The day after receiving the invitation, Liang En, Joan of Arc, and Elizabeth set off for Paris. Upon arriving, they checked into a hotel and immediately took a car to the Grand Palais, located on the Champs-Élysées in the heart of Paris.
Although the building is called the Grand Palais, it has little to do with the series of royal palaces throughout French history. Instead, it was constructed for the 1900 World's Fair. After the fair, most of the buildings from that period were dismantled, leaving only the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower as symbols of France and Paris.
Today, the Grand Palais serves as a public exhibition hall, divided into three sections: a science museum, an exhibition hall, and an event space. It frequently hosts themed exhibitions that attract many visitors.
Technically, the exhibition wasn't scheduled to start for another three days, but there was a simple reason for their early arrival: the night after Benjamin left, Liang En received a call from Dr. Liu, the curator of the Egyptian section at the Louvre Museum, with whom he had previously collaborated.
In the call, Dr. Liu informed Liang En that he had been selected as a member of the expert panel for this exhibition, so it would be best for him to arrive the next day to help authenticate the antiques.
At first, Liang En found the invitation a bit strange, as he knew that historically, the Paris Biennale was the first antique fair managed by experts. Traditionally, two days before the exhibition opened, 350 experts from around the world were invited to inspect the items and conduct a thorough examination.
During these inspections, if any artifact had a questionable provenance or did not meet the standards of the Paris Biennale, it would not be accepted into the exhibition. These strict measures were enough to maintain and ensure the quality and reputation of the event for more than half a century. Normally, invitations to these experts would be sent out ten days to two weeks in advance.
Liang En had also received an invitation, but it was for the reserve group, meaning that in addition to the 350 regular experts, they would invite 10 to 15 additional experts as backups. This was entirely understandable, given that experts in this field were often quite advanced in age, and some might have unexpected commitments, so it was reasonable to prepare some reserve personnel.
Liang En was one of these reserve experts, primarily because, although everyone recognized his expertise, he was still very young. Moreover, Liang En himself preferred not to be too busy at this time, so he ended up as a reserve expert.
However, circumstances had changed. Some older scholars couldn't make it, so in desperation, they called Liang En, the youngest expert, hoping he could step in.
For Liang En, this was a pleasant surprise. Being called upon in this situation would bring him considerable prestige, and having early access to the artifacts was something he was excited about.
"This is really beautiful," Joan of Arc whispered as they passed through two intricately carved iron gates and entered the Grand Palais. She was clearly captivated by the unique design of the venue.
This was one of the first features of the Biennale that visitors would notice. Each time, the venue design was distinct, with different masters invited to create it. For this edition, the exhibition hall was designed as a dreamlike garden constructed from rare treasures, with various flowers, trees, and some gilded sculptures creating an indoor scene reminiscent of the Gardens of Versailles.
The entire exhibition area was divided into multiple courtyards, with a vast, 4,100-square-meter display area. This layout recaptured the atmosphere of the first Paris Biennale: a winter garden.
Along the pathway leading seemingly to the sky, lush green spaces and luxurious gardens created a balanced architectural beauty. Four courtyards with leisure and culinary themes—chocolate, coffee, tea, and fruit—were surrounded by uniquely designed booths, inviting visitors to explore the rich meaning of antique art as an enduring way of life.
Each exhibition room entrance was uniformly constructed with a 7-meter-high arch. All the display booths were designed to resemble real apartments. Moreover, every room entrance faced a water feature, with pools and fountains surrounded by numerous plants. The windows of the rooms were designed to continuously draw the visitors' attention to the thousands of exhibited artifacts.
At the core of the exhibition area, the organizers hosted a Napoleon-themed exhibition, showcasing part of the collection of the famous French collector Pierre-Jean Chalençon. Through paintings, sculptures, weapons, and other artifacts, visitors could glimpse the legendary life of Napoleon.
After entering the exhibition area, many people greeted Liang En. Although he seldom participated in lectures or public events and his writing was somewhat deep and concise, every one of his research papers over the past few years had significant implications for archaeology and history. Naturally, the professionals present recognized him.
As they gathered, they exchanged information. Although Liang En had not appeared much in person before, he had communicated with many people via online meetings and calls, so he could naturally join in the conversations.
During these discussions, Liang En heard some news about himself: there was a proposal from a member of the Académie Française to grant him the title of Foreign Associate of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. However, since he was still quite young, they were waiting to see how things developed.
According to the high-ranking experts present, given that most of the current members already recognized Liang En's academic level and achievements, it was only a matter of time before he received the title.
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, mentioned here, is one of the five academies under the Institut de France. Historically, its initial task was to create inscriptions and mottos for King Louis XIV on buildings and medals, which required studying the French royal family, ancient buildings, medals, and other historical treasures.
This led the academy to focus broadly on archaeology and history. With the encouragement of Secretary of State for War Jerome Philippe, it was established as a national institution by royal decree on July 16, 1701.
From the publication of the first historical research paper in 1717 until its dissolution during the French Revolution in 1793, the academy published 317 historical papers, using archaeology to reconstruct history.
In 1816, France restored the "Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres" by royal decree on March 21 of that year, continuing to this day. Today, its primary role is to encourage and promote historical, archaeological, and philological research. More specifically, it focuses on the study of ancient, medieval, classical civilizations, and civilizations outside Europe.
Although the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is less renowned than the Académie Française, it is more aligned with Liang En's expertise. According to tradition, just his work in deciphering ancient Egyptian texts would be enough to secure his place, not to mention his subsequent research.
This news considerably brightened Liang En's mood. Soon, he wrapped up his conversation with everyone, asked Elizabeth and Joan of Arc to rest in the nearby tea room, and then, guided by the staff, proceeded to a booth where he began his work.
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