The moment he saw this special symbol, Shi Yu thought of many things, his mood becoming particularly complex.
At this point, he even began to doubt that his穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "transmigration" or "time travel") was not an accident.
However, what made Shi Yu the most complex at this moment was not the other messy things.
It was that, whether in his past life or this one, he did not know what this symbol represented...
What a pain in the ass!
Shi Yu inwardly cursed, thinking that if this symbol could be translated into Chinese, English, or Japanese, it would be a game-changer, but unfortunately, it wasn't.
So at this moment, Shi Yu did not feel the slightest sense of familiarity or emotional connection.
Additionally, whether this symbol originated from Earth or this world was still unknown.
Shi Yu tried to use his psychic ability, "Listening to the Sound of History," to see if he could discover anything else.
But unfortunately, it seemed the right moment had not yet arrived.
"Did you find anything?"
Lin Xiuzhu, seeing Shi Yu staring blankly at the metal piece, asked.
"Yes."
Shi Yu shifted his gaze and delivered a shocking piece of news.
"This might be a fragment of an ancient iron-eating beast."
"What?" Everyone was puzzled.
A fragment of an ancient iron-eating beast? What does that even mean?
They all looked at Shi Yu with confusion, unable to understand how this armor fragment was related to the iron-eating beast.
"Because the evolved form of the iron-eating beast might be covered in such a layer of armor."
"No, it's not just covered; the two are one and the same," Shi Yu said.
He definitely couldn't mention that he had seen this symbol before, even if he did, he wouldn't know what it meant, making it pointless.
However, besides this discovery, Shi Yu had another one: the color and material of the metal piece felt similar to the evolutionary traces in the bloodline of the iron-eating beast.
"Are you serious?" Lin Xiuzhu looked at Shi Yu, her expression stunned.
"The evolved form of the iron-eating beast is covered in armor???"
"It should be like that..." Shi Yu looked at the archaeology students and asked, "Has the metal piece been analyzed yet?"
"Not yet..." An archaeology student replied, "This might require the school's laboratory, and the analysis process is quite complicated and time-consuming."
This alloy, containing extraordinary metal resources, is much harder to analyze than ordinary alloys on Earth, and the research has not yet reached this stage.
"That's fine. Please analyze its specific components next."
"If we can determine the metal elements it contains, it might be a crucial part of solving the mystery of the iron-eating beast's evolution."
Shi Yu looked at the metal piece, thinking that perhaps the iron-eating beast needed to consume similar metal materials to complete its evolution.
This metal piece is a significant discovery.
"Xiao Lin, contact the school," Lin Xiuzhu said, looking at the short-haired girl in the brown archaeology uniform.
"Okay." Xiao Lin nodded.
Lin Xiuzhu quickly understood Shi Yu's intention, as she was also an expert in iron-eating beast cultivation.
"Do you want to use the composition of this metal piece to deduce the evolutionary material of the iron-eating beast?" she asked.
"Yes, but it won't be that simple," Shi Yu nodded.
"It doesn't seem like it can be completed just by eating... and the meaning of that symbol is still unclear."
At this moment, upon hearing the word "eat," Shiyi, who had been dozing off, suddenly woke up and looked at the metal piece in the glass container with bright eyes.
"Ying?"
Eat?
"It's not!" Shi Yu denied.
"Could you show me other ancient artifacts and the site outside?" Shi Yu continued.
"Sure, I'll show you," the archaeology student who initially explained the site's basic information to Shi Yu said.
In a flash, after assigning a task to everyone, Shi Yu hurriedly headed to the next location.
Inside the tent.
The other archaeology students looked at the metal piece in the glass container, lost in thought.
Wait a moment, how did they suddenly feel like they were being led by the new arrival, Shi Yu?
Shouldn't Shi Yu provide the information, and they continue the investigation?
Why does it feel like Shi Yu is more invested than they are!
"I'll contact the school first," Xiao Lin said, thinking, "Let's follow Shi Yu's suggestion for now. The idea that the metal piece might be part of the iron-eating beast's evolved form is indeed a bold hypothesis we hadn't considered before."
...
This iron-eating beast site is actually an underground site, and its preservation is not very good.
Shi Yu could only make do with the investigation, but fortunately, some of the data had already been restored and organized.
"Are there no depictions of iron-eating beasts wearing armor on the murals?"
After reviewing the organized data, Shi Yu was slightly taken aback.
Why is that?
With the data temporarily uncertain, Shi Yu decided not to think about it for now.
Next, he began to browse the special symbols recorded in the site.
Including the symbol on the metal piece, there were only nine unique symbols in total.
However, due to their frequent repetition, it seemed like there were more.
Of these nine symbols, Shi Yu found six familiar, definitely seen on Earth.
