Chapter 5: Between Light And Shadow

Lofty Feather was a creature of its word—if you ignored how often it changed its plans. Once it had decided to slack off, for example, it really did sleep for a long while.

Long enough to nearly catch up with Whitewing.

But clearly that wouldn't do. It had work to take care of, after all. So, before Whitewing got up, it still managed a quick routine check.

That was when it noticed something was wrong. Just one day out in the world yesterday had cost them half their Red Qi. Unless Whitewing never went outside again, they would have to find a way to replenish it.

But how? The Knowledge Base surely had a method. That could wait for now.

Then there was the Rule Editor. Yesterday, it had been busy helping Whitewing get used to life outside, and hadn't had time to see what the Rule Editor did. Like the Knowledge Base, it had become one of its functions.

Though, as it remembered, the first time it had tried to find out how to use the Editor, it hadn't found anything at all... Best take a look directly, then.

It opened the Editor. A few lines of text appeared the first time it loaded. So this was where the instructions were? It read:

"Rule Editor: Used to maintain and supplement the world's Rules."

"Principle One: Added Rules may not conflict with existing Rules. Principle Two: Avoid making major changes whenever possible."

"Enjoy!"

After reading, it silently committed the instructions to memory and entered the interface.

The interface was very simple, with only two columns. The one on the left listed existing Rules. It tried to view them, but didn't have permission. The one on the right was blank, with only a simple Submit button and numbered lines.

So this was the Editor. Did it just have to write a Rule on the right and submit it?

Still, Lofty Feather had a feeling this thing wasn't that simple. It decided to write one another time, when an opportunity came up. After all, a chance that came only once a year was precious.

With that in mind, it went to the bedroom and called out, "Whitewing? Wake up! There's a big—problem!"

Whitewing had been fast asleep, but he immediately rolled over and sat up. He spotted the glowing Lofty Feather at once, then looked around. Apart from the usual darkness in the bedroom, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

It had deliberately called it a big problem, which meant it probably wasn't a big problem at all. He relaxed without letting on.

Yawning, he asked Lofty Feather, "What is it?"

"It's about you. Come to the living room."

"Since you woke me up, I guess I'm not going back to sleep... All right, I'll be there in a moment."

Whitewing went to the living room, sat down at the table, and looked up at Lofty Feather.

"So, what's the problem?"

Lofty Feather gave him a detailed report of the figures it had just checked.

"Sure enough, it's not a big problem... I'm just hungry."

Whitewing watched Lofty Feather with amusement, but there was nothing on its little body to show any emotion.

"All right. What should I do? Find something to eat?"

Lofty Feather considered it. "You could, but according to the Knowledge Base, it's very inefficient. Why don't you read it too? There's quite a lot worth looking at."

Whitewing readily agreed. Lofty Feather opened a smaller light screen right there. The Knowledge Base entries were neatly arranged by category on the left. There was a box above and the text of each entry below.

"That box is for searching. You can try looking up an entry you need," Lofty Feather explained briefly.

"So if I'm low on Red Qi, I search for 'ways to replenish Red Qi'?"

"Er... not quite." Lofty Feather paused. It wasn't sure how to explain.

After mulling it over for a while, it came up with an answer. "You and the author might think of things differently. For instance, the author might title an entry 'Energy Replenishment,' but if you search for 'Red Qi Replenishment,' you won't find it."

Whitewing thought about that. It made sense. But he couldn't simply give up looking, could he? "Then what should I do? Are shorter keywords better?"

"Not necessarily. If the keywords are too short, you'll get too many results, and still won't find what you want."

"That won't work either? How do you usually find things, then?"

Lofty Feather was taken aback. It had never really had a problem with that. "Let me think... I never paid attention to it before! Oh, right. I search pretty quickly, so I can afford to read through everything every time..."

Whitewing said, "So you're a walking stat monster?!"

Lofty Feather replied, "...You may have a point."

Whitewing wasn't ready to let it go. "How fast are we talking?"

