OBS Chapter 3623 The Origin of Ancient Chinese Mapmakers
Chapter 3623 The Origin of Ancient Chinese Mapmakers
Chapter 3623 The Origin of Ancient Chinese Mapmakers
"In the Fourth Age, coffins usually had the holy emblem of the deceased's god engraved on the side, in order to pray that the soul would be protected by the god after death. Did you see that? Those coffins had the holy emblem of the Old God [Winter Maiden]. In the middle of the Fourth Age, the Fatu people's faith was not in the snow mountain or the snake, but in this one."
As they got closer to the deepest part of the tomb, some identifiable murals finally appeared on the walls of the tomb passage.
The mural depicts a group of people traveling by ship from a distant place, encountering a terrifying monster on the sea. The monster dragged several large ships to the bottom of the ocean, but the remaining people eventually defeated it and reached an island that is clearly Fatumunst.
Sevier said:
"Could this be the story of the Fatu people migrating to this area? Didn't the Fatu people themselves say that they had been living here since at least the beginning of the Fifth Age? It is known that the Society of Prophets encountered the Fatu people when it moved to its current headquarters location at the end of the Fourth Age, so it is normal for the Fatu people to arrive in the middle of the Fourth Age."
This is a reasonable speculation, but it also implies that the migrating Fatu people were originally believers in the god of winter before establishing their faith in the snow mountain or the snake. Combined with the fact that both Miss Asperger and Claire stated that the decorations in the tomb were related to their own tribes, an interesting conclusion emerges.
The mural depicts people who migrated by boat settling on the island and quickly multiplying. The mural ends there, seemingly a successful story of pioneering.
At the end of these murals, the tightly closed doors of the main burial chamber awaited the group's arrival. Bella explained that this chamber was the passageway leading to the "Fallen Star Beast," and that the main burial chamber of the mausoleum surely held the answers they sought.
Shad opened the door again, and then Vanessa and Miss Esberger followed him inside. Only after confirming that everything was alright did they let the others in.
The main burial chamber was unexpectedly large, but also unexpectedly empty. In a room that was almost half the size of St. Teresa's Square, there was only a stone coffin placed at the far end of the wall directly opposite the entrance. The size and style of the stone coffin were no different from those that everyone had encountered along the way.
Apart from the stone coffin, there were no murals here, and even the walls were uneven rocks.
However, in front of the stone coffin facing the entrance, there stood a very old-looking stone chair with a backrest. The chair leaned almost against the coffin, with a half-person-high candlestick on each side. After everyone entered, the candles on the candlesticks lit up with a ghostly blue light, and within that light, a sudden and inexplicable blizzard swept through the dark chamber beneath the seabed.
The falling snowflakes quickly formed a transparent human figure on the chair.
The other person was dressed in some kind of traditional clothing, and the horned hat on their head reminded Shad of Elder Harald. Both Ms. Asperger and Claire felt that the other person's attire was familiar, but neither of them recognized them.
"ghost?"
Shad frowned and asked. The figure sitting in the chair who opened his eyes was a middle-aged man. He stood up and made a grasping motion to his right. The falling snowflakes then formed a phantom of an ice-blue long-handled hammer in his hand. This strange weapon was one that outsiders had never seen anyone use before.
"No, my soul has already reached that cold end. As for what I am, the two ladies beside you should be able to understand."
He didn't open his mouth, but everyone could hear him. The language he used clearly belonged to the ancient Fourth Age, but the sentence was quickly repeated a second time, by which time the language had changed to the Common Tongue of Carsenric.
However, Miss Asperger and Claire gave different answers.
"Have you merged yourself into the memory of snowflakes?"
"You made the holy mountain record your echo?"
The middle-aged man wearing the horned hat was even taller than Shad. He looked at the two female sorcerers with considerable emotion:
"We made a pact at the temple atop the snow-capped mountain. The mountain protected us who had come from afar, allowing us to take root at its foot. In return, we would help the mountain with our work. I am the first elder of the Fatu people, and I guard the road here. I only appear when I encounter my own kind."
Unexpectedly, the two people who ultimately appeared were from our homeland, which we can never return to, and our descendants.
These words completely confirmed everyone's earlier guesses, and Vanessa couldn't help but ask:
"You mean, the Fatu people actually came from the far north ice sheet?"
"Fatou is a new name we've given ourselves. As for the far north ice sheet, that's what your era calls it, isn't it? We call our homeland 'the northernmost point of the world,' a land of cold winters and ice and snow."