As for the other three, they were a bit unfamiliar, but from the style, these nine symbols were definitely a set.
If the metal piece was indeed part of the iron-eating beast's evolved form, what special meaning did these symbols carved or imprinted on the armor have?
"Senior..."
Shi Yu delved deeper into his research, even trying to use his ability to see if he could glimpse any revealing scenes.
However, he didn't see any scenes, but in a daze, he saw Senior Panda.
Lin Xiuzhu had come to Shi Yu's side at some point.
"I didn't expect you to be so interested in this site," Lin Xiuzhu smiled, seeing Shi Yu's focused expression.
Everyone thought Shi Yu was just there to provide information, but who knew that after arriving, he was more enthusiastic about researching the site than the archaeology students.
"Do you also want to figure out the evolutionary path of the iron-eating beast?" Senior Panda asked.
"I..." Shi Yu said, "I guess so."
He wasn't particularly obsessed with the iron-eating beast's evolution, but his current interest was purely out of curiosity.
Curious about what this site represented, curious about why this world had symbols similar to those in a certain mythological system on Earth.
If he didn't figure this out, Shi Yu felt he wouldn't be able to sleep well.
"You also want to know, right?" Shi Yu asked, thinking that between Lin Hongnian, the curator, and Lin Xiuzhu, no one in Pingcheng would be more eager to know the iron-eating beast's evolutionary path.
Lin Xiuzhu looked conflicted.
"Indeed, but after hearing that the iron-eating beast's evolved form might be covered in armor, I..."
"Feel that if that's the case, I won't be able to sleep in the panda bed anymore... It's a bit of a pity."
Shi Yu: ???
Good grief, the reason for her conflict is the same as his!
Is this what it means to be a kindred spirit!
Indeed, different pandas, same usage.
"Ying!" On Shi Yu's thigh, Shiyi let out a protesting roar.
It had been hours without training, and her whole body felt uncomfortable.
She had been sleeping for hours to build up her energy and now needed high-intensity training to release it.
No, preferably a battle!
"What's wrong, Shiyi? Are you eager to train again?" Lin Xiuzhu smiled, understanding Shiyi well.
Shiyi: QAQ
"I came to say that it's not early anymore. Thanks to the information you provided, everyone has a new research direction, and they want to invite you to have a meal together," Lin Xiuzhu said.
A meal?
"Um." Shi Yu glanced at the time; it was indeed not early.
It felt like he had just finished lunch, but it was already time for dinner.
"Of course, that's no problem..." Shi Yu rubbed his stomach.
Well, you can't continue researching on an empty stomach, can you? Eating is important.
Next, Shi Yu paused his thoughts and patted Shiyi: "Let's go have a meal, and after that, I'll let you train."
He had actually wanted to let Shiyi train for a while, but since this was an iron-eating beast site, he felt that having Shiyi with him might provide some kind of beneficial buff.
However, it seemed that Shiyi, this mascot, wasn't very helpful...
Shiyi: (σ｀?д?)σ I'll stay with you a bit longer, okay.
Outside, when Shi Yu came out with Lin Xiuzhu, the other seven people were already waiting.
Everyone was preparing to go to a restaurant at the foot of the mountain, and they would leave the site to be watched by their pet beasts.
If the contracted pet beasts weren't for convenience, it would be meaningless.
Pet Beasts: MMP
...
Dining together is a great way to communicate. Initially, Shi Yu and everyone else weren't very familiar, but once at the table, they immediately started chatting.
"What, you plan to apply to the archaeology department at the Capital University of Archaeology?"
As they chatted, the conversation turned to Shi Yu, and everyone finally understood why he was so focused in the afternoon.
So, he was a future junior with clear goals.
"This department is a big pit, you know? Archaeology ruins a lifetime, have you heard that?"
Zheng Yingjie, the archaeology student who often answered Shi Yu's questions, said with a pained expression. He was the leader of this archaeology team.
The other archaeology students also nodded, making Lin Xiuzhu want to laugh but not dare to.
"Ah? That bad?"
"Why did you apply if you don't like it..."
Shi Yu took a sip of soup to calm down, wanting to hear the advice of his future seniors.
Senior Lin Yuer, who shared the same surname as Senior Panda, said, "A moment of confusion?"
In fact, although the ultimate goal of archaeology is to uncover historical truths, few young people have such high ideals.
In this world, archaeology is popular because ancient sites hide many secrets, even opportunities from the mythological era.
Due to a few lucky individuals gaining opportunities from these sites and rising rapidly, the industry suddenly attracted many who believed they were destined for greatness.
Those truly dedicated to uncovering historical truths are few.
Most people enter this field hoping to gain benefits from ancient sites.
Moreover, the archaeology department at the Capital University of Archaeology is a top program, with resource allocation even higher than the combat department, so many people impulsively applied.
