As long as one is alive, one needs light and fire.
This was the well-known survival code of the Lamp Clan.
When Lamp Iris was dug out of the ground and lit the crystal, that’s what that Lamp Clan elder told him.
“Use fire, don’t forget fire at all times.”
Lamp Kite was still confused and didn’t understand anything at that time.
It felt as if it had forgotten a lot of things, and as if it had déjà vu about everything around it, but eventually these turned into indescribable confusion and disorder.
“Don’t worry, every Lamp has come this way.”
Senpai held a bright lamp floating in the air and carried an iron pickaxe, the crystal on its head shimmered with a shimmering light, a way for the Lamps to express their smiles, “When I woke up, I first felt a splitting headache, then I seemed to forget everything, and then I began to be confused about my own existence.”
“It’s alright, get up, the Mist Beasts are coming later.”
This senior called Lamp Kite was digging for materials underground and ended up digging for Lamp Kite.
The Lamp Kite felt puzzled. According to the common sense of the Lamp Clan, the Lamp Clan had always faced the attacks and killings of ferocious fog beasts, so why hadn’t they been dragged out and eaten by the fog beasts when they were sleeping?
It was always easier to deal with a sleeping person who wouldn’t resist than to hunt a suave active Lamp Clan.
“Who knows?”
Lightsdale said, “There’s a lot of strange things going on in Misty Harbour, why is there so much black mist, why do they never disperse, why do the Mist Beasts attack the Lamps, why are they afraid of the Lamps …… why do we exist?”
“No one knows.”
“But there is one thing the Lights have to know, look ahead.”
The crystal above its head brightened and darkened with the voice, “Live first.”
And so, like the other awakened Lamp Clans, the Lamp Kite followed the Lamp Valley and entered a brief period of learning and recovery.
During this phase, Lamp Kite learnt a lot.
The life of the Lamp Clan was mainly divided into two items: seeking and lamp making, and everything revolved around these two cores.
Seeking, searching for various materials and kindred spirits sleeping underground.
The population of the Lamp Clan has always been very small, now less than three thousand people, according to the Lamp Clan elder’s oral statement, when the Lamp Clan was at its peak their number reached tens of thousands.
That was when the god [Firefly God] was still alive, and oracles would sometimes descend along with iron and fire falling from the sky, bringing new guidance and hope to the Lamp Clan.
And that’s when the Apostle, who was covered in fire, would interpret the Lamp Clan.
Unfortunately, as the gods disappeared from the World Pot and the oracles never appeared again, the Mist Beasts became even more reckless, and the Hanging Lanterns became the key to survival.
There had to be enough materials to make a Hanging Lamp, and the kerosene or solid fuel inside had to be replenished regularly.
The number of lamps continued to dwindle, partly due to the attacks of the fog beasts, and partly due to natural death.
The bright light of the crystal overhead comes from the burning of the Lamp Clan’s ego.
Inside the Lamps there is a long crest of life, which is the core of the outer metal shell that protects it. The crest of life allows the Lamps to think, communicate, and manufacture.
But the life crest would burn slowly, illuminating the crystal lamp, which was proof that the Lamp Tribe was still alive.
With constant consumption, eventually this Life Crest would crumble into flying ash, and the Lamp Tribe would step into death.
The Lamp Kite was still curious.
If the life crest in the crystal was extinguished and a Lamp Clan was buried deep underground again, would it be possible to continue to survive for a long time without being attacked by fog beasts?
This solution seemed feasible.
The light in the crystal dimmed a bit after Lamp Valley heard Lamp Kite’s words, “You’re partially right.”
“It’s true that if you extinguish your life crest and fall into slumber, you won’t attract the fog beasts. They will only strike at Lights with burning characteristics ……”
“But that doesn’t mean it’s safe.”
It paused for a moment, “After the slumber, the greatest enemy of the Lamp Race will become one of their own.”
“Why is the population of the Lamp Clan getting smaller and smaller? The external threat is the Fog Beasts, and the internal reason is the hunting within the Lamp Clan. This kind of hunting is not exposed to the open environment, stealthy and swift.”
Lamp Valley said in a cold tone, “A Lamp Clan that does not burn is the best readily available material. No one will notice or care about the disappearance of a non-luminous Lamp Clan.”
