The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 594 Half a Leather Belt: What Valuable Information?
You haven't produced any results... but we can't keep waiting for you.

Shen Le was utterly bewildered. However, seeing the old professor sweating profusely and staring at him expectantly, he still sighed.

"Okay, then I'll change the order a little... I'll repair the belt first. After that, I'll work on the damaged buckle, and then we'll piece it all together. Is that alright?"

"It has to work, even if it doesn't work out." The old professor, his face dark, threw a photo of Shen Le halfway through her work in front of the students, pointing and commenting.
"They're funding the project so they can get the work done. They've already got it pretty much done, and you're not even halfway done. What do they need you for? Tell me, what for?!"
Besides, it's not like they didn't pay! They're the ones who paid for the project during this period. The only problem is there's no paper yet; you haven't lost anything!

This barrage of insults left his own students speechless, heads bowed. The students at Chang'an Jiaotong University murmured silently, their lips moving, but they had nothing to say.

That's how competitive scientific research is. If someone else succeeds in the same project but you fail, you end up with nothing, and even a large amount of research funding you've already received goes down the drain.

This time, whether it's the research funding or the favors and reputations invested in the project application, at least it's someone else who bears the cost!

"Then... at least add some more funding, okay? We need to save time; we need more people to help modify the algorithm, verify the results, and we need more computing power!"

That's certainly feasible. Problems that can be solved with money aren't problems for Shen Le. Not to mention, while this project funding is a large sum for Dunhuang, it's nothing to him.
The monthly rent from those rented-out houses on Nanhua Street alone is enough for them to start a project!
He generously added another sum of money—about 1.5 times the latter half of the entire project budget—and then plunged headfirst into his work.

Taking photos of the belt, scanning it, and using various instruments—this is essential. Only by scanning and understanding the distribution of elements on it can we possibly guess what the belt originally looked like.

After more than a thousand years of slumber in the desert, the belt has completely faded, just like the terracotta warriors unearthed from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor:
However, after scanning with instruments, the colors on it can be basically deduced:
"Iron element distribution..."

Shen Le used wide-area X-ray fluorescence scanning imaging technology to scan, and then separated and superimposed the layers obtained from the distribution of various elements.

Soon, a dim, blurry, yet still vivid image appeared on his computer screen:

"Iron as the base color... Although the belt is a decorative element of the armor, such a uniform distribution of iron should indicate that the paint color was mixed with red ochre..."

"The winding curve of arsenic...tsk, this must be realgar or orpiment, mixed into lacquer to make yellow paint..."

"And some calcium? Use white paint mixed with seashell powder or lime..."

After one scan, the pattern on the belt could be basically identified. The only downside was that this belt, pulled from the sand, was pitted and battered to a considerable extent.
Even its length is more than half the normal length!

"There's nothing we can do about it..."

Shen Le sighed, holding the leather belt in her hands, turning it over and over, examining it from all angles. On the back of the belt, where it clung tightly to her body, a long, winding line ran along its length.

It sways left and right, twisting like a dragon or snake, and along the lines, you can see tiny black dots. On both sides, there are many more lines, one horizontal and one vertical, forming neat "正" characters.

"What's this?"

Shen Le scanned it with an instrument and then carefully examined it with a magnifying glass before confirming that the lines and black dots were neither drawn with a brush nor burned with a soldering iron.

Its production process is quite meticulous. It involves using a fine needle to prick tiny holes in the belt, and then letting ink seep into the holes so that it penetrates deeply into the inside of the belt.

This is what happens when it falls on a belt. If it fell on a living person, it would most likely result in either a "tattoo" or a "piercing"...

The lines on the left and right sides are different from the winding lines and black dots in the middle. Shen Le studied them diligently for a long time before determining that the vast majority of the upright characters on the left were formed using firewood.

The lines show obvious protein denaturation and also significant carbon penetration.

The characters on the right side of the lines were mostly cut with a sharp weapon. In some places, residual bloodstains could still be detected. It was unclear whether the blood on the knife was still wet or whether the cuts were made with the blood of the enemy or one's own side.

The characters on the left and right sides, in segments and clusters, are clearly aligned with the black dots along the lines.

