The Laws of Werewolf Hunting

Chapter 546 Source Magic

Sir Franklin's words gave Clayton a strange feeling, as if he had returned to last October when Clara's mother came to the rusted silver coin looking for something, and threw a tantrum when she couldn't find it.

Fortunately, the insurance I bought for this store last year hasn't expired yet.

Similar to last year's procedure, he told Charlotte not to stay on the rusty silver coin any longer and gave her a pistol.

By the time Clayton finally sat down in front of the deep historian Mr. Ben, the sun was already high in the sky. Once the work truly began, he realized it was more agonizing than a bitter battle.

Why do you feel that the place you see in the illusion is ancient Mansis?

"Because I saw the clothes of the washerwomen at the foot of the mountain, which were not the style of my own country, and the language my ancestors spoke sounded like Mansis."

“Mansis people don’t necessarily only speak Mansis in their own country, and you’re not even sure if it’s Mansis. Even though your parents are of Mansis descent, you don’t actually speak it, do you?”

“I can say a little bit, but I can understand that memory without needing to understand language. My ancestors said it was the territory of the First Empire.”

“That’s right, but the First Empire considers the whole world as its territory.”

"Tian'en Mountain!"

Where is Tianen Mountain?

"This is something you should investigate, scholar!"

"Why do you think I gave you such a high reward, werewolf!"

"Enough! I'm certain that this happened at the end of the First Empire, because Milentis was conquering Vaegir."

“That doesn’t prove anything. Vikya rebelled many times, and Milenti conquered it several times. I need more specific information. How good are your sketching skills? Can you draw the scene for me? I need to see the people and the appearance of the civilization.”

"."

"I want to see the washerwoman."

"."

"The temple."

"."

"What kind of houses do people live in the human settlement controlled by the wolf spirit? How do they farm and perform rituals?"

"."

By the time Clayton finished his work, the day was almost over.

"I never imagined I'd be making money by drawing pictures for people," he said to Mr. Ben, glancing at the night view outside the window with a touch of emotion.

"This is also part of historical research."

After finishing his work, Mr. Ben suddenly became amiable. He contentedly clipped Clayton's painting into his notebook and put it in the bookcase. He then invited the werewolf and Julius, who had been reading a book all afternoon, to have dinner together.

Clayton, wanting to build rapport with the scholars, agreed to stay.

The servants of Mr. Ben's household brought dinner to the dining room. It was nothing fancy, just ordinary home-cooked food, such as spicy bean soup, bread slices, and sliced ​​sausages.

This deep historian was frugal in his personal life and not keen on indulging in luxuries.

Clayton poured thick hot bean soup over his bread, but didn't eat immediately: "Mr. Ben, I actually have a question about your profession—to whom does the study of deep history serve?"

"Serving everyone, both nobles and commoners," Mr. Ben said, having just finished this phase of work, and still in high spirits: "You must find it strange, right? The records of the influence of supernatural powers on major historical events are already quite complete in the hands of the Heraldry's scribes and the clergy, so why is there a separate field of in-depth history?"

“I do have my doubts about that,” Clayton nodded in agreement.

The fireplace was right next to the table. The scholar didn't feel cold, but he still lit it to dry out the moisture in the air.

The firelight illuminated the house in a bright red glow.

"Actually, the focus of this discipline is on the perspective of ordinary people. Recorders and priests are both part of the extraordinary. Even if they do not possess extraordinary powers, they have lived in the system created by these powers for a long time. 'Extraordinary' is no longer a rare thing in their eyes. Therefore, when recording history, they often omit these 'common sense' things that are unique to them and only add more words to the particularly rare and powerful people."

"For this reason, even if they did not intend to conceal their supernatural powers, the gaps they inadvertently created can still mislead future generations." Clayton deeply agreed with Mr. Ben's statement, because for this reason, he had dueled with Taunton's knights, only to find out nothing afterward.

Mr. Ben continued, “Deep history studies should distinguish between ordinary people and extraordinary individuals, clarify the impact of supernatural phenomena on history, distinguish the authenticity of some historical records that were once considered to be errors, and re-evaluate the talents and achievements of historical figures.”

