In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

After a moment's hesitation, Wang Yan put the photo down and looked up at the anxious-looking Kavi:

"The characters above are a variant of the ancient Red King script, and should be a relatively primitive variant."

Chapter 30 Thirty-Five Thousand Mora (Please read, add to your favorites, and vote with monthly tickets)

Writing is constantly evolving.

The writing system of the Red King civilization did not appear suddenly, nor was it directly bestowed by the gods.

It also has a complete evolutionary path.

Wang Yan compared the text above with the text of the Crimson King civilization he had seen before, and found that the former was more primitive.

Therefore, it can be tentatively assumed that this should be the early script of the Red King civilization, which has not yet undergone the simplification of the civilization and looks more disordered and abstract.

The Red King civilization can be traced back to a period of time after the War of Funeral Fire.

During that time, a certain grass dragon was researching forbidden knowledge here when a nail fell from the sky. This nail can be said to be the oldest nail Teyvat has ever eaten.

The Heavenly Nail utterly destroyed the ecosystem of Mount Sumeru, turning the vibrant Sumeru into a desolate desert. The remaining humans struggled for survival in the desert, and even the current rainforest area had already turned into desert at that time. It wasn't until later that the Tree King led people to start planting trees on the edge of the desert that a rainforest was slowly created.

The Red King Civilization was formed by the remnants of the ancient Sumeru people struggling to survive after the Nail of Destiny fell. It was only with the arrival of Ahmar that the humans here united around him, establishing city-state after city-state, and finally forming an ancient empire that ruled Sumeru.

Thus, in the evolution of the Red King's script, there was not only the knowledge brought by the Red King, but also the pictographic scripts that were integrated from various local tribes.

It even incorporates knowledge brought by the Flower Goddess [Nabu Marikata].

Therefore, the Red King script was expressed in completely different ways at different stages of the desert empire.

"That's right, I do understand the Red King's script, but the inscription on this stone tablet gives me a vague feeling. Considering the antiquity of that site, it must have been left from an even more distant era."

Kavi asked with some excitement, "Could you translate it, Mr. Wang Yan?"

Wang Yan naturally wouldn't disappoint, nodding slightly: "Of course it's possible, however, this kind of variant is rare, and the translation cost..."

Although Kavi was penniless, Wang Yan wasn't rich either.

The price still needs to be discussed.

As a scholar, Kavi naturally recognized the value of knowledge and said directly, "There is still a considerable amount of funding for this expedition. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed."

He didn't say how much money it was, but nodded to Khalid.

Khalid then spoke up, saying, "Scholar Kavi is still very trustworthy."

Wang Yan nodded: "There's a lot of content above. Do you need me to dictate it to you, or should I write it down for you? Of course, one-on-one translation is also possible, but that will cost extra."

“Translate it word by word, just the most original content. If there are any grammatical issues that need attention, please mark them,” Kavi said.

Wang Yan nodded, then said to Khalid, "Mr. Khalid, please prepare paper and pen for me."

"Okay, coming right up." Khalid walked towards the counter.

Wang Yan then looked at Kavi: "As my first client, I can give you some more reminders."

As he spoke, Wang Yan pointed to the photo: "The above is a hymn, but it's incomplete. It only has the prologue titled 'The Wind Rises and the Sands Surge'."

"This prologue tells the story of how the Red King Ahmar came to the desert, led the desert people to establish city-states, protected the people, and was then revered as a god by everyone."

"Judging from the content, I think there should be more content to follow. If you want to write a paper on this topic, it would be best to complete the content."

As he spoke, Khalid handed him the paper and pen.

Wang Yan immediately began working, translating word by word while explaining some of the grammar of this ancient Red King script variant to Kavi.

After explaining the hundreds of words word by word, Wang Yan was a little tired. He turned his head and saw that there was already a cup of tea next to him.

It must have been prepared by Khalid; I was so engrossed in explaining it that I didn't see it.

The tea had cooled down a bit, but Wang Yan didn't mind. He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The tea soothes the body as it goes down.

Kavi was still looking at Wang Yan's manuscript with great surprise.

