Chapter 131: Learning Old Ansu Script

Learning Old Ansu Script

Ciel looked at the system store.

After ignoring miscellaneous items like clothes, Ciel showed a slightly puzzled expression.

“System, that sealed artifact? Didn’t it enter my brain? Why isn’t it counted as brought back to the store?”

Yes, Ciel couldn’t find the black and blue feather in the system mall. Clearly, just before the simulation ended, the feather was still inside her body.

Something was definitely wrong here.

“Did you bug out?” Ciel questioned unceremoniously in her mind.

【Said it at the beginning】

【The system cannot purchase intelligent living beings ^^】

Living being? Isn’t it a sealed artifact?

A sealed artifact that gained self-awareness counts as a living being?

Ciel frowned slightly, feeling somewhat troubled.

The idea of directly using the system to figure out the feather’s details failed. This inevitably increased Ciel’s workload and investigation volume.

Moreover, due to the sealed artifact’s obstruction, the “Strong Luck Coin” and “Evil Eye,” which were already obtained, were directly discarded by it.

If she hadn’t successfully saved a file, Ciel’s previous efforts would have been wasted.

However, encountering that feather this time wasn’t entirely without gain.

Ciel memorized the words spoken by the feather after it controlled her body.

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This could be a breakthrough.

But this created a new problem.

Without text, only language, translation was impossible. Even borrowing an Old Ansu dictionary from Avena for comparison wouldn’t work.

Unless she could find someone proficient in Old Ansu script and absolutely trustworthy, and have that person listen to Ciel repeat the words.

While thinking, Ciel opened the store’s 【Basic Disciplines】 interface.

Besides the previous four subjects, three new ones were added this time.

【【Basic Disciplines】】

【Tailoring (Learnable): 1 Fate Point】

【Sculpting (Learnable): 1 Fate Point】

【Linguistics (Learnable): 1 Fate Point】 Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Linguistics?

Previously, seeing Old Ansu script didn’t trigger the learnable option for this subject. This time, hearing it made the learnable option appear?

Whispers generated by potions probably weren’t classified under basic disciplines, so not being able to learn them was normal.

Ciel looked at her remaining 166 Fate Points. Without much hesitation, she directly selected Linguistics.

Ciel had never purchased any subject from Basic Disciplines before and was somewhat curious.

After she chose to purchase and learn, the Linguistics entry flickered slightly, and the original “Learnable” changed to “Lv.1”.

【Linguistics (Lv.1): 2 Fate Points】

【Linguistics Lv.1: Slightly increases your aptitude for linguistics, making it easier for you to learn various basic languages. With a little effort, you can become an excellent linguist】

...That’s it?

Ciel didn’t feel any change in herself.

The Old Ansu words still remembered in her mind remained incomprehensible, like listening to gibberish.

Still have to learn it myself...

Ciel felt slightly disappointed.

Learning a language could be easy, but it required at least a few months of dedicated study. She clearly didn’t have that time now.

And learning niche languages or those with few documented records and translations took exponentially longer.

The only feasible way was to have her simulated self learn it, write down the answers after finishing, so that when she went over, she could directly see the result.

Actually, Ciel had considered an even more extreme idea before.

In the last simulation, when it reached the final hour, the mastermind sealed artifact hadn’t appeared. Ciel had an idea then.

That was, in the next simulation, directly have her simulated self enter the system’s “deep simulation” at the last moment, and through the perspective of the Other Side, directly locate the feather.

This could directly find the location of the black and blue feather.

However, this idea was just wishful thinking, because finding the feather’s location was useless to Ciel.

Because Ciel had no idea how to fight a sealed artifact, especially when this sealed artifact seemed so much stronger than her.

Remember, in the previous simulation, that feather directly created a meteorite that destroyed Berren City... Before figuring out the feather’s specific strength, Ciel wouldn’t act rashly.

The clue ended here. Ciel had no better ideas for the time being, only able to slowly deduce from the details in her memory.

After the feather controlled her body... it directly picked up the 【Echo of the Silver-White Timebinder】, which was her stopwatch.

As for the other two people’s sealed artifacts, the “Strong Luck Coin” and the “Evil Eye,” the black and blue feather didn’t even glance at them, as if completely disregarding them.

Was everything it did just to filter out the 【Echo of the Silver-White Timebinder】?

Did it not know what it wanted?

Was it looking for something it didn’t even know itself?

Ciel stood up, paced within the room, thinking rapidly.

What could be confirmed now was that its target was only her and the stopwatch. The other two were at most dragged into it.

Another certainty was that the feather had intricate connections with the system, but clearly, its power was far inferior to the system’s.

The clue breaking here left Ciel slightly disheartened, but she didn’t give up.

This situation was what she was most familiar with.

The enemy was in the light, she was in the dark.

Give Ciel some time, and she would eventually drag the opponent out.

If she did nothing according to the initial method, not giving Lucy and Oppold any information, she could at least live for another forty-plus days.

This amount of time was unbelievably ample for Ciel.

Ciel walked to the desk, sat down, picked up a piece of paper, and began writing on it.

This was a letter addressed to Avena.

The letter first thanked Avena for the translation and her generosity—after all, Ciel was practically penniless now, and the money Avena sent indeed solved Ciel’s urgent need.

Next, Ciel asked Avena to lend her books about Old Ansu script translation and learning, and materials about the Ancient Era Holy War—these were things the academy wouldn’t teach, and Ciel knew very little about them.

Ciel naturally had to learn Old Ansu script. As for the Ancient Era Holy War materials, they were related to Tara. Tara’s Divine Advent Church had records about that strange feather, and those records dated back to the Ancient Era.

