Chapter 158: Limited Wisdom (3)
Try as they might, the group couldn't hold their surprised gasp to see what awaited them once they landed in this giant library. It was a library, alright. Scrolls and manuals, books as thick as a human arm neatly placed on the many shelves of the building. But in front of them, standing right by the front of the stone path that would give them access to all this knowledge is a giant creature.
It's an owl draped with black feathers while its face is covered by a patch of pristine white ones. The owl... looked strange. Aside from its twinkling pitch-black eyes that revealed intelligence no less than any of them if not more, it held its 'chest' out and had its wings beside him as if in some sort of ancient and formal position.
Its yellowish beak parted slightly and a slightly aged but patient voice communicated with the group entirely, "The Avatar... welcome. I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things and the rest of you..." His gaze passed through Aang, lingering on Nik for a second and then falling on others, "are humans, who are no longer welcome in my study."
Hearing the somberness behind the voice, not even Toph or Sokka drew up their usual bravado and overly simple comments. Instead, they took it that they weren't welcome but Aang is. Possibly Nik, too. So they waited.
"Greetings, Wan Shi Tong," Aang bowed deeply and, "I... we—"
"The uncertainty in your voice makes it harder to believe that you intended to find my library as the humans bearing the sign of Phoenix are doing for years."
"But... what about treasure? They said they were looking for treasure." Sokka's shoulders slumped and Wan Shi Tong's gaze grew sharp.
"Knowledge is power. It is treasure worth mountains of gold but MY knowledge is priceless. It can be exchanged only for another piece of knowledge. The Avatar may haven't taken to find me, but I always wished to find you and thus, in hopes of meeting you, sent one of the many Knowledge Seekers to hand you a map."
"A barely marked one with no information," Nik frowned.
"Indeed," the owl nodded humanly and sighed deeply, "I feel at ease when I see you, human. I once shared the same vision as Mokshi, who dwells within you. A being like me loves knowledge even if I don't enjoy humans who certainly represent the innovative drive that the spirits lack. I intend to propose something to you. But not in the company of humans... and the Avatar."
"So... what do you want us to do?" Nik questioned.
Wan Shi Tong fell silent and then he stepped sideways on his talons and gave the group a wide berth.
"Humans, what do you see?" He questioned.
"Books," Sun replied.
"Hey, it might be a trick question. Uh... Ah, I see a... drive and love for books." Rena supplanted.
"I see no treasure, so whatever," Sokka rubbed his brows. All his excitement had been for nothing.
"Oh, I'm blind. Don't mind me," Toph smiled sweetly and let her milky and blank green eyes stare into Wan Shi Tong's pitch black ones as he got the feeling that despite sensing no falsehood in the girl's words, he was being distinctly observed by her.
Not amused by the human's need for humor in tense situations, Wan Shi Tong's feathers ruffled the slightest bit and he calmly commented, "My library holds stories, journals, manuals, and much more since the beginning of humanity. Are you so dull as to not find anything of interest?"
The group's expression finally shifted and the owl noted as such.
"Hmm, good. To enter my library, you each must present a gift of your own that would be placed in my study. Now I have allowed you to understand what you stand to gain, and what you must do to enter it. If still not interested, I would ask you all to leave aside from him... you may leave after hearing my situation.
If you do end up entering my library, know this, not a single line of knowledge gained from this library must be used to cause destruction to anyone."
The group looked at one another. Wan Shi Tong had been quite articulate and explained things clearly. And with the way he put it, many including Sokka were interested in exploring the Library.
"Hmm... I suppose we can look around," Sokka was the first to suggest and they agreed except Toph. She felt like she'd truly wasted her time and it would be so if she hadn't gotten a chance to spend time with Nik, enjoying the sights, taking on Lavabending, meeting the Avatar, and getting her booty spanked by her mother... but since the adventure till now had been interesting enough, she finally asked Nik to enter the Personal Space again.
She simply had no business reading books.
