As soon as Yun Ming landed, he saw the local residents looking at him with expressions of astonishment.
The men were mostly dressed in wide-lapel shirts and vests, paired with loose-legged or baggy trousers. Their clothing lacked ornate patterns, and the color palette was generally limited to blue, black, and dark red. The women wore light-colored, collarless short-sleeved shirts with straight or wide lapels, paired with black or gray trousers, and unique headpieces adorned their hair.
The overall style of their clothing was typical of a coastal region. This was not strange; these were people living by the sea, after all. Their daily attire was naturally suited to their labor and lifestyle. Combined with the stone houses and the various seafood products and fishing nets hanging outside every home, it was a quintessential coastal fishing village.
Yun Ming felt his luck was decent; he had teleported directly into a human settlement. Although he didn't see any iconic symbols or national emblems, it didn't matter. He figured that as long as he asked the locals for information, he would naturally find out where he was.
However, the next sequence of events made him realize his true situation.
Upon seeing Yun Ming appear before them in such a manner, the local villagers were briefly stunned before they hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, speaking words that Yun Ming could grasp the intent of but could not understand.
"￥￥&￥*&%!(Commoners greet the Heaven's Chosen Lord!)"xN
Watching their behavior and the subtle, lingering anxiety on their faces, Yun Ming could tell they were likely paying their respects, but he couldn't understand a single word of their dialect!
Yun Ming quickly compared it to all the regional accents he knew, but found no match. His heart sank; he felt something was wrong. A very likely hypothesis formed in his mind: he might have ended up on the wrong continent! As a man from a later era, he knew clearly that besides the Douluo Continent, there were three other continents on Douluo Star.
Thinking of this possibility, Yun Ming naturally needed to verify it. He raised a hand to signal the villagers to rise, while simultaneously channeling his Spiritual Power to project his voice into their minds. Although Yun Ming did not know the local language, a voice that reached the soul directly could be understood by anyone.
'Everyone, please rise.'
The villagers didn't hear Yun Ming speak, but his telepathic voice suddenly echoed in their minds. They were wide-eyed with wonder; as expected of a Heaven's Chosen (Soul Master) Lord! He didn't even need to open his mouth to speak. However, precisely because Yun Ming hadn't spoken, they were hesitant to believe it was real and dared not move a muscle, remaining quietly on their knees waiting for him to grant them permission to rise. It wasn't until Yun Ming personally helped the middle-aged man at the front to his feet that they dared to stand.
"@%￥&*&%&(Many thanks, Lord!)"xN
The crowd responded in unison, and though Yun Ming still couldn't understand them, he could infer the general meaning through common sense and continued to communicate via telepathy. Seeing their lingering disbelief, Yun Ming took the extra step to explain.
'The special voice you hear in your minds right now is indeed my own thoughts, so you may rest assured and believe in it.'
The villagers exchanged glances, but seeing Yun Ming's handsome appearance, kind smile, and polite demeanor, their doubts and guard began to fade. The middle-aged man who had been helped up by Yun Ming spoke another string of local gibberish, accompanied by a respectful bow, which gave Yun Ming his feedback.
Yun Ming nodded with a smile and then projected his request to the villagers.
'I wonder if there is anyone here who can read and write?'
Without the Soul Guidance network of the later eras, if he wanted to understand a place he had never been to—one with a language system completely different from the Douluo Continent—his primary task was to learn the basic language and script.
'Hearing' Yun Ming's request, the villagers broke into another round of gibberish, shaking their heads and waving their hands.
Yun Ming continued to project his voice to confirm.
'Is there really no one? Even someone who knows just a little bit of writing, or someone from a neighboring village?'
'As long as you can provide me with information, you need not worry about the reward.'
With a flash of light from the Phoenix Cry Ring, several Gold Soul Coins appeared in Yun Ming's hand. Then, with a flicker of white light, the coins were compressed into small, uniform golden spheres. Standard Gold Soul Coins were too dangerous for the villagers; they might attract the greed of malicious people, so giving them raw gold was safer.
The villagers' eyes lit up at the sight of the gold in Yun Ming's hand. At their income level, they might not earn even one such golden sphere in a year. Now, they could get one just by answering a question, so they were naturally eager. But they truly had no way to help; there simply wasn't a literate person among them.
