Stay or Move?

  Ming recalled the day's training. Today Miki dictated he walk along the length of the field while the girls tossed snowballs. He spent over an hour being bombarded from all directions. Chu mentioned the Bitzer possessed an uncanny ability to dodge projectiles even without looking. The training hoped to trigger this particular skill.

  All he earned was a head full of bumps and a clammy neck. As for evading arrows from Jim, he collected countless bruises to indicate his failure. He only managed to elude three rubber-tipped arrows, by what he considered sheer luck through premeditation.

  "Somehow I think Miki likes taking advantage of me. Dyna too. I need to put my foot down or they'll walk all over me."

  He spent ten minutes soaking in the hot bath in the barn while contemplating. Yawning, he pulled on his sleepwear after entering the bedroom. Unlike Clod and Chu who had a large chest at the foot of their beds, Ming owned two. Besides clothes, he secured various trinkets and possessions he deemed valuable.

  His two roommates, however, certainly boasted no intention to steal what they considered trash.

  Slipping on the stitched, fur-lined, indoor shoe, Ming decided to vent his frustrations to Chu. Clod lay snoring on one of the corner beds while the other one remained empty. Most likely Chu sat upstairs at his desk, either meditating or working on some strange invention.

  Take these fur shoes for instance. Chu designed and instructed Sherry to stitch and fashion them last year. The seamstress prided herself on making them custom-made. Not only were they comfortable and warm, but they also boasted a rubber sole to prevent falls from slipping.

  Ming loved the feeling of dragging them across the thick, fur rug in the bedroom. Heading to the exit of their ground-floor bedroom, he reached for the iron latch to open the door.

  A tingling sensation coursed through his fingers, causing him to yelp in pain. He jumped while clutching his hand as he glanced at Clod. Breathing a sigh of relief for not waking his companion, Ming removed the latch. Halfway through opening the door, he paused. His lips twisted into a frown while in deep thought.

  Didn't this remind him of something? Surely he felt this infliction somewhere?

  A smile slowly spread across his face, as the rows of teeth turned visible. Stepping back into the room, the door creaked closed while muffling the sniggering sound...

  In the morning, Chu stirred from the chair. The uncomfortable position of sleeping on a chair testified to his fatigue. Last night, he meditated and instead of trying to ignite more stars, decided to chant the fire spell. He recalled mumbling the words copied with bold strokes on a piece of paper while heeding the redhead's advice.

  His unceasing efforts bore fruit, as he succeeded in conjuring an inch-sized flame on his finger. The success proved short-lived since before he could celebrate, his eyes rolled up inside his head. When he recovered later, Chu understood the dangerous line he flirted with unknowingly.

  The peril originated, not from the spell chant since it belonged to the ancient book which predated the Tower. His seal didn't activate on his chest. The cause, however, stemmed from the depletion of his mana ocean. Later in the night, he figured out the culprit while struggling to remove his drenched shirt.

  Spells guzzled mana like a drunkard seeing free rum.

  He eventually fell asleep due to fatigue. Last night he only had the strength to tie his robe and drape the quilt over his shoulders for warmth.

  "Chu, did you sleep all night here? Sakura is not around so you could have slept with me." Dyna queried. The liberated words sent Miki who accompanied her into a fluster.

  "Yaaah! You can't say that out loud. Etiquette! Remember your teachings from Mrs. Thomas. A man and woman must respect the laws of Heaven. Otherwise, tribulation will strike you down."

  "What are you rambling on about, Miki? Didn't we all once sleep together? Right, Lucy? How come we haven't been struck yet, huh? What about those ladies serving in the tavern in Limerock? How come they haven't been struck?"

  Dyna turned to ask the appearing Lucy.

  "Don't ask Lucy those silly questions, you crass nut. Can't you see you're making her blush? What's with all these questions? I knew it was a bad idea to have you tag along when we sneaked out to the tavern in Limerock. I'm gonna fib on you to Mrs. Thomas."

  Miki threatened.

  Chu propped his chin on his folded arms while watching the three girls in the middle of an age-old, philosophical debate. When people gathered, morals existed. His thoughts didn't focus on the subject but on the little, green-eyed girl.

  Was this girl a hidden genius? A dilettante?

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  In the Academy, the light spell required unlocking a hundred stars in the sky. As the most basic of spells, the golf ball-sized orb lasted for one minute and provided the illumination of an LED nightlight. Last night, his flickering fire drained his mana ocean fueled by his sixty-odd stars.

  The process initiated a condition similar to losing a massive amount of blood. Without additional guidance, Chu reminded himself he needed to walk within a very fine line. Messing with the starfield might very well leave him senile.

  "Lucy, you and Miki stand down trying to create a flame until you ignite at least a hundred stars. Even if you can do it, use the time to continue unlocking more stars. The more lights in the sky, the greater the amount of mana you can accumulate in the ocean below. Dyna, if you're practicing, promise me you won't drain your ocean like last time, ok."

  Chu interrupted them while issuing his order. The redhead might truly be some genius but she lacked restraint. Who knows what she might try to attempt in secret? Chu wondered as to how large her stars looked in her heaven.