However, after studying this major, they realized how tough it was. Finding sites with opportunities is not easy.
Most of the time, they could only stare blankly at a pile of antiques, learning skills and knowledge that were useless in combat...
Therefore, although the number of applicants for the archaeology department at the Capital University of Archaeology is not small each year, the number of people who switch majors is also very large...
"A breeding department is actually quite good, relaxed and comfortable. The medical department is also nice, with many cute girls. The combat department, though tiring, requires daily training, but strength is the essence of a beast master. If you can represent the school in the national competition, you'll have made it, as it's a widely watched event... It's much better than dealing with antiques and tombs in the archaeology department," a chubby senior sighed.
The others also expressed their views, all regretting their choice of the archaeology department.
These people, who could smoothly enter the top program at the Capital University of Archaeology, were undoubtedly geniuses, with most becoming professional beast masters before the age of 20. However, even these geniuses were filled with regret, deep regret!
Hearing this, Shi Yu was stunned. Good grief, all of them were dissatisfied with their majors.
Is the archaeology department really that bad?
"However, from my experience..." Lin Xiuzhu quietly said, "Your state is very common. Students in the combat, breeding, research, and medical departments also think their majors are not good..."
In essence, it's just a case of novelty and fickleness.
Lin Xiuzhu inwardly criticized, if they were more serious during site investigations, the research progress wouldn't be so slow!
During the investigation, half of the time, this group was slacking off and training their pet beasts, lacking professional standards!
If Lin Xiuzhu were the teacher, she would definitely fail them.
"Anyway, if I had another chance, I would definitely choose the combat department!" Zheng Yingjie sighed, "I'll see if there's a chance to switch majors."
Shi Yu: "..."
The archaeology field is tough.
Without a bit of passion, it's normal not to be able to persist.
"But if this site investigation yields something, maybe the archaeology department isn't so bad?" a long-faced senior analyzed.
"Let's follow Junior Shi Yu's idea; maybe we'll really have some results," Senior Lin Yuer said.
Zheng Yingjie nodded, "If we can help Senior Lin research the iron-eating beast's evolved form, it will stabilize our university life, and we can even use it for our graduation thesis."
Listening to everyone's discussion, Shi Yu's perception of the archaeology department at the Capital University of Archaeology was completely overturned.
He named this team led by Zheng Yingjie: "The Seven Heroes of Archaeology."
"Anyway, we should thank Junior Shi Yu this time, ha-ha." Zheng Yingjie laughed, "When you come to the Capital University of Archaeology in the future, we'll take care of you."
Without the information about the iron-eating beast's evolved form provided by Shi Yu, they would have found it difficult to proceed with their research.
"Thank you..." Shi Yu felt it was unreliable.
He thought that although these people were outstanding geniuses from the surrounding cities, they were likely typical underachievers at the Capital University of Archaeology...
Feeling that joining them after enrollment would have no future, he might as well seek the support of Senior Beast Ear.
The vice president of the combat club, a well-known figure on campus.
"Junior, when do you plan to apply to the Capital University of Archaeology, next year?" the chubby senior asked.
"Senior Lin said that the iron-eating beast is your initial pet, but its growth level doesn't seem to have reached the extraordinary stage yet?"
"No, I plan to take the professional exam this year."
"There are four months left, it should be in time. Although its growth level is slightly low, its combat ability is decent," Shi Yu explained.
The chubby senior was surprised, "Confident, that's good! By the way, what's the difference between an iron-eating beast with ancient bloodline and a regular one? Is it just the doubling skill?"
"Very curious, how about a friendly sparring match after the meal? I also have a new pet that hasn't reached the extraordinary stage yet. It would help us gather more data for our assignments..."
"Huh." The chubby senior's words made the surrounding archaeology students pause. That's right, the chubby senior was indeed shrewd, knowing to gather any data related to the final assignment.
Shi Yu's awakened ancient bloodline iron-eating beast is a key point for the subsequent research of this site. Understanding it would definitely be beneficial.
"Sparring?" Lin Xiuzhu pursed her lips, "I feel like you want to bully the junior."
A professional beast master's new pet and a trainee beast master's pet, though the same level, would definitely have different training levels!
The chubby senior looked innocent, "No, I just want to improve my assignment. If it fails again, I'll fail this year... I can also guide the junior, as the professional exam is tough, and I have experience."
"Ao?" Before Shi Yu could respond, Shiyi suddenly poked her head out of Shi Yu's pocket.
She sensed the atmosphere of battle.
Shi Yu looked down and was speechless.
"It's fine, it's fine." Shi Yu could only say, "My iron-eating beast has been sleeping all day and needs to stretch. It's no problem to spar with the senior after the meal."