Seekers of the Crypt; the Lost Artifact

The Blue Jade

 After they had their dinner, Feng Hu volunteered to wash the dishes as Garie, Levi, and James went to gather in the living room to talk about the jade tablet. Garie has brought her notebook and tablet out and laid them in front of Levi and James. She also laid all the printed photos of the tablet.

  Levi looked and examined the photos of the tablet before he grabbed the notebook and he started reading the texts that Garie deciphered so far.

“I suspected that the tablet came from the Achaemenid Empire, but I am not completely sure,” Levi said and both Garie and James looked at him.

“Persia? How can you tell?” James asked.

  Levi looked at James.

“Seriously? Didn’t your grandfather teach you how to distinguish jades?”Levi asked James who frowned.

“He did,” James grumbled.

“Why? What about the jades?” Garie asked.

“Jade is mined in many locations around the world, right. Both jadeite and nephrite are found in Russia, China, and Guatemala.” Levi started and Garie nodded.

“We know that already,” James mumbled.

“It is mostly known for its green varieties, though it appears naturally in other colors as well, notably yellow and white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals. Nephrite which is a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of minerals, or jadeite, which is a silicate of sodium and aluminum in the pyroxene group of minerals.” Levi continued.

“What about it?” James asked but Levi raised his hand to stop James from speaking.

“Nephrite can be found in a translucent white to very light yellow form which is known in China as mutton fat jade while Jadeite though highly variable in color, is typically apple-green to emerald-green, or less commonly white or white with spots of green,” Levi answered.

“Yes I know that, but what about it?” James asked in a frustrated tone and Levi rolled his eyes.

  And then he pointed at the photo of the jade tablet.

“What is the color of the tablet?” Levi asked, and then both James and Garie looked at the photo, particularly to the part where Levi is pointing at.

 Garie squinted her eyes and then she looked at Levi.

“It’s blue.” She said, and then James grabbed the photo and looked at the tablet closely.

  Upon doing so, he did notice the bluefish shade of the jade.

“Why the hell is it blue?” He asked and then he looked at Levi.

“Now let me explain that.” Levi started as he grabbed his bag and pulled out his tablet.

  He started scrolling through it.

“Usually what stains a stone or a mineral blue is copper, and Persia has a huge deposit of copper. During the reign of Xerxes I, who is commonly known as Xerxes the great his subjects dug up a huge chunk of rock that looked like a blue jade just outside his palace or something. It was said that the spot where they saw the jade is where a meteorite fell a few hundreds of years before his reign. As in ancient belief, meteorites are believed to be sent by the gods and they contain powers.”

“So they took the chunk of jade, cracked it open and they used the scraps of jade into several things. Now I once read a paper saying that before he died, Xerxes used a piece of that bluish jade to create a map that can point into the location of what’s inside the meteorite.” Levi explained.

“Wait, wait, are you saying that the Lost Artifact was made up of that meteorite and that King knew it and he hid it. And he used the same type of jade to create a clue or a map whatever to locate the Lost Artifact?” Garie asked.

“That’s my assumption. That’s why I need to see the tablet. You said, you tested the tablet, did you see copper in it?” Levi asked.

 James and Garie looked at each other, and then James took out the result of the DNA test as well as the result from Garie’s museum laboratory. Levi took the papers and analyzes them.

“Where did this tablet come from?” Levi asked.

“Turkmenistan.” 

  Then Levi turned towards Garie with a surprised look.

“One of Xerxes’ wives run to Turkmenistan before he was killed,” Levi said and now Garie was in awe.

“Could it be that the wife brought the tablet to Turkmenistan?” James asked.

“That’s a possibility.”

“Whose blood is this that you had a DNA test?” Levi asked looking at the paper, and Garie sighed.

“It’s Uncle Milton’s. He was the one who sent that tablet to me in the museum. I am worried something might have happened to him. I feel like he is in trouble and he really needed my help to decipher the tablet. It’s like finding the Lost Artifact is the only way to ensure his safety.” Garie told them.

  Then both Levi and James patted Garie’s shoulders.

“Everything will be fine; you don’t need to worry too much,” James said.

“Jin Qiang is right. You have translated more than half of the scripts. You just have to make something out of those words.” Levi said.

“It’s James,” James said, correcting Levi who smiled and gave him a thumb’s up.

  Garie let out a sigh and then she run her fingers through her hair.

“It makes me more tired, I should hit the sack. Let’s visit the museum tomorrow morning, Levi.” Garie told him.

“Sure.”

“I’ll follow you guys as soon as I am done with my work,” James told them.

  Garie started gathering her stuff on the table.

“By the way Levi, you can share a room with James,” Garie said, and then she stood up and left to go to her room.

  Levi and James looked at each other and then they stood up and went to their room.

*************************.

  The next day, when Garie woke up she immediately took a shower and changed into her jeans, white shirt, and sneakers. She just dried her hair when her eyes fell on her desk. 

  She let out a sigh of frustration as all of her notes are scattered on her table, so she started stacking them up, and then she heard a knock on her door.

