Chapter 43: Sacred Artifact Usage Privilege

Mao Xi opened the live broadcast camera, raised it, locked onto the cultural relics, and avoided the children from appearing in the shot.

This youth, who was a bit reserved in reality, was eloquently discussing historical artifacts at this moment.

“We are delving deeper into the ruins, can you see the staff members in protective suits beneath the ruins? The excavation of the ruins is not yet complete, and they are meticulously using small brushes to clean the dust from the surface of the items. Although robots can handle routine tasks, for artifacts that have appeared for the first time, it is still more appropriate for humans to handle them…”

Mao Xi’s explanations were very interesting; he could explain in detail why ancient people used certain items and why they created such artifacts.

Su Ninglong listened to the explanation while comparing it with the exhibit notes.

She felt a sense of immersion, as if she had traveled back in time and would have thought and acted the same way.

After sequentially displaying the exhibits in one hall, Mao Xi suddenly imposed an age restriction.

“Finally, we’ve reached our most anticipated Sacred Artifact Hall. The following content is not suitable for children.” He kicked out all children under twelve from the live stream before entering the Sacred Artifact Hall.

“Even though it’s semi-public, why can’t children know?” Su Ninglong was actually very confused.

The live stream was suddenly filled with a childish voice, exciting the audience.

【 Maozi, do you have a child? 】

【 Secret marriage and having children? 】

【 The child’s question is too cute, answer her quickly. Scare her. 】

【 That’s not right, aren’t you all overlooking that the child can enter the Sacred Artifact Hall with Maozi. 】

Mao Xi was too focused during the live broadcast and almost overlooked Su Ninglong.

Just as he was about to answer, Xing Yuan inserted himself into the explanation at an opportune moment: “Before the Great Interstellar Fusion, some materialists did not believe in the existence of secret spirits, and they persecuted special groups who could see secret spirits. Even though discrimination and harm have greatly reduced now, it cannot be denied that some people still consider secret spirits to be illusory things.”

“On the other hand, experiments have confirmed that children who were frightened by secret spirits before the age of four develop indelible psychological trauma, a nearly permanent imprint of fear.”

Xing Yuan paused for a moment before continuing, “Even if they enroll in the Star Alliance and graduate with excellent grades, these children cannot become hunters. There’s also one more thing: all the sacred artifacts in the Sacred Artifact Hall are provided by the Star Alliance. Considering these three factors, the Sacred Artifact Hall will not be open to children under twelve who are not Star Alliance students.”

The reason the Star Alliance cultivates children is, of course, to nurture formidable hunters.

Being unable to become a hunter is a polite excuse.

In reality, the probability of children who were frightened by secret spirits before the age of four being re-contaminated by secret spirits is higher than that of ordinary people, growing exponentially.

This contamination usually does not require physical contact; it is very slight. One only needs to see a secret spirit and be afraid of it, and the fear will be imprinted at that moment.

Therefore, Zou Shuyi did not allow anyone to mention secret spirits before Su Ninglong started kindergarten.

After the age of four, the risk of fear implantation decreases, and children in this age group begin to have the possibility of taming fear.

The semi-public nature is to alleviate public concerns, so that in the event of encountering unusual things, people will call the police immediately instead of investigating themselves.

Concealment, on the other hand, is to weave a protective net for the child.

However, entering the Sacred Artifact Hall is a privilege for students of the Star Alliance.

【 The little brother’s voice is so soothing. 】

【 Maozi, please show us the camera, let us have a look. Is that child a Star Alliance child? What can Star Alliance cubs not show? 】

【 Aren’t they all children, what’s the difference. 】

Mao Xi waved his hand, the camera fixedly focused on the display cabinet, “No, no, the child is too young.” He would not satisfy the audience’s wish to show Su Ninglong and Charlie on camera, letting them be curious.

“Ahem, this sacred artifact in front of me is the True Self Mirror. It is not affected by secret spirit corrosion, and its other uses are unknown… It is a product of the ancient era. At that time, humans used their strength and wisdom to fight against secret spirits. I really want to know more about their deeds…”

Su Ninglong was stunned after hearing the origin of the sacred artifact, realizing that human history had a gap.

A civilization once coexisted with secret spirits, buried in deep space, and no one could explore it.

Until a Super-Intelligent Being, by chance, opened this mysterious gate.

As for how the secret spirits disappeared and how the civilization was broken, it remains an unsolved mystery to this day.

The sacred artifact is also a masterpiece of the broken civilization, and cannot be replicated, which is why the school attaches so much importance to Su Ninglong’s earrings.

Su Ninglong asked Xing Yuan to pick her up, and she looked around the True Self Mirror twice.

