Night Without End-Chapter 2 - Fire Spring

Fire Spring is surrounded by rocks, with mist and rosy clouds steaming up, making it especially radiant in this world of perpetual night.

Qin Ming squats down and scoops out a glowing stone from the pool, more lustrous than red coral, with rosy light spreading in all directions.

The Sun Stones used by each household all come from Fire Spring. After the stones extinguish, they can be returned here, where they will regain their original luster after a period of time.

The pool is full of fiery red light, though it shines like magma, it is far less hot than the surface temperature of a human body.

The light on the surface of the pool ripples, and the firelight dances. It is neither real fire nor spring water, but a very special kind of material.

Nowadays, Day is absent, the night is eternal, with only Shallow Night and Deep Night to differentiate.

In such times, Fire Spring becomes extremely important.

Whether it is the mutated crop silver wheat or common agricultural produce like Earth tubers, all crops need the irrigation of Fire Spring to grow.

Moreover, if people do not see Fire Spring all year, they will feel unwell.

In essence, it is the fundamental resource for people's survival.

In this world without Day, one can still discern the four seasons.

Spring and summer are the active periods of Fire Spring; it gushes forth abundantly, sufficient for cultivation.

The winter is the period of depletion; like in Shuangshu Village here, although the light in the pool still shines, it can only be used to nurture the Sun Stones for illumination.

Overall, in the age without Day, people "chase the Fire" to live.

Fire Spring is so conspicuous in the darkness that naturally it attracts the attention of various creatures in the dark, but thankfully, they all have their territories, and most of the time a certain balance is maintained.

Shuangshu Village lacks food, mainly because the harvest season was once attacked by strange birds, whose beaks pass through the ears of wheat like a sickle, leaving behind bare clusters with just one peck.

There have also been ant disasters, and some human factors as well, leading to people nearly starving in the winter.

Now it is Shallow Night, the night is relatively lighter, and occasionally "Earth Light" rises in the distance, making the vague outlines of the dense forest faintly visible.

As for Deep Night, nothing can be seen, all is quiet, the darkness of the night chilling to the bone.

Qin Ming wonders when he can go out to solve the dire food shortage.

He looks into the wilderness, very dark, unable to see distant scenery; the snow has already accumulated past the chest, making the living environment extremely harsh.

Here at the head of the village, Fire Spring casts a bright boundary.

The cold wind sweeps past, and the 1.6-meter-square fire pool shines with rippling light. The black and white trees in the middle shed the accumulated snow with a rustle, twinkling diversely amidst the rosy glow.

The leaves of the two trees have a hint of jade quality, unfazed by the harsh cold; they serve some purpose in summer to repel mosquitoes, but are otherwise of little use.

Qin Ming feels the cold snowflakes from the trees falling on his neck, snaps back to reality, and thinks to himself that he needs to recuperate, as it is quite dangerous outside.

He walks back the way he came, the lights of each household flickering, while the wilderness behind him is pitch-dark, everything withered, as if a giant beast is about to swallow everything.

Standing in the courtyard, Qin Ming exercises with various specific movements, very skilled and smooth, almost like an instinct after many years of practice.

After a while, he is sweaty on his forehead and warms up his body, then he stops.

He enters the room and takes out a miniature Crystal Bottle, only as long as a thumb, finely carved, transparent, and delicate, with a blue liquid containing ice crystals inside.

He watches the blue liquid in the Crystal Bottle carefully in the rosy glow of the Sun Stone.

The delicate vial is engraved with two characters: mineral element.

The liquid inside is intoxicatingly blue, creating a dreamlike fog within the bottle as it's gently shaken.

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Qin Ming resists the urge to open the small bottle, as he has just recovered from a serious illness, and using the blue liquid now would be more harmful than beneficial.

This was unexpectedly acquired in the dangerous mountains, and before this, he had only heard of mineral elements, never having access to such a precious substance.

When used after the body has been adjusted to the best state, it can improve physique and replenish Spirit.

He's been ill since he escaped from the mountains and has never had a chance to try it.

"In a few more days, I might be able to make use of it," says Qin Ming as he carefully stores the exquisitely crafted Crystal Bottle.

The cold wind blows through, and sparse snowflakes flutter down.

Qin Ming lives alone, and the quiet yard is very empty, even desolate.

He has gotten used to it.

As time passes, the night grows deeper, and Shallow Night is about to end.

Lu Ze arrives, accompanied by a five-year-old boy, wrapped up tightly but with cheeks red from the cold.

"Little Wenrui has grown taller again," Qin Ming gestures the boy's height.

"Uncle, are you feeling better?" asks Lu Wenrui, looking up with large, clear eyes, the picture of innocent cuteness.

Qin Ming smiles back: "No problem now. In a few days, I'll catch you the talking sparrow you've been thinking about."

"A talking sparrow that can converse with people? Really? That's great!" Little Wenrui's eyes gleam with happiness upon hearing this.

"Something's not right outside lately," Lu Ze says, handing over a food box to Qin Ming, telling him not to rush outside.

Though Rock Rice is somewhat rough and hard to the taste, Qin Ming's mouth waters. With only two meals a day, he is indeed hungry. To his surprise, the Rock Rice even contains some red dates, especially soft, smooth, and deliciously sweet.

Qin Ming notices Little Wenrui staring intently and swallowing deliberately.

Feeling guilty, Qin Ming squats down and asks, "Wenrui, tell Uncle, are you still hungry?"

Lu Ze shakes his head: "That's not it, he's surely looking at the red dates."

Qin Ming promptly picks out a few red dates and offers them to the beautiful yet simple little boy to eat.