Soon, under the direction of Abigail and Bogomir, the workers and researchers got to work. Hayden looked around and saw that everyone had already divided into groups, happily surveying the surrounding ruins and studying the patterns and symbols on the damaged structures. Most of the scholars in the Order had never seen such detailed and numerous ancient civilization ruins before. They marveled at them while discussing how to carefully excavate and clear away sections of the nearby sand and gravel. Of course, they didn't forget to collect samples using various equipment and make detailed records.
These advanced facilities were all funded by Hayden's investment in the Sofia Order, but that's not the focus right now.
The key point is that even Hayden had to admit that an ancient site of such unexpected scale was clearly beyond what he could investigate and study alone. Reality isn't a mummy treasure hunt story. No one or two archaeologists, no matter how brilliant, can immediately uncover crucial knowledge and clues from a massive ancient site.
You can't do this kind of thing well by going it alone; it's harder than crossing the Pacific Ocean in a canoe.
Soon, the excavation and research of the Dead Sea underwater ruins officially began.
Abigail was in charge of overseeing the workers, Bogomir was in charge of overseeing the experts, and then the various worker groups were directed by the on-site experts to carry out the specific operations. Professor Albion, on the other hand, wandered around the ruins by himself, taking out a pen and making notes in his notebook.
This isn't meant to be disrespectful to workers, but excavating ancient ruins in a magical world is incredibly dangerous. Imagine how many artifacts would be damaged, how many irreparable specimens would be destroyed, if the workers touched things carelessly?
What if they accidentally break some strange ancient jar and release an ancient curse? Wouldn't that mean the end for everyone?
In the magical world, archaeology is one way to gain power, but it is no less dangerous than developing new technologies.
As a person of ancient times in essence, Abigail understood this principle very well. Although the entire personnel structure was crude this time, the actual results were not bad.
Hayden was the only one who looked particularly strange and awkward in this organizational structure.
"...What happened to the ruins adventure we were promised? How did it turn out like this again?"
He scratched his head and couldn't help but complain.
The others ignored him, but Professor Abirn laughed when he heard it: "You brought a large archaeological team here, what kind of archaeological adventure are you planning? You've never done any actual archaeological research before, have you?"
Hayden shook his head honestly: "Almost none. But I always collect ancient artifacts through the black market and other channels to study and research them myself. It's not that I've never picked up ancient artifacts on-site, but I really have no experience digging them out of the ground by hand."
The professor nodded and said, "I see. Then you can follow me and treat it as attending a few more classes."
"Both archaeology and site research require hands-on experience to increase fieldwork experience. While learning knowledge is important, field practice is equally crucial for archaeology. Observing and interacting more on-site allows for a more intuitive understanding, which, combined with existing knowledge, makes the process much faster."
Experience—yes, experience. For on-site archaeological research, what's needed isn't just knowledge that has been translated into text, but the most authentic experience. Whether it's formulating a plan or putting it into practice, without personally familiarizing oneself with the situation on-site, nothing can be accomplished.
The professor then turned to look at the others present—whether they were experts from the religious order or workers.
"The same principle applies to others."
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And so time passed by in a speed that Hayden had never anticipated.
Heeding Professor Albion's advice, he spent most of the time observing how others did things, rather than trying to solve everything by waving his staff. It must be admitted that Hayden derived considerable enjoyment from observing the workings of various spells.
Do you remember last year when Hayden went to the wilderness to study the bizarre magical techniques of primitive tribes and broaden his horizons? He now has a similar feeling to that time. Just like those primitive tribesmen, the workers of the Sophia Order and the guild also have their own unique, even purely experience-based, magic.
Like the magic of the demi-humans, these spells, devised privately by a select few, were generally poorly optimized. However, once Abigail and Professor Albion helped to refine them, the situation changed dramatically. Although the witch herself couldn't cast spells freely, her knowledge of ancient magic was so vast it could only be described as tragic; and the old professor, in ancient times, would have been a master capable of founding a school of magic.
With everyone working together, the technology naturally advanced by leaps and bounds. In less than a month, researchers from the cult presented Hayden with their newly invented device, which they had integrated, as if it were a treasure, for his review.
