Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1528: Chapter 255: Earrings

“This kind of solution, how is it different from the one normally used to create mummies?” The young guard looked at Princess Yamana and asked.

Mummies are an indispensable part of Ancient Egypt civilization, almost common knowledge—yet when it comes to the craft of creating mummies, that’s not something a Commoner can just master—otherwise the number of mummies passed down to modern times probably wouldn’t be so scarce.

Princess Yamana seemed a bit surprised that this young guard was actually interested in the solution itself. She thought for a moment and said, “This Formalin Solution was obtained through special means. Later I brought it back here, then had the scholars here research it with me. It took quite some time before we found substitute ingredients and finally succeeded in preparing it.”

“Special means… from somewhere beyond the desert?” the young guard asked immediately.

But Princess Yamana said, “Those means aren’t applicable to ordinary people. Even if you knew, it’d be useless to you.”

The young guard just nodded, apparently not intending to press further… this sense of knowing when to stop made Princess Yamana’s beautiful eyes curve slightly—she suddenly understood why being around this guy felt so comfortable.

Because he was simply curious, with no ulterior motives… not the slightest other intention toward her—Princess Yamana found it hard to imagine how someone like him ended up a Royal Palace guard; perhaps he’d be more suited to walking the path of a scholar.

“Yiben, are you interested in studying?” Princess Yamana’s gaze suddenly burned into him.

“Studying?” The young guard smiled and said, “I do quite like studying.”

Princess Yamana went a step further… she spread her arms, her expression carrying a hint of some Little Moustache Führer’s kind of fervor. “Yiben, you’re still young, you still have so much time ahead of you… have you ever thought about changing your life through study? Think about it: as a Royal Palace guard, you might have to grind away until you’re forty before you finally get a break, and you don’t even know if you can survive every longest night in between. But if you’re willing to study, willing to become a scholar, then things will be completely different. I will do my utmost to protect every scholar who is loyal to me… because scholars are the empire’s greatest treasure! Do you know what everything in this institute is for? The things here let us kill monsters more efficiently, help us understand monsters’ traits, their living habits, and might even allow us to research the Origin of these monsters… and all of this, all of it, belongs to a discipline called [science]! And [science] is the ultimate Power that alone can transform the mainland!”

The young guard suddenly said, “No wonder everyone here looks quite young… were they all encouraged to come in by the Princess like this too?”

Princess Yamana said, “Only the young have passion, have the courage to challenge tradition! That’s right, the scholars here may be young, but their learning definitely isn’t much inferior to those long-famous Grand Scholars of the empire! They even have more energy than the Grand Scholars who’ve grown old, and they’re more willing to engage with new disciplines… the future has always belonged to those younger hands!”

Watching Her Royal Highness Princess Yamarna’s expression grow more and more impassioned, the young guard spoke casually, “I think I need to think about it.”

Princess Yamana did not appear disappointed… it was almost as if she had already anticipated this reaction. “It’s fine, you should take your time to think it through… think clearly, see clearly, figure out what it is this country truly needs! I’ll wait for your answer, Yiben!”

They looked at each other… for perhaps the span of a few breaths.

The young guard then turned away as if that conversation had never happened, and looked back at the monster’s head in the tank. “Princess, it seems this has been studied for quite some time already… I wonder if the scholars here have figured out the Origin of these monsters.”

Princess Yamana seemed rather displeased by the young guard’s indifference… she frowned lightly, but quickly calmed down again and said coolly, “These monsters originally shouldn’t have such massive bodies… in fact, through specimen collecting over many years, we’ve discovered that these monsters share similar structures with quite a few ordinary creatures that live in the desert… look here.”

Princess Yamana pointed toward another tank—there were many tanks of various sizes here, and the one the young guard was standing by was just one of them.

In the other tank lay the complete corpse of a monster… the overall size of this corpse was about the same as the monster’s head they had first seen—roughly three meters in height.

