The University of California, Los Angeles, one of the top 15 universities in the world in terms of academic rankings, is known as the cradle of talents in business and finance, high-tech industry, and film art in the United States.

However, compared to those more popular majors that can make a lot of money, the archaeology department is undoubtedly a relatively deserted place.

After all, anyone with a little ambition and desire will not choose archaeology, a profession that is destined to live only on government grants, foundation sponsorships, and donations from wealthy people.

Of course, there will never be a shortage of people in the world who give up everything for the sake of ideals and interests.

As a tenured professor in the Department of Archaeology, Dr. Craig, who is nearly 70 years old, is one such guy who is passionate about exploring, excavating, and preserving the most important legacies of human civilization, even without marrying or having children.

Just as he had been about to check a tattered parchment scroll that had been found in the walls of an abandoned castle in Eastern Europe, and was about to decipher part of it from the illegible handwriting, the closed door was suddenly pushed open with a thud.

I saw a female student with glasses hurrying in, holding up an old parchment book in her hand and shouting, "Professor!

"Mansha! How many times have I said it! Don't be reckless! As an archaeologist, the most important thing is to stay calm at all times, because only calmness will allow you to make the fastest decisions to protect artifacts that are vulnerable to environmental change. Craig frowned and reprimanded mercilessly.

Due to the scarcity of archaeology students, he was able to accurately name each person.

"No, Professor, please read this, I promise, you'll be as excited as I am when you're done. Without saying a word, the girl called Mansa placed the rather heavy parchment book in front of the old man.

Although the latter was a little unhappy, out of professionalism and love for archaeology, he carefully put on protective gloves and gently stroked the pages, and began to read the contents letter by letter.

In just a few minutes, the originally indifferent expression on his face was pleasantly surprised, and then it changed from surprise to shock, and finally his hands were shaking slightly involuntarily.

After a full hour, Craig took off his glasses, took a deep breath, and asked with a serious face, "Where did you get this book?"

Don't tell me it's by illegal means!

You know?

It is the only book to date that chronicles ancient Semitic writing and religious rituals!

And it was written by Manichaean priests more than 1,500 years ago!

In particular, these ancient alphabetic symbols are very different from the known proto-Canaanite, Arama, and Saba.

It is an archaeological discovery that shocks the whole world!

This means that there is an unknown civilization that has completely disappeared into history!

I don't want to ruin everything because of the book's provenance!"

As he said this, the old man waved his hands vigorously, without the slightest hint of calmness as he had just mentioned......

The corners of Mansha's mouth twitched slightly, and she hurriedly explained, "Please rest assured, Professor, this book was a gift from a young Asian man who was a little self-righteous when I was out for lunch. ”

"Are you kidding?! If this book is sold at auction for at least $8 million to $10 million, it won't be worth that much even if you sell it. Craig subconsciously frowned, his eyes revealing strong doubts.

"I'm sorry, Professor, believe it or not, it's true, and I'm a little baffled myself. Mansa reluctantly spread her hands to show her innocence.

But soon, she remembered that she still had a phone number in her pocket, and quickly took it out and handed it to the old man: "Here, this is his phone number, you can call and confirm it yourself." ”

Craig glanced at the letter suspiciously, took out his phone and called.

After just a few rings, Zhang Cheng's lazy voice came from the microphone: "Hey, who are you looking for?"

"Good afternoon, sir, I'm Craig, a professor in the Department of Archaeology at UCLA. I called you to make sure that you gave this book to Mansha, and is it legitimate?" asked the old man bluntly.

"Hello, Professor. I guarantee that its origin is 100% legitimate, but it is important to note that this is not a book in the ordinary sense of the word......"

"It's not a book in the ordinary sense, what do you mean!" Craig felt a little puzzled, and before he could react and continue to ask, a voice came from the phone to hang up.

Although the meaningful words made him a little uneasy, the enthusiasm for archaeological research and the intense curiosity about the unknown soon overshadowed everything.

Throwing his phone aside, he said directly to his students, "Well, looks like you're in luck, Mannie." From now on, you will no longer be my student, but an equal partner. I swear that you have the right to put your name on all the academic papers related to this book, provided that I lead the research and interpretation. ”

"No problem! it's my pleasure!" the girl nodded thoughtlessly.

Don't underestimate a byline!

If the value of the dissertation is recognized by the academic community, then she has the potential to be hired by UCLA as a respected college professor.

In addition, to decipher an ancient book dating back more than 1,500 years, and to involve the ancient Semites, her meagre knowledge alone would not be enough for such a difficult task.

"Very good! So let's get started now! Remember! Be absolutely quiet at work. With that, Craig put on his glasses again, took out a pen and paper, and transcribed the Sassanid Pahlavi on the pages line by line, and then translated them against the references.

Since the alphabet system of the Western world is based on pronunciation, even people from the same region can have great changes in pronunciation over time, and it is not generally difficult to translate, and it is far from being as easy to decipher as the hieroglyphic systems of the East.

While the two of them were immersed in the strange content related to magic, rituals, and supernatural powers, they didn't even notice that a monster with horns on its head and a blazing flame on its whole body on the spine opened its terrifying eyes.

It's like a god and demon crawling out of hell, constantly releasing a sound that humans can't hear.

In less than a minute, the animals within a radius of several kilometers began to attack each other like crazy, and two golden retriever retrievers, who had always been known for their intelligence and docility, pounced directly on each other and began to bite endlessly, no matter how the owner shouted and pulled, it was useless, until one of them swallowed his last breath, and the other released his mouth stained with blood and minced meat.

Such a strange and terrifying scene not only alarmed the surrounding security guards and patrol police, but also news reporters from major TV stations rushed to the scene half an hour after the incident to conduct interviews.

No one knew that the culprit was actually a book, an ancient parchment book that exuded mystical powers......

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