As Minho cautiously approached the glowing object once more, she fell to her knees and bowed repeatedly, her small frame shaking slightly as she tried to appease whatever entity or creature might be trapped inside. Sister Tao's folklore stories, ones she had heard so many times as a child, flooded her mind. Tales of ancient beings sealed within enchanted mirrors, awaiting release by the hands of the unwary. Maybe, just maybe, this was one of those cursed objects.

But after several moments of fervent bowing, nothing happened. No spirit materialized, no ominous voice filled the cave. The only sound was her own shallow breathing and the rustling of leaves outside the cave. Minho peeked through her fingers, half expecting some monstrous figure to appear, but the object just sat there, glowing faintly on the moss-covered ground.

Her anxiety slowly gave way to curiosity. Maybe this wasn’t a haunted mirror at all. Could it be some kind of magical artifact? As the glowing light flickered and dimmed, Minho reached for the object again, more boldly this time. She picked it up carefully, pressing the small protrusion on the side once more.

The object lit up again, but this time Minho didn’t drop it in surprise. Instead, she brought it closer to her face, eyes wide with wonder. The surface now glowed brighter, revealing strange characters written in a language she didn’t recognize. At the top, smaller bright white symbols stood out against the backdrop, while larger gray ones filled the middle of the surface.

Minho squinted, her brows furrowing. She couldn’t make sense of the writing. It was nothing like the Han characters she had grown up with. But one thing stood out—a symbol of a finger pointing upwards, as if it was instructing her to do something. The finger seemed to fade as it moved upward across the surface, and Minho hesitated. Was this object trying to communicate with her?

Gulping down her nerves, she mimicked the motion, dragging her finger across the surface as the image had suggested. To her surprise, the gray characters moved upwards with her finger, sliding off the screen, only to be replaced by more unfamiliar symbols. The white characters at the top also changed, now appearing in the same strange style as the ones below.

Minho was perplexed. What was this thing? What did it want from her? But her curiosity outweighed her confusion. As she continued swiping, a small blue box appeared in the corner of the surface, again filled with unfamiliar symbols, though the pattern seemed to follow the same logic as before. She continued moving her finger, following the gestures, hoping that eventually, something would make sense.

Just when she was beginning to feel like giving up, she noticed something familiar. Some of the gray characters that appeared after swiping upward looked strikingly similar to Han characters—though they were sharper, rounder, and written with an odd precision that made them seem almost unnatural.

Her eyes lit up as she studied the top of the screen again. The white characters had changed, and now she could somewhat make out their meaning. The symbols resembled Han script enough for her to piece together a few words. "Please set up your [Device’s] language," she read aloud, slowly, trying to understand each word. It felt like deciphering the poorly scrawled notes of Senior Brother Dao, but even worse because the lines were too neat, too perfect.

One word in particular stumped her: "[Device.]" It didn’t look like any Han character she had ever seen. In fact, it resembled a word from the Kalie language, spoken in the bordering Frost Kingdom. Though Minho didn’t know how to speak Kalie, she recognized it from the occasional conversations Brother Minfe had with traders, and from a dusty old Kalie-to-Han language guide he kept in his hut. Not that he ever let anyone touch his books, of course.

Minho’s fingers traced the lines of the foreign word, her thoughts racing. Could this artifact be from a time when the Kalie and Han languages were still one? Maybe this object was older than she could have imagined, a relic from a forgotten age. Her mind buzzed with the possibilities.

She glanced down at the screen again. The language selection menu was open, displaying a list of different languages, none of which she recognized except one: “Mandarin.” It was the closest thing to Han that she could find.

"Mandarin?" she muttered to herself. It didn’t make sense to her, but maybe it was the ancient name for her language, or a version of it used long ago. With no other options, she hovered her finger over the word. At the bottom of the screen, the blue box that had appeared earlier now showed another unfamiliar word: "[Next.]"

After a moment of hesitation, Minho tapped the blue box, her heart racing with anticipation. Perhaps this strange device was about to reveal its secrets. Was it an ancient spellbook? A tool of immense power? Or maybe something far beyond her wildest imagination?

After a moment of hesitation, Minho tapped the blue box, her heart racing with anticipation. Was this strange device an ancient spellbook, a tool of immense power, or something far beyond her imagination? She couldn’t tell, but the urge to unlock its secrets was irresistible.

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The surface changed again, revealing new words: "Trying to connect to [Wi-Fi Network] [ITRI Private Network]." A strange circle spun on the screen for what felt like an eternity. Minho watched, confused, as the display shifted once more, now reading: "Please wait a few moments."

Her heart sank slightly—she hadn't been able to catch all the earlier words, and it seemed there was no way to bring them back. At least, not as far as she could tell.

Determined to remember everything this magical device showed her, Minho quickly rummaged through her bag, pulling out the few items she had on hand. She wrapped a piece of cloth around her hand and picked up the red-colored glass and some firewood she had collected earlier. Placing the firewood down, she carefully started carving on its surface, using the glass shard as a makeshift tool. This way, she could record the strange words that appeared on the device for later study.

Just as she began carving, the screen changed again. A stunningly realistic image of a mountain appeared. Minho stared at it, her eyes wide with awe. It was too detailed, too perfect to be a mere painting. The mountain seemed alive, as if it were trapped within the device, waiting to break free.

Her wonder was interrupted when strange floating things appeared over the mountain painting, along with a white box pointing to one of the floating things. The box displayed more words: "[Settings] You can change and adjust your [Device’s] functions and settings." At the bottom, another blue box read "[Next]."