In reality, Wang Yan's handwriting wasn't exactly beautiful; it was just neat. But Kavi still held the manuscript in both hands as if it were a treasure.

This made him unhappy.

In theory, with the hundreds of textual analyses of Wang Yan, one can translate similar ancient Chi Wang scripts independently in the future.

Even if unfamiliar characters appear, combining them with already translated texts will likely result in a fairly accurate translation.

To put it simply, if Wang Yan's manuscript were given to the Zhilun School, it could at least produce an influential paper on the ancient Red King script.

'Hiss, no wonder he was introduced by Tina Li, he's certainly capable.'

Kavi sighed inwardly, then said to Wang Yan, "The translation is excellent. Thank you so much, Mr. Wang Yan. The payment will be settled with Khalid at the end of the month. You will definitely not be shortchanged."

Wang Yan, holding the teacup, nodded: "I'm glad I could help you. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me again."

"Hahaha, definitely. With your skill level, I might have to wait in line then," Kavi laughed.

After chatting for a while, Kavi hurriedly left with the photos and manuscripts.

Khalid then exclaimed excitedly, "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, Mr. Wang Yan, we've won a brilliant battle!"

Wang Yan wasn't interested in that; he just wanted to know how much he could earn from this deal: "How much did he pay?"

Khalid wasn't so oblivious to Wang Yan's lack of understanding: "The ancient Red King script is still an evolving variant, making it a highly difficult translation. The translation fee is 50,000 Mora, with a 70% commission. Congratulations, Mr. Wang Yan, you just earned 35,000 Mora."

Wang Yan's eyes widened: "How much?"

The materials for a low-level mushroom beast only cost twenty Mora.

He wrote two days' reports for Tinari, handling ten to fifteen days' worth of work for him, and Tinari paid him the maximum wage, giving him three thousand Mora.

Now, from the moment Kavi entered until he left, it was only a little over an hour, yet he earned a full 35,000 Mora.

I knew the Cult of the Fathers valued knowledge, but I didn't expect it to be this much.

Khalid shook his head at Wang Yan's surprised look: "Not much. The more difficult the translation, the higher its value. The 50,000 Mora is not just for the translation, but also for the endorsement."

"Reciting?" Wang Yan asked, puzzled.

Khalid nodded: "Of course, he used your translation. If other scholars question this part of the content, you have to step in and help them respond to the questions."

"So there are rules like this?" Wang Yan felt like he had learned something new.

“Of course, otherwise, if everyone just translates randomly, wouldn’t that break the rules?” Khalid said seriously. “Therefore, many people are vying for low-difficulty translation jobs, but not many people can take on high-difficulty translations.”

Wang Yan nodded slightly, understanding the situation.

After all, those who can translate highly difficult ancient texts are basically accomplished scholars, either renowned figures in their schools of thought, senior scholars, or even sages.

These people are not just tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands of Mora can be mobilized.

Upon comparison, Wang Yan realized that he not only didn't earn much, but was actually earning very little.

“Once Scholar Kavi promotes you, you can take on a few more challenging jobs…” Khalid said in a broker’s manner, “and then you can raise your price.”

The greed typical of a businessman finally appeared in his eyes: "At that time, orders like this will at least double in price."

Wang Yan looked at him in surprise, and after a moment, gave him a thumbs up: "You really know how to make money."

Don't be fooled by the high commission rates for difficult orders.

But with each order Wang Yan completed, Khalid's shop gained a little more reputation.

However, for Khalid, making money through commissions was secondary; what he needed was to build Wang Yan's reputation and thus expand the shop's influence.

"Haha, once your fame spreads, I'll benefit even more," Khalid laughed heartily.

Chapter 31 A scholar comes to provoke (Please read, add to your favorites, and vote with monthly tickets)

Kavi is indeed a very good person.

After Wang Yan completed the translation for him, he used Wang Yan's translation for his own project and noted the translator's name, namely [Wang Yan], in the notes.

As one of the leading scholars of the Mysterious Theory school, and the winner of the "School Competition" at the last Church Council Anniversary, the influence of Kavi's paper is self-evident.

Wang Yan's name became famous along with his thesis.

Fame brings both good and bad.