"What is this?"
Hayden fiddled with the device in his hand that looked like a bull's eye lamp and asked curiously.
"This is the Moonlight Lamp, which we have optimized by combining the workers' old techniques with the time magic within the cult."
The researchers sent by Bogomir to report were, of course, from a faction that revered Hayden as a prophet, and they treated Hayden with great respect.
“By shining the artificial moonlight emitted by it on an object, the state of that object in the past can be re-projected. Although it cannot interfere with the physical timeline, it can only reproduce past scenes, but both Professor Bogomir and Professor Albion believe that this device has great potential in the excavation of relics and want to mass-produce it.”
These words sounded easy, but Hayden wasn't stupid. After a moment of stunned silence, he immediately realized what was happening and almost broke out in a cold sweat: "If you illuminate the entire ruins with a large number of moonlight lamps, all the scenes there can be rewound back five thousand years?"
The researcher nodded proudly.
噫
"...How did you manage to make something like this?"
Hayden, in his honest opinion, couldn't even come up with something like this himself.
“The Adabit Guild has many ancient spells that use moonlight to find and guide targets, and my church is not lacking in time magic techniques, which you, Prophet, have also experienced.” The researcher then explained, “When everyone gathered together to discuss and brainstorm, they came up with the idea that the two could be completely combined, and finally designed this moonlight lamp.”
What kind of terrifying new technology is this, conceived out on a whim?
Hayden couldn't help but think that although he himself might be able to wear down his soul and perform great miracles to do something similar, he clearly couldn't do it with such precision and ease. This group of workers and experts gathered together for a pleasant discussion, but somehow managed to cobble together this bizarre concoction.
Imagination can truly change everything.
"Yes, this plan sounds good."
Hayden nodded and told the researcher to go back and relay the message.
Instead, Abigail picked up the leftover moonlight sample, examining it from top to bottom while frowning.
Seeing this, Hayden casually asked, "Is there something wrong?"
“No. This is indeed a very impressive technique.” The witch shook her head, but still frowned. “But I feel like this style of magic looks familiar…it seems to resemble something I’ve seen a long time ago.”
This little old woman has seen so many things long ago.
Therefore, Hayden didn't give it much thought.
208: Undercurrents
About half a month later, the condition of the Dead Sea underwater ruins had changed dramatically.
Death and darkness once dominated this place, making time seem to stand still. But things are different now.
The researchers from the Sophia Order certainly wouldn't demolish the ruins, nor could they randomly cast spells on the ruins. Otherwise, the traces of the old divine power would be contaminated, ruining the research samples, as mentioned before—but they still installed and set up quite a few new things around the ruins.
First, of course, is the newly invented moonlight lamp, which I mentioned before.
Experts drew up layout plans, and workers installed numerous mass-produced moonlight lamps throughout the ruins, illuminating the areas that had already been cleared with artificial moonlight. The once pitch-black bottom of the Dead Sea was thus illuminated. The sections of the ruins that had been investigated were illuminated by time magic, gradually revealing their past appearance.
This kind of thing has to be done little by little; it's not foolish to shine a moonlight on the entire ruins. But even so, the ruins look quite different now than before.
In addition, multiple layers of barriers were set up above this large vertical pit.
There are many reasons for doing this. One reason is to prevent the sea-stabilizing barrier above from suddenly collapsing. After all, since Hayden separated the Dead Sea, the status quo has been maintained by a temporary ritual magic that everyone has worked together to imitate. Although the sea is currently separated, what if the ritual magic suddenly fails, and thousands or even more tons of seawater rush down, wouldn't that crush all the workers and experts working below?
This kind of earth-shattering power is already at the level of a true god. Even gods, if they didn't have time to react and try to withstand it with their physical bodies, would definitely be crushed and flattened by so much seawater.
Therefore, to protect the safety of the staff on site, it is only natural to set up multiple layers of barriers in case the seawater crashes down from above. This is the first reason.
As for the second reason... it's to prevent things from the underwater ruins from running away.
Yes
Even in the Dead Sea, "things" can emerge.
