Chapter 24: The Architect-Genesis Begins with Creating the Universe(Little Quilted Jacket Sprite)

The totem of the Bi Fang was hung high, and the Feathered People now had a new symbol: fire.

They began to use flames to roast their food. In truth, there had been previous attempts to harness fire, and they had tasted food cooked by its heat. Yet, fire was difficult to produce; the Feathered People had not mastered the art of making fire by friction, and so, for most of the past decade, they still lived in a state of eating raw meat and blood.

Omnivores by nature, the Feathered People could handle both vegetables and meat with equal ease.

Before the sacrificial altar of the Feathered Shaman’s ancestral land, a great crowd had gathered, as if some grand ceremony was about to unfold that day.

Thousands, tens of thousands of Feathered People surrounded the high platform, their gazes burning, fixed upon the scene unfolding above.

Quanxi was among them, blending into the crowd. It was his seventh day in the ancestral land of the Feathered People, and he had yet to build even his own dwelling, let alone anticipated being present for such a grand ceremony.

He did not even know why such an event was occurring.

Suddenly, a somewhat unfamiliar voice rose from the high platform, and the blazing light was so intense that Quanxi found it strange—staring straight at it, his senses reeled, almost dizzy.

"Fire!"

Thousands upon thousands cheered in unison, their exultant cries creating an atmosphere Quanxi could hardly describe. He felt as if he were melting into it.

This place was utterly unlike the Merman Royal Court.

In the Merman Royal Court, no one ever called out in celebration for any event. There, the hierarchy was strict and clear, the nobility and royalty set apart. Commoners remained commoners, and slaves were forever slaves. Each level pressed down upon the next, making it hard for the merfolk to breathe. Here, the Feathered People were free. Each was a member of the ancestral land; each could claim the right to spread their wings and fly.

Then Quanxi saw a figure.

A figure surrounded by the adoration of thousands, as though the stars themselves clustered around the moon.

It was a young figure, wearing a bone crown and holding a scepter. Though the appearance differed from his memory of seven days before, Quanxi immediately recognized who it was.

The Feathered Shaman.

Why had the shaman grown young again? Quanxi was astonished. He had no idea what the shaman had experienced in these few days. But before he could voice his doubts, the scene changed. The shaman atop the platform suddenly raised the scepter and proclaimed in a loud voice, "The Feathered God has bestowed us with fire!"

With those words, a spark suddenly sprang from the scepter!

The flame grew rapidly, engulfing the entire top of the staff.

Raising the blazing scepter, the shaman placed it into a prepared basket of straw behind him, and in an instant, fire erupted!

Within the flames, a gemstone shone with brilliant light.

On its surface, a divine bird appeared, vivid and lifelike, striking Quanxi with a sense of awe.

That was the very sacred bird he had seen seven days prior!

"Divine Bird Bi Fang, bless our people!" the shaman declared. "As long as the totem endures, the Feathered People shall not perish!"

"Divine Bird Bi Fang, bless our people! As long as the totem endures, the Feathered People shall not perish!"

The shouts of the Feathered People echoed frantically around the platform, their fervor bordering on madness. Quanxi felt as if his eardrums would burst.

Such fervor inspired both awe and fear in him.

If ever the Merman and Feathered Peoples were to go to war, would the orderly, hierarchical Merman Royal Court be able to stand against such zealots?

As a member of the royal family of the Merman Court, Quanxi knew well the ambition that ran in their veins. Expansion and conquest had always been the merman king’s greatest mission, a tradition since the first king carved out his realm.

Yet, as he thought further, Quanxi dismissed the notion. The Feathered People would not take to the water, and the Merfolk could not walk the land. War between them was unlikely.

Those like himself, merfolk able to walk on land, were rare indeed.

As the flames soared, the shaman gradually ceased his movements.

He paused, gazing down at the assembled Feathered People, then suddenly stretched out his hand and called loudly:

"Quanxi, come forth!"

In that instant, the crowd fell silent. The Feathered People exchanged glances, uncertain whom the shaman was summoning.

Some knew that a "wingless seabird" had come to the ancestral land, but with thousands present, and Quanxi having kept to himself these seven days, many were unaware of him.

"Quanxi? Why is that not one of our surnames?"

"Is that his name—Yun Quanxi? How is it that I know nothing of this elder who has rendered such service to our tribe?"

The people murmured, curiosity about Quanxi’s identity rippling through the crowd as they searched for him.

Hearing his name called at such a ceremony, Quanxi’s heart skipped a beat.

"Quanxi, the shaman is calling you!" whispered Yun Twenty-Nine, who had grown familiar with him, shaking his shoulder with a hint of envy.

Quanxi’s scalp prickled. Steeling himself, he ascended the steps to the high platform, stopped before the shaman, placed a finger to his temple, and inclined his body slightly—performing the salute of the Feathered People.

Yun Twenty-Nine had taught him this gesture.

Seeing Quanxi offer the Feathered People’s salute, the shaman smiled and pointed the now extinguished scepter at him, declaring, "Quanxi, in the name of the shaman, I appoint you as Artificer."

"The wingless seabirds have lived beyond the ancestral land for generations. Surely, there are things you know that we do not. Elder Quanxi, I hope you will bear the responsibilities of your title, patiently instructing our people. Know that we of the ancestral land are not arrogant."

The shaman’s voice rang out, and the entire tribe heard his pronouncement, all eyes turning to Quanxi.

The Artificer was the one in charge of invention and creation among the Feathered People—a role given to the clever and inventive. They were not only responsible for new devices, but also for creating writing, keeping records of history, and assisting the shaman.

Quanxi was to be an inventor and creator.

He did not fully understand the hierarchy of the Feathered People, sensing only that something was off, though he could not put his finger on it. So, he simply bowed again on the platform, listening to the cheers rising from below.

And thus, without really understanding how, Quanxi became the Artificer of the Feathered People.

It was wholly unexpected.

But now that he lived in the ancestral land, Quanxi knew he must contribute—lest, for some reason, he should be cast out.