Chapter Eleven: Lord Kami and Misaka Mitate

Qi looked at the black cat in surprise—did she know this thing? Before he could speak, the black cat spoke again, “Isn’t this the treasure I lost ten thousand years ago during the great war between gods and demons? No wonder it holds clues to returning home,” she said with a wicked curl of her lips.

Qi snorted at the black cat, “I was foolish to expect something from you. Did you immediately claim it as yours? If you have the ability, try taking it for yourself.” He gave the black cat a sideways glance, then held the glass orb and circled the Qi Codex, watching as the pointer always moved toward the Codex.

After pondering for a moment, Qi showed a resolute expression, lightly tossing the glass orb toward the Codex. Strangely, as soon as the orb touched the Codex, it merged seamlessly into it—and then nothing happened. No pillar of light shot to the sky, no thunder rolled, not even a flicker of radiance.

Qi and the black cat exchanged bewildered glances, lost as to what to do. Helpless, Qi cautiously reached out to touch the Codex. He felt its hard texture—nothing unusual occurred. He turned his wrist, gripped the edge, and picked it up.

The scene was utterly silent; the old village chief’s mouth hung open, his eyes nearly popping out. Qi, stunned for a moment, withdrew his hand and held the Codex up to examine it carefully. Aside from feeling metallic, there was nothing remarkable.

“My treasure has finally returned to me. Let me see if it still holds any use,” the black cat said, curiously reaching out to take a look. Yet her hand passed right through the Codex without the slightest sensation. She paused, tried again, but her hand pierced through as if the Codex were a phantom—though Qi held it firmly in his grasp. How could this be?

The black cat stared at Qi in frustration, “Hmph, after ten thousand years you’ve forgotten me? Watch out, or I’ll have you reforged from scratch.”

Qi waved the Codex a few times; it swayed with his movements. He could feel the metallic texture, clearly a tangible object. He handed it to the old village chief to touch, but like the black cat, his hand passed straight through.

So it was peculiar—only he could touch it? Was it because his name was Qi? Or was it because he had placed the glass orb inside? Never mind that for now; the most pressing matter was figuring out how to use the Codex to help the black cat return home. After much study, he found no clue.

“Perhaps it needs to recognize an owner. In games and books, treasures must acknowledge their master before they can be used,” the black cat suggested.

“Indeed, some tales do mention this, with blood recognition being the most common,” Qi said, his mind opening to the possibility. Holding the Codex in his left hand, he placed his right above it; his index finger split open, and a drop of blood fell, piercing time and space to land precisely on the Codex. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Though it sounded exaggerated, all three held their breath, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, a strange voice echoed from the Codex: “Beautiful lady, come over here. Beautiful lady, how much do you want? Beautiful lady, let’s share a bed…”

The three were stunned, their grave mood shattered.

“Hey, who are you? It’s midday and you’re disturbing my sleep. If there’s nothing important, I’m hanging up. Honestly, I just pulled an all-nighter watching new anime and barely got any sleep. Click. Beep… beep… beep…”

“…”
“…”
“…”
Page 1/3

“You’ve got to be kidding me—is this thing just a phone? And who was that shut-in on the other side? Are my clues for going home just… a phone call? Am I supposed to chat my way back?” The black cat couldn’t hold back her exasperation.

“Black cat, calm down. It seems you know a bit about this—can you explain it to me? I’m still confused. A phone is that thing you mentioned before, that transmits voices over thousands of miles, right? And what’s a shut-in?” Qi soothed the black cat, puzzled.

“Ahem, sorry, sorry, my head was fuzzy just now. Ahem, I am the highest existence in this world. You may call me Creator or Lord God. For what reason have you summoned me?” The previous voice spoke again from the Codex.

Qi and the black cat exchanged glances. “Very well, Lord God, how can I return to my own home?” The black cat refrained from further sarcasm, intent on business.

“Ah, I understand now. The Codex possesses the ability to traverse time and space. The boundary-crossing orb has already recorded your original world’s coordinates. Now, you only need to provide the energy required for crossing, and you can return,” said the Lord God.

“How is energy provided? And how much is needed for one crossing?” the black cat pressed, not noticing Qi’s thoughtful gaze.