“Look, what does this monster resemble?” Princess Yamana asked directly.

The young guard said, “It’s a bit like a Scorpion.”

“That’s right, like a Scorpion.” Princess Yamana nodded. “By hunting this monster, we found it had the same habits as a Scorpion. Afterwards, when we cut open its body, we also found its internal organs were basically identical to those of a Scorpion… it’s just that its organs have clearly become much stronger, its shell much tougher, its claws sharper. It can even shoot venom that corrodes rock and sand… and its speed is astonishing.”

Speaking of this, Princess Yamana couldn’t help shaking her head with a wry smile. “If not for the fact that these monsters dislike living in groups, and even tend to kill one another, in the face of creatures this powerful we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“What’s this?” At this moment the young guard pointed to a spot somewhere between the jaw and neck of the mutated-Scorpion-like monster’s corpse in the tank and asked.

If his memory was right, the monster’s head in the tank beside them also had the same thing on its forehead: something that looked like a crystal-like black crystal box.

“Curse Stone.” Princess Yamana frowned. “In truth, we don’t really know what it is… not every monster will have such a [Curse Stone] forming inside its body, only the especially powerful, or the extremely unusual monsters have a chance of containing this crystal.”

“Why call it a [Curse Stone]?”

Princess Yamana thought for a moment and said, “Anyone who accidentally touches it will have their body corroded, then turn into a pile of sand, as if they’ve been cursed by the enemy of the Sun God, the evil Lord of the Desert… and so we call it the [Curse Stone].”

“The Lord of the Desert… Seth?” The young guard mused.

Princess Yamana’s brows knitted, her gaze carrying a clear warning as she asked in a low voice, “Yiben, within the City of the Sun, it is forbidden to speak that evil name… you ought to know that!”

…I just found out.

The young guard said, “But you just told me, Princess, to have the courage to challenge those old, worn-out things.”

Also serving as Holy Maiden of the Sun God’s Temple, Princess Yamana’s face darkened at that. “Mortals must not casually pass judgment on a god… and we, as children of the Sun God, are all the more bound to abide by the god’s commandments!”

The young guard suddenly smiled.

“What are you laughing at?” Princess Yamana immediately frowned.

The young guard glanced casually at the passage they’d entered by, then looked back at the Princess and slowly said, “[Science], the ultimate Power that transforms the mainland… that’s what you firmly believe in, Princess. I just suddenly wondered, compared to a god… can [science] truly triumph?”

His voice wasn’t loud, yet all at once it caused every sound in the institute to fall silent… the surroundings were utterly quiet, the busy scholars one after another stopped their work, all eyes turning in unison to this young guard.

In their eyes there was fear… and Confusion, and even a trace of fanaticism.

Princess Yamana opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something… Her Royal Highness swept her gaze around, then suddenly waved her hand and said sternly, “Today’s visiting hours are over! The banquet should already have begun, and I must attend… leave with me!”

At last, under the silent stares of the many young scholars, the young guard and Princess Yamana slowly left this tightly guarded institute.

After the Princess and guard departed, the young scholars finally gathered together, whispering among themselves.

“Did you hear? He actually said it—said that sentence!”

“Shh… This is taboo. Don’t bring it up again!”

“Since it’s taboo, then why are we here? Aren’t we here to challenge…”

“Shut up—!”

The scholars instantly fell silent like frightened birds… because that shout of “shut up” came from the oldest among them, also one of the first founders who had followed the Princess and helped create the research institute.

The brief chaos was quickly suppressed, and the young scholars went back to their work… but none of them noticed that in the sudden burst of chatter and commotion just now, a shadow had quietly slipped into the institute… quietly heading toward the deeper parts of the institute.

It was the area the Princess had not brought the young guard to visit… the place where more of the institute’s important personnel and secrets were located.

…

…

Princess Yamanlana did not say a word the whole way, walking alone at the front… until she saw the light of lamps up ahead—it seemed they were already not far from the banquet venue.