  How many geniuses like these had slipped away from the Academy?

  Rose joined them in time for Chu to also explain his concerns. The group encountered Clod downstairs opening the door to the bedroom he shared with Chu and Ming. The burly teen hobbled out with a mat of disheveled wheat-colored hair and a pair of bloodshot eyes.

  What grabbed the four's attention was not his appearance but the time he actually lumbered out of bed.

  By this time, even in winter, Clod would have been out tending to some particular task. His schedule included himself and his farming crew. Everyone, including Chu, dreaded landing on Clod's roster since it entailed backbreaking work at the crack of dawn.

  Literally, the crack of dawn. Non-permanent members like himself usually prayed for severe weather. Light snow and rain lacked the power to deter the farmer. Dyna cocked her head to the side.

  "What's the matter with you? Did you sneak into Rose's room last night?"

  "Aaah! What the heck is wrong with your loose mouth!"

  Miki clamped a hand over the mouth of the squirming redhead while her own ears turned beet red.

  Girl talk.

  They seriously needed to include this vile devil in their nightly bedroom whispers.

  Clod for his matter, seemed unfazed, probably because he lacked the focus to digest the meaning of her words. He slapped and rubbed his slightly tanned face with a pair of massive, rough hands. A weary face greeted them.

  "Did you remember when we first kept the wolf cubs?

  Clod asked while rubbing his tousled yellow hair and continuing,

  "How they whined to exit the barn during the nights when Dyna trained them?"

  "Of course I do. We had to place someone on shift at the door, back then since they yelped all night. I nearly tossed them out in frustration back them."

  Chu replied on recalling those troubled days. He had never owned nor trained a pet until entering this world. Having passed through three cubs, a greedy silver bird, and a herd of horses, he preferred training humans.

  "Well, last night relived that hell. For the entire night, Ming shuffled around the bedroom while yelping at the closed door. All I received for an answer was a giggle when I asked. I only dozed off when the idiot fell asleep a short time ago. I think it's high time we gave him his own room, Chu..."

  After another long day of practice training, Chu sat down again at his desk.

  Using the ink pen designed by the collaboration of the three resident grandmasters, he resumed writing his notes. The pen required constant dipping in the ink bottle and cleaning with a cloth but it claimed a position among the most advanced, current technology.

  Personally, he preferred the brush for this task since he had over three years of practice. He needed to become reacquainted with the pen, however, because only it could create that unbreakable thin line.

  Over the years, he filled the adjacent bookshelf with scrolls, parchments, and books. The different sections all contained relevant information as to his life in this world, along with useful information from his past which intermittently popped into his head.

  "I had heaps of recollections stimulated by experiencing city life in Limerock. Luckily, Sakura has those notes in her possession. When I think of battle, I keep remembering guns, bombs, and missiles. Such useless information squeezes out the more important ones like the caltrops."

  Chu muttered while scribbling. During his bucket bath, he remembered about the water tap and wanted to record it. Next month he planned to hand over the drawings and information about the scrapped well pump he once showed to Darreck.

  Hopefully, Hodge and the others could fabricate a system with an elevated tank, pump, water pipes, and tap to install running water on the farm.

  "I don't know how to manufacture a gun, much less, how to create a bullet. Thinking back, they talked about saltpeter when discussing fireworks. I don't have the faintest idea what or how to use it. A slingshot is worth more to me now..."

  Anytime he dreamed or recalled memories, especially ones relating to technology or modern living, he recorded them on these pages. The bookshelf on the wall probably contained enough information to leap the current civilization by over a thousand years. It included documentation spanning medicine to agriculture.

  The Emperor himself might torture him for years to acquire this valuable knowledge.

  Unfortunately, nobody knew the treasured contents of these pages. Even if they did find them, it would be of no use. In the entire world, maybe Sakura and the others on the farm might recognize the mathematical symbols. As for the letters, they were so foreign, they belonged to another planet.

  Chu wrote all his ideas, plans, and design explanations in Chinese.

  "What are you doing Chu? Do you plan to wake up all night or are you coming to bed?"

  Someone might think the words originated from a concerned wife. Chu looked up at the older boy mining for earwax with a finger. Ming had skipped the evening training in preference to conducting what could only be described as masochistic research.

  The residents of the barn did not inquire, not because they were bashful but because they feared they might actually understand his logic. A short time later, footsteps sounded from the staircase.

  "Oh, Chu you're up here tonight? Let me change my clothes and grab a sheet. I have to meditate for today so I'll accompany you."

  Miki remarked on spotting him as she climbed the stairs. Yin and Hope tagged beside her, both of them ready to call it a day. Dyna left for a night hunt in the forest with Toll while Lucy was out on the walls having been rostered for the night shift. Rose remained with Clod in the smithy while he tried to complete a repair task for the mill.

  Miki tucked in Yin and Hope before joining Chu and Ming by the desk. She added another log to the fireplace and then fixed herself in a comfortable position. Together they pursued their own devices in silence.

  The scratching of the pen on the paper paused a short time later. Chu waited until he saw their eyes open and not in deep meditation.

  "Do you like it here, or should we move to the city?"