Volume 2: Embarking on the Journey - Chapter 5: Secrets (Part I)

The arrival of Shen Feng and his companions naturally drew the attention of everyone in the hall. Although they saw each other frequently and were mostly acquainted, no one spoke up lightly. Instead, their gazes flickered over Wang Jue, and upon realizing he was a newcomer, they immediately lost interest.

In the Frontier Battlefield, the one thing never in short supply was newcomers. In their eyes, it remained a question whether this recruit brought by Shen Feng’s squad would even survive this brutal battlefield. If he could survive and make a name for himself, there would be plenty of time to get to know him later.

Shen Feng paid no heed to the gazes directed at them from the hall. Instead, he led Wang Jue and the others across the hall, passing through various activity zones until they reached the center. The hall was quite spacious, and in the middle stood a counter resembling a cashier’s desk, upon which sat a piece of metal engraved with runes. Beside it, an old man was dozing off.

"Elder Tian!" Shen Feng called out respectfully.

The man addressed as "Elder Tian" opened his eyes, glanced at Shen Feng, and said, "So it’s you, brat. What are you here for?"

"Hehe, I’ve brought a new recruit over," Shen Feng chuckled, stepping aside to let Wang Jue come forward.

"Oh? Your squad has a new member?" Elder Tian looked at Wang Jue and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation: "Strange, this lad—why is he somewhat difficult to read?"

*Hmm?* Shen Feng and his team felt a stir in their hearts upon hearing this. They knew that Elder Tian had guarded this "Recording Stone" for years and had seen countless newcomers, yet he had never offered any extra comment on them. To make an exception for Wang Jue was unprecedented. Moreover, the assessment wasn't "not bad," "alright," or "a genius," but rather "difficult to read"!

*Why can't I understand what this old man is saying?* Wang Jue, unaware of what was going through the minds of Shen Feng and the others, felt a slight jolt when he heard Elder Tian’s words. *Could my 'cheat' have been discovered?* Feeling a bit guilty, he quickly followed the example of Shen Feng and the others, calling out respectfully, "Elder Tian!"

"Mm." Elder Tian nodded, seemingly not intending to probe further, and said indifferently, "Come, place your hands on this Recording Stone."

*What recording stone?* Wang Jue glanced at Shen Feng and the others beside him. Seeing them nod, he stepped forward and placed his hands on the metal device. Without any visible movement from Elder Tian, the runes on the stone suddenly lit up.

*Holy crap, is this thing magical?* Wang Jue thought. The next moment, he felt a sting in his fingertips, and a surge of information flooded his mind. The sudden influx of data left him feeling dizzy, but as he regained his composure, he began to sort through the unfamiliar information.

*My god, this thing is incredible!*

Wang Jue hadn't paid much attention at first, but now that he truly experienced the function of the Recording Stone, he couldn't help but feel shocked. In just a short moment, he felt as if he had learned the languages of countless races. However, what surprised him most was the "Common Tongue."

"@@￥￥!%￥&*%......" Driven by curiosity, Wang Jue opened his mouth and found himself speaking a completely different, unfamiliar language. The pronunciation was somewhat odd, even carrying a hint of pinyin.

Before Wang Jue could fully appreciate the Common Tongue, he heard Shen Feng speaking in the same strange language: "Not bad. When the older generation of pioneers first arrived in this world, they discovered the existence of these Recording Stones, which allow one to grasp a language roughly but very quickly."

"We all know how difficult it is to learn a language, especially here on the Frontier Battlefield, where there are cultural differences from hundreds, even thousands of worlds. It makes learning even harder. Many people suffered greatly and still couldn't truly master the languages to communicate with other races. Back then, the major races were constantly embroiled in conflicts simply due to communication barriers."

"Later, after suffering heavy losses, the major factions had no choice but to purchase these language heritage stones from those foreign races at a high price. After our own modifications, they became tools that could record a newcomer's identity on one side and pass on the Common Tongue on the other."

Shen Feng recalled that his own performance when he first arrived was similar to Wang Jue's—no, perhaps even less adaptable!

"Great stuff!" Wang Jue hadn't expected such a mechanism. Suddenly thinking of something, he asked, "Wait, if language can be mastered through this, doesn't that mean other knowledge can also be passed down this way? Like martial arts or cultivation techniques?"

"You're thinking too much; it's not as easy as you think." Shen Feng explained with a wry smile, "The production of a Recording Stone is extremely difficult. Slightly complex knowledge requires massive amounts of manpower, resources, and time to accumulate, not to mention the need for advanced Rune Masters to even attempt making one. We paid a heavy price to invite foreign Rune Masters to help us manufacture them."

