Mein wilder Geist

Kapitel 9

That's a really big rock. It's at least twenty meters high. No wonder I mistakenly thought I had to climb to the top to reach the summit.

Xiao Wu led me around to the other side of the boulder. This side was extremely smooth and flat, completely different from the irregular one I had seen earlier. It looked as if it had been cut by a knife. What had looked like a boulder before now looked like a meticulously polished monument.

I was so surprised my eyes popped out. There weren't just four pictures; there was a whole bunch of pictures engraved on it!

In the upper middle section are four of the largest images, each occupying several square meters. The symbols in these four images are completely different from those in Mahamalipran's, but their positions are the same, clearly conveying the same meaning. Below these four images, there are more than ten rows of four images each, with the spacing between rows becoming increasingly tight and the images smaller as you go down. I believe Xiao Wutuo's images are the four images in the bottom row, each larger than a typical laptop computer.

What surprised me most was the inconsistency of symbols in the images on the monument. From top to bottom, the symbols in the first and second rows were different, as were those in the second and third rows, until the fifth row finally overlapped with the symbols in the second row. I counted, and out of fifteen sets of images, seven sets had the same symbols; the rest were all different.

The symbols in the fourth row of pictures are exactly the same as those in the Mahabalipuram ruins.

The different groups of images not only differ in size, but also in depth and the engravings.

I have a strong feeling that this boulder originally only had four images on it, the four largest ones in the upper middle section. The fourteen rows below were added later, not all at once, but in fourteen separate additions.

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I would even say that the tools used for engraving are different.

Having seen so many historical sites, I wouldn't claim to have exceptional expertise, but I do possess some rudimentary knowledge in dating. The four images at the very bottom are from the last few hundred years. The four images at the very top, however, are certainly thousands of years old.

I had some vague guesses in my mind, took photos from various angles with my digital camera, and called Xiao Wu to head back down the mountain.

I bought a sleeper ticket back to Shanghai that night.

Back home, I printed out all the images of various symbols from my digital camera and hung them all over my study. Every night, I would look at the star chart of the solar system covering the entire room and slowly sort out my thoughts. I was still far from solving the mystery, but I was definitely gaining a clearer understanding of some things.

During this period, Liang Yingwu and I began to drink tea frequently. He was adept at analyzing and eliminating various hypotheses. Regrettably, I learned from him that the fully mobilized X organization had made no substantial progress whatsoever. The astronomers within the organization had fallen into a state of collective panic and confusion, while the deciphering experts were futilely trying to find a second interpretation for these four star charts. Not a single dusty case in the archives could be linked to this massive astronomical event.

In the history of Organization X, they have rarely been so powerless, but in this case, it is not particularly surprising to me.

Sometimes I thought of calling Minghui, who is in Shanghai, to ask about his situation, but I refrained. He's very busy with temple affairs and has promised to consult a vast amount of Buddhist scriptures, so I decided not to bother him and wait for the results at the second gathering.

May 17th.

After 7 p.m., new guests arrived at the doorway in that Shikumen alley, which had been the talk of the town for a month.

It was the same people who had come a month ago, oh, there was one more. Beside the woman who could make men lose their minds, there was another person this time. Short and stocky, with dark skin, he walked with a unique air of authority; even standing next to the woman, he couldn't be completely ignored.

When Lu Yun entered, I was initially taken aback when I saw this stranger, but then I immediately realized that he was probably an important person.

“This is Sir D.” Lou Yun confirmed my guess.

"I've heard so much about you, Nado." He smiled and extended his hand to me, his voice carrying a slightly foreign accent, though his Chinese was quite good.

“I should be the one saying that.” I shook hands with him and then invited him into the house.

“You truly live up to your reputation; this is no flattery. It’s a groundbreaking discovery.” When he said “groundbreaking,” Sir D’s voice lowered, and a hint of dejection flashed across his face: “Whether or not we find the final answer, the discovery of this mystery itself is a remarkable event.”

By 7:30, everyone had arrived. They all showed considerable respect to this renowned figure from Asia's underworld who had come with Lu Yun.

The jazz (though I don't know where he received his title, let's call him that for now) responded politely and with restraint. Upon Shui Sheng's arrival, he extended an invitation to the next Asian Inhuman Gathering, hoping Shui Sheng would become a new member of this prestigious event. My impression of him was that of a man with an aristocratic air; his height did not detract from his personal charm. To become the convener and host of the Inhuman Gathering, even with inherited privileges, personal charisma, skill, and influence are still indispensable. I hope there will never be a day when I personally experience his skill.

Among us, aside from Ye Tong and Ye Tianjin, Liang Yingwu's X organization failed to make progress, and Yuantong has not yet found any clues in the Buddhist scriptures. But the other "groups" have all made some gains.