"Or," Nik smiled seeing her exhaustion and decided to revel in it, "I can read you things from the library. Now, now, there is no need to leave so soon."
He patted her back comfortingly as Sokka soon followed. He'd been put into an embarrassing position by Toph a few times and four hours had yet to pass since they met one another!
"Excellent! She would do well to read some things. Nik, later, why don't you suggest this to her Mother, too?"
Toph was knowingly pale now, her eyes widening at the sudden and rushing consequences of her actions and misconducts but sadly, there hadn't been a medicine for regret ever.
Skipping over the group's shenanigans and usually the more serious type due to his past and recent choices in life, Sun walked forward and took out a folded piece of paper and presented it forward, "So... this is the list of regions we have traveled till now... if you're interested."
The Owl looked down without saying anything but ended up swiping his wing over Sun's hands as the piece of paper disappeared.
"Hmm... this is a journal I've been reading drafted by some Fire Nation Soldier to understand why they have been wanting to fuck over the world... happens to be due to their superior's orders," Rena took out a small booklet but the owl was a little more interested in the psychological effects of war and a more personal approach to it so he ended up accepting it, too.
"This is my wanted poster," Aang shuffled through the scarf over his shoulder and took out a crumpled piece of paper inked with his face and the details of the young avatar. Scoffing audibly, Wan Shi Tong accepted this, too.
The owl then turns to Toph who questions expectantly, revealing that she can indeed keep track of him, "Can I just stay in this region?"
"No, dear human," The sweetness behind Toph's words when she wanted something out of someone could only be considered amazing, so much so that even Wan Shi Tong's tone softened, "You must either present something of value or leave."
Gritting her teeth, Toph eventually sighed and questioned again, "I can't write anything... would anything interesting yet verbal do?"
At that, the owl spirit didn't let go of the chance to say his name, his title, and brag about it once again, "Dear, I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows Ten Thousand things. If it is verbal but informative, it shall do. I cannot forget anything that I have read, listened to, and witnessed."
'I didn't ask it but alright,' If Toph could say something without it coming back to bite her in the ass, she would, but apparently, the world isn't so tolerant of geniuses like her.
Under the creepy scene of Owl's neck extending until his face was mere centimeters away from Toph, the girl leaned forward without knowing which way the ear of the owl would even be but whispered regardless. Aang and Nik could hear it as she described her Seismic Sense to the best of her ability and finally, Wan Shi Tong retracted his neck and hooted a somber but giddy— "Interesting."
Toph had truly been an unexpected surprise to him.
"You all may pass while I discuss something with Nik."
But this caused some hesitation. Especially for Rena, Aang, and Sokka who had witnessed what spirits are capable of.
"How can we be assured that you won't try to hurt him?" Sokka narrowed his eyes. He may not have known about the Flower of Fertility and its essence that dwells within Mai but he knew enough that in reality, spirits aren't all that better than humans.
"Assurances indeed. I don't wish to harm him. Why? Because harming him means harming my own interests."
"Sorry but it's not enough," Nik spoke finally, "Words can be altered and lied with. And enough spirits with strange if not outright ill intents have contacted me through various means. I will need some more concrete assurances than your word to just let all of them leave."
Narrowing his gaze and strolling around, Wan Shi Tong carefully mulled his options and then cast a glance towards Nik, "Must they be present?"
Was that embarrassment in his tone?
While others wondered, Nik nodded with a sense of finality, "Unless you have some way to assure us."
"That I do not... fine. I suppose it is fitting due to my past arrogance that my humility is witnessed by humans, too."
His chest sunk in for a second, revealing a human likeness of accepting defeat, and began, "I wish to leave..."
Before he could draw another sentence, Nik cut him off and looked at others, "I think I'll be fine alone. You guys should go ahead."
Sokka scoffed at that, "Whatever. You'll have to tell them sooner or later."
