LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 44: The Secret of the Written Word
Ryan had carefully studied the unique 'writing' of the gnolls and discovered that these symbols were connected in a very peculiar way. Through different solutions and different combinations of these symbols, they could absorb various magical elements. The most crucial part was that these symbols could automatically absorb and replenish magical power. According to the gnoll mage, A'da, the arrangement of these symbols differed depending on the mage's level, and also by magic affinity. Higher-level mages had more complex symbol arrangements, and mages of different elemental affinities had different sequences of symbols. The number of symbols drawn depended on one's ability to endure pain—the more pain one could bear, the more symbols they could inscribe, and the higher their mage rank. Ryan suspected that this was related to mental strength. Ryan instructed A'da to create solutions from the blood of various magical beasts from different elemental affiliations to inscribe different tattoos on the octopus lizards. He planned to raise these lizards and observe them for experiments. Now that Ryan had mastered seven different elemental symbol-writing techniques, he was eager to find out whether there was a recorded form of these symbols that could automatically absorb magical elements from the air. With this in mind, Ryan embarked on a quest to find the answer.
Ryan first turned to the books of the original owner of the alchemy laboratory, but found that many of the books had unfamiliar characters, quite different from the common writing. Unable to read them, Ryan had no choice but to ask some familiar faces for help.
"I don't recognize these characters. I hate those squiggly things," was Kobe's response.
"Oh my! Are you even a mage? If someone as knowledgeable as you doesn't know them, what chance do I have?" was Hak's response.
"If you want to read, try asking Dove. Dark elves love playing with that kind of thing. For me, as long as I can swing an axe, that's enough," Harry pointed out, offering Ryan a lead.
Left with little choice, Ryan went to find Dove, who lived in the War Ancient Tree. She had been spared from the tree's curse by her grandfather, Kata.
"You've done something surprising, young one. I wonder, could we have a proper conversation? I feel we have much in common. I also have something small to give you," said Kata, as he invited Ryan into the heart of the War Ancient Tree.
Ryan was taken aback when he saw that the inside of the tree was much larger than it appeared, with a faint aura of spatial magic. The space was roughly 5 square meters in size and filled with a rich life force. Upon entering, Ryan immediately asked, "Grandpa Kata, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about? Can we discuss it now?"
"You're surprised, aren't you? How could our War Ancient Trees have spatial magic?" a booming voice resonated from above Ryan's head, and suddenly a face appeared in the tree trunk opposite him.
"Actually, I am curious," Ryan answered honestly.
"You don't need to be surprised. After awakening, most of our War Ancient Trees have only the wood attribute, but some have dual attributes. This shouldn't be too hard for you to understand," Kata explained with a somewhat strange tone.
Ryan became cautious and reflected on the fact that he had never used dual magic in Mu'an City, nor had he ever shown it. Deciding to feign ignorance, he said, "Could it be that Grandpa Kata, you are a dual attribute? That's amazing!"
"Heh, little one, when I first saw you, I felt a strange familiarity, a connection to nature. This is quite rare, as only two kinds of people give us this feeling: elves or those with light or wood elemental magic. And since you're a fire mage, the answer is obvious, isn't it?" Kata teased, explaining to Ryan.
Ryan silently cursed, "I'm a water mage, not wood!" but outwardly he denied it, "Grandpa Kata, you're just joking. How could I be dual-attribute? I'm simply a kind-hearted person, that's why you feel this way, right?"
"Heh, little one, you don't have to deny it. I mean no harm. I'm not forcing you, we're just exchanging something. I'll share a secret with you, a great secret. You know, living long means knowing many secrets that others don't. How about it?" Kata didn't seem moved by Ryan's words, continuing as if speaking to himself.
Ryan was wary of revealing his secret, so he responded, "Grandpa Kata, could you let me go now? I still need to ask Dove some questions." Ryan wanted to leave the small, uncomfortable space, despite the faint glow it emitted.
"Well, you could ask me first. I might know something," Kata replied, showing no sign of giving up. Clearly, Kata's interest in light magic was very strong, and he seemed determined to make a deal.
Ryan didn't hesitate and quickly drew several symbols on a piece of paper, asking Kata to recognize them.
"Ah! After so many years, someone finally notices the issue! You're clever, little one, but remember, the rest of this should remain secret…" Kata revealed an earth-shattering secret to Ryan.
These symbols had several names: Divine Script, Magic Script, Founders' Script, and Forbidden Script, to name a few. These were the writing systems used on the continent thousands of years ago, created by an intelligent race called the Demon Tribe. As for their origin, no one knew. The Demon Tribe had once ruled this land—indeed, not just this continent, but even the East Star and West Star in the sky were under their control. Back then, humans were their slaves, elves were their songstresses, dwarves were their miners, gnomes built their machines, and dragons were their transportation. In short, the Demon Tribe ruled everything, and they had the power to use massive killing machines to destroy cities from miles away. They could even manipulate beams of destruction from distant stars to strike down any who challenged them. The Demon Tribe's dominance lasted until they tried to create gods, which the celestial deities discovered. This led to the legendary War of the Gods and Demons, which resulted in the Demon Tribe's downfall. From that moment, their script was banned by the gods. The writing that Ryan had drawn was the Demon Tribe's script, and the gnolls were supposedly their pets, used for amusement.
