"..."
The Mantis Man held the book in its hands, stunned.
Qin Ziwen wasn’t worried about whether it could learn or recognize the words on the pages.
Because the text generated in the Hundred Schools Book Tower automatically adapted into the language easiest for the learner to understand, based on the languages they already knew.
The Mantis Man opened the book and its body shuddered, as if it had seen something incredible.
Qin Ziwen said, "Let’s keep it for now. Give it basic food every day, and have someone check on its learning progress periodically. If it’s doing well, you can give it some meat."
Zhao Pu said, "Yes, Chairman."
After Qin Ziwen left, a small partition was set up in a corner on the second floor of the Hundred Schools Book Tower.
A basin was placed in front of the Mantis Man, filled with grass and leaves.
"Will it be okay eating this stuff?" Zhao Pu frowned. ’Can it get full on just some leaves?’
A tall, thin young man nearby, wearing a scarf and holding a black thermos, said, "I used to raise some of those old Beijing ’Pokémon’ for a while. You’d be surprised, they’re not picky eaters at all. Of course, mealworms would be best, but we don’t have the means for that here."
"Aren’t those Beijing ’Pokémon’ you’re talking about stick insects? This one’s a mantis."
"Heh, close enough. They’re both bugs from the ground."
Zhao Pu said, "Alright, I’ll leave it to you. I remember you used to be a teacher, right? For the next few days, you’ll supervise its studies here. Keep a close eye on its progress. Try to get it to speak our language as soon as possible."
Cai Qingshan said, "I was an art teacher. Just leave it to me. I have plenty of experience dealing with students like this."
After Zhao Pu left, Cai Qingshan walked over with his thermos. The Mantis Man heard the movement and lifted its head to look at him.
Cai Qingshan met its gaze for a moment and felt a little intimidated.
He coughed twice and ambled away with his thermos.
As he passed a table, an old man sitting there said with a smile, "Teacher Cai, you just said stick insects and mantises are pretty much the same, but they’re quite different. They’re distant relatives, like the difference between a monkey and an ape. Stick insects are herbivores, mantises are carnivores."
Cai Qingshan wasn’t annoyed by the correction. He chuckled and took the empty seat across from the man. "From the way you talk, sounds like you know your stuff."
"I used to work for the forestry bureau. I know a little," the old man said with a smile.
Hearing this, Cai Qingshan’s eyes lit up. He set his thermos on the table and leaned in closer.
"Well, then you’re a real expert! I could tell you were a respectable person just from the way you spoke."
The old man waved his hand, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Respectable or not, it doesn’t matter now. We’re all here just trying to get by, figuring out how to survive. That’s all that’s real."
"How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?"
"Forty-nine."
"That’s still young! There’s an old guy in the unit next to mine, fifty-six years old. His son is very capable, a vice-captain in the Hunting Team. The old man had nothing better to do, so he started training at the practice grounds every day. Now he runs faster than some of the young folks and joined the Hunting Team himself."
Hearing this, the smile on the old man’s face faded a little. He pointed to his leg. "It’s an old problem. Rheumatism. The last map was an Island—damp and cold. Now this Underworld is full of grim, heavy air. It’s a struggle just to walk a few steps. I figured while my mind is still sharp, I’d come here and learn something. If I can’t go to the front lines, I can still contribute from the rear."
"You’ve got a great attitude! What are you planning to learn?" Cai Qingshan asked curiously.
The old man pondered, his gaze falling on the Mantis Man in the distance. "I was still thinking about it, but now I have an idea. What do you think about being a translator? Those Fishmen are recruiting translators. I was originally studying the Fishman language." As he spoke, the old man showed Cai Qingshan the book in his hands: Intermediate Fishman Language General Knowledge.
"You’re already on the intermediate book?" Cai Qingshan asked in surprise.
To be able to read Intermediate Fishman Language General Knowledge, you first had to master the Basic Fishman Language General Knowledge.
Mastering the basic level meant you could handle simple, daily conversations with the Fishmen without any problem.
"Just browsing," the old man said modestly, then pointed at the Mantis Man. "Has this Mantis Man produced a book on ’Mantis Language’ or anything?"
Cai Qingshan shook his head. "Not yet. It doesn’t even understand our language. The only reason it’s here is because of the Chairman’s ability."
The old man listened and nodded thoughtfully. "Teacher Cai, I’d like to ask you for a favor."
Cai Qingshan was taken aback for a second, then replied enthusiastically, "Of course, just ask. I’ll help if I can."
The old man turned, lowered his voice, and pointed to the Mantis Man in the corner, which was currently lowering its head to nibble on leaves. "If it produces a book, please do me the favor of letting me know."
Cai Qingshan slapped his thigh upon hearing this. "Is that all? No problem. Leave me your address, I’ll let you know."
The old man cupped his fists. "My surname is Lei, given name Wenbo. Teacher Cai, you can just call me Old Lei."
...
"You’re Old Lei, right? I heard you’ve already learned the Insect Man language?" Qin Ziwen looked at the short old man before him. His temples were gray, but he looked very spirited.
Lei Wenbo chuckled and gave a slight bow. "Chairman Qin, I wouldn’t dare say I’ve ’learned’ it. A language is too vast and profound. I’ve only picked up some basic daily conversation."
Qin Ziwen felt a sense of admiration. ’This man is a true talent.’
Three days had passed since the Mantis Man was brought to the Home.
On the second day, after the Mantis Man had learned a little of the human language, it was made to leave behind the Insect Man language in the Hundred Schools Book Tower.
Perhaps due to its low level of education, the Mantis Man only left behind two books: one titled *Basic Insect Man Language General Knowledge* and another, *A Rough Guide to Subterranean Cave Flora*.
And now, less than two days later, this Lei Wenbo had volunteered himself, claiming to have learned basic daily conversation.
One had to understand, the Mantis Man still hadn’t learned the human language. Getting it to leave the books in the Tower the day before yesterday had been a matter of pure guesswork. Qin Ziwen had used his special Resonance ability, combined with a great deal of gesturing and charades, to make it understand the simple procedure.
Even with the learning bonus from the Hundred Schools Book Tower, Lei Wenbo was clearly a talent when it came to languages.
"Then please come with me." Qin Ziwen took him and the Mantis Man to a small room.
"Help me communicate with it. The general idea is to make it understand that we are willing to cooperate with them, the Insect Men. We can provide safety, food, and intelligence on the Fishmen. We can even help them get revenge on the Fishmen and secure more territory. In return, we need various resources from this Underworld, such as ore, Extraordinary Plants, and Extraordinary prey."
After listening, Lei Wenbo considered for a moment before replying, "Chairman, what you’ve said is fine, in principle. But some of the words you used might not have a precise translation in its language. I can only convey the general meaning."
Qin Ziwen said, "The general meaning is good enough. The main thing is to secure an agreement."
Lei Wenbo nodded at this, then turned to communicate with the Mantis Man.
...
...