The ancient parchments had faded somewhat . After eight centuries, the weathering process had left mottled marks on them despite the magic protection to prevent decay . As Hao Ren had imagined, the witch left behind this record when she knew she had no hope of returning home . The blackened papers told the story of an ordinary witch from Earth . It was about her short life and experience of being stranded in this strange world .
"Anyone who reads these letters, if you can understand what they mean, I give you my most sincere blessings . May the light of knowledge and mystery bless you not to be stranded as I did . My name is Beatrice . I am from another world, and I believe you too .
"I came to this place in search of knowledge and mystery . A hellish misadventure landed me into the abyss and eventually stuck here . In a sense, I have gotten what I wanted . What I learned and encountered were miracles that I could have never imagined in the past thousands of years . I believe that even the gods of ancient times do not know about the mysteries of this world . It renders all my ideas and knowledge systems obsolete . No words could describe the surprises I saw in this underground world, but I hope to share the joy of this discovery with you . Unfortunately, I can't go back . I can only write it down in the parchment . "
Hao Ren skipped the less important paragraphs, only took a cursory glance at Beatrice's early record of her time in this world . The witch had received help from the locals . The fire tribe was hospitable and not hostile towards foreigners . Because Beatrice was skilled in a kind of magic flame, the tribe people saw it as evidence of her closeness to natural elements . In this world, the intimacy with the natural elements was proof of one's 'good quality . ' So, Beatrice could easily befriend with the locals .
She became a friend with the Witch of Fire, who was the tribal saintess . The friendship had been beautiful . The people practiced superficial elemental magic, but the more in-depth knowledge of it had disappeared . Saintesses and tribal warriors could only attain advanced magic by relying on the help of blood or celestial objects . The warriors learned the magic just for battle use; it was the saintesses and their apprentices who delve into advanced magic skills . The arrival of Beatrice had brought new knowledge that this world lacked . At the same time, the saintess of the Fire tribe had found a like-minded partner in Beatrice . They studied ancient expertise together ever since .
They were into the ancient symbols and memory inscribed in the blood . In just a few years, the two became good friends . They even restored many old magic creations . Beatrice was the one who made the phlogistic lamp and cracked the methods of producing ancient artifacts from the totem of the Fire tribe .
They were into the ancient symbols and memory inscribed in the blood . In just a few years, the two became good friends . They even restored many old magic creations . Beatrice was the one who made the phlogistic lamp and cracked the methods of producing ancient artifacts from the totem of the Fire tribe .
The curing of the black-spot plague was another achievement . The incident had exalted the position of Beatrice in the hearts of the locals . They no longer treated Beatrice as a foreigner but people of the goddess just like them . But Beatrice was also unusual in that she was the only people of the goddess that fell from the Pillar of Eternity .
" . . . I have spent many years here . It was a bit difficult at first . I have to learn strange words, language, customs and even eating habits . There was once a plant favorite among the locals eating as food almost killed me . That was the first time I truly learned about the alien world . Since then, things have been getting better . It is a place where I can settle down and begin like it . I was an outcast in my homeworld where magic practitioners were in decline . When the racial war was coming to an end, a witch like me became the ultimate loser . I don't miss my homeworld, as living in fugitive was not something to be cherished . Maybe staying here is not too bad . At least, I have this thought sometimes in my life .
" . . . I observe the lives of the local people during my free time . I am very interested in their religion and way of life . And more importantly, this world fascinates me . What kind of power could create another layer of earth on top of the original layer? It is out of this world . But it has happened here . According to the legend of the local people, it seemed that this world was unlike what it is today . Something has changed it .
" . . . I observe the lives of the local people during my free time . I am very interested in their religion and way of life . And more importantly, this world fascinates me . What kind of power could create another layer of earth on top of the original layer? It is out of this world . But it has happened here . According to the legend of the local people, it seemed that this world was unlike what it is today . Something has changed it .
" . . . the locals believe that the pillars that support the heaven and the earth are the giants' arms . In their religious beliefs, except for the goddess, shadows of the 'great creature' are everywhere . The giant supports the sky, and the clouds are the air that the giant exhales . The wind on the grassland is the yawning of a giant beast called Haku; and the world is built on the back of a stooped old man named Toka, who was the gardener of the goddess . There are many such legends, full of unusual colors, which remind me of the strange deities of my homeworld during ancient times . But I could not shrug these legends off . They have clear and surprising logic though appear grotesque . They seem to be real, but history has obscured them .
