Fang Heng observed the projection of the ancient text, frowning slightly.
He felt that he had seen these characters somewhere before.
"Mr. Fang, have you discovered anything?"
"Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen similar characters somewhere else," Fang Heng thought for a moment, then turned and said, "Arkley, return to the tree spirit tribe and bring someone here for me."
Arkley, a vampire who had accompanied Fang Heng, nodded immediately upon hearing Fang Heng’s call, "Yes."
A little over ten minutes later, Arkley brought two elders of the tree spirit tribe into the ship through the teleportation passage opened by Abe Akaya.
To the fully-formed Abe Akaya, the energy consumed by such a transmission was negligible.
The two elders of the tree spirit tribe respectfully saluted Fang Heng, "Mr. Fang."
"No need to be so formal, all of you come over."
Fang Heng pointed to the ancient text on the screen and asked, "Take a look at this information. Do you have any thoughts?"
The two elders of the tree spirit tribe glanced at the text on the screen, felt a stir in their hearts, looked at each other, and a look of confusion appeared in their eyes simultaneously.
"Well? Don’t hold back, speak freely."
"Mr. Fang, this writing is very similar to the language and script of our tree spirit tribe, but the syntax and meaning when connected are somewhat different. We can attempt a translation, but it will take some time."
One of the elders paused and added, "We suspect the script might have some roots connected to our ancient tree spirit tribe. Could you tell us the origin of these characters?"
"It is the language of the ancient elves. Have you heard of the elves?"
The two elders of the tree spirit tribe looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Never heard of them."
Fang Heng nodded and gestured to Kapa, "I’ll have someone bring over more data. Don’t worry, just focus on the translation."
At the elves’ daily morning meeting.
Elder Doris, who was in charge of translating ancient records within the tribe, received a translation review document from the Water Star Clan concerning ancient Elven texts.
Doris let out a light hum of surprise.
The task of recruiting scholars of ancient languages had been ongoing for several decades.
At first, some came, but over time, fewer and fewer people accepted the mission to come to the Water Star Clan.
The elves had even hired a group of linguistic scholars, providing them with good food and comfort to conduct research within the Elven tribe.
Yet, despite all that, progress remained slow.
It wasn’t the scholars’ fault—after all, the elves could provide very limited information regarding this unknown language.
But the content of this translated material appeared quite accurate and matched about 70% of what they had already translated, confirming it wasn’t a random or fake translation.
Doris’s expression grew more solemn. She asked, "Who submitted this translation file?"
"It was the captain of the Flying Squirrel Clan. They just arrived yesterday. The captain claimed to know some ancient languages."
Doris thought for a moment and asked, "Was his identity verified? Is it safe?"
"The Rodent Clan has vast numbers and a dense network of connections. It’s difficult to investigate thoroughly, but the individual’s strength is average, the ship is not high-level, and there were no escort vessels with them. It seems relatively safe. We will continue to monitor."
"Alright, bring him to see me. Only bring the translator, no one else."
Soon after, Captain Kapa was invited by the Water Star Clan to their main vessel.
Kapa figured it must have been the translation information submitted under Fang Heng’s instruction that had drawn the attention of the elves. He felt somewhat nervous as he followed two Water Star Clan guards forward.
To boost his confidence, Kapa strongly requested to bring along his two assistants.
Fang Heng clearly heard Kapa’s accelerating heartbeat and said, "Remember, you’re a scholar proficient in ancient texts. As long as I’m here, no one can harm you."
That was what he said, but...
Kapa felt bitter inside.
Why did he have to be the one to bear all this?
"After this is over, I’ll give you an extra ten percent of the profit."
Kapa’s expression instantly changed. He became excited and full of energy.
"Mr. Kapa, we are about to teleport to the Ancient Cavern. The texts to be translated are there. Your two guards can wait outside."
"Alright, lead the way."
The Water Star Clan had always been a subordinate of the elves. After verifying Kapa’s identity, they invited him into the teleportation hall.
Of course, they didn’t tell Kapa that the true destination of the teleportation passage was the elves’ holy land.
The Ancient Priest Cavern.
When Kapa entered the hall and saw the teleportation magic array inside, he had already guessed part of it, but pretended not to know.
After several rounds of teleportation, Kapa was brought into the elves’ ancient cavern.
It was a large cavern, very deep, but the top was not sealed. Sunlight poured in through cracks in the ceiling.
Tall trees grew within the cavern, giving it a vibrant and lively atmosphere.
"Welcome, esteemed experts of the Flying Squirrel Clan."
Kapa looked up and saw the Elven patriarch seated cross-legged beneath a large tree.
"You are from the elves?"
"Correct. I am Doris. At the invitation of the Water Star Clan, I have been in charge of translating the ancient ruins within this cavern."
Doris examined Kapa and said, "I’ve reviewed your translation results—they are quite good. Some of the content you translated matches very closely with our existing results. Have you worked in translation before?"
Kapa nodded respectfully, "Our Flying Squirrel Clan once encountered a rare race while collecting ores outside. They called themselves the tree spirit tribe. Their ancient language and script were somewhat similar to the texts found in this cavern."
"The tree spirit tribe..."
Doris murmured to herself and then looked up, "Do you have any records about them?"
"No, just some notes. And it happened several thousand years ago."
"Very well. I assume the Water Star Clan has explained the terms to you. If you’re willing to accept the mission, you’ll remain here to study and analyze the information on the stone walls. You won’t be allowed to leave until the mission is complete. Also, everything you see here must not be revealed to anyone outside. Can you agree to that?"
"I understand the rules. I’d like to bring my two assistants inside to help with translation and recording. Also, there are some ancient tomes and translation notes from the tree spirit tribe on my ship—I need to bring them as well..."
"Alright, I’ll allow your request. If you need anything, you may speak to the attendants. As long as it’s not excessive, they will try to meet your needs."
Doris was also interested in the tree spirit tribe’s ancient tomes. After speaking, she waved her hand to instruct a Water Star Clan attendant to follow Kapa’s request, then closed her eyes again and returned to her cultivation, blending with the surrounding environment.