——Creating a pseudo-canon solely for oneself?
Annan was indeed tempted.
Ever since his arrival in this world, he had always sought out books written by others to read. And indeed, he had gained a great deal of mystical knowledge from them... He had received important insights, but had also been deceived because of them.
Let’s not ntion Annan from the first cycle.
The knowledge Annan has reclaid up to now also possessed a considerable "weight." So of it was "original" knowledge that he could fully understand and record in writing.
Of course, much more of it was still the kind of one-ti use, pieceal knowledge used to create "shortcuts." This pieceal knowledge could only be forcibly recorded in books by Annan, who possessed a Dyed Soul, and turned into fragnted tos.
Both original texts and fragnted texts are books with special powers. Reading original and fragnted texts can produce unique effects... and even harm the reader’s health. However, if read and understood correctly, they can impart knowledge that "deteriorates after a single use."
Like downloading just the "shortcut," the essence of mystical knowledge remains stored in the book.
This is the principle behind the spell "Bookbind Shackles."
The main way to distinguish between fragnted and original texts is by looking at the book’s title.
For example, "The Birth and Initial Circulation of Silver Coins" is an original text. Whereas "On the Mysteries of Fate and the Dice’s Halves" and "On the Eighth Aspect of the Sun" are fragnted texts. Generally, unless the author is an unprincipled person surnad Rinfrost, most don’t give fragnted texts too "complete" a title, to avoid misleading others.
Usually, they are discussions on so detail or "knowledge that even I don’t entirely grasp."
Anyone who can create an original text necessarily will not create a fragnted text.
It’s usually a Ritualist who has failed to copy an original text and forcefully creates a fragnted text as a "data backup" for themselves. It’s filled with codes only they can understand... much like class notes scribbled by a pharmacist.
The difference between an original text and a fragnted text is only that the knowledge obtained from a fragnted text wastes more ti and energy when attempting to complete it.
After all, when the records in two books conflict, one can only seek deeper records to judge who is correct.
The learning process of a Ritualist involves reading various books and summoning ancient beings through rituals, trading so offerings for secrets. Gradually, they piece together imperfect, one-sided, extre, and false knowledge.
When knowledge is completely filled in, it indicates that an "original" can be created about this mystical knowledge.
Fragnted texts are like those strategy guides that are "clearly not well-understood by their creators, but they still managed to write them."
Naturally, there are plenty of issues, and many omissions... If there really is no guide available, making do with whatever is on hand is better than nothing. But if one truly wants to master the knowledge, what is obtained from a fragnted text is equivalent to trash.
Because it’s impossible to know what is correct and what is wrong. This is more ti-wasting than not knowing anything at all.
And to create a fragnted text, a Transcendent with a Dyed Soul must use their own soul to directly "imprint" the knowledge onto the book. Although it’s a Gold-rank creation, its price is much lower than that of an original text—because copying the book doesn’t require Gold-rank or the acquisition of true knowledge.
One only needs to read through it once to be able to copy from the book.
However, to copy an original text, one must ensure that they understand the content of the original text one hundred percent. Their thoughts must reach the sa level as the author’s.
Otherwise, the power of the knowledge will harm their sanity.
Becoming abnormally tired or suffering from nervous exhaustion is just the beginning. If one continues trying to copy the original text, they could go completely insane—and naturally, what is copied after that will be erroneous.
In the beginning, neither Annan nor the players were well-adapted to this strange logic—why couldn’t knowledge be copied?
Later on, Annan gradually understood.
Because in this world, "secrets" are protected in themselves. There’s no need to file lawsuits over intellectual property rights or worry about others stealing one’s technology—if its creator believes it should exist as a secret, then it will be protected by the Lady of Mysteries and cannot be copied at will.
So while a Soul Reaping Wizard can see the mories in others’ minds, they can’t "project" them for others to see. Nor can they prove what they have seen.
Because the definition of this secret is "a true secret."
That is the sum of what he saw and heard.
And what he describes with his words is no longer considered a secret. Because the descriptive power of language is imperfect—that’s common knowledge for a Ritualist.
Therefore, when using different types of rituals and mystical knowledge, they employ different languages.
For instance, when talking about the secrets of the Elves, one must definitely use the Elvish language—otherwise, many things simply cannot be translated. Whether it’s transliteration or free translation, misunderstandings in interpretation will occur.
Just like when translating poetry across languages and cultural spheres, the rhythm is lost; when translating, if translators don’t understand certain nuances, they won’t translate them accurately, only the surface anings—this is the case with idioms and colloquialisms as well.
Therefore, there are also "partial tos with personal interpretations." It’s like playing the ga of telephone; by the end, the ssage becos completely different..."Partial tos’ partial tos" definitely exist too, but their accuracy is extrely low.
In this world, the classification of mystical knowledge is very precise.
If the information in the translation is too severely lacking, then it loses all power. This is also the core creation theory of many apocrypha.
...Although Annan didn’t really understand why people would create apocrypha.
But Annan thought about it again... Even regular gossip between people gets passed around. And secrets about gods or ancient kings are "celebrity gossip level" mysterious knowledge, so it doesn’t seem strange to turn them into stories...
Of course, the celebrity gossiped about won’t co smack the gossipers, but gods written about with incorrect knowledge really will co smacking...
The brothers from the Underworld were probably smacked to death for this reason.
"Then I should be able to create at least one original to..."
Annan murmured.
He had already mastered the secret of the "Cup." However, to turn it into an original to, he had to use a "dead language," which is a language no longer spoken by anyone.
This required Annan to first conduct a ritual with the Mysterious Lady to learn a dead language. Then he could write down the secrets of the cup.
As for the rest... since Annan was not yet at the Gold tier, he couldn’t make a partial to. He could only make an apocryphal to.
There are generally three kinds of apocryphal tos. Either the mystical knowledge is hidden within parables, fairy tales, plays, or novels; or it’s hidden within professional knowledge; or it’s groundless nonsense.
In the novel "Red Rose and White Rose," it records the disgraced man poisoning the empress dowager and seizing power for the king. However, it does not ntion the disgraced man’s real na but substitutes it with another word.
In the aesthetics book for sculpture "The Beauty of Solidification," it secretly sneaks in several comntaries and secrets about deities themselves while judging the craftsmanship of various divine statues—it seems to talk about statues, but it’s actually about the deities.
A classic example of the third situation is Grianznuha Rinfrost’s "masterpiece," "It’s Dangerous to Believe in These Gods."
Speaking of which.
After Annan returned to Winter for so long, he still hadn’t asked Ivan about this person.
Logically speaking, to be deprived of one’s na by the Rinfrost family and expelled... what level of criminal must that be?
...Thinking of this, Annan suddenly rembered sothing.
"The lineage of Winter..."
He murmured.
If Grianznuha Rinfrost didn’t die alone.
—But rather gave birth to a child with the curse of "Winter’s Heart," what then?
Could it be that...
The Northern Union assassinated Annan, not to make Dmitry inherit the ducal position, but to allow this unknown, weakly declared successor from the Rinfrost duchy to inherit?
Annan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Yes.
It was not impossible.
But no matter what... after Annan finished writing the apocryphal to, he would have to make a trip to the northern lands.
Before that, he might as well send Lin Yiyi and the others on a main quest to find trading records... After all, the Bloodhand Brothers had croaked. They definitely wouldn’t have destroyed all the evidence before leaving. It was possible they might find complete transaction records with the Northern Union.
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