The Palace Master suddenly stopped. “Yiben, about what happened today, I hope you won’t tell anyone.”

The young guard asked curiously, “The institute is inside the Royal Palace, such a huge building… you mean the people in the palace don’t know about it?”

Princess Yamanlana shook her head. “The people in the palace, including Master Luo, do know that I have such an institute, but they only think it’s a place I use to research weapons to fight monsters… I’m talking about *science*, and the last thing you said… If you don’t want the empire to regard you as a Heresy, then you’d better never say those same words again in the future.”

“Then what about Your Highness the Princess’s answer?” The young guard asked in a low voice.

“What?” Princess Yamanlana was instinctively stunned, her face even darkening.

But the young man acted as if he hadn’t seen it and asked on his own, “Princess, do you believe that *science* can overcome god… as the ultimate Power to transform the mainland?”

“I already said!” Princess Yamanlana flared up at once. “The same thing, you are not allowed to bring it up again… Yiben, do you really think I don’t dare execute you?”

In her rage, the Princess even pulled out the Divine Artifact she carried close to her body and pointed it at the young guard.

The young guard shook his head. “As the empire’s Princess, I believe you absolutely have that authority.”

“Then why do you still—!” Princess Yamanlana’s eyes widened, her expression growing even sharper.

The young guard said, “Because I want to know, if the Princess wishes to recruit me as your scholar… will you be willing to open up your heart? I want to know what Your Highness truly believes in—is it god, or… *science*.”

The Divine Artifact—a handgun—quivered slightly because of its holder’s emotional fluctuation. Princess Yamanlana took a deep breath, then slowly lowered the Divine Artifact and put it away.

Only then did she say slowly, “Use your own eyes… judge for yourself whether it’s worth becoming a scholar. This is the last warning. Those same words are not allowed a third time… Next time, I will not hesitate.”

“I see…” The young guard nodded, then said softly, “Then, for now, let me stay by Your Highness’s side… and use my own eyes to see clearly.”

Princess Yamanlana’s brows couldn’t help but twitch lightly. She snorted, then turned around.

…This guy, is he doing it on purpose?

…These lines, compared to flirting, they’re almost…

Right at that moment.

“Quick! Search over here! I’m definitely going to find it! I’ll find the thing that can make the Princess smile… Haha, I’m going to become the empire’s Consort Prince!”

“In your dreams! The one who can find something that makes the Princess smile will definitely be me! All of you, get out of my way!”

“Hahaha! I didn’t expect Princess Yamanlana’s question to be this simple, I already have the answer!”

Several Royal Guards and a young man who looked like the son of some minister rushed into the Courtyard at a quick pace, then started rummaging everywhere for something.

Their voices weren’t loud… but they still carried clearly to Princess Yamanlana standing in the dim corridor.

Princess Yamanlana was taken aback. She was a sharp-minded person; just from these men’s words, she could already guess the general idea.

Roughly, it meant that the Princess had set a question, and any man who could solve it would become her honored guest in the inner chamber… The Princess?

But Princess Yamanlana simply could not remember ever posing any kind of question!

“Could it be… Father?” Princess Yamanlana’s heart turned chaotic. She was well aware of the strained relationship between herself and the Pharaoh of the Kingdom, and that to keep her in check, the Pharaoh indeed had the intention of marrying her off.

“You’re that eager to have me…” Princess Yamanlana silently looked toward the banquet lights not far away, then slowly let out a breath.

“Did something happen?” The young guard stepped forward at this moment and asked curiously.

Princess Yamanlana looked up, gazing at the young guard right in front of her, then suddenly clenched her teeth… The Princess abruptly reached up, took off the earring from her earlobe, and shoved it into the young guard’s hand.

“You, take this earring to the Pharaoh, and tell him… I already have my answer!”

The young guard: “??”

Father, since you’re so eager to marry me off… then I’ll just grant your wish!