Chapter 2376 - 2279: Wealth Moves the Heart

Huo Sining immediately understood the meaning behind Zhou Shitao’s words and hurriedly began to persuade:

"Master, it was different before when information was limited and knowledge lagged behind. With the spread of compulsory education, the quality of our citizens is improving, and awareness about protecting ancient tombs will definitely increase, making such occurrences less frequent."

Zhou Shitao smiled but did not respond to Huo Sining’s attempt at consolation.

Even Huo Sining felt a bit guilty about her words.

She spoke purely to comfort Zhou Shitao, but in fact, she did not believe in her own words.

Because she understood very well that the more widespread cultural education becomes, the more those tomb robbers understand the law; they will only become more cunning, operating more smoothly and secretly, and even know how to use counter-investigation methods to avoid legal pursuit.

Knowledge sometimes brings civilization, but sometimes it is also the source of crime.

The allure of wealth can corrupt the heart; to make the profession of tomb robbing vanish, only one reason will suffice: that antique collectibles will no longer be valuable. Without the temptation of profit, these people will naturally stop risking their lives to excavate ancient tombs.

But is that scenario possible?

In times of turmoil, gold is abundant and in prosperous times, collections thrive. The calmer the era, the more valuable antiques become. In the future, as antiques become rarer, their prices will only grow higher, and they will never become worthless.

And the consequence of this situation is that tomb robbers become more rampant and increasingly high-tech, while authorities find it increasingly difficult to sanction them.

But this trend is undoubtedly cruel for an old professor who has dedicated his life to the study and protection of Huaxia’s archaeological civilization. Just thinking about the ancient tombs in the country being riddled with wounds in the coming decades, Zhou Shitao couldn’t help but feel sad, looking at the mountains with a somewhat languid expression.

"Every era has its responsibilities to bear; we can only do our utmost to maintain them. Preserving a little is better than none at all. The rest is up to fate. Let’s go, time to head back."

Zhou Shitao sighed and turned back towards the path they had come from.

Huo Sining had no choice but to follow behind the old man. After taking a few steps, she watched Zhou Shitao’s stooped figure and slow, stumbling pace, and an indescribable sadness welled up inside her. She thought for a moment and couldn’t help but say:

"Master, whether you believe it or not, when we get back, I’ll figure out a concrete and effective plan to seriously carry out the work of protecting ancient tombs. Though this may sound overly grand, it’s the only promise I can make to you right now!"

Zhou Shitao halted mid-stride, slowly stopped, and turned around, staring intently at Huo Sining.

Realizing that his young disciple was not just speaking to comfort him, the old professor felt moved, with the desolate expression on his face finally slowly disappearing, replaced by a relieved and comforting smile.

He fixed his gaze on Huo Sining and finally nodded, sighing, "I believe in you. You never were one for empty talk, and you mean what you say."

"New talents emerge from every generation. With such awareness, you are deserving of my special treatment amidst a crowd. Given your abilities, you’ll surely go further than this old man, and the future of Huaxia Country’s archaeological exploration will depend on you to steer it!"

Huo Sining didn’t say anything to dampen Zhou Shitao’s spirits, instead, she solemnly promised, "I will do my best as a student!"

Zhou Shitao laughed, "That’s enough; whatever the future holds, no one can predict. We don’t aim to defy the heavens; we seek a clear conscience!"

With that, the old man turned and continued walking down the mountain, but this time his steps were noticeably lighter and his mood improved.

Huo Sining couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She had indeed feared that Zhou Shitao might worry excessively and become sick from anxiety; the elderly gentleman was growing old and his health wasn’t great, and if he fell ill, she couldn’t explain it to the master’s wife.

Back at the base, the armed police team had already sealed off the entire hilltop, and the scenic area was closed for business, ensuring no non-archaeological personnel could enter the site.

Of course, this wasn’t completely foolproof, but the Guang Province Cultural Relics Bureau could only mobilize so many officers.

With this much police involvement, it was considered an exceptionally thorough deployment for a regular archaeological team. If not for Zhou Shitao notifying higher-ups, promptly assembling this many officers would have been unlikely.

Being a scenic area and in addition to the barricades, regular folks who see it would avoid trouble and stay far away, even if curious, they’d only inquire secretly and certainly wouldn’t boldly intrude.

Those tomb robbers, even if they heard the news, would be at most frustrated and resentful, but never dare to risk challenging the officials in such a well-organized situation.

Thus, both Zhou Shitao and the others felt confident in their deployment without worry.

But Huo Sining was somewhat concerned, not about tomb robbers or ordinary people, but about Fujiwara Seiho, who had long set his sights on this ancient tomb.

Huo Sining was certain that Fujiwara Seiho likely learned from somewhere that the tomb contained something he wanted, which is why he targeted it.

But he didn’t expect complications; after capturing the oil rat, it escaped, and not only that, it allowed her to intervene and capture Gao Yuyuan and more than a dozen ninjas all at once.

Although the Okinawa 0288 incident had concluded and the East Ocean Police Bureau was slow in uncovering any results, Fujiwara Seiho must suspect Hua Country’s involvement, understanding that Gao Yuyuan’s group was systematically eliminated, and it wasn’t any ghostly curse.

He surely knows that Gao Yuyuan’s group went to the high seas to trade with the oil rat, but his men returned to Dongdu in pitiful defeat, and the oil rat they intended to capture vanished, along with the Medicine King Cauldron he desired, so Fujiwara Seiho must suspect something.

Perhaps he has discreetly deployed forces within Hua Country, quietly investigating the oil rat’s whereabouts and fate.

The Okinawa 0288 incident, with Gao Yuyuan’s illegal actions, made Fujiwara Seiho unable to expose the hidden truth or pressure Hua Country through the East Ocean Police Bureau to hand over those behind it, but that doesn’t prevent him from pursuing and investigating the matter.

He must be filled with anger and dissatisfaction, especially after losing a key figure to Huo Sining without any gain. Given Fujiwara Seiho’s vengeful nature, he certainly won’t let this matter rest!

Of course, Huo Sining isn’t afraid of Fujiwara Seiho; if she were afraid of a Dongyang person on her Hua Country’s turf, that would be truly disgraceful.

She’s worried that Fujiwara might use any means necessary to achieve his goals, daring to snatch victory from the jaws and create trouble at Luofu Mountain, injuring innocent archaeology professors, which would be disastrous.