Empress Wei is highly influential among the younger generation of "historical witnesses." Over the past month, she rallied dozens of young experts in the field to search through ancient books unearthed from tombs, especially little-known anecdotes, legends, travelogues, and autobiographies of famous figures. This extensive search yielded results about a week ago.

It was a bamboo scroll unearthed from a small tomb dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The tomb's occupant was named Zixi, who died at approximately forty years old. Zixi may not have been well-known, but he actually had a significant background and was one of Confucius's seventy-two disciples.

Of Confucius's seventy-two disciples, only a dozen or so have survived to this day; the majority have been lost to history. The numerous bamboo slips buried with Zixi in his tomb record his experiences traveling with Confucius, his insights into Confucianism, and other details, clearly identifying him. This tomb was excavated five years ago; if made public, it would undoubtedly be a major event in Chinese archaeology.

In the world of tomb raiding, the basic principle is to keep oneself out of the public eye. So, like many other secrets unearthed from the ground, Zi Xi's existence is known only to a few.

In a bamboo scroll, Zixi recorded an anecdote that occurred when he accompanied Confucius on his travels to Diqiu in the State of Wei, which is today's Puyang, Henan.

At that time, Confucius, surrounded by more than a dozen disciples, rode in an oxcart along a forest path. After walking a short distance, they reached the market outside Diqiu, which marked their official entry into the territory of Diqiu.

As they walked, a thick fog suddenly rose from the woods. When the oxcart and the group emerged from the fog, they found themselves in a place that was not the path they had taken before, but a place of breathtaking beauty, like a fairyland. Several of the group had traveled this path before, and they all said that there was no such place before.

The scenery in this fairyland is breathtaking, and the flowers, trees, and plants are in vibrant colors. Even Confucius got off his oxcart and exclaimed in admiration.

Just as everyone was captivated by the beautiful scenery, yet also felt a slight sense of unease, an elderly man in plain clothes suddenly appeared. He bowed to Confucius with the utmost respect, saying that he had long admired Confucius's reputation and had a question that had troubled him for a long time, hoping that Confucius could provide an answer.

Everyone knew in their hearts that the person in front of them was no ordinary person, and Confucius also appeared cautious and said a few words of humility.

The man used his hand as a brush and drew four pictures on the ground. He said that these four pictures contained a great secret of the world and asked Confucius if he knew it.

None of them had ever seen those four pictures before, judging from Confucius's expression. Confucius examined them for a long time before honestly saying, "I don't know."

The elder appeared extremely disappointed. He sighed deeply, and with a wave of his sleeve, his entire being, along with the surrounding fairyland, turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished without a trace.

They then realized that the surrounding scenery was the same as before, still on the original forest path. But the four pictures on the ground were still there, indicating that it was not a dream.

Confucius's learning was already renowned throughout the world at this time. Although he was stumped by the question, he did not care at all and said, "If you cannot serve men, how can you serve ghosts and gods?"

This means that if even the questions about people couldn't be clearly understood, then the questions about ghosts and spirits were out of the question. Confucius at that time believed that the elders he saw were either ghosts or spirits, and Zixi and his other disciples shared this view.

Confucius's statement differs from Ji Lu's reply in the Analects, "If you cannot serve men, how can you serve ghosts?" by only one word. It seems that Confucius first expressed such sentiments during his trip to Diqiu.

Although Confucius said, "If you cannot serve men, how can you serve ghosts and gods?", some of his disciples still copied the four paintings that troubled the "ghosts and gods," including Zixi. Later, many disciples studied these four paintings but could not figure them out.

The four images were engraved on bamboo slips. Due to the material of bamboo slips being separate pieces, they could not be completely identical to the original images, but they were clearly the four star maps of the solar system.

As for the symbols, they differed from Mahabalipuram's version, but when the Queen took out the printed photos, I recognized them as one of the eight symbols on the monument atop the Helmet Peak.

What Lu Yun said was quite similar to what Wei Hou discovered.

Actually, this wasn't Louise's discovery. After Louise told Sir D about it, Sir D used his connections to have someone consult the ancient scriptures secretly held by the Roman Catholic Church. Fortunately, the news was extremely astonishing. Everyone who knew about it, after their initial surprise, immediately began searching for the truth without being asked. They discovered the extraordinary adventures of the ancient Hebrew prophet Moses during his Exodus from Egypt.

This extraordinary encounter is linked to the famous Red Sea incident. At that time, the prophet Moses led his people who were willing to follow him out of Egypt. They were pursued by Egyptian troops, but their path was blocked by the wide Red Sea. In this moment of peril, the sea suddenly parted to the left and right, revealing a wide road in the ocean. The water on both sides seemed to be blocked by invisible walls, and countless fish and shrimp on the seabed were exposed to the air, constantly jumping.