Okay, naturally his appearance fee is getting more and more expensive. The orders Khalid gets for him, the cheaper ones cost 30,000 to 50,000 Mora, and the more expensive ones can even approach six figures. Wang Yan originally wanted to make money by developing some patented technology, but now he finds that making money through translation is still faster.

Of course, Wang Yan didn't get cocky. When it came to difficult translations, he didn't dare to produce results immediately. He would often use the excuse of the difficulty of the translation to delay for a while.

Although this slowed down the speed at which he made money, it made sense, at least it prevented people from thinking that there must be something wrong with how fast he was translating.

As for the bad ones…

Every industry has its niche, and normally there are people in any niche.

Wang Yan's emergence now, occupying a niche in the high-end translation ecosystem, will naturally offend people.

"You're Wang Yan, the one from Liyue?"

One day at noon, three or five scholars arrived, their faces showing displeasure, and blocked Wang Yan at the Menaka shop.

Wang Yan sighed inwardly. This was certainly not the first time. In recent days, as his reputation had grown, several groups of scholars had come to visit.

After nodding to the guests beside him, Wang Yan turned to the scholars and said softly, "Gentlemen, it is still working hours. If you wish to have a competition, please wait until I have finished my work with this gentleman."

The scholars, who had initially seemed quite imposing, were taken aback by Wang Yan's gentle interruption.

That's why they say a scholar's rebellion won't succeed in three years.

Wang Yan has discovered that if you are polite to these scholars from the Academy, they will be embarrassed to get angry. These guys come to provoke you, but they actually try to reason with you!

Under the interested gazes of the guests, Wang Yan spent more than ten minutes translating the ancient text into Chinese and then handed it to them.

Then he looked at the scholars again.

"Gentlemen, you're probably here to discuss writing and language with me too, right?"

The leading scholar had lost his initial imposing manner, but still said in a stiff tone, "You are not one of us from the epistemological school."

The translation of Sumeru was naturally monopolized by scholars of the epistemological school.

After all, their expertise lies in writing and language, as well as runes and the like.

Wang Yan remained expressionless: "I'm waiting for the next exam to start. You guys will probably become my seniors soon."

The scholars were taken aback, barely managing to hold their breath.

We came here to provoke you, and you said you'd call us "senior"?

"Hmph, don't try to curry favor. Wait until you get into the academy." The leading scholar sneered. "We're here today to see if you're as amazing as the rumors say (in ancient Sumerian language)."

“Of course, you are welcome to give me any pointers, I will accept them all. (Ancient Sumeru language)” Wang Yan said with a smile.

He's cheating.

In terms of language and writing, as long as the other party speaks or takes out a piece of paper with writing on it, Wang Yan cannot possibly lose.

Unless the other party produces extraordinary runes, it might be difficult for Wang Yan.

But this is no longer within his job scope.

Wang Yan would also frankly state that he came to the Order Academy to learn more knowledge, and rune knowledge was within his consideration.

"In your translation of Old Red King language, there are several word roots whose origins are unclear. How do you explain this? (Fendnerian)"

"In the evolution of the Red King language family, it absorbed the dialects of many different tribes. These word roots mainly came from these different desert tribes. In the later desert empires, these tribes also left behind vocabulary with similar word roots. (Fendnerian)"

"I heard you also translated the script evolved from the [Engraved Inscription], something even the Nata people themselves can't explain." (Kanria)

"That's not the case. Although the civilization of Nata is not as clearly defined as that of other countries, the Smoke Lords, as a priestly tribe, possess a large number of woven scrolls. These scrolls are cultural heritage. Although they are difficult to decipher, there is no situation where they are 'unclear' as you described. (Kanria's words)"

"Muhe mita? Zido dala nye? (Qiqiu language: How have you been lately? Have you encountered any difficulties?)"

“Dada. Mi muhe mita dada. Zido dala nye. (Chich language: Thank you, I'm doing well lately, nothing's wrong.)”

"... "

The surrounding guests watched as Wang Yan and several scholars chatted amongst themselves.

They chattered away, and although I couldn't understand a word they said, I was still quite impressed.

Ten minutes later.

The scholars, who had switched between dozens of languages, looked ashen-faced.