Cultivation in the Pirate's World

Elder Lucia's home sat atop the highest hill of Hikari Isle, its crystalline walls refracting the eternal sunlight in mesmerizing patterns. Inside, maps and ancient scrolls covered every surface, depicting the island's unique geography and history.

"The eternal light," Lucia explained, gesturing to a central diagram, "comes from a crystal core deep within the island. For generations, it has burned without failing, until now."

Xiao Yan studied the diagrams with genuine interest, while behind him, his companions were having... varying reactions to the indoor environment.

"Xiaojin," he said without looking up, "the ceiling is not a substitute sun."

The phoenix, who had been attempting to merge its flames with the light refracting through the crystal walls, let out a disappointed chirp.

"And Xiaolong, please refrain from testing the acoustics with lightning."

The dragon, coiled around a support pillar, tried to look innocent despite the static electricity making every scroll in the room stand on end.

"As for you, Xiao Gui..." Xiao Yan sighed, watching the turtle methodically working its way through what appeared to be a priceless ancient tablet. "Perhaps we should continue this discussion elsewhere?"

"SHAHAHAHAHA!" Shanks laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos. "Your companions certainly know how to liven up a crisis meeting!"

Uta, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, was attempting to teach Xiaojin a song about eternal light. The resulting melody sounded like someone had set a symphony on fire.

"The core," Benn interrupted, bringing focus back to the matter at hand, "you mentioned it's becoming unstable?"

"Yes," Lucia nodded, spreading out another map. "The tremors began a month ago. At first, they were minor, but now..."

As if on cue, the island shuddered. The eternal light dimmed momentarily, causing Xiaojin to puff up in offense, as if the very idea of darkness was a personal insult.

"The timing between fluctuations is decreasing," Xiao Yan observed, his fingers tracing the map's path to the core. "How long?"

"Three days," Lucia replied grimly. "Maybe less. When the core fails completely..."

"The island dies," Shanks finished, his usual grin replaced by a thoughtful frown. "And all the unique life here with it."

"Which would be unfortunate," Xiao Yan noted, carefully extracting a rare manuscript from Xiao Gui's jaws. "These herbs are quite remarkable."

Indeed, even from their brief walk through the town, he'd noticed dozens of plant species that could only exist in eternal daylight. Their properties, combined with his cultivation techniques...

Another tremor, stronger this time. Scrolls fell from shelves, and the crystal walls seemed to sing with tension.

"I can help," Xiao Yan said simply.

All eyes turned to him. Even his companions paused their various attempts at property damage.

"The core's instability," he continued, "it's not decay, but rather... imbalance. Like a pot boiling over from too much heat."

"You can tell that just from the tremors?" Benn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That, and other signs." Xiao Yan's eyes held a glimmer of something ancient. "The energy here moves in patterns. They've become... disrupted."

"You speak as if you can see the flow of light itself," Lucia said, studying him with new interest.

"Perhaps." Xiao Yan's slight smile gave nothing away. "Though I'll need access to the core."

"Impossible," one of Lucia's advisors burst out. "The path is too dangerous! The last expedition—"

"Was not accompanied by a phoenix, a dragon, and a surprisingly durable turtle," Xiao Yan pointed out.

Xiaojin chose that moment to demonstrate its usefulness by accidentally setting fire to a particularly valuable-looking tapestry.

"...though perhaps some supervision would be wise," Xiao Yan amended, extinguishing the flames with a gesture.

"I'm coming too!" Uta declared, jumping up. "Someone needs to keep Xiaojin focused!"

"If by focused you mean 'even more chaotic', then yes," Xiao Yan murmured, but he didn't object.

"Well then," Shanks grinned, resting a hand on his sword, "shall we go save an island?"

"After," Xiao Yan said firmly, "we retrieve everything Xiao Gui has attempted to eat in the last hour. I believe that crystal paperweight was part of a matched set?"

Lucia looked at her now-incomplete desk set, then at the contentedly chewing turtle, and decided some mysteries were better left unexplored.

As they prepared for the expedition to the core, Xiao Yan caught Shanks giving him a calculating look.

"You know more than you're saying," the captain observed quietly.

"I know many things," Xiao Yan replied. "Though at the moment, I'm most curious about how many priceless artifacts one turtle can consume before experiencing indigestion."

Another tremor shook the island, and the eternal light flickered like a candle in the wind.

"Well then," Xiao Yan said, as Xiaojin attempted to stabilize the light with its own flames (and nearly set the roof on fire in the process), "shall we begin?"

Behind them, Xiaolong had somehow managed to turn all of Lucia's scrolls into static-charged tubes that stood upright on their own.

It was, Xiao Yan reflected, going to be an interesting expedition. Assuming they didn't accidentally destroy the island before saving it.

Though given his companions' current track record with property damage, both outcomes seemed equally possible.