Chapter 88: Public Disclosure

In the ensuing time, Professor Jacques and another professor sat by Liang En's side, meticulously recording every detail of Liang En's translation of the stone tablet.

On the other hand, a separate group of individuals, led by two experts in Ancient Greek, sat on the opposite side of the courtyard. They swiftly began translating the Ancient Greek inscriptions found beneath the stone tablet.

After 30 minutes, both parties concluded their translations and transcribed the results onto a piece of paper in French. They handed the transcriptions over to Professor Jacques.

"Alright, everyone, come take a look," Professor Jacques said after examining the content for a few minutes. He affixed the two pieces of paper onto a wooden board behind him and continued, "Today, we bear witness to history—a moment of exceptional significance in the field of Ancient Egyptian studies."

Upon hearing Professor Jacques' words, everyone present crowded around the wooden board, studying the writings on the paper. To their astonishment, they found that the content on the two sheets of paper was nearly identical.

This confirmed something significant: Liang En's earlier claims were all true. Through observation, deduction, and a bit of luck, he had genuinely deciphered the Ancient Egyptian script.

Soon, a group of people gathered around the papers, and once they obtained permission, they shared photos of the stone tablet and the transcriptions on their respective social media accounts. The only exception was Sheriff, who had been nitpicking throughout the process; he went against the flow of people and made a hasty exit, covering his face.

"Look, this is the proper way to retaliate against those discriminators," Liang En pointed out, gesturing towards Sheriff who fled like a beaten dog, and Fan Meng whispered in Chinese.

With concrete evidence now in hand, Sheriff's previous actions were instantly recognized as unfounded, deliberate provocations against facts.

Given the scholarly status of the archaeology team members and the significance of this discovery, it was safe to conclude that Sheriff's career in the field of Egyptology had come to an end.

Not to mention that the story of discovering this stone tablet would likely spread worldwide, casting Sheriff as the antagonist in the narrative.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant!" Fan Meng gave a thumbs-up in agreement and remarked, "Shrimp and pork, this approach is far superior to anything I could come up with, at least by a long shot."

What brought even more joy to Liang En was not just this accomplishment. He was particularly elated because, this time, he had five cards appear in his mind, one of which was a previously unseen gold card.

"SSR card—apparently, the historical significance of this stone tablet surpasses everything I've encountered so far in history," Liang En exclaimed, his eyes widening upon seeing the gold card for the first time.

Fortunately, at that moment, everyone else's attention was focused on the translated papers. Fan Meng stood slightly behind him, so no one noticed the change in his expression.

Soon enough, Liang En regained his composure. Considering the commotion caused by the previous use of the [Viking (SR)] card, he decided to wait until he was in a stable environment before examining this card.

After all, if an SR card had caused such a stir, an SSR card with a higher rank would likely generate an even greater impact. So, to avoid lingering concerns, he resolved to endure the anticipation and look into these matters when in a suitable setting.

Once these matters were dealt with, Liang En and Fan Meng continued to work together calmly, resuming the translation of the unfinished parts of the stone tablet. However, it was mainly Liang En doing the translation while Fan Meng assisted with cleaning.

Liang En's tranquility stemmed from the fact that he had already received a valuable reward and, considering that he couldn't claim ownership of this artifact, he could naturally maintain his composure.

However, it was clear that others weren't as composed as him. Once the significance of this monumental discovery was confirmed, Professor Jacques wasted no time and immediately made calls to both the Louvre Museum and the Egyptian authorities to ensure they were informed promptly.

From noon onwards, the secluded little castle became a bustling hub. The small square, usually frequented by nearby villagers and fishermen, was now packed with a variety of vehicles.

Prominent figures who had never set foot here before arrived one by one. Apart from the Egyptian heritage officials, there were also personnel from the French and Irish embassies in Egypt.

Upon hearing about the significance of the unearthed artifact and the deciphering of the Ancient Egyptian script, they all came to express their interest. What took Liang En by surprise was that even the Irish embassy's Ambassador personally showed up.

"Delighted to meet you," as Liang En was the only East Asian present, the Ambassador, who appeared to be in his forties, quickly walked over and extended his hand for a handshake.

"Who would have thought that the scholar who uncovered such an important artifact and deciphered its contents would be an Irishman? This is likely the most significant contribution we Irish have made to archaeology," he said. Even though there was an element of performance in his statement, there was also a substantial amount of genuine sincerity.

On one hand, Ireland traditionally had a reputation for being the intellectual underdog in Europe. This reputation was even humorously referenced in the famous British sitcom "Yes, Minister," where the intelligence of the Irish was a recurring comedic theme.

So, even when an Irishman like Liang En, who didn't look conventionally Irish, achieved such a feat in history and archaeology, the Ambassador still felt a sense of pride.

On the other hand, for the Irish Ambassador stationed in Egypt, aside from routine diplomatic affairs and occasionally solving problems for Irish expatriates or tourists, he had little else to do.

Hence, upon hearing that an Irishman had deciphered the secrets of Ancient Egyptian language, he immediately had his driver take him here to soak in the attention.

"When negotiations come around, we'll firmly stand by your side." Of course, making a meaningful presence wasn't going to be mere words. The Ambassador quickly revealed his additional purpose for coming.

"Although we are a small country, that doesn't mean we are any less committed to safeguarding our citizens' interests than those larger nations. Therefore, all members of our embassy will strive to secure your rightful benefits as much as possible during the upcoming negotiations—"

As a professional diplomat, the Ambassador was evidently aware that compared to the Egyptian authorities and the Louvre Museum, Liang En was a small entity. Thus, he seized upon Liang En's most pressing need and offered his assistance.

Over the next few days, a swarm of reporters arrived to interview Liang En. Each time, Liang En would invite the Ambassador, whose last name was Beckett, to join him.

Naturally, this was a mutually beneficial arrangement. After all, apart from specialized academic matters, Liang En wasn't particularly adept at handling the press. The Ambassador, on the other hand, excelled at this and used the opportunity to gain more exposure.

"Just now, you were interviewed by The Times. It seems my decision to work for you was probably the wisest choice I've made since joining the foreign service, apart from joining the foreign legion," the Ambassador remarked once Fan Meng and the others, who were acting as security guards at the entrance, left the room.

"Don't mention it. I've done nothing else this past week except deal with the media," Liang En said, shaking his head with a hint of helplessness. "What's more important is that this work doesn't even come with a salary."

"I think becoming famous is much more important than making money," Fan Meng shrugged and added, "Also, if things go as planned, in three days when the weekend arrives, these matters will likely come to a close. We'll be able to finish our work here and head home."

"That would be great," Liang En smiled. Truth be told, the trouble caused by these reporters seemed to outweigh the challenges posed by the environment and the workload combined.

If it weren't for the help of those professional diplomats who had brought their own supplies and come to assist, Liang En felt he might have easily messed up these affairs.