324: Chapter 324: More Outdated Cultural Relics

Xiao Yu looked at the transparent crystal lens on the tablet, looking astonished and confused.

"1000 years ago, the Vikings barely even had iron tools, right? How could they possibly create an optical-grade crystal lens?"

"And this thing can actually be used on a 20th-century camera lens?"

Jiang Zhe blinked gently, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Yes."

As he spoke, the live stream chat erupted once more.

"Confirmed, Viking pirates were actually owners of eyewear shops a thousand years ago."

"That's not right. I remember optical-grade crystal lenses require a lathe!"

"To the person above, you're right, they do need a lathe, which is exactly why this is so mind-boggling!"

"..."

Meanwhile, in the Principal's office.

The atmosphere in the room was strange.

Old Wang stared intently at the big screen. "A lens from 1000 years ago? The Vikings barely had anyone who could work with iron, how could they possibly make an optical lens? If it were just ordinary spectacle lenses, I wouldn't doubt it; after all, glasses existed in the Song Dynasty. That wouldn't be an issue. But the bizarre thing is that this is an optical lens, one that can be used on a modern camera."

Principal Fu couldn't help but swallow hard. "Then, Old Wang, how did they manage that?"

Old Wang shook his head: "I have absolutely no idea, but one thing is certain: it absolutely should not have appeared 1000 years ago."

Xiao Wang and Ren Xiaoyao exchanged glances, feeling mentally exhausted.

The more they looked, the more it felt like history was a huge scam.

Ren Xiaoyao even developed a thought—perhaps the future was actually in the past, and the past was the future that hadn't happened yet.

It was this sense of confusion that made Ren Xiaoyao feel lost.

Xiao Wang, however, had a different perspective. Perhaps human civilization wasn't becoming increasingly advanced, but rather went through a cycle of [High Development → Decline → Development → Decline].

Xiao Wang frowned, "Could it be that the true history and future are like this?"

"If that's the case, doesn't that align with the theme of Jiang Zhe's broadcast tonight?"

...

On the other side, at Qingfeng Temple.

Zheng Ming suddenly spoke, his face showing unprecedented seriousness, "Professor Wen, you asked earlier how the first person knew that stone could store information for ten thousand years. Now, this question seems to have an answer."

Wen Jingqiu looked at him. Zheng Ming said with a serious face: "They weren't the first people; they were just people who discovered the previous cycle of civilization."

The next moment, on the big screen.

Xiao Yu's beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement: "Big Brother, are there more? I need more knowledge like this; things that make one's scalp tingle!"

Once these words were spoken, the thirty million viewers sat up straight again, even though they were dizzy from staring at their phones and computer screens.

They had to take it seriously, as the broadcast was nearing its end.

Otherwise, they would have to wait a long time for the next one!

Jiang Zhe smiled slightly, nodded, and continued scrolling through the interface.

"Let's talk about some more, starting from further back: the Costa Rican stone spheres."

He pulled up a picture, showing a very round, marble-like stone sphere on the screen.

Just looking at the picture, one could tell this was definitely not a natural creation, lying in the forest, scattered everywhere.

"In the 1930s, when workers were clearing land for a banana plantation in the jungles of Costa Rica, they dug up hundreds of perfect stone spheres."

"Who made them, when they were made, and what they were used for, nobody knows."

"Currently, over 300 stone spheres have been recorded. They vary wildly in size; some are only a few centimeters in diameter, like marbles, while the largest ones exceed 2.5 meters in diameter and can weigh up to 16 tons."

Xiao Yu looked at the stone sphere on the interface, her beautiful eyes widening, "Such round stones, how did ancient people manage that?"

"Not necessarily. But it really might have been made by ancient people, perhaps using a technology we haven't discovered yet—and this technology itself transcends the understanding of modern architects, so it's very interesting!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yu nodded repeatedly with a smile.

Jiang Zhe didn't pause and continued scrolling.

"There's also this: the Baghdad Battery."

