316 News of the conference and competition

During these exchanges, Leonard became acquainted with the scholars and passed the rest of the day. Not long after breakfast ended the next day, the conference officially began.

At the conference, Leonard naturally brought a thesis of his own, focusing primarily on the western section of the Maritime Silk Road.

After all, the Maritime Silk Road rose to prominence during the Tang Dynasty, and the same era in Europe was when the Vikings were active. Thus, Leonard was able to write a valuable thesis using his knowledge about the Vikings.

The results of the thesis were even better than Leonard had anticipated, as the cultural relics found in Viking cemeteries and historic ruins related to East Asia and Southeast Asia fully demonstrate the expansion of the Maritime Silk Road.

"This is a creative thesis because research from the Chinese side has mainly focused on the eastern portion of the Maritime Silk Road, spanning from China to the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and East Africa."