Lofty Feather estimated. "The author of this Knowledge Base is very capable. They designed a set of Rules specifically to make searching faster... I just skimmed through the Knowledge Base and timed myself. For keyword searches alone, I can find about two million entries per second."

It paused, then added with due precision, "But if I read the contents closely and try to understand them, I slow down quite a bit. I can probably finish one or two thousand articles per second. Luckily, the Knowledge Base isn't very big. I can read all of it in twenty or thirty seconds."

Whitewing was utterly at a loss. "Then why don't you just do that from now on? You're the one suited for it."

"That's what I do in the first place. This time, I just wanted you to experience it. Besides, now I have a rough idea of what I'm capable of..."

Lofty Feather closed the light screen. Whitewing leaned closer and picked it up in one hand. It was warm and smooth.

He squeezed it again, trying to see whether it was solid.

"It's hard to imagine how something so tiny can do so much..."

He thought of how, before, Lofty Feather would always dodge his touch or teleport away, except during lessons. But now it sat quietly in his hand, letting him handle it as he pleased. Its flickering red glow was like the breathing light the language pack had described.

Nice!

Lofty Feather paid no mind to his "offense" and continued explaining. "Also, I just noticed an article in the Knowledge Base that says a Flint Spirit's abilities can be upgraded. As your Restsoil and Empty Shell grow, my abilities will grow stronger too. I'll be able to do more."

Whitewing said, "So I have to work hard to upgrade you now?"

"Yes! And upgrading me only benefits you." Lofty Feather heard the teasing in his voice and protested loudly. "My abilities are your abilities!"

"As for the search, we can talk later about better ways to search by keyword, if you're interested. How does that sound?"

Whitewing nodded. "Sounds good! But the Empty Shell outside is still waiting for its Red Qi refill."

They both fell silent for a while. Then Lofty Feather suddenly asked, "Before I woke you this morning, I looked at what the Rule Editor does. I was wondering: could we add a Rule saying that the Empty Shell's Red Qi replenishes automatically?"

Whitewing thought about it. "If we can really write that, it'd be worth using our once-a-year chance! Then we'd never have to replenish it again..."

Lofty Feather immediately reopened the light screen and called up the Editor, trying to enter the Rule they'd just discussed.

However...

The moment it pressed Submit, a line of text flashed into being out of nowhere: "Write denied. New Rule conflicts with existing Rule (12). Rule (12): No living being may gain energy from nothing."

They stood frozen... It took a long while for Lofty Feather to squeeze out a reply:

"We only get to use it once a year, and that's it already? It's strict... Never mind. Let's just learn to do this properly. Switch your perspective over, and I'll guide you?"

"All right."

Outside, Whitewing crawled out of the crevice in the rocks. The morning light wasn't harsh to begin with, and the trees and grass blocked some of it; hardly any sunlight made it into the crevice.

Whitewing tried taking a few steps. The effects of the deficit became clear at once.

"My arms feel too heavy to swing, and my legs are a little weak. I want to find somewhere to sit."

"Even sitting takes time..." Lofty Feather's voice came from inside his mind. "We'd better find Red Qi quickly."

Whitewing looked around. Everywhere he could see was green and brown; the few flowers around didn't look edible. Besides, Lofty Feather had just said eating was very inefficient.

"You just looked through the Knowledge Base, didn't you?" he asked Lofty Feather. "Is there a faster way than eating?"

"There are quite a few. But with our current abilities, we can't use most of them."

"For example, more than half of the methods for obtaining energy are based on Black Qi. We can't use those. And there are some energy-gathering arrays so complex that we couldn't set them up even if we spent all the Red Qi we have at full strength."

"After narrowing them down, there should only be two methods we can use right now."

Whitewing hurried to ask, "Which two?"

Lofty Feather immediately called up the articles it had found. After quickly reading them, it summarized their contents.

"The first is Basic Plunder, a simplified version of Advanced Plunder that doesn't require Black Qi. You use Red Qi to break through another living thing's defenses, then extract the Qi you need directly..."

