Chapter 594: The Literary Association and the Language Barrier
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 594: The Literary Association and the Language Barrier
"What? You're saying a visitor from the Academy calling herself Yang Yuehan just arrived in Ninglan New City?"
Inside the City Defense Force barracks, situated beneath the ruins of the old city walls, Mo Le bolted upright upon hearing the report from the city guard.
Even though several months had passed, Mo Le naturally remembered the girl named Yang Yuehan.
It was during her last visit that Ninglan New City had faced its greatest catastrophe. Ultimately, the city had survived that disaster and begun to radiate a new sense of vitality.
From that Nightmare Incident until now, they had been exposed to so many new things. Their senses were constantly being stimulated, and they had come to understand more of the truth.
They were not the only humans left in the world, but they were the last spark of civilization holding out upon the Expansion Realm.
They had also witnessed just how terrifying the assistance from the "Witch Academy" could be. Ninglan New City had been expanded, the monthly energy tides had been suppressed, the lands outside the walls had become explorable, and even...
Consequently, he was well aware of the fact that Ninglan New City had officially opened its doors to the Witch Academy.
Not long ago, after experiencing a massive upheaval of heaven and earth that completely transformed the landscape outside the city, they had truly witnessed the great power of the Transcendent Witches.
Once the situation settled, the mentors of the Witch Academy did not interfere excessively in their affairs. However, the Academy promised to send more personnel to Ninglan New City in the coming period to help them resolve the issues beyond the walls.
Following that great upheaval, sights they had never seen before appeared outside the city. Waves of humans, looking like refugees, had come fleeing toward Ninglan New City. They spoke different languages and wore unfamiliar clothes. Mo Le had only learned from the Acting City Lord that these people were ordinary humans who had "transmigrated" along with another world.
No matter how absurd such a claim sounded or how incomprehensible the details were, the reality was right before their eyes.
In the past day or two, five or six visitors from the Witch Academy had already arrived through the teleportation channel.
According to City Lord Qiuyue, the first to arrive in Ninglan New City would be the Witch Academy's Teaching Assistants—beings who stood above the students and were second only to the mentors.
Only after a period of time, once the first batch of student applications was approved, would a large number of students arrive in Ninglan New City.
As the highest-ranking officer of the City Defense Force, Mo Le had naturally gone to receive the few Teaching Assistants who had arrived earlier. However, it hadn't been smooth sailing; he had even been rebuffed by a few of them.
From what he could gather, those women were intensely interested in intelligence regarding the areas outside the city. Once their accommodations were settled, they essentially lost contact with Ninglan New City.
Perhaps that was what it meant to "go out and solve the trouble."
The world outside the city had become far more troublesome than Ninglan New City could handle. They could only selectively allow some outsiders in, setting up temporary refugee camps in the planned zones of the old city wall's strategic buffer strip.
They even had to restrict the refugees' movements and provide food relief. Ninglan New City couldn't simply let these people wander aimlessly through the streets. They were a mixed bag of good and bad, and with the language barrier, there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble.
But now, a girl they actually knew had arrived. Though they weren't exactly close, Scholar Xiao Han should at least value their past acquaintance. She would surely be easier to communicate with than the previous arrivals.
After Mo Le learned a few more details from the guard, he immediately handed over his duties to his adjutant. He then personally led his guards and the soldier out of the barracks.
* * *
Meanwhile, after leaving the hotel where I was staying, I began my planned stroll through the city.
Although I had gained some understanding of the new Ninglan New City's construction through the Ley Line Identification Art, there were still many places I wanted to see for myself.
For instance... how was the Beyonder Association developing?
Had the underground district been opened to the public?
And those former scholars—after so much time, having received my enlightenment in runology and the Transcendent textbooks Ninglan Qiuyue brought back, how far had they progressed?
I was curious about all of it.
As for seizing resources outside Ninglan New City... I wasn't in a hurry. An entire small world had merged into the Expansion Realm. Such a vast expanse of land, practically a world in its own right, wasn't something anyone could claim as their own with a mere word.
It belonged to the Witch Academy. The Academy had merely given everyone the right to "explore," "mine," and "search." Whatever you found, mined, and put in your bag could be yours, but the Expansion Realm itself, the resource points, and the Transcendent mine zones did not belong to you.
