Industrial Cthulhu? It's Cthulhu Industrial!!

Chapter 50 Our Writings, Our History (Seeking monthly votes!)

Leon was naturally unaware of what was happening in distant Britannia. After all, he was just a simple human with a few minor cheat codes. Compared to the scheming and intrigue in Britannia, Leon was more gratified to see what Charlemagne and Mogate had brought out.

Flora, as a sorceress, continues to study everything related to witchcraft, regarding it as the fundamental theory explaining the world. Of course, Li Ang neither supports nor opposes this attitude; the development of a civilization always gives rise to various schools of thought, and he welcomes it. However, the current act of recognizing the shortcomings in its own culture and system, and making such sweeping improvements based on needs, is frankly somewhat surprising.

Li Ang accepted the terracotta plate presented by his two subjects with surprise. After all, the Silver Gate hadn't yet created any paper or other medium; they had simply sculpted what they wanted to express within terracotta kaolin, then briefly cast it in the Lianshan Kiln before presenting it. Due to the greatness of this supernatural wonder, even incomplete forging gave it considerable durability. Moreover, in a sense, it seemed to possess the ability to be bent and modified; by using soul stones and related rituals, the text and patterns on it could be altered.

Leaning back in the wicker chair, Li Ang examined the terracotta scroll his people had brought him, turning it over and over, but he couldn't make out what was written on it. But it didn't matter; Li Ang didn't really need to understand. He simply handed it back, looking at the two men with expectant eyes, awaiting their explanation.

"Tell me, what exactly did you go through to be able to make these things?"

"Because we need to fire ceramic steel plates to clearly express the architectural intent, but this would make our project ten or even twenty times more complicated with Britannian script, because their script is mostly composed of various symbols and instructions, and a request often requires several or even dozens of symbols to achieve."

Mogate, the current leader of the research team, stepped forward first and explained in rapid speech, as if afraid of displeasing the deity before him.

"We have now decided to simplify all of this, using images and the simplest straight lines to express it. This will reduce the area occupied and allow us to express our current engineering intentions more quickly and conveniently. In addition, we are not a member of Britannia, so we don't need to use their language. We want to record our history, our future, and our technology, so we must ensure that we have our own language."

"That's a very insightful idea. How did you come up with it?"

“It is the Hill Empire, my lord. I was once a citizen of the Hill Empire. We have different cultures and beliefs, and completely different languages ​​and customs. But now, after comparison, I have found that the density of the written language of each race and the difficulty of communication between them are different.”

The man, who had once been a servant of the Hill Empire, humbly bowed and clearly expressed his thoughts to Li Ang.

After all, Mogate had been a refugee of the Hill Empire, and he knew the characteristics of both the Britannian script and the Hill Empire's script. Many characters didn't actually have any specific meaning, and many characters and expressions were borrowed from other languages, which was very inconvenient.

The grand projects currently underway by Silver Gate, and their ambitious blueprints, require over fifty different types of knowledge and technical terms, even for something as simple as the marking of the sea-blocking dam sections. Because of the Lianshan kilns, every moment, every second, with different kilns and locations, different firepower and demands, the industry currently built on the Lianshan kilns must be precise and modularized.

For example, some people need ceramic books like the ones we have now, while others need ceramic steel documents that record long-term history. There are also ceramic drills, which are even stronger but extremely fragile, easily shattered by the slightest impact. These special items are essentially ceramic products that require specific planning and firing times according to the different regions of the Lianshan Kiln. In a sense, the language they created is rooted in the two world wonders of the Lianshan Kiln and the Great Lighthouse. Because the manipulation of the Great Lighthouse also requires the use of more refined written descriptions.

Britannia simply couldn't distinguish between a 3x3x3 ceramic block labeled 15 and a clay block specifically used for replenishment, using conventional language. This linguistic barrier and inconvenience ultimately gave rise to a writing system that uses a combination of simple symbols and images to describe the world.

"Our language is carefully designed to describe the composition of mathematics in the fastest way possible, enabling us to complete production and construction more quickly and achieve our grand vision with minimal ambiguity."

Looking at Li Ang, whom he greatly admired, Mogate, a fanatical follower who had always adhered to Li Ang's teachings and devoted himself wholeheartedly to forging and experimentation, had an excited expression on his face.

He never imagined that his god would entrust him with such a vibrant world.

The seawall has now been extended twenty meters outwards. While it doesn't seem enormous, it's already a very successful step. The next step is to attempt to connect the Mirror Island and the Silver Gate main island. Such a vast and meticulously detailed blueprint would inevitably produce errors if written in Britannian.

Even a single linguistic ambiguity could render all the team's long-term efforts futile. Furthermore, with Leon fully supporting their actions, the Silver Gate members, after discussion, ultimately devised this peculiar script. It appears to be a mixture of drawings and simple indicators, with clear mathematical notation, and a level of detail in describing flames and light that surpasses any other symbolic representation.

This is the symbolic script that Mogate finally compiled.

Li Ang understood the possibilities contained in these words with just a glance.

Even without close inspection, it's obvious that this is a temporary document created to ensure accuracy in order to complete a grand plan.

Like the technical terms of the Britishologian divine departments, they are less words and more descriptive terms with a very clear meaning and without any particular error.