Understanding that era might help Ciel’s investigation.

Moreover, these materials were considered basic disciplines, having little relation to the transcendent. Studying them wouldn’t incur misfortune for Ciel.

-

After writing the letter, Ciel folded it, then changed into a new dress, put on her boots, and stuffed the letter into her pocket.

Ciel had no maids or servants. She had to do everything herself, including buying envelopes.

But this was fine; going out allowed her to catch her breath.

After multiple simulations, Ciel understood that continuous simulation would damage her spirit. If not taken seriously, she might faint at home.

There was no Avena around to watch her then. Without Avena’s timely spiritual healing, she didn’t know how long she would have to lie there to recover.

When time was ample, the best way was to take breaks, wait until her spirit was fully rested, then conduct the next simulation.

And Ciel wouldn’t waste this interval; she could devote this time to learning basic disciplines.

Even if Ciel in the simulation learned Old Ansu script until she was thoroughly familiar, even reaching master level, it wouldn’t be inherited by the current Ciel.

What she learned in reality was truly learned.

After buying an envelope, Ciel put the letter inside and walked straight towards Gem Avenue.

The place she lived now was only two streets away from Gem Avenue, very close.

Soon, Ciel found the jewelry store named “Crystalline” on Gem Avenue.

The jewelry store seemed to have just opened not long ago. Lichie, wearing a mask, was carefully wiping the outer glass display window with a clean cloth, not missing any fingerprint or dust speck.

Compared to her previous factory job, this work was clearly much easier, and the salary was higher. Lichie cherished her current job very much.

The only ways Ciel could think of contacting Avena without directly contacting her were through the police department or this jewelry store.

The investigation department within the police department had transcendents; Ciel definitely couldn’t go there. Going directly to Avena’s house was also not very safe.

She didn’t know the exact trigger distance for misfortune. It was best to avoid proximity if possible.

Moreover, coming to the jewelry store mainly allowed her to see her sister Lichie again.

According to Avena, everyone in this jewelry store, from security to the manager, was arranged to secretly protect Lichie. It could be said that besides Lichie, there were no other employees in this store.

Ciel took a deep breath, walked straight towards the jewelry store, tiptoed slightly, and reached out to pat Lichie’s shoulder.

Lichie suddenly turned around, looked towards Ciel, and said with pleasant surprise, “Little Ciel?”

While wiping the glass window just now, Lichie noticed Ciel’s figure, but she wasn’t sure. Only when the figure walked behind her did Lichie couldn’t suppress her inner excitement and turned around.

“Sister.” Ciel smiled slightly. Seeing her sister now, she felt the gloom brought by the interrupted clue dissipate somewhat.

At this moment, Lichie looked down at Ciel before her and suddenly felt a strange sensation.

She felt her younger sister seemed to have changed quite a bit.

Of course, this change didn’t refer to her better clothes, but... her eyes, or rather, her aura.

Previously, although Little Ciel didn’t show much expression, she actually had a sulky and lively side, but she herself seemed more willing to appear mature, deliberately suppressing that side.

But now, looking at Ciel’s dark red pupils, Lichie felt as if she were staring into a pool of stagnant water, filled with countless submerged corpses and blood. This sudden thought sent a chill down Lichie’s spine.

Soon, she pushed this thought aside, looked at Ciel, and asked, “Haven’t seen you in a long time... Is Miss Avena treating you well? Is working under her very tiring?”

“Mm, quite well. Got a raise recently too.” Ciel nodded, seemed to think of something, and said, “It’s just that the clinic is quite busy recently. After things stabilize later, let’s move to Gem Avenue, sister.”

“Okay.” A smile appeared on Lichie’s face under the mask. She held Ciel’s cool little hand and didn’t let go for a long time.

For some reason, she had a strange premonition in her heart that after letting go this time, she didn’t know when they would meet again.

The commotion outside attracted the store owner’s attention. The slightly plump middle-aged woman walked out from behind the counter, opened the door, looked towards Lichie, and asked, “Lichie, what happened?”

“Sorry, Madam Manager,” Lichie reluctantly released Ciel’s hand, turned towards the manager, and bowed slightly. “It’s just my younger sister happened to pass by, chatted for a bit. Very sorry.”

“Oh... It’s fine, no hurry. There aren’t many customers anyway. You two chat.” Seeing no danger, the middle-aged female manager prepared to return inside.

She was originally a maid of the Roswell family. As she got older, she developed health problems from working too hard when young and couldn’t do heavy labor anymore. The kind young mistress arranged for her to be the owner of the leisurely jewelry store.

She certainly knew this Lichie was someone Milady Avena paid special attention to. How could she dare be impolite to Lichie?

Just as she was about to leave, Ciel called out to her.

“Manager, hello.” Ciel reached out, took a letter from her pocket, and handed it to the manager amidst her puzzled gaze, saying, “Please deliver this letter to Avena as quickly as possible.”

The manager was initially puzzled, but upon hearing the letter was for Milady Avena, she immediately had no doubts, directly took the envelope, hailed a carriage, and headed straight for Sir’s Bridge District.

And at this moment, Lichie looked at her younger sister before her, feeling a trace of strangeness.

Although sister Ciel spoke as politely as ever, Ciel now spoke with an air of unquestionability, as if not asking, but commanding.

This resembled the aura naturally exuded by someone in a high position, hidden in small, inadvertent moments.

After chatting with her sister for a while longer, Ciel felt her mental stress relieved considerably. Using the excuse of needing to go to work, she bid farewell to her sister and returned to her rented house.

Not long after she returned, Avena’s reply arrived at the fastest speed.

It was a carriage, filled almost half-full with books.