“Some people believe that humans in the era of the broken civilization could communicate with heaven and earth, their spirits connected to the universe…”

The True Self Mirror is overall a coppery green, hexagonal, with hollowed-out beast head patterns on each corner, and a holographic projection of the usage instructions playing nearby.

One of the corners can open and close, and each opening and closing constitutes a charge. What exactly is being charged, no one knows. It is only known that it functions like a charger. It has been excavated for three years, yet no one has been able to activate it.

Researchers explained in the holographic projection that they speculated it required matching the hunter’s characteristics to use. Since no one has been able to match it, it has been placed on display in the exhibition cabinet after excavation.

There were few people in the Sacred Artifact Hall. Seeing Su Ninglong lingering in front of the exhibition cabinet, a staff member walked over, “Children from the Star Alliance can apply to personally view one item. Would you like to handle this object, little one?”

“Yes.” If she could handle it, Su Ninglong would not miss this opportunity.

【 Damn, you can actually touch it? Aren’t the cultural relics locked in bulletproof cabinets? 】

【 Insider trading, definitely insider trading. VIP service for hunters. 】

Mao Xi was stunned. Amidst the explosive bullet comments, he pressed down on the display cabinet, “Wait, is this compliant? This item is a historical artifact, how can it be given to a child to play with?”

Is the Gemini Ancient Museum trying to reach for the stars?

Cold sweat seeped from his back; the live broadcast viewership was breaking through the 100,000 mark at a terrifying speed.

His original intention was simply to prevent Su Ninglong from being subjected to online abuse.

But what he said seemed to be inciting public outrage.

【 I knew it, children who can enter the Star Alliance are not from ordinary families. 】

【 They can actually touch museum artifacts. 】

【 Blogger, call the police quickly. 】

【 Hahaha, they can openly say it in front of you, they must have the museum’s reasons. 】

The staff member asked Xing Yuan to fill out a form, and the manager of the Sacred Artifact Hall came to unlock it. He explained, “All the items displayed here were excavated with funds and efforts from the Star Alliance. When they were identified as sacred artifacts, it was already decided that they would be supplied for hunters to use. If it can save a life, then it is more useful than being displayed here. The Interstellar Sacred Artifact Management Regulations also state this; you can check it online yourself.”

His words silenced those in the live stream who were watching for entertainment.

They had assumed it was private use of public resources, but it turned out to have been planned long ago.

Could the people in the live stream say that an object is more valuable than a life? No.

In times of war, these items were not even worth a piece of bread; it was only people who endowed them with value.

“The monitoring here is comprehensive,” the manager said, pointing to the surveillance cameras distributed in every corner, “a 360-degree shadowless lighting monitoring array, with three more sets of cameras than the Interstellar Court’s interrogation room. We will not break the law.”

After the sacred artifact was taken out, they gave Su Ninglong a pair of small gloves, “Remember not to damage it. Be gentle, understand?”

Su Ninglong nodded.

Charlie and Charlie’s Father came closer. The staff member also asked Charlie if he wanted to apply to handle an item, but Charlie’s Father immediately waved his hand, “No, no.” His son is a little jinx, and he’s afraid he’ll break something the moment he touches it.

No matter how much money he had, he couldn’t afford to compensate.

It was rumored that a sacred artifact that was not restricted in use was auctioned for tens of millions. This special sacred artifact would definitely be worth no less than six figures.

After Su Ninglong took the True Self Mirror, she began to study it. She extended her spiritual senses into the mirror’s body to examine its craftsmanship.

The True Self Mirror was named so because the back was engraved with a raised character, “true”.

She traced the character “true” with her fingertips through the gloves, delving deeper into the mirror’s body.

She discovered many spiritual power channels inside, as well as complex rune imprints. This was a true magical artifact.

But gradually, Su Ninglong felt something was wrong.

There was a sense of stagnation in the internal channels, as if it were a collaborative work by several people, where their combined effort compensated for insufficient individual ability.

Su Ninglong lightly flicked the mirror’s surface, and the echo was dull and sluggish.

Others watched her casual movements and felt their hearts tremble. Little Ancestor, please don’t treat it like a toy and throw it on the ground.

Even though the ground was deliberately covered with a thick carpet.

But when the True Self Mirror was not functioning as a sacred artifact, it was a cultural relic.

Su Ninglong touched her chin. Based on her past artifact refining knowledge, she could only see that the designer had sacrificed practicality in pursuit of the ultimate effect.

In layman’s terms, if used by someone without sufficient power, there would be side effects.

The manager and staff observed Su Ninglong’s interaction with the True Self Mirror.

The manager asked, “Little one, what do you feel holding it?”