Their area, while near the sea, didn't have great water conditions. They were located near a fierce group of coastal Sea Soul Beasts, which limited their safe fishing grounds. They could manage self-sufficiency, but selling their catch was difficult. Furthermore, the seaside was full of saline-alkali soil, unsuitable for large-scale farming. Lacking everything, they naturally lacked money. Having no contact with large cities, they didn't even have access to the Spirit Awakening process to change their fates, let alone education.
The prestige of the Martial Soul Hall was still rising, yet the Tang God King managed the killing but not the aftermath—he truly acted without regard for the people.
Not daring to scam a Heaven's Chosen Lord for money, they could only shake their heads, tearfully waving goodbye to the wealth that had been right before their eyes.
Yun Ming understood their meaning through their instinctive gestures and couldn't help but sigh. Education in this era was abysmal; the illiterate were everywhere. It was the same on the Douluo Continent, and it seemed to be the same here!
Seeing that even money couldn't find him a person, Yun Ming realized there truly wasn't one. He quickly scanned the neighboring villages with his Spiritual Power and found they were much the same, so he prepared to give up and look for a larger settlement. Just then, the middle-aged man from before seemed to have a sudden realization; he slapped his left hand against his right, and began shouting excitedly.
Seeing the man's sudden excitement, the others felt he was lucky and wished they could take his place. The two fellow fishermen closest to him felt a complex mix of emotions—joy for their suffering brother's sudden good fortune, but also a peculiar, painful regret. It felt even more heartbreaking to see their friend make a fortune than to lose money themselves!
Yun Ming watched the sudden change, his eyes brightening as he projected to the man.
'This uncle, do you know where there is someone who can read?'
The man nodded repeatedly in excitement.
Having received a definite answer, Yun Ming pulled the man aside to speak privately.
'Uncle, can you take me to the person you mentioned? Once we find them, I have more gold to give you.'
Yun Ming went straight to the point, placing several golden spheres into the man's hand, and asked him to lead the way.
Feeling the reassuring weight of the yellow metal in his hand, the man had no other choice; under these circumstances, he naturally agreed. He nodded repeatedly, feeling that even a second of hesitation would be a sign of disrespect to the money.
He then politely invited Yun Ming to his home. The journey was quite long, and he needed to borrow the village chief's donkey cart; he couldn't afford to be rude to such an honored guest.
Yun Ming understood his intention to prepare, but shook his head and projected:
'There is no need for such trouble. As long as you point out the direction, I can take you to the destination quickly.'
Hearing Yun Ming's voice and recalling how he had appeared out of thin air, the middle-aged man had no objections—it even saved him a fee! Now that he had struck it rich, the village chief would surely have demanded a huge cut.
He pointed toward the southeast and began describing the location. Yun Ming saw it and confirmed via telepathy.
'Are you sure it is to the southeast?'
The man patted his chest and nodded in assurance. Yun Ming understood and projected to the man:
'I understand. I will take you there in a moment. Pay attention to the destination, and do not be afraid.'
The man replied that he was a brave man of the sea, someone who could fight a ten-year Soul Beast turtle to a draw, and he wouldn't be afraid at all! Yun Ming didn't understand his reference, but he saw the man's courage. He then took the man and soared into the sky, flying directly toward the southeast, accompanied by the song of courage of a man of the sea.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The man was terrified. He had thought Yun Ming would use the same magical method of appearing out of nowhere to travel, but he hadn't expected such a thrilling method. He was whisked hundreds of meters into the air, and he squeezed his eyes shut in fear—if he fell from here, he would surely become a pancake!
Yun Ming projected:
"Uncle, it's fine, you're perfectly safe. Besides, flying is quite an interesting experience."
Hearing Yun Ming's reminder, the burly man realized he was actually quite steady. He gently moved his body and didn't feel anything unusual. Protected by Yun Ming's Soul Power, he couldn't even feel the wind, so naturally, there was nothing to worry about.
Seeing that things were truly as Yun Ming had said, the man opened his eyes slightly and beheld a marvelous sight he had never seen in his entire life.
Watching the scenery below shrink and blur as they sped past, the tension in the man's heart vanished, replaced by a sense of freedom he had never known before. He shouted out in excitement—not a scream of terror, but a release of the exhilaration bubbling within him. Yun Ming just smiled without saying much, not minding the noise at all, until the man had shouted his fill, at which point he sent a telepathic reminder.
