Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 164 My First Visit to a Museum!
The next morning, a couple, one adult and one child, were waiting at the hotel entrance. They were Liu Hai's wife, Wang Yurong, and daughter, Liu Xi.

The mother and daughter will accompany them to the Shandong Provincial Museum today.

Liu Xi looks about fifteen or sixteen years old. I met her at the dinner table yesterday. She has a round face and is quite a cute and likable girl. She is currently in the summer vacation and is about to enter high school.

Upon seeing Zhai Da, Liu Xi immediately skipped over, carrying a copy of "The Long Road of Lü".

"Uncle! Could you sign your name for me?"

She only realized at the dinner table yesterday that her "top scholar uncle" was actually a writer, and apparently quite famous. She immediately went back and bragged about it in her classmates' group chat, and even found a copy of his book to get an autograph overnight.

She hasn't read the book yet, but judging from the cover, it must be a sweet and romantic love story, right?

Zhai Da naturally did not refuse and wrote: "Wishing my little niece academic success." It was naturally more special to give a gift to a relative than to a book fan.

It was the same Santana 2000 as yesterday, but Wang Yurong was now driving. Yu Xiaoli felt even more embarrassed after learning that she had taken a day off.

The Shandong Provincial Museum is located in the city center, just a ten-minute drive away. However, Wang Yurong seemed to have some parking problems. She tried to park in one parallel parking space more than a dozen times but couldn't get in. It's clear that she doesn't drive often.

In her haste, she wanted to ask a passing man for help, and Zhai Da finally offered to do so.

"Is it okay? Do you have a driver's license?"

Zhai Da nodded: "I got it for the summer vacation."

Regarding driver's licenses, one can only say that small places are really ruthless when it comes to resources. In early August, he got his driver's license in just a few days, and the only price he paid was two extra hard-core cigarettes in addition to the training fee.

Having driven for many years in my previous life, I proved myself to be capable at the driving school, and the driving school immediately arranged the exams. I passed all three subjects on my first try (the fourth subject was introduced in 12).

I went every few days, and in total, it took me less than three days.

Zhai Da took the driver's seat, maneuvered into the parking space twice and adjusted his position once. His skill level wasn't particularly high, but it was still far better than Wang Yurong's.

The group headed towards the main entrance of the museum and then entered after having their tickets checked.

Before entering, Zhai Da took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for a "full array of equipment".

After obtaining the system, he always felt that places like "museums" were full of treasures. Although he might not be able to acquire them, it was still worthwhile to explore them in order to further enhance his understanding of the system.

Unfortunately, not only Dongyang County, but even the nearby Qianshi City doesn't have a proper museum, so the trip has never materialized.

Although the Shandong Provincial Museum isn't the top-tier museum in the country, it's still quite impressive, and he was very curious to see what surprises awaited him.
But the result was not quite what he had imagined.
Inside the Lu King's Tomb exhibition area, one of the museum's signature exhibits, Zhai Da stared at the display case in front of him with some confusion.

"White jade pendant with gold-painted dragon and cloud design".

Based on the text description, this should be one of the personal items carried by Prince Lu of the Ming Dynasty, a symbol of his status, but the system did not provide any clues.

Incidentally, Prince Lu was Zhu Yuanzhang's tenth son.

The other item on the side is a "nine-seam leather cap," a very complex-looking crown that is theoretically also a symbol of the Prince of Lu's status.

But there was still no system notification.

A nine-tassel crown, a vermilion lacquered wooden box with gold-inlaid cloud and dragon patterns, a yellow satin robe with gold-woven dragon patterns—each of these items has an incredibly impressive name, yet none of them are "special items."

Zhai Da frowned and pondered for a moment, arriving at a not-so-rigorous conclusion.

I may have been mistaken before, thinking that museums should be full of blue and purple equipment. There are three reasons for this misconception.

First, the system's judgment is based on the "thought" that is entangled with it, and has nothing to do with whether the owner is of noble status or the era.

