For modern people the relationship between the sun, moon and Earth is common knowledge. The changing of seasons, the length of lunar cycles and even why breathing becomes difficult at high altitudes are all merely basic scientific facts taught in elementary school.
However when Alex explained these concepts step by step, Shi Jieren felt wave after wave of sudden enlightenment washing over his consciousness.
He had originally thought that proving the Earth's spherical shape was a profound secret and represented deep truth about the fundamental nature of the universe itself.
But now with all sorts of advanced knowledge pouring freely from Alex's mouth, even for phenomena he did not understand at all, Alex could offer plausible and thoroughly convincing explanations. This made Shi Jieren realize with growing humility that his own knowledge was merely scratching the surface.
Compared to Alex his understanding of the world was pitifully shallow and incomplete.
"How terrifying! If these revolutionary claims were to spread throughout the land then Master Alex would either become a saint revered and worshiped by the masses or be branded a dangerous heretic condemned and despised by all the people..." Liu Jinyuan muttered with visible concern.
He was completely dumbfounded and even more deeply horrified by the sheer volume of radical knowledge that Alex was casually sharing with them.
Spouting nonsense is harmless enough because at worst others will simply dismiss you as a harmless lunatic. But when someone like Alex can support his seemingly outrageous claims with logical theories and even cite existing observable examples to prove his points, then this so-called nonsense transforms into something far more dangerous than a passing joke.
It must be said that when it came to natural science, Shi Jieren behaved exactly like an endlessly curious student who had been starved for knowledge his entire life. He was completely immersed in this vast ocean of information and remained utterly oblivious to the passage of time around him.
Alex spoke freely and held nothing back in his explanations. Before he even realized it the sky above had grown considerably darker as evening approached.
Finally Shi Jieren began to feel that as he asked more and more questions and Alex answered them with increasing depth and detail, he was simultaneously learning more and more about the world.
However precisely because he now knew so much more than before, Shi Jieren paradoxically realized that he seemed to understand less and less about the true nature of reality.
"The mysteries of this world are simply unfathomable and infinite. I honestly do not know if I will ever understand even a tiny fraction of them in my entire lifetime..." Shi Jieren muttered to himself with a mixture of awe and melancholy. "The more I learn the more I realize how vast and endless true knowledge actually becomes."
"Listening to one wise person speak is worth ten years of diligent reading!" Shi Jieren had always known this ancient proverb but he had always considered it an obvious exaggeration meant to inspire students. But after conversing with Alex for such an extended period today and having him generously share so many of the answers he had desperately longed to know for years, Shi Jieren discovered that what he had learned from their single conversation was far greater than anything he had ever learned through decades of solitary study and travel.
"Alright since we have been talking together for quite a while now, let us stop here for today. I only barely understand the basics of these natural sciences myself..." Alex finally said.
Seeing that Shi Jieren seemed to have exhausted his immediate questions, Alex who was feeling his throat growing rather dry after talking for such an extended period, casually flipped his hand and pulled out a bottle of Coke from nowhere. He unscrewed the cap smoothly and took a long refreshing sip to moisten his parched throat.
"Do any of you want some?" It felt awkward to drink alone so Alex glanced at the people gathered around him and offered politely.
"Yes please!"
Lin Yueru and the others nodded eagerly and enthusiastically at Alex's generous offer.
Alex possessed an endless wealth of mysteries and surprises, especially when it came to his extraordinary food and drink that seemed to appear from thin air.
While they had absolutely no idea what the strange dark liquid actually was, seeing Alex drink it with obvious enjoyment made Lin Yueru and the others naturally nod with burning curiosity. They each eagerly accepted a bottle for themselves.
"Hmm what a remarkably strange bottle! It is so soft and easily deformable yet it will not break no matter how I squeeze it."
While Shi Jieren was certainly interested in tasting the Coke itself, he found the plastic bottle container to be truly fascinating and unique in its own right.
Typical bottles and containers were made of fired ceramic which made them hard and extremely brittle. Yet this mysterious plastic bottle was so soft and could be easily deformed with pressure, but it somehow did not break or shatter. This struck Shi Jieren as genuinely magical and worthy of deep study.
He immediately decided to carefully keep the bottle after finishing its contents. Even the screw cap mechanism was incredibly ingenious and far superior to traditional cork stoppers in every conceivable way.
"Wow this is absolutely delicious! It tastes sweet and somewhat like fruit juice yet it is completely different from anything I have ever tasted before. Burp..." Lin Yueru exclaimed with obvious amazement as she took her first generous swig. Her enthusiastic words were immediately followed by an involuntary burp.
"Hmm this stuff tastes considerably better than any wine I have ever tried" Li Xiaoyao who stood beside her nodded in wholehearted agreement with her assessment.
"Master whether it is food or drink you produce, so much of it seems strange and unfamiliar to us but it always tastes incredibly delicious..." Even Liu Jinyuan who was thoroughly enjoying the carbonated beverage nodded with great enthusiasm and appreciation.
Watching their expressions of wonder and admiration, Alex chuckled quietly to himself with satisfaction.
These modern beverages and snacks had never been experienced by people from this era before so it came as no surprise whatsoever that they were completely captivated after their very first taste.
However compared to the others around him, Alex found himself glancing thoughtfully at Shi Jieren who remained primarily preoccupied with carefully examining the plastic bottle itself rather than enjoying its contents. His expression showed genuine scientific curiosity.
"What a terrible shame..." Seeing Shi Jieren's intensely focused expression Alex shook his head with a distinct touch of regret and sadness.
It was truly unfortunate that this brilliant man had appeared in the ancient world of The Legend of Sword and Fairy. Otherwise with his genuinely inquisitive spirit and sharp analytical mind, if he had been born in modern times he very likely could have developed into one of the world's leading scientists and researchers.
"By the way uncle after all this time spent talking together I still do not know your actual name" Alex asked while expressing genuine interest in learning more about Shi Jieren.
Although the man had appeared merely curious as he asked Alex countless questions about natural science, his overall demeanor and bearing were truly remarkable. This made it abundantly clear he was not just any ordinary wandering scholar or common person.
"Me? My name is Shi Jieren" Shi Jieren who remained absorbed in carefully studying the plastic bottle replied without even bothering to look up from his examination.
"Shi Jieren?"
Hearing this specific name spoken aloud, Alex's heart suddenly skipped a beat and his mind began racing with implications.
Then his facial expression changed dramatically as the full realization of the situation crashed down upon him like a thunderbolt.
Shi Jieren was precisely the true name of the Moon Worshiper himself!
The man had always been referred to simply as the Moon Worshiper throughout the story and most of the time his actual birth name had been completely ignored and forgotten by everyone.
So the person sitting directly in front of him who had been chatting so pleasantly with him for such an extended period was actually the ultimate final boss of the entire The Legend of Sword and Fairy storyline? The infamous Moon Worshiper himself?
With this shocking thought racing through his mind, Alex secretly activated his crystal measuring device and a faint beam of light fell silently upon the Moon Worshiper's body.
Very quickly the numbers on the device flickered and jumped rapidly before a remarkably high number appeared clearly before Alex's eyes. This reading definitively proved Alex's sudden suspicion beyond any doubt.
1720!
The crystal point reading was extraordinarily high and indicated immense power lurking within this seemingly gentle scholar.
"Oh? It seems that Mister Alex has actually heard of my humble name before?"
Although the Moon Worshiper was admittedly a complete novice when it came to natural science and cosmic understanding, his ability to carefully observe facial expressions and read subtle body language was still absolutely top-notch. The sudden dramatic change in Alex's expression was naturally noticed immediately by his sharp observational skills.
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