Chapter 80: Invitation from the Louvre

"Thank you so much! You've really been a great help." After receiving that pile of letters, Liang En smiled and nodded, then returned to his room with the letters.

Once in his room, he opened each of the letters one by one. To his surprise, apart from two letters which were advertisements and bills, the remaining letters came from various museums such as the British Museum, the Hermitage Museum in Russia, and the Louvre Museum in France, all related to the departments for ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Clearly, the translations of common words in ancient Egyptian language that Liang En included in his third paper had caught the attention of a group of experts in this field. Hence, they had sent him letters inquiring about these matters.

In addition to expressing their hope for bilateral exchange, almost every letter included several photographs of ancient Egyptian inscriptions along with a request for Liang En's assistance in translating the content of the photographs.

Translating these ancient Egyptian texts, whether written on papyrus or carved on wood or stone, wasn't particularly difficult. So, Liang En quickly translated everything and sent them back via email to the addresses provided in the letters.

When he sent the final translation, his email inbox chimed. Opening the email, he was surprised to find that Dr. Louis, the curator of the Egyptian department at the Louvre, had responded.

"Do the French move this fast?" Looking at the email, Liang En widened his eyes in astonishment because this efficiency was not what he typically associated with the French way of doing things.

Of course, Liang En was unaware that his article had been seen and highly appreciated by the experts of the Louvre's Egyptian department before its publication. Therefore, they were closely monitoring his inbox and responding promptly to any activity.

The content of the email was intriguing as it turned out to be an invitation. Dr. Louis invited Liang En to participate in an archaeological expedition to Egypt scheduled for two weeks later.

Clearly, Liang En's papers had showcased his expertise in ancient Egyptian language. This was why the individuals from the Louvre's Egyptian department had extended an invitation for him to partake in an on-site archaeological expedition in Egypt.

Contrary to most people's notions of archaeology involving searching for buried treasures and traveling to exotic locations, the reality of archaeological work often differed significantly. It wasn't about brushing dirt carefully with toothbrushes and dental tools to uncover artifacts, as portrayed by fictional characters like Indiana Jones.

In fact, in the majority of archaeological work, field archaeologists didn't spend much time doing such activities. Moreover, their work bore little resemblance to the silver screen depictions.

To provide a simple example, anything found in these legitimate archaeological efforts did not and should not belong to the discoverer. The most valuable findings would be sent to national or regional museums for public display.

However, the majority of discovered artifacts would be packed away in boxes or bags and stored in local museums, universities, or other research institutions for scholars to study.

From the perspective of archaeology, post-excavation research was often more crucial than the initial digging. What might take 6 to 7 weeks to uncover might require scholars to study for two years or even longer before they could publish their research findings.

In essence, if Liang En were to accept this invitation and go to Egypt for the archaeological expedition, he would likely not gain much financially. Considering he wouldn't be able to pursue his own work during this period, it would actually cost him money.

However, from another perspective, participating in these archaeological activities would benefit his personal reputation, which was crucial for many things ahead.

What was even more important was that if he were to discover certain historically significant relics, even if he gained nothing material, the cards he obtained might make him feel that the trip was worth it.

Furthermore, due to the subtle differences between the two worlds, several countries in this world had enacted regulations related to personal treasure hunting. This meant that Liang En still had a chance to bring back some treasures from this region.

Of course, Liang En's ability to do this stemmed entirely from his possession of that set of magical cards. Hence, he was entirely qualified to obtain various treasures without violating any laws.

After making up his mind, Liang En left his room and discussed the matter with Fan Meng. Because Liang En was invited as a scholar, and scholars who received such invitations were not only respected figures but were often of advanced age.

In such cases, the inviting party not only provided a slot for the scholar but also one or two slots for their students.

With an egalitarian consideration, even though Liang En was young and relatively unknown, they still granted him a spot for an assistant who would be provided with food, accommodation, and travel expenses.

"Of course, I'll go with you. Didn't we agree on this beforehand?" Fan Meng said directly upon hearing the news. "Besides, I'm quite familiar with North Africa. Maybe I can be of some help to you."

Due to the fact that the French colonies were mainly concentrated in West and North Africa, their interests in African countries were largely centered there. In this context, foreign legionnaires were often stationed in this region.

Therefore, most of Fan Meng's previous overseas deployments were in the Sahara Desert and its surrounding areas. This made him naturally familiar with a large expanse of territory, including Egypt.

Once the personnel were settled, Liang En faxed copies of their passports to the Louvre Museum.

The biggest advantage of this trip for them was that the Louvre Museum would handle all the necessary procedures on their behalf, sparing them the trouble.

Ten days later, the two of them, well-prepared with two large suitcases, boarded a plane headed straight for Paris, France, to meet up with the Louvre Museum's archaeological expedition team.

At first, they were concerned that their heavy luggage might cause discomfort to others.

However, upon meeting, they discovered that the Louvre Museum's archaeological team had brought even more baggage. The wooden and metal boxes sealed with lead on top alone could fill a standard small cargo container.

"This time, we'll take a batch of carry-on luggage to Egypt for the preliminary survey, while these large items will be transported by train to Marseille and then shipped directly to Egypt by boat."

After Liang En and his team joined the archaeological expedition, a young worker named Bernard explained the process to him. "So, if you have any large items that are difficult to carry, you can send them together with these things."

"Thanks, but we don't have that much stuff. Carrying it with us shouldn't be a problem," Liang En said with a smile. "By the way, I know we couldn't reveal the location of the survey due to confidentiality before. Can we talk about it now?"

"Sorry, no one except our leader, Mr. Jacques, knows the location of this survey," Bernard said with a somewhat helpless shrug. "We want to prevent illegal diggers from reaching the target before us."

"Alright, I understand," Liang En nodded and handed his inventory list to Mr. Bernard.

"You're doing the right thing. I also hope that this time we can find something truly valuable, rather than just cleaning up after a group of tomb raiders."

"Thank you for your understanding," Bernard said with a smile as he took the list. "Of course, there are still some things we can reveal. For instance, our target this time is the ruins of an Egyptian fortress near the mouth of the Nile."