Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1454 - 1447: The Ghost Race Customs

Chapter 1454: Chapter 1447: The Ghost Race Customs

The gesture of resting the chin on the back of the hand is unique to the Ghost Race, somewhat similar to the handshake of the Human Race.

But what shocked Cheng Ziang the most was that Zisu could actually speak the language of the Ghost Race, a discovery that was logical yet unexpected.

After all, as the leader of the Demon Clan in charge of intelligence, Cheng Ziang had always thought Zisu was nothing more than a decoration. He had no idea she was so capable, not only speaking the Kyushu language but also the obscure Ghost Race language. It seems like a bit of an underutilization to have her as an intelligence officer; she could become a qualified diplomat.

The two of them chatted back and forth, with Cheng Ziang and the others listening in confusion, to the extent that even Baiyue, who was extremely adept at learning, couldn’t immediately grasp the linguistic logic of the Ghost Race language.

Based on what was known, the Ghost Race language vocabulary tended to consist of short syllables, but the sentences were very cumbersome, filled with a plethora of prefixes and suffixes.

This was somewhat reminiscent of agglutinative languages, adding different affixes before and after a root word to convey grammatical functions. However, because of the short syllables, when spoken quickly, it sounded very much like Russian.

At the same time, Baiyue also noticed that the Ghost Race language was tonal. She listened attentively for about five minutes and discerned at least five different tones, which undoubtedly made learning the Ghost Race language even more challenging.

The captain and the sailors hid on the boat and dared not come down, which was understandable, as they harbored a certain wariness towards the Ghost Race. Normally, they would visit familiar ports, but this time they came to a completely new place at the request of Zisu, and naturally did not dare to disembark easily.

After chatting for a while, the elderly Ghost Race person warmly welcomed Zisu and her companions to come and rest. They followed the elder through the fishing village to the inside of the village.

The buildings in this Ghost Race fishing village were primarily stilt houses with roofs made of piled palm leaves. Even though it was just a fishing village, these buildings did not seem haphazard but were very meticulously crafted, showing a high level of architectural skill.

The elder’s home was in the center of the village, a two-story wooden building covering over a hundred square meters. The foundation of the building was different from the others, being constructed from huge stone blocks.

Contrary to Baiyue’s previous impressions, the architecture of the Ghost Race did not emphasize symmetrical layouts. Their entrances were mostly on the right side, with an extended platform in the middle of the house. Women and children were repairing fishing nets on the platform.

Faced with this entirely new architectural style and cultural environment, Baiyue appeared extremely excited, her cheeks flushing with enthusiasm. After consulting Zisu, she began to take out her sketchbook and pencil to record everything she saw.

Additionally, the clothing of the Ghost Race was quite particular, mainly consisting of light-colored linen fabric, overall relatively loose, with tight cuffs. Their trousers mostly reached the knee, and their calves were wrapped with many straps.

Of course, because the fishing village was by the sea and the climate was hot, many Ghost Race people went without shirts. They only wore knee-length pants on their lower half, with straps tied around their calves, which was the most common look for Ghost Race fishermen.

It’s worth mentioning that in this aspect, the women of the Ghost Race didn’t seem to place much emphasis on privacy either. Cheng Ziang noticed that women, like men, wore knee-length pants and wrapped strips around their legs. However, many of them would also hang a piece of white linen around their necks, somewhat like a napkin.

And this piece of cloth that looked like a napkin could only barely cover their chests, fluttering up with any movement or gust of wind, accidentally revealing their bodies. Although this was the other party’s tradition, Cheng Ziang couldn’t help his face turning red and his heart racing upon witnessing this for the first time.

This seemed to be the situation for adult women of the Ghost Race, as the children were even less formal, both boys and girls bare-chested, wearing knee-length shorts with strips tied around. The only similarity was that they all wore masks.

For even younger children, masks were out of the question; they were basically in a state of complete nudity, boys and girls alike, running around the village completely bare.

According to Zisu’s introduction, in the traditions of the Ghost Race, masks are the true bearers of privacy, and covering one’s body is not considered as important. Therefore, the women of the Ghost Race wouldn’t feel shy even if they wore nothing at all, but once their masks are removed, it would indeed be an undeniable act of impropriety.

The hairstyles of the Ghost Race women are also quite interesting. Married women would braid their hair and coil it around their heads, forming a disc-like shape. In contrast, the hairstyles of unmarried girls are much prettier; they simply braid their hair without coiling it, resulting in a variety of hairstyles that tend to align more with the aesthetic tastes of Cheng Ziang and others.

As for the children, it’s much more casual—basically, a quick fluff is all it takes. However, Cheng Ziang also noticed that the children who had yet to wear masks, whether boys or girls, generally had long hair.

He asked Zisu and discovered that when the children of the Ghost Race grow up to adolescence, in addition to wearing masks, the boys signify their coming of age by cutting their long hair, while for the girls, it is signified by tying their hair into a braid.

But what amazed Cheng Ziang the most was that the hair of the Ghost Race women seemed to be exceptionally well-maintained. Whether it was middle-aged women or the elderly, their hair was almost invariably black and glossy, with very few having gray hair.

Compared to the females, the male members of the Ghost Race don’t seem to have such a tradition, with many older males showing graying at the temples. The elder leading them was even more so, with his hair completely white.

Seeing strangers visiting the village, the surrounding children gathered around, curiously sizing them up from afar. Some of the adolescents sneaked away from their tasks and stealthily watched Zisu’s group from the shadows.

Baiyue was not intimidated by these Ghost Race children who surrounded her to watch; instead, she carefully observed their appearances and sketched them in her sketchbook.

Since the adults of the Ghost Race wear masks, it is impossible to discern their true appearances, so one could only infer their facial features from these maskless children.

The majority of the Ghost Race are short in stature, with the average height for males usually between 1.55 and 1.60 meters, and females even shorter, with an average height generally between 1.30 and 1.40 meters.

From their appearances, it can be certain that the Ghost Race also belong to the Human Race, and not like the Demon Clan with distinct external features due to divergence.

Overall, the Ghost Race resemble the Shanyue people of Kyushu in appearance, but their features are relatively flatter, lacking prominent contours. Likely due to being frequently exposed to sunlight and sea breezes, their skin is mostly dark and coarse, not as fair as the people of the East Continent.

Of course, compared to other ethnic groups of the East Continent, the Ghost Race does have some very distinct external features. For example, nearly every Ghost Race individual, regardless of gender, has double eyelids, and these are the prominent, parallel-fold European-style double eyelids that are noticeable even from a distance.

Arriving in front of the elder’s house, the group came to a halt. The elder did not immediately invite them into his home, and Zisu also seemed patient, as if she already knew what would happen next.

At the elder’s command, a few women wearing bird-shaped masks approached with wooden trays, coming before the group. On the trays were several exquisite masks, some depicting ghosts and spirits, others birds and beasts.

Zisu explained to Cheng Ziang and the others that this was a welcome ritual. Even for outsiders, it is necessary to wear masks on Aximiya Island. This is not mandatory, but rather a matter of etiquette.

However, on certain special occasions, even outsiders are required to wear masks, or else it is considered a sign of disrespect towards the Ghost Race.

The Ghost Race treat outsiders relatively warmly, offering them the best masks from their own homes to wear and considering it as a gift.

Furthermore, the Ghost Race take great pride in offering the finest masks from their homes to their guests, believing that when the guests wear their masks, the gods will record their accumulated merits, allowing their deceased relatives to receive blessings from the gods in another world.

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