A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 265 The Exhibition of the Conquered

"What are you doing here?" Rorschach asked, somewhat surprised.

Singrev scratched his bushy beard: "After leaving Valois, I came to Istani to try my luck. I originally wanted to go back to my hometown, but our confederation and the Kingdom of Istani had some minor friction recently, so the direct route was cut off."

"Shouldn't you leave here quickly? You could go to the Empire first and then continue north." Rorschach felt that since the two countries were at war, Singrev, whose characteristics were too obvious, shouldn't remain in enemy territory.

"I'm an adventurer! A Gold-level one at that!" Singhlev emphasized his identity again. "Just show it to the cop. As for the others, the humans here have caught the bean sprout disease; they're all indifferent to the outside world. Even if I'm a dwarf, they'll just shove their noses at me and speed away."

You probably don't see anyone here who doesn't look down on you. Rorschach thought it was nice to run into Singrev in a strange place, although he didn't expect that the place he met was not an adventurer's guild or a tavern, but a museum.

The other visitors were all gentlemen and ladies, and they practically put their noses in the noses of the suspicious pair of the tall and short.

The dwarf looked at the white dragon skeleton with astonishment: "My friend didn't lie to me! Something's really wrong here; the nameplate is wrong. They're not a pair."

"So what is their relationship?"

Singrev's brain worked for a moment: "They are my friend's second uncle and aunt, so, so it is..." He came to the conclusion: "They are definitely not a couple."

Given Singh's powerful network of friends, Rorschach silently recited the mantra "My father's father is my grandfather" and concluded: "They are siblings."

"Oh right, oh no."

"That's right." Rorschach said confidently.

But Singrev pointed out a blind spot: "Master Rorschach, I understand what you mean, but there's a problem. Dragons are oviparous, is it possible that they were in the same nest and happened to hatch at the same time?"

"What kind of jerk are you?" Luo Xia wanted to say something, but the next exhibit silenced him for a moment.

The dwarf, following Rorschach's gaze, also saw it: "Holy crap!"

The exhibit is no smaller than a dragon skeleton; it is a specimen of a complete vascular network of a dragon. Of course, injection molding technology doesn't exist now, but the vascular tissue of a dragon has sufficiently high resistance. The specimen's creator must have cast it directly from molten aluminum. The finished product is somewhat grayish-white now, which is probably due to a dense oxide film on the aluminum surface.

The thickest aorta is as thick as Rorschach's arm, and these silver-gray "branches" intertwine, allowing one to imagine the complete figure of a white dragon.

It's beautiful, but (given the world's aluminum prices) it's very expensive.

The subsequent exhibits were still related to dragons, featuring a complete set of organs preserved in formalin. Muscle fibers, stretched fascia, and tendons were displayed for visitors to see.

"No dragon skin?" Rorschach felt something was missing, and only realized it when he saw the "portrait" of the white dragon depicted in the oil painting.

"My dear young master, dragon skin is more expensive than aluminum, and it's also a material for making magical items and high-quality protective gear, so it definitely won't be exhibited."

The White Dragon is probably the "crown jewel" of the museum and the most attractive part for general visitors. Further in, the theme shifts to elves, specifically the grey elves of El Island.

"It's truly a complete set, stripping away all the layers and skins." Luo Xia finally saw the entire set of the museum's prized possessions.

"A primitive tribe struggling in muddy swamps." This description made Rorschach feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Regarding the Grey Elves, Rorschach saw woolen fabrics with patterns that vaguely resembled the ocean, forests, and various animals, which were hung and laid flat on the walls as handicrafts. The curator had meticulously arranged the exhibits from ancient times to the present, showing how the elves progressed from chipped stone tools and polished stone tools to bronze and rough iron tools, and then... abruptly stopped.

Each exhibit's description attempted to maintain objectivity, coldly stating where it came from, what it was presumed to be used for, and recounting the suffering of these primitive elves. From these condescending words, Rorschach could sense that he was observing a civilization that had been declared "not to have entered the age of civilization."

What is noteworthy is a set of crystal vessels. The crystal itself is not very transparent, and each piece is covered with traces of carving, indicating that it was made bit by bit. There are also wax figures that recreate the scene of fishing and hunting. These gray elves look no different from other elves, at least to Rorschach, an "outsider." However, they are covered in fur and wield crude weapons, which is completely different from the elegance that elves should have in the stereotype of the continent.

The exhibition also depicts a bloody ritual, with more wax figures recreating the scene, paint splattered with bloodstains, and all the figures surrounding the high priestess—a female statue wearing a long green shawl and a crown made of a deer head.

A realistic male elf skeleton is displayed nearby, with a broken skull indicating that he suffered a fatal wound before his death.

The sacrificial vessel contained a large marble slab of green and white stripes, which was divided into small pieces and then pieced back together. The green veins were carefully arranged into various patterns, like totems.

In Rorschach's memory, it was somewhat similar to the symbol system left behind by the elven villages in the Black Forest.

Rorschach recalls the manuscript deciphered by Professor Poincaré and attempts to find a similar one. The stone tablet itself is damaged and soiled, and Rorschach believes that what is similar to it are runes symbolizing "life".

A melodious male voice interrupted his thoughts: "You lingered in front of the Danu Slab for a long time, was it to admire it, or did you discover something?"

Rorschach looked at the source of the voice; he was an elf, slightly taller than himself. Unlike the grey elf wax figures in the exhibition, which exuded a wild aura, he was handsome, his dark fabric adorned with subtle patterns, and small, eye-catching yet tasteful metal embellishments. His attire was impeccable even to the gentlemen and ladies of Queens. Rorschach's gaze followed the finger that was tapping his cane, where a silver ring shaped like a raven's skull was adorned.

A playboy.

"No, I just think it's quite unique, and the patterns are somewhat captivating."

"That's a shame. I thought you'd gleaned something from it." The man declared that he had overestimated Rorschach's reading comprehension abilities: "You're not an Istani, otherwise why would you be dressed like that, and even have dwarf companions?"

Am I dressed strangely? The boy was wearing regular clothes purchased by the Holy Kingdom, with a nice indigo coat that Rorschach himself quite liked.

"Yes, that's why I'm visiting the museum as a tourist. In my opinion, this building is a showcase of Istani."

The man became even more interested: "So what do you think of what we've seen so far? Please focus on your impressions of the Grey Elf exhibition."

"Very detailed, just like the white dragon specimen in the main exhibition hall." Rorschach carefully expressed his feelings since entering the museum: "It's just that one is a specimen of a powerful creature, while the other is a dissected version of a backward civilization, displayed to visitors with a sense of curiosity."

At least judging from the condescending descriptions of the exhibits, this wasn't the Grey Elves proactively and confidently showcasing their culture and history to the world. Rorschach seemed to be thinking of a band of robbers breaking into someone's home, brutally stealing things they liked, digging up their ancestors' graves, and stealing artifacts from temples. The themes of both exhibition halls could perhaps be summarized as "conquest."

Rorschach felt a vague sense of déjà vu and indignation.

"Your idea is quite unique." The elf finally removed his gloves, indicating his intention to shake hands with Rorschach: "I am one of the curators, Benedict Conch. You may call me Bendi if you don't mind."

(End of this chapter)