Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 2419: Chapter 2322: Seeking Fame and Fortune

Not only the staff member, but even Xie Daoyuan and Huo Sining were a bit dumbfounded, completely unprepared for such a change.

The Cloud Brocade, sprayed with mist, became increasingly dull in color as the air circulated, and the fragile silk threads snapped one by one under the force of the not-so-heavy spray, eventually disintegrating into tiny bits of powder, making it impossible to take samples.

Zhou Shitao’s face had already darkened, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, as if he were about to explode in anger at any moment, but he had no choice but to take a deep breath and forcefully suppress the fury rising in his throat.

The staff member was completely flustered, mind blank, looking up and down at the faces of Zhou Shitao, Xie Daoyuan, and several other professors, stammering an explanation:

"I... I just wanted to spray some antioxidant... Professor... I didn’t know this would happen... I thought... I didn’t mean to..."

Of course, Zhou Shitao knew this staff member didn’t do it intentionally. If it had been on purpose, he would have already called the police and had special agents come down to arrest the person directly, rather than letting them stand here unharmed.

But the incident had already occurred, and with such a major blunder, Zhou Shitao knew he could not shirk his own responsibility, nor could he put the blame on an ordinary staff member.

Taking several deep breaths, Zhou Shitao finally managed to control his temper, adjusting his expression and tone, and weakly waved his hand, saying:

"Forget it, it’s not just your fault, indeed I didn’t remind you first, that’s my oversight. I’ll write a report later and submit it, and also archive this box of Cloud Brocade for sealing."

"These textiles are extremely difficult to preserve, especially after 1,700 years, they are very fragile. Once exposed to air, they must not be touched carelessly, otherwise, as just happened, even a slight force will turn them to dust."

Saying this, he turned to the team member holding a camera next to him:

"You must carefully photograph the details of these Cloud Brocades as reference material later, no sloppiness."

Finishing this, Zhou Shitao finally turned back to look at that box, with undisguised regret and anxiety in his eyes.

Zhou Shitao had encountered such situations before. Archaeological work itself demands extreme caution and meticulousness, with no room for error; a slight oversight can lead to such a major blunder.

But Zhou Shitao considered himself to have been very thorough. As a team leader in archaeology, such a basic mistake should not happen under his watch. Yet it occurred right under his nose, leaving Zhou Shitao feeling especially guilty and self-reproachful, making his heart feel unbearably heavy.

Fortunately, these Cloud Brocades were not just confined to this one box; there were several more boxes nearby, so it’s not like nothing remains. This is a small consolation in an otherwise unfortunate situation.

This is also why Zhou Shitao didn’t lose his temper on the spot. If this had been the only surviving box of Cloud Brocades, no matter his self-control, Zhou Shitao might not have been able to restrain from flying into a rage.

Huo Sining, standing aside, was also helpless; her Spiritual Energy of Azure Pearl could only repair living things like plants and animals, while the Rock Spirit Pearl of Qibao could only repair objects like Jadeite and ceramics; no one could handle textile materials.

Moreover, these textiles had already crumbled to pieces, leaving even the most skilled restoration expert powerless.

Everyone knew that Cloud Brocade from 1,700 years ago was an invaluable treasure, but reduced to this state, despite the heartache and regret, it was beyond salvation.

Having learned from the mishap with this box of Cloud Brocade, no one dared to touch the remaining boxes. Even Zhou Shitao temporarily refrained from handling them, and after some discussions with Xie Daoyuan and Shi Qingyun, the three professors could not come up with a plan for the time being.

These Cloud Brocades certainly needed to be preserved to the greatest extent possible, but none of the professors had much experience with this, leaving them hesitant and uncertain for a time.

However, soon, ground team member Huang Zhenlong brought good news to the professors: the Xiang Province side of Mawangdui had received word and planned to send reinforcement experts, who initially excavated the Mawangdui Han Tombs, especially those who handled the Su Sha Duan Yi, to assist.

Hearing this news, Zhou Shitao’s spirits lifted, and his mood immediately improved significantly, even making him momentarily forget about the loss of that one box of Cloud Brocade.

Setting aside the Cloud Brocade for now, the remaining boxes still required handling, which wasn’t a small task. Most ancient tombs nowadays are looted hollow, with almost everything taken by generations of tomb robbers, unlike Ge Hong’s tomb, which was packed to the brim with items, a truly rare occurrence.

Moreover, most of the items found in Ge Hong’s tomb had historical significance and research value, especially the Mermaid Cream and Jiaoxiao, which would undoubtedly astonish the archaeological community once officially announced.

Thinking this, Zhou Shitao’s excitement resurfaced, calling his team to start the intense and busy artifact cleaning process.

"Artifact №1, four Yue Kiln Celadon Spotted Chicken-head Pots..."

"Artifact №2, one Yellow-glazed Green-color Jar, a predecessor of Tang Sancai, very precious, handle with care, don’t chip it..."

"Artifact №3, one Suo Jing’s ’Ode to the Expedition,’ handle with care, paper materials are very fragile, more so than the Cloud Brocade, use light force or it will break..."

"..."

As Zhou Shitao continued cleaning the artifacts, he kept instructing the staff handling them, fearing a repeat of the previous major mistake.

Huo Sining was silently assisting nearby, naturally benefiting from proximity. At least, she had touched most of the freshly unearthed artifacts, and with her understanding of the purple spiritual qi they emitted, she was quite confident in assessing artifacts from over 1,700 years ago.

After dinner, none of the staff were allowed to leave, continuing to work in the tomb through the night until past four a.m. when the items from the boxes were finally all cleaned up.

The items from just those boxes amounted to more than 5,000 pieces, a considerable number, much more than Professor Zhou Shitao and the others initially expected when they first excavated this tomb.

This also revealed just how extensive Ge Hong’s wealth was at that time; most of these burial items were luxuries, unaffordable for ordinary people back then.

Moreover, from these burial items, especially the gold, silver, and jewels placed in the Bronze Dings, one could deduce how much this so-called Xiao Xianweng amassed in wealth through his little Taoist Arts in those days.

Inwardly, Huo Sining couldn’t help but sneer: capturing Jiaoren, keeping concubines, practicing sadism, and amassing wealth, Ge Hong seemed like nothing more than a scumbag, yet he was hailed as a renowned alchemist, a joke indeed; practicing what ’Free and Easy Way?’ That’s absurd, he was absolutely a hypocritical fame-seeker!