A clay pot appeared on the interface, with a copper tube and iron rod inserted inside.

"In 1938, a clay pot was unearthed in the suburbs of Baghdad, Iraq, dating back about 2000 years. Later, after scientists reconstructed it, they found that if you poured acidic liquid into it, it could generate voltage. It can be confirmed that this is a battery, a battery from 2000 years ago."

"Huh?" Xiao Yu was completely stunned, "There were batteries 2000 years ago?"

Jiang Zhe smiled slightly, "This one actually isn't too outrageous; it can still be attributed to human wisdom."

Upon hearing this, countless viewers sent barrages of comments.

"This is certainly amazing, but I don't know what ancient people needed batteries for."

"+1, there weren't even electric lights back then, I have no idea what they were used for."

"Can someone with big brain energy come out and explain?"

"..."

In the History Staff Quarters.

Old Wang and Old Liu looked at Old Qian and Old Chen with pleading eyes.

Old Chen grinned, "Maybe the ancient Persians used them for electroplating or gilding, to show miracles, or for anesthesia. There's nothing to be surprised about. As long as you find a use for the Baghdad Battery, the answer doesn't have to be linked to [electric lights], and then it won't be so scary."

After speaking, the three of them looked at each other, their eyes filled with even deeper curiosity.

On the big screen,

Jiang Zhe picked up a sugar-free drink, took a sip, and continued scrolling the tablet.

"The next one is the Texas ancient wall."

Xiao Yu leaned in to take a closer look. A photo appeared on the interface showing a neat section of a stone wall exposed in a rock layer.

"What you are looking at is from 1852, in Texas, USA. Workers blasted out a section of a stone wall from the rock layer."

"It was embedded in the middle of the rock layer, with complete sedimentary rock above and below it; only this small section was man-made. Geologists determined that the age of this rock layer is 400,000 years ago."

"Just like before, these are stone artifacts from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Big Brother, primitive people, or even prehistoric tribes, really seem to love things made of stone."

Jiang Zhe smiled slightly, "Yes, even up to 6,500 years ago, the Sumerian Civilization also loved making items out of stone."

"Whether it's the Eight Wonders, the Hanging Gardens, etc., they were all created by stone civilizations."

"Have you noticed? The ancient people's use of stone is truly astonishing; even modern people cannot compare."

Xiao Yu rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

It really seemed like that. Global ancient civilizations, especially during the stone civilization era, completed many wonders with only stone and the Bronze Age.

If you don't consider aliens, then it might really be the wisdom of ancient people!

While Xiao Yu was deep in thought, Jiang Zhe's voice came again.

"And there's this—the Nazca Lines in Peru."

He operated the tablet and pulled up an aerial view—a huge monkey, hummingbird, and spider patterns spread out on the desert.

"What you are looking at now is in the Nazca Desert in Peru. There are dozens of huge geoglyphs that can only be seen in their entirety from the sky."

"They were formed 2000 years ago. People 2000 years ago had no airplanes, no hot air balloons. How did they draw these patterns that can only be understood from the air? And there are no mountains nearby either!"

After he finished speaking, Xiao Yu, who was listening intently, suddenly got goosebumps from this sentence.

She could imagine it—a group of people from two thousand years ago creating a painting that could only be understood from the air, and it was very beautiful.

The key was, who was this painting for? Who in the sky was it for?

If one stood on the ground, how could one understand it? One could only see lines twisting and turning.

"Could it be for the gods to see?"

"On this point, Big Brother doesn't know either."

Barrages in the live stream flooded in.

"The Nazca Lines, I've seen documentaries, they are very shocking. You can't understand them at all standing on the ground!"

"Right, and those patterns are so precise that they can only be seen from the sky. Could it really be for the gods, as Xiao Yu said?"

"Don't our ancient emperors also perform rituals to the heavens?"

"So did our ancient emperors also order craftsmen to make similar lines?"

"No, absolutely not!"

"..."