The Book of Uyu, a tale as old as time, has been a story famous amongst all in the great city of Potatopia. This tale details the perilous path and the Trails of Trials that one must face obtaining the Book of Uyu. It is said that if one acquires this book, they shall receive all they need to become all-knowing. It is said that no one has ever reached the top, thus this tale has faded into a fiction.
The great land of Potatopia is built upon its vast wealth in potatoes; however, life runs through the personal books of knowledge called the Arsenals. People are given Arsenals because they lack the brain capacity to store such information. These books serve as one’s memory beyond the brain. All interactions are through the Arsenals; one gives knowledge in exchange for any good of their choice.
These Arsenals contain knowledge classified as either stupid, simple, or significant. Stupid knowledge is that which is known only to you and serves no purpose in the progress of society. It includes such knowledge as to how to use the bathroom, how to cook and eat, how to comb one’s hair, and any basic information a person would need to live a routine life. Simple knowledge is organized around facts related to social existence that is learned but easy to understand. These consist of birthdays, addresses, simple recipes, knowing how to cross the street, and more. Significant knowledge, the most important, is information that is hard to understand and that serves to better society. Understanding sciences, politics, art, languages, or anything that takes a great investment of time and effort to learn, grasp, and wield is acclaimed as significant. Knowledge is currency, power, social status, and the reason for living.
There existed a strict hierarchy called the Tiers of Intellect that segregated the people of this land based on the amount of knowledge they contained. Power is held by those who grasped more than others. Occupations, quality of life, rights and privileges, and everyday social interactions are determined by how many physical facts one possesses as usable information. Within the Tiers, there are four ranks from highest to lowest: the crisps, the mashed, the taters, and the crinkled. The range of knowledge per class is strictly defined and those who lose or gain knowledge in large quantities can cross these great boundaries.
The only way to move across the hierarchy is to obtain enough significant knowledge that deems one smarter and more intellectual. To gain knowledge, people study books, scrolls, and the sayings of the scholars, but the higher classes have more resources to learn from and better environments to do so. The saying goes, “The smarts only get smarter while we’re stuck as simpletons.” When one memorizes and fully understands something, it is printed automatically in one’s Arsenal. To conduct a transaction in knowledge, one opens their Arsenal and touches the bit of knowledge they wish to give with one hand and then touches the arsenal of the receiver with the other hand.
The year is 1234. Shinra, born into the Spade family, shows two very unusual genetic anomalies. One is the allergy to potatoes and the other is discovered later. The Spades are nothing special and are well sunk into the tater class. Growing up with an allergy to potatoes, the Spades are quick to find an alternative food source for Shinra which they discover in wheat, which is considered merely an ornamental plant in Potatopia. But through trial and error, they learn how to fashion flour and food from the grains of this grass. With wheat, whose secrets of processing they keep close, they sustain their son and also create a small business that sold wheat-sourced products: bread, pastries, and muffins. The tater class however is filled with stubborn, ignorant, and metathesiophobic people who wouldn’t dare to eat something non-potato-based. Since many people are so close minded they refrain from eating here, but they're still a few loyal customers.
Shinra is taught by his parents to be true to himself always and prioritize his values, but when he grasps all his parents’ lessons, they appear only as stupid knowledge in his Arsenal. No matter how smart or unacknowledged Shinra may become, his parents want to make sure he would be as genuine and kind at all times. However, they overlook that even though he was a nice kid growing up, he hates how society works. He keeps these thoughts to himself for a long time.
Shinra being naturally inquisitive is always trying to learn and at a young age he acquires much simple knowledge, he even obtains all the significant knowledge available to him in the tater district. He reads all the textbooks, and scrolls, and learns the saying of the scholars whom he could, though, in his circles, these are pitifully few.
It is around this time he discovers the old story about the Book of Uyu, the same time he realizes his odd ability to remember and create a vast memory. Going home with this new profound knowledge, he confronts his parents asking about the tale of the Book of Uyu. All they know is all he knows but also that no one has succeeded. Only upper elites, smarter and possessing greater arsenals, dare to try.
From library to library, and other knowledge-based resources he is able to only find one documented journey. In the tale that he reads, it is said that the Book of Uyu would allow only those with a great mind, good intentions, and a vast arsenal to be able to overcome the perilous path and Trails of Trials. Shinra is very discouraged to even attempt this journey so he goes into town to get any help he can.
