Chapter 2416 - 2319: Burial Artifacts
Chapter 2416: Chapter 2319: Burial Artifacts
The corner of Huo Sining’s mouth twitched involuntarily, wanting to complain but unable to do so anymore.
She didn’t expect even the professors to react this way.
At this moment, through the walkie-talkie, Su Qingqing’s loud and boisterous words inevitably reached the ears of the outside archaeologists.
The group was instantly left in bewilderment, and they all developed a strong interest in the items inside the burial pit.
Just how much gold, silver, and jewels were there to make even Miss Su, the rumored daughter of the Magic Capital’s party secretary, so astonished and shocked?
The archaeologists standing outside, initially worried about potential traps or mechanisms inside and considering whether to remain safe on the outer edges, could no longer suppress their curiosity and began craning their necks to peek inside.
"Ningning, Ningning, get closer and give us a close-up!"
Ignoring the commotion her words caused, Su Qingqing shouted into the walkie-talkie at Huo Sining.
Helpless, Huo Sining walked forward while extending the lens of her camera, carefully focusing on the contents of the bronze dings, trying to capture clearer images.
As soon as the camera focused, Su Qingqing couldn’t help but have her eyes gleam with excitement.
The Eastern Jin Dynasty didn’t mint new coins, using old currency from previous dynasties like the Han’s Five Zhu Coins or the Wei’s Five Zhu Coins. Later they used the Sun family coins and Shen Lang Coins, and in the north and west regions, they even temporarily abolished currency, using cloth or grains as a medium of exchange. In any case, the Jin Dynasty’s official stance on minting currency wasn’t enthusiastic.
But as they say, "In times of chaos, gold is king; in prosperous times, it’s collectibles." Although official currency circulation in the Eastern Jin was scarce, Ge Hong’s wealth wasn’t meager, especially his massive hoard of gold coins. Even now, it’s astounding.
A single copper-cast Five Zhu Coin from the Jin era could sell for tens of thousands now, let alone these bronze dings filled with strings of pure gold Five Zhu Coins, any of which could fetch a fortune.
Of course, the value of archaeological finds isn’t calculated like this; they focus more on historical research value, and no one would dare to sell unearthed artifacts as that’s illegal.
Nevertheless, the gold coins in these bronze dings still brought a significant shock to everyone. Even Zhou Shitao, considered experienced, was dumbfounded by the coins.
Gold itself is a very stable metal, and ancient coins weren’t falsified; they were pure gold.
Plus, with the thin air in the tomb, even after a millennium, these gold coins appeared brand new, with only a thin layer of dark gray on the surface, not affecting their luster at all.
Besides the coins in the bronze dings, Shi Qingyun and Zhou Shitao also found many other eye-catching artifacts, including jade artifacts, Yue Kiln porcelains, female pottery figures, and several exquisitely crafted swords, all packed in wooden boxes.
These wooden boxes, weathered over more than 1,700 years, were already incredibly fragile, as Shi Qingyun and Zhou Shitao had anticipated. Nonetheless, a few snapped during the opening process.
But the contents were surprisingly delightful. Seeing these items, Zhou Shitao was confident that the burial pit hadn’t been disturbed before, or else these burial items wouldn’t be so perfectly intact.
The professors breathed a collective sigh of relief and quickly called the waiting archaeologists outside to come in.
The items in the boxes and bronze dings needed to be processed quickly. At this time, Zhou Shitao trusted Huo Sining relatively more, and their rapport wasn’t something the other team members could match, so Zhou Shitao gestured for Huo Sining to come over, saying:
"Huo girl, hand over the camera to someone else and come help me here."
Seeing this, Huo Sining nodded and handed the camera to a nearby female team member before moving next to Zhou Shitao:
"Teacher, what would you like me to do? Just tell me."
Zhou Shitao glanced at Huo Sining, then fished a bottle of medicated oil from an unknown pocket, handing it to her, and said mildly, "Put a little of this on."
Perplexed, Huo Sining took the medicated oil and applied a bit to both temples.
Seeing her casual application, Zhou Shitao added, "Put on a bit more; don’t blame me for not warning you later."
Still puzzled, Huo Sining complied, applying a bit more before looking at Zhou Shitao.
Zhou Shitao pointed at several boxes placed in the corner, signaling Huo Sining, "These wooden boxes, after a thousand years, have rotted. Help me open them and get the stuff inside out."
Huo Sining nodded at these words, not thinking much about it, and squatted down, silently griping in her mind about how one needed help to flip boxes.
However, what Huo Sining didn’t anticipate was that the moment she slightly lifted the box under her, a foul stench burst forth, hitting her so intensely that she felt dizzy and involuntarily stepped back a few steps, doubling over and almost retching on the spot.
Zhou Shitao’s forehead instantly lined with frustration:
"Why are you in such a hurry? I hadn’t even had the chance to warn you!"
Clutching the stone wall beside her, Huo Sining bent over, retching several times, truly overwhelmed by the revolting odor that erupted from the box.
If Zhou Shitao hadn’t advised using more medicated oil, masking the odor somewhat, Huo Sining might have fainted right there, unable to stand properly now.
After retching, pale as ever, Huo Sining raised her head, eyes welled with tears, and looked pitifully at her mentor:
"Teacher, what’s in there... that smells... so awful..."
Zhou Shitao, torn between laughter and tears, saw her still looking quite unwell and quickly handed over his bottle of medicated oil, asking her to breathe it in to counteract the stench.
Huo Sining took a deep breath and finally felt alive again, her complexion gradually regaining its color.