Chapter 55: Insignificant Mortals and What Constitutes Greatness

Deciding to set out, Jiyao Guang went to Si Jin’s place to “scavenge” a few pieces of Yuguang stone and prepared various delicious foods for A Zhao. Before leaving, he also took A Zhao to Wei Shengwu’s courtyard and politely called the young man out.

The youth was holding the hands of his two siblings, only three years old, while Bo Rang followed behind carrying a little child over one year old.

“Is your family managing alright these days?” Lin Zhao asked with some sympathy.

“Not very well,” Wei Shengwu smiled lightly, his expression relaxed and cheerful. “My father was arrested, but my family wasn’t implicated. We lost the right to stay in the academy dorms and have to move out by the end of the month. Prices in Dashantu are especially high. I have to earn money first, then take my younger siblings to the Wu Kingdom. I’ll also have to cover their tuition and living expenses…”

“Are you of age? Going out to work? Do they allow child labor outside?” Lin Zhao was surprised. “Isn’t your family large? What about your mother and clan members?”

“My clan members serve all over, and this time they were also questioned and implicated. It’s already considerate that they didn’t trouble my family more,” Wei Shengwu replied with a smile. “My mother passed away many years ago. My younger siblings are from my stepmother, who was also involved in my father’s affairs and was arrested as well. I’m not yet an adult, but today several mines offered me high pay to start working.”

“Does the leader of the Di Kingdom not intervene?”

“Of course he cares,” Wei Shengwu said confidently. “Wu Kingdom has a special orphanage managing all the necessities of life, raising children until adulthood, even finding better adoptive families. But once a child enters, they sever all ties with their family. Parents and relatives cannot claim them back for any reason. I thought it over and since I can still support them, I decided to raise them myself.”

Lin Zhao had initially planned to take Wei Shengwu to Qi Gong Kingdom, but seeing the many family troubles, he said, “I’ll be off then. Take good care of yourself. I’ll be back with food!”

“Don’t worry, I promise to save some for you!”

…

Leaving Wei Shengwu’s courtyard, Lin Zhao gazed at the surrounding bamboo forest and winked at Jiyao Guang. “Old Tree, how are we going to get to Qi Gong Kingdom? Will you carry us?”

Jiyao Guang’s face reddened slightly. “My speed is fast where there’s vegetation, but without plants, a tree can’t run fast.”

“Oh, then what do we do? There’s no Di Kingdom leader to ride now.” Lin Zhao thought maybe he could summon the beast and ride with Old Tree, or take that ghost-faced flying thing?

“Of course, we ask Father God,” Jiyao Guang said decisively. “Qi Gong is thousands of miles away. It’s easy to get lost in the wilds. Asking Father God to send us is the fastest way!”

Lin Zhao was very pleased. “What a good dad! He can teleport us directly every time.”

Jiyao Guang grasped the gem on his necklace and held it to his chest. “Great Father God, please hear my prayer. Qi Gong Kingdom is in great trouble. A Zhao and I must travel from Di Kingdom to Qi Gong to support the Di Kingdom leader. I beseech you to use your great power and send us there. Please show mercy.”

The gem briefly glowed, and after Jiyao Guang’s lengthy prayer, it flickered softly.

The next moment, Jiyao Guang’s complexion changed drastically. He immediately hugged the little bird, growing vines around them to form a protective buffer. The space around them shattered violently, the tremors so intense it made him dizzy. Then the two tumbled out at the entrance of an underground tunnel, nearly crushing a young man carrying a basket on his back who was waiting in line.

Those nearby looked on in astonishment at the two, dust-covered and disheveled.

“Who dares trespass in the underground palace passage?” several sorcerers quickly surrounded them, frowning. “Trying to avoid the fare?”

Jiyao Guang released A Zhao and politely showed the Di Kingdom leader’s pass. “Sorry, our magic is weak, we were in a hurry.”

The sorcerers’ expressions immediately softened. “May I ask, do you need two tickets? Standing or sitting? Or a private carriage?”

“Yes,” Jiyao Guang answered seriously. “Two… sitting tickets.”

“Ten gold shells.”

Jiyao Guang handed over the payment, grateful he had exchanged some shell money at Si Jin’s place.

Lin Zhao looked around curiously. “Where are we?”

This underground palace was spacious, comparable to a large train station’s waiting hall, though the decoration was crude. The walls were uneven stone, some spots leaking water that had not been repaired. Torches spaced along the walls provided the only light.

“This is the Di Kingdom’s mechanical tunnel to Qi Gong Kingdom. I didn’t expect it to be finished,” Jiyao Guang explained, trying to cover up. “It seems Qi Gong Kingdom has no major troubles, so Father didn’t want to send us directly.”

“Really, sending a plane for his son to go abroad—what’s the big deal? Yet he still draws straws to pick you,” Lin Zhao laughed. “Alright, next time we’ll find a way to have Uncle always send us.”

He held Old Tree’s hand and, curious, followed the crowd toward the departure tunnel.

Inside the narrow tunnel, people moved in orderly fashion. Above, thick, ancient ropes suspended a dozen or so “carriages.” Calling them carriages was an exaggeration; they had no sides, no enclosure, only a cold iron plate hanging alone, looking bleak and strange.