"As for superficial knowledge, it's easily learned, making such stones a waste of resources. And for deep, complex subjects like cultivation techniques and martial arts, it requires someone to sacrifice their own comprehension of those arts, and the success rate is low. Given the vast number of races on the Frontier Battlefield and the complexity of their languages, this Common Tongue Heritage Stone was born. It only became a mature manufacturing method after hundreds or thousands of years of accumulation."

Shen Feng shrugged, dismissing Wang Jue's "impractical" idea: "Let me put it this way: to this day, the most widely circulated and common Recording Stone on the Frontier Battlefield is only this one for the Common Tongue." He had once shared the same thought as Wang Jue, but his captain hadn't been as kind as he was to explain it; he had only learned the truth later by asking around among foreign races.

"I see..." Wang Jue nodded, expressing his understanding. If something that could affect memory were so easily produced, no one would ever need to use their brains to learn. If everything were passed down through such devices, it would lead to intellectual stagnation and a dangerous dependency. The consequences of that were terrifying. The greatest fear of any civilization is not a lack of innovation, but coming to a complete standstill.

With the Common Tongue inheritance complete and Wang Jue's identity recorded in the Adventurer Headquarters' archives, Elder Tian closed his eyes again for a nap, the implication being clear that they should leave. Shen Feng and the others dared not linger and wisely departed.

...

The hall was filled with various entertainment facilities. Shen Feng and his group didn't seem in a rush to head out, so they went to a bar. Shen Feng called out to the bartender, "Waiter, a glass of rye ale!"

Rye ale was one of the many types of alcohol on the Frontier Battlefield; it had a moderate alcohol content and a great taste, making it a favorite among the masses. Whether it was humans like Wang Jue, the Elves who only drank fruit wine, or the Winged Folk who rarely drank, many would occasionally order a glass. As for the alcohol-loving Dwarves, Giants, and certain Orc tribes, they preferred the stronger stuff.

While the bartender went to the back storehouse to retrieve the ale, Shen Feng pulled a small booklet from a stack on the counter and tossed it to Wang Jue: "Here, this has the common knowledge you need to know. Take a good look at it so you don't make a fool of yourself later."

"Thanks." Wang Jue nodded and began to flip through the booklet.

Seeing Wang Jue busy learning about the Frontier Battlefield, Su Yu, Jiang Yunyan, and Jiang Yunxin, who were sitting around the bar, didn't disturb him. They ordered their own drinks—mostly fruit wines with very low alcohol content—and chatted with acquaintances nearby while they waited.

The booklet was a summary of common knowledge regarding the Frontier Battlefield; it wasn't exhaustive, but it was broad. As time slipped by, Wang Jue became completely absorbed in the booklet, his surprise growing with every page. He had originally thought the Frontier Battlefield was located elsewhere; he hadn't expected it to be on Blue Star.

Even more shocking was that he had always assumed the major safe zones on Blue Star were inhabited solely by humans. Now, reading the introduction, he realized that every safe zone was established by a different race. Because the safe zones were so far apart and the areas between them were infested with countless Star Beasts, it was extremely difficult for warriors to travel from one safe zone to another. Even within a single safe zone, the roads from one town to another were unsafe, sometimes blocked by powerful Star Beasts. Of course, those blocking beasts were usually hunted down by equally powerful warriors.

Other safe zones had been established by races whose planets were invaded by Star Beasts, forcing them to flee to Blue Star. Although most of these races had good relations with humans, some harbored hostility. In fact, when these races first fled to Blue Star, the human ancestors had considered preventing their arrival. Unfortunately, they were tied down by powerful Star Beasts and could not spare the effort to stop them.

Of course, if the human ancestors had truly been determined, they could have stopped it. But they had to consider the future of the human race as a whole. In their view, it was impossible for humanity to resist the Star Beasts on its own. After all, Blue Star was vast, and no one knew exactly how many Star Beasts there were.

Just as they were feeling lost about the future of humanity, the other races arrived. It must be said that their sudden arrival helped humanity avoid the crisis of extinction. When the Star Beasts saw the arrival of these major races, they abandoned their siege of the humans, choosing instead to attack these newcomers before they could adapt to Blue Star. These races had already been forced to leave their homelands by the Star Beasts, and having finally found a place to live, they were immediately attacked again.

"Enemies meeting on narrow ground" was an understatement! Especially the powerful protectors of these races—seeing their kin being slaughtered and devoured by the Star Beasts, they were driven to madness. To ensure the continuation of their species, the warriors of these races had to fight the Star Beasts to the death. In the end, although these races managed to repel the Star Beasts, they also suffered heavy losses.