While waiting for Diogenes to finish his business, Kai took off his worn-out boots, which looked dirty and dull, and placed them next to his toolbox. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
"Wait a minute... where did these clothes come from?" Kai muttered softly, silently observing himself. A tattered black shirt, wrinkled black pants, and filthy black boots. Everything looked unkempt and carried an unpleasant stench.
"Ah, I must have fallen asleep without taking off my shoes last night," Kai grumbled, trying to recall. He tried to dig deeper into his memories, but only a gray fog filled his mind. Frustrated, he patted down the pockets of his robe, searching for anything that might serve as a clue, but came up empty.
Kai's annoyed train of thought was cut short when Diogenes finally turned around, carrying a dull, gray tablet in his right hand.
"This will replace your schooling," Diogenes said flatly, handing the large tablet to Kai. "It contains general information about Aeterna and learning modules from low to high-tier public schools. Use this so you won't be too stupid."
Kai took the device and immediately pressed the power button repeatedly, but the tablet remained completely dead, its screen dark.
Kai stared at the old man with a raised eyebrow. "Heh, Diogenes. What kind of junk did you just give me?"
Diogenes suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice echoing throughout the cramped workshop.
"That tablet's battery is at zero, so you'll have to sacrifice today's scavenging haul to power it."
Hearing that, Kai cursed. "Damn it, you tricked me."
"Haha! Life in this world is tough, isn't it? Aside from stabilizing your body, you even have to work extra hard just to turn on a tablet."
Diogenes then reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled something out. It was a white box attached to a cable.
"Just for this once, I'll give you a mid-tier crystal to charge the tablet. This is a complicated version of a charger; you just need to insert a data crystal into this box to act as its battery."
The device looked like a worn-out white box connected to a thick cable. Diogenes popped open the latch on the charger box, revealing the dim orange glow of the crystal inside.
"One low-tier crystal is usually only enough for a single full charge. Meanwhile, a mid-tier one can last up to five or six times. As for a high-tier... well, I've never tried one," Diogenes continued, snapping the latch shut with a click before handing it over to Kai.
A faint humming sound could be heard as Kai plugged the charger cable into the tablet, and finally, the gray screen lit up with a weak glow. "You'd better let it charge fully before using it. If you force yourself to use the tablet while it's still charging, its maximum battery capacity will drop," Diogenes warned.
Kai stood up and stretched his stiff muscles, then glanced at the clock on his toolbox. It was only twelve noon.
Eh, I guess dismantling junk like the old man does looks kind of fun, Kai thought innocently as he glanced toward Diogenes's workbench.
Kai glanced at Diogenes' workbench. The old man's hands were still busy tinkering with something, and for some reason the sight made him curious.
Hmm, it seems really interesting, Kai thought.
He approached the workbench and peered over Diogenes' shoulder.
"What are you fixing?"
"A flashlight," Diogenes answered flatly without looking up.
Kai studied the object in the old man's hands. A long yellow metal flashlight, its outer casing dented in several places. The head was already open, exposing its internals.
"Why take it apart?"
"Won't turn on. Usually the contacts." Diogenes glanced briefly at Kai, then slid another flashlight toward him — shorter, rustier. "Instead of just standing there, take that apart. Twist the head counterclockwise."
Kai picked up the flashlight and tried to turn it.
It didn't move.
"Harder. It's rusted. Of course it's stiff."
Kai applied more force. With an unpleasant screech, the flashlight head finally twisted free. The sharp smell of rust and dust hit him immediately.
"Now look inside," said Diogenes. "Two things to check. First, the spring at the base of the battery compartment — make sure it isn't flattened or corroded. Second, the contact plate inside the head."
Kai peered into the flashlight head. A thin metal disc sat slightly tilted out of position, its surface dull and blackened.
"It's dirty too," Kai muttered.
"Exactly. A dirty contact is just as bad as a bent one — current won't flow either way." Diogenes handed him a strip of dry cloth. "Clean the surface first. Scrub until it's reasonably clear."
Kai took the cloth and rubbed the contact plate repeatedly. The thin black layer gradually came off, leaving a copper surface that still held a faint shine.
"Now straighten it if it's still tilted. Grab the pliers and fix the position."
Kai took the flat-nose pliers and slowly pushed the edge of the plate back into place. A small click sounded as it finally sat flat.
"Put the head back on."
Kai fitted it back and twisted until it locked tight.
Beside him, Diogenes pressed the button on his own flashlight. A white light came on, steady, without flickering.
"A healthy flashlight turns on immediately," the old man said. "No need to smack it first."
Kai pressed the button on his.
Nothing.
Diogenes glanced over. "Check the spring."
Kai opened the tail end of the flashlight, where the battery slides in, and pressed the spring inside with his thumb. It felt weak, barely pushing back.
"...The spring's flattened?"
"Flattened. Stretch it back with the pliers, or replace it if it's too far gone."
Kai gripped the tip of the spring with the pliers and pulled it gently upward, restoring some of its original length. Then he reassembled everything and pressed the button once more.
A white light came on.
"Heh." Kai stared at the small beam in his hand, satisfied in a way he hadn't quite expected.
Diogenes said nothing. He simply picked up the next piece of junk from the pile and slid one toward Kai without a word.
A small radio, barely recognizable. Its casing cracked, antenna snapped off, and its buttons gone entirely.
"Take it apart. Check the condition inside."
Kai picked up a screwdriver from the workbench and started looking for the screws.
Diogenes glanced over. "Back panel."
"Oh."
The first few screws came out slowly but without much trouble. The last two, however, refused to move.
Kai forced it.
A grinding screech rang out, and the screw head began to strip.
"Stop." Diogenes set down his work and turned. "Twist slightly to the right before going left. Rusted screws need to have their grip broken first."
Kai tried it. The screw turned.
"...Oh."
"Remember that yourself next time."
Kai pulled the casing open and studied the circuit board inside. Small components lined up in rows, a few of them blackened at the edges. He had no idea which ones were damaged and which weren't.
"Why are these ones black?"
"Old short circuit. Can't be repaired." Diogenes turned back to his work. "That's enough. Put it back together."
"Already?"
"You don't know enough to analyze a circuit board yet. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Kai said nothing and started reassembling the casing, only to realize the last two screws wouldn't go back in because he'd forgotten the order they came out in.
He spent ten minutes just putting the radio back together.
Diogenes didn't help. He simply waited and kept working.
It continued like that for several hours. A desk fan with a broken blade. A digital wall clock with a shattered screen. Kai took things apart, made mistakes, got corrected in short flat sentences, then tried again. Wrong more often than right. Lost more often than not.
But Diogenes kept handing him the next piece of junk.
"Enough for today," Diogenes said finally.
Kai set down the last piece. The back of his hand ached, and a small cut ran across his index finger where a sharp metal edge had caught him.
He looked over at the tablet in the corner of the room.
Kai stood, walked to his cot, and unplugged the charger cable. He pressed the power button.
The gray screen came to life.
A simple interface appeared, icons arranged neatly in rows. At the center of the screen, one icon stood out among the rest: a stack of layered shapes in black against a gray background. Below it, a single line of text read:
Aeterna Public Knowledge.
Kai stared at the screen for a moment.
So this is where I start, he thought, then slowly pressed the icon.