"A price of language... is also language?"
Inside the tent, Kapak murmured to himself, repeating the words that echoed in his mind, trying to grasp their meaning. After contemplating for a while, he finally understood the sentence.
“That powerful spirit is saying that in exchange for granting me this language, I must also offer a language in return?”
Kapak grasped the meaning, and fear crept into his heart once again.
“I must offer a language to this spirit as compensation... but aside from the Pritt Common language that the spirit just bestowed upon me, the only other language I know is my own tribe’s tongue. I cannot offer up my people’s language just for the sake of the Pritt Common language—the language of the invaders.”
Kapak thought this way because his family and friends were in the tribe. He was born in the tribe. He was a warrior of the tribe. There was no way he could abandon his native tongue.
“Could this spirit be an evil spirit? According to the shaman, some malevolent spirits like to toy with humans through contracts of exchange. Am I now ensnared by such a spirit?”
“It first grants me the invaders’ language and then tries to take away my own, rendering me unable to communicate with my kin. It would force me to integrate into the invaders’ society, where I would once again be enslaved by them and despised by my own people... and the spirit would take pleasure in it all?”
As Kapak imagined this terrifying scenario, he felt increasingly unwell. He hurriedly bowed before the picture book, prostrating himself in devotion and fear, and prayed fervently.
"Oh mighty spirit from an unknown place, I regret that I cannot part with my language. Please, take back your gift..."…
Inside the library of the Royal Crown Academy, Dorothy had just stepped out of the restroom when she heard these words. She couldn’t help but smile wryly, thinking to herself.
“He thinks, just like I once did, that knowledge disappears once it is offered up. This is indeed a misconception. I need to explain it to him…”
With that thought in mind, she sent another message to him.
"Knowledge exists for inheritance and exchange, not deprivation."
…
Inside the tent, these words echoed in Kapak’s mind. He froze for a moment before suddenly realizing it.
“Knowledge exists for inheritance and exchange, not deprivation. That’s right... when the shaman taught us how to read, he didn’t suddenly lose the ability to recognize words himself. Language is not a material object… it doesn’t disappear once it is offered up…”
Kapak, possessing keen insight, immediately grasped the concept. He bowed in reverence before the picture book once again.
"Oh mighty spirit from an unknown place, thank you for your enlightenment. I am willing to offer the language I have learned since childhood as compensation."
The moment Kapak finished his prayer, the knowledge of the Spirit Glyph language stored in his mind was instantly duplicated and transmitted to Dorothy across a vast distance.
…
Inside the library, Dorothy received the complete knowledge of the Spirit Glyph language that Kapak had sent. She didn’t waste even a sliver of her precious Soul Codex capacity to engrave the knowledge; instead, she stored it temporarily. Then, she sent a reply.
"The compensation has been received."
…
Inside the tent, Kapak, still kneeling on the ground, was momentarily stunned when he heard this response. He quickly checked if he could still recognize the Spirit Glyph characters carved onto the wooden plaques in the tent. Then, he spoke two sentences aloud in his native tongue. Finding that everything was as it should be, his heart was filled with joy.
“I can still speak my people’s language! Offering knowledge does not make me lose knowledge! Just as the spirit said—knowledge exists for inheritance and exchange, not deprivation!”
“I have gained a new language with almost no cost at all. Seeking knowledge as a sacrifice in exchange for more knowledge—this is how the spirit operates? How unique... and powerful…”
Kapak, having just received an extraordinary gift, was filled with excitement. As he looked around, he once again bowed in reverence before the picture book.
"Oh mighty spirit from an unknown place, I am grateful for your gift. May I know your name?"
He posed his question, and soon, a response arrived.
"Akasha."
"Akasha..."
Kapak savored the pronunciation of the name. It was entirely unfamiliar to him. Then, he prayed once more.
"Mighty Akasha, are you a spirit residing within this picture book?"
"I reside nowhere. The text you see is merely a medium through which I communicate with you."
“Medium… Of course, such a powerful spirit would not dwell within something so ordinary…”
Kapak came to this realization, and then he asked another question in prayer.
"Mighty Akasha, since you have granted me this gift, is there anything I must do for you in return?"
"Collect valuable knowledge and offer it to me. I will grant you knowledge of equal value in return."
The deep voice resonated in Kapak’s mind. After hearing this, he nodded thoughtfully. He now understood that in the future, he could exchange other valuable knowledge for even more blessings.
An equivalent exchange—this was a fair spirit! And the best part was, he wouldn’t even lose what he exchanged! That made it even fairer!
"Mighty Akasha, I will do my best to gather precious knowledge."
Kapak prayed once again, and a response soon followed.
"Good. If you acquire knowledge of value, you may pray to me. For now, do not reveal my existence to others. Keep the book you possess safe—you may use it to contact others like yourself."
"Understood. I will follow your instructions."
With that, the voice in his mind faded into silence, never to be heard again—for now.
Kapak remained kneeling before the picture book for nearly ten minutes before finally standing up. He walked over, picked up the book, and then turned to his wooden chest, which was filled with the curious objects he had collected from the invaders.
Sitting beside the chest, Kapak began rummaging through the various small industrial trinkets, examining every piece of text printed on them. The characters that were once incomprehensible to him were now fully legible. Because he could read, he now knew the names and functions of many of these objects.
"This is… a music box? This is… a watch? …This is a cane? And these are… medicines?"
Kapak continued his search with curiosity, devouring every bit of Pritt Common text he could find. He eagerly learned the names and functions of the invaders’ items. He had to admit—though those land-stealing, murderous white-skins were utterly detestable, their creations were truly remarkable.
…
Meanwhile, in the library, Dorothy—having finally tricked Kapak into offering up the Spirit Glyph language—sat down with immense satisfaction.
“Phew… I’ve finally obtained another language. Even though I can’t engrave it into my precious Soul Codex, I can still use the system to exchange it. If it’s a language, I should be able to trade it for a Dragon Shout.”
With this thought, she opened the long-neglected exchange system and used the Spirit Glyph language for a trade. A moment later, the result appeared.
It was indeed a Dragon Shout.
To Dorothy’s surprise, this time, trading an entire language did not grant her all three words of a Dragon Shout at once. Instead, she received only a single word of power.
[Dragon Shout: Slow Time.]
[Roar at time itself and command it to yield before you. Slow down time in the surrounding area by 30%.]
[Akatosh is the beginning of time. Alduin is the end of time. All dragons are but fragments of time. Thus, slowing time is among the most supreme of Dragon Shouts, tied to the very essence of dragons.]