Various archaeological excavation works are far from being as simple as pulling up carrots. Apart from the exceptional case of Liang En, who cheats at the game, normally, a significant amount of time and effort is required at every step, from gathering initial information to the actual digging to uncover a site.
More importantly, even with perfect preparation, the actual archaeological situation might differ from what everyone had anticipated. It's not uncommon to toil for a long time and end up with nothing.
According to the information received by Chairman Charles, the Rosicrucians had literally fallen into a ditch this time. They attempted to locate an early Germanic settlement in the Black Forest, only to discover halfway through that they were excavating a site of an ancient Roman military camp.
Their luck was terribly poor; the initial probes completely missed the core area of the camp and instead unearthed the quarters of the Roman auxiliary troops, making it look indeed like a Germanic settlement from the Roman era.
It wasn’t until they had spent a considerable amount of time and effort on extensive excavations that they realized this, but by then, both the time and the costs had already committed them to continue.
The Rosicrucian order involved here was no longer the legendary German society of the 17th century but a group from the late 19th to early 20th century, using the name without authorization.
In fact, this is a characteristic of such societies in Europe today; initially, most of these organizations were created by wealthy, idle aristocrats to pass time, and using these ancient names was more stylish for them.
"By the way, the reason I called you today is because the competition has ended, so you'd better attend the upcoming judging and award ceremony," Charles said after some small talk.
"Do I really need to go?" Liang En asked, hearing the chairman's instruction. He really didn't feel like making the trip after all the running around he had done recently.
"If it were any other year, it wouldn’t be necessary, but this year, there's a good chance you might win, so it's better for you to be there," the chairman replied, understanding what Liang En was thinking.
"Of course, I know you've been working hard, but this time, everyone is gathering in Baden-Baden, one of the top spa resorts in Europe."
"You just said you were traveling in Bucharest, but I must say, Bucharest is really no match for the comfort of a vacation in Baden-Baden, so even if you need to rest, it’s best to come here."
The next morning, Liang En and his companions boarded a plane to Frankfurt, and then took the high-speed train to this spa town nestled by the Black Forest.
In German, 'Baden' means to bathe or to take a bath, which literally translates the city's name as 'Bath Bath', curiously similar to the English city of Bath.
Indeed, the situation is such, with the city’s earliest discoverers also being bath-loving Romans, who, in the 1st century AD, discovered hot springs here with temperatures reaching 69°C and began building numerous bathhouses.
From that time, the city gained fame throughout Europe as a major resort and leisure destination, and by the 19th century, it was even dubbed the 'summer capital of Europe', with numerous celebrities visiting.
Although the city is very famous, it is not very large in size; the entire city stretches along a road in a linear fashion nestled in the valley of the Oos River. With the city winding through the valley, backed by mountains and facing the river, the scenery is charming and varied.
With two days before the gathering, they settled in their pre-arranged hotel and immediately started exploring the surroundings, experiencing the unique spa treatments of this quaint town.
What attracted Liang En most was the area around the Leisure Palace. Unlike the casinos there, what interested him were not the gambling halls but the array of boutiques nearby.
Where there are winners, there are inevitably more losers, who often pawn their valuable possessions, and these pawned items naturally end up in the boutiques.
Meaning, with a good eye, one could often find good deals on items in these shops, and that’s why Liang En liked to frequent this area.
Most of the items sold in these shops were second-hand luxury goods, but among them were antiques that caught Liang En’s interest.
The most captivating item was a beautifully made m1935 pistol, gold-plated and engraved, with its original grips replaced by exquisitely carved ivory.
Clearly, this was a finely crafted art pistol, more a luxury item than a weapon, hence its presence in the store.
What attracted Liang En was not just the pistol itself; after all, he had seen countless precious artworks before, and the gun itself wasn't particularly enticing.
However, what caught his interest this time was that he felt a reaction from the "Thoroughbred Summoning (SR)" Skill Card upon this pistol.
Although he wasn't sure what special powers this summoned invisible servant would possess, considering the medium was a firearm, it would definitely be a power related to firearms.
Considering his upcoming needs involving firearms, Liang En eventually decided to spend 3,500 US dollars to purchase this half-century-old pistol.
Besides the pistol, Liang En and Fan Meng bought some cheaper trinkets, like brooches and belt buckles, planning to give them as gifts to their families back home.
Apart from shopping, they spent most of their time strolling around and soaking in the hot springs. Undeniably, this place was a truly great vacation spot, with both the hot springs and the surrounding forests being fabulous.
Thus, within just two short days, Liang En and his companions felt their fatigue swept away, ready to energetically attend the upcoming awards ceremony related to the previous competition.
The ceremony was held in a conference room at the hotel. After meeting with Chairman Charles and Nelson at the hotel entrance, they entered the conference room together.
As they arrived early, Chairman Charles took the opportunity to introduce Liang En to the attendees and their affiliations.
"A few Freemasonry branches, they almost never miss a competition, but because they are not professionals, they hardly ever win except in some years by sheer luck."
"Over there are the Hospital Knights, they tend to focus on religious-related research, and I heard they found something this time from a church in Slovakia."
"And the group arriving at the back are members of the Illuminati; they like to be mysterious about their activities, for instance, we still don't know exactly what this group has found this time—"
As Chairman Charles introduced them, more and more people filled the room, and soon everyone was present. Then, an elderly man dressed in a medieval-style robe, somewhat resembling Dumbledore, stepped up to the podium to begin his speech.
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