“Even for a normal dying Lamp Clan, the carcass will be coveted by many of its kind, and they wait for the day when the dead Life Crest is completely turned into flying ash……. Without the Glowing God to deter them, many of the Lamp Clans are even more unscrupulous, and those fellows even directly hunt for their kind. Anyway, with the black mist shrouding them, no one will see.”
“Why have we not given birth to a Giant Artist in many years? This is also one aspect of the reason. The Lamp Clan is declining and dying.”
Lamp Kite shuddered at the sound.
The same kind was also the enemy.
It also understood at this time why the Lamp Clan mostly lived alone, because the same kind itself was a potential enemy and competitor.
The Lamp Clan had fallen from the glorious God-given Lamp Maker clan in the past, the artisan servants of the Gods who made the sun as their mission, to the current savage group whose order was constantly collapsing, rooted in the fact that the oracles were not present, and the fire of faith in the Gods was swallowed up by the world pot.
Lamp Iris boldly asked, “Then why did you awaken me instead of treating me as material ……”
“I certainly thought about it.”
Lamp Kite’s crystal flickered rhythmically.
It signalled that it was serious and formal.
“But I won’t do it.”
“I, too, was once a sleeping Lamp, helped by a Lamp Elder. It drew in the mist beasts when a couple of Lamp Apostles were dismembering and cutting me up, scaring off the guys.”
“The one who lit the fire for me, I will never forget it and I will continue to pass it on.”
Lamp Kite’s heart perked up as he listened.
There were still decent and brave people within the clan.
“But it’s funny to say.”
Lamp Valley’s crystal flickered with a shimmering light and smiled, “That elder’s name was Lamp Ride, and he told me quite honestly that it was his hanging lamp that was broken, so when he saw that there was a Lamp Clan over here, he came over to ask for help. The result was that everyone was frightened away.”
“It wasn’t a great rescuer, but it saved me and lit me a fire, and that’s what I think a Lamp Rider should be.”
“We can be weak and fearful, but we should also harbour courage and perseverance. Like the giants of the past, making the sun and dispelling the black mist, that is what we should do for ourselves, for all the Lanterns.”
The crystal of the Valley of Lights burns like a flame, and it does not mince words about the searing colours of its heart.
The Lamp Kite named itself [Kite], it had heard of a tool called a kite that could fly into the sky and soar above the fog. The kite was free to look down on the earth, free from the heavy ground forces.
It wanted to build a whole new kind of sky lantern.
The Sky Lantern should not only be able to illuminate, but also carry the Lanterns all the way through the sea of fog where the Fog Beasts gather, flying into the unknown distance, no matter what waits there.
The Lamp Kite put all its energy into making the Sky Lantern.
It gathered all sorts of materials and resources above and below the ground, followed the crafts and techniques passed down by word of mouth from the giants of the past, and made a great many new attempts.
The sky lantern was essentially an advancement of the hanging lantern, but the scale and volume was hundreds of times that of the former.
To ensure the longevity of the Sky Lantern, it was best to use the advanced material Omnipotent Stone as a support, which could ensure that both kerosene and solid fuels could be fully utilised, reducing consumption and enhancing brightness.
The Lamp Kite had been helped by many of the Lamp Clan, including advice on resources and technological craftsmanship, not the least of which was even the group of those who hunted their kind.
It had been many years since anyone had attempted to make sky lanterns anymore, and it was hard enough just keeping the hanging lanterns lit and alive.
It was then that Lamp Kite realised again that the Lanterns themselves were complicated.
Darkness and light, nastiness and ideals, fighting spirit and negativity, these contradictory things existed in the Lamp Clan at the same time.
After many years, the Heavenly Lanterns once again shone in the firmament of the sky, and all the Lamp Clans once again looked up to the top of their heads, and in the bright and eye-catching light, the light of pleasant fire flickered in one of the crystals on top of their heads.
Unlike in the past, this time, the sky lanterns could also fly up with their light kites.
The sky lanterns flew higher and higher, as if they were lifted up by large unseen hands, straight to the top of the black clouds.
The crystal of this lamp giant was dim enough that it sat in a tiny little wooden bucket attached under the sky lantern and watched as the sky lantern slowly rose, breaking through the black fog and entering a place that had never been seen before.
