Chapter 9, The Language of God

The laboratory of that great philosopher

Dandong! ! ! !" Rodi exclaimed, "Heavens! ! This is the notebook left by the sage of Dandong, the ancient philosopher! ! ! Heavens! ! !"

Nicole shrugged her shoulders: "Whatever, everything on this table is a replica, used for my research. The genuine articles are already well hidden"

Nicole glanced at Roddy. Although her face remained cold, her tone seemed to soften slightly: "Some substances in certain bottles should not be touched. For instance, the second bottle in front of you. If you accidentally spill even a little, and just a tiny bit gets on your hand, then it's over for you! Your entire arm will be instantly corroded to the bone!"

Why? Is the wisdom of Dandong so difficult to learn? Is it that profound?

As Rody walked to the edge of the table, his mind was swirling with these strange thoughts. He glanced into the box and immediately took a deep breath, nearly gasping in surprise.

As Nicole entered the small building, the first floor was cluttered with several sets of tables and chairs, on which were placed various utensils that Rody could not identify, along with some small jars and bottles. Against the wall stood several rows of iron shelves, neatly filled with a dense array of books—Rody immediately recognized that these books were quite old, with some sets being of antique quality, resembling parchment scrolls.

These books alone are worth a considerable amount of money

Rodi's eyes widened, and his mouth gaped open.

Nicole glanced at Roddy and said lightly, "What's all the fuss about?"

Nicole smiled gently at the book, her smile carrying a hint of peculiarity and a touch of melancholy

Suddenly, a line of writing on a piece of parchment caught Roddy's attention

"Well... all these things... are the remnants of Master Dandong's wisdom!" Rodi exclaimed excitedly. The sage Dandong has been one of his idols since childhood. In fact, without Dandong's reforms back then, commoners like him would have had no chance to enter the Imperial Academy. In the Empire, even a ten-year-old child knows how many miracles Master Dandong created for the Empire!

Those bottles are clearly made of silver, each adorned with a small label—unfortunately, Roddy cannot understand the text on the labels—it is not the common script of the Empire

Rodi immediately retracted his hand, which had been reaching out to touch those bottles

Rodi was startled: "Are these... are these all poisons?"

Rodi stood up from the ground, yet did not dare to utter another word. However, he could not help but secretly curse: "What a fierce demeanor! ... One day, I will ... ... Hmph. ... ... Alas, but why does she look so beautiful even when she is fierce? ... Alas ...

"The language of God...?" Rodi exclaimed, "Is there really a God in this world?"

Nicole glared at him and said, "No! It's just some materials for experimentation!"

"What a fuss!" Rodi exclaimed, "Dandong's notes! Do you know how much a signed copy from Dandong can sell for in the antique market in the capital now!"

Rodi marveled inwardly, unable to resist reaching out to gently stroke the ancient parchment on the table, and cautiously said: "May I take a look?"

Unexpectedly, Nicole did not glare at Roddy in anger this time, but huffed, "Only God knows!" For generations, the family had toiled in vain over that damned "language of the gods," which had consumed the lives and time of several generations—indeed, it had become a heavy burden for the Tulip family! Thus, Nicole seemed to have lost some of her respect for the divine.

Indeed, apart from the few lines of text on the first page that Rody had just seen, which were recorded in the Empire's common script, there were no more characters in the Empire's common script to be found as he turned the pages. The subsequent parchment was densely filled with characters that Rody could not comprehend at all. The composition of these characters was extremely complex, each stroke resembling a chisel or a sword cut, with a very subtle structure. Each character appeared like a square, and every character seemed to be a unique pattern. This was certainly not any script that Rody was familiar with!

Although there are occasionally some strange patterns and drawings—those drawings appear to be some kind of design plans—unfortunately, the accompanying annotations are all in that incomprehensible "language of the gods".

Nicole glared with both eyes, and suddenly with a wave of her sleeve, Rody was immediately sent flying out like a sandbag thrown by someone, crashing into the corner of the wall

Do not hold those bottles!" Suddenly, a cold voice from behind came from Nicole

Indeed! All the manuscripts and *illustrated* books here are remnants of the master's wisdom! These have all been inherited by our family's ancestor!" Nicole's tone carried a hint of sadness: "But this is also a tragedy for our family! For a hundred years, no ancestor has truly been able to obtain this treasure of wisdom! Three of my ancestors spent their later years studying the master's notes here and ultimately died from exhaustion, and my father also passed away in this laboratory due to illness!

