250: Chapter 250 Stone Language

The cold smoothness of the black stone flake pressed against Ling Ye's heart like a silent vow. The rich warmth of the dried meat slowly dissolved in his stomach, dispelling the long-standing weakness and anxiety. That handful of dark brown seeds and the honeycomb wax block felt like an unexpectedly generous gift to this barren wilderness.

The trade was re-stabilized on a higher level of trust. However, the faint warmth in Ling Ye's heart, born from the tacit understanding of the "Mirror Stone," was quickly replaced by deeper contemplation. This silent, purely material exchange model could solve immediate survival needs, but it could not address longer-term crises, nor could it answer the growing questions in his mind.

What was that dangerous, crossed-out location? What was the actual survival status of the "Neighbor" to the southwest? Could his stable channel for obtaining meat (traps?) be shared or emulated? Did he know any information about the "Dark Nest" explosion, aerial strikes, or even the wider outside world? Apart from being food, did those two seeds and the beeswax have other uses?

He needed information, not just food. Likewise, he guessed that the other party might also need to obtain information from him—about the long-term reliability of this Water Source? About the threat from the north (the direction of the "Dark Nest")? About the source of the salt he had placed earlier (although it was very little, its appearance in the wilderness was worth investigating in itself)? Or even about how to set traps more effectively or identify edible plants?

Attempt communication. Under the premise of maintaining the iron rule of "no contact," conduct a more in-depth exchange of information.

This was more difficult and dangerous than simple barter. Misunderstandings or leaks of information could lead to disastrous consequences. But he had to try. In wilderness survival, knowledge and information were sometimes more important than a piece of meat.

He needed to design a more complex "Stone Language" that belonged only to the two of them.

Step one: Establish basic "vocabulary" and "grammar."

He could not create complex symbols out of thin air that the other party would be unable to understand. He had to start from the simple patterns for which a tacit understanding had already been established and gradually expand and combine them.

Existing "consensus symbols": Wavy line: Water/Water Source/Liquid. Oval: Meat/Food (specifically meat). Circle + dot: Location/Target. Cross: Danger/Prohibited. Arrow: Direction/Movement. Little person: Person/Self. Two vertical lines (or closed door): Stop contact/Boundary. (Black) smooth stone flake: Accept/Understood/Silent agreement.

He needed to expand. But it had to be based on physical objects or shared experiences to facilitate association.

He thought for a long time and decided to start with a few of the most urgent directions to attempt "word creation": Time: How to express "past," "present," and "future"? "Daytime," "nighttime"? "Days"? Quantity: How to express "many," "few," "some," "a lot"? Status: How to express "safe," "dangerous," "have," "none," "need," "provide"? Specific things: How to express "trap," "plant," "seed," "fire," "tool," "salt," "medicine," "threat from the sky (aircraft)," "threat from underground (like the former 'Worm Rock')"?

He could not convey everything at once. He had to choose the most critical starting point that was most likely to achieve consensus.

He chose time and status as the Breakthrough point. These two were closely related to assessing danger and planning actions.

He found a few flat pebbles of different colors and shapes and began "encoding": White pebble (used before): Represents "present" or "current status." Smooth side up means "safe," side with scratches or stains means "problematic" or "needs attention." Black pebble (echoing the Mirror Stone): Represents "past" or "already happened." Smooth means "resolved/no hindrance," rough means "danger/incident occurred." Gray striped pebble: Represents "future" or "imminent." Clear stripes mean "something expected/needs preparation," no stripes mean "no current expectations."

"Daytime" and "nighttime": Imply them using warm stones heated in the sun and cold stones in the shade? But it was difficult to maintain the temperature on the stone slab. Perhaps he could use light-colored (white, yellow) pebbles to represent daytime, and dark-colored (black, dark gray) pebbles to represent nighttime.

"Have/None" and "Need/Provide": Represented by placing/not placing smaller pebbles or item fragments next to the pebble. For example, placing a seed next to the oval symbol representing "meat" would mean "have meat, need seeds (or can trade with seeds)." Or, placing nothing next to the wavy line representing "water" would mean "water situation unknown/no special requirements."

This was rough and full of ambiguity, but he had to start. He decided to include the first batch of "Stone Language" tests when he next placed the "return gift" (salt).

He wrapped the salt. Then, he picked out three pebbles: a smooth white pebble (representing "safe now"), a rough black pebble (representing "danger occurred in the past"), and a light yellow flat stone flake (representing "daytime"). He placed these three stones, along with the gray stone flake he had used before with the "meat" and "water" symbols drawn on it, next to the salt package.

On the gray stone flake, this time he drew a new combined pattern with charcoal: the oval symbol for "meat," next to an upward arrow, with the arrow pointing to the wavy line symbol for "water." Then, next to the wavy line symbol, he drew a question mark.

His intention was: trade meat for (information about) water, while attaching "stone symbols" regarding time and status—"safe now," "danger in the past," "during the day." He wanted to see if the other party could understand this combination and provide a corresponding response.

This was an extremely bold attempt. He had mixed the preliminary rules of "Stone Language" and a specific trade inquiry together.

After placing them, he left with deeper anxiety than ever before.

