Chapter 1120, Bright as Day

Translator: Silavin

 

Su Bai had spent some time studying and experimenting before finally producing a rough model of a lamp.

 

It bore a resemblance to those ancient lamps one might find in old tales: a lamp holder atop a base. It was quite similar to a lotus lantern, as though it had stepped straight out of legend.

 

“Shaman, is this the insects’ house?” Yu Ying asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.

 

“Not quite. We’re missing one last step. Bring over the paste you boiled.” Su Bai said quietly.

 

“Yes.” Yu Ying swished her fox tail and trotted over.

 

Su Bai gathered all the paper strips he had just finished cutting and began adhering them around the lamp shade.

 

He applied a coat of paste along one edge of the paper and pressed it against a section of the frame. Then, methodically, he coated each adjacent frame piece with an even layer of paste until the entire framework of the lamp shade had been covered.

 

With careful hands, Su Bai pressed the paper against the lamp shade. After a sequence of precise movements, a lamp shade assembled entirely from paper was complete.

 

The overall feel was remarkably similar to the antique lamps one might glimpse in period dramas set in ancient times. It was something that carried a deeply nostalgic air when he looked at it.

 

The lamp itself was not particularly large. Its height was roughly that of a tin of powdered milk.

 

“There. It’s finished.” Su Bai gave a satisfied clap of his hands.

 

He had to say, he was genuinely pleased with the lamp he had crafted by hand. It looked proper and well-made.

 

“So this is their house. But Shaman, if they live inside, will the light still be able to get through?” Yu Ying raised the question.

 

Yu Ying cradled the lamp and turned it this way and that, studying the curious contraption with great interest.

 

She had never seen anything like it, and had never heard of anyone building a house for insects. Even weirder was a house being made from paper. Though, of course, they had not even had a concept of paper until not so long ago.

 

“Try it and we’ll find out.” Su Bai smiled lightly.

 

With a thought, the Night Glow Insects drifted gently toward him, nuzzling against Su Bai like obedient little pets.

 

Under his instruction, the Night Glow Insect floated slowly onto the lamp holder and settled there. Su Bai lowered the lamp shade over it.

 

The harsh white light that had been rather blinding a moment before instantly softened. The shade had not smothered the Night Glow Insect’s radiance at all. If anything, it had scattered and diffused it into something gentler and more even. The living room was no longer bathed in the dim amber flicker of a wood fire, but in a clean, soft white light.

 

The living room was so bright that Yu Ying could hardly believe it. She looked around in delighted astonishment, darting from one corner to another, discovering that things she could never quite make out at night were now perfectly clear.

 

Su Bai’s satisfaction was entirely as expected. This, he felt, was the kind of light that belonged in the night. It was the kind he remembered.

 

It was precisely because of this light that a familiar feeling washed over him. It had been a long time since he had experienced the sensation of having a bright white light in the dark of night.

 

“Shaman, the whole living room is so bright! I never imagined the light could really shine through paper like that.” Yu Ying’s expression was one of pure disbelief.

 

“Of course it can. That is precisely the beauty of a lamp shade. If you just left the Night Glow Insect floating loose in the living room, wouldn’t that be a bit harsh on the eyes?” Su Bai laughed warmly.

 

“Shaman, may I try putting out the fire to see what it’s like?” Yu Ying asked carefully.

 

“Of course. I’d like to test that myself. I want to see just how far the Night Glow Insect’s light can reach without any fire.” Su Bai nodded.

 

“Yes.” Yu Ying set about extinguishing the fire in the hearth, as well as the iron basin with Kerosene Fruit Juice sitting beside the table.

 

There had been a small iron basin next to Su Bai’s table, with a single flame burning inside it. This had effectively served as his desk lamp. Every evening, when he worked or read, he relied on the light cast by the burning Kerosene Fruit Juice in the basin.

 

As Yu Ying put out the fires in the living room one by one, the brightness dimmed only faintly. It made barely any difference at all.

 

The slight yellowish tint that had existed in the light was now entirely gone, replaced wholly by the Night Glow Insect’s white radiance.

 

“Wow! It doesn’t affect it even a little. Shaman, this lamp is amazing.” Yu Ying exclaimed.

 

“And now when you’re sewing clothes, you won’t have to hunch over all the time. Straining like that is bad for your eyes.” Su Bai said gently.

 

“Thank you, Shaman. Shaman is so kind.” Yu Ying immediately broke into a wide grin, then asked, “Shaman, may I ask one more question?”

 

“Of course. You can ask me anything you like.” Su Bai’s brows lifted slightly.

 

“What I’m curious about is, the paper we normally use is quite thick, right? And it looks rather coarse as well.”

 

Yu Ying leaned slowly closer to the lamp, peering at it with a puzzled expression. “But why does this paper seem different? Shaman, if we used ordinary paper, would the Night Glow Insect’s light not be able to shine through?”

 

“Very sharp observation. The paper used for this lamp is not our usual Wolf Tail Grass Paper. It is a specially processed paper produced through a particular method.”

 

Su Bai’s lips curved upward slightly as he continued, “This paper is one I specifically commissioned the papermaking workshop to develop, for the express purpose of one day being used in lamps.”

 

And that was no exaggeration. This had been a move Su Bai had planned well in advance. He had long been thinking about producing lamps in the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

Using electricity was plainly out of the question for now. The light produced by burning wood was dim and liable to damage the eyes. If everyone worked by the light of the hearth every night, their eyesight would eventually be ruined.

 

After much deliberation, Su Bai had concluded that light produced by living creatures was the most suitable option.

 

He had asked Yan Jiao about it beforehand and learnt that the primitive forest did indeed contain insects capable of producing light.

 

From there, a bold idea had taken shape in his mind: to use these glowing insects as lamps.

 

Simply letting the insects hover near a desk for illumination was obviously inelegant. That led him naturally to the concept of a lamp to serve as their housing.

 

But for the lamp to look proper while still allowing the Night Glow Insect’s light to radiate outward, the solution had to lie in the shade. Su Bai’s mind had immediately turned to the paper window screens used in ancient times, and so he had commissioned the papermaking workshop to develop a thin, translucent paper.

 

“So Shaman has been thinking all along about ways to help the Tribe develop. Shaman, you’ve been working really hard…” Yu Ying’s face filled with warmth and concern.

 

She understood that developing a new type of paper at the papermaking workshop was no simple matter. It would have required considerable time and preparation well in advance.

 

The paper on this lamp had surely been something the Shaman had instructed the workshop to create long before this. The thought of how far ahead he had been planning left Yu Ying both impressed and moved.