If he thought previously that Nik may have explained the REAL truth about him, not the spiritual mumbo jumbo then he wouldn't be acting so jumpy. But then again, it wasn't any of their place to speak. Who knows, maybe Nik might want to stay but may end up getting pushed away due to his open mouth.
Aang nodded at Nik with a smile and walked ahead. Although her lips parted quite a few times, once she was away, Toph decided to pester Sokka and Nik could hear most of it.
"Hey, tell me what's going on!"
"Why ask me? Aren't you doing him? Ask him yourself!"
"So? You know it. Does that mean he's gagging you, too?"
"Oh, my," Rena's amused coo was simply the cherry on top but Nik smiled nonetheless. Sokka's the REAL deal alright.
"I assume most of your friends do not share the knowledge of you, traveler."
"Something like that," Nik sighed softly and looked up, "So? What is it?"
"I intend to leave this world to seek knowledge of different worlds. Although human inventions have been quite the sight, I crave more naturally twisted sights. Spiritual mutations and such. I don't intend to force you into a trade. It will be an equal exchange."
Nik thought for a second and questioned, "And that is?"
"For future possible knowledge, I shall trade with the wealth of knowledge I have gathered now. This library... my study... if you successfully bring me to a new world, I shall trade my library with your service."
"And if I don't intend to return now?" As Nik said this, he could distinctively feel Mokshi scratch against the back of his head akin to a testy cat who'd had enough. But Nik wasn't about to cut the trip short just yet, not until the world itself was about to send attack after an attack to throw him out.
"Then I shall wait," The owl responded calmly.
"Hmm... so all you wanted to do was inform me for the time being. Is that it?"
"It is as you concluded," Wan Shi Tong replied, "I wish to be considered a passenger to another world."
"Fine, I don't mind," Nik shrugged. He still didn't know if he can actually smuggle people to different worlds much less spirits but paying lip service wouldn't hurt him.
"Now, do you intend to stay or leave?"
Nik hummed and brought out the airbending manual Aang had written up, "This, right here is the airbending manual written by Avatar Aang himself."
With a satisfied nod, Wan Shi Tong allowed Nik the entry into his library. Nik didn't need the airbending manual any longer since he had practiced most of it with Aang already.
So, he went ahead and found Rena and Toph quite close, sticking their ears to the shelf yet far away to think that they'd go unnoticed. Glancing at them oddly, Nik just walked by them.
"Don't act like you didn't see us!"
"Yea! Spill the beans!"
Rena and Toph hissed once the former saw his nonchalant expression and the latter sensed him not even stopping for a second.
"Well," Clearing his ear, Nik couldn't help but respond, "It would feel such a waste of a secret if you still hadn't heard it... maybe I will keep it to myself a little longer."
"Then why does that, as Katara put it, Dweeb knows it before me!" Toph demanded.
"Right place, right time... anyway, I'm interested in the spirit world section and the special bending skills section. Be mindful of Wan Shi Tong's rule... spirits can be very dangerous if you irk them the slightest bit."
His heavy tone made the two accept the situation as is. Just like Nik stated, he was interested in knowing what else he can control and since the library's structure was laid out in a way to point to different areas of genres, Nik... and Toph who had soon tagged along found the special bending skills section where Sun was already present.
"Oh, didn't think we'd see you here," Nik smiled. To be honest, Nik may be chummy with Sokka and a friend to Aang but he didn't really have much of a connection with Sun. In fact, they have mostly been on the opposite ends of the spectrum somehow.
"I figured since I can lavabend, there would be others with special bending, too. Like this one here... it's called Combustion Bending. This silent dude almost killed us during the Siege of the Water Tribe." Sun walked up to them and shared the notes in his hands. And so, Nik audibly muttered the contents so that the curious Toph could also hear it.
In essence, this stack of papers seemed to come from some really private location as the secrets of Combustion Bending were laid bare to be a form of special style cultivated once a very unique spirit is contacted. It may be considered a sub-style of Firebending but the truth was like Yue's moonbending and Mai's sensitivity bending, the combustion bending could only be granted to talented individuals by a spirit.