So, before diving into that, I intended to get a good look at Ninglan New City. After all, I had been here before.
The first place I visited was the one I was most familiar with: the Beyonder Association. Back then, a fellow named Wumali had taken over the association from his father. At the time, he was a novice who didn't know much, and his management of the association was... a bit of a mess?
But that shouldn't have much to do with me anymore.
Now, however, the Beyonder Association here seemed much larger than during my last visit. I estimated that Beyonder-related arts must be spreading rapidly through Ninglan New City.
While this association wasn't a professional Beyonder research base and catered to many amateur members, it was still an organization for the general public of Ninglan New City interested in Beyonder arts, wasn't it?
However, when I arrived, I found that the association was quite crowded.
"Hello, welcome to the Beyonder Association. You look like a new face, miss. Is this your first time here?"
"I suppose not..." I looked at the receptionist who approached me and gave an ambiguous answer. "I'm curious, why are there so many people here today?"
"Oh, you mean these people? A portion of them are from the Literary Association."
"The Literary Association? Ninglan New City has an association like that?" I asked, feeling a spark of interest.
"Of course. Although the Literary Association isn't very famous in Ninglan New City, it still carries the important responsibility of cultural dissemination. Moreover, Ninglan New City is about to open up and integrate with the Witch Academy. Our unique cultural heritage will naturally be the first thing we showcase..."
"I see..." I nodded, feeling somewhat intrigued. I wondered what kind of moving works the literati, who had lived for years in such a harsh world, would create.
I'd have to check it out if I got the chance.
"So why did these people suddenly flock to the Beyonder Association?" I continued.
"Well... because the Literary Association has declined, they don't have a dedicated headquarters like the Beyonder Association..."
"So they're more of a formal association in name only?"
"Pretty much. But I heard that the planning department is already reserving a headquarters for them in the new city zones. They're here today for another reason."
"What reason?" I pressed.
I felt a bit of pity for the Literary Association's miserable state. Culture... literature... these were the things that carried the spirit and development of a civilization. To think they didn't even have their own headquarters.
If they had a meeting, did they just rotate between each other's houses?
"Recently, a large number of refugees have flooded in from outside the city. We have a language barrier with them. To facilitate communication, we have to perform mutual translation, and the people from the Literary Association took it upon themselves to handle this task."
"Oh, translation."
I nodded. People who loved literature would likely be eager to exchange views with people from different civilizations.
Furthermore, translation allowed one to understand the linguistic evolution, development, thinking, and cognition of a civilization. After all, back in that small world, I had learned several mainstream languages during that period.
"Yes. It's not just translation; Ninglan New City is also trying to teach them our language. If we can achieve communication, it will help us better manage the refugees outside."
"Is that so? You know quite a lot," I remarked.
Ninglan New City really wasn't that big, so many functions were streamlined or overlapped. For the sake of management, even a receptionist at the Beyonder Association was well-informed.
"Naturally. May I ask if you have business to conduct at the association?"
"I'm just here to look around and see the sights. By the way, would it be convenient to introduce me to those people from the Literary Association? I have some insights regarding language and translation."
"Really? If you have your own insights into translation, I'm sure they would welcome your help..."
Following the receptionist's lead and my own insistence, I successfully met the honorary chairman of the Literary Association.
He was an elderly man. The Beyonder Association had provided him with a private office, where he was currently studying comparative materials.
"Hmm? May I ask why you're looking for me?"
Seeing the office door open, he adjusted his reading glasses and looked up at me. Seeing the association's receptionist leading a... white-haired girl, he couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Elder Shen, this young lady says she has an interest in translation, so..."
"Little girl... if you're just interested, it would be better to go talk to the young people outside. We are currently burdened with the heavy task of translating those languages and scripts. I'm afraid we don't have time to entertain your hobbies," the man addressed as Elder Shen said. There wasn't much arrogance in his voice, only a trace of exhaustion.
After all, the literary system of Ninglan New City had never experienced the collision of different languages.
Translation was a field they were encountering for the first time. Consequently, they were struggling in many areas. This was the source of his current headache; he would soon have to personally interact with the refugees.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to figure anything out just by staring at these organized materials.
