The contest between the two men was something Lin Ying had wanted to stop, but seeing how things had escalated, she remained silent.
What surprised her most was the composure and confidence her junior disciple displayed.
He was clearly trying to trick Zhang Chen into a trap.
This suggested he was absolutely certain of success.
But this ring-watch had only recently been unearthed, and even she hadn't seen it before, nor had she heard of it.
Why was Li Chonglou so confident?
She also wanted to see what would happen.
"Let's see how you die!" Zhang Chen, slow to realize, was still smug.
In his mind, if even the masters at the Archaeology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences couldn't understand this mysterious artifact, what right did a pawnshop assistant have to?
Even if he was the disciple of the remarkable Lin Zhendong, Lin Zhendong was in prison and had no time to teach him.
Besides, Lin Ying, his own daughter, didn't understand it either.
Li Chonglou's expression remained unchanged. His gaze fell upon the ring-watch, and he said calmly, "During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a town named Daxu in Guangxi Province."
"This ancient town was first established in the early Northern Song Dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and reached its peak in the Republic of China. It was historically known as Chang'an City and Lutian City."
"In the Ming Dynasty, Daxu was one of the four great ancient towns of Guangxi Province, capable of mooring two to three hundred boats."
"Its commercial prosperity was evident!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's pupils slowly widened, doing his best to hide his shock.
Feigning ignorance, he asked, "I asked you to tell me its origin, why are you talking about Daxu Town?"
His surface was calm, but his heart churned like a stormy sea.
This was because this ring-watch was unearthed from a Ming Dynasty ancient tomb near Daxu Town, the site of their archaeological dig just days ago.
"Junior disciple, are you implying this ring-watch came to China from abroad through trade?" Lin Ying mused.
Although she was shocked that Li Chonglou knew their archaeological dig site without being told, she was more focused on the meaning behind his words.
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Zhang Chen declare, "Impossible. Watches have only existed for a little over a hundred years!"
"Teacher Wu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who was with us, said this watch is at least four to six hundred years old."
"It has both hour and minute hands, and clear English inscriptions, which doesn't make sense!"
He had been studying the artifact before bringing it back.
He had considered what Li Chonglou said, but it simply didn't align with common sense.
"I don't blame you for having cognitive dissonance," Li Chonglou said, a slight smile playing on his lips after Zhang Chen finished. "The most crucial component of a watch is its escapement system."
"It's like the motherboard, CPU, sound card, and graphics card all combined in a computer."
"The exterior is like the computer case, constantly changing its shape with the times, like laptops or all-in-one PCs."
"While watches, historically speaking, did appear over a hundred years ago, it doesn't mean the history of timekeeping is that short."
"I have consulted countless resources. British historian of science Joseph Needham, in his book 'Science and Civilisation in China,' recounted a history submerged for six centuries."
"He stated that when Western clocks and watches entered China in the 17th century, the precursors to the 'escapement mechanism' assembled in China had already appeared 600 years prior."
"In 1088 AD, the Song Dynasty scientists Su Song and Han Gonglian built an astronomical observation instrument—the Water-Powered Astronomical Clock Tower."
"It was a massive device, about 12 meters high and 7 meters square, divided into three tiers, combining an armillary sphere, a celestial globe, and a mechanical timer."
"The upper tier housed the armillary sphere for astronomical observation, the middle tier held the celestial globe to simulate celestial movements in synchronized demonstration."
"The lower tier was the heart of the machine, the source of timing, báo hiệu, and power. Since celestial movements were based on time, and time's operation had to be achieved through mechanical structures, a device capable of creating time intervals was necessary – this was the earliest 'escapement mechanism'!"
Li Chonglou's detailed explanation gradually softened the expressions of Lin Ying and Zhang Chen.
Both were researchers, and nothing captivated them more than novel yet useful knowledge.
Even Zhang Chen, who harbored deep-seated animosity towards Li Chonglou, couldn't help but have his eyes light up upon hearing this.
Although he felt uneasy and worried about losing, he couldn't help but secretly applaud Li Chonglou's words.
This conflicting mindset was perhaps only possible for someone like him, who embodied both the identity of a rich heir and a scientific scholar.
"Brilliant!"
Lin Ying clapped her hands. "Junior disciple, I didn't expect you to be not only proficient in antiques but also to have researched clocks and watches?"
"This is a domain exclusively belonging to Western artifacts."
The field of antiques was actually quite narrow, and the circle was extremely exclusive.
They each had their own hierarchies of disdain; for instance, ceramics looked down on all other categories, calligraphy and painting disdained miscellaneous items, and miscellaneous items disdained ancient coins, and so on.
Even within the broad category of antiques, such contempt existed between different types, let alone Western artifacts that were fundamentally different from Chinese antiques.
Basically, 99.9% of antique enthusiasts dismissed Western history and civilization with disdain.
This was likely due to a long-accumulated cultural inferiority complex.
Therefore, Li Chonglou's simultaneous mastery of these two fields at such a young age made her see him as extraordinary.
"What's there to be so proud of!" Zhang Chen was jolted back to reality by Lin Ying's voice, and his disgust surged anew. He snorted, "Even if China had escapement mechanisms a thousand years ago, it still doesn't explain the existence of this ring-watch. Don't beat around the bush; I want the real answer!"
"Certainly," Li Chonglou smiled faintly. "At any time, there are people obsessed with playing with objects."
"Since their inception, mechanisms have captivated countless men, who spared no effort in their lives to improve and perfect them."
"In the early 14th century, people in Italy and England manufactured mechanical striking clocks. Although they were still massive, their mechanisms were infinitely closer to modern clocks and watches."
"However, their power sources were very primitive, relying on gravity generated by the Earth's pull."
"It was during that period that a Swiss man named Suweite visited China and met Lady Wa."
"He was captivated by her heroic spirit, and as a token of his affection, he inscribed his lifelong research on a clock dial onto a copper ring, presenting it to Lady Wa."
"The two had a romance, and although they eventually parted ways due to racial differences, this ring-watch was treasured by Lady Wa throughout her life and was ultimately buried with her."
"If I'm not mistaken, the site you, Senior Sister, went to excavate this time should be Lady Wa's tomb, right?"
His words stunned everyone present.
This time, it wasn't just Zhang Chen who jumped up; even Lin Ying's beautiful eyes widened with disbelief.
Her junior disciple had guessed her excavation destination solely based on a ring-watch.
What kind of insight was this?
Even though she had witnessed Li Chonglou's abilities before, she couldn't remain calm at this moment.
In his early twenties, he possessed the vast knowledge and clear logic of an octogenarian.
How had he achieved this?
For a moment, she felt a sense of relief that she had brought Li Chonglou into their team.
Perhaps this was the most correct decision she had made since her father's imprisonment.
Zhang Chen's mouth gaped open, his eyes wide, his face devoid of any arrogance, leaving only shock and admiration.