In the huge document brought by Morris, there was only this small section that could be related to the mysterious symbol - and that symbol was only a very inconspicuous part of this small section of information. The author of the document did not even use a single word to interpret this symbol and the relief patterns around it.
Duncan and Morris could only analyze the details presented in the manuscript illustrations and preliminarily determined that the broken cross surrounded by a hexagonal outline should be a religious symbol or academic symbol from the Old Kingdom period.
Duncan slowly closed the big book.
From a rational point of view, Morris believed that the ascetics who visited the Lost Homeland a century ago could not be the descendants of the Old Kingdom. The possibility of a group of hermits passing down their legacy for 10,000 years without extinction in the chaotic and dangerous deep-sea era was almost zero. From a rigorous academic point of view, he could not rashly make this assumption unless he found more evidence.
But Duncan still intuitively believed that the group of ascetics at that time must have had a close connection with the ancient Kingdom of Crete. They possessed the mysterious emblem and attached great importance to it, which showed that they knew the meaning of the emblem.
Of course, assumptions are assumptions only. Without evidence, everything is just empty talk. At this stage, unless the group of ascetics from that year appear in front of Duncan again, no one can figure out where they came from.
"... ... How many Cretan ruins have been found and well preserved in the world now?" Duncan suddenly looked up and asked.
"There are very few ruins that have been found. You can count them on one hand. As for the ones that are well preserved... it depends on what the standard of 'well preserved' is," Alice said. "For people who study the Old Kingdom, finding a large pit that is confirmed to be related to Crete, finding wall bricks that are more than ten meters long, or even just finding a few stone doors that have fallen to the ground, can be considered well preserved."
At this point, the old scholar couldn't help but sigh. "Normally, the ruins that remain within the city-state's jurisdiction are unlikely to be preserved. We will leave as much text and image information as possible for them, record every detail of them, and then store the relics that can be analyzed in research facilities. Finally... the ruins themselves will be flattened, buried, and become part of the city."
Duncan thought for a moment and said to himself: "A foothold is as valuable as gold."
Alice solemnly took the crystal pendant and expressed her gratitude, but Duncan seemed to remember something and muttered thoughtfully: "He should take the pendant back. If his daughter still nags him, his wife will have to do it too. Wait a minute, find me a real thing so I can report it to my wife and children."
"An old lady said this when she left just now," Nina said with a smile, "She said that there's a young lady-like clerk in the store, and the things on the shelves look real..."
Nina was counting some bills behind the counter, Mo Huanqing was watching curiously beside her, and Shirley disappeared at some point, probably having gone out to play.
"Antique," Mo Huan looked at the old man in front of him seriously, "There are many real things in my shop, but this one is absolutely authentic."
Mo Huanqing nodded happily, put on his hat, tucked the big book under his arm, and went downstairs with Duncan.
Alice looked at the cannonball, then at Duncan, her expression becoming increasingly odd. For a moment, she knew in her heart which one would cause her wife and daughter's blood pressure to rise more, taking a cannonball or taking a glass pendant back home. However, facing the enthusiastic smile on Mr. Duncan's face, she finally swallowed all the words and calmly accepted this... "gift".
"This is..." The old man was a little confused. As he spoke, he carried the "real thing" he had found back to the counter and put it on the counter with a "bang".
However, Duncan turned around and started searching among the sundries beside the counter. He raised his head and muttered, "No need to say more, I understand... Ah, I found it."
Mo Huanqing nodded: "We study history, preserve history, and try to remember these things from the past as time goes by, but we can't let the past crowd out the past.
Compressing living space.
"I'm so surprised that Mo Huanqing can still play a role here," Duncan sighed thoughtfully after a long while, and then suddenly turned to Alice, "Do you want to take anything with you when you go back?"
After a pleasant conversation between the host and the guests, it was time for Alice to say goodbye and leave.
Only then did he realize belatedly that Captain Duncan had already shown his goodwill so early.
