Truly deserving of its status as a national treasure, this time Liang En received a set of cards from Lewis Island. It included one (SR) card, two (R) cards, and three (N) cards, making a total of six cards.
Upon careful examination, Liang En noticed that among these six cards, four of them were cards he had encountered before. These were one [Detection (R)] card, two [Detection (N)] cards, and one [Appraisal (N)] card.
Having placed these cards in their designated positions, Liang En began to scrutinize the two new cards he had acquired. Drawing from his experience, he knew that new cards often held unexpected surprises for him.
As expected, these two new cards proved to be intriguing. Perhaps due to the fact that the items found this time were related to ancient Vikings, both cards were linked to the Viking culture.
[Trade (Pillage) Map (R): The Vikings were renowned pirates, adventurers, and traders of their time in the Western world. Their origins were in the Nordic regions, but their influence expanded throughout the entire Mediterranean region.
Historical records trace their presence from Greenland in the west to the steppes along the Black Sea, spanning the Eastern European plains and even the Tigris-Euphrates river basin. Their northern reaches extended to the Arctic Circle, while the southern territories mainly left their mark in various regions of North Africa.
Skill Card (Permanent): The user can access this map within their consciousness at any time. The map documents the various settlements, raiding locations, and information about these places that the Vikings controlled during the Viking Age.]
"This is truly a treasure," Liang En summoned the map in his mind and then gently tapped on London after opening it.
After he clicked, a row of text and a small scrollbar appeared above the red dot. The scrollbar was meant for adjusting the timeline, while the changing text above corresponded to the adjustments on the scrollbar.
Yet, the information revealed by those texts was not extensive. Apart from population figures of these settlements, basic hand-drawn maps in a simplified style, and the primary industries, there wasn't much else.
Nevertheless, this was sufficient for Liang En; at the very least, he could identify some Viking Age settlements that had remained undiscovered until now. Such undisturbed places often held valuable treasures.
Of course, identifying suitable excavation sites wasn't a straightforward task.
For instance, settlements engaged solely in basic agriculture or animal husbandry were mostly valuable only from an archaeological perspective, without much economic worth. Therefore, even if he were to excavate these sites, it would likely be a task for the distant future.
However, there were certain locations where even wealth couldn't be unearthed. For example, the Viking map recorded that London during that era, after King Alfred's management, transformed into a bustling city. But the core of that city didn't align with today's central London.
After some curious exploration, Liang En discovered that the castle most likely to have treasures according to the map was none other than the Tower of London.
Considering that today, the complete set of the British Queen's crown and scepter were kept there, and security was stringent, he thought that if he dared to bring a shovel there for a dig, he would probably find himself singing sad songs in prison for a few years.
Excitedly observing the map for a while, Liang En redirected his attention from the map and began to scrutinize the (SR) card he had newly obtained. Unlike the previous item cards, this one was a skill card appearing for the first time.
[Viking (SR): While today the term "warrior nation" might be applied to the Russians, a thousand years ago, the true warrior nation was the Vikings. They even gave rise to berserkers, combatants who showed no regard for their lives during battle.
Beyond this, they possessed their own unique language, script, deities, and epic stories.]
And a true Viking needed more than just a robust physique; hidden beneath their muscles, they must possess wisdom. Only in this way was that era named the Viking Age.
Enhancement Card (Single-use), Effect 1: After the user employs this card, they will permanently acquire the knowledge of the poems and stories from the ancient Viking language found in the epics "Edda" and "Saga," which have been passed down through generations to this day. They will be able to read and write these stories and poems in the ancient Viking language.
Effect 2: After using the card, the user will have an opportunity for physical enhancement, gaining a physique as robust as that of an ancient Viking warrior.
Note that maintaining such a physique requires substantial nutritional support. Therefore, for the user's safety, appropriate preparations should be made before using the card.]
"No wonder this one-time card is an (SR)," Liang En remarked as he looked at the hints on the card. He showed an expression of understanding. The effects of this card were akin to providing him with comprehensive physical enhancement.
In contrast to previous skills or techniques, this type of physical enhancement was evidently more valuable. It signified that his strength was transcending the boundary between illusion and reality, allowing him to gradually influence the real world.
Furthermore, this batch of cards had led Liang En to revise his perception of his "cheat" or advantage. These cards had burst forth the moment he discovered the chess piece, rather than emerging after he paid and received certification.
Thus, considering all circumstances, Liang En realized that aside from obtaining cards after acquiring items, he could also gain cards by uncovering significant yet long-forgotten historical elements, without confirming their ownership.
In other words, if he were to discover something similar to the Trojan ruins, a treasure hidden from this world until now, he could also acquire a substantial number of valuable cards, even without removing anything according to legal regulations.
After examining these two new cards, Liang En quickly drifted into slumber. The next morning, he drove south toward the location of the Blythredmond Wildlife Park and Adventure Park.
Based on the map he had obtained, this region was only a dozen kilometers away from the river's mouth into the sea. During the Viking Age, it had been a relatively well-known small trading center.
According to the records on that map, this trading center was established on the foundation of an ancient town.
However, long before their arrival, people had inhabited the local area hundreds or even thousands of years ago. During the construction of this trading town, traces of human habitation had been unearthed.
More importantly, the place reminded him of another treasure. If his memory served him right, this treasure wasn't particularly massive in scale. However, it had the potential to bring in a substantial amount of cash for Liang En.
After driving into the park, he didn't get out of the car but drove around in the designated areas for vehicles. Soon, he identified the small hill located at the border between the open field and the forest, just as he remembered.
Parking the car there, Liang En retrieved the metal detector he had carried all along the way, even paying £60 to take it to the island, although he hadn't used it yet. He began detecting the area.
Unfortunately, this location had become a park for quite some time, and it had previously been a well-known hunting area in the UK. So, after the metal detector beeped a few times, what was unearthed were either bottle caps or shotgun shell casings.
Although his metal detector supposedly had the ability to distinguish gold, silver, or iron objects below the ground's surface, it wasn't the case in practical operation.
At least for a few consecutive times, the metal detector showed signs of gold, but what he dug up were just a few copper coins or shotgun shell casings.
However, as he expanded his search area gradually, Liang En stumbled upon a large stone buried beneath the ground's surface after the passage of nearly a thousand years. Using this stone as a reference point, he began searching for traces of that ancient trading center.
A few minutes later, he reached the edge of a vast field and found the core facility of that trading center from those times: a circular place of worship.
Of course, after the passage of such a long time, all visible remnants of this place of worship had vanished from the surface. However, after digging about 30 centimeters into the topsoil at the chosen spot, some broken stones appeared in the pits.
"Finally found it." Looking at those rough stones, Liang En wiped his sweat and revealed a smile on his face.