Shen Le sat upright before the workbench, pushing off with his feet against the swivel chair, spinning around once, then again.
He had pulled the two workbenches close together, leaving only a one-meter-wide passage between them so he could move back and forth and consult his references at any time.
On one workbench sat the helmet he had excavated, kept in a special oxygen-free, water-free environment to minimize erosion from the outside world as much as possible;
On the other workbench, three computer screens were arranged in a U-shape, allowing him to observe from every angle with ease.
The screen on the left displayed a vast amount of reference material: all kinds of Tang Dynasty helmets, mural illustrations, Mud Figurine images, and various reconstruction models.
The center screen displayed the helmet he had excavated, along with all kinds of related files. There was a three-dimensional reconstruction from CT scans—which had also conveniently checked the metal for flaws;
There were also elemental distribution maps reconstructed through X-ray Fluorescence Scanning imaging, outlining the helmet's gilded patterns;
As well as all sorts of earlier drawings, photographs, and records. As for the screen on the right, it was still completely blank—well, the file he currently had open was blank.
Shen Le switched back and forth between the materials on the left and center screens, reading them repeatedly. Only when he felt he had a solid grasp of it again did he begin drawing on the right-hand screen, stroke by stroke.
At first glance, the helmet he had found appeared to be a single piece. Yet the CT's three-dimensional scan revealed its individual components:
A single curved top piece, curved plates attached alongside the top, and smaller armor plates linked beneath those curved plates.
The ear guards rising from the lower edges on either side