Chapter 272

Pyramids. When one thinks of Ancient Egypt, the first architectural marvel that comes to mind is invariably the pyramid, a structure often cited first when discussing ancient wonders. However, pyramids weren’t exclusive to Egypt. Across different eras, many cultures around the world constructed pyramid-shaped buildings for a variety of reasons.

“The reason lies in the technological limitations of ancient times. The construction technology was underdeveloped, and there weren’t lightweight materials that could match the strength of steel. So, builders had no choice but to use stone, which meant that as buildings grew larger, the load increased exponentially. The only way to support this steadily was through a pyramid shape.”

Pyramid structures have a wide base. The pointed top is relatively narrow and light, while the bottom is wide and heavy, ensuring a low center of gravity and stability. This distribution of load is why Egypt’s Great Pyramid has stood the test of thousands of years.

“Thanks to this, pyramid-shaped structures around the world have been preserved, such as the Chichen Itza of the Maya civilization, the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, the Aztec step pyramids, the ziggurat of Ur, the Guimar pyramids in the Canary Islands of Spain, and even ancient Chinese imperial tombs and the General’s Tomb in Goguryeo, Korea.”

The General’s Tomb of Goguryeo is considered the culmination of the ancient red-stone tomb design. Some may argue that categorizing it as a pyramid doesn’t align with national sentiments, yet it clearly was a kind of Eastern pyramid.

“Of course, there’s a considerable size difference between the pyramids and the General’s Tomb. But why did the General’s Tomb come to mind now, as I gazed upon the hologram-like true jewel’s blueprint? Because it looked remarkably similar.”

Lloyd raised his eyes. After much effort, the emerald statue found its rightful place, casting a splendid holographic image in the water – the design of the jewel. Yet, the blueprint seemed oddly familiar, evidently blending elements of the General’s Tomb and the Egyptian pyramids.

“I’m glad I participated in the traditional architecture club at school.” This allowed Lloyd to easily and detailedly compare the architectural styles of that time. “The foundation is made of rock, granite perhaps? There are seven steps at the top, similar to a call analysis. There’s an interlocking groove to prevent deformation of the base under load. Additionally, the inner chamber has a parallel arch ceiling, a barrel vault tomb chamber. Could it be that the location within the jewel isn’t a tomb but a place where a magical circle is activated?”

As he analyzed the design of the jewel with a sharp eye, the more he looked, the more it resembled the General’s Tomb. However, the hologram also changed during this observation.

Chizuzuzuzu…

“Hmm?” Suddenly, numerous dots appeared around the hologram blueprint. Most seemed like mere specks of dust or fruit flies at first glance. Upon closer inspection, they were no trivial matter. “Humans? Merfolk? Orcs?” Massive battles unfolded with human knights clashing with mermaid armies, orc warriors mixing with elf archers, and giants rampaging through the fray. “It’s a war.”

However, this wasn’t an ordinary scale of conflict. The spectacle of tens of thousands from various races engaging in a chaotic battle was a sight to behold. Lloyd instantly knew the nature of this war. “Damn. Rotorua mentioned this before. The true jewel was an ancient and powerful treasure and weapon, coveted by all, leading to war. This is that war.”

A massive conflict where every race fought against each other. The end of an era in mythological times was being replayed in hologram before his eyes. Warriors raged, blood spurted, and the jewel suffered a fatal blow. There was no way to tell who had struck it. Amidst the chaos, there was no time to argue or discern.

Eventually, the jewel crumbled. Its upper part collapsed, and its steps crumbled. Every part, except the foundation, was completely destroyed. And then, it became a trophy. “Everyone… I’ll take the remaining part of the jewel.”

Human knights, orc warriors, elf archers, and even the giant mage raced to claim what was left of the jewel as their trophy. In the midst of this, more conflicts and stubbornness erupted. It resembled ants swarming a large carcass. The hologram ended with this image.

Chizuzuzuzu…

The dazzling array of dots and lines vanished, leaving only the dark ocean water to fill the void. But it was at that moment.

Ding-dong.

An unexpected alert pierced Lloyd’s ears. “Hmm?” Why was there an alert now? As Lloyd tilted his head in confusion, a message appeared before him.

[“You have activated the ‘Inducer Statue of the True Jewel’.] [Following the guide of the statue, you have witnessed the destruction of the jewel.] [Through this process, you have been able to closely observe the structure of the true jewel. This observation experience has significantly impacted your design skills.] [The blueprint of the ‘Aotearoa Jewel’ has been registered in your design skill data.]

“What?” Lloyd was taken aback. The blueprint of Aotearoa, the true jewel, was now registered in his design skills? This was an unexpected development he hadn’t anticipated. “To acquire a blueprint in my design skills, I thought I needed to directly investigate or design it myself?” Up until now, that had always been the case, whether it was bare land or a building. To launch a blueprint into the design skill space, direct investigation was essential. Only after diligently collecting data without blinking, almost to the point of getting dry eyes, could the blueprint be brought into the virtual design space. Or, it required meticulously designing down to a millimeter of precision, laboring through the night. But now?

“My goodness.” Just by viewing a hologram, a message appeared saying that the blueprint of the jewel could be lifted into the design space. “Let’s check the design first.” Lloyd immediately activated his design skills. A virtual design space, visible and recognizable only to him, materialized before his eyes. “Loading data. The blueprint of Aotearoa.” Could it really be? He tried it just in case. The response came back instantly. [“Loading the ‘Aotearoa Blueprint’.”]

