Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now! Chapter 1126 - 336: Empty As Can Be
Previously on Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now!...
Within the Library Archives.
Year three, month four, day nine.
Location: Underground Level Seven.
In the grand hall, over forty rows of stone cabinets stand densely packed with myriad literary works.
Gone were the stone tablets, the animal skin scrolls, the wooden chips—these evidently more primitive ancient writing carriers had been phased out. In fact, beyond the third underground level, superior carriers had taken their place.
After journeying through all eight levels, Chen Yan encountered numerous carriers, some familiar, others new.
He even observed carriers resembling bamboo slips.
Subsequently, whether stone tablets, wooden chips, or bamboo slips, all were eventually retired. Animal skin scrolls, crafted from various types of hide with enhanced processing, became more prevalent.
Through tanning, the animal skin gained resistance to corrosion and water, ensuring extended preservation.
Documents fashioned from animal skin began to proliferate.
Then, animal skin itself was supplanted, evolving into silk, until finally... paper emerged!
The paper found here bears resemblance to that of the real world, manufactured from some form of plant pulp, with added plant fibers to bolster its toughness.
Yet, it appears the plants documented in this world's books likely differ from those in Chen Yan’s reality, their superior material quality yielding exceptional paper quality and texture.
Later, paper evolved into booklets, then into books.
Following this, from handwritten artifacts, they transitioned to fixed text formats—printing technology was born!
Naturally, the written characters also underwent evolution, originating from the most ancient pictographs and transforming countless times. Later characters became more numerous, their meanings more detailed and precise, rendering them more complex.
After more than three years, Chen Yan had delved into the seventh underground level.
That eccentric old man made rare appearances thereafter.
Nevertheless, he materialized twice more, once on the fourth underground level and again on the seventh.
On each occasion, he bestowed upon Chen Yan two "comparison dictionaries" to aid in deciphering these evolved scripts.
Armed with these two new reference guides, Chen Yan could continue his studies.
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This "unknown race", their history unfolds as remarkably intriguing.
From the second underground level to the seventh, the temporal span approaches ten thousand years!
This duration is no longer a matter of Chen Yan's conjecture or estimation.
It is evident that this race's civilization, upon adopting a feudal system, commenced its period of prosperity.
They pioneered calendars, significantly enhancing various production capabilities.
The invention of the calendar instilled a more precise understanding of "time".
And the advancement of production capacity coupled with systemic evolution propelled civilization forward steadily.
Nations arose, dynasties emerged.
Culture blossomed; religion, philosophy, belief, knowledge...
Perhaps the pace of this civilization's advancement lagged behind that of Chen Yan's reality—where the civilizations of ancient nations, including Dragon Country, progressed from slavery to feudalism and then to modern times in a mere few thousand years.
But for this unknown race, their civilization endured under a feudal system for tens of thousands of years, nearing its zenith.
And Chen Yan sensed subtly, perceiving the nascent buds of further progress.
Their history can be aptly described as glorious, splendid, formidable!
They established education, fostering great scholars who synthesized information and formulated diverse theories.
The ruling class swiftly assimilated these theories, integrating them into the existing framework and leveraging their utility.
They embraced religion, even experiencing an era of fervent religious devotion, nearly reaching a state where politics and religion were inextricably linked.
One or several religions experienced widespread adoption, only to be inevitably superseded by Divine Teachings, and polytheism was ultimately replaced by monotheism.
A select few monotheistic religions became predominant in that world, wielding considerable influence across multiple nations.
That world was vast, its territory expansive, far exceeding the real world.
Even an entity like the former "Earth Worshiping Tribe" only encompassed a segment—a minor segment—of the world during its peak.
Chen Yan increasingly felt a conviction that this world was none other than the Domain Realm!
Though definitive proof remained elusive, Chen Yan harbored this distinct premonition.
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When religion exerted control over ideology, a theocratic regime materialized, where divine authority even eclipsed secular power.
Even Emperors were compelled to submit to divine authority, requiring its endorsement to secure legitimacy.
Subsequently, following several significant conflicts, this structure gradually evolved into a system of unified church and government.
However, the inherent deficiencies of this amalgamated system soon led to its dissolution within less than a millennium.
For a span of time, across numerous existing nations within that world, theocratic governments saw a gradual decline, with religion receding from the political arena, relegated to the realm of spiritual conviction, thereby drastically reducing its influence. Following this was an epoch of multiple nations that endured for more than a millennium. Great powers engaged in constant conflict, smaller states fought for survival, and countless cycles of ascendancy and decline unfolded, ultimately resulting in a cascade of annexations. This period, from Chen Yan’s perspective, bore a resemblance to China’s ancient Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States dynasties. However, owing to the vastly larger geographical expanse, the fragmentation of states was more pronounced, and the ensuing turmoil persisted for an extended duration.