Chapter 131 The Essence of the Supernatural World

Hearing Mr. Hermit’s explanation, the other members once again felt that his research was rather niche, yet undeniably part of humanity’s shared history.

At the same time, through his explanation, they understood the root cause behind the decline of mysticism symbols.

No one used scripts shaped like mysticism symbols anymore. Those symbols had gradually grown obscure and difficult to decipher, turning increasingly unfamiliar until people simply stopped studying them.

However, because mysticism still possessed a degree of Extraordinary power, they still remained as a required course in mystical studies…

Odis gave everyone a few seconds to absorb the information before continuing: “Let’s return to the first question; the essence of mysticism symbols. Mysticism symbols are divided into two types: universal symbols, and the uncommon mysticism symbols I mentioned earlier…”

“…It’s just like the difference between Elvish, which is relatively niche in the Beyonder world today yet still mastered by many, and Ancient Elvish. There is a crucial concept here: the ‘uncommon mysticism symbols’ I speak of were not invented by anyone. They’ve always existed!”

The others were taken aback, finding The Hermit’s words peculiar. At the same time, they seemed to have a sudden realization, but couldn’t quite put their finger on it.

Odis continued his explanation: “As I mentioned before, Beyonder races like the Giants, Dragons, and Elves naturally possessed Beyonder characteristics and extraordinarily high Spirituality. One can look at the Sanguines, an ancient race that still exists today, as a reference point. They are born at Sequence 7. Of course, I am referring to purebred Vampires, not artificial ones…”

“…In that ancient era, blessed with immense spiritual intuition, they perceived the essence of this world and expressed their understanding of it through their own writing habits. Those expressions are what we call Jotun, Ancient Elvish, and Dragonese!”

Klein realized what had just crossed his mind: ‘The Hermit means that some power seemed to have impelled those ancient races to express the essence of the world through various methods! Or rather than being impelled, they had done so spontaneously. This honestly sounds profoundly mystical!’

Audrey’s Spectator state concealed her inner excitement well: ‘Yes, exactly, this is how the Beyonder world should truly be!’

Fors mused to herself: ‘I detect a hint of ‘destiny’ in all this…’

Derrick pondered for a long while without finding an appropriate descriptor, ultimately settling on straightforward praise: ‘Mr. Hermit is amazing, and his discoveries are incredible.’

Seeing that everyone had largely grasped the concept, Odis continued: “Perhaps we can phrase it another way: the Beyonder characteristics granted those ancient races the ability to express the essence of this world in special ways, giving rise to true mysticism symbols. These symbols are precisely what I referred to as ‘uncommon mysticism symbols’. They possess Extraordinary power, capable of mobilizing the forces of nature…”

“…They have no fixed form. Different races, such as the Giants and the Dragons, gave them different visual expressions, yet the power they wield remains essentially the same. Even the symbols I deduced possess the exact same effects as Dragonese or Jotun. Meanwhile, the mysticism symbols in common use today are merely derived from ancient human writing, possessing only faint power of their own.”

The mysticism symbols Odis had deduced were true mysticism symbols belonging exclusively to humanity.

Much like the Hermes language invented by Hermes, they conformed to human expressive habits while sharing the same hierarchy and function as symbols like Jotun. For now, only Odis himself learnt them.

Using his surname, he named them ‘Gale Runes’…

In the arrays he typically employed, he made use of partial research findings, blending Gale Runes with common mysticism symbols.

Although their power was greatly diminished, at least it kept his uniqueness from being exposed.

Odis knew very well what these findings signified… that being mysticism would usher in a brand-new era because of them.

However, if these research outcomes were brought to light right now, it would most likely be the God of Steam and Machinery who ‘inaugurated’ that new era, or perhaps even the Hidden Sage.

In short, it would have little to do with Odis…

Not only that, if the Machinery Hivemind discovered his uniqueness at present, they would undoubtedly arrest him, stripping away his freedom to spend the rest of his days in misery.

Therefore, before he had the power to protect himself, Odis would never fully disclose all of his research achievements.

Back at the Tarot Club, Alger, who had been listening intently, realized a problem: “Why haven’t humans ever had their own true mysticism symbols? Currently, humanity forms the bulk of the Beyonder realm. Theoretically speaking, human spirituality ought to be capable of sensing the essence of this world just like those ancient races.”

“There are two main reasons.” Odis replied, “The first is that the essence of this world is constituted of the Extraordinary, and the Extraordinary is disorderly and chaotic. In that ancient era, those ancient races also existed in a state of Chaos and Disorder, so it was easier for them to perceive the world’s essence. Humanity, on the other hand, advances using the Potion system. Comparatively speaking, this method of advancement is safer and more stable, which prevents us from resonating with the essence of this world.”

