act31side

How many more times must we see this?

Newly-sprouted seedlings, stalks bending from the weight of grain, branches filled with fruit... all gone before Catastrophe.

Locusts, draughts, blizzards, frost, floods...

Frost in early spring almost wiped out the seedlings. It took all our effort to preserve a small portion of them.

What will it take to feed everyone?

A sudden rain has drowned any festive spirit.

The rain begins to subside, but not the water accumulated in the fields, which has reached ankle depth.

How could so much water accumulate so quickly?!

It's turbid... did the rain carry dirty mud from upstream? It's going to pollute the fields!

Gai si de! What are they doing at the construction site? Drain the damned thing already!

This is bad! The dam's burst!

Ta ma de! You've gotta be kidding me!

What's going on?

Apparently, an Originium vein upstream exploded, sending fragments down the river that got caught in the machinery, blowing a hole in the dam.

Why didn't anyone notice?!

The water levels were normal. We didn't detect any unusual Originium reactions, or expect the Originium activity to be so irregular...

Jiangui de... during flood season, no less.

The water is filled with Originium silt. It's going to wreak havoc on the crops, maybe even cause infection.

Everyone be careful! Dam repairs will take time. Get people downstream to block the flow!

The current is getting faster. What do we do if the entire dam collapses?

What do you think we can do? Stop it with your Arts, your lives!

The polluted water continues to spread. The fields are already filled with mud.

Step on it! More sandbags!

We need to protect the experiments in this field! Don't let it get flooded!

Aiya! Your specialty is playing with sand, isn't it? Get to it!

You're the one who plays with sand! My specialty is soil analysis! Ai, I'll do what I can!

Farmers and Tianshis line up to deliver sandbag after sandbag to the banks, scrapping together a makeshift dam with Originium Arts.

There is one last gap in it.

Gah... I can't...

The youth leaps up with a bag of sand in his arms and tries to block the gap, but a gust of wind stops him in his tracks.

What are you doing?!

That water is mixed with Originium-filled mud! Are you trying to get infected?

It's my job to protect the people...

You think everyone needs your protection? You're different from the people standing here because why?

I—

How can I help?

The flood is caused by a burst dam. It's overwhelmed the field's drainage system.

We're in flood season, and it'll take time to repair it. The situation will only get worse if we don't do something.

You're a Messenger, right? Are you fast?

I suppose... what do you need me to do?

Someone needs to take charge in this chaos.

Take this map and go to the marked plates. Find the farmer in charge and get the plates ready to move.

What are you planning?

Dahuang's nomadic city modifications are only partially complete, but some degree of movement is possible.

While repairs at the dam continue, we will rebuild the drainage system by rearranging the plates and creating elevation...

Gah—

The edges of the metal plate melt as they connect to the gap in the dam.

The flood, seeking the path of least resistance, continues to batter the hasty repair. Water shoots out from the gaps in the metal, cutting open a crack like sharp blades.

That's not how your Arts are supposed to be used, Laoshi! You need to rest. I'll take over for a while.

Back off!

Your Arts are no good, child!

*cough*... *cough*...

Heavenly forge—

Nian...!

What's this mess? We aren't even done at the factory...

But looking at this flood... good job holding out this long.

You should not intervene outside of work in the core city.

Call it emergency discretion, alright? Seriously, you engineers are even more uptight than the Sui Regulator.

Go catch your breath. I'll deal with the rest.

You intend to rearrange the plates?

No time to explain. I know work on Dahuang's mobile plates is incomplete, but they're capable of basic movement.

Moving a few plates will go a long way towards draining the polluted water in the fields.

You can't be serious! Only Rong and Tianshi Shu have the authority to move the plates. No one else may—

Both of them are busy coordinating flood control efforts.

The flood shows no sign of abating. Fields and crops are being drowned as we speak. What are you going to do, hold a Tianshi Bureau meeting?

Why you—

You're Tianshi Shu's apprentice... I've seen you with her.

Very well... I'll trust you.

But they are plates of various sizes, and there are dozens. Any movement is a complex job that will take several Tianshis an entire day to calculate.

No need for that. I have the layout memorized, and a plan.

This is what we'll do.

Plate A-9, five tiles to the east. Plate B-8, down five levels.

I...

What are you doing standing there? Get on it!

Ai! Fine, I don't have any better ideas.

What's going on? The plate is moving!

Wait, the flood seems to have gotten weaker...

The plates are moving! Seek shelter—

Seek shelter where? The greenhouses?

Calm down and evacuate through the passage to Plate C-4. It's at a higher elevation now and gives protection from the floods.

Qingping! What are you doing here?

I saw He Sheng and he told me what he's planning.

The river is to the north of Dahuang. The plates to the west are the ones that have to be moved in order to drain the water from the northwest side of Dahuang to the valley in the southwest.

I didn't think of that at all...

Mianmian! Stay put!

Grain Buds?

Candlestick, Inkbrush! What about Big Buffalo? Is he okay?

He...

Don't worry, he's in a safe place.

Oh, I'm so relieved!

Wait, no, that's not it! The stockbeasts ran away in panic when the plate started moving. Help me catch them!

(Terrified cries)

Where did these stockbeasts come from?!

Mianmian! No running!

Stop! That's the edge of the plate!

Dusk?!

Who permitted you to use your powers—

Slowpokes.

Going door to door like this, half the houses will be flooded by the time you reach them.

But—