These plates were connected to the ropes and cableways by some unknown material, with an extremely intricate pulley system. When they swayed slightly, they made a faint squeaking sound. Despite the complexity, the pulleys moved the plates steadily, as if powered by some ancient wisdom.

They stepped onto one and sat on the simple iron bars that served as seats. The young man with the basket who’d almost been crushed earlier also boarded silently and sat in a corner.

“This is the ritual vehicle only sorcerers can ride,” Jiyao Guang explained. “It takes just three hours to reach Qi Gong Kingdom. If you’re not a sorcerer, the wind resistance alone would blow you away.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Lin Zhao exclaimed. “Would adding a protective carriage shell really bankrupt them?”

“Because,” a timid voice nearby explained, “commoners can’t afford the fare.”

Lin Zhao turned to see the slender youth speaking—he had delicate features, short gray-white hair, a vertical scar on his forehead, and his right hand tightly wrapped in hemp cloth as if severely injured. His basket contained over a dozen two-meter-long spider legs, far exceeding the basket’s size, and had to be tightly bound together.

After speaking, the youth fell silent.

Jiyao Guang whispered to A Zhao that these were people from Qi Gong Kingdom, who had three eyes but generally only opened the third while working.

Master Qi Gong was the first to become a Heavenly Sorcerer relying not on totems but on ritual artifacts.

Qi Gong Kingdom’s people initially relied on totems but later advanced mostly through their self-created secret treasures to break through barriers.

…

Sa A tightly clutched a small cloth pouch against his abdomen, not daring to move.

He had scavenged a jade feather from the Di Kingdom’s market—a totem feather belonging to a Heavenly Sorcerer, bought with all his hard-earned savings from ten years working in a workshop.

It was the core he had prepared for Xiao Mo.

Once the mind was opened, Xiao Mo would gain sentience. This totem spirit of a Heavenly Sorcerer could give Xiao Mo tremendous potential, possibly even enough to exchange for the strength of an Earth Sorcerer…

Thinking of this, his face flushed involuntarily.

But soon, a sharp pain gripped his chest. He pressed down, trying to steady his breath, but his vision darkened. No, he couldn’t faint here—he still had the celestial feather, something he had struggled so hard to earn, and he couldn’t leave it behind—

Instinctively, he grabbed nearby objects, trying to lift himself up.

Then his hand caught onto an arm.

“What’s wrong with him?” a voice nearby asked drowsily.

“Hm, long-term exhaustion, fatigue, blood deficiency, heart meridian damage,” another gentle voice explained. “I’ve given him a pulse of sorcerous power; he’ll recover soon.”

Sa A finally breathed easier, feeling warmth spreading in his chest. He gratefully thanked the two fellow travelers beside him.

“It’s nothing,” the young man said kindly, “but your body is seriously depleted. You must rest more, or your heart meridian will worsen.”

Sa A smiled shyly. “Thank you, I understand.”

Of course, he knew he needed rest, but where in this world was there time to rest?

The youth beside him asked curiously, “Brother, why are you carrying so many fresh spider legs? Are they for eating?”

Sa A smiled. “No, the meat’s been taken. I need the leg shells to make parts.”

Lin Zhao grew even more curious.

Noticing the youth’s interest, Sa A thought of their earlier help and tapped the ground beside him.

From the shadows emerged a white-haired girl wearing a helmet. Her delicate, porcelain-like face was exquisite under the dim light. She wore bone armor on her upper body and had three pairs of arms. Her lower body was composed of six spider legs. Each of her three pairs of arms held various screwdrivers, drills, and planes, clearly designed for repair work.

“This is my life puppet,” Sa A whispered. “Her name is A Mo.”

“Wow,” Lin Zhao exclaimed, circling the girl. “How is this done? Her movements are so smooth. What’s inside? Her skin is really… uh, why does she have patches?”

Sa A whispered, “Self-healing true leather is expensive. I can’t afford it, so I used this lower-grade snow grass leather.”

Seeing the boy’s genuine curiosity and recalling his help, Sa A pulled down a hidden chain from under the girl’s right rib. “Inside it’s like this. I used ironwood for the skeleton, red frog sinews for tendons, and this pressure gear I made by grinding stegosaurus spines…”

He briefly explained the details and zipped the chain back up. “Though my sorcerous power is weak, A Mo’s repair skills are excellent. She passed the small trial this time. With some improvements, she could compete in the big trial in the Sorcerer Kingdom.”

Lin Zhao marveled. “Your runes are so complex. Did you learn them in the academy or write them yourself?”

Sa A smiled. “A few are mine; the rest are taught at the academy.”

With the mood lightened, Sa A chatted casually with them.

Sa A was a minor sorcerer born a commoner in Qi Gong Kingdom.

Though Qi Gong Kingdom allowed everyone to learn sorcery, it favored ritual sorcery, so nearly all sorcerers there made their own puppets in their first class.

They started from the most basic materials, gradually replacing parts to create the form best suited to their vision.

“Usually, when we want to replace parts for our puppets, we help our teachers with chores,” Sa A laughed. “My teacher gives good meals and lets us pick some scraps.”