nian

Huh? 'Cause it's cooler that way, duh.

But isn't this meant to be Yanese wuxia?!

Don't let genres box in your thinking. Kung fu, suspense, sci-fi... the more marketing elements, the better, yeah?

You should hire Whisperain as a literary consultant before you ever touch another screenplay...

And you're going to drag Closure in to play the villain? Since when does she have the time to humor your nonsense?

And! Also! I've wanted to roast you for this since the beginning! You always say I'm the lead, so why do you keep stealing the spotlight at all the key moments?

Aww, don't be so petty. The big sacrifice scene in the climax is all yours.

I die in this?!

The character, the character dies.

What are you calling this one? 'Call of the Deadly Swordswoman' or 'Forged in Berserk?'

'Ruthless Sword vs. the Queen of the Machines.'

I'm begging you now, don't slap Rhodes Island's name on this movie when you distribute it or all our partner firms are going to question our taste.

Sure, everyone's a critic these days, but do you know how much cash Wrankwood rakes in each year on these kinds of movies?

Convinced now?

I've given up...

I shouldn't be wasting my free time listening to you read these stories.

I have training this afternoon. I'm off.

Remember to come back to hear the ending.

Like hell I will!

Wait a moment, I have one more question...

What parts of this story were true?

Huh? Where's that coming from?

The story sounds stupid to the max overall, but I also feel like—some details didn't feel completely made-up...

Oh? So what do you think? Which parts sound real to you?

Was there really a blind swordswoman?

Caught your interest?

Are you going to tell me or not?

No matter what 'the truth' is, it can only be 'stories' once you're hearing it. How can asking if 'stories' are true not be self-contradictory?

Forget it, I'm sure you made it all up at random. Why should I care...?

Bye.

Wait, wait, I was gonna let you stay on as director!

Count me out until you come up with a screenplay even slightly more normal!

*Sigh* Maybe I'm too avant garde for modern audiences to understand... I guess they'll catch up, sooner or later.

But I've got all this stuff to prep in advance, and if li'l Lava's not with me, I'm not gonna get it done on my own.

I heard people turned dour as they became older. Not that I believed it until now.

Did the trip to Shangshu make you miss someone?

What d'you think? You'd say it's a touching story too, wouldn't you?

I have no interest in wasting time criticizing your turgid film scripts... Did you grind my entire evening to a halt just to make me read this?

Fine, I've read it all. Now stop bothering me, and get out.

What else do you want?

I want to invite you to do some storyboarding and concept art.

Dream on!

I swear, I am going to incinerate every last one of your garbage films while you sleep.

You're all grown up now. Why do you still act out like such a kid?

How many years has it been?

What was that?

Don't be stupid.

Why does this sound like you've seen straight through my story?

Being too easily understood's kind of its own blow to an author, you know.

Too bad we've known each other for so long, 'big sis.'

I did genuinely want to look through the Sui Regulator's criminal records, just to see what kind of mortifying history you left behind.

You and li'l Lava are two peas in a pod with your tempers. Always gotta pretend like you don't care, even when you're so obviously curious.

Let me be clear. I haven't the slightest interest in your lousy screenplay, but I do want to know what you're dwelling on so miserably that you wrote this entire scenario as a roundabout homage.

Sure. Put on some tea, and we can chat nice and easy.

You have to tell it as it was... No garnishes allowed.

Haha... really, I couldn't tell you which year or month it was. I only remember nomadic cities didn't exist yet.

And I remember, it was snowing that day.

Even without the year, I know I finally had enough of that tomb, and thought I'd head up to the surface to kill my boredom.

But it was ordinary sights everywhere I looked. Came out, and it was all the same as when I went in.

And I thought to myself, y'know, in the end, this is all people are. You make a crowd of a million fight for a moment of glory in the battlesands, but their lives only amount to a couple decades in the end. What are they ever gonna contribute?

I was just passing the time, wandering wherever. But the Sui Regulator sure didn't like me idle, so they dumped an errand on me, had me head to Shangshu just after a Catastrophe hit, help the locals rebuild the city.

The Sui Regulator has a lot of confidence sending you on these jobs.

It's pretty much where my role lands, right? I'm specialized for it.

So you worked obediently?

You bet I didn't.

How brazen of you.

*Sigh* I can't say I totally slacked, but the terrain in Shangshu was vicious stuff at the time. Even if I took it seriously, drumming up a three-story building would be a heck of a lot of effort.

But what the Sui Regulator specified was to 'build a city that can withstand a small Catastrophe.' They just wanted to weigh me down on purpose, right?

So, I went as I felt, helped with some small stuff sometimes, gave a demo or two.

Shangshu's food really hit the spot for me, so I didn't mind staying for a while.

Until one day...

Some kid found out where I lived, and begged me to make a sword.

I guess I wasn't too low-key living in Shangshu. Made sense I left a legend or two behind. But I didn't expect... Oripathy to take both his eyes.

Honestly, you've been here for days. What exactly are you thinking?

Sir, I only wish for you to grant me a sword. One is ready to pay any price in exchange.

Sounds fine, but what price can you afford? Besides, what do you want a sword for?

To save. To avenge.

Gah... that's a headache.

No matter how I asked, he just answered the same four words, 'to save, to avenge'—but I didn't even care, to be honest.

I got seriously sick of him and just forged him a random sword. And he'd never be able to afford it, in any scenario, so I could only lend it to him. He'd have to give it back in a hundred days.

After about three months, I practically forgot about it when one day, out of nowhere, an old guy came calling.

I knew him. He was the owner of an inn at the edge of the city.

He gave me a bundle, with a broken sword wrapped inside.

What's this?

A child gave me some money, and asked me to deliver this to the swordsmith living on Zuanjiang Peak.

*Sigh*... We've had spring chills for the last few days, and snow. It's a treacherous road up here, I tell you...

He told you to give to me? Why didn't he come himself?

Ohh... he broke it, so he's too shy to see me in person?

I suppose he's... passed on by now...

Why—did he die?

I've got no idea.

What? Did that old man not tell you?

He told me he did what the youngster said, went to a specific place at a specific time to pick up the sword. He got there, and he saw nothing but burnt-out ruins.

Who knows how long it was burning, but nothing in there was recognizable anymore. Just that broken sword lying in the middle, nothing else.

I'm beginning to feel as if you're spinning a tale again.

Aw, that's just uncalled for. Can't you even have the most basic trust in your sister here?

What happened next?

Nothing to speak of. I didn't ask much more, and frankly, I wasn't the least bit interested.

I cast that broken sword back into a new billet, and had the old guy take it down for the city craftsmen to use.

If that material could teach them a thing or two, I was sure it'd improve their tech, so I considered myself even with the Sui Regulator.