————————————————————————————
The underwater ruins don't distinguish between day and night. Under the moonlight, people need to take turns working at all times. Even when they're not busy with work, they can't just abandon it.
The same is true today. Amidst the ruins of buildings formed by molten rock and crumbling walls, there is a vast area devoid of rubble and broken walls. In this open space stands a rock temple that seems out of place with its surroundings. Its design is clear and distinct, its stonework has pleasing angles, and its brickwork is covered with intricate and elaborate reliefs.
Two or three experts were directing a team of workers to excavate the buried part of the tower temple, and everyone was busy around. Because they couldn't use magic directly, they could only use adamantite shovels to clear the debris bit by bit, while the experts also had to keep various records. Fortunately, there were many workers, and their bodies had been enhanced, so even digging through sandstone with just shovels was faster than digging tofu. Before long, they had cleared the base of the tower temple.
This was the first time anyone had ever discovered such a large and complete architectural site at this underwater ruin. The brickwork at the base of the temple was carved with numerous patterns and reliefs, resembling some kind of scripture. The experts eagerly began discussing it.
"This temple is distinctly Sumerian in style, but the patterns are not Bronze Age cuneiform. They are more likely earlier hieroglyphs?"
"Look at this little figure with its hand outstretched towards the sky. The meaning of this gesture is quite clear."
"I also believe this is a mural depicting ancient sacrifices to extraterrestrial gods. As for why these symbols were carved on the base stone, it should be related to the basic prayers used in the sacrifices?"
Such ancient ruins have no related documents, historical records, or other materials, even the Sofia Order lacks them. All the discussions so far have remained mere speculation.
However, just as everyone was engrossed in their discussion, the workers who were resting nearby, having nothing to do, noticed something unusual. Suddenly, several workers shouted in unison and jumped back: "Watch out! Enemy attack!"
In the blink of an eye, a large mound suddenly rose from the sand and gravel beneath the pagoda, spewing out a swirling mass of darkness, an amorphous shadow!
It emerged from the churning air, gradually coalescing into thick, winding tentacles and claws, pulling a slippery, writhing mass of flesh from the ground. The tentacles of this mass even had mouths, and the front of the mass was adorned with enormous, terrifying eyes. Below its belly was a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth—it was nothing short of a hideous, grotesque, twisted monster of flesh!
This alien creature was so terrifying it made one doubt their own eyes; it looked like it had sprung from a nightmare. An evil and unsettling light of its soul radiated continuously from the monster.
Despite their fear, the experts and workers remained calm. The workers immediately grabbed their entrenching tools, shielding the experts at the back and forming a defensive formation at the front – they were clearly prepared for battle!
"Don't panic! We all know how to fight! Fight them back!"
The foreman roared and led the attack. He gripped the large, adamantite shovel with both hands, as if it were a greatsword. His legs were firmly planted on the stone ground, and with a burst of strength from his muscles, he leaped forward—the experts and scholars, who had never trained their bodies, only saw a flash of black light before the monster's tentacles were severed and fell to the ground, writhing. Even the millennia-old, unyielding brickwork was blasted into a crater by this single blow.
However, for the alien monster with countless twisted tentacles, this was at most a scratch.
However, if one person can injure it, it means that a group of people can defeat it.
The workers, in coordination with the foreman, launched a series of attacks, hacking, stabbing, sweeping, chopping, and hacking.
The alien retaliated with its gaping maw filled with sharp teeth and tentacles. Not only that, it also aimed its enormous, terrifying monocular eye at the workers, unleashing a horrifying flash of light. The green beam swept across the ruins like a brush dipped in green paint smearing across a painting. The floorboards touched by the beam instantly decayed and turned to ash. One worker, unable to dodge in time, was struck directly in the knee by the beam, his entire leg turning to dust as he crashed to the ground.
If these workers hadn't undergone the tempering process of the Secret Fire Salt, this disintegration beam would have turned them to dust. Even with such training, they would have been nearly rendered incapable of fighting after taking such an attack.
