'Does Atal have the Pnakotic Manuscripts? '
Gu Jun did not know the answer. He said Barcé was just trying to trick the old man. But based on the old man's reaction, he knew he was right. Persisting in this lie for hundreds of years, this old man was really good at hiding it …
"The Tattered Man." Atal's face started to fall. "Knowledge itself is a burden. The more you know, the more you know, the better you will be. Barcé the Wise thought he knew everything and he could rule over the gods with his wisdom. That was why he suffered the misfortune. Why would he allow you to view the manuscript? "
"I have no idea." Gu Jun said, "Barcé's wisdom is above all of ours. I believe we should just follow his instructions."
"Perhaps …" Atal sighed as a different light shone in his eyes. "The Pnakotic Manuscripts is a handwritten copy of some ancient scrolls. According to legend, there are 5 chapters in total but Barcé the Wise only managed to get his hands on one. I have no idea how he got his hands on it."
"This chapter is indeed hidden in a sweet dream in my mind. It is from the time when I studied under Barcé the Wise. I can make a projection of this sweet dream for you. This chapter and my shallow research on it are all inside it. "
"But I have to tell you, it is not a spell book. It has nothing to do with the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. As for what it is, I do not wish to figure it out. "
Atal said darkly, "After the incident with Barcé the Wise, I burned all the manuscripts and stopped all research on it."
Hearing this, Gu Jun was naturally tempted. Whether it was a spell book or not, it had its value …
But he knew Atal had a point. This kind of mystical knowledge could often change a person's body and mind.
For him, the most important thing was to figure out how to return. Last time, it was thanks to Tong Ye's mental pathway that he was able to open the dimensional crack but that would not work now. Thus, Gu Jun posed this question to Atal. How could he return to his original world?
"I don't know much about this." Atal shook his head. "But there is a creature in the nearby Enchanted Forest that might be able to do it. I'm not sure if you've seen them before. They are called the Zoogs, they are intelligent and passionate creatures."
"Zoogs?" Gu Jun raised his eyebrows. Do those big rats have this kind of ability? I just wanted to find them …
"But I know that the more you know about this world, the harder it is for you to leave." Atal continued, "Especially the names of those gods, they have power."
Gu Jun nodded silently. It seemed that Barcé had also said this before. It was not good for him to know too much.
"So don't get too deep into this manuscript," Atal said, muttering a profound language. Gu Jun did not understand at all. He saw Atal raise his hand and pull out a silver thread from the top of his head. It suddenly turned into a sweet dream bubble. "Go."
Gu Jun reached out to grab the bubble and pressed it against his head. The invisible bubble seeped into his mind and he closed his eyes to sense it.
Above the sea of knowledge, there was a new sweet dream floating there, but compared to the three sweet dreams that were about to shatter, it was still very thin and fragile. Like Atal said, it was just a projection.
Gu Jun tapped on it with his mental power like he was opening a book …
Even though this was just one chapter of the manuscript, it had more than 50 pages. It was written using the strange Chinese characters of the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan so he could understand it.
But the content … He only skimmed through it for a while before his mind started to scramble due to the obscurity.
"The Tattered, you see this, right?" Atal's voice came. "The Pnakotic Manuscripts is not something we can understand. Barcé the Wise once thought he understood it. He believed this was the result of the wisdom of some ancient races to resist the divine power."
Gu Jun then noticed the same strange symbol kept appearing on the manuscript. It appeared to be some kind of ritual symbol.
"What is this symbol?" He asked.
"No one knows what it is." Atal sighed as he tried to recall. "Barcé the Wise believed that the symbol contained some kind of power that would allow him to rise above the gods. But you know what happened next. He was captured by a terrifying force of the abyss at the mountaintop.
"At the time, several months after his disappearance, the people of Ulthar, Nil and Hatheg gathered their courage to go up the mountain to search for him. They did not find Barcé the Wise but they did find a giant symbol on the mountaintop. It looked like it was carved there by the gods … "
Atal paused before continuing. "The symbol is similar to the one on the Pnakotic Manuscripts."
A chill crept up Gu Jun's spine. "Can a normal person carve this?"
"No, none of us here can. Furthermore, the symbol is not new, it's part of the mountain … that has been eroded by the elements. Everyone believes it is a symbol left behind by the earth's gods to indicate that this is the home of the gods. Whenever you walk around the town, they will give you this symbol as a sign of blessing. "
"The Ancient Seal, that is what they call it."
Atal's voice was low. "But I believe it is a warning from the gods to us mortals. Barcé believed that the symbol could rise above the gods so the gods carved it there. If you still wish to leave this world, then I should not tell you any more. "
'Ancient Seal?' Gu Jun studied the mysterious symbol in his mind. He could not understand it, he could not decipher its power …
This chapter appeared to be an explanation and study of this symbol.
But from how he saw it now, it only brought more questions.
Atal stopped talking after that. Gu Jun studied the manuscript for a while but he could not make heads or tails of it so he asked Atal about the vine on his feet. Atal said that it looked like a plant from the Enchanted Forest. The Zoogs would know better about that.
Gu Jun bade farewell to the sad Atal. He walked out with the help of his walking stick. Peacock and Malachite who had been waiting outside the tower immediately surrounded him.
"Mr. Nightmare Man." Peacock asked nervously, "What's the situation?"
"I've read the Pnakotic Manuscripts, it's a mental book." Gu Jun looked at the two before he continued down the hill. "It has nothing to do with the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan, it's just that Barcé has studied both of them. Atal has no idea why you're stuck at the fifth chapter. "
Peacock's expression shifted and Malachite panicked. They looked into the tower but in the end, they followed the nightmare man.
"Sir, it doesn't matter." Peacock begged beside him, "Can you tell us the contents of the manuscript? Perhaps it will be helpful. "
Of course Gu Jun would not give them the manuscript so easily because he still had not fully trusted them. He even hid the fact about the Ancient Seal, even though he could easily find out about the seal by asking any farmer in Ultham.
"Bring me to the Enchanted Forest." He said, "I will consider it."
Peacock and Malachite looked at each other, they had no choice. They could not defeat the nightmare man, they could not take the manuscript from him so they could only agree.
Pleasing this nightmare man was their only chance to get the manuscript.
After leaving the temple, Peacock immediately rented a caravan pulled by mules. After having the nightmare man sit inside, the two of them left with the mules.
The Enchanted Forest was a vast ancient forest, the eastern edge was connected to the outskirts of Ulthar. After half a day's journey, the caravan entered the forest. The surroundings became darker and stranger. Among the twisted old trees, there was a rustling sound.
Gu Jun had the caravan stop. He used the walking stick to get down from the ground. He looked around and felt like there were countless eyes staring at him from the dark.
"Fellow Zoogs, I know you're all here. Yes, I've returned."
Ignoring the confused Peacock and Malachite, Gu Jun said as he scanned the forest, "I wonder if you've finished the 5000 hens, 5000 quails and 5000 wild pheasants that you've left for yourselves? If not, then hurry up because you're about to be turned into 'roasted Zoogs'. "
"In case you don't understand me, I'll repeat myself." He raised his voice, "Today, I'm going to set this forest on fire!"
Suddenly there was a flapping sound around them, it sounded like 10,000 rats were cursing at the same time.
"Young man." At that moment, the white bearded Zoog slowly walked out from the trees. "We can talk this out, we're peace-loving people, there's no need to be so violent."
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