Collective amnesia, such a thing, can still be explained by perhaps the archaeologists inhaling some sort of special gas among the ancient ruins, but if the core building in the ruins vanished into thin air, for the atheist Claudia, it is naturally unbelievable.
“Perhaps you think we are just gullible children?” Her voice already carried a hint of displeasure.
Yet Mr. Otto calmly said at this time, “I’ve already mentioned, what I’ve said you may not necessarily believe… As for whether what I’ve told is fictional or real, you can determine that yourselves.”
“Of course, it’s…” Claudia scoffed, “Unbelievable!”
But Boss Luo was remarkably patient as he asked, “Mr. Otto, do you remember roughly what the disappeared building looked like?”
This made Mr. Otto pause for a moment, as most who heard about this only were concerned about what happened with the archaeological team in the ruins or how the core building disappeared… Concerned about what the core building looked like?
Yet he still carefully recalled, “It was a temple, actually similar temples can be found in many places in this country. Because judging from the architectural style and some depictions recorded in estimation, without a doubt, it was a building about the Sun God, Horus.”
“Sun God?” Claudia furrowed her brows, “You mean Horus… the Hawk-headed God?”
Mr. Otto nodded and then smiled, “It seems Ms. Claudia has done some research in mythology as well.”
Claudia did not care for Mr. Otto’s compliment, still furrowing her brows, she pondered and said, “The image of the Hawk-headed God has undergone several fusions and transformations, merely representing as the Sun God is incomplete… You wouldn’t make such a mistake, would you? Why are you looking at me like that?”
She noticed the new classmate was gazing at her intently, and subconsciously avoided his gaze.
Boss Luo smiled and said, “Ms. Claudia’s knowledge is quite solid.”
“Just some information you can memorize from books, nothing special.” Claudia snorted lightly but still had a hint of concealed pride on her face.
Mr. Otto said calmly at this moment, “Indeed, the roles of the Hawk-headed God have had several fusions and changes, so a single title cannot fully represent it… But what if it was a building from a certain period during its mythical existence?”
“You’re saying…” Claudia was taken aback, “Heliopolis in the Land of the Gods? Speaking of which, this surrounding area is indeed relatively close, in that case, the image of the most revered Sun God indeed might appear… What are you looking at? I, after all, studied theology for half a year, I still read quite a bit of scattered literature, you know.”
Boss Luo shook his head, only saying calmly, “Just suddenly reminded of a classmate, whose dream was to become an explorer, seeing you here, it’s as if seeing her realizing her dream.”
“She?” Claudia furrowed her brow, unsure of what she was thinking… She shook her head, composing herself, “I don’t believe in any suddenly disappearing buildings, it might be because you encountered a mirage… The desert’s high temperature may possibly deteriorate your bodily conditions, external stimuli at that time might very likely cause collective hallucination… As for the memory loss, it still requires investigation. However, even if part of the memory is lost, you should remember the specific route you took, right? Then take me there properly, don’t try anything funny, this is the desert, where human nature is most tested, perhaps I might fail the test.”
This talk made Aria shiver suddenly… In the sweltering heat, he now felt as if Claudia had transformed into someone else.
Perhaps her current state is her true self?
“Oh, beautiful Ms. Claudia.” Aria, with quite a thick skin, even had the audacity to bow and say, “If you can grant me a bottle of water, I’d be delighted to pledge my allegiance to you!”
Claudia spat at him, turned around, and left.
“This is the appearance of that vanished core building.” At this time, Mr. Otto handed Boss Luo a notebook, on which was a rough sketch he had drawn.
The notebook and pen were taken out by Luo Qiu—though no one was curious about how he managed to produce them—or noticed anything odd about him taking these things out, as from the very start, he appeared empty-handed.
“Thank you.” Luo Qiu took it, glanced down at the sketch in the notebook.
It was a multi-column structure with quite a Roman architectural style… a six-tiered stepped pyramid. Mr. Otto said that each level of the pyramid appeared to be seven meters high.
In that sense, the originally existing building should be remarkably conspicuous in terms of its height.
Boss Luo gazed in the direction indicated by Adili the Bedouin, only to see distortions in the air caused by the heat, at the end of which a faint brownish green seemed to be glimpsed.
An oasis in the desert… Viewed from here, it seemed not to be far in terms of distance.
…
During this journey, Claudia fell silent, no longer finding fault with Aria, appearing preoccupied.
Luo Qiu started casually chatting with Mr. Otto—Boss Luo even dismounted from the camel and walked alongside Otto.
Claudia, initially feeling somewhat irritated, found that the more she watched him, the less angry she felt, ultimately choosing to let things take their course—she suddenly realized that this new classmate, this man, appeared easygoing but was in fact highly determined, as if no one could influence him.
Men are all like this… she thought.
“Has Mr. Otto explored many ruins before?” Boss Luo asked seemingly offhandedly.
Mr. Otto repliфed calmly, “Since I am involved in this line of work, it’s typical to encounter numerous ancient ruins, why do you ask?”
Boss Luo mused, “Besides having an interest in Ancient Egypt’s civilization, I’m also keen on other aspects. Mr. Otto’s profound knowledge impresses me, and naturally, the thought of seeking your guidance arose.”
Mr. Otto chuckled, “You seem more like a true scholar; your teacher would surely be pleased to have a student like you.”
Other than the teachers from his early education system, Boss Luo’s only instructor was Ms. Ren… He smiled casually and said, “I wonder if Mr. Otto has ever been involved with the Gospel of Judas.”