He paused, then added, “Mhm, one point that needs special clarification is that even mysticism symbols like Dragonese can only mobilize the surface-level powers of this world. First of all, they also require the power of a Beyonder characteristic to be activated, and they cannot achieve the same effects as Beyonder powers; they can only mobilize the forces of nature. As for the second reason, I sense that someone, or something, is obstructing humanity from resonating with the world’s essence.”

The other Tarot Club members were all taken aback: ‘Even that could be obstructed?’

Alger immediately asked, “Who?”

“I don’t know,” Odis said, “It’s only my speculation. During my research, I felt some… some very strange resistance, though I cannot say whether it was simply my own delusion.”

Had the Knowledge Moor not provided a research ground, Odis felt he definitely would never have completed those studies and acquired the knowledge needed to comprehend the world’s essence.

He added, “Whereas during the Second Epoch, bloody and full of Disorder though that era was, the restrictions on life also seemed relatively fewer.”

The other members were taken aback, not expecting the second reason to be so mysterious and obscure.

Klein sighed inwardly: ‘It seems the higher the level of one’s research into the Extraordinary and mysticism, the more one encounters such inexplicable, unimaginable things. Maybe this is the true essence of this world.’

Alger shared a similar thought, while also musing: ‘To think that in this Beyonder world driven by the pursuit of power, there truly exists a Beyonder who buries his head in research like this…’

He had such a thought entirely because he was unaware of Odis’s research achievements.

If Odis knew Alger’s thoughts, he certainly would have invited him to Gale’s Herbal Shop to demonstrate the Composite Array there, letting the other experience firsthand what it meant for ‘knowledge to be power’.

The attacker from the Moses Ascetic Order before had been at too high a level, leaving Odis no time to unleash the full utility of the array…

Finally, he said, “Now, let me explain the specific function of mysticism symbols. When arranged according to certain Rules and sequences and then activated with Spirituality, these symbols can mobilize the power of nature to a certain degree. For instance, one can generate sunlight within a certain range. However, this sunlight is merely sunlight, providing only illumination. It lacks effects like bolstering courage, unlike the sunlight summoned by the Bard Pathway. Oh, and by virtue of the nature of sunlight, it can also have a certain effect on undead creatures.”

It sounded like a slightly more powerful array, seemingly quite harmless, but Alger acutely realized there had to be far broader applications.

“Are those its only functions?” He asked.

Odis smiled with subtle implication, “Naturally, it can also produce lightning, gale-force winds, and massive waves, though creating a tsunami is beyond its reach.”

Alger froze slightly. That was equivalent to Mid-Sequence power. As for tsunamis, those were abilities possessed only by a Demigod…

With the transaction concluded here, everyone fell silent, digesting the knowledge The Hermit had just shared.

After a dozen seconds or so, Audrey took a deep breath and murmured with emotion, “I suddenly feel the insignificance of individual humans.”

Fors nodded in agreement. Before such profound research and advanced knowledge, one could not help but feel one’s own insignificance.

Audrey then turned to Little Sun, saying, “Mr. Sun, please tell us about the ancient myths you mentioned earlier.”

Derrick glanced at The Fool at the head of the bronze long table. Seeing that the unfathomable Mr. Fool did not object, he spoke up: “According to the records of the City of Silver, during the Second Epoch, eight Ancient Gods once ruled the world.”

The reason he had looked at The Fool was that he had previously sacrificed these myths to Him, so he only began his account after seeing that Mr. Fool had no intention of stopping him.

Derrick said, “Those eight Ancient Gods were the Giant King, the Elf King, the Dragon of Imagination, the Sanguine Ancestor, the Phoenix Ancestor, the Mutant King, the Annihilation Demonic Wolf, and the Devil Monarch. The documents I found recorded the true names of the Giant King and the Dragon of Imagination; they were Aurmir and Ankewelt, respectively.”

From the transaction just now between The Hermit and The Hanged Man, everyone had also learned that the Elf King’s true name was Soniathrym.

Audrey asked, “The ‘Elf King’ is an Ancient God, so… that means he was a god as well?”

“It seems… so…” Derrick hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “I can’t be sure either.”

Audrey immediately looked inquiringly at The Hermit.

Odis replied, “As far as I know, they were gods, but in a rather peculiar state.” Then he followed up with his customary offer: “I have corresponding channels to gather further intelligence. Would you like me to look into it for you?”