He had originally hoped that the Beyonder Association's ability to decipher historical Beyonder inscriptions and runes would help with the translation, but it turned out to be of little use. At most, the association had provided them with temporary space.
"Elder Shen, perhaps you've looked at my appearance and jumped to the conclusion that I'm here to waste your time, but I think you've misunderstood." I walked straight forward, my gaze sweeping over the cluttered desk in front of him.
"Take the example sentence in front of you: 'The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.' You first identified the keyword 'sun,' thereby determining the imagery of rising and setting."
"Then, based on the sentence structure, you selected the directional terms for east and west. While this learning method is basic, it is an essential step in understanding linguistic structure and vocabulary meaning."
"As it stands, you likely haven't received systematic non-comparative translation training, but through this method, you can gradually build an intuitive understanding of the language."
"In the translation process, this sensitivity to keywords and grasp of sentence structure is quite important. If given more time to interact with those people, I believe your translation skills could improve further—but that takes time."
After hearing me speak, Shen Tule, a man over fifty, stood up abruptly.
"You know quite a lot..."
He wanted to say more, but I cut him off.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am a Teaching Assistant from the Witch Academy who arrived recently following the opening of Ninglan New City. My name is Yang Yuehan. I happened to be passing by and saw that you seemed to be at a loss, so I came to take a look."
As soon as I finished, the expressions of both Shen Tule and the receptionist beside me became quite vivid—especially the receptionist's.
"So... so you are a teacher from the Witch Academy? My deepest apologies, I was far too rude just now." Shen Tule apologized hurriedly. After all, he had heard of the Witch Academy's reputation!
The supreme power and the mighty witches inspired endless wonder in them.
"It's fine. I've already gathered a bit about your situation; it's no big deal."
"Um... you are Miss Yang Yuehan? Scholar Xiao Han? I... I'll go call our chairman right away..." the receptionist asked excitedly.
"Whatever works," I said with a shrug. Since I had decided to help them with the translation, it would be more convenient to have someone to coordinate with. Besides, I was just lending a hand in passing.
Once the receptionist left, Elder Shen Tule dropped his previous prejudice and began to consult me with genuine humility.
"My coming here was a coincidence. Translation is merely an interest of mine. To be honest, I have actually encountered those refugees before—but that was before they arrived here."
My words carried a significant amount of information, and the old man had to think for a while before he reacted.
"Does that mean, Scholar Xiao Han, that you understand the language of that civilization?"
"Yes. I spent some effort mastering several of that civilization's mainstream languages. I hope I can be of some help in your communication with them."
"Really!"
Shen Tule's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that the translation problem plaguing them would be solved just like that by a visiting Teaching Assistant!
"Yes. I recall the Witch Academy also accepted a student who was originally from that civilization. She also speaks their language. I'm not sure if she can come here—the probability isn't high—but I have plenty of time. If your learning ability is decent, I should be able to help you master one of their mainstream languages and scripts. At the very least, it should give you the ability to communicate with them."
As I was talking with Elder Shen Tule, the office door was pushed open again.
I turned to look at the newcomer. It was someone I still remembered: Wumali.
"Yo, Wumali. It's been a while. Do you still recognize me?"
"You... you really are Teacher Xiao Han!" Wumali's eyes widened the moment he saw me. Even without much explanation, he believed it instantly.
"Oh? Confirmed just like that?" I raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
"Well, of course. I heard City Lord Qiuyue mention you. She said your appearance has completely changed—white hair and red eyes. With those features, I don't think anyone else would try to impersonate Teacher Xiao Han," Wumali said excitedly.
"I see." I nodded. Wumali had been somewhat acquainted with Ninglan Qiuyue in the past. It seemed that connection hadn't been severed, even though Ninglan Qiuyue had become the high-and-mighty City Lord.
"In that case, things are simple. My visit today was a coincidence. Since fate has brought us together, I can spend some time helping you solve a few problems regarding the translation. Hmm... I'm not fond of unnecessary trouble. I heard Ninglan New City is connected to the Witch Academy's network. Do you have the relevant equipment here?"
After all, if I were to teach them those languages manually, who knew how long it would take? It would be better to use the Tree of Great Knowledge and the connected Academy Network to directly integrate the information and knowledge, then let them learn at their own pace. I would point the way for them; I couldn't let them depend on me for everything.