I've been thinking about it for months now. How to convey foreign knowledge to a god like entity?

Sister Sunyeo insisted that the gods were once mortals before ascending to their current status. Although it happened 4 millennium ago or a hex of hexexes (16X16X16 yeah their system is pretty bad to talk about big numbers. I wonder how they juggle with millions or billions?), the priests claim that there are still traces of the mortal lives of the gods.

Jalea's house is supposed to be in the Empire's capital. The biggest garrison has been built around it and houses a legion of brave women fighters dedicated to the goddess and trained to fight monsters, protect the emperor and enforce justice.

Some of the gods were monsters before their ascension: Oreo the golden dragon and Charavatkeh of the thousand arms. Not much is know about them and I'm still unclear as to how monsters managed to become gods tasked with protecting humans, aren't they supposed to be under the ruling of the monster god, our nemesis?

Does it mean the monster god was already a god before the rest of the pantheon came around?

Not much is known about Shinpilo either, which is not out of expectation for the god of secrets. There seems to be a consensus that he wasn't human and was both a spy and a scholar. Not much grain for my mill though.

I only have 3 sheets of paper so I intend to use them to their fullest.

I've classified my ideas by priorities and expected efficiency in conveying my knowledge. In the end, my first sheet is dedicated to maths.

Maths are universal, anyone can understand them, especially geometry. I doubt this is new. This world has big buildings meaning at least there are some architects with knowledge in physics and geometry. So I expect Pi, Thales and the Pythagorean's theorems to be know in some way or the other.

What I can offer is more subtle: my numerals, decimal system and the zero.

So I start writing on my sheet : numbers in hex and arabic, followed by the zero and greater numbers. I also write down some basic functions: exp, log, geometric, a bit of trigonometry and as much decimals of Pi and square root of 2 that I can remember or figure out.

During this whole time Gel was quietly looking over my shoulder. She was waiting for me to finish my recto before interrupting: “What are those signs?” She points at the numbers.

I tried teaching them some geometry before but to no avail. They never got interested in it so she stays away from the circles and strange curbs.

“Those are an alternative way to write numbers. A bit like alphabet, I think it will be easier to use than the usual way.” I patiently explained.

If she was surprised or impressed she hid it well. This was somewhat vexing but she is not my target audience.

“Will I have to learn them too?” she asked with a distinct lack of motivation. Learning numbers again did not entice her much.

I sighed “Not if you don't want to. I still believe it would be useful but you are free to do as you want.”

“Fine, I will.” she relented before mumbling some complaints.

Didn't I just say you aren't compelled to?

On the verso of the sheet I chose to go for basic geometry in case it turns out useful. As soon as she sees the triangles Gel knew better and took her distances, geometry is not her cup of tea.

For my second sheet I decided to go for writing.

The alphabet is clearly superior to the hieroglyphs/ideograms-like system. It is also knowledge per se.

I wrote down my modified alphabet on half the recto, followed by the drawings of the few words I know and their translation in alphabet.

It ends up eating the whole space left.

While I was drawing words Gel came back behind my shoulder, reading the words aloud to show me she learned them too. Even spelling them in my alphabet before I wrote them down.

I was proud of my student, she earned a pat on the head that made her flash a tooth achingly sweet smile.

Second night bell rang lowly meaning it's midnight. Gel rubbed her lilac eyes “Can we go to sleep now?”

We? Are we an old married couple or what?

Before I can object a cold gust of air passing through the shutters killed our candle, cutting whatever smart comeback I could have had. The gods agreed with Gel that it was time to go to sleep.

As we laid in the futon I was glad she was here: winter nights in the attic are getting colder than I though possible. Isolation is bad and the room is filled with chilly air flows coming from the outside. Having someone else's body heat is welcomed.

* * * * * *

I have to wait till the end of the week to be able to fill my last blank page. I could have done it sooner but I think Gel would have resented me for doing it without her.

In the meantime I though well of what I intended to do with what little space remaining. I was also able to replenish my purse a little bit. Fishing in the winter is harder: less fish, direr conditions, bad weather more often and there are dangerous ice chunks that fell from the mountains drifting along the current. But it is also a time where some unusual fishes appear.

Unusual and valuables.

One of the strangest catch is a leech. Quite easy to lure: just drop some blood and with the hound nose of a shark it will come flocking towards your boat. Just dip your arm in the freezing water, the harshest part, and wait for it to come latch on you. One can easily bring 5 back on board with one arm.

