William stood by silently, listening to the two old men talk without saying a word.
One of the old men, seeing William's interest, asked, "Young man, can you understand what's written?"
William just smiled, not responding, and continued to walk on.
"Hey! What kind of attitude is that! Didn't you hear Mr. Taylor calling you?" A young staff member nearby shouted directly at William.
Lila quickly stepped forward to apologize to the old man who had called out William, "Sir, I apologize. My friend here just came from the countryside and is not very well-mannered."
William looked at Lila with clear, bright eyes, and said, "I don't know him, and I don't see why I must answer his question. I simply don't want to deal with him, so you don't have to apologize on my behalf."
If it were someone else, they might show some respect to an elder who asks them a question, as a matter of courtesy.
But William, who has lived for an unknowable number of years, may look young, but he sees this old man as rather youthful himself.
Respect for the elderly?
That didn't exist for him.
Lila was utterly stunned. She had stepped in to smooth things over, and yet he had made such a ridiculous remark. Wasn't he just offending people?
Looking at the demeanor of the two old men, they were certainly not ordinary people. Why provoke them unnecessarily?
One of the elders, infuriated by William's attitude, couldn't help but say, "Young man, I thought you understood what was written since you were studying it so intently. If you don't understand, then stop putting on airs here!"
William glanced at him, as if looking at an ignorant child, sighed helplessly, and said, "I can certainly read it, but even if I tell you what is written, you probably won't believe me."
"You say! What could I possibly not believe?" The old man couldn't really believe that this young man could understand the uppermost text, after all, it was a script that was only just discovered and had not been seen in any ancient ruins before.
William laughed and said, "The inscription at the top of the stele reads: 'Encountered a man named Cronus. He's somewhat interesting, though a bit verbose and not too strong in terms of power. Later, Cronus and Rhea had many children, one of whom was named Zeus, whom I'm quite fond of...'"
"..."
All the people around were staring wide-eyed at William.
Was this a bedtime story or a web novel?
"I told you, but you don't believe me, so there's nothing I can do about that." William gave a small laugh and began to walk on.
David seized this rare opportunity and stepped forward, saying, "Who do you think you're fooling with that story? Who would believe that? Meeting Cronus and then complaining he's too weak? Can you be any more exaggerated?"
He had also figured it out. Since Lila disliked him, playing by the regular rules wouldn't make her accept him. So, he simply destroyed his own image in front of Lila.
Let's all go down together, nobody will win the beauty's heart!
Just as David finished speaking, the old man said, "I kind of believe what you're saying!" He then gave David a deep look.
Damn! For a moment, David was speechless.
Had he asked for this? Who else to blame but himself?
William paused, looked back at the stele, and said, "There's a section in the middle that I won't mention, but towards the end, it says, 'I couldn't control my emotions after all and ended that era. I don't know how long it will take before this world will be populated by completely new beings.'"
The two old men gasped in surprise.
Ended an era?
Which era exactly?
For a moment, they didn't know whether or not to believe what this young man was saying.
The stele recorded the lives of Alexander the Great, Emperor Qin Shihuang, Caesar, Catherine the Great, Genghis Khan, George Washington, and many others. It felt like someone's diary.
Then there was the ancient cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and ancient Greek text, some of which they recognized. The ancient Babylonian accounts were only a few lines. The text beyond that was unrecognizable to them.
Just considering the context of the content that follows, the preceding content must also be remarkable, right?
What William spoke of seemed utterly incredible, but what was behind the stone tablet was equally bewildering.
One could say that this single stone tablet encompasses all of history.
"Young man, you really understand the characters on this stone tablet," the elderly man excitedly approached William, saying, "Hello, my name is Edward Taylor. I am a retired professor from Hudson University, with a keen interest in ancient cultures. If you can truly translate these characters, I would like to become your student."
William spoke lightly: "Just because you want to be my student, do I have to accept you? I don't want to talk with you now. I just want to have a quiet stroll. Don't bother me!"
Edward Taylor stood awkwardly on the spot.
Upon hearing Edward Taylor's name, Lila shuddered slightly. Wasn't this the former president of Hudson University?
An emeritus professor of Hudson University, with countless students under his name, even real celebrities and dignitaries give this former president some respect.
Edward Taylor expressed his willingness to be William's student, and yet William treated it with indifference. Wasn't this a little too arrogant?
"Edward, don't be so excited. Perhaps he was just talking nonsense. Why are you taking it so seriously?" The old man beside him grabbed Edward Taylor and said, "Do you think someone as young as him could recognize the characters on it?"
Edward Taylor took a deep breath, finally calming down. Indeed, it was entirely possible that William's words were pure nonsense.
William didn't bother explaining anything to them either. He walked up to a jade bed he had slept on before and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
He had slept on this bed for quite some years, but now it was exhibited in a museum. In the future, if he wanted to see his bed, he would have to buy a ticket.
Apologizing to Edward Taylor and the others, Lila had no choice but to follow William.
"William, can't you be a little more polite when you talk to the elderly?" Lila was a bit put off by William's arrogant demeanor.
William laughed: "How should I be polite? I've already told him what it says. What more does he want? And he even wants to be my student. Since when has there been such a good deal?"
"Lila almost exploded with anger.
Can't he speak properly?
What does he mean by wanting to be his student?
And calling it a good deal?
Oh my god! How can there be such a shameless person in this world?
However, William didn't bother explaining. Each of his disciples were historic figures, and he had specific requirements for accepting disciples.
He definitely wouldn't take anyone over eighteen. After all, the lifespan of ordinary people is limited. Judging by this old man's age, he doesn't have much time left. To want to become his disciple, isn't that wishful thinking?
Lila remained silent. William continued to walk through the museum without a word. In addition to the items from his tomb, there were also numerous rare relics. However, to his eyes, these were just ordinary items.