It was interesting, to say the least. Even Toph's interest was now piqued and the trio delved into the shelves out of pure curiosity.
There were notes on sandbending, lavabending, smokebending, and even glassbending!
"Woah!" The trio remarked in an instant once they understood how simple the principle behind glassbending was. It shifted different from the usually stubborn and stable approach of earthbending and guided a bender to push out of their zones of comfort and find the sensation of earth within the glass. Unlike the natural earth, Glass is processed and thus it is not easily bendable due to its shifted properties.
But that wasn't the only thing interesting.
Aang's copy of airbending was already present here without the spirit placing it down which... made Nik a little amazed. Just how did the owl do this? He hadn't physically appeared here to deposit the book.
But soon, his brows were locked in a deep furrow...
Why was Toph's seismic sense already here?
He would have considered that someone before Toph had mastered this ability and written about it but the description was just Toph's quotes on the matter directly without a single change.
The remaining two shared his doubt, too, but Nik suppressed the freaky thoughts when he saw something about lightning bending, and his interest was already piqued again.
There were many firebending manuals, too.
Just when he was thinking of stealing a few manuals to read later... no, to be precise, borrowing the few manuals, the entire structure trembled from outside.
*Thud*
*Thud*
*Thud*
"Humans!" A sharp screech resounded through the entirety of the library as a dark figure flashed past them. Sokka and others had reached the nearest ledge to look towards their point of entrance similar to Nik and found it crumbling slowly but gradually.
"You led them here! You did! I was mistaken to think that Mokshi's vessel and the Avatar would be different but I should have predicted this! Out!"
Two copies of Wan Shi Tong suddenly appeared around the group. One behind Nik and the other one behind Aang as the beast had taken a rather terrifying and aggressive form.
"We didn't lead shit!" Toph pointed at the one behind them and slanted her foot before punching out yet the significant portion of stone only managed to bend the elongated neck of the Spirit. His piercing dark eyes fell on Toph as Nik groaned, "Aang, we're leaving!" He knew that Aang would hear him on the other side before he threw caution to the wind and shot a burst of flames to ruffle up the emotionally unstable owl and rushed past him to directly transfer shelves behind him to his personal space.
*Khnnnnaaaaaa*
A pained screech suddenly echoed from both the carnations of Wan Shi Tong as it suddenly twisted its head 180 and glared at Nik.
*Thud*
*Thud*
As Toph grinned and pulled down a ceiling on the owl, Sun scoffed and turned the Owl's footing to a pool of lava as it let out another piercing shriek!
"This will not do... you stole my knowledge! Like that human scum who burned my reserves on Fire Nation... no, no... not again!" The Owl's somber words resounded within the entire Library and many, many owls began to fly down from the dome of a ceiling.
"What's going on?" Toph called out with a strange expression, unable to comprehend the sudden emergence of unease as Nik rushed towards them, instantly holding Toph, "Sun! Platform!"
Growing, a thick platform instantly shot out from the two ledges, connecting them as Aang and others didn't need a special invitation to rush towards Nik.
They couldn't possibly hope to fight so many carnations of Wan Shi Tong that almost numbered several hundred.
The moment they reached Nik, everyone except him disappeared as he scowled. Like Flower of Fertility, Wan Shi Tong was about to play him a fool!
This library... it was strange. But he knew one thing that even spirits are vulnerable when things get physical and so, with a grin, "The offer still stands, Wan Shi Tong. I'll take you out... but I'm taking my payment now!"
His left hand traced the nearest platform before the library disappeared and every other incarnation of Wan Shi Tong disappeared save for one who lost all his rage and was instead replaced by a dull look. While Nik quickly began working his way up and shielded himself from the terrible downpour of sand, Wan Shi Tong seemed to have even forgotten about flying and continued to fall into the deepest abyss.