Feel?

Su Ninglong thought for a moment and said, “This is not the work of one person. This item should have been created by six people separately and then assembled. It’s a very failed work.”

Everyone: “…” Who asked you that, and how did you figure it out?

【 So young, yet so boastful. This True Self Mirror is seamless under a microscope, with no gaps. Impossible. 】

【 Who is the big shot above, who has also handled the True Self Mirror? 】

【 She actually called the sacred artifact “dog-like,” how arrogant! Can she even craft one? 】

【 Maozi, what are you waiting for? Criticize this naughty child. 】

【 Please, don’t let the child touch cultural relics. If she can spout nonsense in front of the camera, who knows how much she lies behind it. 】

【 Bragging, children love to brag. 】

【 Why is the comment section so malicious towards a child? She only expressed her opinion just now. If an adult had said this, your first reaction would be to ask her why, instead of accusing her of being boastful. Do children not deserve to have knowledge beyond yours? 】

The live broadcast comment section was filled with scolding, but it did not affect reality.

“I mean, can you use it?” the manager rephrased. “Sacred artifacts can be controlled by the right person.”

“Control?” It was a pity that a magical artifact was gathering dust. But this thing was not for ordinary hunters to use.

Su Ninglong held it with one hand and inputted her spirit fire.

The spirit fire flowed through the mirror, and bronze-colored powder fell from the mirror’s body, gradually revealing its original appearance.

Mao Xi was greatly shocked, “Wh-what’s going on?”

He aimed his camera at the True Self Mirror, allowing the live stream audience to clearly witness the transformation process of the True Self Mirror.

The places her small hand had touched transformed into a mix of gold and silver. The appearance of the six beast heads also emerged, looking majestic and imposing.

However, the beast heads’ eyes were devoid of light, having lost their original function.

It was also possible that her spiritual power supply was insufficient.

【 Who said she was talking nonsense. 】

【 Ahhh, it’s so beautiful, I want the same one. 】

【 Ancient and elegant. Looking at it, I feel like I’m communicating with ancient people across the air. 】

【 Museum artifacts can shock hundreds of visitors randomly every day. 】

【 The ancestors’ aesthetic is so good. Even I, living in the interstellar era, find it amazing. 】

【 The comment section is back to normal. Those who scolded the child earlier, come out. 】

【 Well done, speak more, waiting for an explanation. 】

Mao Xi pressed, “What’s going on? Can you explain?” His camera was almost shoved into Su Ninglong’s face. Xing Yuan intervened and blocked it, preventing Su Ninglong from appearing on camera. “Mr. Mao, please control your emotions, and your equipment.”

“Sorry,” Mao Xi controlled the live broadcast camera to focus on the mirror, and repeated his previous question.

“I don’t know. This is my first time interacting with it too.” She hadn’t figured out its function yet and it was inconvenient to explain, fearing she might explain it incorrectly.

“Impossible, you know how to use it on your first contact?”

“When you get your home robot, you know how to use it too, but do you know its principle?” Old Ancestor Su’s temper flared up, her words laced with sarcasm and a full measure of childishness, intending to scold for a couple more rounds.

Xing Yuan covered her mouth, “Okay, okay, don’t be angry. There’s no need to get angry over strangers.”

Mao Xi also realized he had become impatient. He had always wanted to work in the hunter circle, but it was not easy to break into that circle; it was too dangerous.

Hunters were mostly solitary. It wasn’t that they wanted to be solitary, but that many people couldn’t understand their work.

Old Ancestor Su’s personality was also unpredictable. One moment she could be your sworn brother, and the next she would put on a sour face.

A typical hunter’s personality.

The manager said, “Since you can use it, we will return the True Self Mirror to the Star Alliance Academy, where you can rent it for use with points.”

Su Ninglong wasn’t too impressed. “Does this thing still need to be rented? Can the principal give it to me directly?”

Hai Yu playfully said, “You can ask the principal, but what can you offer him to get it for free?”

Xing Yuan was nervous, afraid she would say something about making more sacred artifacts.

It wasn’t appropriate to do so in public. She herself had said she wanted to be low-key, but then she revealed this, making it difficult to negotiate with the principal later.

“If he agrees to give it to me for free, I can replace his sour lemon candies with sweet ones.”

Everyone: “…”

“You swapped the principal’s candies?” Hai Yu burst out laughing. He could already imagine the principal’s frustrated expression.

“Yes, the principal is very powerful. Students all say that eating the principal’s candies makes them as powerful as him. I’m superstitious, so I believed it.” There was no other intention; Su Ninglong said it simply because she wanted everyone else to experience the explosive taste in their mouths.