For the first time, Leon Chen helped Sienna Tang carry the five heavy luggage cases filled with her archaeological findings.
Opening the cases, Leon took a sharp breath: "No wonder these cases are so heavy—they're all filled with basalt stones."
"Be careful; these were excavated from the ruins," Sienna cautioned.
Both of them had changed into work clothes and put on white gloves, carefully moving the basalt stones onto the lab tables. The stones varied in size, and despite their appearance, they were still covered in thick soil. A slight movement sent dust swirling in the recently cleaned research lab.
"Professor, what's the use of these?" Stella Lin asked, puzzled.
Instead of answering directly, Sienna asked Leon, "Leon, do you think the inscriptions on these stones are Mayan geometric scripts or from the ancient Latin language family?" She brushed away some dirt, revealing a row of strange markings—a long straight line intersected by various horizontal and vertical strokes, curves, and hooks, resembling a linear drawing when observed closely. Leon felt he had seen these ancient scripts somewhere before but couldn't recall from his visual memory.
"Are these newly discovered scripts?"
Sienna's tone carried admiration. "Leon, you're truly a genius. These are indeed new scripts that haven't been officially recorded." When Sienna first discovered these scripts, it took her seven days of searching through all ancient texts worldwide without finding any record. After consulting with experts in ancient languages, they concluded these scripts did not belong to any known language family. Leon's immediate recognition further solidified Sienna's belief in his exceptional talents.
Stella Lin, standing nearby, remarked jealously, "If it were me, I'd have said the same thing."
Sienna knew that Leon had a significant understanding of ancient languages.
Leon suddenly realized, "New scripts? Does that mean a new civilization?"
Sienna nodded approvingly at Leon's insight. "Exactly."
"And how is this related to mysterious spatial engineering?" Stella asked, still confused.
Sienna responded with a question, "Stella, how would you prove the existence of the Heavenly Realm?"
"By finding evidence, of course," Stella replied without hesitation.
"And how would you find this evidence?"
"By searching through ancient ruins, civilizations, and historical records for unexplained phenomena, then analyzing them. As the professor mentioned, there are many unsolved mysteries on Earth. In the absence of scientific proof, we must use our imagination to consider the possibility of four-dimensional beings," Stella explained, showing some understanding.
Leon thought to himself, no wonder researching mysterious spatial engineering required such diverse skills—it combined ancient civilizations, biology, physics, and more. It was clear why those involved in this field were so rare globally.
After a lengthy explanation, Stella concluded, "So, the professor believes that people from the Heavenly Realm might have visited our world and left traces."
Stella wasn't dumb; as she spoke, she suddenly had a realization. "Could these be the scripts from the Heavenly Realm?"
"It's still unclear. These patterns have appeared in many ancient ruins around the world."
"Hammurabi's Code seems to have something similar, doesn't it?" Leon asked uncertainly.
Sienna praised him, "You remembered. Yes, it does, on the stone pillar of Hammurabi's Code. But since the code is mainly in cuneiform, no one paid attention to these patterns."
"Yeah, these characters do look quite strange," Stella nodded. "Who discovered them? That's impressive."
"The person who discovered them is right in front of you," Leon smiled.
Sienna's discovery was also a coincidence. While searching through global ruins, she found this peculiar totem. Initially, like all scholars, she thought it was decorative since it had no concept of writing. But after discovering the same scene in two distant ruins, she sensed something unusual.
After hearing her explanation, Leon marveled at how sometimes the world works in mysterious ways. If not for Sienna's profound knowledge of ancient scripts and her relentless pursuit, no one would have noticed.
However, it also required an extraordinary imagination. Leon recalled Sienna's example of the "right brain" from the lecture—perhaps she really could discover the unseen.
"Have these scripts not been deciphered yet?" Leon asked.
"There are no historical records of this civilization. There's a gap, and without cultural connections, it's impossible to decipher," Sienna said, frustrated. "We need more evidence from ancient civilizations to indirectly decode the meaning of these scripts."
No wonder such extensive knowledge was necessary.
"These scripts are not yet recognized in academia. I call them 'Primal Scripts,'" Sienna said. "But I'm trying to decode them using another method."
"It feels like a new linguistic 'Holy Grail,'" Leon couldn't help but chuckle.
"It won't be. If it remains undecipherable due to a lack of cultural connections, it will only be considered a decorative totem of human instinct," Sienna said, her eyes filled with a unique light as she looked at Leon. She couldn't believe Leon possessed more profound knowledge of scripts than some linguists.
Stella, confused, asked, "What are you talking about, Holy Grail? Does it have something to do with Christianity?"
Leon explained, "The linguistic Holy Grail refers to Linear A, used on ancient Crete. This script dates back to the Minoan civilization, from around 1800 to 1450 BCE, preceding the Mycenaean invasion. Since the Minoan language has been lost, it remains undeciphered, earning its title as the Holy Grail in archaeology."
Stella stared at Leon in astonishment.
Sienna clapped her hands. "Let's not get sidetracked. You two, start piecing these slabs together. They contain the most complete record of the Primal Scripts I've discovered. If we can decipher them, it might help us find more information about the Heavenly Realm."
"All of them?" Stella stared at the five large cases filled with basalt stones.
"Yes. Get to work, assistants," Sienna said with a charming smile, raising her brows.
The task was more complex than they had imagined. Not only did they have to piece together thousands of basalt fragments like a giant puzzle, but they also had to be careful not to leave any blemishes. Additionally, they had to constantly reference various documents to find records because Sienna's other method of decoding would shock linguists.
She combined her imagination with the context in which these Primal Scripts appeared, filtering and then imagining the meanings of these scripts. Honestly, Leon thought it sounded fantastical, more like wild guessing than decoding. This approach made the delicate Stella Lin groan in frustration.
On one hand, Leon felt he had seen these Primal Scripts somewhere before but had no leads. On the other hand, he confirmed that he had searched the entire lab without finding the missing power. He called Lina, who assured him that the watch's self-check system was flawless and would automatically shut down if the energy was exhausted. She suggested he search more carefully, as something must have been overlooked.
Thus, in the midst of day-and-night puzzle-solving and imaginative decoding, Leon finally reached the weekend...