Chapter 143: The Need for Literacy
Kellar withdrew from the training area, leaving the new group under Brak’s strict discipline. As he walked back toward the main cabin, he watched the children running and playing along the village paths. Their faces were no longer emaciated or skeletal as they had been when rescued; now their eyes reflected a vital energy, and their bodies showed the fruits of proper nourishment.
Kellar slapped a hand against his forehead as an obvious realization hit him.
"How did I not notice this before?" thought Kellar, shaking his head.
All communication across the tribe, the construction blueprints, and written orders relied entirely on crude drawings and verbal approximations. The high efficiency of Lennis and Mentz had hidden the problem until now, but seeing those children grow, Kellar understood that literacy was an urgent necessity for the future of his empire.
When he entered the main cabin, his women were already waiting for him. They gently guided him to the main seat and began massaging his shoulders to ease the exhaustion from his journey.
Kellar looked up at Elia and Liora as they poured him a cup of wine.
"Do either of you know how to write?" said Kellar.
"We know a few characters our father taught us," said Elia, exchanging a glance with her sister.
Kellar asked them to show him what they knew. Elia took a piece of charcoal and traced several doodles onto a wooden board. Kellar examined them closely, but they were irregular strokes that he could not decipher, nor could the sisters structure them clearly.
Kellar sighed and leaned back against the seat.
"Literacy is urgent," said Kellar in a low voice. "I cannot sit around waiting for the system to fully update. I will have to teach them to read and write myself from scratch."
Kellar paused, looking at the piece of charcoal on the table.
"There is no point in confusing ourselves with ancient characters," said Kellar, resting his elbows on his knees. "We will use the alphabet from my original world. It is simple, direct, and will speed up the entire learning process."
Mila and Maya stepped closer to listen, while Elia and Liora gave him their full attention.
"Furthermore, I will not look for strangers to start this," said Kellar, locking his eyes onto his women. "You will be the first ones to learn. I will personally teach you every letter and number, and once you master them, you will become the instructors of the tribe."
Elia and Liora’s eyes lit up with excitement, while Mila and Maya nodded with proud smiles at the trust Kellar placed in them.
"The process will have three phases," said Kellar, taking the wooden board to trace three firm lines. "In the first phase, I will train you until you read and write fluently. In the second phase, you will hold mandatory one-hour daily classes for the riflemen, the police, and key craftsmen after their shifts. In the third phase, we will build the settlement’s first school so the children can learn from a young age."
Maya smiled, grasping the full scope of the strategy immediately.
"This will transform the tribe," said Maya, looking at the letters of the new alphabet on the wood.
"Exactly," said Kellar, dropping the charcoal onto the table. "We start tonight. Anyone in this tribe who does not learn to read will be left behind."
Kellar signaled to Liora.
"Bring a large piece of cured hide and several charcoal sticks," said Kellar.
Liora hurried out and returned a moment later with a pale deer hide and three sharpened charcoal sticks. Kellar smoothed the leather across the central table and settled onto the floor, gesturing for the four women to sit in a semicircle around him.
"Forget the complex strokes you used to know," said Kellar, resting the tip of the charcoal against the hide. "We start from the very first shape. This letter is called ’A’."
Kellar drew a clear, bold uppercase ’A’, followed by its lowercase form ’a’.
"A," said Mila, leaning forward to inspect the lines. "Is it just a point with a crossbar in the middle?"
"Exactly, simple and direct," said Kellar, looking around at them. "Each symbol represents a specific sound. When we combine the sounds of the letters, we form words. Repeat after me: A."
"A," said the four women in unison.
Kellar patiently traced the next four letters: ’B’, ’C’, ’D’, and ’E’. He explained how ’B’ carried two loops, ’C’ was an open arc, and ’D’ formed a single vertical line with a rounded belly.
"Now, try to copy them," said Kellar, handing a charcoal stick to each of them and placing flat wooden boards in front of them.
Mila gripped the charcoal too tightly, snapping the tip on her very first attempt. Maya drew a ’B’ with uneven, jagged curves. Elia and Liora, however, held their charcoal with natural ease. Their strokes across the wood were firm, precise, and replicated the ’A’, ’B’, and ’C’ almost flawlessly on their first try.
Kellar picked up the sisters’ boards, impressed by their speed.
"Your hands are remarkably steady," said Kellar, looking at the two young women.
"Our father made us memorize the marks of herbs and medicinal rituals since we were children," said Elia, smiling shyly. "He forced us to repeat the symbols in the dirt over and over until we stopped making mistakes."
"That explains your retention," said Kellar, handing the boards back. "You have an excellent foundation. If you keep this pace, you will master reading and writing completely in less than two weeks."
"We will not fail you, Kellar," said Liora, proudly tracing the ’D’ and ’E’ onto her board. "We will learn quickly so we can be useful when you begin teaching the others."
Kellar smiled and picked up his charcoal once more to move on to the next row of letters, spending the rest of the night patiently guiding the hands of his women beneath the warm glow of the embers.