Poseidon is unmistakably a figure from myth and legend, specifically the “God of the Sea” from Greek mythology.
But William is telling them that this amphora belongs to Poseidon. So, what does that make it? A historical artifact or a divine relic?
Edward and the others are completely taken aback.
Evelyn is even more astounded.
She’s a student from Hudson University and has heard of the former dean, Edward. Now, Edward stands right in front of her, addressing William as Mr. Johnson.
This alone was shocking enough.
But what was even more shocking was that William could actually translate the text that even Edward didn’t understand.
And the content of the translation was even more bewildering.
Evelyn sneaked a glance at Edward. She was curious: Would Edward believe what William said?
Logically, Evelyn didn’t believe it.
She felt that as long as Edward was sane, he wouldn’t either.
“Mr. Taylor, you can’t seriously believe this is Poseidon’s artifact, can you?” Kelly said, her lips twitching involuntarily. How could a historian believe in myths?
And surely, they wouldn’t believe that items from myths actually existed.
“I believe!” Edward declared with a glint of determination in his eyes, pulling out another photograph.
Upon seeing the photograph, William furrowed his brows.
“This hammer is still in Mount San Juan Teotihuaca. It’s so heavy that no one can lift it. Mr. Johnson, do you know what this is?” Edward’s gaze turned peculiar as he looked at William.
If William could merely translate ancient scripts, that could be chalked up to his extensive knowledge.
But this made him almost believe.
The mysterious artifacts in the cave of Mount San Juan Teotihuaca were indeed magical. Since the discovery of the ruins, many items couldn’t be removed from the site.
It wasn’t that the archaeologists were inefficient; it was just that these artifacts were impossibly heavy to move.
Among these items were the amphora, the hammer inscribed with purple runes as seen in the photograph, a wooden bed, and four strange swords hanging in the cave.
Despite the use of various machinery, these items hadn’t budged an inch. They seemed rooted to the ground. Edward, being highly esteemed, was privy to this information due to his involvement in the archaeological research.
The idea that a small amphora, less than half a meter in size, could not be moved was baffling. Otherwise, why would he believe it to be an item of Poseidon?
Edward was now prepared to believe anything. If William knew the origin of the hammer with the purple inscriptions, he might even suspect that William was the owner of all these artifacts in the cave…
“This is a good-looking hammer,” William remarked, glancing at Edward with a smile. “However, I’m not sure about its origins.”
The hammer’s origin…
If he recalled correctly, it was a gift from Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, as a token of gratitude to William for rescuing him and helping defeat giants.
It seemed to be a magical artifact, called Mj?lnir.
However, William had carelessly tossed it in a corner, occasionally using it to pound small objects.
William no longer wished to divulge too much to Edward. He realized that some items in his cave should not be of this world.
Items that shouldn’t belong to this era. Perhaps he should retrieve them tomorrow.
Edward was deeply disappointed and pulled out another photo, saying, “Take a look at this one. Whenever any of the staff got within two meters of these four swords, they turned into a mist of blood.”
“Why would anyone believe in myths?”
After hearing about this, Edward truly had no choice but to believe.
Perhaps the saying is true: where science ends, theology begins.
There were simply too many inexplicable things inside that cave.
William said half-jokingly, “What if I told you that these four swords were gifts from the four major deities of Mount Olympus: Zeus’s ‘Thunder Sword’, Apollo’s ‘Sun Sword’, Athena’s ‘Sword of Wisdom’, and Ares’s ‘Sword of War’? Would you believe that?”
Edward’s response was surprisingly firm as he stared at William, “If you say so, I believe.”
William and Edward exchanged glances. When did Edward start to trust him unconditionally?
This wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“I was just joking. If none of you know the origins, how would I?” William retorted. “You don’t actually believe that amphora belongs to Poseidon, do you?”
The existence of mythical objects in the modern world is one thing when discovered by archaeologists. But if they were to fall into the hands of a Soulmancer, they could potentially cause immeasurable disaster.
William felt an urge to retrieve certain items, especially potent ones like the ‘Thunder Sword’ of Zeus or the ‘Sun Sword’ of Apollo. Even though he previously just hung them on a wall as decorations, if it weren’t for his ability to suppress their power, merely entering the cave would be deadly to any regular person.
“The amphora… was that a joke too?” Edward asked with difficulty, looking at William with hope in his eyes. He desperately wanted to hear that at least the story about the amphora wasn’t made up.
William nodded, “Of course it was a joke. What did you think?”
“Hmph! Youngsters these days just spout nonsense. Mr. Taylor, how could you believe him?” Kelly, trembling with anger, berated Edward, “What were you thinking? He’s clearly making fun of you.”
All William could respond with was, “You insisted on an answer from me. I just gave you one that you might want.”
Edward, once shining with enthusiasm, seemed to have his spirit crushed by William’s words. He turned away and left the bookstore, looking as if his very soul had been ripped out.
Kelly gave William a furious glare and followed Edward out.
William just shook his head. Some things are beyond the understanding of ordinary people like Edward.
He’d read many books recently and realized that today’s society is largely secular.
More people no longer worship gods. Even those who do see it more as a personal belief or spiritual anchor, relying primarily on their own efforts.
In past eras, during droughts, people might perform ceremonies to seek blessings from the gods.
But now?
Humanity can induce rain through science.
While there are realms humans can’t tread upon, at least they are no longer ignorant and aren’t toyed with by gods.
Isn’t that better?
With this in mind, William had even less desire to disrupt this balance.
Even if he revealed the origins of those items, what then?
Tomorrow, he would retrieve all those items; they’d have nothing to research.
“You went too far, William!” Evelyn remarked, looking at Edward’s retreating figure.
William simply smiled without offering an explanation.
Alice looked curiously at William, puzzled by his harsh treatment of the old man.
His words seemed to have crushed the last bit of hope in Edward.
Only Walker, with a sidelong glance and narrowed eyes, paid close attention. As a Soulmancer, William’s words and Edward’s description of the four swords had piqued his interest.
The items in the Mount San Juan Teotihuaca cave were certainly no ordinary artifacts! 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝗇𝓔t
To Walker, this felt like a divine gift.