"Yes, it is a heritage . The historical legacy of the locals is a more exciting topic . I found out that these people once were a brilliant civilization, one that was even more advanced than those in my homeworld . But the closure of heaven had interrupted the development of this civilization . I could see the relics of this ancient civilization on murals and slates: a vehicle that drives by itself, flying craft, magic-driven rock guards and iron giants, and even Moro Tosh, the magical city that floated in the air . But these things have disappeared, buried deep in earth's fissures .
" . . . there is another fascinating phenomenon . The closure of heaven reduced the population by more than half . The remaining population also gradually declined . But disaster was not the sole cause of the reduction; it was a deliberate act . I found many records on ancient slates that contained detailed plans of population control . The tribes scattered around the world were following a strict timetable to control their population in the period when communication was cut off . About 3,000 years ago, in Inferno-term, they had managed to reduce the population down to the current level . And, this number has never changed since then .
" . . . The birth rate is strictly controlled . They use a kind of drug to dictate when one would produce offspring . The newborns would go through a ritual-like training to ensure the children could fully assume work in the tribe and would not die prematurely . There are indications that these natives are aware of the fragility and scarce resources of this world, and consciously limiting the population to conserve resources . This concept has been handed down from ancient times . No one knows why they have to do this, but they still follow the teaching strictly . So who taught them the resource conservation? Maybe it was the goddess .
" . . . there is another fascinating phenomenon . The closure of heaven reduced the population by more than half . The remaining population also gradually declined . But disaster was not the sole cause of the reduction; it was a deliberate act . I found many records on ancient slates that contained detailed plans of population control . The tribes scattered around the world were following a strict timetable to control their population in the period when communication was cut off . About 3,000 years ago, in Inferno-term, they had managed to reduce the population down to the current level . And, this number has never changed since then .
" . . . The birth rate is strictly controlled . They use a kind of drug to dictate when one would produce offspring . The newborns would go through a ritual-like training to ensure the children could fully assume work in the tribe and would not die prematurely . There are indications that these natives are aware of the fragility and scarce resources of this world, and consciously limiting the population to conserve resources . This concept has been handed down from ancient times . No one knows why they have to do this, but they still follow the teaching strictly . So who taught them the resource conservation? Maybe it was the goddess .
"I even suspect that they have a way to control the intelligence and thinking of the newborns . I have found substances that could affect the brain in their every-day spices . These spices only slightly inhibit brain activity and are not very harmful . But it is this just-right inhibition that has stalled their civilization . It has been thousands of years since the closure of heaven, the length of time is enough for them to rebuild their civilization . So it should be the result of an intentional or unintentional intervention . It is a pity that I don't have much time . I can't verify my conjectures . And even if I could, I could not reverse their religious traditions . Religion is vital to them . Thousands of years of drug prescription and traditional teaching are flowing in their blood veins . As an outsider, I had better not to interfere…"
Hao Ren suddenly looked up at Beatrice who was in a daze . "Show me the spices that you have used to baptize the newborns . "
The ancient parchments had faded somewhat . After eight centuries, the weathering process had left mottled marks on them despite the magic protection to prevent decay . As Hao Ren had imagined, the witch left behind this record when she knew she had no hope of returning home . The blackened papers told the story of an ordinary witch from Earth . It was about her short life and experience of being stranded in this strange world . Anyone who reads these letters, if you can understand what they mean, I give you my most sincere blessings . May the light of knowledge and mystery bless you not to be stranded as I did . My name is Beatrice . I am from another world, and I believe you too . I came to this place in search of knowledge and mystery . A hellish misadventure landed me into the abyss and eventually stuck here . In a sense, I have gotten what I wanted . What I learned and encountered were miracles that I could have never imagined in the past thousands of years . I believe that even the gods of ancient times do not know about the mysteries of this world . It renders all my ideas and knowledge systems obsolete . No words could describe the surprises I saw in this underground world, but I hope to share the joy of this discovery with you . Unfortunately, I cant go back . I can only write it down in the parchment . Hao Ren skipped the less important paragraphs, only took a cursory glance at Beatrices early record of her time in this world . The witch had received help from the locals . The fire tribe was hospitable and not hostile towards foreigners . Because Beatrice was skilled in a kind of magic flame, the tribe people saw it as evidence of her closeness to natural elements . In this world, the intimacy with the natural elements was proof of ones good quality . So, Beatrice could easily befriend with the locals . She became a friend with the Witch of Fire, who was the tribal saintess . The friendship