act31side

Mr. Ji.

Ah... you must be young Lord Zuo.

Alas, where are my manners? I didn't even prepare a gift for our first meeting.

You know me?

(Eerie wail)

Zuo Le reflexively reaches for his sword, but finds only a Tianshi apparatus for controlling agricultural instruments on his belt.

His movement did not escape the man's attention. The corners of the man's mouth rise up slightly.

No need to be nervous, Lord Zuo. These are but harmless toys.

'Weave cause to effect, cut unreal into real'... are these your creations?

Just doing my part.

(Eerie cry)

The man waves his hand, and the strange creature turns to tiny threads before vanishing.

The ways of the Feranmut proxies are mystifying.

Petty parlor tricks. Not much use to them.

Pestilence and blight tend to follow a flood. Dealing with disaster you can't see or touch is hard; weave it into an object, and it becomes easier to deal with.

My elder sister would chastise me for violating the laws of nature, if she saw me do this.

You shouldn't be here.

This is my childhood home, after all. I got a little homesick.

I didn't know your kind had childhoods.

We were all ignorant once, no matter how long our lifespans. New things left a deeper impression on us.

And we think more about those who around us, at the time.

Any meeting of you and your siblings is an important matter that should have been reported to the Sui Regulator in advance.

The imperial court's convoy was delayed by Catastrophe. I got word from the old Tianshi and immediately sent relief supplies out of my own pocket.

I only saw my older sister briefly and haven't even caught a glimpse of the younger ones. Isn't the Sui Regulator being a little, you know, <i>in<b>human</b>e?</i>

The Sui Regulator has instructions to keep a close eye on you.

Even though I've never broken a single rule in all these years?

It is not up to you.

And yet, you're not wearing the garb of a Candleholder.

The man smiles. His demeanor is gentle, polite, relaxed.

But Zuo Le cannot help but feel a chill up his spine.

I have heard much about you, Lord Zuo. That we should meet here is certainly the will of Heaven, and I would very much like to make your acquaintance.

There's no need to flatter me.

I've seen many a scion of blue-blood families in Baizao, plenty of them intelligent and learned.

But it would be a challenge to find more than a handful who could get down to business and do honest work like you.

In the eleventh month of last year, you entered the den of the Langyi Shanhaizhong by yourself and rescued dozens of innocent prisoners.

In the second month of this year, you braved numerous dangers in pursuit of that special goblet.

The uninformed believed you to have risen to your position at such a young age because of your father. What do they know of the dangers of a Candleholder's duty?

Why should one mistake wipe out all the hard work you've done in the past?

You're not supposed to know of these things.

Ah, a businessman hears many things. After all, the things one hears can be a commodity, too, if another is willing to pay a price for them.

And it's my business to know what kind of customer would pay what kind of price for information.

For example, I know what's on the other side of the river to the north of Dahuang. I know what Nian is building here.

I know you suspect that ulterior motives were involved in the Catastrophe that struck Yumen, but all your leads came up empty. Am I right?

Your meticulousness is impressive.

But I would not underestimate the Sui Regulator, if I were you. We will get to the bottom of any suspicions we have.

I would caution you to toe the line.

Is this a word of advice from a friend?

A word of warning from a Candleholder of the Sui Regulator.

I'm sure you worry too much. The best Tianshis in all of Yan are all gathered in the Chamber of Heaven's Designs north of Dahuang. What can one little man do?

Should you not be more concerned about the... things across the river?

...What?

Do you know how many Tianshis the Chamber of Heaven's Designs has lost in the past three months?

Don't you dare spread lies and rumors...

Trust is a merchant's greatest asset. I never lie, Lord Zuo. You can look into it yourself, if you don't believe it.

Then, think about what you want to do, and whether it might involve a deal with me.

Everything is just as usual.

The wind is silent.

Stockbeasts bury their heads in the grass.

The girl looks around.

Stupid Mianmian. How many times have I told him not to run away?

Stupid Xiaohe. He doesn't even remember my song! I'm not playing with him anymore!

Layer after layer of leaves block out the sky. The wind brings with it the pleasant scent of rice.

The earth is damp, and she leaves footprints in it as she steps upon it, walking forward while brushing aside the leaves that hide the skies.

Mianmian! It's time to go home!

Mianmian! Why did you run away? Get back to your pen, or I'm gonna get scolded along with you.

A gentle breeze brushes by. The large, dark eyes of the stockbeast reflect the skies, the clouds, and the fields.

Grain Buds sees her own reflection in those eyes.

I'm going away.

...Huh?

I don't want to eat grass anymore.

What?

Has Xiaohe been putting weird stuff in your fodder again?

I'll talk to him, and make sure you guys are eating properly!

It's scary here.

Death is coming.

Will you come with us?

You mean the flood a few days ago?

No need to be scared. The flood is gone. I'll build tougher houses for you, so you won't have to be afraid when Catastrophe comes! I'll protect you!

No.

It comes from across the river.

Look beneath your feet.

Beneath... what...?

Grain Buds sees her own reflection in those eyes.

A gentle breeze brushes by. The large, dark eyes of the stockbeast reflect the skies, the clouds, and the fields.

The girl looks around.

Stockbeasts bury their heads in the grass.

The wind is silent.

Everything is just as usual.

Uncle Wang? What are you doing?

Moving trees.

The peace tree? It was in perfectly good shape. Why are you moving it? What about those Tumu Tianshis?

Give me a hand and move that dirt over there... they've gone back to the factories. They'll be transporting materials through here in a bit.

Everyone knows that there's no saving this land.

Xiaohe, you're a student at the Tianshi Bureau, but you're also from around here. Tell us, what's happened to the land?

I... I don't know...

...Hmph.

Yeah, I know, every inch of land is business to the mandarins. How much money it takes to turn them into moving plates, and how much money they stand to make.

But this is our home! My family has lived here for generations!

How could they tell us to abandon our home just like that!

This is my home too.