Chapter 595: Translation Issues and Solutions
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 595: Translation Issues and Solutions
"Yes, of course we have them!" Wumali said with great eagerness.
Communication technology within Ninglan New City was relatively backward. Because the city had been small in the past and lacked complex requirements, there hadn't been much technical innovation. A "good enough" attitude had caused many technologies to develop at a snail's pace.
However, the Academy Network technology brought by the Witch Academy had been popularized immediately. This was done regardless of cost; for the Witch Academy, this level of resource consumption was negligible. After all, the Academy provided every incoming freshman with a free phone connected to the Academy Network.
Consequently, one could find many old-fashioned Ley Line Operating Systems here that had been phased out by the Witch Academy—a form of equipment recycling.
Naturally, the Beyonder Research Association possessed a large amount of such information technology equipment to assist in the storage and teaching of Transcendent Arts.
According to Wumali, he had acquired these through personal connections—specifically, his relationship with Ninglan Qiuyue.
It had to be said that the Academy Network and the Ley Line Operating System were incredibly convenient. Without them... well, I did have a portable Ley Line Operating System in my storage equipment that Teacher Ji Niang had given me, but it had been gathering dust for a long time.
Now that this equipment was available, I could rely on the interface between the Tree of Great Knowledge and the Academy Network to complete the transfer of information.
The proposal to link the Academy Network with the Tree of Great Knowledge was truly inspired. It was extremely convenient in the Main World, and now that convenience had extended to the Expansion Realm.
However, while waiting for them to boot up and calibrate the equipment, something happened outside the Association.
At that moment, I was explaining some of my plans and proposals to Shentu Le and the President. I hadn't come here to be a translation teacher; I had many other things to do, and it just so happened that I wasn't in a rush right now.
"Did something happen?"
"My apologies. Please excuse me, I'll go see what's going on." As the President here, Wumali naturally knew how to prioritize. He couldn't contribute much to our current conversation, so he took it upon himself to resolve any trouble.
Before long, Wumali returned, accompanied by several people wearing the standard-issue Beyonder Armor of the City Defense Force.
Since the recent incident, the City Defense Force and the City Guard had been unified, though people still used the two names to distinguish between internal and external duties in casual conversation.
"Oh? Another familiar face." Seeing the newcomer, I paused the current topic and looked over.
"May I ask, are you Scholar Xiao Han?" Mo Le recognized me immediately upon hearing my voice.
He had done his research. He possessed a brief list of the important personnel—the Teaching Assistants—sent by the Witch Academy.
"It seems I don't need to introduce myself. I only asked the City Guard who received me to pass on my regards; I didn't expect you to come all this way to see me," I said with a light chuckle.
"My apologies, Scholar Xiao Han. It was my decision to come and see you personally," Mo Le explained directly.
He had initially headed straight for the designated hotel, but found it empty. After asking around and doing some guesswork, he learned she had come to the Beyonder Research Association.
Seeing that she hadn't immediately run out of the city upon arrival, Mo Le felt there was a good chance for further communication.
As the highest-ranking officer of the City Defense Force, his title sounded impressive, but he faced a dire problem every single day.
"Refugees" were arriving from outside the city at every moment. It was impossible to take them all in.
He could only rely on Beyonder Killing Weapons to clear the surrounding Variant Beasts and create partial safety zones outside the city where those people could gather.
Furthermore, he had to be ready at any moment for the possibility of those people suddenly rioting and storming Ninglan New City.
The Witch Academy claimed these people were "transmigrators" from another world, the foundation upon which civilization would be built on the continent outside Ninglan New City.
Although the Witch Academy hadn't strictly forbidden harming them, out of a shared sense of humanity, the city forces found it difficult to carry out a cold-blooded massacre.
However, if a riot truly broke out, they would not hesitate to use large-scale Beyonder Killing Weapons as a deterrent.
"Since the highest officer of the City Defense Force has come in person, may I ask what the matter is?"
