I, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, am being kept by the state.

"I am the true dragon."

Professor Wang's hands were trembling.

The sound exploded in his mind, as if someone had smashed it into the depths of his consciousness.

It's not a hallucination.

Absolutely not.

He could clearly sense the presence of that consciousness, ancient and majestic, carrying the weight of two thousand years.

"You...you..."

Professor Wang opened his mouth, his voice dry and hoarse, like the friction of rusted iron.

"I have already said that."

The voice rang out again, this time seemingly more peaceful: "I am the true dragon."

Professor Wang's mind went blank.

Forty years of archaeological work, the calmness and rationality he had maintained when facing ancient artifacts countless times, all crumbled at this moment.

He wanted to say that this was unscientific, that it violated all known physical laws, and that it must be a hallucination caused by his own exhaustion.

But that feeling was too real.

It was so real that he could even sense the other person's exhaustion.

"You...are you really a dragon?"

Professor Wang heard himself asking a question, but the voice sounded ethereal, as if someone else was speaking.

"nonsense."

These two words almost made Professor Wang burst out laughing.

A dignified dragon speaks in such a down-to-earth way?

"Are all the records on those bamboo slips true? You really did have ties with Qin Shi Huang...?"

"Yes, I made a pact with him. He used the dragon's energy to help me heal, and I will protect China for ten thousand generations."

Professor Wang's hands trembled even more violently.

"But why...?"

Professor Wang looked at the necklace in his hand. "Why did it turn out like this?"

silence.

A long silence.

Professor Wang even thought the other person had fallen asleep again, until the voice sounded again, this time clearly tired.

"I am injured. Very seriously injured."

"For two thousand years, China has been in crisis several times, and each time I intervened, it depleted the dragon's energy."

"In the end..."

He paused, then continued, "I have no choice but to abandon my physical body and entrust my dragon soul to this place."

Professor Wang's heart clenched violently.

He recalled the records on those bamboo slips.

During the chaos of the late Qin Dynasty, a golden dragon soared over Xianyang, its roar shaking the heavens.

When Emperor Wu of Han launched a northern campaign against the Xiongnu, a golden light flashed deep in the desert.

During the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, a dragon's shadow appeared outside Chang'an City...

Those events recorded in historical books as "auspicious omens" or "celestial phenomena" were actually real?

"Have you been protecting China all along?"

"I promised that old man."

There was an indescribable quality in his voice: "The people of China, I will protect them."

Professor Wang's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He didn't know why, but even though it was just a few words of conversation, the deep-seated sense of responsibility made this old man, who had seen so much of history, break down instantly.

"So... is it possible for you to recover now?"

Professor Wang regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth.

He asked the question instinctively, without even considering what the answer would be.

After all, these are all myths and legends, and he's a scientific researcher...

"able."

Professor Wang was stunned.

That single word, so calm and undisturbed, froze him in place.

"What did you say?"

"I say, yes."

Li Chen's voice revealed a hint of fatigue.

Professor Wang stared intently at the necklace in his hand, his throat tightening.

"Can it really be restored?"

"Originally, I should have already been annihilated."

Professor Wang's breath hitched.

"A hundred years ago, the Qing Dynasty collapsed, and the land of China could no longer generate dragon energy."

Li Chen's voice became even lower, "Without the dragon energy, my injuries are even more serious."

"At the time, I thought it would be better to just disappear like this. Two thousand years have passed, it's time to rest."

Professor Wang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

He could hear the weariness in that voice, the weariness that came with the passage of countless years.

"but……"

Li Chen's tone suddenly changed, "When the Dragon Kingdom was founded, it used the dragon as its totem."

"totem?"

Professor Wang repeated it subconsciously.

"Yes, totem."

Li Chen said, "Those who believe in the existence of dragons, those who carve dragons on flags and print them on badges, their beliefs have been transformed into the power of incense offerings."

"Though faint, it is enough for me to keep the dragon spirit from dissipating."

Professor Wang's hands were trembling.

He recalled the deep-rooted Chinese people's worship of the dragon.

It turns out that those were not empty beliefs after all.

Instead, they are genuinely raising a real dragon.

"so……"

Professor Wang's voice was hoarse, "What do you need to recover now?"

"The power of incense and deities."

"Although I am a dragon, I have protected China for two thousand years and have long been connected with the destiny of this land."

"The people's faith is the source of my power to restore order."

Professor Wang's brain was working at lightning speed.

Incense offerings and religious practices?

Isn't this just folk belief?

The problem is, what era are we living in? Who still believes in this?

"I……"

Professor Wang opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

He wanted to say that it was impossible, that we live in a scientific age, and that no one would believe in the existence of a dragon.

But the words stuck in his throat.

Because he suddenly remembered something.

Three months ago, when the news of the opening of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum spread, the entire country was in an uproar.

Countless people sat in front of their televisions, waiting to see what was inside the underground palace.

That anticipation, that excitement, that reverence for history…

Isn't it just a belief?

Professor Wang suddenly realized that he might be holding the country's biggest secret.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

But her hands were still trembling, causing the necklace to sway slightly as well.

"I'm just an archaeologist."

Professor Wang's voice was very soft, as if he was trying to convince himself.

"This is not something I can decide. All I can do is report it to higher authorities."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had said something pointless.

The one before me is a true dragon who has protected China for two thousand years. What kind of scene hasn't he seen?

Do you think others can't see through my little scheme?

Sure enough, Li Chen's voice came through, his tone calm.

"It's alright."

"I have waited for more than two thousand years, so what's one more moment?"

Professor Wang was stunned.

He thought the other party would be anxious and urge him, after all, he had waited so long to find someone he could communicate with.

But this calmness only made him more at a loss.

"Aren't you...aren't you worried?"

Professor Wang couldn't help but ask, "What if the higher-ups don't believe it?"

Don't believe me?

"Then let them believe it."