NABC Chapter 11 passed
Chapter 11 passed
Professor Anthony was a dignified-looking middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old.
He sat at the other end of the mahogany table, his quill pen hovering above a page of the report in front of him. After a long while, a voice devoid of any emotion finally rang out:
What do you want?
"Professor Anthony, I am Lucius Anderson," Lucius said, keeping his voice steady.
"Ruth Croft, a third-year history student and a former member of Professor Marcus's research group, suggested that I come to see you."
Upon hearing the name Marcus, Anthony paused for a moment, placed the quill next to the inkwell, and then looked up, his gaze falling on Lucius's face.
"Marcus..." Anthony chuckled, recalling his past with this colleague:
"I once opposed his appointment at an academy meeting. At that time, I said that this person's academic resume had a gap, and there was a year between the Royal Academy of Eloron and Hull that could not be verified by any peers, but the personnel committee thought I was too harsh."
"It now seems that being strict was sometimes not strict enough."
"Tell me, what do you need?"
Lucius didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:
"My short paper was originally scheduled to be signed and submitted by Professor Marcus, but he is now unable to fulfill his supervisory duties, and I need to find a new supervisor before the deadline."
Ms. Ruth mentioned that your research group needs to increase undergraduate student authorship due to the Ministry of Education's new policy, and I happen to have the tracer's information.
"Interpretive language..." Anthony's eyes lit up with interest as he scrutinized the text.
"There aren't many people in the entire Hel who can truly master it, I mean truly master it, not the kind who think they understand the inscription just because they've learned a few words."
He thought for a moment and asked, "Did Marcus teach you that?"
"That's true," Lucius replied, not avoiding Anthony's scrutiny, and truthfully stated his situation:
"I spent a year learning, starting with speaking, reading, and writing in Exegesis, and then systematically reading original Third Age texts. I am currently in the third stage of learning Exegesis."
"The third stage?" Anthony was genuinely surprised now.
Learning a language is never just about recognizing a few words or being able to say "hello" and "goodbye".
That's the basic content for beginners in the first stage, a level that anyone with normal learning ability can master in a few months.
Only in the second stage can one truly step into the threshold of language learning.
It can analyze grammatical structures, summarize ideas, and distinguish the semantic shifts of the same word in different contexts.
Daisy is at this stage, but it seems she still needs more time to settle down.
But the third stage is a completely different level.
The diachronic evolution of the word's meaning: What did this word mean in the mid-third century and the late fourth century, and why did they change?
Nested pronouns: When a text simultaneously narrates a historical event and alludes to a certain ritual or procedure, how can we distinguish between the surface narrative and the deeper metaphors?
Multiple structures: Late Third Age texts contain two or even three layers of different information within the same passage. On the surface, it is a record of agricultural irrigation; in the middle, it is a proclamation for war mobilization; and at the bottom, it is a manual for sacrificial rituals.
This is the third stage of learning content, which is advanced knowledge that would deter most graduate students majoring in linguistics.
But Lucius said he had entered the third stage.
Anthony paused for a few seconds, then pulled out the obviously flawed manuscript and handed it to Lucius, saying:
Let's talk about the problems here.
"Verb conjugation." Lucius knew Anthony was testing him, so he repeated what he had said to Daisy earlier:
"The second Hell River Inscription was profoundly influenced by the Northern Continent branch of the Middle Third Era."
In standard tracer syntax, the wavy line with a vertical line is a passive marker, indicating that the action is performed outward.
However, in the second inscription, the same symbol is an active marker, indicating an inward-receiving action. Therefore, the correct translation should be…”
Lucius's finger touched the clue symbol marked in red:
"The offering of sacrifices to the gods is not a gift from the gods, but a sacrifice from humankind."
The research room was silent for a full three seconds. Anthony was clearly very satisfied with Lucius's answer, a hint of approval appearing on his face, but...
He thought about it for a moment, but didn't say whether it was good or bad.
Anthony stood up, walked to the shelf in the northeast corner, put on white gloves, and carefully took out the tightly protected parchment.
"This is a ritual document from the middle of the Third Age, unearthed from the Hell Estuary Phase IV site complex."
He placed the parchment on the round table and pushed it in front of Lucius. "Try translating the first paragraph, now."
Lucius looked down at the text.
The tracer symbols are densely packed on the parchment, but not as complex as those in "Gentlemen's Jokes".
He began to translate, his voice steady and rhythmic, like a seasoned priest reciting scripture:
"...Before the stone gate, offer three things: the first is knowledge, placed on the left; the second is desire, placed on the right; the third is atmosphere, placed on..."
"That's enough," Anthony interrupted him.
Lucius looked up, and Anthony's gaze had shifted to one of approval for a fellow scholar.
He placed the parchment back under the glass case, then removed his white gloves, turned to Lucius, and exclaimed in admiration:
"Your translation speed and accuracy are at least at the level of a professional researcher. Although Marcus is a criminal, he has indeed taught you very well."
He glanced at Daisy, his eyes first comparing and then turning to disdain, as if to say, "Look at other people's children."
Daisy could only lower her head even further, her hair slipping down from behind her ears to cover her flushed face.
Anthony turned back to Lucius, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Starting today, your graduation project will be incorporated into my research group. The thesis topic will no longer be your original direction, but rather the translation work for a Ministry of Education project."
I will sign it for you before July 1st, provided that you complete the translation and annotation of at least two rubbings of the inscription within the next five days.
Can you do it?
"I can do it!" Lucius replied without any hesitation.
"Daisy, you take over from him." Anthony sat back in his chair and began to arrange the workflow. "From now on, your workloads will be calculated together. I hope to see substantial progress at next week's team meeting."
Daisy nodded frantically, her eyes filled with gratitude for surviving the ordeal and a sense of relief that she no longer had to bear it all alone.
Lucius smiled, only then having a chance to look at the diary in his mind:
[On June 27, 1855, during the Fifth Age, I read the "Ritual Regulations: The Feasting Apostles" and obtained some esoteric ritual content.]
[Complying with the code of conduct "Seeking Knowledge" earns +1 Mysticism Point]
The Promotion Ceremony of the Feast-Serving Apostles
【Sexual characteristics: Lamp (1), Cup (1)】
[Effect: Promoted to the next rank of Banquet Attendant]
[Introduction: He who gives us pleasure saves us from death and from boredom; we should give everything for Him.]