Then you must peel them off your arm: a nasty ordeal, although the cold dims the pain. You end up with a disgusting pile of leeches that for some reason or another blades consider a delicacy.

I believe it's because they like the taste of commoners blood but customer is always right and they are ready to pay a hefty price for it, so who bleeds who in the end?

We do not sail in the middle of the river though. Peterell says there are really dangerous things lurking there during winter. The man isn't afraid of chogsus, I don't want to find out what's able to scare him.

Back in my cold attic I'm joined by Gelcaria. Her chestnut hair tied in a single braid today, ready to finish my offering.

For my last page I've decided to go for the universal language.

What would a god like entity from another world understand of modern science for sure ?

Chemistry

Matter is the same everywhere, at least from what I can tell. I've only seen two worlds and not all the matter in this one. But still, atoms and molecules should be universal.

Talking about the essential brick of world building will definitively catch the god's attention.

I start writing the ideogram for [water], followed by an equal sign: a pointing arrow in this world. I then sign: 2H + O with my alphabet but their numerals.

I then use the [air] ideogram which is the same word as [wind] and the signs: 2O, 2N, C+2O, Ar.

With these simple elements identified I can then make some basic chemistry formulae; explaining oxidation, reduction, nitrites and nitrates.

Not understanding what's going on,Gel decided to peruse over my numbers instead. She's laying beside me, cutely squinting her lavender eyes to read through the uncertain light cast by our candle.

When the recto is filled with a few formulas including a full Krebs cycle. One of the thing I learned by heart back in the days. I go for the verso that will be the master piece:

The periodic table of elements.

The ultimate explanation of the world, showing understanding of chemistry, physics, atoms, radioactivity and all. Mendeleev was a genius to have figured it out.

I can almost fill half of it.

There are holes in the metals, gaps in my transition metals and full ravines in the actinides and lanthanides.

I really thought I could remember it by heart, I was so happy to learn it back then.

Guess I was overestimating myself.

I can still fill in the atomic masses, properties and all but leaves the names blank. I don't want to invent the names I would feel a bit like an impostor, appropriating for myself someone else's discovery.

“What's that supposed to be?” asks a piqued by curiosity Gel, taking a peek from over my shoulder.

“This is the world.” I say with emphasis, dramatically exposing the sheet. Her blank stare back at me asks me if I'm either dumb or went mad? “This explains every thing that compose the world.” I try to explain.

She frowns in distrust, her purple eyes looking for signs that I'm trying to prank her, “Everything? Like what?” she doubts me. She points at the water ideogram “Like what water is?”

“Water is here and here” I point at hydrogen and oxygen.

“Those aren't how you wrote water. Those are the letter H and O. Are you trying to make fun of me?” she gets a bit frustrated.

“Water is not water.” I clumsily start explaining. Now she looks at me with eyes full of worry.“Water is made of two other components, like how tea is made of water and leaves.” I make the first analogy that comes to my mind.

“And what is water made of then, letters?” She is getting more and more suspicious, still waiting for the moment I won't be able to hold my laugh back and tell her it was just a (bad) prank.

“Hydrogen, the most common element” the word doesn't exist in this world, so I really do say hydrogen. This doesn't ring any bell for her nor any semantic root. “And oxygen, which is what we breath in the air. Or what the fire uses to keep this flame alive.” I point at our flickering candle.

“Yeeeeah... so water is made out of fire?” she inquires clearly getting tired of the long joke. I fear I'll get kicked soon. How do I explain her that burning hydrogen will make water?

“No, these are both...err... other basic building elements that have multiple uses and different properties when mixed together. A bit like dyes.” We did see some at Ms Tarina's shop, so she should be able to understand what I mean.

“hmmm. Let's say I believe you, how would you know any of that?” She inquires.

Touché. In my excitement and while I was lost in the memories of my former life, trying to recall as much as I could, I totally forgot about how to explain my knowledge... Caught without preparation I just stammer “I euh, dreamt of it.” I sound like I'm questioning myself and my sanity here,

She just huffles and shrugs before rolling her violet eyes at the sky in a silent prayer to Fortan to not make me (or her) go mad. She makes it look like this kind of antics were usual with me and are not worth inquiring more. She just kicks my thigh before going back to her reading.

I'm both vexed and relieved that she didn't dig more into it.

She's now back to my first sheet on mathematics, still avoiding the geometry part but trying ti understand what the strange curves I've drew mean.

I finish my periodic table, trying to make it look as understandable as possible for any god like entity taking a look at it.

Now I'm as ready as I can be to meet with a god.