Morta Script

Although Merlin found old Aita somewhat baffling, since Kailisi had said the old man was highly accomplished in appraising antiques from the Molta Empire era, he had no further concerns. He gave old Aita a slight bow and respectfully said, "Merlin is willing to study under you, Teacher!"

"Very good."

Old Aita's face, which had been somewhat grim moments ago, instantly changed. He began to smile. "Merlin, come by this afternoon. We'll begin with some basic knowledge of antique appraisal."

Unable to gauge old Aita's temperament, Merlin did not dare object. He could only nod, indicating that he would come that afternoon. Old Aita then saw Merlin and Kailisi out.

"Miss Kailisi, who exactly is Teacher Aita?"

Merlin finally could not hold back any longer and asked Kailisi.

Kailisi pondered for a moment before saying quietly, "Mr. Aita seems to have come to Blackwater City from somewhere else. He lives alone, and I've never seen any relatives of his. He is rather solitary by nature and only likes collecting antiques. I happened to meet Mr. Aita by chance and asked him about antiques. Whenever I come across an antique I do not understand, I consult him as well. As for anything else about Mr. Aita, I do not know much either."

Merlin nodded, then parted ways with Kailisi and took the carriage back to the castle.

*****

That afternoon, Merlin returned to the small building where old Aita lived.

The sky had cleared by then. The heavy snow, which had fallen for an entire day, had finally stopped, but the air remained bitterly cold. Merlin wrapped his coat tightly around himself, went up to the second floor, and knocked on old Aita's door.

The door soon opened. When old Aita saw Merlin, his expression remained calm.

"You're fairly punctual. Not bad."

Old Aita said nothing further and let Merlin inside.

Merlin went over to the fireplace. Old Aita seemed to enjoy sitting there, and Merlin noticed a thick book placed beside it.

Old Aita glanced up at Merlin and said, "Antiques are the sediment of history. An antique may carry a particular period of history within it. Therefore, if you wish to understand antiques, you must be broadly learned and deeply understand their historical background. Take the antiques from the Molta Empire era that you like, for example. If you want to truly identify antiques from that period, you must first understand the Molta Empire. Do you know what the most important thing in the Molta Empire was?"

Merlin shook his head. His knowledge of the Molta Empire was quite limited.

"It was writing. For a unified empire, writing was indispensable. Only through writing could one learn about many matters from the Molta Empire era. Of course, writing is also an excellent way to identify antiques from that period."

Old Aita then picked up a small booklet from the table and handed it to Merlin.

Merlin casually flipped open a page and found it filled with dense, strange symbols unlike anything he had ever seen. Old Aita explained, "This is Morta script, the writing used during the Molta Empire era!"

"Morta script?"

Merlin's eyes lit up. Morta script was vastly different from the Light Script currently used in the Bright Kingdom. Light Script somewhat resembled the Western Latin alphabet from his previous life, with countless words formed from individual letters.

Morta script, meanwhile, looked like rows of tadpoles. To Merlin, there was simply no way to distinguish the differences between those characters.

"Merlin, if you wish to appraise antiques from the Molta Empire era, you must begin by learning Morta script."

Thus, under old Aita's instruction, Merlin began studying the complex Morta script.

Learning a language was extremely tedious, but Merlin was full of enthusiasm for learning Morta script. Perhaps this body was naturally sensitive to writing, but Merlin displayed considerable talent in studying it. In one afternoon, he had already mastered more than a dozen words.

Of course, learning a new language required perseverance. It would take months, perhaps even years, to master it.

The afternoon quickly passed. Seeing that the sky was gradually darkening, old Aita said coldly, "All right, we'll stop here for today. Go back and practice all the Morta script vocabulary you learned today."

"Teacher Aita, I will certainly review it carefully when I return."

With that, Merlin gave old Aita another slight bow before turning and leaving the small building.

"Phew..."

The cold outside was piercing. Blown by the gust of icy wind, Merlin's somewhat muddled mind cleared considerably. He could already see Moss's carriage.

"Moss, back to the castle!"

Merlin climbed into the carriage, stretched out his legs, leaned back, and gently massaged his head with both hands. Studying under old Aita had been exhausting, but it had also been the most fulfilling day he had spent since coming to this world.

*****

Several days passed. Every day, Merlin traveled back and forth between old Aita's home and the castle. His life followed a simple routine.

"Steward, is something wrong?"

After breakfast, Merlin asked softly. He had long noticed that the steward seemed somewhat off today.

The steward hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Young Master Merlin, Miss Mei Xue has been away from the castle for nine days now. She has not returned after so long. Should we send someone to Gran City to check on her?"

Merlin was slightly taken aback. He had been so focused on learning Morta script over the past few days, with every day feeling quite fulfilling, that he had indeed somewhat forgotten about Mei Xue.

