Fushi no Kami - Volume 1, Chapter 4

The characters of the early ancient civilization have something in common with the characters currently in use. This seems to be the opinion that many researchers agree with. This is not strange, as the late ancient civilization, which is linked to current civilization, inherited knowledge from the early ancient civilization. 

However, as time goes by, from the first half to the second half, and from the second half to the present, there are lost characters. This is not a mystery. In the case of phonograms, the pronunciations that were previously distinguished may become indistinguishable and disappear as the spoken language changes. A good example is that the three letters "え", "ゑ", and "へ" cannot be distinguished from each other. On the contrary, new letters might appear. 

The problem right now is that there are a lot of words that seem to have been lost with the early ancient civilization. Perhaps the shape of the vocal organs has changed significantly. Perhaps the ancients had a lizard-shaped or octopus-shaped throat, and they probably used special sounds that presently couldn't be pronounced. That's just how much differences there are between early ancient civilization and the present civilization. However, I don't think that's the case... While pulling out the weeds in the field, I think deeply about it. 

"How about it, Ash. Can a book do this?"

Next to me, my father, David, is noisil― enthusiastically talks to me.

"Reading a book doesn't increase the amount of wheat in the spring. If I had time to read, I would take care of the fields. That's what truly makes a good man. We've done that for generations."

Such a narrow head―No, a serious father. 

Also, talking about generations, my father proudly said that there was a person who started military service in the city, surely, it was his uncle. Apart from that, it's proof that you're not a farmer that your family takes pride in. Perhaps it was because you do not have other abilities except farming. 

That said, I don't think farmers are worse than military personnel. It is an important occupation that is indispensable for civilized society. I understand that with deep understanding and broad tolerance.

"Sure, reading a book doesn't improve the field."
"That's right! Books are useless! It's a source of laziness!"

My dad just doesn't understand what book is all about. Someday, he will regret saying tha―No, I will try to pursue him. I silently take care of the fields, while listening intentionally with what my father is saying.

By the way, interestingly, the agriculture done in this village is scientific. Given the level of civilization that can be seen from the villagers' conversations and material circumstances, it is strangely scientific. I'm not particularly familiar with agriculture, but I do crop rotation in this village. There is also something called ring-planting agriculture, which is a fairly advanced idea. 

First of all, the field is divided into plots for planting different crops. In one plot, winter wheat is planted in late autumn and harvested in spring. Turnips and potatoes are planted in another plot and harvested in early summer. In yet another plot, legumes and summer wheat are planted and harvested. Then, in the next year, what is planted in the plot will be replaced with another plot. That's the method.

If I remember it correctly, this farming method should have become mainstream in relatively modern times in my previous life.  Of course, depending on the region, the same farming method should have been devised from long experience, so it is not impossible even if it is carried out in a remote rural area. However, when I see my father's thoughtlessness, a more convincing hypothesis comes to mind. Isn't this the farming method used by ancient civilizations? 

I don't know how the two ancient civilizations were destroyed. No, one of the ancient civilizations was destroyed by the monster, but destruction caused by the monster... However, since we know even until the present date, that means there were survivors back then. Among them, while many things were robbed by the tyrant of the time, the way to support living such as food was preserved. While thinking of that in my mind, I feel that strangely advanced concepts can be seen in various places I have seen and heard in the last nine years. Hygiene, medical care, supplies and technology are overwhelmingly lacking, but at least, they are not out of control. I'm looking forward to the heritage of ancient civilization. Relaxing day seen from my previous life's memories that seems so far compared to the present day... I can see some hope of it being restored. 

"I must decipher the ancient words.."

The other day, I said that it was not good to dream too much. But now I'm just a nine-year-old kid. So let's dream a lot.

Rather, the real world is so despairing that it makes no difference if you are disappointed. After drinking a lethal dose of poison, the result will not change even if I ask, "Can I have another poison?". The analogy may be a little strange, but it feels like that. I can't live long in this place either.

My father seems to be in his mid-twenties, but he seems to be ten years older than that age. People in their forties are treated as good old people, and humans in their sixties are treated as monsters. My lifespan is short. So let’s dream as hard as I can, chase after it, and pounce it. 

Alright, I've been positively desperate! The trembling of my chest is due to my passion. Keep in mind that it's not tears of sadness.

"Ash, let's take a break!"

It's finally break. This amount of labor is hard for immature children. I can't think of a nine-year-old child with a thin waist in my previous life.  As I grow taller, I mark my feet with the branches of the tree that accompanied me during my work.  It is a sign that you have worked. My dad does the same, and other farmers too. It's not just a matter of drawing a single line, but writing something like a symbol. My father, who hates books, says that it is a curse that improves the fields that have been passed down since ancient times.

Curse―This kind of irrational custom is probably the level of civilization of this village. But I don't hate this curse. I think that it is absolutely necessary to have something that gives a sense of security even if there is no basis when life is so difficult. It is preferable that it is in such harmless form. If it's something savage such as needing to sacrifice blood, I'm not confident that I can continue living. That's why I like this curse.

"Hm?"

When I was looking at the sign of the curse, I suddenly realized something. Could this be, it's a kind of character?

"Oh?" (Fast update at https://silver-slime.blogspot.com/)

I am impressed with my sudden idea. A farming method that may have come from ancient civilization. The curse that the peasants who practice the farming method inherited from ancient times may be one of the remnants of ancient civilization. It lacks actual basics, but there are no other clues, so there is nothing wrong with pondering it for a bit. 

If it is a character, what on earth does it represent? Since it is a curse related to fertility, does it mean something like affluence, celebration, or protection from a bad harvest? Or, it has nothing to do with curse, only to indicate the end of the work, so that's just it? Does this short and simple mark mean so much? Is it an abbreviation for some word? Or has it been scraped that only a part of the original mark lasted after a long period of time? It is common to have conversations with just the acronym instead of the long official name. Or, even if the original characters are multiple characters, they can be combined shortly. Such things can happen to company logos, which become a single symbol by combining the company's acronyms. In the case of a logo mark, although it is originally a combination of phonetic characters, it can be classified as an ideographic character that is close to a picture or figure because one logo mark can represent a long company name.

If it's this case, there are too many possibilities to converge. The clarification of the current situation is beyond my capabilities. 

However, I have one idea in the process of thinking. The book of that early ancient civilization that Priest Forke showed me. It has too many types of letters compared to modern language. Perhaps the ideographic and phonetic characters are a combination of languages?

Like "Hiragana" and "Kanji".


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