Ryan was shocked at the history he had just learned. The idea of weapons capable of destroying a city from miles away sounded like some form of long-range, nuclear-like weapon. The thought that the Demon Tribe had developed such technology long before his time left Ryan wondering if some of his own ideas could one day be realized. Yet, a question lingered in his mind: Why would the gods prevent the progress of civilization? Did this threaten their existence? But if the gods were indeed humans who had ascended, then this posed an entirely different set of questions.
At first, Ryan's eyes gleamed with excitement, but as his thoughts deepened, he realized how complicated this situation was. If the Demon Tribe had developed such powerful technology, there must have been other forces involved, and their annihilation must have been tied to something that happened thousands of years ago. Ryan also wondered if these historical events would influence his own future endeavors. However, the most pressing question was the one Kata had raised: "What issue did you discover, little one?"
"I've already mentioned this before. The gnolls are pets of the Demon Tribe, which is why they can recognize many of their symbols. I'm the only one who knows this, and I've lived for over 12,000 years. Even when I came down here, I was already over 2,000 years old. Although I hadn't awakened then, I recorded everything. Now you can finally tell me the truth, right?" Kata's words startled Ryan, who realized that this ancient tree had remembered everything even before it had fully awakened.
Ryan was even more puzzled, "Why does Grandpa Kata insist that I admit it? Can you tell me directly what this is all about?"
"You probably know that our War Ancient Trees originally grew on the surface. There were almost a hundred of us, half of which were over 6,000 years old. That's when we awakened. But after a certain time, if we didn't awaken, we'd start dying. We discovered a strange phenomenon: those that had been transplanted to the surface were the ones who awoke, while those raised underground couldn't. After awakening, we naturally split off a small sapling, which is why the War Ancient Trees are so rare. That's why we want you to use your illumination magic to test it," Kata finally revealed the secret of the War Ancient Trees, something even the Mage Guild didn't know.
"Okay, but I need to know everything about these symbols first, since I want to go back to the surface," Ryan said after a quick mental calculation. He then solemnly added, acknowledging his light magic abilities.
"Alright, but we need to make a pact. If you ever manage to leave, you must take the dark elves with you," Kata answered after a long pause.
Ryan felt an overwhelming sense of joy. Though it seemed like he might be at a disadvantage, he would never leave behind the elderly who longed to return to the surface. The surface world's powers might find this a threat, but it wouldn't be easy. After all, the surface and underground were two very different worlds. Should the underground forces attempt to conquer the surface, they would first need the consent of the mages, and similarly, surface forces could not easily dominate the rich underground territories without first consulting its inhabitants, including the gnolls.
"Well, what about the little gift Grandpa Keta mentioned earlier? What's the big secret? Tell me, and make me happy," Ryan continued his shameless inquiry, aiming to maximize his gains.
"Alright, but first you need to prove you're a light-element mage," Keta had already expected this, but he didn't mind. After all, he and Ryan were already allies. Keta vaguely felt that the day he would once again see the light was drawing near. Although Keta found it laughable—after all, Ryan was only a level 2 mage, with good alchemy skills—but the device Ryan had created to attack the goblins had accomplished something extraordinary. To a war tree like Keta, who could sense things from tens of kilometers away, a basement just a few hundred meters away was barely visible under his nose. Keta hadn't expected something so simple and crude could defeat the seemingly invincible goblins. This was also a stark contrast to the goblins' behavior, as they bullied the weak and feared the strong. However, the facts had shown Keta that the seemingly simple device, in his eyes, had played a significant role.
"Light spell!" Ryan chanted the three words of the incantation, one of the essential spells he had spent a lot of time perfecting, alongside the Fireball spell. The light spell was something that even an apprentice priest could learn. It would create a light that illuminated an area with a radius of 30 meters and a height of 20 meters for 5 minutes. Ryan, now a level 2 mage, could illuminate a radius of 50 meters and a height of 30 meters, with the light being more intense but still lasting 5 minutes.
"What, what's going on?" Ryan felt a dizzying sensation, and when the spinning stopped, he realized he was standing outside Keta. The once massive war tree started to shake violently, rocks and dirt flying about, and elves from the tree began jumping down, shouting something in Elvish. The number of people around them grew, and several elders arrived to watch. Ryan stood stunned by the scene unfolding before him. It then dawned on him that Keta had likely tricked him, but the most important thing was to figure out what had actually happened.