When ten-year-old Ronnie awoke again, he was fully conscious. The sunlight that had streamed in through the window was gone, the birds seemed to have returned to their nests, and all was quiet.
Getting out of bed, Ronnie noticed he was wearing a large, coarse cloth robe, clearly Chambers's. He stretched, feeling less tired, and tiptoed out of the room. It was pitch black; he couldn't see anything clearly. A night fog hung in the air, bringing a chill. He instinctively pulled his robe tighter and headed towards another room with light. His foot accidentally bumped into something, making a soft sound.
"Ronnie? Come in," Chambers' voice came from inside the room.
Ronnie pushed open the door and entered a wooden cabin slightly larger than his own. Chambers, holding a book, was reading under the bright oil lamp. Seeing Ronnie enter, Chambers set the book aside and smiled, "Come on, Grandpa will take you to the kitchen. Everything's already prepared; it just needs to be heated up."
Only then did Ronnie notice that Chambers was extremely tall, but his upper body was somewhat hunched. Putting his arm around Ronnie's narrow shoulders, Chambers led him out of the room, saying as they walked, "I live alone in this little courtyard. With you here, I'm not lonely anymore. Come, see what delicious food Grandpa prepared for you."
The kitchen was a separate room, five meters away from the two bedrooms. When Ronnie followed Chambers there, he was surprised to find that the kitchen was actually larger than his own house and Chambers's combined.
Chambers lit the oil lamp. On the table beside him were several plates of food covered by wooden covers made of woven rattan. Through the gaps, it was clear that the plates contained only green vegetables.
Chambers opened the covers, revealing four plates of green vegetables—four different kinds, all simply prepared. Chambers walked to the stove and paused, taking out a flint and steel. His hands trembled as he tried to start a fire on the uneven firewood. "I've had the food ready for a while, but it's gotten cold. Let's heat it up. The taste won't be quite the same, but it shouldn't be too far off."
Ronnie was surprised to see that Chaji's hands were trembling. Although the flint and steel sparked, his unsteady hands made it difficult to light the firewood. She quickly and obediently went over and said, "Grandpa, let me help you."
Chambers sighed, a somber look returning to his face. He handed the flint to Ronnie. "I'm old, really old. I should be using an oil lamp. Who would have thought that the once-renowned chef would now be unable to even light a fire? Everything is in the past."
Ronnie didn't take the flint, nor did he pay attention to Chambers' words. His mind was completely focused. He softly said, "Passionate fire elements, I beg you, condense into the light of flames, and bring warmth to the world." His voice wasn't steady, but rather uttered in a special tone, a resonant tone. His small hand reached under the stove, and a small red flame rose up. Although the flame wasn't very bright, the firewood in the stove immediately ignited upon contact with the flame.
Chambers stared at Ronnie in disbelief, muttering, "Magic, it's fire magic! Great God! Did you send this child to me specifically? Thank you, thank you, I finally have hope, it's wonderful!" He cheered incoherently, leaving Ronnie somewhat stunned. Chambers, who seemed to have straightened his back, stood up straight, excitedly looking at the ceiling and cheering.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, what's wrong?"
Chambers snapped out of his daze, grabbed Ronnie's shoulders, and exclaimed excitedly, "Child, you're a magician, aren't you? Tell Grandpa, you're a fire magician!"
Ronnie shuddered, realizing he had inadvertently revealed his magical abilities. He shook his head vigorously, "No, I'm not, I, I'm not!"
"No, you are," Chambers affirmed. "Child, don't worry, Grandpa has no ill intentions towards you. I'm just so happy. You're so young, and you're already a magician—it's a blessing from heaven!"
Ronnie seemed to see the scene at the Ice God Tower again, shouting excitedly, "No, I'm not, I'm not!"
Chambers then realized that Ronnie, who had just recovered somewhat from his shock, was struggling to cope with his stimulation. He quickly said, "Child, listen to me, please listen to me first, okay? Look at my hands." With that, he released Ronnie, flipped his hands upwards, revealing his wrists. Ronnie was drawn in by Chambers' words and instinctively looked at his wrists. "Ah—" There was a scar on each of Chambers' wrists, about one centimeter deep. Although the wounds had long since healed, the scars were still shockingly visible. The entire wound was sunken inward, a purplish-black color, and looked extremely terrifying.
Chambers smiled bitterly, "What can an old man like me, with both tendons severed, do to you?"
Ronnie looked at Chambers, the fear in his eyes lessening slightly. He tentatively asked, "Grandpa, why...why are your hands like this?"
Chambers pulled Ronnie down to sit, sighed sadly, and said, "Let me tell you a story. A story that happened to me. After you hear it, you'll understand why I was so excited when I saw magic appear on you." As he spoke, he gazed into the deep darkness outside the door, his eyes gradually becoming misty.
"After nearly three hundred years of war, our continent of Yangon entered a period of stability about seventy years ago. Five great empires gradually formed, dividing the continent among themselves. Except for a few special areas, all land was incorporated into the maps of these five empires. After three hundred years of war, people needed time to recuperate. For the past few decades, various industries and agriculture have been developing. Although the five empires occasionally have disputes, they have generally coexisted peacefully."
Ronnie nodded and said, "The five empires you mentioned are the Oran Empire in the east, the Qiru Empire in the southeast, the Huarong Empire in the southwest, the Langmu Empire in the northwest, and the Bingyue Empire in the north, right?"
Chamber S nodded and said, "That's right, it's these five great empires. I was born in the Qiru Empire in the southeast. When I was a child, my family was very poor, and we couldn't even afford fine grains. I remember asking my mother when we could have enough cornbread, and she hugged me and cried. I still remember that clearly. At that time, my biggest wish was to be able to eat delicious food every day and to be able to cook the best meals for my mother. Later, I worked hard towards this goal, but unfortunately, my parents died in a plague before I was able to support them. Perhaps it was heaven's pity on me, because when I was thirteen, I met my master.