Chapter 453: D166. Tears of the Moon
“This is the language of the Moon People.”
Grandfather had already prepared answers to the Hero’s anticipated questions after articulating the true name of the Forbidden Curse in an obscure language.
“With your strength and perception abilities, you should have been able to discern that this is a high-tier mysterious language.”
The Hero’s eyes widened in surprise.
Indeed, she had noticed that while speaking the language of the Moon People, Grandfather had used some Magic Power to adjust his vocal cords in a spellcasting manner.
While Humankind’s Universal Language can also be used for spellcasting, humans do not inherently possess Magic Power, hence their language lacks profound mystery.
On the other hand, species like Elves and Dragons, which naturally possess great Magic Power, can affect the Magic Elements in space with just their Elf Language or Dragon Language, whether spoken or written, and naturally, their Elf Magic and Dragon Language Magic are much more potent than ordinary Spell Chants.
Due to physiological differences, humans are generally incapable of producing many tones of High-level Languages; Mages must undergo strenuous practice and adjustment to use these languages with the aid of Magic Power.
For the Hero herself, having seen her father trying to teach her brother Ancient Magic Texts, and seeing her brother’s pained expression then made it clear how difficult it is for ordinary people to learn a High-level Language.
However, since he had decided to hand over this long-guarded secret of generations—the Taboo—to the Hero, to end the entanglements with Knowledge Hunters, Grandfather naturally had no more reservations.
“Our family’s inheritance, which the Knowledge Hunters covet, is not limited to just the Forbidden Curse. It also includes the existence of the Moon People, their language, and other secrets not recorded in the Knowledge Hall or Royal Library.”
Moon is inhabited by beings not just Magic Creatures but also intelligent life forms with their own language and civilization.
Just this piece of information could drastically shake the academic world of the Capital,
Yet here he was, harboring secrets even deeper, living unnoticeably for decades in a small rural town, never revealing this secret even to Qing Mei, his promised one, or to his beloved wife.
God knows, for someone who once aspired to earn great fame and make significant achievements in academia, how suffocating and tormenting keeping such secrets could be.
[Grandfather’s Moon People Language Critical Success——]
1. Remnants of the Twin Moons War
2. Ancestors visited the Moon♛
3. Raised a Moon Person
4. Is a Moon Person
5. Lover of the Moon
6. Inheritance of the Moon
7. Priest of the Moon
8. Ashes of the Immortal
9. Descendant of the Moon Princess
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
D10=d10(2)=2
Watching the Hero, who after hearing the name of the Forbidden Curse showed no particular reaction, Grandfather also invisibly sighed in relief.
He remembered his conversation with the Count, who subtly opposed his decision to transfer the knowledge to the Hero.
Had it been decades ago, or even ten years earlier, he would not consider the dangers to his family or the possible Pollution of knowledge. He would have acted without hesitation, despite clear risks.
It wasn’t until after his wife’s death, seeing his accomplished son still showing a face of calm indifference, that he finally realized the grave mistakes he had made.
So, although it may be too late, he had resolved not to make the same mistakes, avoiding placing an undue burden on his granddaughter who still had her humanity and could even get hurt by it.
If the knowledge, as the Count feared, could Pollute the Hero’s spirit, he wouldn’t stubbornly insist on his own views.
However, he didn’t lay all the cards on the table to the Count, who, though amiable, was a recent acquaintance. Although the Forbidden Curse possessed a terrifying evil power, the language narrating it held enough mystery to neutralize the contamination.
That is also why he ignored the Count’s insinuations, nearly leading to an unhappy parting.
In fact, the Count was overly concerned; even an ordinary scholar like himself was immune to the Pollution of the Taboo Knowledge, suggesting there must be safeguards. But the words of the Count did stir some worry as he couldn’t accurately assess the Hero’s condition.
Seeing the Hero still composed and pensive, the old man finally truly breathed a sigh of relief.
…But aren’t you a bit too calm?
Releasing this long-kept secret in one breath, Grandfather felt somewhat puzzled as he observed the Hero’s expression.
“Um, my granddaughter, aren’t you a bit shocked? This is about a Forbidden Curse and a creature from the moon, after all?”
[Hero’s Confusion Critical Success (Miracle’s Spark +1)]
1. I know.
2. I can speak it too.
3. Just remembered.
4. Occasionally dreamt about it.
5. It has always been calling me.
6. I didn’t know.
7. Malice of the Gray Moon.
8. Silence of the White Moon.
9. My mother’s song (?)♛
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
D10=d10(9)=9
“Didn’t I make myself clear? The language I just used is that of the People of the White Moon, the civilization on the Pure White Moon…”
If it wasn’t daytime now, Grandfather would have pointed at the moon outside the window while saying this.