Whitewing said, "That does sound fast. Should I try it?"

"We need Red Qi. Go find a red flower."

"Mm."

It didn't take long for Whitewing to find one. Its petals were red and white, with colors a little like the Wuping. It should be a perfect target.

"What do I do?"

"Touch it. Then channel your Red Qi into it and strike against its signature. Once its defenses break, use the control method we learned earlier to draw your Qi and the Qi you take back together."

Whitewing did as it said. Each step seemed easy. He barely had to try before he broke through the flower's weak protection, and through his Red Qi he could sense its signature.

But... something felt wrong.

The last time he'd been in contact with another being's signature was during Lofty Feather's lesson. He hadn't even tried to control it, yet Lofty Feather's Qi had merged with his.

But this flower's signature was different. He felt a strong resistance, a deep rejection.

"Other living things won't willingly hand over their Qi. This method is called Plunder; to put it bluntly, it's taking by force. So you'll have to put in a little more effort to bring its Red Qi back," Lofty Feather explained patiently.

But Whitewing wasn't comfortable with that. "Er... I don't really want to take another living thing's Qi..."

Lofty Feather hadn't expected him to react that way. "Why?"

"Because it doesn't want me to..." He had already stopped, without even drawing his own Qi back. "And I think it looks like me. If I can take its Qi, someone else could take mine..."

Lofty Feather sighed to itself. How many days had it been? No one had ever tried to take Whitewing's Qi. Why would he think that? Perhaps his days before taking root hadn't been peaceful.

"All right." Lofty Feather sighed in resignation. "Being kind-hearted isn't a bad thing. But you still need to understand how it works. Later, we'll simulate other living things inside the Restsoil, and you'll have to learn the Plundering method. Understood?"

Its tone was firm, leaving Whitewing no room to choose. Whitewing thought it over. The Qi inside the Restsoil belonged to him anyway, so that wouldn't affect any other living things. That was fine.

"All right."

"Then let's look at the next method," Lofty Feather announced. "The second is the Basic Light Gathering Array. The array converts light into different kinds of Qi. There are three types, corresponding to Red, Green, and Blue."

"We need Red Qi, so we'll learn the Basic Red-Gathering Array. This method should definitely meet your requirements! But we haven't learned how to draw arrays yet, so we'll have to learn now."

"It's already nine o'clock. We have to catch the sun when it's strongest. With the Empty Shell's Red Qi reserves, you can fail at most twice."

Whitewing's first reaction was, of course, bewilderment. "Light? Converting into Qi? There's a method like that?"

"Yes. You could even say that most of the Qi in this world comes from light."

"That's incredible... So how does this array work?"

"We don't have time to study the principles right now. You only need to know that an array is a diagram drawn with Qi. Switch your perspective back here, and I'll show you; then you can try to draw it."

Whitewing decided he should find cover first. He didn't know how long this might take. So he went back into the crevice in the rocks.

Fortunately, he'd switched perspectives several times already, so now it came naturally, much faster than the first time. Inside the Three-Primal-Hut, Lofty Feather had already opened the light screen and displayed the diagram for the Basic Red-Gathering Array.

"Just draw what you see. Not a single mistake! And you'll have to keep it going the whole time until the Red Qi is full."

Whitewing looked at this "basic" array and felt a sinking feeling. Even the so-called basic version of the Red-Gathering Array was very complex, and he had to keep it going the whole time! No wonder they'd had to draw leaves every day...

"Inside the Restsoil, you can try as many times as you like; it won't use up Red Qi. But outside, an array needs a medium to be drawn on—you don't think we can create one out of thin air, the way we draw leaves, do you?"

"Right! If I draw the diagram on something, it should last longer than controlling Qi directly."

"Exactly. Start practicing now. You have two hours. The array needs light to run, so we have to catch the brightest part of the day. Just draw it on the ground."

So Whitewing started drawing. After several tries, he found it was almost impossible to complete the whole thing at once. Often, before he could finish the later part, the Qi in the earlier part had already dissipated.

