This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 196 Special Cultural Relics Symposium
The director of the Imperial Observatory is not young anymore. He should have retired long ago, but he was rehired after retirement.

After all, the Imperial Observatory was a relatively special national department, which involved many superstitious beliefs that were prevalent in society, and the new generation of civil servants lacked professional knowledge in this area.

The former dean, being a product of the older generation's training system, still plays a very important role in inheriting the classical culture of the Great Yan Dynasty and cultivating a new generation of talents.

This also meant that the former director knew more than most of the staff in the contemporary Imperial Observatory.

The current state of Xuan Tianyi thrilled the seventy-year-old man, but also frightened those around him.

"Dean, are you really alright?" "Should we go to the infirmary?"

"How about we take your blood pressure?"

"Dean, what are you looking for?"

The old dean didn't bother to answer at all, and rushed to the nearest second-floor office, picked up the phone at the nearest workstation, and directly pressed the operator channel.

Hello, may I ask you something?

The operator's voice had barely come on when the old dean's slightly hurried voice called out.

"Connect me to the Earthquake Administration, quickly—"

Inside the ancient building of the Imperial Observatory, the hushed conversations that had been going on suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked terrified.

Yes, according to internal records of the Imperial Observatory, one of the most important functions of the Xuan Tian Yi (a type of astronomical instrument) in ancient times was to monitor earthquakes. If it suddenly moved, it was very likely that a strong earthquake was about to occur!

Clearly, the old dean was also racing against time. The operator on the other end only paused briefly before quickly transferring the call to the old dean.

After only about five or six seconds, a young man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Zheng Bo, Director of the Earthquake Administration of the Great Yan Dynasty, may I ask which position you hold in the Imperial Observatory?"

The internal telephone network made it immediately clear where the call was coming from, and the person on the other end would naturally ask who was calling. The old dean was in a real hurry.

"I am Duan Kang, the Director of the Imperial Observatory. I'm informing your bureau chief that a strong earthquake may be occurring in the southwest direction."

"Huh? A strong earthquake? Dean Duan, how did you hear about this?"

"Oh dear, I can't explain it clearly. The Xuan Tian Yi moved; it's very likely a strong earthquake. I can't explain it to you either—"

Inside the Imperial Observatory, everyone listened quietly as the old director made a phone call to the Earthquake Bureau, shouting at people. The way he did it made everyone worry that the old man might have a stroke.

After a long while, the old dean finished his phone call. The necessary emergency measures had been completed, and now they could start thinking about other possibilities.

The old dean walked out of his office and looked at the upper, middle, and lower floors. Many colleagues who were still in shock were also looking in his direction.

"Don't panic, everyone. You don't need to go to work this afternoon; you'll have half a day off. The hospital will have someone conduct a safety risk assessment, so please don't get too close. If you don't have anything to do, please go home first."

The people who were still a little apprehensive should have been overjoyed to hear that they didn't have to work in the afternoon, but the phone call they had just received left many of them somewhat worried.

"Dean, is an earthquake really coming?"

Is it the southwest?

My home is in the southwest.

The old dean could only offer words of comfort and speak again.

"This is just a necessary warning. We don't know yet whether it's an earthquake or not. It could be the release of stress from the celestial globe. In any case, don't worry too much. Colleagues in the southwest can call home, but we should rely on the information from the earthquake bureau and not cause excessive panic."

At this moment, someone standing next to the old dean also stepped forward and spoke up.

"Alright, that's the afternoon off. If you don't have anything else to do, you can go home now. Wait for further notice tomorrow. If you don't receive any notice, then you'll all have the weekend off. Just come back on Monday. You don't need to wait for any notice on Monday!"