As Moses led the people through the underwater passage, the Red Sea suddenly surged back, submerging the original passage and creating enormous waves, leaving the pursuers only able to look on helplessly.

The above account is a famous story in the Old Testament, but a later experience of Moses was not recorded in the Old Testament.

After crossing the Red Sea, everyone, including Moses, prostrated themselves in worship, thanking God for His mercy and praising His divine power. When Moses was the first to lift his head and stand up, he noticed someone beckoning to him from afar.

Moses was incredibly excited, thinking that God had appeared before him, so he went forward alone.

Approaching the man, Moses discovered that he was floating in the air, further confirming his divine identity. Faced with Moses's worship, the man seemed somewhat disappointed, neither confirming nor denying the miracle he had just witnessed on the Red Sea. Instead, he drew four pictures on the ground and asked Moses if he had seen them. After receiving a negative answer, he floated away.

Because of the other man's cold attitude, Moses began to doubt his identity and wondered if the miracle at the Red Sea was indeed performed by this man. Therefore, it was not recorded in the official Old Testament.

These four pictures remained a mystery until many years later when Moses redraws them based on his memory, and they were solemnly recorded by his followers.

The symbols in these four star maps of the solar system are entirely new, and have not even been seen on the stone tablet at the Suspended Blade Peak of Mount Tai.

Sir D took out hand-drawn copies of these four illustrations and circulated them among us. Since the Vatican's secret texts do not allow photography, they could only be drawn by hand.

"Na Duo, how was your trip to Mount Tai?" Lu Yun asked.

I smiled slightly, took out a stack of printed photos, distributed them to everyone, and said to Shui Sheng, "Why don't you go first? Everyone take a look at these photos, and I'll speak later."

Shui Sheng nodded and said, "In the long history of our people, there have indeed been many events similar to those encountered by Moses and Confucius. The most recent one was two thousand years ago, while the oldest one was hundreds of thousands of years ago, when our civilization was just beginning to sprout and develop."

Shui Sheng's words surprised everyone. Although they all knew Shui Sheng, they knew very little about the intelligent life living in the deep sea. They then realized that hundreds of thousands of years ago, they had already developed a considerable level of civilization.

"Our chieftain system is quite stable, so it's mostly the chieftains who come into contact with these visitors. Sometimes, famous prophets and elders also encounter them. Moses and Confucius encountered those who appeared in human form, but we are different. If we classify us by human biology, we should belong to the category of molluscs, and after so many years of development, we can control our form to a certain extent. So among those visitors, some certainly appear in our original form, while others have rather strange shapes, which may very well be their original appearance."

"These creatures came and went in a hurry. Some of them, like us, moved around on the seabed by their own abilities, while others had to use tools. Of course, without exception, they all returned disappointed, and not one of their kind could understand the meaning of the drawings they made."

"As for the Java Trench..." Shui Sheng paused deliberately to whet the appetite before continuing, "Because I haven't lived in the sea for nearly twenty years, otherwise I would have known long ago. About twelve years ago, guests started staying there."

"A guest has checked in?" Ye Tong's eyes widened. "What kind of guest?"

“We haven’t had any direct contact. According to humans, it seems that a base has been built there. There’s a very deep rift in the seabed of the Java Trench, and the base is located deep within that rift. The owner of the base has technology far beyond that of humans. I think he should know of our existence, but he hasn’t made contact with us. So we’re also being cautious and won’t linger around there. We’ll keep to ourselves.”

"Is that base still there?"

Shui Sheng shook her head: "The cracks disappeared after the earthquake. I think there might have been an explosion there."

"An explosion?" Liang Yingwu exclaimed in surprise, "An explosion at the underwater base triggered a massive earthquake? How violent must that explosion be to cause that?"

"It seems that the beam of high-energy particles came from the base," I sighed.

"It's your turn to speak," Ye Tong urged me.

"You've all seen those photos, right? I found them on the summit of a peak called Xuanren Peak in Mount Tai. There are four pictures in each row, fifteen in total. I believe they were carved in fifteen separate pieces, the earliest dating back several thousand years. You can't tell from the pictures how tall this stone tablet is; it's at least twenty meters high. That mountain peak is extremely difficult to climb. I find it hard to imagine that thousands of years ago, humans were able to polish such a huge stone so smoothly in that kind of environment."

“You must have noticed that the symbols representing planets in each row of patterns are different. The symbols on the Mahabalipuram ruins stone carvings, the symbols on the Zixi bamboo slips, and the symbols in the Papacy’s secret scriptures are also different. But they all express the same meaning. I think there is only one possibility—they are different scripts.”

Everyone listened intently to me, and some, like Liang Yingwu, showed expressions of understanding. They had thought of what I was saying too.

"Who carved these fifteen sets of pictures on the top of Mount Tai? Who asked Confucius, Moses, and the people from the sea? I can say with certainty that they did not come from Earth."

