Chapter 20

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Chapter 20: The Perfect Solution

"That makes sense!"

"Yes, yes!"

The giant chieftain brought Ji Yongxing back to his tribe and introduced him and his theory to his people.

Although the giants did not seem very bright, they understood basic logic. After hearing Ji Yongxing’s theory, they replayed it in their minds and unanimously agreed that what he said was truly valuable and genuine.

Moreover, having never seen such a small creature capable of flight, the giants began to feel a deeper respect for Ji Yongxing.

Gradually, the title "Great Prophet" began to spread among them, though the giants had such a strange accent that it took Ji Yongxing a long time to figure out what "the wise nephew of Veda" meant.

Thus, the chieftain carefully prepared essentials for the journey ahead and instructed the tribe to dig a sufficiently large hole to hold the sun. Then he took the giant’s prophet along and started running east, hoping to encounter the proud sun in battle.

The prophet’s method was indeed clever. After precise calculations, the giant chieftain realized that every day he would have an opportunity to catch the sun. Missing once wouldn’t matter; as long as they continued east, they could ambush the sun at the next stop.

However, the giant chieftain failed multiple times. His rope always seemed a little too low to reach the sun, even when he exerted all his strength.

Ji Yongxing also struggled; he even thought about helping the giant lift the rope into the sky to loop it around the sun. However, he found that there seemed to be a limit to how high he could fly, making it impossible to do as he imagined.

So the two continued east, trying again and again to catch the sun. Finally, one day, their journey came to an end.

Not because they captured the sun, but because—

There was no road left.

Looking at the vast blue sea before them, Ji Yongxing confirmed for the third time:

"Honestly, you really can’t swim?"

"No, giants can’t do that."

The young giant lowered his head shyly, his big eyes lost in thought.

"What shall we do?"

Both of them shared the same doubt.

After pondering for a moment, Ji Yongxing suggested:

"How about we just stay here and throw the rope every time the sun passes by?"

The giant looked at Ji Yongxing with a foolish expression and replied:

"How could that work? That sun isn’t foolish; if we lay in wait here every day, it would definitely take a detour."

"That’s true…"

The two, one big and one small, fell silent again. After a while, they suddenly heard a pleasant bird song nearby.

Ji Yongxing turned to look and saw a little bird with a flower-shaped head, a white beak, and red claws flying from afar, carrying a small stone, and then tossing it into the Sea.

He stared for a moment, and then suddenly exclaimed:

"The crow can drink the water here without coins!"

"You are the crow; your whole family are crows!"

The peculiar bird that had been flying smoothly changed direction upon hearing Ji Yongxing’s words. It flew over, responding with a strange voice, and began pecking at Ji Yongxing’s forehead with its white beak.

"Why are you acting like a crow, carrying a stone? I remember only crows drink water that way."

Hearing these words, the colorful bird suddenly froze. After circling twice, it landed on Ji Yongxing’s shoulder and began to recount its sorrowful past—a tale of a drowned girl seeking revenge on the Sea…

"Wah, how tragic! Wah!"

The colorful little bird spoke until its throat was parched, while the young giant was so moved that tears streamed down like rivers into the Sea.

"Hey, hey, hey, you!"

The colorful little bird pecked vigorously at the giant, who was many times its size.

"Stop crying! With so many tears flowing into the Sea, all my efforts these past two days will be in vain!"

The giant realized the issue but couldn’t stop the tears immediately. He decided to dig a large crater on the ground, using his fingers to carve a channel to divert his tears. Only then did the little bird calm down somewhat.

After a while, the little bird quenched its thirst with some fresh streams, and the giant’s overwhelming emotions subsided. The giant, the prophet, and the bird sat together once more, pondering how to achieve their respective dreams.

Ji Yongxing glanced at the giant, who couldn’t swim and needed a path, and then at the little bird, who hoped to fill the Sea by its own strength. He felt there must be a way to reconcile both their goals so that they could each have their wishes fulfilled.

Suddenly, Ji Yongxing heard a shout from below. The giant and the bird looked down as well. They saw an old man standing beside the giant, about the same size as Ji Yongxing. One hand pressed against a yoke on his shoulder while the other tapped the giant’s toe.

He shouted loudly:

"Excuse me, good sir! Please step aside; I need to dump these two baskets of dirt and stones into the Sea!"

The giant quickly moved his foot, allowing the old man to save himself several miles of detour.

Once the old man finished pouring out the dirt and stones, Ji Yongxing noticed the little bird circling around them, its eyes sparkling with excitement. He suddenly felt a brilliant idea flash into his mind. He descended from the air and approached the old man, asking:

"What are you doing?"

The old man rested by the saline lake, fanning himself with a straw hat as he replied:

"Well, this is a long story…"

"You can just hit the highlights."

"Not long ago, two large mountains mysteriously appeared at my doorstep, and they grow taller every day."

Although the old man spoke calmly, there was a hint of deep-seated frustration in his voice, as if he was gritting his teeth.

"If this continues, the crops in the fields will no longer get sunlight, so I’ve decided to move the two mountains with my children and grandchildren, break them into dirt and stones, and dump them into the Sea…"

When Ji Yongxing heard "taller every day," he realized something. He glanced at the young giant, only to find him nervously averting his eyes, seemingly looking at the other side of the Sea, completely ignoring what was happening here.

"I don’t mind dying; I still have sons, and they will have sons; generation after generation, there will eventually come a day when it gets done…"

Ji Yongxing felt he had found the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Standing in the middle of the three people, he scanned the giant, the old man, and the bird, finally revealing a knowing smile.

He looked at the giant:

"You need a runway that surpasses the Sea."

He turned to the old man:

"You might need some capable hands."

Finally, he addressed the little bird:

"Have you heard of land reclamation?"