HLM -Chapter 837 A Pile of Bones

Atulu held up a long copper piece covered in bluish-green rust. At the end of the copper strip were two pieces of earthy-yellow material wrapped around it, resembling a handle.

Sheriff Smith stopped teasing him and hurriedly took the copper piece to examine it closely.

Seeing that his discovery had caught everyone’s attention, Atulu perked up. “The reason I was panting wasn’t because I ran—it’s because I was excited! Excited!”

Wang Bo nodded. “Very good, Atulu, you’ve made a contribution. Where did you find this? Is it a weapon from the body? I think this is a bronze knife. What do you all think?”

Atulu shook his head. “No, this isn’t a bronze knife. This is a Koisata!”

“Koisata? What is that?” Wang Bo was stunned.

Sheriff Smith explained, “It’s a Māori term. It can be translated as a war staff or ceremonial battle scepter—similar to a military standard.”

“In early Māori tribal wars, this object was carried by the tribe’s warriors. A tribal totem flag was tied to it, and during battles, the warrior holding it charged at the front.”

Sheriff Smith clicked his tongue in wonder. “This is also my first time seeing one in person. Atulu, are you sure this is a Koisata?”

Atulu patted the two slabs of fat on his chest confidently. “Absolutely. I swear to the great Maori—this is a Koisata. Look at the handle, it’s made from rhino horn.”

Wang Bo frowned. “Rhino horn? How would New Zealand have rhino horn?”

New Zealand was isolated and surrounded by islands without large predators.

Atulu also shook his head, not knowing. Sheriff Smith said, “He’s not wrong. If this is a Koisata, the handle is made from rhino horn. As for how Māori people got rhino horn back then—there’s no written record. It’s become an unsolved mystery.”

Wang Bo didn’t fully grasp the significance of a Koisata, but once Ramon learned what it was, he immediately ordered the assistants to bring the bones back down and restart careful examination.

Soon, Ramon, looking through a magnifying glass, exclaimed, “Keep digging! This person died from external trauma. Look at his left eye socket—there’s a small mark, likely left by an arrow or sharp object piercing through the eye and damaging the cerebellum.”

Atulu explained to Wang Bo that a Koisata was equivalent to a war flag among Māori tribes. It was extremely important and could not be lost. It was usually not displayed except during war, when a warrior brandished it at the front lines.

Now that the Koisata had been found beneath this skeleton, it was highly likely that the skeleton’s owner had been a warrior. That meant that five or six hundred years ago, a battle had likely occurred here.

Warriors held extremely high status in Māori tribes. Their bodies would never be abandoned. And tribal treasures such as the Koisata were never buried with warriors.

Unless—there had been an extremely brutal conflict here, one that wiped out an entire tribe, or even resulted in mutual destruction between two tribes. Only then could the Koisata and a warrior’s corpse end up buried together.

Conely returned with shovels and tools. A dozen people spread out and began digging. At first, they found nothing. After half an hour, the surrounding land was full of pits, but still no results…

Sheriff Smith leaned on his shovel. “Maybe our guess was wrong. This might not be a battlefield.”

Ramon also laughed. “Right. It’s impossible for so many miracles to appear on Sunset Town’s land. We already have the gold mine—if there’s also an ancient battlefield, that would just be unbelievable.”

Seeing they were giving up, Wang Bo wasn’t too bothered. He shrugged and prepared to leave.

At that moment, Atulu suddenly shouted, “I found something! Dig deeper—quick! There are more bones here!”

Wang Bo threw down his shovel and rushed over. This time, the big Māori guy truly made a contribution. He had dug more than a meter deep. Inside the pit were several grayish-brown dried bones, looking like humerus bones.

After carefully excavating around the pit, two skeletons appeared, tangled together. One had several broken ribs—clearly severely wounded before death.

Now it was almost certain that an ancient battlefield existed nearby. Over centuries, the battlefield had been buried deep underground by time and nature.

Five or six hundred years was a long time. The South Island had a wet, rainy climate. Except for bones, clothing and weapons had decayed completely.

Wang Bo continued digging for a while longer, but found nothing. His interest faded.

With representative discoveries already in hand, Ramon and the others lost interest as well. They took the Koisata and four skeletons—the Uncle Bing had earlier found one more—and left.

They underestimated the impact of an ancient battlefield. New Zealand was a country without deep history. Māori people, though not the mainstream population, still had a past worth preserving.

This country valued Māori history greatly. Part of why White settlers eventually reconciled with Māori people was because they wanted to integrate Māori history.

That morning the bones and battlefield were discovered. By afternoon, The Herald already got the news. Charlie’s beautiful lover Britney called, saying she was coming to report on it.

The next day, the New Zealand Archaeological Institute and the Cultural and Historical Academy dispatched teams to excavate the battlefield.

The Green Party also reacted to the news. The Alexanders said they would come check the battlefield and asked him to protect the site.

Wang Bo curiously asked those beside him, “Why are Vajona and the others coming? Do New Zealanders care so much about history?”

“Of course. New Zealanders love sports and leisure, but what they long for most is culture and history.”

But Qingyang shook his head. “Vajona isn’t coming for that. They want media exposure. A lot of reporters will be coming to Sunset Town in the next few days. This brings them massive publicity.”

The next day, even though Highway 8 still had “dangerous road conditions” signs, many cars continued pouring into town.

The archaeological and cultural teams were the most anxious—they had set off the night before. Wang Bo couldn’t help respecting their enthusiasm.

They arrived with professional equipment, trucks and vans full of gear, including a trailer carrying a small excavator.

Upon reaching Sunset Town, they contacted Wang Bo, then set up barricades around the area where the bones were discovered.

Wang Bo stopped them. “Why are you fencing off my land?”

An elderly professor with snow-white hair replied, “Sir, this place may conceal a glorious part of history. Don’t you want it revealed to the world?”

Wang Bo gave a bright smile. “And what does that have to do with my town? I’m only concerned about the damage the storm caused.”