Live Archaeology: I Translated the First Emperor’s Diary

A low-key archaeology intern vs. an arrogant authority on the subject and foreign forces coveting national treasures

Plot elements: livestream face-slapping, awakened relics, national treasures choosing their master, restoration with cutting-edge technology, academic showdowns, international competitions, and the defense of civilization

Genres: urban supernatural powers, historical mysteries, technological advancement, livestream fiction, feel-good fiction

While taking part in a globally watched livestream excavation of a burial pit in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, archaeology intern Su Wen accidentally touches a mysterious jade slip and awakens the [Flame of Civilization] System. He gains the ability to resonate with history and understand every lost script and technique.

When the lead expert on site is stumped by a crucial inscription and the livestream reaches an impasse, Su Wen calmly steps in and translates the complete Records of the First Emperor’s Eastern Tour and Search for Immortals, written two thousand years ago, then makes it public. The revelation instantly sets the world ablaze.

From then on, he becomes a “walking translator of civilization.” From ancient star maps and blueprints of Mohist mechanical cities to Emperor Wu of Han’s classified nautical charts and technological fragments from the Yongle Encyclopedia, he continues to uncover lost ancient technologies and the truth about past civilizations.

Each translation helps revive a lost art, boosts the nation’s technological and cultural strength, and allows him to defend the origins of civilization with irrefutable evidence amid international struggles over relics and academic clashes. In the end, he discovers that his awakening was no coincidence: it was the last spark left behind by an ancient civilization to meet an unknown crisis looming on the horizon.