It looked down below.
The black mists formed an isolated black ocean under the wooden bucket, they were thick and dense, isolating the higher sky from below, and above the black mists, a huge luminescent body was shining a boundless glow.
Lamp Kite stared dumbfounded at the golden heart of light.
It turned out that the sun was still there, it was just above the black fog, cut off from the Lamp Kite by the sea of fog below. The clouds were white, and the surrounding area was filled with light.
The world as it was meant to be stirred up the Light Kite.
Everyone must be told, everyone must be told that the world was full of light and heat!
If only the black mist was dispelled, everything would be fine!
But how to get back?
It was a trip that had never been thought of as a return journey, for when the Lamp Kite was tied to the Sky Lantern, it had no intention of doing that, and it had run out of gas itself, so there was no way to return.
Just as it was meditating, the entire sky lantern was suddenly pulled by an indescribable force, all the way into a world of light and weirdness.
The Lantern Iris fell into some kind of suffocation for a moment, as if it had returned to its initial muddled slumber.
Is it going to die?
This is what it feels like to die-what an unwillingness, what an unwillingness-
The world became shaky, and again became like a piece of wood shavings falling into a sea of clouds, constantly swaying and falling with the waves.
The violent shock from the impact brought the lamp kite back to its senses in a fierce flash.
It first looked into its hand.
The thread was still tightly wrapped in its hand.
Then the sky lantern is still there I’m back!I’m back in Misty Harbour!
That’s great!
Lamp Kite struggled to get up, but realised that its body wasn’t listening at all.
The torso was badly damaged, and the metal structure’s arms and legs were even in pieces.
“You’re awake?”
A person whose entire body was wrapped in silver armour looked down at the Lamp Kite on the ground.
“Who are you?”
Lamp Kite had never seen anyone like this before, and it was even brighter around her, the light so strong it was blinding and unreal, and the ground was littered with precious pristine gravel.
The armoured man was surrounded by several other strangely shaped creatures, some of them were small and had tails, others were tall and wrapped their bodies in some kind of cloth …… They whispered, but what they said was completely unintelligible to Lamp Kite.
Only the armoured man could understand his own words.
“What is this place?”Lamp Kite asked, enduring the pain.
“This is Yunzhong Temple, the place where Lord Yao Shen shines, the place where you are now falling is outside of Sand City.”
The other party’s voice seemed to be very happy, “I didn’t expect to actually be able to see the Lamp Kite in this way, you must have suffered a lot to come over here, right?”
Lamp Kite was taken aback, “You know about the Lamp Clan, is there still a Lamp Clan here?”
“There is, I am.”
The armoured man slapped his chest, making a clunking metallic sound.
“My name is Lamp Ride, but I’ve been dead for many years, and I was lucky enough to be taken in by Lord Yao Shen’s world.”
Lamp Rider?
Lantern Kite suspected that this was all a hallucination at the time of death, “Do you know about Lantern Valley?”
“Lantern Valley seems a bit impressive.”
The other party seemed to have fallen into a memory, “Ah, I remember, it’s one of the Lamp Riders that I once ignited and awakened. Do you guys know each other? Is it alright?”
“It died a long time ago ……”
Lamp Kite said somewhat ruefully.
“The crystal is not bright enough, and you are weak now.”The man who called himself Lamp Rider observed, “Here, carry it to the Firesteam Wagon and send it back to Sand City for repairs and treatment.”
“I know you have a lot of questions right now, let’s take them one at a time, you should rest first, don’t over burn yourself.”
Lamp Iris was frank, “My life crest has burned out and I will die soon.”
The other said, “This place is full of fire and light and you are alive and well and will remain so.”
“How is it possible.”
“Nothing is impossible.”
Lantern Multiplier said in a firm and confident tone, “As I said, this is the world where Yao God shines, and in Sand City, death is just another beginning.”
“What’s more, there are Omnipotent Stones and Magic Oils here that can assist the Life Crest in continuing to burn, don’t worry, you can’t die!”
Everything was like a phantom dream.
Lamp Kite looked overhead.
The light of the golden sun spread throughout the entire world, there was no darkness or fog beasts here, and the gods were still present.