Minho quickly carved the words onto the firewood, her hand moving carefully to ensure she captured every letter. Once she finished, she tapped the blue box again, just as she had before. The white box changed again, this time showing more text: "[Camera] Use the [Camera] to take [photos] and [videos]."

Again, Minho etched the strange symbols into the wood. She didn’t fully understand what these words meant, but she knew they were important. The Mirror—whatever it was—seemed to be teaching her how to use it.

As she continued to write, Minho’s mind raced with possibilities. What was this mirror truly capable of? How had it ended up here, in a cave deep in the forest? And most importantly, how could she use its magic to help her and the Thunder Sky Brotherhood?

The questions swirled in her head as she tapped the blue box labeled "[Next]" once more.

The white box changed again, displaying: "[Browser] Use the browser to connect to the vast knowledge and information of the [internet]."

Minho's eyes widened as she carefully carved the new message into the firewood. "Connect to the vast knowledge and information?" she murmured under her breath. Could this device be a tool of scholars? Did it hold the secrets of the world, the kind of vast knowledge she had only heard about in legends? Her heart pounded with excitement at the thought.

She tapped the blue box again, eager to see what more it could reveal.

"[News] Find all the latest happenings and news," the next message read. Minho’s eyes grew even wider. "Find the latest happenings?" she repeated to herself, bewildered. Was this Mirror some kind of mystical treasure, capable of delivering real-time information from far-off places? Could it somehow be connected to an ancient network that scholars or mystics once used? Her imagination ran wild as she quickly jotted down the words.

Once again, she tapped the blue box, and more messages appeared.

"[Gallery] Find all your [photos] and [videos] here."

"[Maps] Find the ideal route to your destination."

The Mirror continued introducing her to its seemingly endless capabilities, each one more astonishing than the last. Minho diligently carved each piece of information into the firewood, her fingers trembling with a mix of awe and anticipation. Every new word deepened the mystery of the object she held, and she could hardly believe the amount of knowledge it seemed to contain.

Finally, the white box disappeared, and the surface showed a symbol of a hand. It guided her on how to press the sides of the Mirror to turn the surface on and off. She followed the instructions carefully, pressing the sides as shown, until the mirror responded.

No more instructions appeared after that. For the first time since she had found the object, the Mirror remained still and quiet.

Minho sat back on her heels, her mind racing. What exactly had she found? This was no ordinary artifact—it was something far beyond her understanding. She glanced at the firewood she had written on, now covered with notes and symbols. Each line felt like a key to unlocking a vast, ancient mystery.

Her thoughts drifted to her brothers and sisters in the Thunder Sky Brotherhood. If she could learn how to fully use this Mirror, could it provide them with knowledge or power?

just as she was contemplating this, a faint voice broke through her thoughts. Someone was calling her name.

Her heart raced as she recognized the voice—it had to be Sister Tao and the others searching for her. Realizing she needed to hide her newfound treasure, Minho acted quickly. She gathered some soft moss from the cave floor, carefully arranging it in her bag to cushion the Mirror. Although she still wasn’t entirely sure what the object was, Minho assumed it was fragile, like a traditional mirror. The last thing she wanted was to break it after all it had shown her. She gently placed the Mirror between layers of moss, then tucked the firewood with her scribbled notes into the bag alongside it. Satisfied with her precautions, she slung the bag over her shoulder and hurried toward the voices calling her name.

As she raced through the trees, her feet barely making a sound on the forest floor, Minho couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. She needed to get back to the others, but she also had to protect the Mirror at all costs. Whatever secrets it held, they were now hers to uncover.

Meanwhile, near a secluded corner of the forest, just a few hundred steps from the village at the base of the Jing Mountains, two figures stood in tense silence. Qin, paused as he rummaged through his pack. His companion, Liu Bei, stood anxiously by, his hands bound with thick rope.

Qin pulled out two new lengths of rope and methodically tied one to Liu Bei’s wrists. This time, however, the knots were looser, allowing for some movement. With precise, practiced movements, Qin cut the old, tight bindings that had kept Liu Bei restrained and replaced them with these looser ties. He then moved to Liu Bei’s legs, wrapping a second rope around his ankles, but again, it was loose enough to allow some struggle.

“If you work at it for a bit, these ropes should come loose in about thirty minutes,” Qin said, his voice calm, almost businesslike. “Or you can try screaming for help. The village isn’t far.”

Liu Bei, disoriented and confused, looked at him in disbelief. “What? What do you mean? You’re not even going to leave me in the village?”

Qin, unfazed by the outburst, stood up and dusted off his hands. Without even glancing at Liu Bei, he began to walk away. “Remember,” he called over his shoulder, “the Cloud Dragon Merchant Group has two weeks to pay if they want their young master back. Pack the ransom money in small sacks and include a wooden plate. Leave the payment with the brothel in the village.”

Liu Bei’s voice rose in desperation. “Wait! You’re just going to leave me here? At least take me to the village! Someone could find me!”

But Qin kept walking, disappearing into the shadows of the forest without so much as a backward glance. Liu Bei, left standing in the stillness of the clearing, began struggling against the ropes, his frustration mounting. He knew he couldn’t wait long—someone had to come soon, or he’d have to rely on his own strength to escape. His shouts for help echoed faintly in the distance, barely reaching the outskirts of the village.

As Qin faded into the forest, his mind was already far from the scene. He had done his part, and now it was up to the Cloud Dragon Merchant Group to decide whether their young master was worth the price.