Chapter 51

What is the purpose of writing? The most common answer is that it is a means to spread and record information, a visual and symbolic representation of language. In detail, there are only two types: using letters to express pronunciation to record spoken content, and using graphics to depict the form of things.

The latter is the foundation of Chinese creation.

Although Zhao Mai did not know the common language, he recognized Chinese characters. He stared hard at the Druid script on the Tree of Enlightenment, unexpectedly seeing Chinese characters. The characters, a mix of Small Seal Script and Clerical Script, were tiny and densely packed, forming beautiful and intricate patterns on the tree bark.

Zhao Mai fell to the ground, covering his mouth with his hand, unsure of what expression to show. Did the Druids and ancient Chinese really have some connection? If this was the result of a deity's imagination, then this imagination was indeed deep and vast. According to the setting of the fantasy world, Druids originated from primitive shamans, emerging in an era when intelligent beings barely survived, based on their reverence for nature. There should be no involvement of the Chinese in this. But why use Chinese characters as Druid script?

No wonder Joseph the Druid had such a strong reaction when he heard excerpts from the Tao Te Ching, even fainting. This influence was undoubtedly a part of a shared cultural heritage. No wonder no one except Druids could learn the Druid script; the difficulty of learning it was indeed too high. No wonder the spell "Comprehend Languages" could interpret all scripts except the Druid script—other scripts were alphabetic, while this one was graphic.

In the past, Zhao Mai had always been puzzled about why Druid script was so special among all languages, and why almost all language-related spells made exceptions for it. The root of the matter was here. If he hadn't personally come to the Druid community and seen the Tree of Enlightenment, he would never have believed such a setting.

"Are you okay, Mike?" Ziyue squatted down to look at him, her two small circles on her knees merging into an ellipse. "Why are you covering your mouth, and why do you have such a strange expression, like you want to cry but can't?"

I'm so excited I want to laugh! Zhao Mai shouted in his heart. The Druid script is written in Chinese characters; what cognitive difficulties could he have? Unlike phonetic scripts, where letters and their meanings are unrelated, Chinese characters themselves have meaning, such as the characters "上" (up) and "下" (down), which would never be inverted or mistaken. Moreover, since the entire text was already in Chinese characters, and this probability had been realized, how could the meanings be difficult to understand?

"Don't be discouraged. These Druid scripts were used in ancient times and are very difficult to learn, so they have been simplified now," Aphra said calmly. "As long as you have a foundation in the common language, modern Druid script is very easy to learn."

Lucius gently flicked his golden hair and said, "However, at the core, the essence of the Druid language is still these scripts. If you don't understand them, you won't understand the history of the Druids. Forgetting your heritage will lead to confusion during enlightenment. Mike, I sincerely hope you can abandon your radical ideas and make steady progress. Only then will you have a chance to reach my level one day."

Ms. Celine patted Lucius on the shoulder, signaling that he had said too much. Lucius bowed slightly and closed his mouth.

Zhao Mai slowly calmed down. He decided to use this advantage, unknown to anyone, to his benefit. However, he still had a question, so he politely asked, "Aphra, can you tell me how to read these characters?"

Aphra's cheeks turned slightly red, and her voice was a bit hesitant, but she still said, "I can't recognize all the characters, and I can't guarantee that my pronunciation is entirely correct. If there are any mistakes, I hope Ms. Celine can correct them."

The elf smiled and encouraged her, "You have the most knowledge of ancient scripts among all my Druid apprentices. Go ahead, and I'll correct you if there are any mistakes."

Well, if the chance of making a mistake is only "if," what's there to be embarrassed about? During his university days, Zhao Mai often skipped classes and could still score around 70 out of 100 (enough to pass, Zhao Mai added). A mistake rate of "if" would be like scoring 9999 out of 10000. A high achiever! A genius!

Ziyue also came over to join in, but Zhao Mai couldn't tell if she was there to learn or to cause trouble. It wasn't until Ms. Celine pinched her face and dragged her aside that Zhao Mai could finally focus on the lesson.

Reading the characters one by one, he understood almost none of them. From the pronunciation patterns, he could still hear some habits of the Chinese language, such as intonation and the four tones. Zhao Mai tried speaking a sentence in Chinese, but the others all said they couldn't understand it at all.

There are several possibilities. The Chinese language has a continuous tradition of writing, but its pronunciation has been influenced by factors such as region, customs, and historical changes, leading to a diverse range of dialects. Dialects are generally mutually intelligible in writing but not necessarily in speech. Even if you can tell it's a Chinese dialect, you might not understand what the other person is saying.

Mandarin is based on Beijing dialect and incorporates features of Northern dialects, which is certainly different from the language used during the Small Seal Script and Clerical Script periods. Additionally, the person who brought these characters might have had a dialectical accent...

Time has passed, and the Tree of Enlightenment has grown for over 20,000 years. Could the transmission have remained error-free for so long? Zhao Mai not understanding their "Druid language" and they not understanding his Chinese—wasn't this a good thing?

Next, he asked about the meanings of a few characters and found no difference from Chinese, which completely put his mind at ease. Aphra also said that the characters on the Tree of Enlightenment were randomly arranged and conveyed no meaning. Only by taking the enlightenment potion or with the help of a Druid master could these characters be recombined to form impressions in the mind. This is what Ziyue meant by "the characters becoming as big as a head and flying around in the sky."

Each person's enlightenment is different, and they quickly forget it afterward, with only a small part remaining. The remaining part is called the personal enlightenment core, which, when enveloped by the power of nature, becomes the so-called "Heart of Nature." However, they couldn't specify where the Heart of Nature was located, only telling Zhao Mai to "experience it for himself."

If he were to start from scratch, it would take years to master the Druid language. Therefore, no one believed that Zhao Mai could learn it just by attending classes. Aphra's suggestion to teach him was merely to make herself feel better and to make a small contribution. Zhao Mai remained calm and did not reveal that he could understand the characters. This was his hidden advantage, which he couldn't let others know.

The one who laughs last laughs best.