stjorthotic Chapter 4 The Devil's Civilization - Ancient Rhine
Chapter 4 The Devil's Civilization - Ancient Rhine
The topmost webpage title is in red on a black background, which feels very oppressive and has a sense of unease, sending chills down your spine.
However, this website seems to have been neglected for a long time, and all the sections below are now inaccessible.
Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the red text on the screen, his eyes slightly narrowed.
He recognized the color; it was a dark reddish-brown that human blood exhibits when it is nearly dried up.
A strange sense of danger welled up inside him, so he closed the webpage, and the computer screen returned to light.
"A place of wandering spirits? Some kind of urban legend?"
"There seems to be a similar urban legend in Coast City, called... Dark Predator?"
The monster that preys on stray cats in the dark and occasionally eats people used to be used to scare disobedient children, but nobody mentions it anymore.
After all, there are surveillance cameras everywhere now, so these urban legends have decreased a lot.
Moreover, most people will unconsciously choose to avoid dark corners without surveillance cameras.
Her fingernails tapped lightly on the table, her gaze falling on the brown-covered book she had collected from the church.
The text on the cover looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it before.
After a moment of silence, he pulled over the webcam on his computer, took a few photos, and wanted to post them on the Super Bar forum to ask questions.
However, just as he was about to post, he deleted the photo of the brown book, handwritten the first two words on the cover, and took a new photo.
After posting the message, he casually pulled back the curtains and lay back in his chair.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a cool hue in the pillars of light created by the Tyndall effect, making the dust particles appear like tiny diamond fragments.
The damp night breeze brushed against my cheeks.
Coastal City is located by the sea, so the humidity is high. Therefore, the evening breeze in the first half of the night is not cool, but rather makes you feel sticky.
With my arms behind my head, I quietly watched the leaves outside the window, illuminated by the moonlight, swaying gently in the wind.
After an unknown amount of time, the night breeze dampened his hair, and he suddenly laughed.
First, there was the transmigration and rebirth, then there was that kind of monster whose origins were unknown.
This kind of life is truly... a feeling of heartbeat, soul, trembling, and being truly alive.
It brings joy to people.
I turned my head to look outside the door; my mother and sister were there too...
Only those who are weak at heart seek externally—from family, from recognition, from love.
He had thought his heart was strong enough, but now it seems that's not entirely true.
He remembered a line from a movie: "Your state of mind can change."
Losing the environment of that time will change one's state of mind.
Just as the Buddha would not be affected by the emotions of ants, he also said, "In heaven and on earth, I alone am the honored one," when he was born.
Having sorted out his psychological changes, Lin Ye's smile became relaxed.
Once my mind relaxed, I drifted off to sleep.
......
"Cough cough—"
The computer emitted a coughing beep, and Lin Ye's eyelashes fluttered. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
I glanced at the alarm clock: 10 PM.
"Have you slept for almost two hours?"
Looking at the computer screen, I saw that there were already quite a few replies to the post I had published.
Looking through these replies, most of them were just jokes.
For example, this character is so ugly that it's barely legible, and then someone pastes up a picture of their own calligraphy.
Besides this, there are also those who leave their paws for photos.
However, one of the replies quickly caught his attention; the username was 【185男大】.
"This seems to be ancient Xilu script? Does it mean a highly poisonous medicine?"
Upon seeing this reply, he sat up straight, becoming more alert.
"The ancient script of Silu? The Kingdom of Silu?"
He frowned slightly. The continent where the Liya Federation is located is the Eastern Continent, while the Xilu Kingdom is located in the Western Continent, which borders the Eastern Continent to the west, with many small countries in between.
Once upon a time, Xilu was the most powerful nation in the Western Continent, and once became the world's hegemon, with the "deer of the forest" as its symbol.
Although it has declined somewhat in recent years, its strength should not be underestimated, and it remains one of the world's four poles.
"How could it be Xiluwen? It's so far away."
There are already many floors below this reply, and when expanded, rows of replies appear.
【The Chaser】(lv.27): Not a poisonous drug, but a magical one. This is Ancient Rhine script, considered the precursor to the ancient script of Silur.
【185cm tall male】(lv.5): What is Old Rhine script? I've only ever heard of Rhine churches.
【The Chaser】(lv.27): Old Rhine was a script created by the Old Rhine people, but the Old Rhine civilization was lost long before the establishment of the Kingdom of Silur. Silurian script evolved from a combination of parts of Old Rhine.
[185cm Male] (lv.5): Oh~ I see. Boss, what does this magic mean? It can't really mean what I'm thinking, right? Isn't that something from legends?
【The Chaser】(lv.27): It is indeed a legend. The ancient Rhine civilization is said to have possessed the power of demons, and therefore is also known as the 'Devil Civilization'.
"The power of the devil..."
Lin Ye muttered to himself, thinking of the golden-masked monster. Was this monster some kind of demon?
Keep watching,
【森森鹿鸣】(lv.19): I do know a little about this. My mentor said that after the loss of the ancient Rhine civilization, the script representing magic lost its reference point. However, this script often appeared together with script representing death and hell, so in the history of the Western Continent, it gradually evolved to mean "deadly poison," "poison of hell," and "poison that will surely kill."
[The Chaser] (lv.27): I see. I haven’t really studied this area.
Seeing this, Lin Ye felt somewhat disappointed.
My high school history teacher once said that the so-called "loss" actually refers to the phenomenon that ancient civilizations suddenly disappeared at a certain period of time, resulting in only a small amount of history and legends being passed down.
Looking at the last reply, his gaze shifted, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
The reply time was 21:58, which is less than five minutes ago!
Without hesitation, I pulled over the keyboard and started typing.
【Wild Grass Under the Forest】(lv.8) "Experts, where can I learn this kind of writing?"
After replying, he waited a while and picked up the brown book he had collected from that church.
Before he could even lift it, the computer emitted a coughing sound.
"Cough cough—"
【The Chaser】(lv.27): This is probably very difficult. It's too niche. There are very few people who study the ancient Rhine script, and there is very little information about the ancient Rhine civilization on the internet.
Seeing this, Lin Ye put down the brown-covered book in his hand, somewhat disappointed.
This brown-covered book was brought out from that medieval church, and it's written in Old Rhine script, so it might contain some unusual information.
But that's okay, he can search for relevant information online and should be able to gain something.
"Cough cough—"
【Forest Deer Cry】(lv.19): If your city is of a decent size, check if there is a Rhine church in the city. The priests there usually know some Old Rhine.
suck--!
Lin Ye took a deep breath in excitement.
"Clap clap clap..."
【Wild Grass Under the Trees】(lv.8): "Thanks for the guidance, expert!"
Close the SuperBar forum, open the map of the Liya Federation, and directly locate Coast City.
Coastal City, due to its port, can barely be considered a second-tier city, and it is of a decent size.
Type 'Rhine Church' in the search box and press Enter.
The map zooms in quickly, providing direct location information.
Yes, it is!
Looking at the location, it's not too far; by bus, the journey takes less than an hour.
After calming myself down, I looked at the brown book and smiled with some relief.
What will it record? Will it be supernatural knowledge?
"Because there are monsters, there are also extraordinary beings, which makes sense, right?"