Frustrated, poor, and weary, Shinra walks into town and bumps into a blind man. The man has old raggedy shoes, stained clothing, and a foul smell, which are clear signs of someone of the crinkled class.
“Oh dear, I dropped my belongings,” says the Blind man. “I’m very sorry” Shinra replies, feeling guilty as ever.
The Blind man on the first encounter gives Shinra the perception that he would be of lesser knowledge. Due to his lack of sight, he would only be able to perceive knowledge auditorily and not visually, thus limiting his range of capabilities. Shinra helps the man retain balance and collects his fallen belongings so he could go on his merry way.
“Here are your things sir.”
Shinra carried on until the blind man called Shinra's name.
“Is that you Shinra? What brings you the crinkled community?”
Stunned and confused, Shinra reapproaches the man and asks “How do you know that I am Shinra?” The man simply replies, “I am a customer of your parents and though I lack sight I can recognize voices through my hearing.” Shinra is so shocked and amazed and asks the man if he wants a discount for causing him trouble.
The blind man states that he had a vision of Shinra climbing the mountain to retrieve the Book of Uyu. Shinra barely knows this man and because he is of a lesser class and blind, he disregards this crazy encounter. As Shinra walks away sort of puzzled, the man tells him, “Do not be afraid of the unknown, for the Book of Uyu has had multiple successors.”
Shinra thanks the man for what he has shared and went on his merry way back home where he packed up for a road less traveled: the perilous path. He is excited, nervous, scared, and hopeful but also looking forward to something he hasn’t felt in a while. If there had been multiple successors then there exists a world where Shinra can also be one, and this is enough to draw curiosity.
He goes around town asking people for aid or any advice about walking the perilous path but all he is given are shocked faces, stories about people going missing, and second doubts. He even encounters old customers who tell him they would buy more wheat products if he came back alive.
A week has passed and all he has learned is from an old document of a hiker’s experience. From this text, Shinra knows he would be tested multiple times along this path and this journey would be life-threatening; after coming to terms with this he starts his journey. The path is rocky and hard to get across, but after several miles of tough terrain, Shinra makes it to the Cave of Trials.
As he enters the dark and mysterious entrance, he is met by torches that lead him to a dull but cozy cave where he meets his first trial.
Trail one is simple. There are two doors labeled Known and Unknown. On the walls, it reads, “Welcome traveler, for you have endured a great journey. You can collect a simple prize of 5 significant knowledges from the door labeled ‘Known’, or you can continue this journey and go through the door labeled ‘Unknown’. Best of Luck! And remember, traveler, for all knowledge is equally valuable!”
Shinra, a boy from the tater settlement, would greatly appreciate 5 significant knowledges for he has read every written text and has learned from every scholar’s sayings and only has 1 significant knowledge. Going back now would still be considered a big win, but knowing how badly the family business is currently going, he doesn’t think the 5 significant knowledges would be enough. With all this, he decides to go into the Unknown.
The room into the unknown leads to a dark and scary hallway that has many snakes. Just like any other person, Shinra is gravely scared but he remembers what the old man said, “Do not be afraid of the unknown.” This was an odd feeling because just from pure intuition he feels as if it was a direct connection.
He takes many breaths and goes in calm and collected; the snakes as predicted are dormant and leave Shinra unscathed. If he were scared and not composed, the snakes would've attacked because they sense the slightest bit of fear.
The room of Trial two. Upon the entrance is a stone on which is carved, “Which book holds the most value?” Along the walls are different symbols and pictures equated to different numbers. The symbol of a chemist’s conical flask has a number 5 next to it, the symbol of mathematical equations has a 3 next to it, the symbol of the alphabet (ABC) has a 2 next to it and so many more. On every wall, there are many symbols and numbers and it is a lot to absorb. In the middle are three books with only a few pages. Each book contains lists of facts detailing random topics on history, biology, anatomy, technology, language, and more.
Shinra knows exactly what to do! He would read the facts in the book and then look around the room to assess what type of fact it is and give it its specific value. He would do this with all the facts in the book and add them up to give it a final score. The score is the book's total value. It takes him quite some time to get the final sums and the totals are so close in value. Book 1 has a total value of 43 and books 2 and 3 have a value of 42 and 41 respectively. It is so close that he needed to retry the addition, but after several tries, he is sure these are the right tallies.
However, just like in the last room, the answer isn’t always as clear-cut as the question makes it seem.