Experience it freely when the city-state is falling apart, witness the shattering of two histories and the annihilation of one of them, and the protection from the amulet.
"Ah?" Alice was a little surprised. "This... I had this plan when I went out..."
"Looks like a cannonball?"
Duncan was stunned when he heard this: "Is it related to Morris?" Alice immediately waved her hands and said: "No, no, you don't have to do this for me..."
Alice looked at the pendant in Duncan's hand. She saw the magnificent crystal that represented modern industry swaying gently in the air, and the surface reflecting the colorful light. The first thing she thought of was the incredible experiences that Heidi had mentioned to her after she came back:
"Yeah, I don't know why, but business is good today," Nina happily waved the money in her hand to Duncan, "Is it related to Morris?"
I looked at Morris silently, while Mo Huanqing looked at him in confusion.
"I hope this amulet can continue to bring good luck to Sister Heidi," Mo Huan said with a smile, "Take it, you deserve it."
"I know a friend in Lunsa who specializes in the study of the history of the ancient kingdom. He was my classmate when I was studying at the Academy of Truth," Mo Huanqing nodded and pointed at the big book on the table. "He gave me that book many years ago. I remember I mentioned the relevant documents at that time. He also wrote a letter, but I don't know when I will receive a response."
Afterwards, he discussed with Alice many things about the ancient Kingdom of Crete - about these scattered discoveries, these vague and strange legends, these ancient documents that were half true and half false, and even made it difficult to tell whether they were reality or myth.
"Yes, it's from the Lost Homeland. It's in very good condition. He can even fire it if he finds a muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon with the right caliber," Duncan patted the big iron ball on the counter happily. "More importantly, there are broken steel stamps from the cannon foundry and the personal mark of the foundry master on the projectile. To be honest, it's even rarer than the dagger last time. I'll give it to you."
"The New City-State has been around for nearly two thousand years. In the most active era of explorers, new islands were often discovered, and unknown wilderness and ancient ruins came into our sight. However, in the last one or two centuries, this kind of discovery has been on the verge of extinction.
Alice stared in amazement as Duncan took something to the counter.
However, Miss Doll has no idea what's going on - she's still trying to remember what the bills look like and how to count them.
"He promised his wife that he would go home for lunch before he left," the old scholar said with a smile on his face. "If he goes home too late, he will probably be scolded by his wife and daughter for a long time."
Duncan remained silent for a long time, but still focused on this symbol and the original documents behind it: "You just said that your friends in the academic world can find more information about this symbol?"
When Duncan walked down the stairs, Nina was patiently teaching Morris, who lacked common sense, about currency: "Look, this one with a golden corner mark is not the sora, here is the face value... These coins are 'peso', the number on the front is the face value... Don't bite it, it's dirty!"
Duncan: "... .?"
"The 'new islands' at the beginning gradually became city-states one after another. There is only so much land available for survival in the vast ocean. The remaining relics...are either on isolated islands with harsh environments where it is impossible to survive, or they are shrouded by extraordinary forces, or are on the edge of dangerous visions, so that even the Church of God can only explore them and seal them on the sea chart."
"It's free. It's just a token of my gratitude for your hard work in finding the literature." Duncan smiled, walked to the counter, and took down a crystal pendant from the shelf - the same one he had given to Ellie before.
It was exactly the same pendant that Si gave me as a “gift” because I bought a box of that kind of pendant. “I remember he mentioned that his daughter’s pendant was damaged, so this one is for you.”
"Thank you very much... for your kindness."
The sudden noise startled Morris next to him, and he quickly reached out to hold his head.
This dagger worth 8,700 solas is just an insignificant gift, but the real treasure is almost covered in dust before our eyes.
Mo Huan couldn't help but laugh: "Look, he seems to be enjoying it."
Mo Huan exhaled: "Just wait patiently, everything will be up to fate."
"It looks like business is good today?" Duncan glanced at the money in Nina's hand and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Normally it's not this much."