He changed Tiwat

Hussein and Haidif were both scholars in the Siege of the Church, so he was naturally aware of the prohibitions within the Siege. Moreover, unlike Haidif, he always spoke his mind and didn't like to keep people in suspense.

Haidif pouted slightly, looking a little annoyed, but didn't say anything.

In Sumeru, lineage is, to some extent, equivalent to "origin." Having a former sage as a teacher is equivalent to gaining the former sage's approval, symbolizing that the student has a very promising academic future.

Moreover, the resources that different "backgrounds" can leverage are vastly different.

Ordinary "Diliyesi" generally have no research funding and often find it difficult to produce decent research results; becoming a formal "Tasata" means being able to independently lead a project team, and the Chancellery will provide corresponding funding support; while "Habanta" is generally the pinnacle of an ordinary scholar's academic career, and the entire Chancellery currently has less than a hundred people, and Ayesha and Purshina are such precious talents. At that level, funding and resources are basically at their fingertips.

Above these are the "Sages". The six Sages of each generation are the elite of the elite, the most outstanding, the most prestigious, and the ones who have made the greatest academic contributions in their time. They are often great scholars whose names are recorded in history.

According to the tradition of the Order of the Church, six "Sages" are in charge of the six colleges, and the "Great Sage" who controls the entire Order of the Church is also selected from these six Sages.

If we compare it to Liyue, the Sage's status is equivalent to that of the Seven Stars.

Young students entering the Order of the Netherworld can usually find at most one "Tasata" as a mentor. If they are favored by a "Habantha," their future prospects are greatly enhanced, and countless people try their best to curry favor with a "Habantha." As for "Sages," don't even think about it; they basically accept students based on fate, much like the Celestials of Liyue accepting disciples...

Hosseini was such a person with "academic affinity". When he entered the academy, he was fortunate enough to be accepted as a disciple by the sage Gyalsh, who was then the abbot of Siddhartha University.

Haidif contacted this junior student not simply to help him graduate—it was the academic resources the junior student possessed that Haidif truly valued.

As a "Diliyesi" who has not yet graduated, Husseini's ability to participate in the "Energy Conduction Disc" project to explore ancient relics, to borrow the "Pursina Light Nail" sealed by the Church Council, and even to obtain a bunch of precious "General-purpose Directional Conducting Elements" to the Abyss of the Rocky Mountains is largely due to his background as a disciple of a sage.

While Haidif is wealthier than Mora, in terms of academic resources, Hussein, as a disciple of the Sage, far surpasses Haidif. Even though Gülesh was advanced in years and stepped down as dean a few years ago, handing the position to a younger and more capable Sage, he still has just as many academic resources.

Hosseini's unwavering dedication to scholarship stemmed from his firm belief that a bright future lay ahead of him once he graduated... even though he had outlasted his teacher, Gülech, until his retirement before graduating.

To some extent, perhaps it was because of his perseverance in pursuing knowledge that Jules took him on as a student.

Hosseini continued to quote his teacher's teachings: "Uncontrolled 'wisdom' is a lure floating on a sea of ​​ignorance, luring the ignorant seeker into the abyss. This uncontrolled 'wisdom' will make scholars arrogant and complacent, without reverence, even contemptuous of life, talking nonsense about life and death, causing irreparable damage to the world."

"The reason why the sages keep introducing new doctrines is to ensure that the seekers of knowledge in the Doctrine will not be misled by such bait and go astray."

“Wisdom can enlighten, but it can also lead to arrogance. In the history of the Council of the Church, there are many scholars who have disregarded the Church’s commands and committed crimes because of their own ‘wisdom,’” Haidif added.

"For example, a scholar from the Amirido Academy, in order to verify the limits of levitation's body expansion, used a forbidden catalyst to cultivate an ultra-giant levitation, but the levitation exploded during the experiment, causing the entire research institute to be razed to the ground; a scholar from the Siddham Academy wanted to test the ability of the Ruins Guardian to cultivate fields, but the Ruins Guardian he modified went out of control, destroying a large amount of farmland and causing serious injuries to many people; there are also many cases of academic fraud and crimes of using intelligence for personal gain..."

With Haidif and Hussein explaining back and forth, Han Fulai and his group roughly understood what the so-called "Six Root Sins" were all about.

When the Institute of the Order was first established, the scholars within it freely mobilized resources and unleashed their imagination and creativity. They reshaped the terrain, controlled the weather, and recreated ancient artifacts... When knowledge of the earth could no longer satisfy their curiosity, some scholars attempted to peer into the stars, while others tried to intervene in life and death.