“Maybe these numbers don’t equate to value but something deeper. I don’t feel confident in this technique”
Struggling and thinking harder than ever, Shinra remembers the quote from the last room. “... And remember, traveler, for all knowledge is equally valuable!” This makes him ponder. It is odd to say that all knowledge is valuable when society tells him otherwise. For Shinra, who alone aligns with this way of thinking, it is shocking to read.
Tracing back Shinra reapproaches each book and counts the number of facts in each book. Book 1 has 15 facts, book 2 has 16, and book 3 has 17 facts, once again it was all very close. Using the advice from Trial 1 Shinra would have chosen Book 3, but from the writings on the walls it makes sense to choose Book 1, the one with the highest ‘value’.
With a lot of built-up courage and firm thinking he trusts his intuition and goes with Book 3. Because the Trails of Trials was notorious for its amount of past failures, he knows that anyone would be able to add up some numbers so some sort of second thinking or trick would be the key to victory. He is most certainly right because when he puts Book 3 onto the pressure plate, the door to Trial 3 opens and nothing lethal comes to kill or maim him, a huge sign of relief.
Trail 3 is a different test, people would say. As the other trials test intuition, wittiness, and help from the blind man, this one is based purely on morals. Shinra approaches the new writings on the wall. It states, “The lever on the left will take you to the Book of Uyu; however, traveler, the lever on the right will free all the captured lives of past journeymen who have failed to obtain it!”
This takes a heavy toll on Shinra. Would he go against his good-natured spirit to obtain higher enlightenment or would he be the one to help save all the lost lives? Maybe there aren’t any survivors anyway? Maybe obtaining the Book of Uyu would allow him to free them afterward? So many questions and thoughts flowing in his head, all these make-believe scenarios and situations and simulations, but nothing is helping him make the decision that would essentially change his life.
Shinra is a good boy and a kindhearted human. He is parented to grow up strong-willed and well-mannered. He knows how guilty he would feel for days on end if he didn’t go with the right lever. Upon being triggered, a secret passageway opens up and a staircase leads down to what seemed a sort of prison. An odd relief fell upon Shinra. Not that he is happy that people are held hostage but he is happy that the choice he made is impactful.
Nine people exit the dark passageway. They seem dazed and confused, and their steps are uncertain, yet they come forward and are very thankful to Shinra. Most of them look like very smart intellectuals of at least the mashed class.
“Thank you boy, for I have been there for God knows how long, I thought no one would ever flick that lever for even I failed to achieve the book,” said a random prisoner.
All the escapees had failed at different stages and it shows because only that random stranger knows what he is talking about. As they all go back recalling their stages, Shinra feels unfulfilled because even though he has freed these lives, the man who had flicked the left lever ages ago, failed to obtain the book. This means that even if Shinra were selfish he wouldn’t have obtained what he came for. He talks to the man about it but none of it makes sense. They can’t piece together how it worked or how they survived for so long without food or water. They feel almost insane.
All their answers would be answered because, as they leave the cave, they are met with the blind man from Shinra’s meeting days ago.
No one from the cave knows this man but Shinra does and not only does he wonder how he had arrived here but why he is here at all. As everyone else continues down, the blind man and Shinra start to talk.
“Sir why have you traveled all this way?” said Shinra.
“I have come here dear boy to help you obtain what you came here to seek. For I hold the key to the Book of Uyu” says the man.
Shinra is nervous, confused, and untrusting, “But sir I have completed the Trails of Trials and I have yet to see any door that the key would be used for.”
“Fear not for I have the way to the truth, follow me boy,” answers the old blind man.
On their way up the mountain, and out of sight from all the past failures, the blind man tries his best to explain to Shinra how he is the one who obtained this book years ago at just around the age Shinra is now. They approach the cave but walk past it because just beyond the entrance lies a door with the perfectly fitted frame for the key that the old man is holding. He passes the key to Shinra and tells him, “Shinra your great intuition, cleverness, and selflessness is what our society needs: go take the book and change the world.”
Shinra opens the door and takes the Book of Uyu. The man explains to Shinra that the only way to acquire the contents within it is through the Knowledge Altar. “First, place the book in the large pool of water on the altar, then submerge your head in the water and open your eyes. The knowledge will flow through you, but you may turn blind like me.” After following these steps, Shinra obtains the knowledge of men too many to count. He retains his sight, though, because of his positive vision for the future.