The elderly man who took the stage to speak was a highly renowned folklorist, a lifetime professor at Humboldt University of Berlin, and the head of the judging panel for this contest.
For scholars studying traditional folklore, it was quite normal to be associated with such organizations, as these groups were seen by scholars as living bearers of cultural heritage, capable of uncovering vast amounts of valuable knowledge.
For the organizations, establishing good relations with these scholars also solved many of their problems, aiding them in addressing a range of issues they encountered.
According to information received by Liang En, the Golden Dawn actually had several advisors with scholarly backgrounds, and these advisors helped resolve specific professional issues.
The elderly man on the stage, however, was not an advisor for any organization but was active as a neutral scholar, which was precisely why he was able to serve as a judge this time.
After a brief introduction, it was time for the presentations, and the large screen on the stage began to display the findings of the contestants.
It must be said that unless one could cheat like Liang En, even well-prepared entries sometimes suffered from minor errors, such as the Rosicrucians, who had prepared meticulously but still stumbled unexpectedly.
Yet, they were not the worst off, as the Roman camp they uncovered, nestled deep in the Black Forest, was likely built around the year AD 1.
This meant that the camp might be connected to the catastrophic defeat of the Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, when Governor Varus led his forces against the Germanic tribes, resulting in the annihilation of three Roman legions—a historical event of significant note.
Although these findings had little to do with the supernatural phenomena everyone was hoping to uncover, they nonetheless possessed considerable historical value, placing them among the top discoveries.
Equally valuable was an early biblical manuscript presented by the Scottish Freemasons and the remains of a saint, sourced by the Illuminati from an unknown location.
"The time allotted for this competition was indeed too short," Nelson said in a low voice to Liang En, shaking his head. "So everyone was in a rush, and many couldn't perform to their potential."
"However, this also highlights your skills, as from what we can see now, you're definitely going to win this championship because your discoveries far surpass those of the others."
"—Let us now congratulate Mr. Liang En of the Golden Dawn, who has won this championship," announced the elder just a minute after Nelson's remark.
"He has discovered the ruins of Mycenae, proving that the ancient 'Homer's Epic' was indeed based on certain historical truths rather than being purely fictional, so this championship is rightfully awarded to this great discoverer of Mycenaean relics."
"—" As soon as the elder finished speaking, the entire hall burst into applause, with nearly everyone clapping to congratulate Liang En.
This was a crucial discovery, as for those present, this and previous findings on the island of Crete proved that the ancient Greek epics were not entirely fabricated, but contained elements of truth, which was incredibly valuable information for these secret societies since it confirmed that their pursuits were not wholly based on illusions.
"Well done, very well done." When Liang En stepped down from the stage with a small trophy in hand, Charles, the president, excitedly embraced him, "It's been three years, and we've finally won a championship."
Although the Golden Dawn generally maintained a laid-back, even somewhat listless attitude, they were still quite competitive in these regularly organized contests.
This was largely because the Golden Dawn was considered a founding organization of modern Western magic, so the weight of history made it hard for them to accept repeated losses in competitions.
But finding significant discoveries was not just about having a rich heritage; sometimes, it also required luck, so it was normal not to win previous competitions.
Nevertheless, President Charles still felt immense pressure, feeling somewhat guilty towards the illustrious history of the Golden Dawn, but Liang En's victory finally alleviated some of that stress.
"I didn't expect the prize from this competition to be so good," Liang En remarked curiously to Nelson at the post-competition reception, eyeing his winnings.
"I know participants in these secretive contests are usually quite affluent, but isn't a prize worth at least seven to eight million pounds a bit too high?"
Although the land Liang En won was in the Scottish Highlands, of the 3,200 acres, only about a tenth was arable, with the rest being undeveloped land covered in forests and bodies of water.
However, because this land came with hunting and fishing rights, even though the overall price wouldn't be as high as that of developed farms or commercial real estate, such a large tract of land couldn't be cheap.
"Not at all high, because the prizes are generally pooled together by everyone, and there's a real willingness to spend money for advancing our understanding of historical secrets," Nelson said, clinking his champagne
glass against the mineral water in Liang En's.
"You know, many of these organizations have significant financial backing, so what's valuable to newcomers like us might seem trivial to the big players."
"If that's the case, everything makes sense," Liang En nodded, recognizing that when people have enough money, investing in their passions becomes quite normal.
While the overall value of the property might exceed ten million pounds, the cost split between the organizations would only be about three to five hundred thousand pounds each, an amount they could easily afford.
"But this land might not be as great as you think, you should be mentally prepared," Nelson warned after discussing the financial aspects, "The property taxes won't be low, but the income won't be high either."
"I can see that," Liang En acknowledged, knowing that the only stable income from the land would be from the small proportion of pastureland; clearly, the fishing and hunting rights would not generate much money.
But tax assessments by the revenue service are based on land area, so even if the forests or water bodies didn't yield commercial output leading to low tax revenues, the overall amount was still significant.
Thus, for Liang En, acquiring this property was both a boon and a challenge, so he might need to spend some energy on this newly acquired estate in the coming period.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
