Preservationist, the occupational distribution was extremely reasonable.
In this way, their team can come up with complete solutions to illusions, mechanisms, poisons, rituals, runes, and magical beasts.
——It’s a pity that we still can’t catch a high-level priest.
Professor Bud touched his chin with some regret.
If there was a priest who could help them with countermeasures against the undead and curses, and further gain instant healing capabilities...their team could be said to be flawless.
"Mr. Dürer."
Professor Budd asked, "Are you waiting for someone?"
Since this morning, their employer, Albrecht Dürer, has been sitting at the door of their temporarily rented villa, motionless.
This manor was their base. After all, it would take some time for everyone to gather. In order to prevent these talented people from leaving, providing them with a good living environment was a necessary condition.
Their men were clearly all present, but Mr. Dürer still hadn't set out. Even when asked, he simply said, "It's not time yet."
Since they were paid a large sum for each day they stayed, the rest of the team patiently explored the Narcissus Principality. They treated it as a vacation... Professor Budd was probably the only one who felt a little anxious, but that was fine.
The third semester hadn't started yet, so he had at least several months to spend here. And for this archaeological expedition... he could even skip classes, and everything else could be sacrificed for this supreme cause.
The heavy snowfall, evoked by the arrival of winter, had only just begun. In some places, fallen snow could still be seen on rooftops. The slightly warmer April sun beat down on the snow, creating a warm yet pleasantly cool feeling.
So pretty much everyone else on the team went out to play.
Apart from Albrecht Dürer and Professor Budd, only the temple guardian monk was meditating here.
The taciturn Mr. Dürer did not respond.
Professor Budd felt a little bored. He just shook his head and asked habitually, "Speaking of which, do you know how the name Protagoras came about?"
This is not to show off knowledge, but just to have some fun when I'm bored.
He always loved telling stories, which was probably why he liked being a teacher. However, his stories were always boring, and even his students yawned when they heard them.
"—This name comes from Protagoras, the Apostle of the Great Master, a mage lord during the Herasil Empire."
It wasn't Mr. Dürer who answered Professor Bud, but a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice from outside the door: "The Narcissus Principality has a wizard tower called 'Protagoras.' Its name comes from Protagoras's magical heritage... According to the 'Mage Tower Ancillary Land Management Act,' wizard lords are granted powers similar to those of nobles in other countries, including the right to name their territory."
"Generally speaking, the names of the various counties in the Narcissus Principality come from the surnames of the local wizard lords. Unless the wizard lord specifically named the land..."
The sound came from far away and gradually approached. Dürer suddenly raised his head and looked outside the door.
After saying that, Aiwass pushed the door open and walked in.
He looked at Professor Budd with a smile on his face: "Tell me, am I right?
"--teacher?"
“Evans! …Evans?!”
Professor Budd was stunned: "You are not——"
Aren't you going to the Church of England to be the current Pope? How come you still have time to come here?!
He was about to say this when he saw the decorations and runes on Aiwass's robe.
He recognized the authenticity at a glance: "Hollowed-out gold ornaments from ancient scriptures, gold buttons with nine sacred patterns, nine-inch deer antler and thorn patterns... It truly is the standard uniform of the Eternal Pope."
incredible.
Although he had heard before that his student was now the acting Pope... he had been shocked once before. But because it was so outrageous, he didn't feel any reality at all.
But now it’s different.
He saw with his own eyes—
At that moment, the absurdity that had accumulated over the past few months came to light.
—Did my student really become a cardinal? Did my student become the Eternal Pope? Why is the Pope here in person? Are you here to do archaeology too? Is it really okay for the Theocracy to leave the Pope?
Countless questions crowded into Professor Bud's mind, causing him to widen his eyes involuntarily but unable to utter a word.
At this moment, Dürer stood up and bowed deeply to Aiwass: "Your Holiness the Pope."
As he looked at Dürer, Aiwass's exaggerated smile, which had hinted at something like "Aha, you didn't expect that," faded slightly. He nodded gently, "May the Pillar God protect you, Master Dürer... or rather, Master Chongpo."
"...You really do know my identity."
"I have seen Mr. Grunewald. You only learned of my coming from the letter you received there, didn't you?"
Aiwass smiled and put a finger to his lips. "But remember... don't tell those people who I am. But there's no need to hide it, just call me Aiwass. Or Moriarty."
In the past, Aiwass would have used the pseudonym "Aleister".
But now he inexplicably felt awkward and didn't want to use it.
At this moment, Professor Budd's hesitant voice came again: "You are...?"
She was the girl who came with Aiwass, with long pure white hair and a temperament as white as snow.
She looked cold and silent, as still as a lifeless sculpture. Her long hair, as if cut by a knife, gave people a sense of silence and cold sharpness.
Master Chongpo nodded, acknowledging Aiwass's words. He then looked up at the girl.
He took a look, was stunned for a moment, then opened his eyes wide and looked hard.
"...It's a machine?"
Chongbo was a little confused: "There is also a soul?"
"This is Cardinal Galatea."
Aiwass introduced: "A... Star Crystal Person born in the Amber Age, the helper I found.
"—She might know more about this relic."
At this moment, Master Chongbo suddenly felt something was wrong.
Three at the fifth energy level, six at the fourth energy level... the number of extraordinary people has unknowingly reached nine.
Nine people——
...That is the "ultimate" number, and it is also the number required for the grand ceremony.
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