Yanping: For as long as we draw breath we're migrating, and then at the moment of our death, we are reduced to bones in an instant. Thus, we take our people's bones with us wherever we move. It is our way.
Yanping: This wand not merely a tool to me.
Lizheng: So then the bone came from ...
Yanping: My clan mate's wing.
Yanping: I learned how to carve from humans, so that I might make this wand.
He reads the old man's reaction, hoping he might capture some clue from his response.
The old man raises his eyebrows, mouth slightly open but wordless, eyes open and fixed straight on him. It is shock.
Yanping: My apologies, if I've caused offense. There may be cultural differences between us ...
Lizheng: So then you're a bone carver! What a surprise!
Yanping: ...?
Lizheng: I know of a place that would be perfect for you!
Lizheng: It is called Nizhny Novgorod. Cool name, isn't it? There are many craftsmen there, and they make lions, tigers, reindeer, and even dragons out of bones! Their handicrafts are used as accessories on sheaths.
Lizheng: Can you imagine that? Legendary creatures coming to life through simple engravings on old bones ...
Yanping: Calm yourself, sir.
Yanping: Otherwise, I think I may have to cast a calming arcane skill.
Lizheng: Oh, please! Don't worry. I'm totally fine. I'm not rabid! I'm only happy for you.
Lizheng: Ah, but I almost forgot, I promised to tell you everything, so I don't think you would like to see this false image anymore.
Lizheng: Please hold on a second.
A second later, the old man's image fades away like a drop of ink in water.
The face revealed beneath is surprisingly young.
He tidies up his appearance, already decent enough, and begins again more seriously.
???: Alright. Please allow me to introduce myself one more time.
Leonid: You may call me "Leonid," "Hey, you," or "Employee," the name doesn't matter. Just pick one to make communication easier.
Leonid: I work for the St. Pavlov Foundation. I don't think you would know of it, but it's an organization which provides support for arcanists and collects their information. So far it has helped countless arcanists.
Leonid: I work at the Russian branch. Like the other branches, we are committed to helping arcanists. It's part of our duty.
Leonid: For example, if you are attacked by critters when you take a nap on the park bench, call us—but try to make sure you hadn't just drank too much vodka first.
Leonid: In truth, I love this job. It gives me the opportunities to get in touch with new things and people ...
Leonid: Like you, a rare case even among arcanists.
Leonid: I owe you an apology, to be honest. We were going to catch those big critters with corn and wheat. You know, they haunt this place in winter. Never expected to see you here.
Leonid: We thought you were a new species, but you are … half man? So they called me here, just in case.
Gětiān has little sense of most of the technical jargon the now young man is speaking, but manages to capture the key information.
Yanping: Please, you don't have to do anything. It was I who ate the crops without permission. I should repay you for them.
Yanping: So how much are they?
Leonid: Oh, only a few Sharpodonties. It's already forgotten. Now back to bone carving, seriously ...
Yanping: Please ... wait. What is this "Sharpodonty"?
Leonid: A currency widely used by arcanists. I heard it has become popular even in the East now. Have you never seen one before?
Yanping: If you mean the things people use to "trade," the one I usually see is a round coin made of copper, with a hole in the middle. Though where I am from, many people simply barter.
They look into each other's eyes, each bewildered, not sure what to say next.
They're two very different creatures each from a very different culture.
Leonid: Well, I'm not sure I see how to carry on our current conversation. Let's stop the Artificial Somnambulism and find another place to talk.
Leonid: Please close your eyes ... I'll take you to a room where we can sit.
Yanping: Alright.
Leonid: The corridors of our branch can be kind of narrow. You may find your wings brushing along the wall.
Yanping: I will be careful.
Leonid: I have another question.
Yanping: By all means, go ahead.
Leonid: It seems there is no language barrier between us. Is that part of your arcane skill?
Leonid: By the way, that grain you ate was soaked in liquor, you were passed out drunk when we found you. We mistook you for a strange critter, but then your wand glowed, my colleagues screamed as if a pack of bears or moose had broken loose in our branch again ...
Leonid: I had to confiscate it for now, and I took your pendant too, just in case.
Yanping: I ... yes, our languages, it's my arcane skill working. I apologize for you finding me in that sorry scene.
Leonid: More than fine with it, our team didn't suffer any trouble, we've seen worse ... Ah! Here, we are.
The austere room places metal wherever one might expect wood, leaving the room with a monochromatic gray hue.
The layout imposes a feeling of strictness and cold.
Combing through the experiences he's witnessed through others' bones, Gětiān can only think of one place that would look this way.
Yanping: Is this a prison?
Leonid: Haha, you know, I told them to use more colors in the room, but they didn't listen!
Leonid: This is, sadly, a bog-standard office of the Foundation. You've caught on to its biggest drawback—it does give the impression of a prison to anyone with even the slightest care for aesthetics.
Leonid: Maybe it's to make us more eager in the field ... Who knows? Please take a seat.
He pulls out a chair for the bird, gesturing for him to sit, then sits on the opposite side.
Something round drops from between his fingers and onto the table.
Leonid: This is a Sharpodonty. Hold it if you want. Just be careful, it might bite you.
Yanping: It looks similar to the coins I know, only without a hole in the middle.
Yanping: It seems your kind have a preference for cats.
Leonid: It's a lion, a much larger animal! Imagine a cat larger than this table, with mane and a loud roar.
Leonid: Hey!
Leonid grabs the Sharpodonty immediately and puts it in his pocket.
The pocket continues to make a racket of gnashing teeth and ineffectual anger.
Yanping: This is a splendid coin. It would be most difficult to steal.
Leonid: Yes, though ... I never thought it would bite you. Usually Sharpodonties only bite humans or when irritated.
Leonid: You look like a decent … bird.
Yanping: I wonder if a lion likes being petted, like a cat does.
He admits to himself, frankly, that he likes being petted too.
Leonid: You've come a long way from home though, that makes me think you're the curious type.
Leonid: Now, before we move on, I must clarify that the Foundation does not intend to violate the privacy of any arcanists.
Leonid: The following questions are based on the information I have collected from the Artificial Somnambulism. It's a special circumstance and I hope you understand.
Leonid: To show my sincerity, here's your wand.
He takes out a long bone stick from a hidden place and pushes towards the awkwardly seated bird.
Leonid: You've shown some trust in me, so I think I should trust you in return.
Leonid: Few would close their eyes in front of an arcanist they just met without hesitation.
Yanping: Your bones told me that you are a straightforward person, all deceptions aside.
Yanping: They also say there is something you want from me. That's why you are being so friendly.
Gětiān leaves the wand on the table, waiting for Leonid's response patiently.
After all, he received many such offers of kindness from the people beyond his mountain.
Whoever they were, they all shared one thing in common: there was always something they wanted.
There is always a motive behind a stranger's kindness.
Yanping: What do you want? Wealth, fame, social status, or a new arcane skill?
Yanping: People like you have similar purposes.
