Sign language?

"That robed man was just warning me not to speak in Black Tower City. The power of language can cause unnecessary crises," Bai Zhou said, repeating the gesture the robed man had made.

’Have they already lost control of their power?’

"That Word Spirit power... it’s passive?"

Mo Ling could only think of one explanation: the robed man had been worried that Bai Zhou’s words would cause chaos!

No wonder all the robed people here were silent, communicating with sign language except when absolutely necessary.

Their language had completely diverged from its original function.

"I know a little sign language. You wait here while I go gather some information." After understanding the situation, Bai Zhou was actually quite happy. "This way, we can at least learn something."

After speaking, Bai Zhou walked out, found a robed person, and began communicating with them in sign language.

Mo Ling never expected that after pursuing the robed people and climbing up the Black Tower, they would manage to re-establish communication in this bizarre city.

And in a way no one would have ever imagined: sign language.

It was originally a language for the deaf and mute, using approximate gestures and ambiguous meanings to communicate—a special form of language.

In certain specific environments, sign language could even be more convenient and faster than some spoken languages, able to directly convey the communicator’s intended meaning.

Now, because they couldn’t speak freely, these robed people had actually reverted to using sign language as their means of communication.

Mo Ling watched Bai Zhou in the distance and saw that while his sign language exchange with the robed person was a bit slow, it was proceeding without any major hitches.

The robed person didn’t seem to suspect Bai Zhou at all. In fact, they were trying very hard to express themself.

It seemed this environment of forced silence had made the robed people eager to communicate.

Moreover, as their conversation deepened, other robed people joined in, their hand gestures growing more and more exaggerated.

They also used lip-syncing and facial expressions to convey some meaning, but Bai Zhou didn’t understand the mouthed words at all and could only barely manage to get by.

If it weren’t for his diving helmet, the robed people probably would have noticed something was off from his grim expression.

After a while, Bai Zhou made a ’thank you’ gesture and slowly walked back to the corner.

He led Li Luo to a more secluded spot, hid, and glanced around cautiously before starting to speak in a low voice.

"I got the details. These robed people really can’t speak."

Bai Zhou explained that he had just deceived the robed people by claiming his helmet caused memory loss.

The robed people let their guard down and told Bai Zhou everything they knew. It seemed none of it was a secret to them.

Bai Zhou remained vigilant, whispering the intelligence he had gathered.

「...」

These robed people had all "ascended" from various villages.

They called the ritual an "ascension ritual."

Before undergoing the ascension ritual, they didn’t know the location of the Stone Gate. Their Word Spirit power was weak, and the duration of their power’s phantoms was very short.

But after the ascension ritual, they would quickly master that power.

In their view, there was only one way to increase their power—by making their pronunciation more "standard."

The power of language came from pronunciation; the slightest difference could lead to vastly different summoned phantoms.

Timbre, tone, and articulation—all were intricately linked to the final magnitude of their power.

The robed people explained that phrases resembling songs were closer to the true "Word Spirit power," and they were constantly researching more standard pronunciations.

This process was very long, unless one underwent the ascension ritual.

After performing the ritual according to the steps in the ritual book, if successful, a wealth of knowledge about correct pronunciation would enter their minds.

Not only that, but they would also learn the location of the Stone Gate and how to open it. This knowledge would guide them to the Stone Gate and tell them that more correct pronunciations could be found here.

The best way to learn a language is through comparison, by parroting others. So, these robed people followed the guidance and came here.

This city, according to the robed people, could be roughly translated as "the hidden city built of black square bricks," or abbreviated as "Black Tower City."

They only knew that before they arrived, their predecessors had already built the prototype of this city.

Using the power of the Word Spirit, they built this city very quickly. As long as they found the Stone Gate after ascension and offered a sacrifice, they could come to Black Tower City.

The purpose of the robed people coming here was to find more correct pronunciations and increase their power.

It was said that the castle in the center of Black Tower City preserved the most correct pronunciations—that is, the most powerful linguistic force. Even the author of the ritual book lived in that castle.

But the castle was heavily guarded. Only those whose pronunciation was standard enough could pass the trials and enter.

Because of this, all the robed people yearned for the castle. Everyone hoped to meet the author of the ritual book.

That predecessor, whom they called the "Master of Right Words."

When Bai Zhou asked about this, he already had a rough idea of why the robed people were constantly climbing higher up the Black Tower.

But he still didn’t quite understand something, so he asked in sign language, "Do you have no plans to leave the Black Tower? Why did you attack the people from the monitoring station?"

However, Bai Zhou’s question drew suspicious glances from the surrounding robed people.

"The Black Tower is our home. We were born in the Black Tower. Why would we leave? Aren’t those who enter the Black Tower, speaking incorrect languages, invaders?"

Bai Zhou suppressed his shock and quickly pretended his amnesia was acting up again, tapping on his helmet until he gradually dispelled the robed people’s suspicions.

Seeing that Bai Zhou didn’t understand anything, the robed people even advised him not to use those relics, that only language was true power.

"Don’t forget what our ancestors have upheld for generations!" one robed person sternly lectured Bai Zhou.

And Bai Zhou could only apologize with gestures.

Finally, under the earnest "guidance" of the surrounding robed people, Bai Zhou promised them he would stop using relics and continue to promote the power of language.

Afterward, he thanked them profusely and moved away.

"This is definitely a shift in identity. They see themselves as a humanoid race living in the Black Tower, and humans as invaders," Bai Zhou concluded.

Mo Ling had a sudden realization. ’No wonder that red headscarf worked.’

Li Luo also touched their donkey ears, lost in thought.

After speaking, Bai Zhou fell silent again, frowning. "The Old Fishman once told me about this form of power they have."

"Have you ever heard of a creature called a Sea Siren?"