Chapter 176. Contact
130 years after the genocide of the Air Nomads. Earth Kingdom. Ba Sing Se. National Library.
For an entire day, a crowd had been gathering near one of the continent's largest book repositories. Numerous distinguished scholars, seemingly reverting to their teenage years, engaged in heated debates, gestured animatedly, and displayed lively, eager eyes. Since early morning, a long line had formed, comprising prominent writers, historians, archivists, archaeologists, ethnographers, anthropologists, and others connected to the study of history.
The cause of this commotion was the latest shipment of ancient manuscripts from the Library of Wan Shi Tong. It's embarrassing to admit, but even these educated and well-read individuals had doubted the existence of real spirits until the very end. After all, it's hard to believe in something one has never encountered, especially since interactions with the spiritual world are primarily the domain of practitioners and mages.
Gradually, people began to grasp the reality of the challenges ahead. In a couple of years, they would read Wan Shi Tong's records themselves and then bring the question of interacting with benevolent spirits to the public, aiming to maintain the world's familiar balance. Of course, this would not be possible without the considerable assistance of the four senators.
After a few hours of actively studying the newly arrived materials, another heated debate erupted in one of the National Library's conference halls.
"And you believe in some copies that supposedly survived over many years?! I had a better opinion of you, colleagues!" exclaimed one member of the small group of "non-believers," who neither accepted nor understood how anyone could trust such unverified information.
"It's because of people like you that our predecessors and teachers were barred from the doors of the hidden Library of the Great Wan Shi Tong!" retorted a member of the opposing side. "My highly respected Uncle Zey, once the head of the Anthropology Department at Ba Sing Se University, visited the Library long ago! The knowledge he brought back was initially rejected by our circles too! But as the years passed, his work gained worldwide recognition! Ha, I get it! You're probably from the caste of people who still believe the Earth is flat?" The last remark was clearly sarcastic, as in the distant past, anyone who claimed otherwise was labeled with scientific but highly humiliating nicknames.
"What nonsense! Our planet is a geoid or an ellipsoid of rotation!" he couldn't help but respond to the taunt.
"I understand you perfectly, friends!" continued the nephew of Anthropologist Zey. "We, more than anyone, must verify all information for accuracy, but we shouldn't be too biased—we need to remain open to the world! Let's express our gratitude to Senator Yo, who managed to secure the delivery of these valuable books and open the doors to the secretive Library. Those who don't believe can visit the walls of this grand structure themselves, see the hundreds of thousands of books and manuscripts with their own eyes... Maybe you'll even get to speak with the keeper of this repository of knowledge. From what I've heard, he enjoys it when people bring him something new and unexplored."