Enlightenment and the Predicament of "Literacy" (Mid-Revision... Let's Change the Language Setting Only Up to Here)

Enlightenment and the Predicament of "Literacy" (Mid-Revision—Let's Change the Language Setting Only Up to Here)

At the very center of the tribe, the witch doctors' small courtyard was once again excavated into several underground chambers through the warriors' efforts.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho."

Several teams of troll warriors carried stacks of clay tablets underground. The "books" piled out in the open courtyard gradually dwindled away, and before nightfall, they had all been moved.

Afterward, the four witch doctors, Blade Tusk among them, looked upon the final result filling several underground chambers and smiled in satisfaction.

"Blade Tusk, this last clay tablet should be placed by your own hand."

The Old Witch Doctor picked up a clay tablet bearing the four words Principles of Spellcraft and handed it to Blade Tusk.

Mm, it was finally over. What a long process it had been.

Blade Tusk looked at the tablet in his hands and silently sighed.

"Back when I was young, I would never have dared dream of today. In but one Prime Cycle, we have surpassed the collected knowledge of countless generations of sages! Blade Tusk, your contribution is immense!"

"The work of one man begins with the accumulations of those before him. I dare not claim the credit. The credit belongs to the teachings of all the witch doctors."

"Haha, a new age is about to rise. Let us advance together."

That was what the Old Witch Doctor said in the end, and Blade Tusk and the other two nodded in agreement.

What they had been discussing was Principles of Spellcraft, which had been finalized after countless seminars. Based on Blade Tusk's original concept, it had incorporated the "academic achievements" of the other three witch doctors.

The clay tablets piled high enough to barely fill several underground chambers undoubtedly contained knowledge far beyond the total accumulations of all previous generations. This work embodied the immeasurable painstaking effort of the four witch doctors.

"What are your thoughts on the new system's classifications we discussed before, as well as the language for children's enlightenment?"

Returning to the meeting room, the old troll used a Flame Spell to light the newly built fireplace, as well as the lamps on the walls—made from animal fat as fuel and wicks twisted from durable Magic Beast fur—before asking.

"Light in the night... What a wondrous sight, the great achievement of spellcraft?"

The tribal Chieftain, who had also come to take part in the discussion that followed, spoke with obvious envy in his voice.

Perhaps the wood in the Black Forest was generally too damp, or perhaps there were other unknown reasons. In any case, in a tribe that had yet to unlock the skill of "drilling wood to make fire," the sight in the meeting room truly was incredible.

"For children's elementary education, I agree with the Old Witch Doctor's reasoning. The meditation methods of the others—Blade Tusk's, mine, and Sharp Tusk's Wind Wolf Meditation Method—are all far too difficult in the early stages and offer no advantage."

"Rough Tusk speaks reasonably; I think the same. For elementary education, the threshold may be low, but never high. As for the road ahead, we can discuss it later once they reach the stage of casting spells with Magic Crystals."

Witch Doctor Sharp Tusk likewise expressed his agreement, then turned to ask, "Blade Tusk, what do you think?"

"The Geometry Meditation Method is the best."

"Then I shall do my utmost to simplify the paper and make it easy to learn. At the next seminar, we will study it together and draft the rules."

The Old Witch Doctor replied while stroking his beard. Then he looked toward the Chieftain, who had been listening in, and continued, "And what of the warriors' 'literacy'?"

"Er... it is difficult. So far, the new language and new vocabulary have spread, but fewer than a hundred can recognize the 'phonetic symbols,' and fewer than twenty can read."

"More than half a Prime Cycle has passed since it was entrusted to you. Why are there so few?"

"Old Witch Doctor, the warriors must hunt, gather, and defend the tribe. Their burdens are heavy, and they truly have no spare time. And..."

The Chieftain scratched at his tusks, hesitating in embarrassment. In the end, he hardened his heart and said, "And, Witch Doctor, after you taught only me and the other four warriors, you focused entirely on researching 'magic' and taught nothing further. Warriors are generally dull-witted. With only the five of us, spreading the new language alone has not been easy—how could we possibly teach writing as well? We simply cannot attend to everything."

"And many say they 'will not learn.' They say it is useless for hunting and are unwilling to learn something whose benefits they cannot yet see, so we have had to rely on compulsion."

The four witch doctors exchanged glances, realizing just how thorny the problem was.

"It was our oversight. What a pity, wasting so much time. Everyone, do you have a solution?"

After the Old Witch Doctor's words fell, the meeting room sank into silence for a time. A "solution" was not something one could simply produce by slapping one's forehead.

"I have a humble opinion."

Amid the silence, Blade Tusk's voice rang out. Once everyone's attention had gathered on him, he began to explain his thoughts.

Because the discussion was too complicated, Blade Tusk stammered away in Troll Language for a long while before fully expressing his meaning and communicating it with the other witch doctors.

Roughly speaking, their conversation went as follows. (From here on, the later chapters will no longer imitate that damned "primitive troll language." It really can't be revised anymore. As for new readers, all I can say is that in the previous setting, when the protagonist "created characters," he directly spread Chinese characters and modern Chinese grammar, so these conversations were logical under the old framework. But hadn't readers persuaded me to change the setting?)

"If you ask me to produce a workable solution directly, I truly do not have that ability. So what I wish to express next is a line of thought."

"First, 'learning' is work that depends greatly on 'initiative.' This is especially true for warriors, whose time is not abundant. We must make them understand why they need to become literate. To do that, we must first unify our own understanding and reach a consensus within a small circle. From the tribe as a whole down to the individual troll, what benefits would literacy bring to the warriors? Then, with a unified conclusion, we can do ideological work among the warriors."

"Second, as the Chieftain said earlier, 'the burden of hunting is heavy'—in other words, there is no spare time, correct? Then we need to consider why time is insufficient, what we lack in order to create more of it, and what we can accomplish."

Hearing this, every troll present fell into thought. The old troll even nodded and stated, "Very well. Solutions should arise from needs, and clear reasoning is the shortcut to a conclusion. Let us discuss it, then. Shall we begin with the benefits, from the whole to the individual? I shall start and set the ball rolling."

"Mm, please go first."

"Please."

"Then I will speak of the whole. The emergence of 'writing' has made the accumulation and inheritance of knowledge more convenient. The reform of the 'spellcraft' system has also lowered the threshold for converting knowledge into power. All these changes have shown me the importance of 'innovation and development.' And 'innovation and development' require not only geniuses like Blade Tusk, who can push things forward by their own strength, but also ordinary witch doctors like me to serve as the foundation."

Blade Tusk merely smiled shyly, scratched his head to show his humility, and did not interrupt the Old Witch Doctor's speech.

"Geniuses are things one may encounter but cannot seek; across countless generations, only one such as him has appeared. But witch doctors like me are different. So long as there is the soil of 'civilization' to nurture us, more will always emerge one after another."

"Therefore, 'civilization' is necessary. And if we do not wish to remain barbaric, then for the tribe, mastering 'knowledge' can no longer be the responsibility of only a handful of witch doctors. It must become the goal of every clansman, second only to 'survival.'"

"Therefore, the warriors' literacy campaign must not be delayed for even a moment."