...But such knowledge was beyond their reach at this moment. This attempt had serious consequences, even dealing a significant blow to the Order of the Church.

To prevent scholars from being destroyed by their knowledge, the sages established six "fundamental sins".

They believe that all the sins in the world arise from these six “root sins”.

Firstly, the matter of human evolution;

Secondly, they make unfounded statements about life and death;

Third, to explore things beyond the universe;

Fourth, thoroughly investigate the origins of language;

Fifth, they revere God but do not perform acts of offering;

Sixth, do not speak of mysteries and have no fear in your heart.

Based on these six deadly sins, the sages continuously formulated doctrines and modified the rules of the academy, both new and old. The disciplinarians enforced the laws according to the doctrines, and under their supervision, the scholars obediently followed the doctrines.

Thus, everything within the Church of Christ fulfills its duty according to the law. With clear understanding and flourishing prosperity, the Church of Christ and its scholars move forward—at least, that's what the scholars of the Church of Christ believe.

Combining the "stories" Zhongli told him in the Salt God Ruins, the "riddles" Dainesreb told him in the ancient civilization ruins, and what Hydif had just said, Han Fulai actually had a vague framework in his mind—the secrets of this Teyvat continent, the things that the heavens wanted to hide.

Of course, these are all things that "even if you know them, you can't say them".

"Could you elaborate on what each of these six deadly sins represents? For example, what do 'human evolution' and 'the origin of speech' mean? Especially 'talking about life and death' that you just mentioned," Han Fulai asked.

Although he knew that there couldn't really be any specific answers from Haidif, the Council of the Church would at least give scholars a vague boundary to the forbidden zone, and this "boundary" was enough to explain a lot of things.

This is similar to how Yue Haiting's secretary writes documents. If Gan Yu orders him to finish writing within two days, it means he needs it three days later, leaving one day for revisions and review. Basically, based on the time limit given by Gan Yu, he can deduce the importance of the document.

Well, Keqing is an exception. Keqing never leaves any leeway; if she says she'll finish it on the same day, she means she will. Many of Keqing's secretaries have suffered because they habitually calculated extra time before working, only to be forced to work overtime and then severely reprimanded or even fined by Keqing...

Haidif and Hussein exchanged a glance.

“Articles five and six are easy to understand; they warn us to serve the gods with reverence and sincerity. As for the first four…” Hussein shrugged.

Haidif shook his head and said, "We're not entirely sure what those four specific taboos are either..."

“All our research projects require prior application to the Council of Religious Affairs…and research projects that might violate taboos simply won’t pass the approval process.” Hosseini recalled a bunch of topics that had been rejected. Some might have been too outrageous, while others might have violated taboos, but he didn’t really understand which were “outrageous” and which were “taboo.”

“Actually, if you have a good relationship with the teacher in charge of approval, some projects that would normally not pass may actually pass…” Haidif glanced at the thick stack of research reports on the ground.

His research project on the strata abyss was originally not supposed to pass, but he slipped a bag of Mora to the person in charge of the review, and then the proposal was approved...

“There are some topics that a ‘Habantha’ like Senior Pursina can work on, but a ‘Dilyasi’ like me can’t…”

For example, when it comes to research on ley lines, Hosseini can only do some research on topics such as "the application of energy-conducting disks" and "the practical performance of the Pursina Light Nails"—while the predecessor Pursina went directly into the secret realm and even used ancient civilization technology to create the "Pursina Light Nails".

...Your approval department sounds more like an online platform reviewer... Han Fulai's lips twitched. He realized that many things were indeed common between the two worlds, such as the review process where you could never quite pinpoint what was sensitive to.

“All I know is what Senior Pursina wrote in this book…” Haidif tapped the book, “The Chronicles of Hamavaran,” in his hand with his fingers. “The theories she proposed, which are about the connection between the dead and the ley lines… well, they are generally considered ‘fantasy fiction’ because to draw definitive conclusions, one would have to conduct extensive research on the souls of the dead, which is absolutely taboo.”

“Actually, there’s a ready example of this, right?” Hussein glanced at Haidif.

Haidif understood Hussein's meaning, of course. He remained silent for a moment before finally uttering the term: "'The Red King'... The god who once established a kingdom in the desert violated this taboo. The Council of the Church forbids the public discussion and promotion of his deeds in Sumeru City, so I think it's best not to mention it..."

Hussein retorted somewhat indignantly: "But... the 'Cause Theory' scholars at Vahumana Academy have been dedicated to refuting and reflecting on the remaining theories of the 'Red King,' so it's alright for us to discuss this matter for a critical purpose, isn't it?"

