Chapter 9 The Strongest Skeleton
"That's about it."
Lin Yun wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead and looked at the giant egg floating in the void.
The eggshell shimmered with iridescent light, the orange-red of dragon's breath, the pearly white of the shell membrane, and the seven colors of glass flowing across its surface.
It has dragon scale-like patterns, but they are not ferocious; instead, they resemble the wavy edges of potato chips.
There were also loose threads embroidered with red scarves, oil stains from instant noodle soup, and the mesh pattern of a vegetable basket.
The yolk inside slowly rotates, like a beating heart.
Occasionally, it will give a soft "thump," much like the sound of a heartbeat when one is nervous.
"Now it's time to inject the 'first wisp of consciousness,' which will determine Fanes' personality after his birth."
Anan suggested.
"Use the original prayer of Orphism, the most orthodox one— 'Awaken from the egg of chaos, with light as your spear and shadow as your shield, rule over all things, and none shall disobey.'"
Lin Yun shook his head and lightly tapped his temple with his long cane.
A vivid memory surfaced.
That was when he first entered university and stayed up all night in the library.
To finish my thesis, it was 3 a.m., and the coffee on my desk had gone completely cold.
A senior student I didn't know—I later learned she was from the next department—handed me a cup of hot milk, the cup still warm from her hand.
"Don't overwork yourself, your health is the most important thing."
The senior student's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the library.
The senior student put down the milk and left.
Lin Yun didn't even have a chance to say thank you.
This memory has no divine power, but it carries a warm sense of kindness.
The sweet aroma of that milk still lingers in my nose when I think of it.
The moment this memory touched the cosmic egg, the eggshell suddenly emitted a pleasant buzzing sound.
A line of tiny characters appeared on the surface of the eggshell.
It wasn't obscure divine script, but a line of elegant Greek letters.
"Every universe should have some unexpected warmth."
Several small bubbles appeared around the writing.
Inside are "thank you" messages written by different people.
Some things Lin Yun didn't say aloud, and some things others said to others.
There was even a small dog wagging its tail at a passerby who was giving it water.
Then, the word "thank you" appeared in the bubble.
"this..."
Anan was somewhat surprised.
She had witnessed countless creation rituals, but she had never seen the Cosmic Egg resonate so strongly with "non-divine memories".
"How could a mortal's small act of kindness resonate with a creation artifact?"
"God hasn't experienced 'unintentional goodness' for too long."
Lin Yun smiled and pointed his staff at the cosmic egg.
"Orphism says that 'all things originate from love,' but this love should not be just a grand, primordial love."
"For example, 'I created you, so you should respect me' should also have this kind of warmth, like handing someone a glass of milk."
"It's not about seeking anything in return, it's not about wanting to rule, it's simply about 'you seem to need this'."
Looking at the writing on the eggshell, Lin Yun suddenly remembered the temperature of that glass of milk.
"You know what? Later, I kept thinking about running into that senior in the library."
I wanted to return her a cup of hot milk, but I never saw her again.
"But every time I stay up late, I make myself a cup of hot milk, just like she did for me."
......
The cosmic egg began to vibrate violently.
The cracks on the eggshell became increasingly clear, making a soft "crackling" sound.
It felt like someone was inside, gently tapping the eggshell.
Lin Yun could sense a powerful consciousness awakening inside the egg.
That consciousness carried the majesty of a deity, like the rising sun, impossible to look directly at, yet it also faintly revealed a hint of... curiosity?
It's like a child seeing snow for the first time, wanting to reach out and catch it, but afraid of getting cold.
"Soon."
Anan stared intently, his breath catching as the star map on his robe lit up completely.
Each star is twinkling regularly, as if counting down.
"Remember, when Fanes is born, he will ask you a question."
"This question sets the tone for the universe."
"The original question was 'How should I rule over all things?' But with all these human memories you've added, he might ask something else."
Lin Yun gripped the memory anchor staff tightly, his heart beating inexplicably fast.
He recalled the inscription on the pottery vase, "Broken eggs breed strife," and suddenly an idea struck him.
Perhaps the root of the conflict lies in "rule" itself?
Just like children fighting over toys, it's not because the toys are so important, but because they're afraid "I don't have the final say."
"Snap—"
With a crisp cracking sound, the cosmic egg split open, revealing a huge crack.
Golden light burst forth from the crack.
It shines brighter than any star, yet it is not scorching; instead, it has a warm, milky feel.
A tall, slender figure slowly rose to his feet in the light.
He had long, golden hair, with a few pieces of eggshell still clinging to it.