had been beautiful . The people practiced superficial elemental magic, but the more in-depth knowledge of it had disappeared . Saintesses and tribal warriors could only attain advanced magic by relying on the help of blood or celestial objects . The warriors learned the magic just for battle use; it was the saintesses and their apprentices who delve into advanced magic skills . The arrival of Beatrice had brought new knowledge that this world lacked . At the same time, the saintess of the Fire tribe had found a like-minded partner in Beatrice . They studied ancient expertise together ever since . They were into the ancient symbols and memory inscribed in the blood . In just a few years, the two became good friends . They even restored many old magic creations . Beatrice was the one who made the phlogistic lamp and cracked the methods of producing ancient artifacts from the totem of the Fire tribe . The curing of the black-spot plague was another achievement . The incident had exalted the position of Beatrice in the hearts of the locals . They no longer treated Beatrice as a foreigner but people of the goddess just like them . But Beatrice was also unusual in that she was the only people of the goddess that fell from the Pillar of Eternity . . I have spent many years here . It was a bit difficult at first . I have to learn strange words, language, customs and even eating habits . There was once a plant favorite among the locals eating as food almost killed me . That was the first time I truly learned about the alien world . Since then, things have been getting better . It is a place where I can settle down and begin like it . I was an outcast in my homeworld where magic practitioners were in decline . When the racial war was coming to an end, a witch like me became the ultimate loser . I dont miss my homeworld, as living in fugitive was not something to be cherished . Maybe staying here is not too bad . At least, I have this thought sometimes in my life . . I observe the lives of the local people during my free time . I am very interested in their religion and way of life . And more importantly, this world fascinates me . What kind of power could create another layer of earth on top of the original layer? It is out of this world . But it has happened here . According to the legend of the local people, it seemed that this world was unlike what it is today . Something has changed it . . the locals believe that the pillars that support the heaven and the earth are the giants arms . In their religious beliefs, except for the goddess, shadows of the great creature are everywhere . The giant supports the sky, and the clouds are the air that the giant exhales . The wind on the grassland is the yawning of a giant beast called Haku; and the world is built on the back of a stooped old man named Toka, who was the gardener of the goddess . There are many such legends, full of unusual colors, which remind me of the strange deities of my homeworld during ancient times . But I could not shrug these legends off . They have clear and surprising logic though appear grotesque . They seem to be real, but history has obscured them . Yes, it is a heritage . The historical legacy of the locals is a more exciting topic . I found out that these people once were a brilliant civilization, one that was even more advanced than those in my homeworld . But the closure of heaven had interrupted the development of this civilization . I could see the relics of this ancient civilization on murals and slates: a vehicle that drives by itself, flying craft, magic-driven rock guards and iron giants, and even Moro Tosh, the magical city that floated in the air . But these things have disappeared, buried deep in earths fissures . . there is another fascinating phenomenon . The closure of heaven reduced the population by more than half . The remaining population also gradually declined . But disaster was not the sole cause of the reduction; it was a deliberate act . I found many records on ancient slates that contained detailed plans of population control . The tribes scattered around the world were following a strict timetable to control their population in the period when communication was cut off . About 3,000 years ago, in Inferno-term, they had managed to reduce the population down to the current level . And, this number has never changed since then . . The birth rate is strictly controlled . They use a kind of drug to dictate when one would produce offspring . The newborns would go through a ritual-like training to ensure the children could fully assume work in the tribe and would not die prematurely . There are indications that these natives are aware of the fragility and scarce resources of this world, and consciously limiting the population to conserve resources . This concept has been handed down from ancient times . No one knows why they have to do this, but they still follow the teaching strictly . So who taught them the resource conservation? Maybe it was the goddess . I even suspect that they have a way to control the intelligence and thinking of the newborns . I have found substances that could affect the brain in their every-day spices . These spices only slightly inhibit brain activity and are not very harmful . But it is this just-right inhibition that has stalled their civilization . It has been thousands of years since the closure of heaven, the length of time is enough for them to rebuild their civilization . So it should be the result of an intentional or unintentional intervention . It is a pity that I dont have much time . I cant verify my conjectures . And even if I could, I could not reverse their religious traditions . Religion is vital to them . Thousands of years of drug prescription and traditional teaching are flowing in their blood veins . As an outsider, I had better not to interfere… Hao Ren suddenly looked up at Beatrice who was in a daze . Show me the spices that you have used to baptize the newborns .
Chapter end
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