Upon hearing this, many people felt much better. If they didn't have to work tomorrow, Friday, it would be a three-and-a-half-day holiday, which would be considered a mini-holiday!
Most of the civil servants at the Astronomical Bureau were chatting quietly, happily returning to their workstations to pack up and prepare to leave. They didn't need to worry about ordering takeout for lunch; they could just meet up with a few friends to go out for a meal. Of course, some people were still worried and were already on the phone with their families when they left.

Soon, most people in the entire Imperial Observatory had left, and the place seemed to quiet down all at once.

Several people remained by the old dean's side, watching the Xuan Tianyi with him and showing concern for his health.

Seeing that everyone had left, the old director looked at the few security personnel peering inside from the doorway. They had naturally been drawn over by the commotion earlier. While the others had the afternoon off, some of them still had to take turns on duty, even on holidays.

"You all go out first, and temporarily seal off this area. No one is allowed to touch the Xuan Tian Yi!"

"Okay Dean!"

Following the dean's order, the security personnel all went outside.

Then the old dean looked at the people around him.

"Come, come, let's find the changes and see why the Xuan Tian Yi is moving!"

The old dean was clearly not ill at this moment; his shortness of breath was due to his excitement. He leaned close to the Xuan Tian Yi to carefully observe every change, and repeatedly examined the patterns and characters that could be seen in various places, while urging everyone to look at it together.

The remaining few all hold certain positions and are also quite capable.

In the Imperial Observatory, it is difficult to get promoted even with seniority, at least when the old director is in charge. The old director has been in charge of the Imperial Observatory for almost thirty years, and has almost established its own traditions.

Seven or eight people looked around, then returned to the old dean's office with him, and then they started flipping through books.

The old dean's office had few other things, but many bookshelves, making it resemble a small library. It contained many documents left by the Imperial Observatory of Astronomy from various dynasties, as well as many modern books.

"Quick, find all the books about the Xuan Tian Yi!" "I have a few ancient and modern versions over there."

"Go get it! Go get it!"

"well!"

The Imperial Observatory was given a half-day off, but the remaining staff seemed even busier. However, they were quite skilled and well-versed in the Imperial Observatory's collection of books. They already had some familiarity with the content, so finding it wasn't like searching for a needle in a haystack. They quickly found many corresponding entries.

About half an hour later, based on the existing conditions, it can be concluded that the Xuan Tian Yi was moved by some kind of mysterious force, but it obviously stopped halfway, which can be seen from the fact that some of the engravings are only half-finished.

I just don't know if it stopped because the Xuan Tian Yi (a type of astronomical instrument) was broken.

There are several possibilities as to what kind of traction caused the Xuan Tian Yi to suddenly activate, but everyone is certain that it was a very important change.

The old dean's office was covered with books, and seven or eight people knelt among them with solemn expressions.

"It doesn't seem to be an earthquake?"

"The possibility of an earthquake cannot be ruled out, but it should be very small."

"Some of those symbols are too obscure to understand."

"Also, the Xuan Tian Yi has no power source, so how does it move?"

"yes."

The so-called stress release was just something the leader made up on the spot. The movements of the Xuan Tian Yi were continuous and coherent, and they were directional information that underwent several changes.

Although no one said it out loud, everyone understood that it might be some kind of supernatural force, including the old dean.

Being in the Imperial Observatory, I can only say that I was more "superstitious" than many others.

Meanwhile, the Great Yan Earthquake Administration was working hard when it suddenly received a message from the Imperial Observatory saying that a major earthquake might occur, which made it necessary to take it seriously.

Regardless of how they got the information, it wasn't a prank call. If something serious were to happen, inaction at this moment would be a serious dereliction of duty.

Earthquake monitoring cannot yield conclusions overnight, so the earthquake bureau will remain in a state of high alert for some time to come.

Of course, phone calls kept pouring in to the Imperial Observatory, and even people from the Earthquake Administration came directly to the Imperial Observatory demanding an explanation.
The sudden activation of the Xuan Tian Yi (a type of astronomical instrument) caused quite a stir, and it wasn't just an internal matter for the Imperial Observatory.

