In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

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 is the script of the early Red King civilization, which has not yet undergone the simplification of civilization and appears to be more disordered and abstract.

The Red King civilization can be traced back to a period of time after the War of Burial 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 most powerful nail Teyvat has ever encountered.

The Heavenly Nail completely destroyed the ecology of 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 a desert at that time. It wasn't until later that the Tree King led people to plant 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 falling of the Heavenly Nails. 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's script manifested in completely different ways at different stages of the Desert Empire.

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

Kavi asked excitedly, "Could you translate, Mr. Wang Yan?"

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

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

The price still needs to be negotiated.

As a scholar, Kavi naturally recognized the value of knowledge and said directly, "There's still plenty of funding for this expedition, so don't worry, it won't let you down."

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

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

Wang Yan nodded: "There's a lot of content above. Do you need to dictate it to me, 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 original content. If there are any grammatical issues that need attention, please mark them down," 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: "It's 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 a city-state, 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 they were talking, Khalid brought over the paper and pen.

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

The tea had gotten a little cold, 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 merely 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 characters independently in the future.

Even if unfamiliar text appears, combining it with already translated text 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; 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 treated unfairly."

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 left in a hurry with the photos and manuscripts.

Khalid then exclaimed excitedly, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Mr. Wang Yan! We've won a brilliant battle!"

Wang Yan wasn't interested in that; he only 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've just earned 35,000 Mora."

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

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

He wrote reports for Tinari for two days and handled the work that had taken him ten to fifteen days. 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 Academy 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."

"Recite it?" Wang Yan asked, puzzled.

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

"There are such rules?" 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. "So, many people are vying for low-difficulty translation jobs, but not many people are willing to take on high-difficulty translations."

Wang Yan nodded slightly, understanding the situation.

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

These people are not just tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Mora who can be mobilized.

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

"Once the scholars at Kavi have 'promoted' you, and you take on a few more challenging projects..." Khalid said, sounding like a sales agent, "you can then raise your price."

The greed characteristic 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 fame.

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

"Haha, once your fame spreads, I'll reap even greater benefits," Khalid laughed heartily.