Chapter Ten: The Guardians of Antiquities

“Making it this complicated?”

Lin Yang couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

A mission to collect relics, and yet it involved so many twists and turns?

“The answer for the host: you can simply understand it as needing to travel around the world, collecting relics to receive varying degrees of rewards.”

Lin Yang: “...”

No wonder it’s a system!

Truly impressive!

So simple!

So straightforward!

And so brutally direct!

After that, Lin Yang didn’t press the topic further. Instead, he asked, “How many other lost relics are there in Little Eagle City?”

“Answer for the host: according to system detection, there are still two private collectors in this city who possess relics that meet the mission requirements.”

“Private collections count toward the mission too?” Lin Yang was taken aback.

“Of course! As long as they are Shangxia relics, they count as mission targets.”

“Alright then.”

Lin Yang pursed his lips.

Looks like he really would have to become a thief.

No hesitation.

With the system at his side, Lin Yang ended his beach bath and headed straight to the homes of the target collectors.

Not long after,

New news exploded on the trending searches.

“News Flash: Two wealthy collectors in Little Eagle City suffered burglaries; all their Shangxia relic collections mysteriously vanished!”

This news left the already shocked public utterly stunned.

The Shangxia relics from Little Eagle Museum were stolen, and now even the private collections were taken as well.

“So... it really was all about the relics?”

“Who on earth is so outrageous to steal from Little Eagle Museum and then also target private collections?”

“Oh my goodness, I suddenly feel like this might have been done by someone from our own Shangxia!”

“How so?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The target was so clear—they only took relics. No gold, no jewels. That’s not typical behavior for common thieves. Relics are hard to resell, especially with all the global attention on them. If it were for money, there’s no reason to only take relics.”

“So I feel this was more like one of our own doing it—not for money, but to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us!”

“That... sounds somewhat reasonable...”

“Exactly! Now that you mention it, I’m feeling the same way. If it really was our own people, just trying to get the relics back, that’s incredible!”

“I can’t help but wipe a tear. If that’s true, I’m willing to call them heroes!”

“Hah, I think—even if that’s the case—we would never know. Even if the relics did come back, they probably wouldn’t announce it publicly.”

“That’s true. Still, I hope it’s our people. Even if they can’t reveal it, at least the relics come home.”

“...Let’s not speculate rashly. This is not a trivial matter. Let’s wait for further reports.”

“...”

Although the thefts from the two Little Eagle collectors sparked heated debate and some suspected it might have been done by Shangxia nationals,

There was no concrete evidence, so this sensitive topic quickly faded from public discussion.

Within the Foreign Affairs Bureau,

Ye Guhong and several officials were taken aback when they saw the new news.

Because Lin Yang had never mentioned that private collections would be targeted as well.

“Everyone, what do you think? Could this new theft... cough, new case also be the work of that person?”

Ye Guhong posed the question.

“Old Ye, it’s hard to say for sure. But if it was indeed done by him, then he truly embodies the word ‘righteous,’” said the second-in-command, Tang Wensheng, earnestly.

Others nodded in agreement.

Indeed, not only did he retrieve the museum’s relics, but he also took back private collections. Such patriotism is deeply moving!

Ye Guhong nodded slightly, clenched his fist, and said solemnly, “Continue to closely monitor overseas shipments. Once the items arrive, everything will become clear. Also, intensify our efforts to establish contact with him. Regardless of whether he is responsible for this, we must ensure his safety!”

“Yes, sir!”

The officials quickly dispersed to their tasks.

Ye Guhong sat alone, deep in thought. It had been a long time since he had anticipated something with such eagerness.

How and when would the relics return to the motherland’s embrace?

After all, relics are tangible objects, unlike the photolithography machine blueprints that could be scanned and transmitted via the internet.

Little Eagle would undoubtedly impose strict lockdowns, inspecting all shipments and thoroughly checking every traveler’s luggage. Bringing relics home safely would be an enormous challenge!

He felt both anticipation and anxiety.

...

“Congratulations, host. You have completed the current regional relic repatriation mission and earned an additional 100 national treasure points as a reward.”

“Since this is your first time completing such a series of missions, you have also received one achievement point and the exclusive title: Relic Guardian.”

“With this title, every future completion of relic repatriation missions will grant a fixed bonus of ten national treasure points.”

Meanwhile, Lin Yang was in high spirits.

After retrieving the relics from the two private collectors’ homes, the system sent him a series of notifications.

An extra 100 national treasure points—equal to his mission reward!

Looks like he should complete more of these series missions in the future.

Especially since he had been awarded a title.

Suddenly, Lin Yang felt as if he were playing an online game...

Of course, unlike a game where titles are displayed above one’s head, this title was only visible within the system.

No flashy banners floating over him.

Still, the extra achievement point reward was only one point.

Clearly, achievement points were precious.

Lin Yang resolved to use them sparingly.

“System, quickly scan and detect which other cities in Little Eagle can complete relic repatriation missions!”

Having tasted success, Lin Yang planned to accomplish several more at once.

“Answer for the host: the system can only initiate detection when the host physically enters the location.”

However, the system’s reply immediately dampened Lin Yang’s enthusiasm.

It wouldn’t allow cross-regional detection!

“Alright then, what other missions are next?” Lin Yang pouted.

“Please await the successful manufacture of the photolithography machine by the Shangxia Academy of Sciences and the return of the relics to the country. New mission instructions will be issued then.”

“Ah? How long will that take? And even if they succeed in making the photolithography machine, I doubt they’ll announce it publicly,” Lin Yang was startled.

“Answer for the host: although the Shangxia Academy has never developed a high-end photolithography machine independently, their research has never ceased. With existing blueprints, producing the machine should not take long.”

“When the photolithography machine is successfully manufactured, the system will notify the host. You need not worry.”

“Alright... then how long until the relics are transported back home?”