He wasn’t expecting his granddaughter to look shocked, nor was he seeking the adoring gaze that would admire “Grandfather knows something so impressive,” as he was past the age of flaunting knowledge for vanity.
But a normal reaction shouldn’t be this calm, should it?
To Grandfather’s puzzled question, the Hero blinked somewhat vacantly and responded.
“I… seem to have heard a similar language somewhere.”
Upon hearing this, Grandfather didn’t think the Hero was joking, but instead, he became serious all of a sudden.
The philosophy of a Magician is to explore and trace back to one’s own components, and to draw strength from the abyss of that self.
As part of the self, the most basic bones, blood, and flesh go without saying; for powerful Magicians, concepts such as memories, emotions, souls, and even previous lives are part of oneself and are also sources of strength.
Therefore, although Mages often despise Magicians for their ignorance, there is a common saying that is recognized:
——Magicians never forget.
“Grandfather, let me say a few more lines for you to listen to.” The aged scholar, with Magic Power vibrating his vocal cords, spoke languages full of mysteries.
And as Grandfather’s unique rhythmic speech entered his ears, it was like bait being thrown, hooking up memories hidden in the deep sea.
The childhood not yet remembered, the infancy driven only by instincts… No, it was even earlier, the very first times.
It was in the warm amniotic fluid, in the comforting darkness, before the self had even formed, the Moon Song hummed by mother.
[Hero’s Memory (Perception 107, Sunshine +10, Miracle +5, 30-remembers only the gist of the lyrics, 50-remembers the specific content, 50+unlocks more information)]
D122=d122(57)=57
[The content of the song is about]
1. Longing
2. Homeland
3. Hope
4. 1
5. 2
6. 3
7. Forgiveness
8. War
9. Redemption♛
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
D10=d10(9)=9
→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←
“Your… mother?”
When the Hero revealed the answer, the typically unflappable old man couldn’t help but show a look of astonishment.
The reason she was not surprised about the existence of the Moon People is because as a child…even before she was born, she had heard this language’s song from her mother.
Grandfather looked puzzled, contemplating unbelievably the words spoken by the Hero.
Frankly, he didn’t know much about the Hero’s mother, his own daughter-in-law.
To be more precise, apart from her name and appearance, he knew almost nothing about the beautiful woman and only knew that she was someone with distorted ideals and shallow emotions, similar to his own son.
Although he was getting on in years, being able to fluently use the Moon Language, Grandfather was one of the few potent Spellcasters in the countryside, his capability not inferior to the youth.
But that was only the case in the countryside, under the scope of Second Transformation.
Under Grandfather’s meticulous cultivation, the Hero’s father grew very quickly, leaving him behind at a young age; when Grandfather had nothing left to teach his son, his departure from home, without the slightest sentimentality, was natural.
What the Hero’s father experienced afterward, how he grew stronger, and how he met and fell in love with his mother, Grandfather barely knew anything.
If he was blamed for this, the old man could probably only admit it with a bitter smile, but anyhow, he had met his daughter-in-law a few times; as an inheritor of the Secret of the Moon People and Forbidden Curse, he failed to notice anything unusual.
“How is this possible…?”
The first reaction from Grandfather was that his son had perceived something.
His son had left home for training when he was young, and he was in his prime without the worry of an heir, so he never shared information about inheritance with him, but the house’s books contained a lot of information regarding the Moon, and if a Legendary Mage’s capabilities were used, discovering the family’s secrets wouldn’t be odd.
However, knowing his son, if he truly knew about the existence of the Forbidden Curse, they wouldn’t have lived peacefully over the years; neither that Knowledge Hunter nor he as a father would likely be a concern for him.
Could it be that the Hero’s mother also had a similar inheritance?
But could there really be such coincidences in the world?
Watching Grandfather deep in thought, sweating at his brow, the Hero thought for a moment and said,
“Grandfather, I think I can sing it, I just don’t quite understand the meaning, why don’t you have a listen?”
She cleared her throat and with Legendary-level powerful Perception and Constitution, haltingly imitated the pronunciation of the Moon Language.
Though the song was intermittent and somewhat off-tune, its meaning was accurately conveyed to the old man’s ears.
As the song progressed, Grandfather’s pupils constricted, his fists unconsciously clenched.
“——Children of the Moon, pure white youngsters,”
“——Go to the boundless land, shed your purity,”
“——Offer your untainted hearts, let our lineage be dyed with new colors,”
“——This is an innocent fault, yet it is the only path, the only redemption,”
“——Foster the future, birth hope,”
“——Redeem our heroes, who will ultimately be born.”
[Judgment State]
[White Moon (Past)]
D100=d100(33)=33
[White Moon (Present)]
D50=d50(24)=24
[Gray Moon]
D100+30=d100(51)+30=81