In the center, there is a large wooden table—more precisely, a large platform—upon which items are even more scattered. Some bottles and jars are haphazardly placed there, with some even tipped over on the table.

Nicole cast a cold glance at Roddy and said淡淡道: "You have forgotten! I told you that when you speak to me, you must address me as 'Master'! Now! Come here! Don't play dead; I know you are quite robust, and a single fall won't hurt you at all!"

What is this thing you have? What is it?" Rody asked with a face full of curiosity

Rody opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Nicole no longer gave him the chance to ask. She shouted, "Come up with me! Hurry up!"

Nicole curled her lips and said, "What is this! Everything here is left by the Sage of Dandong! The items on that bookshelf are all experimental notes from Dandong's time, and these instruments are the relics of the Sage of Dandong! This was originally Dandong's laboratory."

Lack of high-pressure vessels ... ... Failure ... ... Empire XXX Year, Dandong ... ...

Rodi immediately reached out to grab the sheepskin scroll and then unfolded it

The second floor is an expansive platform, from which one can see the hall on the first floor. The second floor contains significantly more items than the first. On an old, discolored desk sits a peculiar instrument, and the bookshelf against the wall is larger, holding nearly three times the number of books found on the first floor. Roddy has never seen so many antique books in his life. In the corner stands a heavy iron cabinet, the rust on it indicating that this cabinet is likely older than the combined ages of Roddy and Nicole. On an old, discolored desk sits a peculiar instrument, and the bookshelf against the wall is larger, holding nearly three times the number of books found on the first floor. Roddy has never seen so many antique books in his life. In the corner stands a heavy iron cabinet, the rust on it indicating that this cabinet is likely older than the combined ages of Roddy and Nicole.

Nicole's body blocked Roddy's line of sight; she took out a narrow box from the cabinet, and then the iron cabinet door slowly closed on its own

Rodi could not help but want to touch the skull, but his gaze was drawn to a row of medicine bottles on a nearby iron rack

What is even more chilling is that there is a complete human skeleton placed in the corner of the room. The eerie white bones emit a faint, unsettling glow in the dimly lit space. Rody found himself drawn to it involuntarily. To Rody's surprise, there were some unclear markings drawn in red ink on the skull of the skeleton.

"Stop looking at that thing. My father has been looking at it for twenty years, and I have been looking at it for seven years, yet neither of us has understood it. Do you really think you can comprehend it?" Nicole said coldly

Nicole said softly: "Because one of my ancestors was a disciple of Master Dandong, Master Dandong lived in our home during his later years. This is where he worked"

However, how could Dandong's laboratory be here in your home

Ni ascended the stairs, and Rodi hurriedly followed behind

Rodi stepped forward and discovered several tattered parchments on the table, the messy handwriting indicating that they might be some sort of experimental notes

Nicole touched the box as if she were holding a priceless treasure, carefully placing it on the table before slowly opening it

We do not know! We simply do not understand what the wisdom of Dandong truly is—because those truly important notes are incomprehensible to anyone! The language in which Dandong records those most significant notes is not the common script of our empire, nor any language of the continent—even it is not any language we are aware of!" Nicole's tone was filled with mockery: "At times, we even suspect that the language Dandong uses is the true language of the gods! My ancestors have searched through various texts and have been unable to decipher this language!" My ancestors have searched through various texts and have been unable to decipher this language!

Nicole ignored Rody, who was frowning and staring blankly at the sheepskin, and turned to the iron cabinet in the corner. It was unclear what incantation she muttered, but the cabinet slowly opened. Rody immediately shifted his gaze—although he was a warrior, he had a keen interest in magic. He understood that Nicole was using a spell lock, a type of magic derived from sorcery, which utilized a form of memory magic to allow the cabinet to automatically remember a person's voice. The cabinet would only open when the voice matched. This type of magic was created over two hundred years ago by the great philosopher Master Dandong.