180: Chapter 180 Civilization Research, Time Travelers, Out-of-Control Relics

Shen Xinghe was silent for a very, very long time.

In the end, all his words turned into a sigh, and his gaze involuntarily turned toward the area where this bronze fragment had originally been located.

It was a small display stand.

The tens of thousands of defective items in the hall were all placed on similar display stands.

And directly in front of these display stands, there were basically introductory labels.

The bronze fragment naturally had one too, and on it were clearly written the four large characters: "Prehistoric Relics."

"Professor, he was right."

Shen Xinghe's voice held helplessness, but even more so, it held admiration for Chen Mo.

History had proven countless times that "people like" Chen Mo were indeed the best researchers for Prehistoric Relics, and Chen Mo had just demonstrated it to him personally once again.

"Luck, just luck!"

A smile curled at the corners of Chen Mo's mouth.

"Stop pretending; I know your background,"

Shen Xinghe said testily, then looked excitedly at the bronze fragment held in Chen Mo's hand.

"When we go back later, apply to take this thing and study it slowly. Although this item is seriously damaged, you can still gain something from it, more or less."

As he spoke, the look in Shen Xinghe's eyes toward Chen Mo carried a hint of "jealousy."

Comparing oneself to others only leads to frustration; perhaps that is what this situation describes.

"It is a bit too 'low-end'."

Chen Mo withdrew his right hand that was holding the bronze fragment and frowned slightly.

It was not that he was deliberately trying to show off, but having grown accustomed to fine delicacies, he really did look down on this fragment.

"Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to?"

Shen Xinghe gave Chen Mo a strange look.

"What?" Chen Mo looked at Shen Xinghe, puzzled.

"It seems you really do not know. That is right, you are different from me; you were promoted directly to a formal researcher as an exception."

When he said this, Shen Xinghe could not help but laugh bitterly.

"Do you know how many years it took me to go from a probationary researcher to a Level 3 researcher today?"

Chen Mo shook his head.

He only knew that after graduating from The Stars Student program, if one performed outstandingly, they could stay at one of the three major research institutes, starting as a probationary researcher.

As for how to become a formal researcher from a probationary researcher, he really did not know.

"It took me 216 years."

Shen Xinghe's eyes were full of nostalgia, although Chen Mo did not understand what there was to be nostalgic about.

One could tell from the heartbreaking treatment of Qi Quan that Life for a probationary researcher in the institute was not easy.

However, to be honest, Chen Mo was still a bit surprised by this duration.

He had roughly heard some things about Shen Xinghe's situation from Tan Feng.

This person was considered to be among the very best of their graduating class.

Yet, even such a "Prodigy" who had both talent and family background.

Still had to spend over two hundred years to become a formal researcher; the difficulty of increasing one's researcher Rank could be imagined.

"The Research Institute is different from most institutions; compared to strength, it actually values 'results' more—research results!"

Shen Xinghe sighed and continued.

"Probationary researchers are not qualified to enter the core area. Aside from research materials they find by themselves, most of the time they have to rely on their direct mentors."

"I was very lucky to be assigned directly under Professor Xu Bo and received quite a bit of support, but even so, it still took me 216 years to accumulate enough 'Civilization Value' to become a formal researcher."

"Civilization Value?" Chen Mo frowned slightly; this was the first time he had heard this term.

"Yes, Civilization Value. This is a contribution system used by The Stars... oh no, almost all Civilization Research Institutes."

"In short, the more research results you have and the higher their value, the more Civilization Value you receive."

Shen Xinghe slowly raised his hand, returned the metal fragment to its place, hesitated for a moment, and then retrieved another piece of a Prehistoric Relic fragment.

"For example, this kind of relic in extremely poor condition—even if the knowledge it contains is limited, as long as it exists, the Research Institute will accept it."

"A knowledge system is never built overnight; it is the result of countless people working hard to accumulate and develop it together."

Chen Mo naturally agreed with Shen Xinghe's words.

Not to mention anything else, take himself as an example.

If not for the pioneer Professor Xu Bo, he would not have been able to innovate and walk this "narrow forest path" of the Virus Kin system.

"So do not underestimate these defective items. Ten or eight might not count for much, but what about a hundred, a thousand?"

