So after going around in circles, the task had landed back on me?
Shen Le met the old man's gaze and nodded heavily, feeling immense pressure settle onto his shoulders.
Well, pressure or not, he had to bear it. To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. Since this Bronze Tripod was his, he would just have to work harder!
He nodded stiffly. But the old man did not let him off, immediately asking, "Did the Bronze Tripod say which artifacts it most needs restored? Or rather, which artifacts are most crucial to completing the foundation of civilization?"
Shen Le: "..."
He lowered his eyes slightly and communicated with the Bronze Tripod through his spiritual sense again. After a long while, he gently shook his head. "It can't be sure right now either. But it said that among the things restored before, it can basically trace the timeline from after the Liberation all the way back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
"Now, what's missing is the civilization of the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn period, and anything even earlier. The earlier, the better..."
"Hiss..."
Even through their screens, unable to hear the others speaking, Shen Le could see many people part their lips slightly and suck in sharp breaths.
If they had not pressed him with their stares and questions, he would not have been able to say it aloud. The older an artifact was, the more valuable it became. The older it was, the more it needed to be relatively intact, closely connected to civilization, preferably bearing writing or patterns. Those were the true national treasures.
The restoration or recovery of any one of those artifacts would be a major event capable of shaking the entire cultural world.
"If possible, I'd like