The Record of Unusual Creatures

The ancient parchments had faded somewhat. After eight centuries, the weathering process left mottled marks on them despite the magic protection to prevent decay. As Hao Ren had imagined, the witch left behind the record when she knew she had no hope of returning home. The blackened papers told the story of an ordinary witch from Earth. It was about her short life and experience of being stranded in that strange world.     

"Anyone who reads these letters, if you can understand what they mean, I give you my most sincere blessings. May the light of knowledge and mystery bless you so that you will not be stranded like me. My name is Beatrice. I am from another world, and I believe you are too.     

"I came to this place in search of knowledge and mystery. A hellish misadventure landed me into the abyss and I eventually got stuck here. In a sense, I have gotten what I wanted. What I learned and encountered were miracles that I could have never imagined in the past thousands of years. I believe that even the gods of ancient times did not know about the mysteries of this world. It renders all my ideas and knowledge systems obsolete. No words can describe the surprises I have seen in this underground world, but I hope to share the joy of this discovery with you. Unfortunately, I cannot go back. I can only write it down on parchment."     

Hao Ren skipped the less important paragraphs and only took a cursory glance at Beatrice's early record of her time in that world. The witch had received help from the locals. The Fire tribe was hospitable and not hostile towards foreigners. Because Beatrice was skilled in a kind of magic flame, the tribe people saw it as evidence of her closeness to the natural elements. In that world, the intimacy with the natural elements was proof of one's "good quality". So, Beatrice could easily befriend the locals.     

She became friends with the Witch of Fire, who was the tribal saintess. Their friendship was beautiful. The people there practiced superficial elemental magic as more in-depth knowledge of it had disappeared. Saintesses and tribal warriors could only attain advanced magic by relying on blood or celestial objects. The warriors learned magic just for use in battle; it was the saintesses and their apprentices who delved into advanced magic skills. The arrival of Beatrice had brought new knowledge, which the world lacked. At the same time, the saintess of the Fire tribe found a like-minded partner in Beatrice. They studied ancient expertise together ever since.     

They were into the ancient symbols and memory inscribed in blood. In just a few years, the two became good friends. They even restored many old magic creations. Beatrice was the one who made the phlogistic lamp and cracked the methods of producing ancient artifacts from the Fire tribe's totem.     

The curing of the black-spot plague was another achievement. The incident had exalted Beatrice's position in the hearts of the locals. They no longer treated Beatrice as a foreigner but as a child of the goddess just like them. However, Beatrice was also unusual in that she was the only child of the goddess who fell from the Pillar of Eternity.     

"...I have spent many years here. It was a bit difficult at first. I had to learn strange words, language, customs and even eating habits. I also remember a plant that almost killed me, but it was a favorite food among the locals. That was the first time I truly learned about this alien world. Since then, things have been getting better. This is a place where I can settle down and begin anew. I was an outcast in my homeworld where magic practitioners were in decline. When the racial war was coming to an end, a witch like me became the ultimate loser. I do not miss my homeworld because living as a fugitive was not something to be cherished. Maybe staying here is not too bad. At least, for a certain period of time, I think.     

"...I observe the lives of the local people during my free time. I am very interested in their religion and way of life. And more importantly, this world fascinates me. What kind of power could create another layer of earth on top of its original layer? It is out of this world, yet it has happened here. According to the legend by the local people, it seems that this world did not use to be what it is today. Something changed it...     

"...the locals believe that the pillars, which support the heavens and the earth, are thegiants' arms. In their religious beliefs, except for the goddess, shadows of the 'great creature' are everywhere. The giant supports the sky, and the clouds are the air that the giant exhales. The wind in the grassland is the yawn of a giant beast called Haku; and the world is built on the back of a stooped old man named Toka, who was the goddess' gardener. There are many such legends, full of unusual colors, which remind me of the strange ancient deities of my homeworld. But I have been unable to shrug these legends off. They have clear and surprising logic although they appear grotesque. They seem to be real, but history has obscured them.     

"Yes, heritage; the historical legacy of the locals is the more exciting topic. I found out that these people were once a brilliant civilization, one that was even more advanced than those in my homeworld. But the closure of heaven had interrupted the development of this civilization. I can see the relics of this ancient civilization on murals and slates: a vehicle that drives itself, aircraft, magic-driven rock guards and iron giants, and even Moro Tosh, a magical city that floated in the air. But these things have disappeared. They are buried deep within the earth's fissures...     

"...there is another fascinating phenomenon. The closure of heaven reduced the population by more than half. The remaining population also gradually declined. But disaster was not the sole cause of the reduction; it was a deliberate act. I found many records on ancient slates, which contained detailed plans of population control. The tribes scattered around the world were following a strict timetable to control their population when communication was cut off. About 3,000 years ago, in Inferno terms, they had managed to reduce their population down to the current level. And, this number has never changed since then.     

"...The birth rate is strictly controlled. They use a kind of drug to dictate when one would produce offspring. The newborns go through a ritual-like training to ensure that they can fully assume work in the tribe and not die prematurely. There are indications that these natives are aware of the fragility and scarce resources of this world, hence they are consciously limiting the population to conserve resources. This concept has been handed down from ancient times. No one knows why they have to do this, but they still follow the teachings strictly. So who taught them the method for resource conservation? Perhaps it was the goddess.     

"I even suspect that they have a way to control the intelligence and thinking of the newborns. I have found substances that could affect the brain in their everyday spices. These spices only slightly inhibit brain activity and are not very harmful. But it is this just-right inhibition that has stalled their civilization. It has been thousands of years since the closure of heave. That length of time is enough for them to rebuild their civilization, so it should be the result of an intentional or unintentional intervention. It is a pity that I don't have much time. I cannot verify my conjectures. And even if I could, I cannot reverse their religious traditions. Religion is vital to them. Thousands of years of drug prescription and traditional teaching flow in their blood veins. As an outsider, it is better that I not interfere…"     

Hao Ren suddenly looked up at Bonia who was in a daze. "Show me the spices that you use to baptize the newborns."