However, the experts weren't just standing by and watching. They quickly used magic to pull the wounded to the back, allowing the frontline workers to maintain the battle line. At the same time, several enhancement spells flew out and landed on the frontline workers: strengthening their bodies, temporarily enhancing their weapons with magic, hardening their skin, and sharpening their minds... Although the magical culture of the Sophia Order emphasizes the spirit over the material, their alchemy is also very powerful.
With several spells cast upon them, the workers' bodies surged with even greater power.
Even the alien that crawled out of the underwater ruins had its eyeballs smashed by the workers with a large gold shovel, turning it into a simple lump of flesh, and it stopped moving.
"Phew, I need to move this one back to the laboratory on shore too."
The experts breathed a sigh of relief and continued their discussion with great interest while treating the workers' injuries.
"This is the third one today. It seems to be a little different from the first two?"
"Anyway, they are not real living beings and cannot be considered by ordinary biology. This should just be an elemental shadow formed by the mixture of death energy and the divine power of the fallen old gods? But we still need to take them back for dissection and further study."
Several workers lost arms and legs to the disintegration beam, but that wasn't a big deal. They could be healed overnight back on shore, and Hayden would, of course, cover the medical expenses, and even provide additional injury allowances.
Therefore, even though some strange supernatural monsters have been crawling out of the ruins from time to time recently, the workers only complain a few times.
Moreover, they've gotten stronger recently.
By collaborating with the Sofia Order, the workers would naturally receive some guidance on spiritual practices from the Sofia Order. Although their philosophies differed and their paths of practice were quite different, these experts, being on a higher level than the workers, would still bring considerable benefits.
Moreover, the deep underground cave beneath this dead seabed is an even more bizarre place.
The sea is inherently linked to death—quiet, terrifying, and horrifying; yet it is also intimately connected to life. And this place, nestled beneath the Dead Sea, is a land of death, where the shadow and power of death are projected. So, descend into this underground, excavate, research, work, cross the boundary between life and death, and then return to the surface…
...Isn't this equivalent to mimicking a process of death and resurrection every day?
The power of death and resurrection was something Hayden had already taught them. Simply fighting against the shadow of death in this supernatural realm of death, and returning alive every day, was an imitation of the magical ritual of resurrection.
That alone is enough to allow everyone to level up quickly.
Don't let their rough appearance fool you; these workers, wielding entrenching tools and hacking away, possess the strength to split mountains and shatter monuments, and are impervious to blades and spears. They are strong, and growing stronger every day. While they are not yet on par with the Protoss—not yet, and it may take many years to achieve that—their rate of growth is still astonishing.
Specialists who weren't primarily responsible for combat were also leveling up, because death and resurrection applied equally to everyone. This upgrade was satisfying and made them look forward to the future even more.
Because this is power!
It's power!
Death is power, and so is life. When the winds of life blow in this land of death, they can stir up a power that rises like a raging fire.
Whether workers or scholars, living or dead, this ever-growing force will attract them like a moth drawn to a flame.
Every moment, and even now.
"Take this sample back; it's about time to wrap up for today."
One of the experts leading the team spoke up, saying that they were preparing to call the workers to evacuate together.
However, he immediately shut his mouth. Because the foreman, who had been taking care of the wounded until just now, suddenly put a finger to his lips and was listening intently.
Now, not only the workers, but also the other experts perked up their ears. Sure enough, they heard a rustling sound again, flowing down the stone slabs beneath their feet.
"Another shadow monster formed from death energy and divine power? Can't we just call it a day?"
Everyone sighed, slowly raised their weapons and magical artifacts, and prepared themselves.
Although everyone was a bit tired, and some workers had their hands and feet smashed by the dismantling, they could still defeat another monster from before, given the current situation.
The next instant, a large bulge indeed rose from the sand and gravel beneath the temple, and a monster crawled out again, looking exactly the same as before.
There was only one small difference compared to the last time.
That's the quantity.
This time, ten large mounds rose from the ground, from which spewed out ten twisted, fleshy monsters exactly like the ones before!
Everyone present looked at each other in disbelief, and then—several people began to scream in agony!
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
"Have you ever had a record of running out of ten in one go? It seems like I'm doing it more and more often!?"