War shattered the peace of their homeland. Faced with the potential annihilation of the entire tribe, they decided to split. Some remained in their homeland to fight against the disaster and war, while others followed the directions of the snowflakes and arrived here, eventually landing on the island after encountering a formidable enemy.
He sized up everyone present:
"I never imagined that not only have our descendants lived for so long at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, but our relatives in our hometown have also passed down their legacy."
"So, Miss Asperger and Claire were actually from the same race in the Fourth Era?"
Shad thought with some surprise, then remembered Stella's story:
"So, Stella and the Fatu people were also driven out of their tribe after she touched the sacred relic, and then she met Claire, who was of Fatu origin, in Winterfell, and was guided by Claire to embark on the path of ice and snow. Doesn't it feel a bit like destiny?"
The Fatu person who left behind power in ancient times was, of course, unaware of modern affairs:
"The path I guard here leads to the deeper reaches of the sea, where a beast from the stars slumbers. It is the embodiment of destiny, and it is its power that led us, who fled our homeland, away from war and pursuit. We encountered it at sea, and one-fifth of our people died because of it, but it was also because of it that we found that inconspicuous island."
After landing on the island, the snowflakes guided us to the mountaintop where we found the ancient temple of the gods. Within the temple, we gained the power to suppress that star, that force of destiny. We then built this tomb to guard the road and await the appearance of someone who could truly resolve this matter.
He brandished the long-handled hammer in his hand:
"I have information about that beast of destiny. Defeat me, and I will allow you to move forward and tell you the information. Come, let me see what power the descendants still possess. No matter who appears, I will maintain a similar level of power."
This was clearly not an invitation to Xia De. No matter what the origin of the outsider was, he was definitely not a descendant of the Fatu people or the northern tribes.
Miss Asperger was about to step forward, but was stopped by Shad:
"Let Stella come."
She then understood Xia De's intention and looked at the white-haired girl.
Claire was also surprised that Stella and she had such a distant connection, but she still whispered to Stella:
"Go."
Stella nodded slightly, then walked past everyone to the open space in front of her. The six rings of fate appeared in the steam. People of the Fourth Age could never have seen the rings of fate, but the middle-aged man holding the long-handled hammer did not ask any questions, and instead walked towards Stella.
The snowstorm that had subsided was now blowing again in this vast space. As Emilia curiously traced the source of the snowflakes with a slow-motion perspective, Stella and the ancient Fatu elders had already entered the area.
The witch apprentice whispered an incantation and immediately concealed herself, while the man wielding the long-handled hammer made no effort to search for her. He slammed the hammer into the ground with both hands, and with a deafening roar, a massive runic ritual array opened up centered on the point where the hammerhead struck the earth.
The ritual array flashed by, but all the snowflakes in its coverage area gathered at the same spot at that moment.
Snowflakes pierced the transparent figure like blades, and Stella cried out in surprise before being forced to reveal herself. With a wave of her right hand, she froze the snow into ice, blocking the raging snowflakes, and the trajectory of the falling snowflakes showed her the reaction she should have made.
She swung her ice shield forward, deflecting the incoming hammer with a muffled thud. Although the ice shield shattered in the process, she at least managed to block the attack unharmed; her opponent was indeed using power equal to hers.
The hammer that had been blocked flew back into the middle-aged elder's hand. Stella knew that even with equal strength, she wouldn't be a match for someone with such rich life experience as him, given her level of learning. Therefore, instead of dodging or defending, she took the initiative to counterattack.
She summoned the surrounding snowflakes to temporarily come under her control, forming five rapiers above her head. Clutching the jewel she carried with her left hand, she sent the snow swords hurtling towards her opponent.
Stella swung her long-handled hammer, shattering the flying snow, and took the opportunity to activate the gem she had created:
"Miraculous Technique - Grasp of Ice".
Storing power in a gem and activating it does not require additional spirit consumption, but if one is willing to consume additional spirit, it can even enhance the power of the magic.
A phantom image suddenly appeared in front of her outstretched right hand, followed by a giant hand of ice that reached out to grasp the middle-aged man wielding the hammer. As he swung the hammer again to shatter Stella's magic, a sudden chill rose from beneath his feet, transforming into a second giant hand that grasped him in its palm.
Taking advantage of the magic's effect, Stella hurriedly activated the life ring behind her. Drawing upon her insights and gains from the past month on the island, she even vaguely felt herself resonating with the chill in her chest:
"Miraculous Technique - Ice Blast!"