Things, as they stood, had circled back to the present.
Although Chen Long could tell his old man was in good spirits, as a complete idiot when it came to magic, he couldn't fathom the deeper reasons.
He just saw the pile of ancient tomes on the table, reaching almost as high as a small mountain, and muttered, "Dad, how long will it take to translate all these?"
The only response he got was his father's ruthless, iron fist.
"These ancient tomes are of immense value. If you want to defeat the demons quickly, don't complain. Hurry up and translate them with me."
"Alright, alright, Dad, I get it."
Chen Long, though he didn't understand magic, possessed an exceptional understanding of ancient scripts as an archaeologist. Many ancient texts that his father couldn't recognize or translate were easily handled by Chen Long, which was quite magical.
Under his father's meticulous guidance, Chen Long no longer complained and buried his head in translating the contents of the tomes alongside his father.
After finishing the translation of two tomes as thick as a New China Dictionary, Chen Long felt utterly miserable, mentally sending a barrage of greetings to Nick Fury and Black.
The reason?
It was to win over his father, the Archmage. Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Section 13 had chosen the same objective: to present gifts that catered to his tastes.
For an Archmage, what was most appealing? Naturally, it was ancient magical tomes.
And so, the two factions mobilized their forces and connections to search high and low, and then, on the very same day, presented the ancient tomes they had found to his father.
One must remember, although his father was an Archmage, he had lived a normal life before the resurrection of the Sacred Lord. In the eyes of strangers, his father was just a stubborn old man with a sharp tongue.
Most of the magical books in the study were brought by his father when he arrived, and some were acquired from people who didn't understand their value.
These ancient tomes sent by Section 13 and S.H.I.E.L.D. were all priceless, and they had been procured from major collectors or large museums. Their authenticity could be guaranteed, or at most, only a few might be questionable.
However, these tomes didn't all record magic; some were miscellaneous notes on ancient human life, and only a small portion were actual magical texts.
Even so, they all needed to be translated, and then the useful ones would be preserved, while the useless ones could be sold as commodities or displayed for show.
And thus, the mountain of ancient tomes appeared before Chen Long.
Section 13 and S.H.I.E.L.D. had indeed achieved their desired effect. His father was very pleased with the tomes they sent, and his tone towards their representatives softened considerably.
But this was ač¦ for Chen Long. As he placed one translated volume aside, he looked at the seven or eight others remaining and wondered when he would ever finish.
"Dad, are you sure the potion you brewed helps with concentration? Why do I feel a bit dizzy?"
As he spoke, Chen Long shook his head and tried to open his eyes wider, but his head still felt heavy and muddled.
"Don't worry, Dad's potion is absolutely fine."
But as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Long's head drooped, and he could no longer resist, his head thudding onto the half-translated ancient text as he fell asleep.
The potion brewed by his father was indeed not problematic, but its purpose was not to enhance concentration; it was specifically concocted for the divine armor on Chen Long.
His father had not forgotten about the divine armor on Chen Long all these days.
Although the divine armor on Chen Long did not affect his normal physiological activities and could unleash power comparable to demons under the influence of the potion, there was one thing his father had never told Chen Long.
That is, the divine armor was called the divine armor not only because gods had once worn it to conquer all directions, but more importantly, it was because a wisp of a god's soul was attached to it, which was the true source of the armor's power.
The undying gods were not human. They were the first chosen by righteousness, corresponding to the eight demons; although these undying gods were once human, they had transcended humanity after being chosen by righteousness, devoid of the emotions that plagued humans, existing solely to fight against the dark energy and demons.
If it were only this, it would be fine. But as the undying gods sealed the eight demons with their own bodies, they lost their physical forms to walk the mortal world. For mortals, it was incredibly easy for the undying gods to possess one, and this divine armor was the medium the undying gods used for possession.
It was fine for now, as the soul of the undying god had no intention of possessing yet, but who knew when it might decide to do so.
If his father could deal with dark energy and demons without issues, but if it came at the cost of his nephew, his father would absolutely not stand for it.
Therefore, this armor, if it could be removed, the sooner the better.
However, as his father's attempts failed repeatedly, Chen Long developed resistance towards his father's potions. Furthermore, his father feared that his actions might agitate the undying god's soul within the armor, causing it to act desperately and possess Chen Long directly.
Thus, he came up with this plan.
The reason the armor could not be removed was due to the scheming of the undying god's soul hidden within. Since this was the case, his father used a few means to let Chen Long enter a dream state, where he could converse with the undying god's soul face to face. He wondered if Chen Long's eloquence could persuade it. If not, his father would have to resort to force.
Although the other party was an undying god, it was merely a wisp of a soul. His father, looking at himself, although not with a hundred percent certainty, but by staking his old bones, might not be its opponent.
Not long after Chen Long entered the study, Xiao Yu, who was sulking in her room, became impatient when Uncle Long hadn't come for a long time and decided to take the initiative.
First, she opened the door a crack, peeking out her small head to look left and right, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, she left her room. Then, after another round of investigation, she found Tule busy in the kitchen and no one else in other rooms. It seemed Uncle Long was with his father.
Looking at the oil-based pen on the table, Xiao Yu's eyes lit up with an idea. She cursed herself for being foolish. It was just to fool a bunch of brats in class at Yong'an. She didn't need to get a real tattoo; it hurt too much. A fake one would suffice, and she could just wipe it off afterwards.
But before that, she needed to find a cool and imposing pattern.
Xiao Yu rummaged through everything she could find in the room, but there were no usable patterns.
It made sense; Xiao Yu was just a young girl who liked cute toys like Super Moose.
Although Super Moose was popular, it was indeed unsuitable as a tattoo design.