"The ground is a poor medium," Lofty Feather said. "You can trace it on my light screen, but I really don't recommend that. Outside, I won't be there to control the Red Qi for you."

Whitewing sighed. "Maybe I'll trace it first, then keep trying on my own."

"If that's what you want, fine. Go ahead."

The light screen moved closer, descending to a height Whitewing could reach. He began carefully tracing the diagram.

The light screen really was handy! At least whatever he'd already drawn on it wouldn't disappear. It was far better than the ground. His speed naturally shot up, and soon he'd finished tracing the complicated diagram.

"I compared it briefly. It's a ninety-nine-percent match, so it'll work," Lofty Feather said. "But you need to keep practicing. Without me saving your progress, you won't be able to draw this array."

"All that practice before still wasn't enough!" Whitewing said.

Lofty Feather said no more. Whitewing took the hint, stepped aside, and silently recalled the experience.

"The ground is still too much trouble, and there aren't any light screens outside... Is there another way..."

As he thought, he rubbed a corner of the Wuping between his fingers. Then he noticed the red patterns on it...

Of course! Those red patterns had been there ever since he got the Wuping. They'd never disappeared! Could the Wuping serve as a medium for drawing the Red-Gathering Array?

He decided to try it at once. He hurriedly took off the Wuping and tried to draw the diagram on it.

Red Qi flowed across the white background and settled quietly into the fabric of the Wuping. It didn't dissipate! Whitewing cried out happily:

"Yes—!"

Lofty Feather had come over at some point. Watching this, it couldn't help thinking that Whitewing really was quick-witted! If the Wuping could hold an array, then in the future he could just wear it and get a steady supply of Red Qi! How convenient that would be.

But it soon regained its composure and began to think carefully. If someone else saw this array, might they try to take it? And would the red patterns on the Wuping affect the array?

With that in mind, it reminded him, "Whitewing? First, see if you can control the red patterns already on it. Otherwise, they'll interfere with the array."

"Right! The red patterns are perfect for drawing the array!" Whitewing came back down from his excitement. At Lofty Feather's instruction, he quickly guided each of the patterns one by one, using the method for controlling Red Qi stored in his memory. He drew faster and faster. This time, it took only ten minutes.

Lofty Feather gave it a quick check. The result was perfect. It was ready to use!

"That really is a good idea! I hadn't thought you could draw an array on clothes!"

Whitewing draped the Wuping over his shoulders again. Most of the array was on the back, where he couldn't see it, but he was still delighted.

Lofty Feather recorded what it had just seen, then said, "Let's go outside and try it!"

Whitewing gladly agreed and switched his perspective to the outside. Although the sun was high, less sunlight reached into the crevice. He crawled out. The sunlight felt much harsher than when he woke up, and it was noticeably warmer around him.

"Hurry and draw it! We're running out of time!" Lofty Feather urged.

Whitewing unfastened the Wuping again. To his embarrassment, he realized that apart from the Wuping, he didn't seem to be wearing anything... The crevice was too dark and narrow, so he had to run over to the willow tree and hope its branches would shield him a little.

Lofty Feather said, "...There's no one around! It's fine."

Whitewing had no choice. He laid the Wuping on the ground and hurried to draw the array. He still wasn't very practiced; otherwise, even while wearing the Wuping, he could have controlled the Red Qi on it.

Practice makes perfect—and if he didn't count the failed attempt on the ground, this was already his third try. This time, it took only seven minutes. He hurriedly wrapped the Wuping around himself again.

"Quick, try it!" Lofty Feather seemed even more eager than Whitewing. "This is the first array we've ever drawn!"

Whitewing quickly draped the Wuping over his shoulders and pushed off lightly from the ground, leaping out from under the willow tree. He thought he'd seen a large boulder yesterday. The light there should be better.

But the array activated much faster than he expected! Almost the instant he left the willow's shadow, warmth spread through his whole body. Then a huge amount of pure, ownerless Red Qi began pouring frantically into the Empty Shell!

Before long, he was standing on the large boulder. It was high enough that the surrounding trees couldn't block the sunlight.