Mr. Otto was noticeably taken aback, then frowned and pondered, “I know of its existence and have done some related research… Last year, I even considered conducting a study on ancient texts, with the Gospel of Judas’s Coptic script as one direction, but it was temporarily shelved due to some issues.”
“Some… issues?”
Otto looked at Boss Luo oddly, then dismissed it, saying, “Just about the archaeological research from six months ago. I mentioned that it was organized by a mysterious benefactor… Indeed, preparations seemed to have been going on for quite some time this time around.”
Boss Luo nodded; he was now certain that the Mr. Otto before him was the same Golden Eyes who had initially contacted him online… However, it was due to a certain service purchased by the previous Club Owner that Boss Luo never delved into this matter.
The previous owner’s restrictions on the successor, who was clearly Boss Luo, weren’t particularly strong—because as the owner of the shop, the enhancement of Boss Luo’s abilities remained an unknown quantity—making it difficult for any previous owner to purchase a sort of permanent service.
Hence, the former Club Owner, Boss Asas, likely had to adopt a different approach, with a relatively lower cost, to limit Boss Luo’s initiative in exploring his own future directions.
After all, quelling initiative for a period is much simpler than permanently canceling it… However, when the service expires, or if the current Club Owner, Luo Qiu, becomes aware and counter-purchases a lifting service, then the former Club Owner’s actions would appear worthless.
At present, the only opinion Boss Luo has about the former Club Owner’s actions is: It seems that Mr. Asas, the previous owner, was striving for some relatively relaxed time.
…
These secret musings, naturally, Boss Luo wouldn’t convey to Mr. Otto… He continued on the topic of the Gospel of Judas, “Mr. Otto, what views do you have regarding the contents of the Gospel?”
Otto pondered, “For ages, this religious sect has portrayed Judas as a traitor through various documents… However, the Gospel of Judas narrates a viewpoint that upends this perception. According to the Gospel’s contents, Judas is not just a traitor, but he is also Jesus’s closest friend and most faithful disciple. Judas betrayed Jesus entirely on Jesus’s instructions. His purpose was to deliver Jesus to the authorities, thereby fulfilling Jesus’s redemption plan.”
“This overturns thousands of years of believers’ perceptions.” Boss Luo contemplated aloud.
“Indeed it does.” Mr. Otto nodded, “But, looking at human civilization over the long term, information about this sect is rather chaotic. During this process, there have been overlaps among many mythical characters… Just like the Hawk-headed God Horus, his image underwent several melting and changes… In fact, most documented mythical figures worldwide have somewhat similar situations. The reasons for this are incredibly complex, potentially due to human migration or ethnic and cultural integration… But only those involved would truly know what history really holds.”
Unexpectedly, Boss Luo asked, “Then, Mr. Otto, do you know?”
Mr. Otto looked at the young man before him with profound meaning and said blandly, “How could I possibly know… However, since you are interested in the Gospel, I can recommend someone to you. He is well-versed in this area. If you can safely escape this desert, and have the time, you might want to find this person.”
“Can you tell me where this scholar is located?” Boss Luo naturally became interested.
Mr. Otto nodded and said, “His name is Pruss Keser, currently serving at the National Geographic Society in the US, as an advisor within the society… If you wish to visit him, you can mention my name, along with Golden Eyes.”
“You’ve truly helped me greatly, Mr. Otto.” Boss Luo smiled slightly.
He didn’t feel disappointed that he hadn’t gained more precise data about the Gospel from Otto, but rather, he felt mildly comforted by the other clues gathered from Otto—like solving a mystery, step by step… These steps seem to captivate him, causing subtle ripples in his calm heart.
“You will surpass them all, but in doing so, you will be cursed for generations.” Mr. Otto suddenly remarked.
Boss Luo blinked, displaying a thoughtful expression.
Mr. Otto laughed and added, “This is a passage in the Gospel, words spoken by Jesus to the traitor Judas, because Jesus disclosed a secret that no one else knew: the true mystery of Heaven. Yet, in the Gospel that’s been excavated and translated, we found no further explanation of the real enigma of Heaven… Naturally, I am quite interested in this mystery too. If you manage to solve it in the future and remember me, please feel free to inform me.”
Luo Qiu responded positively, stating that if Mr. Otto was still around, he would certainly arrange to tell him the outcome.
He remarked about how Mr. Otto looked quite young now, suggesting he should still have several decades of life ahead of him, not dying anytime soon.
Like good friends… Their conversation gave Claudia, who was listening nearby, an inexplicable feeling—what was the deal with their friendly, sympathetic relationship?
New student, don’t let this old man lead you astray!
Just then, Boss Luo suddenly asked, “By the way, Mr. Otto, do you know a woman named Maria?”
“Maria?” Otto frowned, “I’ve encountered too many women named Maria in my life… Do you know what your Maria does specifically?”
Boss Luo smiled and said, “It’s nothing… Maybe I remembered wrong.”
Otto cast a curious look at Luo Qiu, then shook his head—the secrets the young man before him was hiding seemed to far exceed his own.
“Maria… who is she?” At this moment, Claudia came over, curiously asking, “Is she the classmate whose dream is to become an explorer?”
“That’s another one.” Boss Luo laughed.
Another one… does that mean two? Counting the girl who’s off on school leave… just how many more?
“Heartbreaker!”
“?”
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