The two days waiting for a response were exceptionally long. He repeatedly pondered whether his "encoding" was too obscure, whether it would invite misunderstanding or even hostility.

On the third day, when he arrived at the Water Source slab again, his heartbeat accelerated involuntarily.

On the slab, there was a medium-sized leaf package. Beside it, there were no new patterned stone flakes, but there were several more pebbles, arranged in a specific way: A smooth white pebble pressing on a light yellow stone flake. A rough black pebble placed alone to the side. A dark gray pebble with a fresh notch, next to a small pinch of dried, grayish-green, moss-like plant debris.

The gray stone flake Ling Ye had left was still there, but the question mark on it had been erased, and next to it, a simple checkmark was drawn with charcoal.

Ling Ye took a deep breath and carefully "read" this "Stone Language reply."

Smooth white stone pressing on light yellow stone flake: "Safe now (daytime)"—the other party confirmed and understood his time/status symbols and gave the same feedback.

Rough black stone placed alone: "Danger in the past"—the other party also confirmed this point.

Dark gray stone with notch + plant debris: A new symbol! Dark gray might represent "future/uncertain"? The notch represents "warning" or "mark"? The plant debris beside it... does it mean a certain plant is dangerous? Or does it represent "location" (the place where the plant grows)? Or is the plant debris itself another kind of "item symbol"?

Question mark erased and checkmark drawn on the gray stone flake: "Accept trade inquiry"—agreed to trade meat for water (information).

What was in the package? Ling Ye opened the package. Inside were a few strips of high-quality dried meat, with a moderate portion. There was also a small handful of those dark brown seeds. No beeswax.

The other party not only understood his "Stone Language" attempt, but also provided expansion and a response! Especially that new combination of "dark gray notched stone + plant debris," although the meaning was vague, it was clearly conveying some kind of warning information about the "future" or "specific things"!

A strange sense of excitement surged in Ling Ye's heart, mixed with a thirst to explore unknown information. This slow and difficult "dialogue" that crossed silent barriers made him feel more of an intellectual challenge and resonance than getting the dried meat itself.

He needed to respond. Not only did he need to complete the trade (provide information about the Water Source), but he also had to try to interpret and respond to that new warning symbol, while further pushing the development of "Stone Language."

He thought for a long time and decided to start with information about the "Water Source." He found a new, relatively square, dark-colored stone slab. Using charcoal in the center of the slab, he drew a detailed sketch of the Water Source depression and the water-seeping rock crevices, drawing it very carefully, marking the direction of water flow, the amount of water (represented by the density of the wavy lines), and the main surrounding terrain features ("Crouching Ox Stone," gully, the general direction of his cave—represented by an arrow pointing away and a "closed door" symbol, indicating that was his "boundary").

Next to the sketch, he wrote (drew) a few "Stone Language" symbols: Wavy line + smooth white stone + light yellow stone flake: "Water, safe/stable now (daytime)." Wavy line + rough black stone: "Water, was discovered/used in the past (by others?)." (Implies the existence of The Stranger) A new symbol: He drew a simplified outline of an aircraft with an antenna (based on a vague impression in his memory), drew a big cross next to it, and then used an arrow to point to the sky above the Water Source sketch. Meaning: "Beware of aerial threats, it may cover this area."

This was extremely important information sharing. He revealed that the Water Source was known to "others" (referring to the other party) and warned of the danger of aerial strikes. The risk was high, but if true information mutual aid could be established, the value would be enormous.

Then, he turned to that warning symbol. He carefully examined the pinch of plant debris. It was a grayish-green moss common in shady, damp places; he had collected some before, and it seemed non-toxic. What did the other party mean by specifically leaving this?

He guessed several possibilities: The place where this moss grows is dangerous. This moss itself has some use (medicinal? fire-starting?) or is dangerous. Using moss to imply that "damp/hidden" locations are dangerous.

He could not be sure. But he could try to ask.

In another corner of the dark stone slab, he drew a sketch of that "dark gray notched stone," and then next to it, he drew a big question mark. Below the question mark, he drew two small pictures: one of moss growing on a rock, and the other of a simplified cave entrance with moss growing next to it, with a mixed symbol of a question mark + cross drawn at the cave entrance.

He was asking: Do you mean the place where this moss grows is dangerous? Or do you mean the cave that has this moss is dangerous?

This was already a very specific and in-depth inquiry.

Finally, he wrapped the salt (the portion equivalent to the value of the dried meat) and, along with this dark stone slab covered with symbols and sketches, placed it on the Water Source slab. He carefully placed the "dark gray notched stone" and plant debris left by the other party next to his own slab, indicating that he was "researching" it.

After doing all this, he felt mentally exhausted. This "dialogue" that crossed silence consumed far more mental energy than an intense battle.

He returned to the cave, chewing on the dried meat to replenish his strength while repeatedly pondering that "Stone Language reply" and the "information package" he had just sent out. The flame of cooperation in his heart seemed to burn more steadily, and more... brightly and complexly, because it had been fueled by "information."

He did not know how the other party would interpret his Water Source sketch and aerial warning, nor did he know how they would respond to his inquiry about the mossy cave.