Even a beggar can unleash powerful "thoughts." The fact that Prince Lu has no advantage in the system doesn't mean he's a "negative character" in history. He was a "negative character" in history because he was fond of "the way of metal and stone" and ruined himself before he was twenty. His father gave him a derogatory posthumous title: "Desolate".

Simply put, he's a piece of trash; he's nothing but a high-born nobody.

Secondly, the items on display here are burial objects of extremely high quality, but that doesn't necessarily mean they were actually used by Prince Lu. They might have been hastily made before the burial.
This situation is likely to be common across various "major tomb artifacts," and the proportion of items actually belonging to the original owners is not very high. The system will not give them special treatment just because they "sound impressive."

The so-called "nine-seam leather cap" is nothing more than bamboo, gauze, and leather in terms of material.

As for the third reason, it was only after Zhai Da overheard the tour guide's words that he realized what was going on.

At the time, someone pointed to the "gold-inlaid dragon and cloud pattern vermilion lacquer wooden box" and said, "This is so beautiful, how come it hasn't faded after so long? I've been to the Terracotta Army, and all of them have faded."

The tour guide smiled mysteriously: "You've spotted a blind spot. Actually, what you see in museums isn't all the 'original' items; there are also replicas and imitations."

"Generally speaking, artifacts that are easily perishable, susceptible to temperature, humidity and light, or particularly important are exhibited as replicas or imitations. After all, most artifacts cannot withstand the strong light shining through the glass case and the numerous people taking photos every day."

"Only those items made of durable materials that are difficult to imitate or replicate will be exhibited as 'authentic' items. Of course, this is also related to the museum's own strategy. Occasionally, the authenticity of some exhibits will be adjusted and rotated."

Someone below sarcastically commented, "That must mean the leaders came to inspect, so they just replaced it with the real thing~"

The tour guide didn't reply, he just smiled; that was beyond his knowledge.

Zhai Da then suddenly realized what was going on.

Looking around, wow, most of them were fake!

This greatly diminished his interest.

A high social status does not necessarily equate to strong "spiritual power," and burial items may not have actually been used. Furthermore, most of them are "replicas" specifically for exhibition. All these factors combined greatly reduce the probability of finding "special items."

But after all, it's a multi-story building, with each floor spanning several thousand square meters. He figured he could still find something interesting up and down, so he mustered his energy and continued his tour.

The tour guide was quite eloquent, so Zhai Da and his group simply followed behind and listened in on the explanations, and the guide didn't chase them away.

Half an hour later, when Zhai Dadu, who wasn't really interested in cultural relics and antiques, was tired of walking around, he finally saw his first "special item".

This exhibit is one of the most prized possessions of the Shandong Provincial Museum. It's unclear why the original is here today; the museum calls it the "Zu Xin Fang Ding (Shang Dynasty)".

It can be said to be very famous, and Zhai Da even felt that he had seen it in a textbook from the late Shang Dynasty 3000 years ago.

However, the feedback given by the system was completely different:
"Congratulations, host! A special blue item has been discovered: [Clan-Swallowing Cauldron]: This cauldron has been used to cook over five hundred sacrificial offerings, with men, women, and children all cooked at full power!" "Ownership: Not owned, not activated."

"Equipment Effect 1: The family cohesion of the owner of this cauldron increases by 200%."

"Equipment Effect 2: The family that owns this cauldron will gradually lose empathy and compassion over time."

"Equipment Effect 3: Cooked human meat is tender and delicious, comparable to lamb, and free from the threat of prions."

Special Effect → Blood-Cooked Meat: ???

"Unsealing Task: ??? (Ownership required to view)"

"Note: The clan held a revered position in the Shang Dynasty and made countless sacrifices, but the vengeful spirits of the hundreds of sacrifices could not overcome the clan's fanatical beliefs, so they were not reflected in this cauldron."

Zhai Da:
Is this right?
What does "cooking a person with blood" mean? What does "more delicious than lamb" mean?

He didn't even want to know what this damn "unsealing mission" was!
Compared to this, even the bizarre execution of Old Yu seems "moderate and peaceful".