The earthquake bureau, needless to say, has already been busy, and they dare not slacken their efforts in earthquake monitoring over a vast area in the southwest.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage also rushed to the ancient building of the Imperial Observatory on the same day. It should be noted that there is only one Xuantian Yi (a type of astronomical instrument), which is a first-class cultural relic. Even though the building itself is a key cultural relic, they were afraid that it might be damaged in the slightest.

The subsequent investigation raised more and more questions, and eventually even the National Security Bureau came.

Although many doubts remain, one thing that more and more people can be certain of later on.

After testing with various scientific instruments, it was confirmed that the Xuan Tian Yi was activated without any power source and operated for a considerable period of time.

It can be attributed to a direct supernatural event, and the evidence is conclusive. It corresponds to many ancient documents kept by the Imperial Observatory and confirms that it could not have been a random operation. It was a targeted operation after many changes, but it did not operate to the last moment.

The report was even brought to the highest level of parliament and sparked heated discussions on a small scale, with some things that had long been rejected being brought up again for discussion.

Ultimately, the Imperial Observatory, as the supervising unit and the one most knowledgeable about the Xuan Tian Yi (a type of astronomical instrument), was granted full authority to investigate and research it. In addition to allocating special funds, it could also require the cooperation of various relevant units.

Most ordinary people would naturally not know about all of this that happened in Kyoto, and even if they did, it would probably just be a topic of casual conversation, no different from entertainment news or television programs.

At the Taiji Temple on Liuyun Mountain in Jingzhou, Zhuang Lin and the others were also unaware of the commotion caused by planting the wood spirit vein.

Or rather, Zhuang Lin couldn't care less about anything else at the moment, because he had entered a new state of understanding regarding the Taiji Temple's ground carving.
However, some time after the activation of the Xuan Tian Yi by the Imperial Observatory, a special cultural relics seminar gave some people in Hidden Immortal Valley the opportunity to learn about what was happening in Kyoto.

Although the Chang'an Dayan Ancient Museum has not been established for a long time, it enjoys a good reputation in the industry. It is also an industrial unit invested by the Liu Group in the protection of Dayan cultural relics and has close cooperation with the local government.

Although the master craftsmen in the Dayan Ancient Museum do not have outstanding formal academic qualifications or professional titles, their extensive knowledge and superb skills have been widely recognized. These masters, who have passed down their skills from generation to generation, are also included in the recently proposed category of intangible cultural heritage.

On this day, the Dayan Ancient Museum received a special letter, delivered personally by the post office leader.

Early in the morning, at a long table in the Dayan Ancient Museum, Master Ban, who had just come out of the valley to take over the shift, was drinking tea when he casually opened the letter. Some museum staff members also came over to take a look.

"The Imperial Observatory? The Imperial Observatory? What's this? An invitation?"

"It seems so!"

Amidst the surrounding chatter, Master Ban put down his teacup, opened the invitation, and began to examine it closely, becoming increasingly interested with each glance.

The letter requested that the Dayan Ancient Museum send several masters to Kyoto, preferably Master Ban and Master Gong, with reimbursement for their round-trip travel expenses, consultation fees, and participation in a cultural relics seminar.

"A Discussion on the Operational Principles of the Celestial Instrument of the Imperial Observatory"

"The Celestial Instrument?" "What's that?"

"You work here and you don't even know this? Don't you read every issue of the Cultural Relics Journal? It's a national first-class cultural relic, the Xuan Tian Yi!"

"Oh? I remember now, wasn't that thing supposedly sealed up?"

The onlookers were discussing it enthusiastically, and Master Ban was also very excited. The Xuan Tian Yi was said to be extremely exquisite, a masterpiece created by ancient master craftsmen. Which craftsman would not want to see it?

It might even have effects beyond the realm of common sense, after all, people in this degenerate age don't know its value!

(End of this chapter)