Bella’s current memory, reading ability, and comprehension level were basically at the level of an average genius. Unlike Superman, who could fully understand a book in three seconds, she didn’t possess such abilities. Comparatively, she was similar to the future Doctor Strange, with a somewhat photographic memory, but she still needed to read carefully and gradually internalize the knowledge from the books.
If her goal was merely to earn credits and graduate, Bella could handle it. But her ambitions were not so simple. Besides her regular coursework, she needed to do a lot of extracurricular reading.
Ancient history, medieval European history, and Jewish history were all leading fields at Stanford University and were her primary areas of focus.
Stanford had many libraries, and Bella often visited Green Library, the main library with an extensive collection. Meyer Library housed a lot of content on East Asia, which was not within her current research scope. She also frequently visited Jackson Business Library, Cubberley Education Library, and Branner Earth Sciences Library.
“Today, while learning Hebrew, we will encounter a question: why do we use the term ‘Hebrew’? Can any student answer this question?” The middle-aged professor with a scholarly demeanor asked.
He glanced at the raised hands in the classroom, satisfied, and pointed, “Miss Swan.”
“The term ‘Hebrew’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘ever,’ meaning ‘the other side.’ This likely refers to the ancient Hebrews’ ancestor, Abraham, crossing the Euphrates River into Canaan. The term’s perspective is from an outsider’s viewpoint, who saw a group coming from the other side to their land and named them ‘Hebrews,’” Bella explained.
The middle-aged professor smiled and nodded, “An excellent answer. Even I could hardly provide a more accurate explanation. Yes, the term ‘Hebrew’ is what other nations called the Israelites. Their self-designation has always been ‘Israel,’ and it has never changed.”
Classroom discipline was excellent, and even students there to simply earn credits paid attention. In American universities, professors generally delivered high-quality lectures, whereas high school teachers’ standards were relatively lower. This created a clear divide, making students feel that entering university was like stepping into a completely different world.
Bella was very serious about her studies. She already had a solid foundation and spent her free time in the library so that she could answer most classroom questions.
When the professor asked questions, she often responded, earning his appreciation, which, beyond boosting her reputation, also genuinely pleased her. This repeated affirmation also strengthened her mental energy.
Hebrew history, or Israeli history, was her current focus. It was unavoidable in modern magic studies since topics like God, angels, and demons were integral.
From any random Old Testament anecdote, she could discern traces of magic.
To Bella, gods were just high-ranking wizards. This perspective was shared by many wizards throughout history. It wasn’t arrogance or lack of reverence but a natural conclusion after extensive study.
Events involving fire in biblical stories were seen by her as fire magic, those involving light as light magic, and those that made enemies fear or allies rally were all magical effects.
Bella also recognized the power of language. She needed to learn many languages to grasp their unique meanings personally. Relying on translations wasn’t enough.
For instance, the professor gave the example of ‘Hebrew’ and ‘Israel.’ The Israelites never acknowledged the term ‘Hebrew.’ Without learning their language, one could easily misunderstand, missing the true meaning.
In this process, she also had to learn a lot of historical knowledge to understand why these terms formed.
Anecdotes, language, and history were interconnected.
Without sufficient historical knowledge, learning the language alone could lead to confusion.
For example, the familiar term ‘America.’ Many Eastern children learn this in kindergarten, where teachers ask them to form words with ‘美’ (beautiful), and they might say ‘美丽’ (beautiful), ‘美好’ (good), and ‘美国’ (America). From a young age, they form an idea that there is a particularly beautiful country called America. Even after learning about the reality of ‘freedom and gun violence,’ they still hold a slight longing for that supposedly beautiful country.
Purely learning the language raises questions. Why translate ‘America’ to ‘美国’ (America) instead of ‘亚美利加’ (Yaměilìjiā) or ‘亚国’ (Yāguó)? Why ‘美’ (beautiful) for a country with so many problems?
Knowing Eastern history clarifies that translations aimed to be elegant and meaningful. Similar translations include ‘英吉利’ (England), ‘法兰西’ (France), ‘德意志’ (Germany), all positive.
National names and cultural collisions create many ambiguities. Without historical understanding, it’s like blind men touching an elephant, never seeing the whole picture.
Bella’s studies involved researching magic, mastering languages, and learning history. In two months, she frantically absorbed various knowledge, becoming exceptionally busy. To avoid being seen as a bookworm, she joined Stanford’s fencing, swimming, and drama clubs.
After the final exams, the fencing club held a competition. Bella breezed through the rounds, only meeting a somewhat challenging opponent in the final.
Barbara Morse, a 5’9″ blonde with a slender figure.
Barbara had good talent but was still a beginner, like Natasha. She lacked experience and physical conditioning, making her no match for Bella.
The match was practically a showcase of Bella’s swordsmanship, swiftly defeating Barbara.
After the match, Barbara was visibly upset, sitting alone and sulking. Men frequently approached her, as she was also a beauty with many admirers. Among them, a tall, dark-haired man caught Bella’s attention.
If she wasn’t mistaken, this was Sam Winchester, John Winchester’s younger son and Dean Winchester’s brother, a human with demon blood.
Bella hadn’t expected that he would be in her year.
Become a Patron read up to 30 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