“Alright, alright.” Haidif was somewhat exasperated with his straightforward junior. “According to the research of the Vahumana Academy, the god of the desert seemed to have attempted to create the miracle of ‘resurrection’ and conducted extensive research on human souls, even reaching the point where he could separate the human soul from the body… However, the final outcome was the fall of the ‘Red King’ and the destruction of the kingdom.”

"In short, even if it were Senior Pulshina... she would definitely be arrested by the disciplinary officers if she did similar research."

"Yes, Grand Disciplinary Officer Seno is terrifying, really." Hosseini looked like he still had a lingering fear.

He had met this Grand Disciplinary Officer once before. The officer seemed to be in a good mood that day, so he told them a joke… Everyone present laughed, except for Hosseini, who didn't understand the joke. At that moment, Seno's gaze made him feel as if he were being watched by a jackal in the desert, about to be bitten to death at any moment.

—Actually, Sino was just thinking about whether he should explain the specific joke to Hosseini, but Sino also felt that if he explained the joke clearly, it might not be funny anymore.

"...Even if the project fails to pass the review, aren't there scholars secretly conducting their own research?" Ye Lan asked a pointed question at this moment.

Yanfei once said something very interesting—the fastest ways to make money are basically all written in the Liyue Codex.

Although it was said in jest, Ye Lan actually agreed with Yan Fei's statement.

She knew all too well that humans weren't exactly docile creatures; the more taboo something was, the more they wanted to explore it—that was human nature. In her intelligence career, she had seen countless examples of this.

"In fact, not every scholar believes that they should abide by the canonical decrees. Some scholars believe that there should be no 'taboos' in the pursuit of knowledge... But such scholars either report to the Disciplinary Officer's office or are expelled from the Canonical Council. Their research is also sealed by the Canonical Council, and scholars at our level cannot obtain the relevant materials."

Haidif shrugged.

“That’s how research works. Senior Ayexia’s wise saying has already explained it very clearly.”

"We know more than we can say." — This is the inscription on the "Ayesha Chaos Probe".

"I see... Thank you both for clearing up my doubts." Han Fulai sincerely expressed his gratitude to the two Sumeru scholars.

Although the information revealed by the two scholars could only be considered "clues" at best, Han Fulai was a man who could deduce the whole truth from just one clue.

Zhongli's "story" and Daiyin's "riddle" had already formed a thread in his mind.

Chapter 248 Just Spoil Her

After discussing the current situation, the main leaders of the exploration team basically reached a consensus—the “Gate of the Rock Hall” that suddenly appeared in the “Fluorescent Passage” may be the source of the aberration in the Layered Rock Abyss, and the “Abyss Order” is also very likely to be plotting something behind the “Gate of the Rock Hall”.

Fortunately, the exploration team now has at least three powerful fighters: Han Fulai, Jiang Xue, and Ye Lan. In addition, they have Jin Wu's "Lumenite" catalyst and Husseini's "Pursina Light Nail". They are no longer as helpless as they were when they were being chased by the "Black Serpent Knight" two years ago.

The consensus reached by the group was that, on the one hand, they should try to stop the enemy's plot as soon as possible, and on the other hand, they should send someone back to Liyue Harbor to report the situation and request support, just in case. In short, until reinforcements arrive, ordinary members of the exploration team should not approach the "Gateway to the Rock Hall".

"By the way, Mr. Haidif, Mr. Hosseini, would you two like to take a look at that ancient civilization site?" Han Fulai suddenly asked.

Ye Lan frowned upon hearing his words, somewhat puzzled by Han Fulai's suggestion. In her view, re-entering the ancient ruins at this point was utterly unnecessary—surely Han Fulai wasn't genuinely interested in helping Haidifu with his research?

Haidif was visibly taken aback. "Of course I want to..."

"Then let's not delay, let's organize our manpower and set off now," Han Fulai said with a smile.

Husseini was visibly excited; he had been in the Abyss of the Rocks for two days, and this was his first time participating in a field investigation.

Upon hearing Han Fulai's words, he stood up impatiently: "Okay, okay, I'll go back and pack my things right away."

“Wait,” Haidif quickly pulled Hussein back, “Now is not the time…”

Han Fulai knew, of course, what Haidifu was worried about.

The crisis brought by the "Abyss Order" has not yet been resolved. You might encounter Abyss Apostles or "Black Serpent Knights" if you go down there. It is definitely not a good time to explore the ruins.

Given the principle of safety first, it is clearly not advisable to investigate ancient civilization sites at this time.

However... Han Fulai wanted to verify what he had just thought of.

Ancient civilization ruins are precisely a unique area where three forces converge and clash, making them the perfect place for experimentation.

