Gift for Wen Jingguo and the Old Man
"Greetings, Esteemed Master." Matthias straightened up and turned to face the old man and cupped his fist.
"Oh? How can you say that I am an Esteemed Master?" The old man said laughingly but in fluent chinese.
"Speak in English. My grandson wouldn't be able to-" Old Man Manresa was going to reprimand the other old man when..
"Only an Esteemed Master can hide his presence with his scholarly aura." Matthias answered, but in fluent and harmonized Old Chinese.
Old Man Manresa and the other old man gasped. The old man looked at Old Man Manresa with bafflement, "You didn't tell me that your grandson is fluent in Archaic Chinese?"
"I am also clueless!" Old Man Manresa shook his head. "When did you learn Chinese, Matthias?"
"In my coma." Matthias answered truthfully.
"Wow. That's a blessing in disguise, I guess?" The old man laughed wryly.
"This is Wen Jingguo, the old patriarch of the Wen Family in China. Say hello to your Grandpa Wen." Old Man Manresa introduced the old man to Matthias.
"Greetings, Grandpa Wen. Jingguo having the meaning of a mighty ruler, your name says a lot about you. Leading the Wen Family to greatness, and making the family rise to the top echelons of China, you do have the traits of a mighty person." Matthias spoke Old Chinese fluently and poetically that the two old men can't process anything.
"Haha!" Suddenly, Old Man Manresa laughed wholeheartedly, "My grandson is a genius! My Manresa Family is blessed!"
"I am jealous, My friend." Wen Jingguo chuckled half-heartedly, "But congratulations!" He smiled.
"I wanted to present this to Grandfather on his birthday, but since Grandpa Wen is here, I shall give this to you." Matthias said and he opened his bag.
Wen Jingguo widened his eyes while Old Man Manresa gasped, "Why? You don't have anything to give this old man on his birthday anymore?" He asked incredulously.
"I shall also give something to grandfather in advance, I guess." Matthias chuckled. He then took his hand out with a long rectangle box.
"Open it, Grandpa Wen. I know you'll like it." Matthias smiled.
Wen Jingguo immediately opened it and inside, an old and well maintained bamboo scroll was inside. Wen Jingguo was curious so he carefully opened it. When he read the contents that were written in Zhou script, he was dumbfounded.
"This scroll…" Wen Jingguo stammered, "Is it a personal writing of Jiang Ziya?"
"Yes, Grandpa Wen." Matthias nodded. Wen Jingguo broke down. He held the scroll as if it was a god, "This is a writing from one of the earliest strategists, loyal to Kings Wen and Wu. A treasure that China will be willing to get with anything in their power."
"Thank you for this gift, Little Matthias." Wen Jingguo smiled and bowed slightly.
Matthias smiled and accepted the bow. He then looked at the upset Old Man Manresa, "What you gave to him is invaluable. What are you going to give to me? I wouldn't accept anything below the value of that scroll." The old man pouted.
Seeing that, Matthias chuckled but quickly returned to his serious face. He looked at Grandpa Wen with hesitance. Grandpa Manresa looked at his expression and said, "The Wen Family has been a stout ally of our family since the 16th century. You need not worry."
Matthias breathed in, "Then, to prevent greed taking over anyone, I request for rules to be established secretly within the family."
Seeing his solemn face, Grandpa Manresa was now curious, "Now, now. You could request whatever you want."
"First," Matthias raised his index finger, "No one other than the two grandpas, the patriarchs, and the future heirs must know the existence of this gift."
Grandpa Wen and Manresa nodded.
"Second, protect the secret of this item securely." Matthias said and revealed a key.
"This is it? It doesn't even look old." Grandpa Manresa said, baffled.
"Third, Nothing that surpasses the realm of this world must come out of that place."
"I request for the two of you to follow me." Matthias said and stood up. He went to the door and aligned the key to a non-existent keyhole.
Suddenly, something baffling happened that shocked the two old men.
A keyhole magically emerged from the door. Matthias keyed it and unlocked the door. Behind was a portal.
"What in the heavens is this?" Grandpa Wen cried out.
"An entrance to a realm of knowledge." Matthias said and entered the portal.
Grandpa Wen and Manresa also nodded with determination and entered.
Then, they appeared inside the Hall of Knowledge.
Denos was behind the desk, writing something. He saw Matthias and bowed.
"Welcome, Grandpa Wen and Grandfather, to the Hall of Knowledge, encompassing the Knowledge of all realms." Matthias raced his hands and welcomed them. He also waved his hand to dismiss Denos.
"Amazing." Grandpa Manresa gasped.
"The air is filled with the smell of papers and books." As a literati, Grandpa Wen was sensitive to the smells of books so he smelled it immediately. Grandpa Manresa was immersed in the surroundings so much that he forgot to breathe.
"You could go and read all you like. If you're lucky, you might see scholars from all different timelines." Matthias said and let them do what they want.
The two old men nodded and explored the hall. Matthias went up and visited Bai Xia.
"Are you doing okay here? Do you need a fresh breather?" Matthias asked her.
"I'm doing fine, Father. The ventilation here is great and the air comes from God's Land so it's very rich. Thank you for all of these, Father." She smiled sweetly.
"It is for you, Dear." Matthias smiled and caressed her hair. "I got to go. Watch Denos for me." He chuckled and left.
"Will do." She nodded.
He went to Old Man Manresa.
"Grandfather, I forgot to tell you that you and Grandpa Wen only have three hours here." Matthias said, "Would you please cover for me once you're outside? I need to stay here for a day, so I won't be able to go out."
Hearing that there's a time limit, Grandpa Manresa panicked and just nodded at him. He went to a Patrol and asked where the literary arts are located and the Patrol teleported him there.
Now that Matthias has an excuse, it is time to visit his domain.