Wow! The thought crossed his mind that the design space might light up for a moment. Complex dots and lines were etched into the space. A strong and wide foundation. A pyramid structure slimming upwards. It was identical to the true jewel seen in the holographic image earlier. “It’s real. This is great.” Lloyd clenched his fist without realizing it. This wasn’t just a drawing in the design space.

“Zooming in, each part’s dimensions, types of materials, specifications, and methods of joining are all indicated.” And that wasn’t all. Stress distribution, load, compressive strength, axial forces and bending moments, strain, thermal expansion coefficients, and various other data. Almost all the information needed for construction was displayed. It was a perfect design indeed. “What now? It looks like restoration work could start.”

“We have enough manpower. Just roll out the merfolk from the bathhouse guests to the restoration site. What materials and funds will be used for construction? I should ask the Mermaid Queen. It’s a great treasure of ancient mythological society for them too, since it’s a restoration project. It should receive enough support.”

The more he thought about it, the more confident he became. How to prepare and start the restoration work. What difficulties might arise in the process, and how to prevent and overcome them? All calculations were made in an instant. Moreover, he was well-acquainted with the structure of the jewel. “Since it’s a pyramid-shaped tomb. I’ve researched dolmen and the General’s Tomb during club activities. All I need to do is combine the data I studied then with the blueprint I just got. I can do this.”

Fortunately, the structural complexity of pyramid-shaped buildings like the General’s Tomb wasn’t too high. Of course, sophisticated load distribution processes would be necessary, but the construction wasn’t too difficult. “Thank God. Our country had the General’s Tomb. It just happened to be a pyramid-shaped structure.”

The General’s Tomb, known as the Eastern pyramid. Of course, there was a vast size difference compared to the Egyptian pyramids. In terms of weight, it would be like comparing a mammoth to a puppy. Yet, the basic structure was not vastly different. “If there had been an Egyptian pyramid in ancient Korea, I wonder if people back then called it the ‘Ultra Megaton General’s Tomb.’ Oh, they wouldn’t have known English then, so it must have been something like the General’s Tomb.”

Anyway, thanks to the club activities and studying the General’s Tomb data, this construction project seemed manageable. But then, there was something in between. Below was the blueprint of the jewel floating in the virtual design space. He noticed a very small red message that he hadn’t paid attention to until now. “Hmm? What’s this?” He read the message. [Aotearoa Blueprint] [Status: Unbuildable. Core materials have not been secured.] [Attempting construction without securing the core materials will prevent the true jewel from using its original magical circle function.]

“…Why must there never be an easy path?” Lloyd tasted the bitterness. “The core material is necessary. It’s essential for the jewel to function properly.” What if it was just built without the core material? It would clearly just be a replica, imitating the shape of the jewel. “That won’t do.” Lloyd shook his head. He wasn’t engaged in a cultural heritage restoration movement. His goal was to activate the jewel, thereby preventing the restoration of fate. “Darn. So where and how do we obtain the core material?”

Lloyd grumbled as he stared at the Aotearoa blueprint. Perhaps the blueprint itself held the answer. His intuition wasn’t off. “How many places are marked in red?” Upon closer inspection, even the design floating in the virtual space seemed a bit unfamiliar. Certain parts were highlighted in red. “Where should I look?” It was like attempting a click. He tried pinching one of the red-marked areas with his fingers, but there was no response. No information appeared from the blueprint. “Can’t this be clicked?” He was puzzled. He pressed on the red-marked areas one by one. Then, at some point, a specific part of the base responded with a clicking sound. It matched the analysis of the Goguryeo General’s Tomb perfectly.

Ding-dong. [You have selected the first core material of the ‘True Jewel of Tauranga’.] [Would you like to view information on Tauranga?] [Yes No] “Of course, Yes!” He nodded vigorously. At that moment: Whoosh! It was as if something invaded his field of vision. Or like dreaming with open eyes. A new image appeared before him. “A video recording?” It seemed so. Lloyd focused on the content of the video.

Softly whispering—creating—a giant, specifically, landed on the shore. In the giant’s arms were 12 stones. Lloyd immediately recognized the identity of the stones. “Aren’t those the core materials I just pressed in the jewel’s base?” After the jewel was destroyed, those materials became the spoils of war among the races. It seemed the foundational core material, Tauranga, was no exception. “It’s a giant.” Lloyd squinted. The giant walked with the material. On the riverbank, a city was erected, and he adorned his palace with the material. For a long time, humans were ruled almost like slaves. Then, humanity began their war for independence. After a prolonged struggle filled with war and hardship, the giant fell. The world of humans arrived. The human leader destroyed the giant’s palace. The Tauranga, used to decorate the palace, was abandoned on the outskirts of the city. The city of humans flourished for a long time. Then, a dragon-angered king was chosen. The dynasty fell, and a new one was born. A new capital for the new dynasty was built. At that time, 12 Taurangas were used to establish the new capital. There was no special reason. Simply because they were large, well-polished, sturdy stones. That was it. Thus, the people of the new dynasty had no idea about the true identity of the 12 Taurangas. Time passed too quickly, turning the stories of the mythological era into mere legends. Therefore, the 12 Taurangas became part of the new capital. Years passed to the present day.

The video ended. The castle, constructed using the 12 Taurangas as the foundation, looked healthy and vibrant as the last image faded. “… …” After the video ended, Lloyd remained silent for a while, exhaling deeply without saying a word. The reason was simple. The castle in the video, the new capital formed by the 12 Taurangas, was all too familiar to him. “Wow.” It felt like a deep, hearty bone broth. A sigh of relief escaped him, along with an optional murmur of frustration. “Is this real? Why would the place embedded with Tauranga be so familiar to me?”