The archaeological team stood before the entrance to the newly discovered ruins, each of them eager to get started.
Below the fissure, the enormous super-ancient structure stood in silence.
Massive stone pillars supported a broad entrance, their surfaces carved with intricate patterns.
Though soil and time had worn them somewhat indistinct, the exquisite craftsmanship of the past was still apparent.
Wang Yi looked back at the team, her expression serious.
"Be careful, everyone. Super-ancient ruins sometimes contain Pokémon specifically tasked with protecting them."
"Golurk, Sigilyph, and Ghost-type Pokémon that have lived for an extraordinarily long time could all be inside. The danger is considerable."
She paused, then added:
"They say the ace Pokémon of a Champion from the Unova Region was once severely injured while exploring ruins."
The atmosphere among the team immediately grew much more somber.
Lu Chen stepped forward.
"Let me lead the way."
Everyone exchanged glances and nodded. They all knew Lu Chen had a formidable Gengar, so having him take the lead was certainly safer.
Lu Chen walked at the front with Gengar, while the others followed, carefully descending the slope along the edge of the fissure.
The farther down they went, the colder the air became. The earthy smell of soil mingled with an indescribable ancient air as it washed over them.
When they finally stepped inside the ruins, everyone was stunned.
It was enormous.
The space inside these ruins far exceeded their imagination.
The vaulted ceiling rose so high that they could barely see its top. Covered in thick dust and cobwebs, it was only faintly discernible as a curved outline.
Around the plaza stood densely packed giant stone statues of Pokémon.
Each statue was four or five meters tall, arranged at equal intervals along the walls.
Steelix, Dragonite, Tentacruel... all in super-gigantic forms.
The statues were exquisitely carved, down to clearly distinguishable scales and tentacles.
They stood there like silent guards, wordlessly watching these intruders.
Hokuto tilted her head back to look at the statues, her mouth hanging open.
"This... this must be that legendary Super-Ancient Civilization that worshipped super-gigantic Pokémon, right?"
Her voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"To think we actually found their ruins this time! This is wonderful!"
Hearing that, Lu Chen could not help giving her another look.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Empire.
This professor named Hokuto actually knew about the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire.
Even Professor Oak's knowledge of the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire was extremely limited.
The records of the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire in those super-ancient documents amounted to only scattered fragments.
Yet Hokuto had recognized the hallmarks of this civilization's worship at a glance.
Lu Chen nodded inwardly. This professor named Hokuto deserved her reputation.
She really had conducted in-depth research into Super-Ancient Civilizations.
Everyone made a circuit of the ruins' interior. Apart from the giant stone statues, they saw no danger for the moment.
"It looks safe." One team member breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, a young researcher suddenly stopped and pointed ahead.
"There's something over there!"
Everyone gathered around.
An enormous stone tablet was embedded in a wall in the center of the ruins.
Its surface had been polished as smooth as a mirror, and a long passage of densely packed hieroglyphs was carved into it.
Cloud and lightning patterns surrounded the writing, lending it a solemn, majestic air.
Every archaeologist present grew excited.
"This writing... there's no mistaking it!" Wang Yi leaned close to the tablet, her fingers tracing above the writing without touching it. Even her voice was shaking.
"It's the writing of the Pokémopolis Empire that we've been searching for! These are the ruins of the Pokémopolis Empire!"
"Hokuto! Come here!" She beckoned to her daughter.
"This is your specialty!"
Hokuto was just as excited and practically ran over.
The Pokémopolis Empire? Isn't this obviously the style of the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire?
Lu Chen thought it over and ventured a guess: this Pokémopolis Empire Hokuto and the others spoke of was most likely a successor to the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire.
After all, by the time Lu Chen left, the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire was already a second-rate empire. It had lacked the ability to build such magnificent ruins here.
Simply put, the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire was a civilization from Lu Chen's own era and could be called a first-stage Super-Ancient Civilization.
This Pokémopolis Empire, then, was a second-stage super-ancient empire that had inherited part of its legacy after the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire died out.
Their relationship was similar to that between the ancient Tang, Song, Yuan, and Qing dynasties.
While Lu Chen was pondering the relationship between the two empires...