This is an obvious conclusion. But when I said it so definitively, both Ye Tong and Ye Tianjin exclaimed "Ah!"

"If we lived on Earth, I believe that even if human technology advanced another hundred, two hundred, or three hundred years, we would never discover the great secrets of the solar system. What we would see would always be the outer starry sky, and we would never notice ourselves. Only intelligent life living on a planet in outer space, and that planet at a specific angle to the solar system, would one day be able to observe the wonders of this distant universe through their space telescopes."

"While planets in the universe that harbor intelligent life and have reached advanced stages of development are extremely rare, the angles from which we can observe the wonders of the solar system extend to the far reaches of the solar system, encompassing a vast area. Within this range, there is more than one such planet. Faced with wonders that even they find difficult to comprehend, they have sent numerous expeditions into the solar system over the years. I believe their footprints have been found not only on Earth, but also on the other seven planets, even on the star Sun, and on asteroids in the Cooper Belt. As the only planet to have developed life, Earth has received particular attention. Because human civilization is so far beyond their level, they usually do not have much contact with humans. When they truly cannot find the answers, they might try to contact those among humans who are recognized as having extremely high wisdom and who know everything."

"Why would there be such a stone tablet on Mount Tai? I speculate that the oldest human myths and legends are in China, and the protagonist of the Chinese creation myth is Pangu. Legend has it that after Pangu's death, his head became the four sacred mountains, his eyes became the sun and moon, his fat became the rivers and seas, and his hair became the plants. Another legend says that Pangu's head became the Eastern Sacred Mountain, his belly became the Central Sacred Mountain, his left arm became the Southern Sacred Mountain, his right arm became the Northern Sacred Mountain, and his feet became the Western Sacred Mountain. Mount Tai is considered the 'origin of all things, the place of transition,' and thus it was revered as the ancestor of the Five Sacred Mountains, becoming a sacred site for emperors of past dynasties to perform the Fengshan ceremony and pay homage. Such a place would obviously attract the attention of visitors."

"But why is the stone tablet not on the highest peak, Jade Emperor Peak, but on Suspended Blade Peak?" Ye Tong asked a question that had once puzzled me greatly, but now I have the answer.

"The veneration of the highest peak is a human habit, but it wouldn't matter to intelligent races that have traveled countless light-years to reach Earth. Besides, Earth's highest peak has been the Himalayas for millions of years. There's something I didn't mention earlier: the geomagnetic anomalies around the Suspended Blade Peak. I think this is more attractive to them than its height. So when they returned disappointed, they also erected a monument on the summit. They probably used local materials, cut a smooth surface with high-energy equipment, and engraved four star maps on it. In our terms, it means that so-and-so aliens were here."

Liang Yingwu nodded: "This is a very good deduction. Visitors who come to Mount Tai for the same reason afterward will most likely be unable to resist leaving their mark when they see such a stone tablet. This stone gathers the marks of multiple civilizations from distant stars."

Over the years, so many civilizations have visited Earth to explore the astonishing secrets this planet might hold, while humanity, which prides itself on being the most intelligent of all beings, remains completely unaware. Needless to say, the one from Mahabalipuram more than two thousand years ago, and Zhang Ming, whom I met recently, were among these visitors. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a surge of emotion.

"Oh dear, if that's the case, then Zhang Ming is an alien!" Ye Tong exclaimed.

I nodded: "That should be it."

Liang Yingwu said, "He must have used some kind of equipment to create an optical effect that makes him look like a human. But in terms of touch, it is not necessarily perfect. At least when the little girl touched his face unexpectedly, she touched his original appearance. The temperature and feel were very different from a normal human face, which is why the girl cried."

Liang Yingwu and I had already discussed this guess a few days ago.

Ye Tianjin said, "Your deductions all seem plausible to me, but they don't directly help to unravel the great mystery of the solar system."

I sighed and put on a helpless expression.

Lu Yun smiled and said, "At least we now know that there are others who share our plight. So many highly intelligent races."

They possess the ability to travel between stars, yet they still don't understand how it all works. Thinking about it this way is somewhat comforting. It seems the solar system is quite a famous place in the entire universe, at least in the Milky Way.

I shook my head: "Not everyone is completely clueless. At least Mahabalipran's son figured it out before he died."

"Oh, right, I brought the things." Wei Hou opened the backpack she had brought and took out two wooden boxes.

He placed the wooden box on the table, opened it, and took out its contents.

These are the two strange objects unearthed from the underwater temple in Mahabalipuram: a peculiar skull and a crystal ball. We now know that the skull did not belong to any creature on Earth, nor was it the remains of any god.

Everyone stood up and gathered around the table to examine the two items.

Queen Wei picked up the crystal ball and said, "I haven't figured out anything about the bones, but look at this water planet. There are so many. Turn off the lights."