Kong Fei

"Are you a crystallizer, too?" Han Sen asked. The man did look like a crystallizer.

"Of course not. How could I be one of the races that were unable to even light up one lantern inside the geno hall?" The man shook his head, as if he had been mocked by the suggestion.

The man looked at them and said, "If the crystallizers are not extinct, why haven't you gone to the Crystal Palace to practice? Why are you here on Kate?"

"Crystal Palace? Why would we need to go there to practice?" Han Sen and Stay Up Late asked in confusion. They weren't too sure what the man was talking about.

The man looked at the both of them as if he was looking at a couple of orphans, and he said, "It looks like the crystallizers have survivors, yes, but you don't know their proper glory. Fret not, for it is not your fault. They wagered that their race could light up a lantern in the geno hall. But they didn't, and they were subsequently destroyed. It is lucky for a meager few to have survived."

Stay Up Late bowed before the man and said, "What is your name? Can we talk about the tales of the crystallizers?"

"My name is Kong Fei. Kong means peacock, and Fei means to fly." The man then went on to say, "I wouldn't mind telling you guys, but I don't have the time. There is something pressing I must attend to. If you would like to listen, and have the time, I can tell you as I walk."

"We have the time, sir. Where are you going?" Stay Up Late asked Kong Fei.

"Don't call me sir, just call me Kong Fei. But I have heard Planet Kate has a mine near Mosi Mountain. There is a rare ore there. So, I want to try my luck in finding some," Kong Fei said, straightening his posture.

Han Sen and Stay Up Late followed, for they both wished to listen to stories of the crystallizers. Stay Up Late was a crystallizer, but he didn't know much about his people's history. Han Sen was curious about the race, as well. Humans came from them.

"Brother Kong, you said we should travel to the Crystal Palace. Where and what is that?" Stay Up Late asked as he walked. "My car is nearby. Get in and we'll talk." Kong Fei laughed.

After walking for a while, they saw a car parked on the road off the mountain. But Han Sen and Stay Up Late swiftly looked depressed. The man was actually driving a tractor, one without an interior.

Kate had a very strange mix of technologies. It was difficult to find something like this anywhere else.

Kong Fei started up the tractor, and he hopped onto the driver's seat. Han Sen and Stay Up Late sat on either side, clutching a handle.

"How awesome is my car?" Kong Fei laughed as the tractor blazed dusty trails across the roads at high speed.

Stay Up Late inched closer to him, and asked something. He had to say it loudly, though, otherwise the engine of the tractor would overwhelm his voice.

"I've only heard about it, but the Crystal Palace is where the crystallizers were born. If that is true, it might be perfect for you to head there to practice. But after the crystallizers lost, many other races have laid claim to the place. Now, Crystal Palace belongs to Holy Heaven. It is controlled by a Duke, and it is a difficult place to reach," Kong Fei said, after a moment of thought.

Stay Up Late, hearing what he said, asked, "How did we lose? Who destroyed us?"

"What? You want revenge?" Kong Fei squinted his eyes.

"If I was capable, of course I would," Stay Up Late said calmly.

Kong Fei laughed and said, "To me, it does not matter."

"Why?" Han Sen asked Kong Fei, while he thought to himself, "I have searched for so long on the internet, yet I was unable to find anything out about the crystallizers. This guy knows a lot, and he says things like this. Did this guy's race destroy the crystallizers?"

"I have only heard about the crystallizers through others. I don't know if my claims have been fact-checked, but the truth in what I say is up to you to decide." Kong Fei smiled, and went on to say, "You have heard about the glorious geno hall, yes?

All the races light up a lantern there, so that they can leave their name. It is a glory for their entire race, and it can fortify the genes of the race. It allows them all to improve and evolve easier."

"To be able to leave behind a name, that is something that every race desires. But the geno hall only has a small pit, and there aren't many locations for you to light up a fire. It is already full, and if someone else wants to light one, they'd have to claim the flame of others for themselves." Kong Fei eyed both Stay Up Late and Han Sen.

They weren't stupid, and they understood what he meant.

"You mean, the crystallizers tried to take a spot for themselves. But they lost without putting up a fight?" Stay Up Late asked.

Kong Fei nodded and said, "That is what I hear, yes. But as for the full truth, you would have to ask the crystallizers themselves, or at least those of the conquering race."

"Brother Kong, do you know which race was responsible for our destruction?" Han Sen asked.

Kong Fei thought for a moment, and then said, "Let me think... They were called demon-something."

The three of them talked as they rolled along. Kong Fei only knew bits about various things, and nothing he said seemed to mesh seamlessly.

Plus, this wasn't first-hand information. He claimed everything he knew, he had heard from others. They couldn't be sure if what they were being told was the truth. Some things he said did indeed sound ridiculous and seemed like they came right out of a storybook. So, they focused on listening to what he said, alongside a bucket of salt.

"Brother Kong, what is your race?"

Kong Fei spoke about how great his race was, but he never told them the name. Stay Up Late felt compelled to ask.

"Mine? Yesno." Kong Fei laughed.

Han Sen and Stay Up Late had never heard of a race like that before, but judging from his looks, it didn't seem like one of the higher tiers.

The tractor was still blitzing down the road, and Han Sen and Stay Up Late were starting to think about whether they should go back. Kong Fei had no more information, so it was pointless to follow him any further.

But then, the tractor came to a halt. There were lots of creatures on the road, Kates more than others. But strangely, there were two Feathers leading them.

Han Sen frowned, and he didn't feel good about what he was seeing. It was strange to see Feathers occupying a rather under-developed place.

Han Sen looked at the pair, and he noticed they were both men. They looked cold like Xina had, and they stared back at the three on the tractor.