"Why do you think the Main World was able to rise rapidly from an advanced civilization to overtake the Zerg and the Abyss? It is because we possess the quality of constant pursuit of knowledge, deep excavation, and exploration."

Shen Xinghe patted Chen Mo on the shoulder earnestly, then moved the relic fragment in his hand to in front of Chen Mo.

"Try it; it is also a Prehistoric Relic."

"Hmm."

Chen Mo nodded, then reached out again to hold this jade wall, which was so damaged that its specific carvings could no longer be seen, for one second, two seconds, three seconds...

A full ten seconds passed, and nothing happened.

But seeing this scene, Shen Xinghe actually breathed a sigh of relief.

"It is okay. Even if your status is special, not every piece will be 'destined' for you. Prehistoric Relics are a 'major project' of the Research Institute, accounting for more than half of all civilization relics, so there are plenty of opportunities."

"Hmm."

Chen Mo nodded, but he wanted to laugh inside.

The reason the jade wall did not react was entirely because he had done it on purpose.

There was no help for it; if he could "resonate" with every Prehistoric Relic, that would truly be a bit abnormal.

Even his identity as the "Immortal Emperor" could not suppress that; "Dao Ancestor" might be closer.

Moreover, Shen Xinghe misunderstood one thing: it was not just that he could resonate with Prehistoric Relics; he could resonate with all relics that had "Civilization Phantoms."

Thinking of this, Chen Mo could not help but glance at a relic fragment not far from him.

The label in front of that relic clearly wrote five large characters.

"Time Traveler!"

"Chen Mo has left!"

"Yes, Professor."

Inside Professor Xu Bo's exclusive research room, Professor Xu Bo, also wearing an insulating suit, had Divine Power flowing uncertainly in his hands, and in front of him was a highly decayed corpse.

A high-level "divine relics," the remains of the Sighing One.

In fact, there are two schools of thought in the Civilization Research Institute.

The first is naturally the mainstream "civilization relics" researchers.

And the second type focuses on "divine relics."

Compared to "civilization relics," "divine relics" are actually more mysterious.

Many of their abilities cannot even be understood by a Supreme Being, and their research value is undoubtedly high.

But relatively speaking, the number of existing divine relics is much smaller, and they are much rarer.

Across the hundreds of Civilization Research Institutes of all sizes in the entire Federation, countless "divine relics" researchers are actually conducting research on an "ultimate proposition."

Artificial divine relics!

Although this thing is difficult, some people have indeed succeeded.

Unfortunately, due to certain limitations and various special requirements, these successful cases are often impossible to replicate.

But even so, countless researchers are still dedicated to it.

Professor Xu Bo is one of them, and he can also be considered a quite top-tier "divine relics" researcher.

"Sigh!"

Professor Xu Bo suddenly sighed, then withdrew the surging Divine Power in his hands.

The next second.

"Roar!"

The corpse, which had originally been like a dead object, suddenly sat up and lunged directly toward Shen Xinghe behind Professor Xu Bo.

"Presumptuous."

Professor Xu Bo, who had been prepared, shouted sharply, and the brilliance of his divine art immediately bloomed; this Divine Relic, which had entered the "resurrection" stage, was once again suppressed by him.

Countless examples have proven that divine relics have "Life" or, in other words, "consciousness."

And having "consciousness" means that there are uncontrollable factors to a certain extent.

The "remains of the Sighing One" in front of him is a highly uncontrollable Divine Relic.

After fully resurrecting, it can easily kill a Peak True God, and even a Main God would have to spend some effort to suppress it.

Of course, for the convenience of research, this corpse has not reached its Peak state, but it still scared Shen Xinghe into a cold sweat.

In major Civilization Research Institutes, researchers below Level 2 are not allowed to study "divine relics," as they fear exactly this kind of situation.

Some high-level divine relics, after "losing control," even possess the power to kill top-tier Main Gods; this is a lesson written in blood.

"What did he take away?"

After suppressing the corpse, Professor Xu Bo looked again at Shen Xinghe, who was still somewhat shaken.

"Three Prehistoric Relics fragments, and one 'Time Traveler' relic fragment."

Shen Xinghe replied truthfully.