The Wuping looked exactly the same on the outside. That must have been No. 6's optimization. Good; Lofty Feather didn't want them to stand out too much, and it was always better to be discreet.

Whitewing stretched out in satisfaction. The feeling of being replenished was comforting, so he simply flopped onto the ground, spread out the Wuping, and let the sunlight shine on him.

"This feels great—!"

Meanwhile, Lofty Feather used the hut's resources to calculate the efficiency of the Red-Gathering Array. The result was surprisingly good: about two hours of sunlight a day would completely fill the Restsoil's current reserves.

"Just as promised: both efficient and effective..."

Now that the energy problem was solved, there was nothing to worry about.

They chatted idly for a while.

"Who wrote this Knowledge Base?" Whitewing suddenly asked, curious. "You said there were tens of thousands of entries this good?"

"Yes..." Lofty Feather said. "But I never looked at the author information. Shall I check now?"

So it searched carefully and, sure enough, found something. There was nothing between the articles and their titles, but at the very bottom of each article was a "Contributor Credits" section, collapsed by default.

It opened the Contributor Credits for the Basic Red-Gathering Array. Sure enough, the author information was there:

[Basic Light Gathering Array: Red]

"Also known as: Basic Red-Gathering Array"

"Authors: No. 1, No. 3, No. 3's Flint Spirit (??, ??, ??)"

"Revision 01: No. 1 (??), adjusted the array diagram to improve efficiency;"

"Revision 02: No. 6's Flint Spirit (??), added a new feature: Concealment. Changes the array's appearance and removes most unnecessary light effects, making it harder to notice;"

...

There were several more notes, followed by a final comment:

"Note: Cumbersome to set up and difficult to learn, but efficient and dependent on sunlight. Recommended for use alongside Plunder. —No. 3"

Lofty Feather read every line, then recited the whole thing to Whitewing.

"There's author information, and everyone's contribution is listed... But they all seem to be codenames. The real names are all question marks."

Whitewing was puzzled. "You probably don't know either, but... why can't we see their names?"

"Maybe their names are secret? If even the basic versions are this useful, imagine the advanced ones. Maybe they do it to protect themselves."

"Maybe. Oh, why don't you look up who wrote Basic Plunder too?"

So Lofty Feather opened that article.

[Basic Plunder]

"Author: No. 3 and their Flint Spirit (??, ??)"

"Revisions: ..."

"Note: The basic method for seizing Qi. After optimization, it is no longer bound to Black Qi. —No. 3"

Lofty Feather felt confused and turned to Whitewing.

"The authors of Basic Plunder and the Basic Red-Gathering Array... are the same person."

"What?" Whitewing said.

"That's right. These two methods are completely different in approach and don't even use the same kind of Qi, yet they were both created by the same person."

"That's strange... If this author already knew how to use the Red-Gathering Array, why invent Plunder, something that seems so destructive?"

"That's something we don't know."

Whitewing sighed and said casually, "Maybe those predecessors just... didn't have any sunshine."

Lofty Feather paused. Without a light source, the Light Gathering Array really would be useless... But how could that be? It thought again of those revision notes. Maybe the arrays back then weren't as convenient as they were now—perhaps they couldn't even supply enough Qi for one Empty Shell.

"And No. 3... so mysterious and powerful. Wait, they had a Flint Spirit too? Flint Spirits have designations?"

Lofty Feather realized it a beat later. "That's right! Does that mean I have a designation too...?"

"I don't know what our situation is either. But I have a feeling... Living beings with companion Flint Spirits probably aren't very common."

As if remembering something he'd left out, Whitewing added, "If that's the case, then I'll consider your existence a secret."

"Mm. Just between us."

Whitewing said nothing more. He lay lazily on the warm rock.

Sunlight poured down without restraint. From a distance, amid the endless green, that little streak of red and white seemed tiny, barely noticeable at all.

The wind stirred the leaves. This was Waterside Willow Valley, a peaceful home.

— End of Chapter —