“Anything containing energy will do. Otherwise, you can infuse your own internal power or spiritual force. The Codex will store the energy, and once enough is accumulated, you can cross. The amount varies per person; the Codex will inform you,” the Lord God replied lazily.

Qi thought for a moment, then slapped his storage pouch, producing a red jade, which he tossed into the Codex. It was promptly absorbed. On the black frame, “Energy +1” appeared.

“Just one point?” Qi frowned.

“One point for a stone is good enough,” the black cat said, picking up several pebbles from the ground and throwing them at the Codex. Qi started to stop her, but reconsidered—more experiments couldn’t hurt.

The pebbles were absorbed, but then the frame displayed, “This is not a landfill.” The stones were promptly spat out, hitting the black cat right in the forehead; Qi’s hand failed to intercept.

“Ow, why does Qi succeed but I fail? Is it because the stones aren’t big enough?” the black cat grumbled, rubbing her head, eyes moist.

“I didn’t use ordinary stones—they’re treasures I scavenged after defeating that cultivator. They’re like currency among cultivators, containing immense energy,” Qi explained.

“Hmph, I knew that. I was just running an experiment. How many more of those stones do you have?” the black cat asked, turning away.

“No more than a hundred. Try and see how many energy points are needed for crossing. If it’s enough, good; if not, we’ll think of something,” Qi suggested.

The black cat nodded, then… “What should I do?” She realized she didn’t know the specific method.

Page 2/3

“Try touching the Codex. No, wait—let’s ask Lord God first,” Qi suddenly thought; what if the Codex consumed the black cat as energy? Though unlikely, he dared not risk it. “Lord God, what’s the exact method for crossing?”

“…heh… hmm…” Soft snoring came from the Codex.

“Asleep… he’s fallen asleep.” Qi was amused and exasperated, unsure whether to wake Lord God.

“Lord God has gone to sleep, so Misaka will take his place and answer your questions. Misaka laughs secretly for having stolen Lord God’s authority and reveals his quirks,” came a girl’s voice from the Codex, self-identified as Misaka, speaking in a flat tone but with bizarre words.

“Another oddball?” Qi and the black cat muttered inwardly. “May I ask your name, and what’s the exact method for crossing?” Qi asked.

“Call me Lady Misaka. The method is to touch the Codex with part of your body, then the Codex’s master shouts, ‘Long live Lady Misaka, let’s cross!’ The Codex will then ask how many points are needed. Misaka is delighted to be called Lady Misaka for the first time and smugly adds ‘Long live Misaka’ to the slogan,” she replied, still in her emotionless voice laden with oddities.

“Uh, thank you, Lady Misaka. Black cat, give it a try!” Armed with the information, Qi motioned for the black cat to proceed. She nodded, touched the Codex, and Qi, mistrusting the unreliable girl, merely thought “cross” in his mind.

He was right to do so. The Codex displayed, “To cross, 100 energy points are required; current energy: 1. Unable to cross.” Qi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Counting the higher-quality spirit stone just gained and the odds and ends in his storage pouch, he should be able to gather 100 points.

Qi glanced at the village chief; the old man caught his eye and immediately broke out in cold sweat. “Master Qi, the Codex’s peculiarity includes causing people to forget; once I leave this ancestral hall, I’ll immediately forget everything, never leaking a word,” the chief nearly kneeled, wiping his tears.

“Indeed. Not just him—once you put away the Codex, anyone will forget all related memories. The weaker they are, the more thorough the forgetting; the strongest at least forget the Codex’s existence. Misaka explains, hoping for a reward of pastries,” Misaka chimed in.

“That’s convenient—at least I won’t be targeted for carrying a treasure. But I want to ask, why me? Many have come to claim the Codex, why choose me?” Qi relaxed, then frowned, casually tossing a box of pastries bought by the black cat into the Codex.

He felt his origins must be linked to the Codex; the Lord God or Misaka surely knew, perhaps even responsible for placing him in this village. He couldn’t ask directly, so he probed instead.

“Misaka doesn’t know. Just that Lord God occasionally checks on you, and a silver-haired woman watches your situation day and night, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing. Misaka is satisfied with the pastries; some fine black tea would be perfect,” Misaka said, nonchalantly and with a hint of suggestion.

True to Qi’s expectations, Misaka revealed useful information.

Page 3/3