Guesswork

"Look here," Morgan said, pointing to a pattern on the stone slab. "Early writing was a peculiar style combined with some pictographic representations. This pattern represents a burning fireball."

Then he pointed to another area and said, "These little people, look, they have subtle differences; they should represent two races. Look over here, this glowing, insect-like pattern rules over these little people. These probably record some natural disasters, these are some escape processes. And these, the conflict between the two races..."

Morgan spoke at length, finally concluding. "The legends passed down from ancient times are true; there really are 'gods'."

Sarah pouted and said, "Teacher, you yourself said it's just a legend. Any little child could tell you almost exactly what you were saying."

Morgan patted the stone slab. "But now we have evidence; it's all clearly recorded here."

"Perhaps the ancients were just bored and carved the legends on stone slabs."

"You!" Old Morgan was so angry he was puffing out his beard and glaring. "The ancients weren't as boring as you think."

"You're not from ancient times, how do you know they wouldn't be that bored?"

For his own health, old Morgan didn't want to say anything more. Sarah, however, was somewhat reluctant to leave. Old Morgan had been her mentor since she was very young, practically a father figure who had watched her grow up. That's why she only showed her true nature in front of him, arguing, picking fights, and displaying her sharp tongue. But once she stepped outside that door, she would become that serious and dignified queen.

Unfortunately, old Morgan knew her very well, and every time she got into a heated argument, she would be abruptly stopped, unable to finish.

Looking at old Morgan, who was pretending to be doing research, Sarah subtly pursed her lips and asked softly, "Teacher, do you really believe in God?"

"Sigh!" Old Morgan sighed, leaning back in his chair, taking off his monocle and wiping it with the corner of his shirt. "I didn't believe it at first, but as I've learned more and more, I'm starting to believe it."

Sarah became interested. Old Morgan was a renowned scholar in the kingdom, with extensive knowledge; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the Crown Prince's tutor. He used to focus on various scientific research and even served as the president of the Kingdom's Academy of Sciences. He used to scoff at these legends, considering them all unfounded nonsense.

After Morgan Sr. grew old, he retired from his frontline position and began studying legends and history. He even specifically asked her to examine the royal archives for this purpose. Since she ascended the throne, she has been busy with official duties and has had less time to come here to communicate with her teacher. Even when she does come, it mainly involves arguing and bickering, with little other interaction.

I never imagined that my teacher, who once believed in science, would now start believing in all sorts of mystical things.

Old Morgan paused for a moment before continuing, "A few years ago, someone proposed a theory of biological evolution, a conjecture and hypothesis about the origin of Origin. I found it very interesting, so I studied it a little. But this study revealed Duoqi things."

"According to the theory of evolution, all species have evolved through a long process of natural selection."

Sarah straightened up, a gesture that those who knew her would recognize as an indication of her interest in the topic. "Oh? Is there anything strange about that?"

"The strange thing is that we Rat-folk suddenly developed language and writing, and in just two or three hundred years, we have propelled our civilization to its current level."

Before Sarah could ask any further questions, old Morgan continued, "Many creatures have histories spanning thousands, even thousands of years. So what makes us Rat-folk so special, standing out from so many other creatures?"

"Perhaps our history is much longer than this. Perhaps a natural disaster hundreds of years ago severed the civilization of our ancestors, and we are simply rebuilding it now."

Old Morgan nodded and said, "What you say makes sense; I had similar suspicions before. However, through studying these stone tablets, I discovered that the writing and language at that time were still in their infancy, without a fully formed system."

"Doesn't this just prove that there was a glorious civilization before? It was just destroyed by natural disasters. Our ancestors found some legacies on the ruins of the civilization, and then carried them forward and rebuilt the civilization."

Old Morgan smiled approvingly and said, "That's right, it's certainly possible. But first, if it really was a reconstruction of civilization, then it's only been a few hundred years, it's impossible that there wouldn't be any records left. Second, look at this skeleton. Look at those sharp teeth, look at those huge claws, these all indicate that it was a large carnivore."

"This bone armor is still very new, only a few hundred years old. According to research and calculations, the owner of this bone armor was active during the period before and after the natural disaster."

"What does it matter?" Sarah asked.

"It's very important. Without weapons, we have no chance against this creature. If the Rat-folk lived in the same era as it, they would only become food."

"But we can defeat it with weapons."

"This creature has a huge appetite; it could easily eat ten Rat-folk in one meal. Moreover, there were many similar creatures during that period, as evidenced by numerous unearthed skeletons. Sarah, think about it, what would you do if such a creature were found in your territory?"

"Of course, we should send in the army to destroy it." Sarah had barely finished speaking when she fell into deep thought.

Yes, if Rat-folk civilization existed before, the rulers would never have allowed these creatures to exist; they should have gone extinct long ago. Even if they were kept as pets for tourism, their numbers wouldn't be that high.

At this moment, Morgan's voice came through again. "And there are other unusual things. For example, according to records, hundreds of years ago, the Rat-folk had a very high fertility rate. It was normal for them to have seven or eight offspring in a litter, and it was not uncommon for them to have more than a dozen. They could reproduce again every two or three months. Many wars in history were caused by population explosions."

"Moreover, at that time, the Rat-folk had relatively short lifespans, only a dozen years or so. But suddenly, Rat-folk fertility rate began to decline, and Rat-folk lifespan increased rapidly. According to evolutionary theory, these are all abnormal."

"But what if evolution is wrong?"

"Perhaps, but all the other creatures fit those theories, only we Rat-folk are abnormal. We might also have to add the legendary mortal enemies of our ancestors, but their numbers are small, and we know even less about them." Old Morgan looked somewhat dispirited.

"Maybe they don't even exist," Sarah comforted her.

Old Morgan nodded at first, then immediately shook his head. "I don't know. There are too many contradictions in our history."

There was a long silence between them. Old Morgan muttered to himself, "But if you insert an omnipotent god into these clues, everything makes a lot more sense."

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