novelraw Chapter 203: "Private Property"
Chapter 203: "Private Property"
The new mark on Lin Jie's hand, transformed from a "curse" into a "guardian," caused massive waves within the I.A.R.C. Cairo Branch.
This phenomenon was something they had never seen before, completely exceeding the scope of known occult theories.
Over the next two days, Lin Jie became a treasure placed inside a glass display case, undergoing successive rounds of "consultations" from all the top occult experts, alchemists, and veteran hunters from the entire Cairo Branch and surrounding regions who could be urgently summoned.
Among them were venerable Coptic Christian scholars who had studied at the Vatican's secret libraries.
They tried wiping the mark with linen cloth soaked in century-old holy water, only to find that the holy water, possessing powerful purifying force against impurities, evaporated completely without a trace the moment it touched the Vulture Goddess's brand.
Among them were also mysticism masters who practiced Islamic Sufism and were skilled at interpreting supernatural phenomena by communicating with "jinn."
They lit incense with exotic fragrances and chanted ancient prayers by Lin Jie's bedside, attempting to communicate with the "sacred spirit" residing within him.
Yet, no matter how devout their prayers, that proud goddess from the depths of ancient Egyptian mythology disdained to acknowledge the whispers of these "latecomers."
Some old-school hunters who believed in the "fight poison with poison" concept and had rugged methods proposed using the blood of Descendants of Apophis members to reactivate the curse attribute of the brand, attempting to achieve "mutual annihilation" by triggering an "attribute conflict" within it.
This insane proposal was ultimately forcefully vetoed by Old Abdul.All attempts ended in failure.
That Vulture Goddess mark, wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, remained quietly imprinted beneath Lin Jie's skin.
It caused no pain or itch, and was even nourishing Lin Jie's mental strength in a slow yet genuinely effective way.
But it also stood like an immovable sacred mountain, rejecting the mortal touch of any external attempts to probe its essence.
Just as the entire Cairo Branch was plunged into the predicament of being at a complete loss over this living legend sample from thousands of years ago, from the era of the Old Kingdom, Old Abdul, who had been silently observing all this, finally thought of someone after two full days of deep contemplation.
A madman who was perhaps the only person in the world today capable of interpreting this sacred mark from a completely different angle.
Using a military-grade Aether Telegraph machine capable of secret communication with the highest levels of the British colonial government, he sent a brief yet exceptionally urgent secret telegram to that forbidden land covered in yellow sand on the west bank of the Nile River.
The recipient of the telegram was a great name that shone like a beacon, full of legend and controversy, in the field of Egyptology throughout the late 19th century and even in the history of modern archaeology.
Flinders Petrie.
The next day, late at night.
A military steam vehicle bearing no markings of the British War Office, escorted by a squad of heavily armed Royal Guards, sped like the wind from the direction of Giza. It executed a perfect skid stop in front of the Cairo Second Branch disguised as a tobacco shop.
The door opened, and a tall, thin British man with a thick brown beard, looking to be around fifty years old, agilely jumped out of the vehicle.
He wore a tweed expedition jacket so stained with yellow sand and sweat its original color was unrecognizable, and a similarly worn wide-brimmed hat on his head.
He was Flinders Petrie.
The father of modern archaeology, the creator of "Sequence Dating," the revolutionary "madman" who first introduced rigorous scientific measurement and stratigraphic analysis methods into the field of Egyptian archaeology!
"Good evening, Abdul." Professor Petrie's voice was forceful. As he vigorously patted the sand and dust off himself, he unceremoniously took a huge drag from the antique hookah in Old Abdul's hand.
"I hope the surprise mentioned in your telegram is worth me abandoning that newly discovered noble tomb from the Eighteenth Dynasty I was about to excavate. You know, I've never had much interest in your mystical theories."
"Trust me, Flinders." A rare, somewhat strained smile appeared on Old Abdul's perpetually unchanging face. "The sample you are about to see will absolutely make you feel the trip was worthwhile."
Under Old Abdul's personal guidance, Professor Petrie arrived at the door of the medical room, which now contained only a single hospital bed.
Old Abdul pointed at the observation window on the door and said, "The sample is inside. I think you will be very interested in him."
Professor Petrie shrugged noncommittally. His sharp eyes, hidden behind thick lenses, still held a disdain for this kind of "mystification."