Shen Le held the belt and looked at it for a while. Then, a brilliant idea struck him. He pulled up a map of the Hotan River and stuck the belt vertically against the river's terrain.

"Yes...that should be it..."

He turned the belt upside down and then back again, doing this twice, until he finally took a picture and sent it to Professor Bai.

Soon, a group of professors swarmed over, staring excitedly at the winding lines on the belt.
"This is the map!"

"That's right, the lines on this are clearly a map of the Hotan River! These black dots should be the surrounding settlements, oases or something?"

"I have an archaeological map of the area! Let me get it!" A professor stomped his foot and ran off. A short while later, he returned, carrying a large, thick book, thicker than an encyclopedia.

"Look! Look here!"

The cover opens, the title page unfolds outwards, folded once, then again, and then again. Along the banks of the Hotan River, scattered settlements, temples, and tombs are marked on the map, much like the black dots on a belt:

"This is it! This belt, it's—it's a military map!!!"

His intense gaze was fixed on Shen Le—and the picture in his hand. He glanced at it, then looked next door, then glanced again, then looked next door again:
"Xiao Shen, this belt map is very important to the country, look—"

Shen Le hesitated for a moment, then shook his head helplessly. He would have donated the belt if it didn't possess any supernatural properties;

The problem is, it and that armor are one piece!

"I think this armor that can actually attack people is probably not suitable for a museum..." he replied hesitantly.
"How about this, once I've completely fixed it, you can make a copy? Let's wait for now?"

The professors' expressions turned somewhat unpleasant when the topic of physical violence came up. Using armor to attack others was amusing, but using it on oneself was horrifying.
Not every professor is like the Bearded Swordsman, capable of wielding a hammer and shield, fighting against armored warriors for dozens of rounds without falling behind. Most of them are knocked down with one blow, their skulls shattered with the second, and they die with the third…

If it were placed in a museum, it would smash the glass and come out to chase and attack tourists, which would be an even more terrible mess!
"Uh, we'll see. -- Xiao Shen, if there's any new information during the belt repair process, you absolutely must share it with us!"

Shen Le nodded repeatedly, then rushed back with the pictures in his arms. Only after the preliminary exploration work was completed did he sit down in front of the belt and begin the first step of the repair:
"Cleanup! Cleanup! Cleanup—" Don't remove the last traces of paint, don't remove the ink from the pinhole, don't remove the charcoal ash and bloodstains left on the left and right sides of the map, on the tally marks...

Just remove the grime! That sticky dirt and grit, along with the grit, firmly attached to the belt—I don't know if it's grease, animal droppings, or something else…

An invisible, intangible force swirled along the belt. After swirling it back and forth once, all the dust, pollutants, and precipitated salt crystals vanished.

Then put it in a sterilizer and sterilize it with ethylene oxide to remove the mold.

Finally, place it in a temperature- and humidity-controlled dehumidification chamber to rehydrate it, allowing it to soften gradually. The cracked, peeling, and stiff parts will slowly return to a soft and elastic state.
"Is this all? Is it fixed? Can we start painting it now?"

While Shen Le was working, the old professors kept peering in and observing. Repairing belts was much easier than repairing leather shoes; at least there was no need to make a last and reshape it bit by bit.
Once the belt is repaired to be soft, elastic, and a long, smooth piece, it's basically considered a success...

"It's still early," Shen Le breathed a sigh of relief. He rubbed his hands together, found a large, flat, shallow dish, compared it to the surface, and realized the belt could be fully extended inside. Then he poured the silk fibroin solution into it with a splash.
Bottle after bottle, bottle after bottle. With each bottle poured, the old professor outside the studio, watching the screen, would shudder.
"One thousand yuan!"

"One thousand yuan!"

"Another thousand yuan!"

"In such a short time, he's already spent five thousand yuan! — Is he using silk fibroin solution to bathe his belt?!"

Shen Le certainly wouldn't consider it. It was just a mere silk fibroin solution; he'd poured it out bottle by bottle like that when he was repairing the red wedding dress and the painting.

