After a day of rest and enjoying the atmosphere of Hanoi, the delegation returned to work. The next morning, they arrived at the National Center for Historical Research and Heritage.
This place didn't resemble a modern laboratory, but rather a giant library combined with a museum. Millions of documents, from ancient records in the Nôm script and family annals to digitized data on Vietnamese history, were all preserved here with the most advanced systems.
"Our objective this time," Professor Lan Anh said to the group, "is to search through the treasure trove of history and folklore for records, for clues, no matter how small, related to supernatural creatures or phenomena. Perhaps our ancestors once faced things similar to the Madakaros and have left behind the answers."
This was a completely new and bold direction for their research. Instead of focusing solely on technology, they were beginning to look for answers in the past.
The delegation was divided into several small groups, each responsible for a different area of documentation. Lam Minh, To Quyen, and Quynh Nhu (who insisted on tagging along for the reason of "providing security for the special consultant") were assigned to the group researching "Legends and Unofficial Histories of the Hong Bang Period."
They were led into a large room filled with towering bookshelves. The atmosphere here was solemn and imbued with the colors of time.
"Whoa, so many books!" Quynh Nhu exclaimed. "It would take until the end of time to read all of this."
"Be quiet," To Quyen reminded her, then began to work seriously. She quickly searched for relevant documents, cross-referencing and categorizing them on her tablet.
Lam Minh, however, was in no hurry. He didn't read each book, but slowly walked along the shelves, his hand lightly gliding over the old spines. He was using his spiritual sense to "feel." He believed that if there were documents containing real secrets, they would emit a special kind of "aura," albeit a very faint one.
"Hey, are you slacking off again?" Quynh Nhu nudged him. "People are working their butts off, and you're just strolling around like you're at a book fair."
"I'm looking for inspiration," Lam Minh replied curtly, his eyes still fixed on the shelves.
He passed the section storing the legends of Son Tinh - Thuy Tinh, Saint Giong... nothing felt special. But when he reached the area titled "Legends of the Nation's Origin - Lac Long Quan and Au Co," the Primary Core inside him once again vibrated slightly, exactly like the feeling he had when standing before Hoan Kiem Lake.
"It's here!" he murmured.
He stopped in front of an old bookshelf and pulled out a bamboo scroll that had turned a faded yellow, looking much more ancient than the surrounding documents. The scroll was tied with a frayed silk cord. It had no label or archive number. It seemed to have been forgotten here for a very long time.
"What is that?" To Quyen and Quynh Nhu came closer, curious.
"I don't know either," Lam Minh said, carefully untying the silk cord.
He slowly unrolled the bamboo scroll. Inside were not written words, but exquisitely carved images. The drawings depicted a story.
The first image was of a giant, majestic dragon, soaring over the sea.
The second image, the dragon transformed into a handsome, heroic man.
The third image, the man met a woman as beautiful as a fairy, with a halo behind her back.
The next image, they gave birth to a sac of one hundred eggs...
"This... this is the story of Lac Long Quan and Au Co!" To Quyen said in astonishment. "But why is it drawn with such detail and... so vividly?"
But Lam Minh's attention was drawn to other details. In the following images, after Lac Long Quan led fifty of his children to the sea, there were pictures of him fighting strange creatures.
They were grotesque, ferocious monsters. And more terrifyingly, there was one type of monster that looked very much like... a Madakaros with three eyes!
"It can't be..." To Quyen also realized it, covering her mouth with her hand.
Quynh Nhu was also stunned. "Could it be... that our ancestors fought them before?"
Lam Minh turned to the final image. It depicted Lac Long Quan, in a half-man, half-dragon form, wielding a radiant sword, piercing through a giant three-eyed monster. Behind him were his fifty children, each exuding an extraordinary aura, fighting alongside their father.
Beneath the picture, there was a single line of ancient Chinese characters.
Lam Minh, thanks to some research in his past life, could recognize the characters. He read it softly.
"Thien Nam... Ngu Tinh..." (Southern Sky... Fish Goblin)
And next to it, there was a small drawing that looked like a map, pointing to a remote island in the East Sea, and a symbol that looked exactly like the Turtle Tower in Hoan Kiem Lake.
Just then, Professor Lan Anh walked in. "What is it, children? Did you find something?"
To Quyen hurriedly handed the bamboo scroll to her mother. "Mom, look at this! This is an earth-shattering discovery!"
Professor Lan Anh took the scroll, and the more she looked, the more shocked and serious her expression became. "My god... could it be that those legends... are all true?"
She looked at the Chinese characters. "Thien Nam Ngu Tinh... This is the name of one of the demons that Lac Long Quan vanquished in the legends. Could it be... that Ngu Tinh is the ancient name for the Madakaros race?"
The entire room fell silent. A crazy but incredibly logical theory was beginning to form. If this was true, it would rewrite the entire history of mankind.
Professor Lan Anh looked at Lam Minh, her eyes full of hidden meaning. "Lam Minh, how did you find this scroll? It's not in any catalog."
Lam Minh scratched his head again. "Well... I saw it had fallen behind the bookshelf, so I picked it up. It's probably because... I was born on September 2nd, so my ancestors blessed me and helped me find a national treasure."
He used another ridiculous excuse. But this time, no one laughed. Because his discovery was too monumental.
Professor Lan Anh carefully placed the bamboo scroll into a special preservation box. "This is too big. I must report it immediately. Children, you must not reveal this to anyone."
After she left, To Quyen and Quynh Nhu were still in a state of shock.
"Lam Minh," To Quyen said, her voice trembling. "Do you... believe in these things? Dragons, fairies, ancient battles..."
Lam Minh looked out the window towards Hoan Kiem Lake. He didn't answer, just smiled faintly.
Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm about to witness it with my own eyes. This trip to Hanoi was much more interesting than he had ever imagined.