"It's a major innovation to evaluate things not from the perspective of an extraordinary person, but from the perspective of an ordinary person."

He was very confident in his research.

"Although deep history has not yet gained widespread recognition in academia, it is only a matter of time."

Clayton was moved by Mr. Ben's persistence, and the subject reminded him of his assistant, Miss Charlotte, who seemed to have developed a similar passion for the subject that morning and possessed considerable academic talent. So he recommended her to Mr. Ben, hoping to generate some academic interest.

Unfortunately, Mr. Ben first frowned at Miss Charlotte's gender, and then at her job.

“Women’s bodies are too weak, and research also requires physical strength.” He said, “I need someone who is physically strong and energetic. Secondly, this person must not have any other job, because a person’s spirit and passion are limited. I need my partner to be fully committed to this research so that he can help me.”

Clayton felt sorry for this, but then his keen senses detected that Julius was waving his finger. He looked in the direction of the finger and found a badge lying on the windowsill with the emblem of Sasha University on it.

Mr. Ben, or rather Professor Ben, is a Sasha, as was Mr. Melcher, whom Clayton knew before.

The two universities in Sasha—Sasha University and Sain University—are competitors.

Clayton suddenly realized.

It seems he was somewhat distracted just now, missing one of my frowns. This rejection likely carried a hint of discrimination against his alma mater, but since he hadn't attended any university and was of even lower status, it wasn't appropriate for him to speak up for Miss Charlotte on this matter.

Mr. Ben did not mean to look down on Clayton. Although he was harsh during the investigation, he was extremely grateful for Clayton's dedication afterwards.

After all, there were very few volunteers. The immortals were unwilling to come, and the remaining Darkborn who used the curse ritual to obtain the memories of their ancestors lacked the ability to express themselves properly.

Clayton can write and draw, and his memory is still clear; he is a perfect person among the volunteers.

His fork was still stuck in a piece of sausage, and he looked up sincerely at Clayton: "Mr. Bello, I sincerely implore you to continue the curse-binding ritual. Your contribution can benefit our entire civilization."

Clayton hesitated for a moment before speaking, “I would be happy to help, but the binding ritual comes at a price. Before contributing to our civilization, I must also consider my own health.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ben's face showed disappointment.

However, he became happy when Clayton indicated that the consequences of the ritual might be mitigated this year.

"This year has been truly a joyous one. Before spring had even passed, I received help from two benefactors. It seems that I will be able to complete the system of deep history in my lifetime and conclude the study of the foundational parts of the First Empire."

After having dinner together, Mr. Ben suggested that since it was getting late, they might as well stay there for the night and go back the next day.

This is probably what is meant by being unable to refuse such warm hospitality.

The professor, smoking a cigarette, described his research findings to the werewolf and the wizard, talking about everything from distant Mensis to the ancient times of his own country, and then bringing the focus to the secrets of the city they lived in.

According to him, although Sasha is now a remote city, it has a long history, with the name "Sasha" existing as early as ancient times.

The Difon people once lived here, and they gave it this name.

Mr. Ben spoke of it as if it were his own child, if he had: "You know, there used to be a treasure hunt in Sasha, with many people believing that there was treasure left by the Dinons here."

“I know more than I do,” Clayton thought to himself, realizing he had been completely ruined by this “treasure.”

The mess that Chord Osmar made in his attempt to return to Wonderland still bothers him.

"After the Age of Exploration, the power of the nobility shrank, and their influence over their fiefdoms diminished day by day. This is not an exaggeration; in ancient times, there truly was a strong bond between nobles and their lands. If a noble was killed on his own land, that land would suffer disasters, such as droughts, floods, and insect infestations, and this was because..."

“Because of source magic,” Julius said, uttering the word Mr. Ben had forgotten.

He looked at Clayton and began to explain the magic to him: "Source magic is the first magic theoretically invented, namely 'naming'. The first person to stand on unclaimed land and name it can possess it, that's roughly the idea, and that's how nobles came to be."

“Yes, but the magic is becoming less and less effective,” Mr. Ben said. “The name is being constantly distorted, covered up, and corrupted.”

(End of this chapter)