Leaving deep footprints in the mossy forest floor, a small and a large figure, weighed down by gigantic, long packages on their shoulders, struggled through the thicket of a coniferous forest.

  "It's a shortcut, trust me!" Kilian mimicked the words the halfgiant next to him said before for the fifth time, but this time with a distinctly more annoyed voice than before, while a dangling branch drew the seventh red mark on his face and his expression grew increasingly dark, "If our hands were free, we could cut a path through this thicket... I absolutely need a magic ring once I'm a Qi-Gatherer and have enough energy to use it!"

  "Hahaha! You have to be patient, my little bro! We'll reach the Inner Academy soon! I heard that you can exchange magical rings and amulets for clan points once you join them!" Thrym winked at him tirelessly, and sure enough, after a few more minutes and only three more scratches, the forest slowly began to clear.

  “Clan points?” The boy asked, immediately interested and in a better mood, while he dodged the last dangling branch in his path and stepped back onto a brick road, “What is a clan point?”

  “A kind of second currency in the Inner Academy! Normally, we mortals pay with gold or silver coins, and a Qi-Master pays with Qi-stones. Clan points can be awarded to you for special services. We workers have only one way to collect points, and that is the monthly arena battles! If you defeat three opponents in a row, you'll get a clan point in addition to the other resources.” The giant began to explain his little knowledge of the Inner Academy, while a large, wooden archway slowly became visible in front of the two, on which, with sweeping letters, Inner Academy Kong Clan, was written, "Otherwise, I heard you either have to complete tasks for the clan, exchange valuable items for points, or win bets. According to Lady Lorna, a lot of points are currently being bet on you! Hahaha! The mission to find an apprentice for the blacksmith is the only one that's even made it to us workers! Hahaha!"

  “A bet on me?” Kilian murmured in astonishment, unconsciously sharpening his senses as was becoming more and more his habit, and looked up at the gigantic archway.

  He immediately turned deathly pale! The puffs of Qi smoke swept around the individual letters like a hurricane, thick as storm clouds.

  “Even I can feel a powerful energy here…This place always seems so threatening to me!” Said Thrym, subconsciously ducking his head and pointing to a small plaque attached to one of the archway’s pillars.

  "My mind vanishes, but my art remains! In the right hands, even a quill can shatter mountains and move the seas. - Gao Kong, Founder of the Inner Academy, Master of the Dao of Calligraphy." The boy read quietly, memorizing word by word, and whispered reverently, "How can simple written words radiate such power?"

  “According to rumors, Lord Gao left his legacy in this archway, and no one has been able to claim it since his death. It is still waiting for a capable heir. But no one knows what it is. The knowledge he left is kept in the numerous books in the Inner Academy's library. Perhaps it's a magical object? Or a special technique?" The half-giant guessed cautiously, taking a few steps forward and groaning with relief, "The pressure of the Qi when passing through this gate is always enormous! Come on, Killian, otherwise we'll lose the time we gained thanks to my shortcut! Hahaha!"

  "A Dao...a high art! Can I ever become a master of the Dao of blacksmithing?" The eager little miner wondered, reluctantly turning his gaze away from the imposing archway and following his big brother.

  Unnoticed by the two, the tablet attached to the archway trembled briefly, and a few letters appeared, written with masterful flourish, but faded again before a single word was completed.

  A small squirrel, nibbling on a round nut, watched the spectacle with its head tilted, and, if it could read and speak, it would be the only witness who could announce:

  A quill and a staff

  Sun after sunset arise

  United at last!

  About half an hour later, the two carriers trudged around a nearly ten-meter-high stone wall and reached the official entrance to the Inner Academy.

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  “What do you want here?” Barked an arrogant-looking man of about thirty, wrapped in a finely crafted olive green robe, blocking their way.

  “Master Arto sent us with a delivery of weapons for the clan, sir!” Thrym replied with bowed head, and Kilian did the same, secretly analyzing the dense Qi clouds surrounding the mighty warrior.

  “Newbie!” The guard called disparagingly over his shoulder, and a young man, only a few years older than Kilian, with short black hair, rushed out of one of the two high watchtowers that flanked the entrance and asked in a squeaky tone, his oversized, mustard yellow clothes flapping with every movement, “Yes, Commander?”

  “Take them both to the old warehouse to see the Master of Goods and make sure they don’t stumble around where they don’t belong!” Answered a gruff, commanding voice, and he allowed them to pass.

  “Please follow me.” The new companion smiled awkwardly at the two workers and led them through a complex maze of cobbled paths, alternately staring at the map in his hands and furtively eyeing the small miner.

  “Y-you're Kilian, right?” The shy boy finally gathered enough courage, after obviously overcoming his fear, and quickly added, “Edana's brother, right?”

