"Right," said Yidi. "The second function of the app has to do with how it is still able to create workable spells, or physical computing as they call it, while essentially existing within a stagnant ta-flow."
Tuesday made a new docunt. "This is sothing I’m actually quite curious about. If they’ve stopped the ta-flow, then how are they still able to get things to work?"
"By... using the life force of the user."
Tuesday stopped typing and looked up at Yidi, then at you, , and Zhan in the corner. "Directly?"
"Directly. They also use the user’s life force to create a small, localised flow, so it actually uses double the amount of power."
The jiaoren sighed and looked grim. She didn’t need to explain in her report just how bad it was to use soone’s life force directly like this, another, more basic report would also be released, but needless to say that if they weren’t able to stop what The Unity was doing soon, people were going to start dropping dead before long.
"Is there a tiline?" she asked. A tiline for when bodies would start hitting the floor.
"The optimistic one is for five more years," said Zhan, taking over. The division of labour for their small research cell had been: Bran on theory, Yidi on computer programming, and Zhan on context, his long life being a useful boon in this instance.
"And the less optimistic one?"
Zhan tapped the table in front of him. "You want to explain?" he asked, but the others showed no sign of wanting to, so he went on. "Basically, it gets worse. If it were just the user providing their own energy for their own usage, then, the estimate for how long it would take for the average person to burn through their own life force while also accounting for recover is five years. Unfortunately, we have evidence from the app and from other research that they’re not just using the user’s life force for that specific user’s spells. They’re using it for so kind of larger, on-going spell."
"The tiline?"
"... One year, if we’re lucky."
--
"Two?"
"Two."
"Okay."
I pulled out the requisite notes, handed them to the old woman and got a handful of coins and the vegetables in return. The market was busy and the mood was high, even a week after we’d been able to turn back into humans. Things were still up in the air as to how to move forward, but there was a sense of optimism that was hard to shake and that, honestly, no one wanted to shake. Things had been hard these two years so anything that could bring back a little hope was appreciated.
I’d more or less gotten the hang of walking myself at this point and could go where I wanted without any help, which was why I was buying food at the market alone and also why I delayed a little in coming back, instead choosing to have a walk down the coastline.
The tide was out and it was fun to pick my way over the rocks, barefooted, and observe all the little bits of life living in the rock pools. Tuesday had been really worried about the ocean initially, but things have been improving recently. In the past I’d have just thought it was coincidence that Kunpeng reaching critical mass and returning to my human form happened at the sa ti, but I knew better now.
I hadn’t just had a nice talk with Choco back then. I’d also gotten a large info dump straight into my brain, then I’d spent two years full ti as a loong and all the further ramifications from that, so you could say that I’d had a whole degree in all things magic and energy at this point.
The state of the natural world around the secret settlent and the small town was directly connected to the control, or lack of control, that The Unity had over the ta-flow. The more control it had, the more stagnant everything beca and things died, and the reverse was also true. The more ground we gained with our free and open source Kunpeng project, the more space there would be for things to grow.
At the sa ti, however, the more ground we gained, the more noise we made, the more likely it was that The Unity would stir and when it did... Well, who knew if we’d all still be standing here. They still controlled the majority of the ta-flow after all.
I crouched and put my hand into the water of a small rockpool. The tiny crabs and fish darted away back into their holes then slowly reerged as they got used to my presence. And it wasn’t just that.
Even when I hadn’t been able to perform any real magic or fly or anything, I’d realised that, as a loong, I carried a kind of energy circulator innately inside . That was why the little animals on that beach had liked to co visit back then or even why my mood could affect the weather. It was why I’d insisted on being the first test subject for the manmade energy circulators and human transformation experint. I knew that I had a higher chance of success and that if we couldn’t get it done with , then it wouldn’t work for anyone else.
Let shoulder that burden.
A small crab walked tentatively toward my hand and I slowly turned it in the water so that my palm faced up. The crab paused then continued on, coming right up to my hand and giving it an experintal poke.
Different. We were fundantally different with different ways of seeing and existing in the world, but we both existed. We both lived. The old ways wouldn’t work, hadn’t worked, but that didn’t an that this was the end. There had to be a way forward...
And it was in that fra of mind that the first inklings of a plan started to circle my mind.
I heard a murmur of raised voices from further within the observatory when I finally made it back. I couldn’t be sure who it was, but since you so rarely argue with people, I had to assu it was Zhan and Yidi, even if they too hardly argued.
I set my shopping on the kitchen island, grabbed a glass of water then went upstairs to our room. As I expected, it was just you and your books. I set the glass of water by you on the table.
You looked up as I approached and took off your glasses. While your eyesight was no longer affected by the Naless Beast seal, it turned out you really did need glasses for reading.
"You’re back," you said with a smile and a big stretch.
"Yeah. I’m going to start cooking soon," I replied. Your shirt had shrunk a little in the wash so I got to see so skin with that stretch.
"I’ll co help you."
"You don’t have to."
"I want to. All this reading’s making dizzy."
I laughed. "Alright then."
Together, we headed down the hall, down the stairs, and over to the kitchen. The murmur of voices was still apparent and I turned to you.
"What’s with them?" I asked.
"Zhan and Yidi?"
"Yeah."
We entered the kitchen and you stood to the side while I took stock of what we had and what could be made from it.
"I’m not totally sure, but..." you started to explain, "I know Zhan just ca back from a eting with Helen and her crew. Apparently The Unity’s sent the developers of Kunpeng an invitation to their start-up venture capital talk thing."
"That should be good news. Wasn’t the whole na change from Shengnü to Kunpeng just so they could do undercover stuff like this without it all being traced back to the SSD?" I pointed out as I selected the onion that hadn’t get gone bad but I had a feeling it would if I didn’t get a move on and use it quick.
"It was, yeah, but..." you gave a shrug. "Reality’s different, I guess. Helen’s worried about accidentally exposing the whole thing and putting everything in jeopardy, while Zhan thinks it’s a good opportunity to get more eyes on Kunpeng and to promote it. Unfortunately for him, Helen’s word is law, so now Yidi’s stuck trying to comfort Zhan."
I nodded slowly as I sliced the onion. "Do you know what the presentation is about specifically?"
"Sothing about people with ideas but no money going to present their ideas to get so money."
"So The Unity will be investing in them?"
"Sothing like that. "I’m guessing they’re running out of ideas of how to expand their business," you said. "This gives them a chance to essentially buy up any good ideas."
"Or nip the competition in the bud."
You glanced at . "That too." You finished chopping the tomatoes. "God... business is so scary."
I gave you a friendly nudge.
"You know, Bran..."
"Mm?"
"I think I might have an idea."
"About?"
"That start-up thing, that’ll be at The Unity’s headquarters, right?"
"It should be, yeah."
"Well... Maybe it’s ti to make a counter attack."
You stopped cleaning the knife at the sink and turned to . "Counter attack?"
"Yeah. I have an idea, but it needs Mini Colin."
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