What's a little money compared to the ability to revitalize these silk and leather goods?
If the professors have the ability to make these ancient silk fabrics absorb the solution and grow back on their own, they will not hesitate to share it!
"The time to witness a miracle has come!"

Finally, having completely submerged the belt, Shen Le rubbed his hands together, stood in front of the table, and instinctively squatted into a horse stance. He took a deep breath and began casting spells into it:
"Healing!"

"Healing!"

"Healing spell!!!"

He's here again.

Yes, that's how they treated us back then.

The children whispered amongst themselves. Several women in flowing dresses stood in a row, their long, black hair billowing and almost completely obscuring the studio.

Repairing us is one thing, after all, hair is just the cuticle layer, and silk is just silk spun by silkworms; it won't suddenly grow into something alive... Using this method to repair cowhide, they're really daring...

I'm worried he'll turn the belt into a piece of beef again... That's what happened last time. He couldn't control it well several times, and in the end, he had to scrape off the fat layer underneath and start all over again...

[It was one thing to have trouble controlling it before, since neither the leather straps nor the helmet lining provided any extra information. But this time, with the added layer of fat, what if it washes away the map?]

Shen Le tried his best to pretend he hadn't heard anything, concentrating and trying repeatedly. He controlled the direction of the belt's growth, making it grow forward, towards the direction of the damage, and preventing it from growing in any other direction...

The goal is to control the growth of the skin layer, preventing the formation of fat layers, blood vessels, and hair follicles...

By the way, I also need to communicate with the belt: Do you remember what you originally looked like? What you looked like when you were made and strapped to a person? What you looked like as part of the armor?
Just restore it to its original state, not the way it originally looked when it was on the cow...

To achieve this, one's mental strength needs to be extremely refined to extend to every corner of the belt, leaving no gaps untouched.

Shen Le kept casting spells, watching the belt absorb the silk protein solution, extending forward millimeter by millimeter;

If the solution seems a little diluted or insufficient, pour in some more; if it's still running low, and the belts lack the raw materials for "growth," pour in another bottle...

A box of glass bottles was placed on the workbench before the belt's growth finally stopped. Shen Le tried to cast a spell several times without success, his brows furrowed.

"Why have you stopped growing? You've only grown two-thirds of the way! There's still a long way to go!"

The belt end has only one hole, and half a hole remains, with obvious tear marks around it. Which belt looks like this?
Shouldn't there be at least five, six, seven, or eight more holes after that, and at the end of the last hole, there's still a long section?

I did give you the healing spell, and I did give you the silk protein. What's wrong with you? Don't you remember what you used to look like?

The belt swayed slightly in the solution but didn't react. Shen Le thought for a moment, washed his hands, and then reached into the solution to hold the belt down.

"Do you need more energy? I'll give you some—"

The heat flowed mightily into the belt, from the very beginning to the very end, from the start to the end of the map, and then to the hole.

The leather strap trembled slightly in the water, but didn't extend further. Suddenly, the entire suit of armor shook, and the end of the strap curled back, wrapping around Shen Le's wrist.
In an instant, the desert sandstorm howled in.

Shen Le's vision went dark. When he opened his eyes again, he was dazed to find himself behind the sand dunes, curled up in a ball, gritting his teeth as he unbuckled his belt.

Lay it flat in front of me, and with my rough, calloused hands, I carefully traced the map step by step:
“There’s a bend here…and another bend here…this is it, just ten more miles ahead is the encampment, and our people should be there…”

He fumbled around for a moment, then drew his curved sword from his waist, gritted his teeth, and began to carve on the right side of the map. One vertical line, one horizontal line, then another vertical line:
"Three! I killed three of you today! One day, I'll drive you guys out of Anxi!"

So the lines on the right side of the map record the number of enemies killed? And what about the left side?
Shen Le shuddered, not daring to think about it. Soon, a rumbling sound of his intestines filled the air. He, or rather, the owner of that belt, rummaged in his pocket for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh:

The next moment, he slashed and tore off the very end of the belt, then cut it into small strips. He put each strip into his mouth, chewing them with difficulty.
"Just get through this! Get through this... and I'll reach Kucha... and eat mutton! Drink wine!"

(End of this chapter)