Chapter 269: Ancient Knowledge
“What is this?” Everyone’s interest was piqued. The stone tablet the old man took out had clearly seen better days, with signs of wear and weathering, and was covered in mysterious writing.
“Cuneiform script?” Upon seeing the characters, which were arranged horizontally and vertically, everyone recognized this famous ancient script.
This script originated from the Mesopotamian civilization, created by the Sumerians, approximately 3400 BCE. It spread to many regions and was used by peoples such as the Akkadians, Persians, and Assyrians.
Moreover, its meaning varied as it developed, similar to the birth of multiple dialects. As cuneiform script recorded much of the knowledge and spells obtained by ancient civilizations through worshipping gods, deciphering cuneiform script had always been a focus for various schools of thought.
“Where was this stone tablet excavated from?” the Pope also asked. The origin of a stone tablet was a crucial factor in its authentication, allowing for a preliminary judgment of its provenance.
“The source of the Euphrates River, at a collapsed ancient temple, buried deep underground. I found it after a sacrifice, guided by the gods. I believe it contains divine revelations,” the gaunt old man said.
The Euphrates River, the source of the Mesopotamian civilization and the birthplace of cuneiform script. I only knew its general location was in the Middle East; the specific source would require a map.
“That’s right, it’s cuneiform script from the demon language family, and it belongs to Our Lord’s category. This is definitely the genuine article,” someone exclaimed excitedly.
Those present with some knowledge could recognize these characters as authentic works from the Beelzebub Church of that era. Most cultists who frequently researched ancient sites had studied this type of cuneiform script, and some could even read a character or two on the spot.
However, this stone tablet was incomplete, with much of its writing weathered away. Many sections were illegible, and everyone frowned after trying to read a few characters, unable to continue.
“It’s too difficult to read this way. Didn’t you find a way to restore it, or write down the characters to study them?” the Old Officer asked.
“Yes, but it’s still incomplete, and some parts are uncertain. Just take a look,” the gaunt old man produced a piece of white cloth covered in cuneiform script. But as he said, many parts were still incomplete.
“It looks like a divine revelation?”
“I don’t think so, it looks like a prophecy.”
“When darkness descends, a new plague will sweep the world…”
Everyone present enthusiastically tried to interpret and discuss it. The Pope smiled with satisfaction. They were finally starting to do some real work. He couldn’t give lectures by himself or spend all day discussing trivial matters like hiding parents and daughters running away from home.
“Isn’t this a spell? It looks like a spell to control plagues,” a surprising person spoke up at this moment, it was the Princess.
Everyone immediately stopped their discussions in surprise, looking at her. It was well-known that she was just a newcomer, and they were astonished that she could understand this stone tablet.
Feeling everyone’s gaze, the Princess became very nervous. She stood there awkwardly, then earnestly tried to decipher the text on the stone tablet: “Uh, well, it says here there’s a method for cultivating plagues, that control single chains? Bases? What is this saying?”
As she spoke in a way that left everyone confused, I was also looking at the stone tablet. A flood of knowledge emerged, constantly being understood and digested by me. Every single character on it contained countless pieces of knowledge.
However, the paper, though filled with the same cuneiform script, did not offer me much enlightenment. At least, the stone tablet had sparked much more knowledge.
In an instant, I understood much of the content recorded on the stone tablet. Although there were still many unknown parts, I had a general idea of its purpose.
Then, I looked at the Princess, who was stammering and speaking unclearly. I suddenly had an epiphany. She was seeing the same thing as me, and countless pieces of knowledge likely surfaced in her mind as well, but she couldn’t understand it herself, let alone explain it.
It was like showing a circuit diagram to ancient people. Even if it was placed before them and explained, they wouldn’t understand. They had no concept of semiconductors, live wires, or resistance, let alone more profound definitions.
The Princess was like that. She could see it, but couldn’t comprehend it. In fact, there was much that I couldn’t understand either, but at least I could grasp about half of it.
“I’m sorry, I think this is all I can understand. I feel like these words mean this. For example, that character means sugar, but I don’t understand why the word sugar would appear there,” the Princess apologized.
“It’s alright, thank you for your explanation. It has been very helpful. It seems this stone tablet is too complex. We can each make a copy and decipher it slowly later,” the Pope said, already in the process of copying.
The Pope himself was a master of Demonology and had considerable research in this area. At first, he suspected the Princess was making things up, but several characters she mentioned that he understood matched, confirming to him that the Princess was indeed correct.
However, it was still impossible to form a coherent meaning, so they could only go back and study it slowly. It seemed the topic for the next gathering was set.
“That word means ribonucleic acid, it’s a carrier of genetic information in organisms,” I said at this time. Everyone present turned their heads towards me.
“Ah, ribo…nucleic acid? What does that mean?” the ogre asked, his two faces completely bewildered. The others were much the same.
I didn’t answer his question, but continued, “What the Princess said has some truth to it, but it’s not entirely correct. What this stone tablet is writing about should be a method for controlling germs.”
“Ah! So that’s how it is.” With that explanation, they understood. Controlling viruses and germs was something they were all capable of; Beelzebub’s followers were most adept at spreading plagues.
However, viewed this way, the stone tablet seemed to have little value. After all, they all knew how to spread plagues, unless this stone tablet recorded some terrifying incurable disease, then it would have value.
I paid no mind to them, continuing to read the content of the stone tablet. Because they understood did not mean I understood. I was just a newcomer, and every piece of knowledge was precious.
As they listened, everyone became increasingly alarmed. The knowledge on this stone tablet surpassed their comprehension; it was on a completely different level than they had imagined. It was teaching them how to internally control the mutation and development of germs and viruses, and even how to create entirely new viruses by splicing coding sequences.
Which part corresponds to drug resistance, which to transmissibility, which to reproduction speed, which to environmental adaptation, and which to symptoms? This teaches how to change these and customize viruses and bacteria.
I was reminded of a certain game from my previous life, Plague Inc. The knowledge on this stone tablet was very similar to that, but with more options and more complex practical applications.
“Wait! Stop for a moment. I, I don’t quite understand what you just said. What does that word mean? What is a coding sequence? What is transcription?” someone interrupted me, feeling dizzy.
