Chronicles Of Primordial Wars (Ch. 271-500)

ch. 397-398

Chapter 397- Dismantling
 
Many people thought that the patterns on the pots and other artifacts were purely for decoration or to include the tribe’s symbols. Shao Xuan felt the same before, but, after some experience with them, Shao Xuan found that the patterns contain a lot of mysterious things.

Therefore, as he faced this cauldron, Shao Xuan thought that it would show all about an Anba City slave owner’s great achievements, heroic deeds and such. Or maybe a record of some commemorative events, but when he carefully observed, he only found that there were many parts he couldn’t understand.

For now, he could understand just the words containing some of the glorious history of Anba. Although there were a few words he couldn’t understand, it did not affect his understanding of the phrase as that was just a praise of the ancient Anba tribe, as well as a few words of congratulations. There were also the cloud patterns on the cauldron that seem to act as decorations- however, they were giving Shao Xuan a very weird feeling.

There were many tribes who liked to use cloud patterns back on the other side, probably because these vortex clouds could be used as both a decoration or background filling. However, it also had a structural complexity and mystique, giving way to a casual and diverse style. This cloud-decorated flat cauldron had its upper end full of these cloud patterns that were more slender and complex. Each of the cloud vortex swirled towards the center, some like cirrus clouds, some like cumulus clouds. Several patterns were composed of simple swirls continuously going up and down and repeatedly overlapping each other but in a more natural way.

It was much more complex than the cloud patterns used by the tribes on the other side. It was the most complex natural cloud pattern Shao Xuan has ever seen.

At first glance, this pattern was very beautiful, but there were no big designs like those larger words to attract people. However, as you stared at those cloud swirls, it drew you in. It was an inexplicable sense of visual shock.

As decorations, their purpose has been achieved, but was it really made just for that?

Shao Xuan stared at the decorations on the cauldron’s body for a while. He wanted to copy those complex and dense clouds, but there was no paper or anything like that around him. Using animal skin was too extravagant, so Shao Xuan got up to go out and found some long, wide leaves. He brushed paint on the designs on the cauldron, then used the leaves to print it on and wait for the pattern to appear clear on the leaves. Shao Xuan then transferred the painted clouds on a piece of cloth.

The cloud patterns were not only on the three-legged cauldron’s body but also on its feet. There were also cloud patterns there but unlike the slender and complex ones on the body, the patterns on the feet were thicker, appearing more prominent.

Shao Xuan also printed the patterns on the feet one by one, then slowly studied them.

He heard that the man who made the cauldron was a Xia person, who liked cloud patterns. As far as Shao Xuan knew, the cloud pattern was one of the earliest patterns produced. It seems that every tribe that uses cloud patterns has a very long history.

The flame pattern of the Flaming Horns tribe was made in the earlier times too. However its use was not as wide as the cloud patterns, because the cloud patterns have equilibrium. It has a sense of movement and harmony that its continuous and overlapping lines would not appear abrupt. It was only that it was casted by the Xia people, hence, the cloud patterns seem to contain something more.

Nothing was going on with the tribe, as it’s almost winter. There would also be fewer outings, so Shao Xuan had more free time to study these.

After copying all the cloud lines on the cauldron’s body on two pieces of cloth, Shao Xuan also went to the shamaness to ask her for some of the older records on Xia. It’s just that the shamaness didn’t know much, and could only lend records from the ancestors from hundreds of years ago. The problem was that these records handed down were mostly written by the shamaness using the text on the other side, rather than the local text on this side.