Nik had felt something weird going on when Wan Shi Tong had seemingly already organized his most recent pieces of information... but when it suddenly claimed that Nik had stolen his knowledge instead of something material like a shelf or book... that's when it hit Nik that the library was full of shit. And as he looked at Wan Shi Tong fall with a dull gaze, a knowledge spirit reduced to not even knowing how to fly... Nik confirmed his suspicions.
The library and the books and manuals were the physical representation of Wan Shi Tong's knowledge. The spirit probably never intended to complete his part of the deal but that didn't matter to Nik since he didn't trust the spirit in the first place...
'Now... to get out of here and thank the sudden assaulters,' Nik smiled thickly with his expression turning slightly wicked.
---
"In a way... this is a treasure, after all..." Everyone was inside the library now as Sokka commented with a grin, "Too bad someone destroyed the Fire Nation's section... but it's fine this way. I would feel bad if we defeated the Fire Nation with such a heavy advantage."
"What are you saying?" Katara huffed, "Don't they already have a great advantage over us?"
"Great advantage?" Sokka looked at Katara with a smug grin, "We have two Avatars cracking down on them... even with our limited knowledge on them, I think we can pull it off."
While the siblings quarreled, Nik decidedly looked around to see if the Library was strange, too.
Taking care of the Fire Nation troop who had found out the tower of the Library's structure sticking out of the sand was rather easy. Since then, he had retired himself to his Personal Space. Three days have gone by and while Toph had begun to teach Aang earthbending... which had started to drive her nuts, Nik began learning airbending from Avatar whenever possible besides exploring the Library.
Finally, today, Nik encounter a decrepit door unlike others near the basement and entered it with a frown. Again, many shelves greeted his sight but... they felt oddly somber in this dark room.
Others had already found a few stacks of paper outside that seemed to support that this library itself was Wan Shi Tong's storage of knowledge but when he saw an odd crystal ball placed on the desk within the room, Nik couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.
After all, the crystal ball was tagged with the— Center of Consciousness.
Thinking for a brief moment, Nik dove into the surrounding shelves and finally found some damning things about the library and these were definitely Wan Shi Tong's memories.
The Library happened to be an empty husk left by a spirit known as Wandering Knowledge.
The knowledge seekers— the foxes, were actually spiritual beings made from the library and not Wan Shi Tong.
And finally, Nik got to understand that spirits may impart their essence to others but when they are recognized as dead in a way that they need almost impossible conditions to return... they leave behind a husk.
This husk of Wandering Knowledge Spirit acted as a grander brain of sorts. If someone melds their chi into that crystal ball, they would be able to truly learn everything within this library... and if they keep this library outside of their body in a physical form, they'd be able to form Knowledge Seekers who would go out and collect bits and pieces of knowledge. The moment this knowledge is placed on one of the shelves, the knowledge would also become the user's.
Of course, there was another problem. The Library can be damaged if kept outside and would have the same storage at any given point of time... but if Nik absorbs it... he stood to learn just so many things.
Of course, this would be a one-time deal since Nik wouldn't be bringing this library out at all. Wan Shi Tong, he who thought he knew Ten Thousand things couldn't have imagined his consciousness taken away...
So this also brought Nik to two different thoughts, did Wan Shi Tong die, and if yes, did he leave a husk?
And... Nik couldn't help but recall the husk left by Koh. To spirits, both the husk and sharing of a technique were called an essence. But this was merely a difference in naming things.
Koh had given a lasting impression so Nik was definitely curious what his husk may have given him... after all, facing that terrible bastard had only left him with injuries so it was nice knowing that he may get something rewarding from it.
In the end, Nik decided to absorb and make the knowledge his.
After all, even if it's a one-time thing, Nik knew that he stood to learn a lot and it's not like he was keeping his brains out even now... so, aside from learning many things, he would lose out nothing. And, once he properly assimilates with the husk, even Nik would be able to proclaim that he never forgets whatever he sees, hears, or learns...
***
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