"Uncle, keep our goal in mind."
Hearing the telepathic message, the man realized he had lost his composure and quickly nodded to show he understood.
Afterward, the two flew at a steady speed at high altitude, heading toward their destination. Whenever they veered off course, the man would remind Yun Ming to adjust the direction. Since the man was an ordinary person with average dynamic vision, Yun Ming didn't fly very fast, taking half an hour in the air to reach their destination. Though, to the man, traveling dozens of miles in half an hour was already incredibly fast.
Yun Ming landed with the man. The situation here was the same as in the man's village: poor, backward, and suppressed by Sea Soul Beasts.
Once they arrived, the man led Yun Ming to find the person he had mentioned.
Entering the village, the man led Yun Ming through several twists and turns until they reached a stone courtyard that looked slightly better than the rest.
Seeing the middle-aged woman in the yard processing seafood, the man shouted out.
"Big Sister!"
Hearing a familiar voice, the woman turned around and spotted her younger brother along with the extraordinarily handsome Yun Ming. The man invited Yun Ming into the house, then hurriedly pulled his sister aside to explain the reason for today's visit.
Hearing her brother's rapid-fire description—appearing out of thin air, flying through the sky—the woman was stunned. She knew more than her brother; she knew that those capable of flight were said to be powerhouses among the Heaven's Chosen! She immediately interrupted her brother and hurriedly performed a deep kowtow to Yun Ming.
"This commoner greets the Heaven's Chosen lord!"
Seeing the woman suddenly drop to her knees mid-conversation, Yun Ming asked her to rise.
After standing up, the woman said something else and ran out of the village, and Yun Ming did not stop her. Before long, the woman returned with a rugged man missing a leg and a young boy.
Upon seeing Yun Ming, the rugged man immediately bowed along with the young boy. The boy's bow was simple, but the rugged man's was different. He knelt on one knee, struck his chest with his right hand, and roared.
"Former Cang Hai City City Guard Army squad leader, Guo Sheng, greets you, my lord!"
Thud.
Seeing the man's serious, earnest, and formal salute, along with the iron-blooded temperament that only a soldier could possess, Yun Ming guessed who his target was. He raised a hand to signal them to rise, then sent a telepathic message.
"You are literate, and you were a soldier?"
Hearing the telepathic message, Guo Sheng was shocked, but he was a man of the world. With his brother-in-law's prior warning, he didn't lose his composure and nodded in affirmation.
The target was found, and it appeared to be the real deal. Yun Ming took out a dozen more gold spheres and handed them to the man who had led the way, sending a message.
"This is the final payment. Thank you for your help, Uncle."
Seeing more money—double the previous amount—the man was thrilled and thanked him repeatedly.
Yun Ming smiled and nodded, then sent a message to Guo Sheng.
"This uncle, you have likely guessed my request. Teach me to read and write, and I will provide appropriate compensation. I wonder if you would agree?"
Guo Sheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded in agreement. Seeing that the mission was complete and the money earned, the middle-aged man left after enjoying a particularly delicious crab feast at his sister and brother-in-law's home. As for the crab they ate, it was naturally the Azure Armor Phantom Dream Crab that had served as the guide for Yun Ming. The rest was simple: Yun Ming stayed at Guo Sheng's house and began learning the local language and script.
The next morning, Yun Ming and Guo Sheng's son, Guo Hai, began learning to read and write under Guo Sheng's instruction.
To the shock of the young boy, in just two days, Yun Ming had mastered the various "ghost symbols" that, in his eyes, were even more terrifying than his father's teaching rod.
In fact, it was more than that; Yun Ming had also finished learning the general knowledge of the continent that Guo Sheng possessed. With Divine Origin Realm Spiritual Power, his learning ability was just that overbearing!
At the same time, through this information and the history of other continents he knew from his past life, Yun Ming confirmed exactly which continent this was. In later ages, aside from the Sun Moon Continent that collided with the Douluo Continent, the other two were occupied by the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Spirit Empire respectively. Where Yun Ming currently stood was the Dou Ling Continent, occupied by the Heaven Spirit Empire—though it was currently called the Blood Spirit Continent.
The current situation on the continent was not good; it was the Era of the Seven Kingdoms War, the most chaotic period recorded in the history books of the Dou Ling Continent!
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader