"So, to carve out the word tree, you can pronounce the word out loud and combine the letters to sound like the word."

We had already spent several hours in his office as I taught him the basics of the alphabet. I quickly learned that I was not great at carving, as I spent the better part of half an hour carving out the alphabet while the Priest stared at me the entire time. Unable to handle the silence, I taught him how to sound out each letter as I carved it.

"I think I get it, so you would spell the animal tyger like this?" He asked as he carved out the word.

I thought deeply about whether I wanted to correct him but decided that he was close enough for it not to actually matter. We have only gone over a few words, but he seemed to be getting the hang of it quickly enough. Hopefully, I could teach him in a matter of weeks, which should be right before the Plague hits, by my estimation.

"That does indeed work." As I answered, he scratched his head and pointed toward the I on the alphabet board. "What's the point of this letter? Can't you simply use Y for all these words?"

"Uh… you could, and there isn't much to stop you from doing so." I hesitantly answered. He looked at me confused, "So there's no point to the letter?"

I didn't know why we had I and Y. I know there was a good reason for that in the Latin alphabet, but I didn't know why. I couldn't just pull out the alphabet seemingly out of my butt and not know things about it, so I scrambled for a reason. "It is to add variety to the language, in case there are two words that sound exactly the same so that you can differentiate between the two."

He nodded slowly and methodically as if I was spouting words of wisdom. I felt a little embarrassed for probably lying to him, but I thought of it as a white lie to soothe my guilt.

"Alright, I think I have shared enough with you for the day. It is time that I head out to handle my business. I'll be back tomorrow to continue teaching. Go ahead and try carving on your own, and I'll correct you tomorrow", I said as I got up and headed for the door.

He asked me hesitantly, "Are you sure all you want is to ensure you have an easier time in the council and the guards I provided? Do you not want any stones or feathers?"

"Of course, I have no need for worldly possessions and I think it is enough to provide me with guards and cause less hassle in the council. After all, even as a Sage, I want to lead a peaceful life where I can share my meager knowledge to better the world." I said as I looked out the window to add to my Sagely aura.

"I was wrong about you, Sage. You are truly humble. I had misjudged you. I hope you forgive me for my shortsightedness," he said as he gave me a small bow.

I waved my hand in dismissal, "There is no need. Our history is behind us. I will head out now. You have a good day."

I didn't trust him entirely, but I saw no need to hold a grudge over our past squabbles. After all, he was useful, and besides the Chieftain, the Priest was probably the only trustworthy person in this place. Arriving at the Chieftain's door, I announced my presence and walked in. The Chieftain was in the middle of talking with someone, and I froze for a second.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt," I said, scrambling to leave the room.

"Don't worry; Cai Lin and I were just finishing up," he said as Cai Lin got up, bowed, and left the room.

I forgot how he was in his office, not because he had paperwork but because everything was done verbally. I wondered if he had wooden records as well.

"I'd like to congratulate you on your recovery, Sage Jie Mins. What brings you to my room today?" He said once I got comfortable.

"Thanks for the well wishes. And I'm sorry to interrupt. I have come to talk to you about the increase in the number of refugees in the city." At the mention of refugees, the Chieftain rubs his temples from the headache it has undoubtedly caused him so far. I was the one to suggest making sure that everyone had a job since I knew unemployment rates caused crimes—or so I remembered.

"Hopefully, it's about more solutions instead of problems?" He asked me hopefully.

I promoted my idea to him, "It is indeed. I was hoping to start funneling overflow work into digging tunnels. I want to bury some of our produce, like grain, to survive the Plague if the spirit is based on air. And also make tunnels under the soil. Perhaps we could evade it by living underground?"

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He seemed to dislike the idea, "Living underground? That is unnatural. We are not plants to live in the soil."

I continue to push the idea, "I understand, but if we can evade the spirit until it passes, it would be for the best. I'd need to supervise the project, as we would need to build braces for the tunnel. It will also lead the extra workers to do something to keep them busy."

He sighs, "Alright, I will give you permission. I'll have someone go to your assistant to provide the details of the manpower."

