There Was a City Called Pompey

The discussion of their future cooperation continued in a harmonious atmosphere, and Richard and the Black-Faced Old Man reached quite a few agreements.

At last, as the conversation drew to a close, the old man reached into his robes, took out a small cloth pouch, and placed it on the table.

"What is this?" Richard asked.

"Open it and see," the Black-Faced Old Man said.

Richard did not hesitate. He picked up the pouch, opened it, and took out its contents. Inside were a sheet of paper and a small glass tube of ink.

Neither the paper nor the ink was ordinary.

First, the paper was neither common papyrus nor parchment. It looked more like white silk, snow-white in color, smooth and soft to the touch, with a certain elasticity that almost made one suspect it was human skin. Yet the strange patterns on its surface clearly proved that it was not human skin, but something even more mysterious.

The ink was dark gray, flecked with colored points of light that inevitably brought to mind the endless night sky and the stars scattered within it.

The Black-Faced Old Man explained, "The paper you have is called Star-Pattern Paper, and the ink is called Starry Sky Ink. Both are exceedingly precious magical tools, and when used together, they can produce a special effect.

Put simply, if you write words on Star-Pattern Paper with Starry Sky Ink, I will soon be able to see those exact words on the corresponding sheet of Star-Pattern Paper in my possession—identical in every way, without the slightest error.

Likewise, if I write on my Star-Pattern Paper, the words will appear on yours. The writing will automatically disappear after a while, and as long as there is enough Starry Sky Ink, it can be written on again