“Yeah?”

“Breakfast is ready, come on out.” 

  Garie heard James’ voice coming from the other side of the door.

“Yeah sure.” She answered and then she absently stuffed her notes inside her drawer instead of her bag. 

  She then quickly combed her hair, wore her jacket, and grabbed her bag before she went out of her room. After locking her door, she went to the kitchen where everyone was having breakfast.

  She took a seat next to Levi and she started eating.

“Are you ready for your first day in the hospital?” Garie asked James as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.” He answered and then he turned towards Levi.

“Make sure to get every information you can get on the tablet.” He told him.  

“I got it,” Levi said as he munch on a piece of bread.

  Then James turned towards Garie.

“Feng Hu will be accompanying you two today.” He said and Garie looked at him.

“What? There’s no need for that.” Garie said.

“It’s alright Garie. I would need an extra pair of hands when I check the tablet anyway.” Levi said, and Garie looked at him weirdly.

  Then James looked at his wristwatch and saw the time.

“I’ll get going now.” He said and then he grabbed his bag and he gave Feng Hu a look before heading towards the door.

“Hey, do you even know how to get there?” Garie asked.

“I can get a cab or something.” James hollered before going out.

  Once James left, Garie started eating fast.

“Let’s go.” She said and then she chugged down her juice and hopped off the stool.   

  Levi and Feng Hu did the same, finishing their food. Feng Hu took the dishes and stacked them inside the dishwasher and then they grabbed their bags before they all made a beeline towards the door.

 After Garie locked the door, they made their way out of the building and piled into her car. As soon as everyone was buckled up, Garie drove towards the museum where she works.

*******************************.

  When they got to the museum, she led Feng Hu and Levi straight towards the office where the new antiquities were brought in so they can study them before putting them on display. Garie went to her own cubicle and immediately placed her bag on her chair. Then she took off her jacket and put on her lab gown before tying her hair in a high bun.

“Get your lab gowns.” She told Levi and Feng Hu.

  The two men did what they were told as Garie walked towards her working table and wore her gloves. Looking at her working table, she noticed that the box was not there so she turned towards her colleagues.

“Where is the box that I am working on the last time?” She asked.

“I put it back in the crate.” One answered.

  Then Garie walked towards the crates and started looking for the box that contains the tablet. Levi and Feng Hu started helping her look as well. Rummaging through the styro peanuts, she was finally able to grab onto a huge rectangular box. It was a bit heavy for her carry, a good thing Feng Hu came to her aid and he took the box into the table.

“Thanks,” Garie said, and then she opened the box, revealing the tablet.

  Levi was in awe as soon as he laid his eyes on what’s inside the box. It was a tablet made up of high-grade jade. But then he furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed that the tablet looks like it was broken in half. He then turned towards Garie.

“Is this supposed to be broken?” He asked and Garie shrugged.

“It’s already like that when I first saw it,” Garie answered.

  Feng Hu then wore a pair of cotton gloves and took the tablet out of the box. Then he grabbed a magnifying glass, and he leaned towards the tablet inspecting it. And all the while, Garie and Levi are watching him.

  And when Feng Hu straightened his back, he looked at Garie and Levi.

“This tablet was broken in either two pieces or three pieces. It wasn’t done recently but rather from quite a long time ago.” Feng Hu said.

“So it could be that Xerxes broke the tablet before he sent it away?” Levi asked and Feng Hu nodded.

“Wow,” Levi mumbled and then he grabbed a magnifying glass and started checking the tablet.

“Garie, get your notebook.” He said.

  Garie then went towards her cubicle to get her notebook. But when she looked into her bag, it was not there. She kept on rummaging through her bag it’s not there. And then she remembered that she must’ve placed her notes in her drawer instead of her bag.

  She cussed and then she just grabs a random notepad and went back beside Levi.

“I left my notebook at home; let’s just try to decipher the whole tablet again.” She said and then Levi gave her a look.

“Are you sure you can decipher it without your grandpa’s notes?” Levi asked.

  Now it’s Garie’s turn to give Levi a look.

“Need I remind you that the blood of the Gates family runs through my veins.” She said, making Levi roll his eyes.

“Show off.” 

  Then they all grabbed a stool and started working on the tablet. Levi started taking notes on what he observed on the tablet. He even brought out some of his gadgets to help him with his analysis. Garie on the other hand started deciphering the scripts all over again. It was quite harder for this time as she is only relying on the memory she had of her grandfather’s notes.

  Feng Hu has acted as their assistant that helps them with anything they need. Garie’s colleagues on the other hand are not paying them any attention, as they knew that if Garie is working on something she shouldn’t be disturbed.

  Time went as fast as Garie and Levi are so immersed in their work. Feng Hu was the one who went out and bought them food, coffee, and other things that they needed.

  It was getting late and yet, Garie and Levi are still glued to the tablet. While they work, and as Feng Hu helps them he would secretly send messages to James, telling him what they are up to and the development.