Zhai Da silently increased the distance, even finding it somewhat difficult to look directly at the mottled surface of the bronze artifact.
The Shang Dynasty's demise was not unjust.
The second special item is somewhat normal; it's also one of the museum's prized possessions.

The museum calls it the "Lu State Jade Disc," a huge jade disc with a diameter of over thirty centimeters, unearthed from the ancient capital of the State of Lu during the Warring States period.

Perhaps because this kind of thing is impossible to imitate, and jade is a relatively durable material, genuine pieces are displayed outside.

But the name the system gave was hilarious.

"Congratulations, host. A special white item has been discovered: The Jade in hiding has been hidden for thirty years to protect this treasure. The palace servant Yang has not dared to leave his house and has been supported by his family who bring him food and vegetables."

Ownership: Not owned, not activated.

"Equipment effect: Holding this jade slightly reduces your presence."

"Note: When you're holding it, you won't stand out, really."

Zhai Da:
Well, the system is indeed amazing, allowing him to glimpse secrets from thousands of years ago that even countless experts could not know, but the equipment effects are a bit strange.

He thought this was a rare treasure, such a huge and priceless thousand-year-old jade disc, but in the system it was just a white item?

Moreover, the story that gives it the quality of "念" (niàn, meaning "to think" or "to recite") is quite humorous.
God the hell, if you're carrying a jade disc weighing tens of kilograms, you're not conspicuous. Haven't you heard of the saying "possessing a treasure is a crime"?
It seems that "cultural relics" are not necessarily a good way to find "special items," as they are too random.

Until Zhai Da entered the last exhibition area.

Unlike the previous ornate and mysterious exhibition halls, this one is much more ordinary, with a deep red main color scheme representing its deep red historical background.

The walls are covered with explanatory text and plastic labels.

If you ignore the fact that you are inside a museum, you might even feel like you have walked into a "showcase corridor" of a state-owned enterprise when you first enter.

But this is where Zhai Da saw the most "zigzag lines".

A door panel riddled with bullet holes:

"Congratulations, host. Green item [Deathmatch Wooden Door] has been discovered: Through a wooden door, 20 warriors carrying important letters fought a deadly battle against 100 Japanese invaders all night."

Ownership: Not owned, not activated.

"Equipment Effect: Increases the health of the wielder's party by 20%, up to 20 people. Note: Health will continuously decrease due to external injuries, and is not a numerical health bar."

"Special effect 'Deathmatch': No matter how much damage is suffered, the holder will not have the intention to surrender or give up."

"Unsealing Mission: Complete a mission that others consider certain to be fatal, either alone or leading a team."

"Note: We will not back down an inch in the face of national and personal vendettas."

An old rifle.

"Congratulations, host. A special white item has been discovered: [Father Dies, Son Inherits Rifle]: This rifle has achieved many successes, but it could not bring back its master's safe return."

Ownership: Not owned, not activated

"Equipment effect: Special attack against Japan and the United States, 100% lethal damage."

"Note: Two generations have burned their blood for the sake of the third generation. When their blood drips into the scorched earth, they have already sewn the dawn of tomorrow into the pupils of their descendants."

Charge.

"Congratulations, host. A blue item has been discovered: [The Bugle Call of No Regrets]: When it sounds, the enemy will feel fear."

Ownership: Not owned, not activated.

"Equipment Effect 1: When this signal is sounded, all allies gain an adrenaline boost throughout the entire campaign, until death or victory."

"Equipment Effect 2: When this signal is sounded, the enemy within the entire campaign area will be inflicted with the Fear debuff, which will result in death or victory."

"Equipment Effect 3: ???"

Special effect 'Top Gun': ???

"Unsealing Task: ??? (Ownership required to view)"

"Note: Broken bones were used as pens to write history in blood, and the spine was the bronze artifact of that era."

Zhai Da exhaled a breath of stale air and stood silently in front of the unassuming display case of the bugle, which paled in comparison to those ancient artifacts.
Unexpected, yet perfectly logical.

These are the "special items" that are imbued with a strong and profound sense of "thought".

　Please understand that during the Spring Festival, the update time may not be consistent with 6 PM.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)