Elsewhere, Hokuto stood before the tablet, took a deep breath, and began deciphering the writing word by word.
"Hmm... two powers that destroy the world... black darkness, a blackened sky... golden..."
She frowned and leaned closer.
"This says something about disrupting something... I'm not quite sure about this next character. I'll need to return to the lab and consult ancient texts to translate the rest carefully..."
"Amazing!" a team member beside her exclaimed with heartfelt admiration.
"Yes, translating this much is already incredible!"
"As expected of an expert on the Pokémopolis Civilization!"
Hokuto was a little embarrassed by the praise, her cheeks flushing slightly, but she continued studying the tablet intently, reluctant to look away.
Then a calm voice came from behind the crowd.
Lu Chen leaned over, saw the familiar writing, and slowly began to speak.
"Golden eyes, disrupting the air currents, a conflict that splits the world in two, leaving people helpless. A gate to another world opens in the sky. At that moment, a power appears that calms everything, turns into a sphere, and returns underground."
Silence fell.
Everyone turned in unison to look at Lu Chen.
Hokuto's eyes went wide, her lips slightly parted in disbelief.
She had just translated less than a third of it, and there were several key terms she was still uncertain about.
Yet Lu Chen had read the entire passage in one go, as fluently as if he were reading his own diary.
"You're incredible at translating ancient writing!" Hokuto blurted out, her voice full of astonishment.
"Where did you learn?"
Lu Chen coughed lightly.
"No, I'm just an enthusiast." He waved a hand, his expression calm.
"I just happened to study this not long ago and memorized it."
"Oh, I see..." Understanding dawned on everyone, and they nodded.
"No wonder Mr. Lu Chen took one look at those pottery shards and said they were everyday furnishings. He's done so much research into Super-Ancient Civilizations!"
"For an enthusiast to reach this level is incredible."
Everyone voiced their admiration, and their attention soon returned to the tablet.
Except for Hokuto.
She did not turn back.
She stood where she was, staring at Lu Chen's face, her gaze growing increasingly strange.
The language of the Pokémopolis Civilization was incredibly complex.
Not only were there vast numbers of hieroglyphs, but their grammatical structure was extremely unusual. The same character could mean completely different things in different contexts.
The number of people worldwide who understood this language probably did not exceed double digits.
Moreover, Hokuto was seeing quite a few of the words on the tablet for the first time. She would have to consult ancient texts back at the lab to guess their meanings.
Yet Lu Chen had translated everything without the slightest difficulty.
Could an enthusiast really reach that level?
At the same time, Hokuto's gaze unconsciously shifted toward Gengar, who was floating beside Lu Chen.
Gengar gave a bored yawn, the strange markings on his body flickering in and out of view in the ruins' dim light.
Hokuto stared at those markings, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
Then her pupils suddenly contracted.
Those markings...
The dark-purple lines, their winding paths, the tiny, intricate symbols hidden deep within them...
Hokuto remembered!
Those were a special kind of marking deeply revered by the Pokémopolis Civilization.
Moreover, these markings were completely different from ordinary decorative patterns. They appeared only in the highest-level sacrificial ceremonies of the Pokémopolis Civilization.
They were the highest order of markings, reserved specifically for inscribing on deities.
Hokuto's heart gave a sudden thump.
She looked at Lu Chen again.
Lu Chen stood before the tablet, his profile illuminated by the faint light within the ruins. His expression was calm, as though he were looking at something utterly ordinary.
Yet enormous waves were already surging through Hokuto's heart.
Just what was this man's background?
Why could he decipher Pokémopolis writing without any difficulty?
Why did his Gengar bear Pokémopolis's highest-order markings, the ones inscribed on deities?
Hokuto bit her lip and buried these questions in her heart.
She decided to keep quiet for now.
But the way she looked at Lu Chen had completely changed.
Meanwhile, someone elsewhere called out:
"Everyone, come over here! I've found something new!"
The translation on this stone tablet is the original text from the anime. I also made a few small adaptations to this part of the story.
I posted three chapters today. I hope you all enjoyed reading them.
Finally, please leave some free positive reviews and send some free "Generate Power with Love" gifts. Thank you all, dear readers, for your support.
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