If the experiment is successful, it may be of great help to his "decisive battle" two days later.

“If you are concerned about safety, Miss Ye Lan, Senior Jiang Xue, and I can accompany you and protect you during the investigation. By the way, there are still quite a few areas of black mud there. Perhaps we can try out the ‘Pulsina Light Nails’ to remove the black mud. I think now is the right time.”

Han Fulai smiled and threw out the bait, while winking at Haidifu.

Haidif was taken aback again. At first, he was a little confused, but soon he understood the meaning behind Han Fulai's words—it was the agreement between him and Han Fulai.

His thesis is titled "The Ancient Civilization of the Layered Rock Abyss and the Influence of Earth Vein Anomalies," and the main manifestation of these anomalies is black mud.

In his verbal agreement with Han Fulai, he would provide Han Fulai with technical support and necessary instruments to solve the anomalies in the Layered Rock Abyss, while Han Fulai would obtain "black mud" for him and pave the way for him to explore ancient civilization relics.

Black mud, or "chaotic power," is very harmful to the human body and is not easy to obtain; at least, Haidifu cannot come into contact with it on his own. Moreover, because black mud has the property of corroding other substances, conventional preservation methods, such as putting it in a box, are not feasible.

Since the "chaotic power" is clearly in conflict with the "elemental power," the two will cancel each other out. Even if we find a God's Eye holder who is not afraid of the black mud to help us, we cannot make a container that can preserve the black mud—but the Order of the Church has one.

The "Pursina Light Nail" is such a container; it can absorb energy from the earth's veins, and black mud is also a type of earth vein energy.

Haidif needed someone unafraid of the power of the black mud to operate the "Pulsina Light Nails" to help him collect the black mud—and Han Fulai happened to be that person.

The "black mist" that Haidif extracted from Qi Ding, Lao He, and Zhi Qiong using the "Pulsina Light Nails" was "chaotic power," which was basically the same thing as the black mist in the "black mist barrier" that Han Fulai had seen before.

The black mist was preserved in the crystal of the "Pulsina Light Nail".

However, such a small sample size is clearly insufficient for the research.

Hydif wasn't in a hurry at first. He figured there was so much black mud in the Abyss of Laminaria that he could collect it anytime. After all, he had the "Pulshina Light Nail" in his possession.

But Han Fulai's words, "Now is the perfect time," gave him a wake-up call, making him realize the truth.

He came to the Abyss of Layered Rocks to study the anomaly, while Han Fulai came to resolve it. If Han Fulai really solves the leyline anomaly in a few days, the Black Mud will cease to exist!

If you want to collect black mud with "Pursina Light Nails", now is the only time to do it, right?

With this in mind, Haidif also stood up: "Since Deputy Minister Han has said so, let's go. Husseini, come and lend a hand."

After saying that, he called on Hosseini to help him dismantle the "Pursina Light Nail".

Although Husseini didn't understand why his senior, Haidifu, had suddenly changed his attitude completely in just a few words, the excitement of being able to conduct an on-site investigation had already overshadowed his doubts.

Just as excited as Hosseini was Zhiqiong.

She jumped up from her chair, shouting, "Me! Me! Me too!"

Jinwu slapped her little bottom.

"Sit down and stop causing trouble. What can you do there?"

Clearly, Jinwu was still worried about her health and safety.

Zhiqiong pouted with a wronged expression and looked at Han Fulai, trying hard to wink at him.

Han Fulai smiled and said, "Oh, Mr. Haidif, the murals in ancient civilization ruins must also be of great research value, right?"

“Of course,” Haidif answered without hesitation. The buildings, murals, and other traces left by predecessors in the ruins are all very valuable research materials.

"Wouldn't it be better to take a picture with a phonograph?" Han Fulai asked again.

“Ah…” Haidifu looked at Han Fulai, then at Zhiqiong, and finally understood why Han Fulai had asked that question.

He coughed dryly and replied in a monotone tone, "Too bad I don't have a camera... Sigh, what a hassle..."

"I'll bring..." Hussein had barely uttered two words when Haidif covered his mouth.

"I have a gramophone! I can take pictures for you!" Zhiqiong hurriedly pulled out the gramophone that she never parted with, deliberately showing it off in front of Jinwu.

"Don't worry, Sister Jinwu, we'll finish our inspection and return today. I'll take care of their safety," Han Fulai assured Jinwu, while Zhiqiong happily began packing her backpack.

"Sigh." Jinwu sighed, "Just keep spoiling her..."

Chapter 249 The Changing World

The exploration team that went to the ancient civilization ruins this time was quite large, almost the size of a small group of Fools.