  “You know my sister?” The former shepherd boy replied, looking confusedly at this nervous-looking exalted Qi-Master of the Inner Academy.

  “Knowing would be the wrong word…” He evaded the question, his ears reddened and his eyes glittering, “When I was summoned to the Inner Academy, she was just arriving at the garden of beasts… By the way, I’m Connor, a third-level Qi-Gatherer and aspiring beast tamer!”

  “So you like her? Hahaha!” The half-giant interrupted the conversation bluntly, turned to his bewildered little brother, and said the next words with an extra strong emphasis, “You must introduce me to your sister, if the sight of her alone can bewitch the mind of an exalted Qi-Master of the Inner Academy! Hahaha!”

  “I just entered the Inner Academy a short time ago, and today is my first day of work!” Connor replied, embarrassed, burying his red face deeper into the map, “That’s where we have to go, w-we’re almost there!”

  "Thank you for showing us the way!" Kilian said with a friendly smile and patted the other boy on the shoulder, "Edana and I will also join the Inner Academy someday, and then you'll be able to meet her! I'll introduce her to you!"

  Hastily, nodding his glowing head, the young Qi-Gatherer led them to a large, multi-story building in front of which, beneath a shady cherry tree studded with beautiful pink blossoms, an old man, completely covered in white fur, was slumbering contentedly.

  “Lord Kong!” All three boys bowed deeply, and even Kilian, who had never seen an apeman before, recognized the member of the mighty clan at first glance, although he saw no emblem on the man’s chest.

  "I'm not a lord, at least not anymore!" Answered a gentle, slightly scratchy voice, as the wise, time-worn eyes slowly opened, and the bestial yellow pupils scrutinized the newcomers, "I'm an old man without a name or position in the clan. You can simply call me Master of Goods!"

  “We bring a delivery and a message from Master Arto, Lord Kong!” Replied the little boy, holding out the blacksmith’s letter to the beastman, head bowed.

  Without the old man moving, the message flew from Kilian's finger and slowly unfolded in front of the Master of Goods, who was still lying on the ground.

  As if from nowhere, an artfully curved pipe appeared between his lips and thick clouds of smoke, scented with fresh flowers, floated slowly towards the sky while the apeman read in peace.

  "Interesting..." Whispered the scratchy voice, chewing quietly on the piece of wood between his teeth, he looked deep into the eyes of the former shepherd's son and finally, after a long silence, said, "Permitted! You hereby receive the test to become the blacksmith's apprentice and, for one time only, you will be granted the privilege of exchanging your earned clan points for training instructions, even as a simple worker! Work hard, win three fights on Saturday, and come back to me afterward! Then I will show you the first step on your path!"

  “Thank you, Lord Kong!” Kilian replied with fire in his eyes, because he had his next target!

  A tangible one!

  It was a narrow, rocky path, and even the smallest step in the wrong direction would plunge him into a deep abyss, but at least he could step onto it!

  The old man nodded in satisfaction, swung a fur-covered finger, and the heavy packages of goods on which Thrym was leaning vanished into thin air.

  With a loud bang, the halfgiant crashed to the ground, drawing the attention of his two companions, and when his little brother looked forward again, the figure under the blossoming cherry tree had already disappeared.

  “You may leave!” Commanded the quiet, scratchy voice, as if it were speaking from all sides at once, and the two humans and the half-giant lying on the ground looked around in confusion.

  “Normally, the Master of Goods doesn't talk to anyone!” Connor murmured in surprise and, after a short pause, smiled, “I'll escort you back to the gate, and I'll see you again on Saturday!”

  "On Saturday? Are you watching the workers' arena fights?" Asked Thrym as the three made their way back.

  "Since I'm the newbie at the Inner Academy, it's my job to test the workers to see if anyone has managed to become a Qi-Gatherer!" Connor smiled proudly at the other two, "Once you reach the third level, you'll also be assigned important tasks from the clan."

  “First, I need a suitable training guide…” Kilian murmured, deep in thought, “But to get it, I have to win all my arena fights.”

  "And I know nothing about the circulation of Qi! Even when I occasionally sense some energy around me, it just doesn't want to flow through my channels!" The half-giant sighed dejectedly, and the two of them walked through the large gate of the Inner Academy once more.

  “There are hard times ahead for us…are you ready?”, Thrym finally asked, after the two dissimilar brothers had trotted along side by side in silence for a long time.

  “I’m ready!” Kilian replied with a broad grin and walked through Gao Kong’s archway again with powerful steps.

  He analyzed the Qi around him, felt like he understood it a little bit more, and moved on to his next task full of energy.