137 The Ancient Incantations
Selma Payne’s POV:
An unbearable pain pulled me back from my thoughts.
I couldn’t help but cry out in pain. Hayley gave me a comforting look, but the carving knife in her hand didn’t stop.
Every part of the seal script was connected. Once it stopped or was interrupted, it would completely lose its effect.
The first section of runes on my left hand had already been completed. Hayley was currently dealing with my forearm. The skin on the artery on my wrist was far too fragile, and it was even less painful than the other parts of my body.
“Please bear with it. It’ll be over soon.” Hayley moved faster.
I clenched my teeth and panted heavily, forcing myself not to think about the intense pain that felt like my wrist was being run over by a truck.
“Did anything interesting happen when you were on your business trip in Asia?” I had to talk about something to divert my attention. “I’ve never been there. I only learned about it in geography class.”
“There’s nothing fun,” said Hayley. “The whole trip was boring. Anything related to ancient spells is not interesting.”
She sounded resentful but also proud.
“Where have you been? China? Japan? Thailand? Indonesia?”
“I went to Myanmar, which is next to Thailand. Myanmar has a fascinating spell culture. I visited some masters who lived in seclusion and learned the local ancient spells from them.”
“What are these incantations about?”
“It’s very complicated. The local area doesn’t seem to have a complete system, or the once complete system has been destroyed. In short, I could only learn some fragments. Many ancient spells have lost their effect because they are too incomplete.”
“I’m sorry you made a wasted trip.”
“I didn’t go there for nothing. At least I learned a new language.” Hayley was inexplicably happy. “And I’ve filled in the blank space on the world map. Isn’t that the happiest thing to do?”
“The world map? Is this an ancient incantation version of the world map you compiled yourself?”
“It’s not a compilation, just a small hobby. According to the ancient incantations I have collected according to the map, so far, I have collected most of the ancient incantations in the werewolf area. I have also collected a lot in other places. Only Asia is left, so any harvest is precious.”
The pain in my inner arm was no less than that in my wrist. I continued to ask, “Why are there so few in Asia? Do you rarely have the chance to travel across the sea? Maybe I can help you apply for more opportunities from the Lycan King. You’re doing something very meaningful; he’ll agree.”
Hayley smiled gratefully and declined, “Thank you for your kindness, Miss. But there’s no need for that. His Majesty has not imposed any restrictions on werewolf grandmasters. I can leave at any time.”
“So, why?”
“There are many reasons. Language barriers, customs, family heritage, the safety of the local area, and so on. Asia protects ancient spells much better than the Americas and Europe, which means they don’t need anyone to cause trouble.”
“But it’s always a pity you can’t collect them.”
“That’s right, but my main purpose is to hope these ancient spells won’t be lost. Since they’re being passed down, I can’t just rob them of it, right? Do you know where I should go when I want to study the ancient spells in Africa?”
“Where?”
“The museums and libraries of various countries in Europe and the Americas. Many years ago, they were lost along with gold and silver, and humans couldn’t understand these strange words and pictures, so they called it the ‘ruins of the primitive people’ and openly showed it off in the glass cabinet.”
Hayley was a little indignant.
“How can humans know how to protect? The magic circuits between these ancient spells gradually dried up as time passed and stopped flowing. In the end, they became lifeless paper and stones. No matter how complete the spells or runes carved on them were, they were useless. Without magic, the spells would lose their lives forever.”
The topic was a little heavy, and we couldn’t help but fall silent.
After the engraving on my left forearm was done, Hayley mixed the potion and said in embarrassment, “I’m sorry. This is a little embarrassing. I’m just a little impulsive. I can’t stop talking when I’m in a rush. Mary always criticizes me, but I can’t change it.”
I gestured to her that she was okay. “Don’t think that way. You’re a person of justice. You’re right. The world has indeed lost many precious things.”
Hayley was pleased with my support. She whispered, “Thank you, Miss. This gives me more motivation to publish my ancient spell map.”
“Are you planning to publish your work?” I was surprised. “These spells are precious.”
“They are precious to be known by others, and they’ll be useful to them,” said Hayley in relief. “Otherwise, they would be no different from the forgotten collection in the glass cabinet and disappear sooner or later.”
“You are a noble person.” I was filled with profound awe.
“You’re flattering me too much.” Hayley smiled shyly. “These ancient spells are not mine. God and the sages created them. They belong to the world.”
We conversed for an entire day, and the pain of engraving the seal wasn’t so unbearable anymore.
Late at night, the ‘torture’ that had lasted for an entire day finally ended.