He had seen too many "mysterious phenomena," ninety-nine percent of which were ultimately proven explainable by geology, chemistry, or human stupidity.
He slowly brought his face close to the observation window.
However, the moment his gaze clearly saw the face of the "sample" on the hospital bed, an expression of unconcealable shock appeared on his face.
"Him?!"
Professor Petrie let out an involuntary exclamation.
Not long ago, aboard the Orient Express that crossed the entire European continent.
He had engaged in pleasant academic exchange with his assistant and a young Eastern scholar who also had a strong interest in Egyptology. That scholar displayed knowledge far surpassing his age.
He had even felt genuine admiration and appreciation in his heart for that young man's talent and insight.
Yet now!
That young man would be lying in the hospital bed of I.A.R.C., the organization he least wanted to deal with, in such an unbelievable manner?!
And when Professor Petrie's gaze, filled with shock and confusion, moved down from Lin Jie's familiar face and finally landed on the right hand resting flat on the bedsheet, emitting a faint glow...
He was speechless.
"My God..."
Professor Petrie's thick beard trembled violently with excitement.
He roughly pushed aside the guard beside him and then rushed into the medical room as eagerly as an archaeologist who had just discovered Tutankhamun's golden mask!
Lin Jie, who was already in a light sleep due to physical weakness, opened his eyes upon hearing the exclamation.
When he saw the face of the "uninvited guest" rushing towards him, an identical shock appeared in his eyes.
It was Professor Petrie!
However, Professor Petrie had no time at the moment to dwell on this dramatic and fateful coincidence of a reunion.
Nor did he care whether the young man was alive or dead now.
His eyes held only the totem older than any priceless treasure in his collection.
"Too... too perfect!" Professor Petrie uttered a dreamlike murmur of admiration.
"This isn't the bloated, intricate style of the Late Period, nor is it the style of the New Kingdom with its strong imperialistic showmanship."
"This is the purest artistic style from the Old Kingdom, even the Predynastic Period!!!"
He carefully took out a pair of gloves specifically for handling precious artifacts from his archaeological toolkit, then retrieved a specially made jeweler's loupe and a brass vernier caliper.
He then proceeded to conduct hours-long measurements and sampling of the sacred "curse" on Lin Jie's hand.
He used the loupe to meticulously observe every microscopic detail of the brand, constantly muttering professional terms like "perfect golden ratio," "wing spread angle conforming to the Fibonacci sequence," and "99.9% stylistic consistency with the earliest known Nekhbet temple mural," leaving everyone around utterly baffled.
He also used the vernier caliper to measure the length, width, and height of the brand and the precise distances between each totemic symbol, meticulously recording all the data in his archaeological notebook.
The entire process was conducted with such focus and fervor.
It was as if he wasn't facing a living person at all, but a priceless artifact freshly excavated from a pharaoh's tomb!
After three hours of "scientific research,"
the great father of archaeology finally put away his tools with satisfaction.
He took off the white gloves and delivered a diagnostic conclusion that sent chills down everyone's spines:
"Congratulations, young man."
Professor Petrie's gaze shifted from the "perfect work of art" to Lin Jie's uneasy face.
"You are fortunate, but also unfortunate."
"Fortunately, based on my stratigraphic analysis of this mark and the oldest Sequence Dating style it presents, the one who left this mark on you dates back to at least the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt, or even earlier, the Predynastic Period."
"That means you have been personally 'authenticated' by an ancient being that is at least Kingdom-class, possibly Calamity-class."
"And unfortunately..."
Professor Petrie paused here. His face, covered by the large beard, revealed a strange, complex smile mingling sympathy and schadenfreude.
"From the perspective of 'UMA ecological niche laws,' it has stamped this 'territorial seal' exclusive to it and impossible for other peers or different entities to erase on you."
"Do you know what this means?"
Professor Petrie leaned his face close to Lin Jie's and slowly whispered in a tone full of ominous implication:
"A lion king will mark its territory boundaries with its scent, warning all competitors, 'This place belongs to me.'"
"A queen bee will leave a unique pheromone in the hive it chooses, declaring its absolute sovereignty over the entire swarm."
"And you, young man..."
"You are now its 'private property.'"