It has a pair of rainbow-colored wings on its back, and the edges of each feather are tinged with a warm yellow like instant noodle soup.
He held a burning torch in his hand, the flames of which were the pink color of cotton candy.
It was Phanes who was born.
He opened his eyes, his pupils were a pure, transparent color, like a pool of clear spring water.
His gaze swept across the void.
It nodded slightly as it passed Anam.
Ultimately, the blame fell on Lin Yun.
Instead of the expected respectful worship, there was a touch of childlike innocence.
"Creator, I sense that you have a lot of 'sharing' and 'care' in your memories. Are these things more powerful than 'rule'?"
His voice was like a wind chime, but with a touch more warmth.
"I heard many sounds inside the eggshell."
"Some say 'You should listen to me,' others say 'Why should I listen to you?' But the clearest thing is 'Don't push yourself too hard.'"
Lin Yun was stunned.
This question is completely beyond the scope of all written records.
Looking into Fanes' pure eyes, he suddenly realized that the "human touches" he had added had truly worked.
"yes."
Lin Yun answered this important question seriously.
He raised the memory anchor staff, and within the crystal, the image of splitting instant noodles appeared.
Two heads were huddled together in front of a bowl, chopsticks touching, and even when soup spilled, they laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight.
"Look, two mortals sharing a bowl of noodles experience far more joy than one person devouring the whole bowl alone."
Lin Yun paused, his fingertips once again tracing the crystal on the memory anchor staff.
The scene inside then shifts to a late-night library scene.
The gentle breeze that stirred up when the senior put down the milk, the water droplets that condensed on the cup, and the chocolate that I secretly placed in the same spot later.
Leave it to the next person who stays up all night.
The chocolate wrapper was now turning into specks of golden light, landing on Fanes' wings.
The rainbow-colored feathers became even brighter.
"Domination is 'I want you to listen to me,' while sharing is 'I have it, and I want you to have it too.'"
Lin Yun's voice was soft, yet it carried a resolute strength.
"Look at the stars in this universe. They never 'rule' anyone, but they illuminate one another."
"Just like the golden light that came with your birth, it's not to make anyone submit, but to warm more corners."
Fanes tilted his head and gently flapped his wings, creating a breeze that smelled of milk.
He looked down at his hand holding the torch.
The pink flames suddenly transformed into countless tiny specks of light, drifting into the void like dandelion seeds.
The points of light that fell into the void immediately took root and sprouted.
Then, little flowers with smiling faces sprouted.
The flower petals were shaped like instant noodle bowls.
What it produces is fruit wrapped in candy wrappers.
The candy wrapper says "Thank you".
"I think I understand."
Fanes' eyes lit up, and the tiny flowers were reflected in his clear pupils.
"So I don't need to learn how to give orders?"
"Need not."
Lin Yun smiled.
"You can learn how to hand a hot drink to someone who stays up late."
"Learn how to offer a piece of candy to share when people are arguing."
"Learn how to make the 'unexpected encounters' in this universe more than the 'must be'."
As soon as he finished speaking, the remaining shell of the cosmic egg suddenly turned into stardust.
Countless tiny sounds drifted from the stardust.
There is the gentleness of a mother calling out, "Wait two more minutes."
A senior student whispered, "Don't push yourself too hard."
There was laughter when instant noodles were being shared.
There was a silence when sharing an umbrella...
These sounds swirled around Fanes' wings, causing even more patterns to emerge on his rainbow-colored feathers.
A corner of a red scarf, a crack in a ceramic vase, a geometric pattern on a mirror, and that ever-warm cup of milk.
Fanes raised his hand, and the light of the pink torch softened a little more. He spoke softly.
"Then I'll go and send some light to the dark corners of the void. I've heard that in some places, even the stars don't bother to shine."
With that, he spread his wings and flew toward the farthest patch of shadow.
Behind them followed those smiling little flowers, and along the way, starlight wrapped in candy wrappers drifted down.
As Anan watched his retreating figure, the silver threads on his star-patterned robe suddenly shone with an astonishing brilliance.
She turned to Lin Yun and said.
"You have planted a 'warm seed' in this universe."
Lin Yun gazed in the direction where Fanes had disappeared, his memory anchor staff trembling slightly.
The image of the fried egg inside the crystal was still steaming.
It seemed like her mother's voice was ringing out again.
"Xiaoyun, it's soft-boiled, eat it quickly."
The best creation is never a cold world where "who rules whom".
Instead, we want to create a human world where "you have it, I have it, and warmth is everywhere."
Those subtle moments of warmth hidden in our memories are the most solid framework of the universe