I was elated, "Thanks, I'll ensure that everything goes smoothly."

He waved me off, and I happily left the room. He was the only one who treated me so casually, and I appreciated it greatly. In this culture, dismissing me like that was a sign of rudeness, but I'm glad I was able to enlighten him to be casual, at least with me.

* * *

It's been a couple of weeks since the lessons with the Priest started, and they have been going well. He was relatively effective at using the alphabet. He's been grateful since that not only saves space on the boards but also time since he doesn't need to draw as accurately or as detailed. I would need to introduce math to these guys as well. I mean, they knew how to do basic addition, but with how fast the city was growing, it might be necessary.

I headed towards the tunnels that were being dug. I built multiple entrances to ensure excellent airflow and multiple ways to escape in case of a cave-in. I would also add a slope down where all the carbon monoxide would sink to avoid suffocation. I'd need to make that zone a forbidden.

Arriving at the construction place, I observed before one of Shan’s assistant walks up to me. "Sage, is there anything I could do for you?"

"I'm just observing the site. How is it going so far? Any accidents?"

He nodded and led me around while talking. "We have had steady progress, but even with the number of people you have put behind this work, we won't have enough space for even several dozen people by the time the Plague arrives. Although some sections have collapsed due to the careless nature of some workers, there have been no major accidents, and everyone was able to make it out without any injuries."

I had mixed reactions to the news. It was good news that no one had gotten hurt, but this project seemed to be highly underwhelming. I knew it wouldn't be much, but I was hoping to be able to fit more down there. We could squeeze more people, but that wouldn't be living anymore but simply existing.

I wouldn't stop the construction since we needed to funnel the workers anyway, but it felt like they were working for another. Maybe we'd repurpose it for food storage? We also couldn't get too deep, as only so many wooden supports could do. We walked, and he pointed out all the spots we were digging.

Eventually, I was satisfied with the update and headed to my house. My back had mostly healed, and I was now confident in picking up combat. Once we reached my home, I turned to the guards who had been trailing me and asked them directly.

"Would you be able to teach me the arts of battle?"

They looked at each other uncomfortably. "Great Sage, we understand the circumstances that led you to ask for this, but in order to learn, we would have to engage in a physical fight with you. If anything happened to you, we would feel responsible."

I saw what they were getting at, but I needed to learn to defend myself in this world. Fighting was scary, and fighting when you had no idea how was an even scarier thought. I needed to get them to agree.

"What if there aren't enough guards to fight off my attackers? What am I to do? Stand and accept my fate? Even as a Sage, I am but a mere mortal. Some people do not respect my title, and at times, I will need to defend myself. It would be in everyone's best interest if I had the ability to do so. I see the reason behind the hesitation, but I would be worse off if I didn't practice."

They continued looking at each other worriedly as they mentally considered all the options. Eventually, they came to a consensus: "We are willing to teach you, but we implore you that we start slow."

I nodded, and they continued, "We can teach you the spear. Is there anything else you would like to learn?"

Since I wouldn't be walking with a spear, and that would be strange for a Sage to do, I wanted to train in a smaller weapon: a staff. I thought about doing a flint dagger, but the range was too small for my personal taste, and too much precision seemed necessary. Plus, I could learn to throw it, if anything.

"I was actually thinking of learning how to use the staff," I said while walking inside and coming out with two long sticks.

One of the guards asked in confusion, "What are these?"

"Basically spears without the sharp end, it can be used to sweep people without mortally injuring people, and can be quite effective."

Their lips twitched a little, but they didn't end up saying anything, which was fine with me. I'd rather be safe than have my skull split open with a more dangerous weapon. One of the guards stood at the opposite end of me while the other stood to the side to act as a referee. I think he might be my trainer.

My suspicion was confirmed when the man to the side spoke up. "A staff seems more of a tool rather than a weapon. We will try to adapt some forms of staff fighting based on our spear techniques. Your highest priority should be keeping your distance between you and the attacker. Unlike with a spear, you are unable to penetrate the target. For now, we will teach you how to handle the weapon for defense.