Before he could even ask, his teammate proactively spoke up. Xi Ming Dong happily nodded and said:
"Great, that's fantastic! With your help, we'll be able to accomplish so much more in no time. First, let me teach you the alphabet. Once you've got the hang of it, you can help me complete the dictionary. Oh, but we need to figure out what tools to use first—I don't even know what to write the dictionary on."
Hearing this, she pondered for a moment before replying:
"For now, I haven't figured out what surface we could write on. Ash can make a decent black pigment, and it sticks pretty well. But what would be the best surface to write on? Oh well, let's focus on learning the letters first."
"Good! I've arranged the alphabet in an order that's easy to read. Try this and see if it works for you. Listen to it once first.
a, b, c, d, e, f, g.
h, i, j, k.
l, m, n, o, p.
q, r, s.
t, u, v.
w, x.
y, and z."
She froze for a moment and then asked:
"Does it have a melody? It's surprisingly easy to follow."
She repeated it once, imitating what he said. After practicing a few more times, she roughly memorized the alphabet's characters.
"Not bad! You're picking it up quickly. I've already tried putting together a few words. Let me share my experience with you." Xi Ming Dong said with satisfaction.
This teammate of his was absolutely amazing.
He felt like his luck was sky-high today, meeting someone this capable out of nowhere.
After a while, she had a general understanding of how to form words using written letters.
At the same time, Xi Ming Dong brought up the idea of giving her a name.
"You should have a name too. I think it would be a good idea."
"A name? I don't need one for now. When I actually create something meaningful, I'll choose a name related to that." she replied.
A name wasn't necessary unless it carried significance. She hadn't made any contributions or achieved anything yet, so why would she need a name?
The people in the tribe had lived just fine without names for generations.
If she were to pick a name, it should be after making enough contributions for it to mean something.
"Fair enough, it's up to you. It's not an urgent matter anyway. So, what do you think about the tools we should use to present the dictionary?" Xi Ming Dong asked.
Compared to a name, solving the dictionary problem was far more important.
She pondered for a moment before asking:
"Do you have any specific ideas or preferences in mind?"
Xi Ming Dong thought for a long while before shaking his head and replying:
"Besides being lightweight and portable, I can't think of anything else. Oh, wait! It also needs to make the writing stand out."
Upon hearing the second point, she suddenly had an idea. She said:
"What do you think about contrasting colors? A bright background paired with dark text would definitely make the writing stand out. Ash is black, which is a dark color, so we need a bright surface to highlight the text.
Xi Ming Dong nodded in agreement. Her suggestion made perfect sense. But what could serve as a bright surface suitable for writing?
At that moment, both of them were stuck on the same question, each searching for an answer.
After some time, as they paced around, she glanced down at her clothing made from tree bark. Suddenly, she recalled the process involved, and her eyes lit up with excitement.
"I've got it—tree bark!"
Xi Ming Dong was taken aback by her suggestion. He had never considered tree bark before. From what he knew, tree bark didn't look bright at all.
"What do you mean by that? How can tree bark be bright?"
"Just peel off the bark and remove the thin outer layer. You'll see."
She didn't bother explaining further. Judging by his reaction, it was clear he'd never seen it before.
Instead of wasting time on words, she figured it was better to let him see for himself. After all, he wasn't blind.
"But which tree bark should we use? Are all tree barks the same color?"
This genuinely puzzled Xi Ming Dong. Although he had seen tree bark clothing before, he had no idea what the bark looked like before it was processed.
"Ah, let's use mulberry bark. I know a spot with mature trees that we can harvest bark from. While we're at it, we can check if there's any fruit to eat. Oh, and make sure to prepare a sharp stone so we can strip the bark more easily." she explained.
He nodded and began following her advice. First, he needed to find a suitable stone. If it wasn't sharp enough, he could grind it to a finer edge.
Just as they were getting ready to head to the mulberry trees, someone approached them. It was a strong man, seemingly as old as the two of them combined.
Seeing the pair, the man asked:
"Hey, where are you two headed?"
"We're going to gather mulberry tree bark." Xi Ming Dong replied.
Hearing this, the young man scratched his head and said:
"Huh? You're a man, so why aren't you training to become a warrior? Why are you competing with women for their work?"
...
The atmosphere grew a bit awkward.
Xi Ming Dong really wanted to curse, but he decided to explain things patiently instead:
"Follow me for a bit. I'll show you something."
The young man, still looking confused, followed him.
They stopped in front of a rock with letters carved into it. The young man chuckled and said:
"Did you draw this? It looks so simple. I could copy this easily just by looking at it."
"This is the alphabet. It's our language turned into a written form. Let me guide you through it."
.....
After a long explanation of how to read the letters and their meanings, Xi Ming Dong also brought up the concept of God.
The purpose of discussing God was to emphasize the importance of thinking and questioning.
After all, the young man was much stronger than Xi Ming Dong, and having a powerful teammate wouldn't bad.
At this point, Xi Ming Dong asked:
"What do you think? Isn't this important?"
The young man scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said:
"I get it now. When we go hunting unexpectedly, we could leave messages for others through writing. This is really useful!"
"Exactly. But to complete the dictionary, I need proper tools to present the letters clearly. Right now, I'm testing if mulberry tree bark could be used for this."
"Really? Let me come along. I'm strong—I can help."
But hearing this, Xi Ming Dong asked:
"Aren't you supposed to be hunting or doing something else?"
"Not at the moment. We've had a good harvest these past few days, and there's enough food to last a while. If we keep hunting, it'll just go to waste, so we're taking a break."
"Well, in that case, let's go together."
With that, the three of them set off toward the mulberry trees the girl had mentioned.