"Naturally, I wish to establish a good line of communication with you. We learned that the Witch Academy would send people to help us resolve the troubles we are currently facing, so I came as soon as possible. If there is anything you need us to cooperate with, we will do our utmost to assist."
"Oh..." I nodded slightly, roughly understanding his intent.
Though Mo Le spoke politely, his meaning was clear.
The fusion of small worlds into the Expansion Realm had caused significant trouble for Ninglan New City. The Witch Academy had apparently promised to help resolve it, so he had come looking for help.
As for why he hadn't approached the others who arrived earlier... I suspected they had simply ignored him.
Judging by his hurried manner, the situation facing Ninglan New City was likely quite grim.
Though his words were tactful, the subtext was plain.
"Establishing communication" and "doing his utmost to assist" were just ways of asking me to take charge of the situation.
"Just out of curiosity, what are the others who arrived before me doing?"
"My apologies. Of the six Teaching Assistants who have arrived so far, two met with City Lord Qiuyue, and I am unaware of their status since then. The other four have lost contact with Ninglan New City; we only know they left the city for the outside world."
"That fits my impression of them," I nodded.
Yesterday's meeting had lasted a long time with many attendees. A day had passed, and only six had arrived—not a particularly high number.
But those who came in a hurry definitely had their own agendas. As for the two who met with Ninglan Qiuyue... I guessed they were likely related to the Witch Secret Realm Club. Since they went to see her immediately, they were probably Teaching Assistants with some connection to her.
"But as you can see, I'm busy right now."
"Busy... well, matters at the Beyonder Association can be slightly delayed. Outside Ninglan New City, there are already more than..."
"I know. The refugees. I've looked into it briefly. Isn't the problem that you can't understand each other? I'm currently helping you solve that very issue," I said, interrupting Mo Le.
I knew he was anxious, but anxiety wouldn't solve anything. What could I do alone?
Was I supposed to go out and slaughter all those refugees?
Or was I supposed to lead the City Defense Force to reason with them?
Please, I have zero experience leading troops. This was a classic case of turning to anyone in a desperate situation.
It wouldn't work.
Things had to be done one step at a time.
"Wait... Scholar Xiao Han, you understand their language?" Mo Le finally reacted.
"Yes, Scholar Xiao Han understands some of the mainstream languages of those people. She is the foundation upon which we can communicate with them," Shentu Le answered on my behalf. "What use is there in taking Scholar Xiao Han away now? Do you intend to have her face those refugees directly?"
"My apologies, Elder Shentu. That wasn't my intention. I was merely... trying to express the urgency of my feelings." Mo Le naturally knew Shentu Le.
The elder's book, Light of Ruins, was a household name in Ninglan New City. It explored the meaning of survival, human morality, and responsibility through internal monologues, teaching people how to maintain their humanity and moral compass in increasingly extreme environments.
It was a masterpiece of philosophy and ethics in Ninglan's literary world. Even Mo Le would occasionally flip through it; the book had a profound influence on him.
"Alright, I understand your feelings. To be honest, I prefer a more direct way of speaking. If you are simply waiting for the Witch Academy to send Teaching Assistants to help you unconditionally, I suggest you stop dreaming," I said, cutting off their conversation.
"In the eyes of most, your value is less than the resources outside the city—such as the Transcendent Energy mine zones you've scouted. Perhaps once their greed is satisfied, they might show some mercy and give you some token assistance."
"But... greed can never be satisfied," Mo Le said, his voice low.
"Exactly. That's why I said stop dreaming," I replied with a smile.
"Then we..."
"You only need to preserve yourselves in the coming onslaught. That will be your victory."
"What do you mean?"
"The Witch Academy never does anything without a purpose. Last time, Dream Demons invaded Ninglan New City, so we were forced to intervene. This time, the situation is no longer limited to Ninglan New City; this is the beginning of the second trial... Oh, it seems I've said something I shouldn't have. Just pretend I said nothing."
"You... does the Witch Academy have no..."