But isn't the essence of writing simply the transmission and representation of information?
The purpose of writing is to transmit information more accurately and to pass that information down through generations. The Silver Gate script has now fully achieved this capability. The simple symbols recorded on those seemingly rough clay scrolls are, in fact, a civilization using its own language to explain what the world should be like and what they aspire to make it.

As for the fact that the wonders he built had a great influence on the Silver Gate people, Li Ang didn't find it particularly unusual.

Just as some civilizations reside in peaceful, stable, and fertile plains, while others live in tropical rainforests rich in resources, with almost no poisonous insects or wild beasts, allowing them to be self-sufficient, the two wonders that Li Ang presented are roughly equivalent to such things.

Ultimately, it depends on the hard work and dedication of the Silver Gate people. Seeing their striving spirit, Li Ang could feel their burning desire to complete this grand plan. In terms of system metrics, these humans were breaking through technological barriers at their usual research and development pace, and the current state of affairs was essentially the fruitful result of their hard work.

System notification: Your civilization has independently completed its technological research! System notification: Your civilization has completed its research on writing and language!

System notification: Based on your civilization's current technological and mystical advancements, these two technology trees have achieved a fusion effect! You can attempt to unlock runic writing technology! You can attempt to unlock magical language technology! Everyday activities like walking, sitting, and lying down can be sources of magic; you can now try to help them complete a more profound evolution!

System notification: You have now obtained a clue to the Wonder of the World, the Great Library! You can now construct the Great Library and other regular library buildings!

System notification: Because of your occultist specialization, the Grand Library can be unconditionally upgraded to a Mystic Grand Library! A regular Architectural Library can be upgraded to a Mystic Library! Both can provide a double boost to your research and exploration of the occult!

System notification: Your civilization has begun a new script replacement! Based on your culture's characteristics, this script will provide a 15% productivity bonus and reduce the likelihood of building errors by 50%! However, because you are choosing to replace the Britannian script, your research progress in Mysticism will be reduced by 10%, and communication efficiency in the Communication Sanctuary will decrease.

Wow, that's incredible! That's the power of numbers!

Looking at the dense messages on the system and the immense power displayed by every ordinary Silver Gate human, Li Ang couldn't help but feel moved.

Although they paid the price of increasingly difficult communication with the gods and some disruption to their occult research, their stats had indeed increased significantly. The productivity bonus provided by this text was clearly calculated independently, which, in Li Ang's eyes, was truly extraordinary.

Even now, from this vantage point overlooking the void, humanity is frantically directing the various mountain kilns and great lighthouses to work, far exceeding the efficiency of the sacrificial offerings that neither eat nor drink. It's important to understand that, according to Britannia's standard production efficiency, five sacrificial offerings working at full capacity already reach Britannia's average population productivity.

And just looking at how the Silver Gate members manipulate and build, their production efficiency is more than five times that of the sacrifices.
In just five days, the members of the Silver Gate had surveyed their entire area and then laid out city infrastructure. The brightly colored tiles, combined with the various flowers in the rooftop gardens, created a beautiful, almost heavenly atmosphere at first glance. Moreover, these carefully selected plants were not only beautiful but also edible and fragrant—a testament to the tireless efforts of the Silver Gate members.

Furthermore, with some time having passed and some Silver Gate members beginning to reproduce, and with Leon's own Silver Gate continuously giving birth to new, fully-fledged humans, the entire Misty Islands seem to have become thriving.

Calculated this way, in just six months here, the number of Silver Gate members that Leon possessed had already approached the lower limit of Britannia's standard production.

You have to understand, that was a mature blood sacrifice industrial empire that never sets, operating 24/7. It was a terrifying thing that it had already reached the average production standard.

Although the standard was from six months ago, and he had heard that their technology had improved again, the fact that they had caught up with the per capita productivity in just six months still filled Li Ang with goodwill towards this newly born civilization. Naturally, he readily approved of the alphabet version they provided.

“Good, you’ve done well. You are indeed using your wisdom and abilities to consider the future of your species. I like this attitude very much, and I believe that your actions will definitely become an important record in the future. I happen to have a brand new wonder here, which may be what you need for your record. And you need time to spread your writing, right? Creating this shouldn’t take much time. It’s relatively simple, and with your current level of construction, you can build it in about a week.”

"Is this a completely new wonder of the world?! My lord, thank you for your grace!"

Feeling the template of a giant building suddenly appear in their minds, the two, who had already experienced it twice, immediately lit up. After bowing deeply to Li Ang, they quickly took their mud scrolls with inscriptions outside and began to issue a statement, intending to build the mysterious library provided by Li Ang.

Just as Li Ang smiled as he watched his people once again begin to take action and collectively prepare to build a new generation of wonders, the voice of the spirit of nature suddenly came from within the Sanctuary of Communication.

'I sense something's happened on the other side of the Storm Sea. The fleet you once took over seems to be experiencing some problems.'

'It doesn't matter, they'll come back if anything goes wrong.'

That's true.

The spirit of nature nodded during the exchange.

'However, if I'm not mistaken, the blueprints for your grand library shouldn't be something humans could create—'

'? '

'Okay, I'll go check what's going on over at Stormy Sea. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll come back.'

The Spirit of Nature, seeing Li Ang's turned head, seemed to shrug rationally, then turned and transformed into a gentle breeze, drifting into the stormy sea.

(End of this chapter)