581: Chapter 581 Attempting Communication

As Kshatriyas, Ravi Tomar and Bharata Singh belonged to the warrior class.

They stood there, and although their eyes were filled with wonder at the novel things before them, it went no further than that; they did not have many deep thoughts.

After all, their minds were occupied more by force and combat, and their sensitivity to these cultural and intellectual matters was somewhat lacking.

Shankara Sharma, however, was completely different; as a Brahmin, he belonged to the scholar class.

At this moment, his eyes shone with excitement as he stared fixedly at the Paper in Fan Zeng's hand.

He knew better than anyone the immense significance of Paper for the dissemination of knowledge; it allowed knowledge to transcend the limitations of time and space, enabling it to be widely passed down.

Shankara Sharma suddenly realized that the people who had conquered them were by no means ordinary.

Not only were they terrifyingly powerful in terms of military might, but their level of civilization far surpassed that of his own people.

This was immediately obvious just by observing the clothes they wore.

The styles of their clothing were vastly different, yet when his gaze touched upon the material of the clothes, that immense gap became undeniably apparent.

The material of their clothes was as fine as the fur of a snow leopard, with every thread carefully combed and woven.

It was not hard to imagine that such clothes would be soft and comfortable to wear, fitting the body perfectly and providing the ultimate wearing experience.

Looking back at the clothes he and his companions wore, the material was as rough as unpolished coarse cloth, not only feeling stiff to the touch but also lacking any luster whatsoever.

Compared to the others, it was truly a world of difference. This gap, like a chasm lying before him, caused an indescribable and complex emotion to well up in Shankara Sharma's heart.

With Shankara Sharma's intelligence, he naturally understood that Fan Zeng was trying to learn their language.

He did not find this too strange.

After all, if these outsiders wanted to hold the city of Drosia, which they had conquered, for a long time, expanding their influence was a necessary move.

And they, the locals, were undoubtedly a force that could not be ignored.

The fact that the other party did not kill them immediately, nor did they subject them to abuse, all indicated that they intended to use their power to further expand their own strength.

For Shankara Sharma, his choices were actually very limited.

If he refused the other party, that man who resembled a demon god and exuded a powerful aura would surely take his life without a moment's hesitation.

He had already deeply witnessed the cruelty of the other party's methods and the terror of their strength during the previous conflict; those bloody scenes were still vivid in his mind, making him tremble with fear whenever he thought of them.

And if he betrayed the Mauryan Empire, the empire's wrath would not spare him either; cruel punishment would surely await him.

But he really had no other choice; submitting to the other party might allow him to live a little longer.

If he did not submit, he would likely face only a dead end, destined to "die on the spot" and become a sacrifice in this cruel war.

Fan Zeng continued to patiently conduct simple communication with Shankara Sharma and his companions.

He turned slightly, pointed at himself with his finger, and said in a loud and clear voice, "Fan Zeng!"

Immediately after, he slowly pointed his finger toward Shankara Sharma, staring intently at the other party, signaling for him to say his own name.

"Shankara Sharma."

Shankara Sharma said cooperatively, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness and submission.

His words were once again carefully recorded on the Paper by Fan Zeng, stroke by stroke, using phonetic transliteration.

Afterward, Fan Zeng read the name he had just recorded, word by word, in a slightly strange tone.

Although the tone was strange, it was still roughly audible that Fan Zeng was trying hard to imitate Shankara Sharma's pronunciation.

Therefore, Shankara Sharma nodded slightly, which counted as a response to Fan Zeng's efforts.