"Then is Ninglan New City willing to become a campus of the Witch Academy? The entire population would move to the Main World, Ninglan New City would cease to exist, and the Witch Academy would immediately provide full support to resolve all troubles in the Expansion Realm." My hypothetical scenario immediately silenced Mo Le. I knew soldiers were more straightforward and didn't care for such complexities, but as the highest-ranking officer, he couldn't let his blood boil over his brain.
The Witch Academy was just that cruel. I was simply tearing away the beautiful facade to show them the truth.
"Don't get so worked up. Agitation solves nothing; don't let emotions dictate your thinking." My tone softened. I didn't want to sour the relationship at this critical juncture. "Any problem can be solved through communication. Don't you think solving the language barrier is a fantastic breakthrough?"
"My apologies... I oversimplified things." Mo Le calmed down, remembering his training, but the pressure on him was immense. He was, after all, only human—an ordinary person.
"You did oversimplify it. Things must be done step by step. Even without me, you should be doing this: you hold the trouble outside the city, while Elder Shentu and the others solve the difficulties from behind."
"Yes."
"However, now that I'm here, you actually don't have to take it one step at a time," I said, changing my tune.
"Scholar Xiao Han, you do have a way, don't you?" Mo Le's mood swung like a roller coaster, a hint of joy appearing on his face.
From my tone, there was clearly a solution!
"The key is still communication." As I spoke, I snapped my fingers. A spell was released before anyone noticed.
"I understand the importance of communication, but Scholar Xiao Han, if you don't cooperate with us... if we start now and have people learn a brand-new language from scratch, who knows how long that will take..."
"I know. That's why I didn't mean it the way you think. I have mastered a spell—I won't go into the principles—called Knowledge Shadow. It is the one you see before you." As I finished, another version of me appeared in Mo Le's vision.
"This... is this a Clone Technique?" Mo Le's eyes widened.
"You can think of it that way, but only you can see her, and she has no physical form. However, she possesses a vast amount of information. You can speak with her; she can handle temporary translation work and teach you how to communicate with the others."
"Such a spell actually exists?!"
"Yes. But this is only a temporary measure. The most important thing is for the people of Ninglan New City to learn these languages themselves. I cannot stay in Ninglan New City forever. You understand that, right?"
"I am well aware of that."
"I will organize a team to learn these languages," Shentu Le added from the side.
Though he couldn't see the Knowledge Shadow I mentioned, he didn't think Mo Le or I would lie to him. In his heart, he likely believed the methods of a Witch were omnipotent.
"In that case, could you please stop bothering me? Go do your job. If there's anything else, wait until I've finished what I'm doing here."
"Understood!" After witnessing such a direct display of power, Mo Le had no complaints.
With such a temporary translator, he could accomplish much more. At the very least, he felt that with his own methods combined with this ability, he could alleviate the pressure Ninglan New City was facing.
"Don't leave just yet."
"Does Scholar Xiao Han have further instructions?"
"I need to explain the user manual for this Knowledge Shadow." I pointed to the shadow beside him. "When I am not actively controlling her, her logic is governed by your own subconscious. Any action she takes is what your subconscious believes I would do. If the Knowledge Shadow becomes uncooperative, reflect on whether you have some prejudice against me, rather than doubting my magic. Do you understand?"
"Is that how it works? I understand." Mo Le nodded heavily. He hadn't expected a single spell to have so many intricacies.
"By the way, is one enough? If not, I can cast it on these men with you, or you can go back, pick some capable people, and bring them to see me. I should be at the Beyonder Association for a while."
"That... I would be most grateful, Scholar Xiao Han. These men with me are all highly trusted." Mo Le finally snapped out of his daze.
He had been a bit too excited. Thinking about it now, one translator following him around certainly wasn't enough. If he had to do everything personally, the thought of the crowds of refugees outside made his skin crawl.
"May I ask, after you cast the spell on these men, can I bring another group of people later?"
"Hah, trying to squeeze every drop out of me? Fine, it's not much trouble anyway." I waved him off, signaling for him to stop being a nuisance.
As he finally prepared to leave, before he had even cleared the Association's main gate, I shifted my attention back.
"Elder Shentu, let's go. I think it's time for us to get busy as well."