Xi Ming Dong had already sketched out everything he considered necessary. Looking at the drawings before him, he nodded and said:
"This should be good enough. Even though something feels a bit off, as long as it helps me remember the important feeling I had by the river, it's fine."
Afterward, he headed back to the cave. Along the way, he couldn't stop thinking about how to present a dictionary in the clearest way possible.
God, stepping outside, encountered him and asked:
"What's wrong? You seem troubled."
Hearing the voice, Xi Ming Dong turned his head to look and frowned:
"Have you been following me?"
"Ah, why say such a thing? I just saw it was getting late, and you hadn't returned yet, so I came to check on you." God replied with a smile.
Xi Ming Dong heard that and trusted him... of course he doesn't.
He wasn't foolish. He knew God was curious about what he was up to.
"You've likely noticed already." he began.
"I've created an alphabet—a collection of all the characters I'll use to represent our language. I plan to make a dictionary to present every word in written form. But I've run into a problem: I don't know what material is large and convenient enough to write everything on. I want to teach this to everyone, so carving it on stone isn't an option."
He spoke honestly, knowing God wouldn't directly tell him what to do but might offer a useful hint. If not, he'd figure it out himself.
"Oh, so you've done all that in just two days? Saying you're as productive as an entire era wouldn't be an exaggeration. So, what's your opinion on carving it onto stone?"
"How to say this? Ah, it's not very convenient. While carving, some parts of the stone break, making the letters unclear. This is hard to control, at least for me. Moreover, I feel it's not engaging enough to draw people's attention."
Xi Ming Dong had noticed these issues since he first attempted writing on stone.
But at the time, there hadn't been any alternatives, so he didn't dwell on them.
God thought for a moment - not to withhold information but because he truly didn't know much about this subject.
To enhance his own experience, he refrained from knowing unnecessary details, allowing himself to figure out nearly everything from scratch.
God remained silent for a moment before speaking:
"Think about how you would like writing to be presented. If you have no clues, start with your own desires."
This was the only response God could come up with at the moment - he genuinely didn't know how to solve this problem.
Frankly, God's intelligence at this point might lag far behind Xi Ming Dong's.
If not for his unique status, he would have no chance of matching Xi Ming Dong's intellect.
Hearing this, Xi Ming Dong seriously considered what he wanted. After a while, he said:
"I want writing to have colors to capture attention. I also want the material to write on to be compact, light, and easy to carry anywhere. The combination of the writing tool and the medium should be extremely convenient and straightforward for learners."
"Honestly, you're quite extraordinary. Even if I hadn't shown up, you would have managed to create some useful things on your own." God remarked.
This wasn't too much but simply the truth.
If God hadn't guided him or revealed that the future held endless possibilities, Xi Ming Dong might have remained just a slightly smarter-than-average primitive man.
Possessing a treasure without knowing its worth is no different from holding trash.
Even the most talented person can't progress if they don't know there's a path to walk.
"Instead of the compliments, say something more useful." Xi Ming Dong replied.
He showed no hesitation or fear when speaking to God.
He understood that God enjoyed meddling for entertainment, and what amused God was often ordinary to humanity.
"Something more useful? Then let me ask you this: you've probably seen many colors before, right? So think about what colorful thing could help you write."
Hearing this, Xi Ming Dong fell into deep thought. Memories resurfaced, and suddenly his eyes widened.
"Ashes!"
He recalled how, on several occasions, when he roasted fish to eat, he had accidentally touched ashes.
The result was that his hands were pitch black - and quite difficult to wash clean.
"If it's ashes, that might work. But does that mean you'll have to burn wood every time you want to write?" God asked.
"Why are you asking me? I just realized ashes can leave black marks." Xi Ming Dong replied, his face twitching slightly.
He felt as though God saw him as someone who knew everything. But in truth, he knew nothing right now.
He had only just thought of using ashes, he hadn't figured out what exactly to do with them yet.
"Let me think about it for a bit. This isn't something I can solve quickly. I'll need to experiment tomorrow. But as for what surface to write on, I still have no ideas. Hopefully, I can come up with something that makes the writing stand out." he added.
Hearing this, God also tried to think of a solution, but no matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind. He chuckled and said:
"Ha ha, I give up on this one. Honestly, I don't have any extraordinary knowledge either. Aside from a few necessary topics and some information about the beginning, I know nothing at all."
"That's fine. You've already helped me enough. I'll figure out the rest on my own. Let's head back, it's getting dark." Xi Ming Dong said.
He felt satisfied. Initially, he had planned to go back and sleep, but this unexpected insight felt like a small victory.
To him, God's first conversation with him was enough to guide him for a lifetime.
All he needed to know was that there was a path ahead, and he could walk it on his own without needing anyone to lead him.
Watching Xi Ming Dong's retreating figure, God smiled and thought:
"This kid is advancing at an insane pace. Is this what they call the child of destiny? I wonder how long he'll survive, though. Humanity is so far from immortality right now. But he'll probably outlive me. After all, this body I've chosen is honestly pretty lousy."
As these thoughts passed through God's mind, he followed behind the boy. And just like that, the two of them wrapped up another day.