He remembered Mei Xue saying that her exchange visit to Gran City would only take three to five days. It had now been nearly ten days, yet she still had not returned. No wonder the steward was worried.

"How about this? Don't send anyone to Gran City just yet. I'll find some time later to ask Anson and see whether he has any news."

The steward nodded as well, then instructed the servants to clear the table.

"Phew..."

Merlin walked out of the castle, and a blast of cold wind made him shiver. Although it had not snowed again in the past few days and the weather had been clear, it was still freezing outside.

"Moss, take me to Teacher Aita's."

Merlin hesitated. He usually went to old Aita's place in the afternoon. Today, he needed to ask Anson for some information, so he should first explain the situation to old Aita.

The carriage slowly left the castle.

*****

Merlin stood outside old Aita's door and called softly, "Teacher Aita."

After a while, Merlin still heard no response from old Aita, so he reached out and knocked on the door.

Creak.

At the slightest touch from Merlin's hand, the door unexpectedly swung open.

Merlin hesitated before walking in. He looked around but did not see any sign of old Aita. It seemed that old Aita was not home.

"Teacher Aita is really too careless. He left the door unlocked. Isn't he afraid of thieves?"

Merlin muttered to himself. Public order in Blackwater City had not been particularly good lately. Still, he knew that old Aita was usually strange and mysterious. Merlin had been coming here for nearly ten days, yet he still did not know what old Aita actually did. He only knew that old Aita was the sole occupant of this house. Aside from Merlin and Kailisi, who came by occasionally, no one else ever visited.

Thus, Merlin privately guessed that old Aita might have come to Blackwater City all alone.

Seeing that old Aita was not home, Merlin sat quietly by the fireplace to wait, reviewing the Morta script he had learned over the past few days.

After waiting for about an hour, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped considerably. Merlin casually added some firewood to the fireplace. Just then, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs outside the door. Old Aita must have returned, so Merlin hurriedly stood up.

Bang.

The door slammed shut. When old Aita saw Merlin in the room, he paused in surprise. "Merlin, why are you here?"

Merlin noticed that old Aita wore tall leather boots caked with mud. His coat was covered in droplets of dew, his face was slightly pale, and he looked rather exhausted. Merlin had no idea what he had been doing.

"Teacher Aita, I came to ask for leave. I may need to deal with some family matters this afternoon, so I will not be coming today."

Merlin looked at old Aita. To his surprise, old Aita did not appear angry at all, instead seeming very calm. After a long while, old Aita nodded and said evenly, "I will be going on a long journey over the next few days, so your studies may have to stop for a while."

Merlin was somewhat surprised. Old Aita usually seemed quite idle. What could he possibly need to do?

"When will Teacher Aita return?"

"I cannot say. Perhaps three to five days, perhaps ten days or half a month. But remember, even if I am not here, you must continue practicing Morta script diligently. I have some notes on learning Morta script, along with some translations into Light Script. I compiled them several years ago. Take them and study them yourself. They should help improve your understanding of Morta script."

Old Aita then took out a thick stack of papers and handed them to Merlin.

Merlin was somewhat stunned. These materials were no simple matter. Were they not equivalent to a dictionary from his previous life? Moreover, old Aita had recorded them stroke by stroke, making them extraordinarily precious. In this era, these things alone could be considered priceless treasures. Although old Aita was usually strict, he truly valued Merlin.

"Rest assured, Teacher. I will practice Morta script diligently at home."

With that, Merlin took the materials and turned to leave.

"Wait..."

Old Aita's expression shifted uncertainly. At last, as though he had made up his mind, he took a black ring from his pocket and tossed it directly to Merlin. In a deep voice, he said, "I'm giving you this little trinket. At least it will not be for nothing that you call me 'Teacher.'"

"Teacher, this..."

Merlin hesitated, but old Aita immediately waved a hand with an impatient look. "Go. Hurry up and go do whatever you need to do. I am tired and want to rest properly."

Without any ceremony, old Aita directly drove Merlin out the door.

Merlin went downstairs and climbed into the carriage, placing the materials inside. He was still somewhat dazed. He could not shake the feeling that old Aita had been acting strangely today, giving him both materials and a ring.

"Old Aita is mysterious and eccentric all day long. What could have happened? Still, this ring is truly strange. It looks rather old..."

Merlin had no idea what material the black ring was made from. It was as light as nothing in his hand and entirely jet-black. Carved into it was a hideous three-headed monster, baring its fangs and claws in lifelike detail, making the ring seem rather eerie.

Surely, no one would be willing to wear such a ring on their hand.

Merlin examined it carefully for a while but found nothing special about it. He put the ring into his pocket and said to Moss, "Moss, let's go. Today, we're going to etiquette class."

The carriage slowly departed from old Aita's small building.