level_act31side_05_beg

You're leaving again?

You're not going to try to talk me out of it this time?

When have you ever listened?

I'll feel empty inside if you don't at least nag a little bit.

I can still walk, and my limbs remain sturdy. The spring wind is still chilly, so it's not like I can sunbathe in my chair.

You know how dangerous it is up north.

But, Shu... You also know we have no choice...

It took us decades just to carve out this little plot of land. But, it's still not enough.

We're always short on food and land... If we go a bit further north, we might just find some special crops that can grow in Originium-tainted soil.

Then, we'd be able to cultivate the entire continent, and nobody would go hungry ever again.

Even more reason for you to stay.

If we can't find a crop like that, we'll just cultivate slowly. It might take ten generations, or a hundred, but eventually–

Does it look like I can wait that long?

Besides, if the others heard things like 'crops that can be grown in Originium-tainted soil' or 'cultivating the entire continent,' they'd think I lost my mind.

There's no arguing with you.

Wisdom is one of the perks that comes with age.

The woman extends her hand, her fingers tightly clenched.

Oh, Shu... Would you mind reading my palm again? See if this old lady still has the luck to realize her dreams this late in life?

I already told you, I'm not doing that anymore.

The woman smiles and unclasps her hand, revealing a small white flower in the middle of her palm. She pins the flower to the hair bun of the girl in front of her.

I found this in the fields today. I do believe it's the first flower to bloom this year, and that's surely a good omen.

Maybe I'll make it back in time for this year's harvest.

You just keep track of the days, and have some short-rib soup ready for me.

Oh, Shu...

Hm?

You've always been able to see that future, haven't you?

In the end, you'll...

No... Don't tell me. I don't want to know when I'll die.

I just want to ask...

Will our dream of The Ten Thousand Qing of Fertile Fields come true?

Tianshi...

Shu?

What?

You've been loitering around here all morning. You don't wanna give up on this piece of land, do you?

Right...

The mountains are lush, the water is clear, and the food's good too... I like it here a lot.

Tianshi Shu, you were transferred to Dahuang not too long ago, right? You look very young.

I've been here since I was born. Sixty-seven now... In all my years, I never thought I'd see the day when I had to leave.

It's said that more than a thousand years have passed since Shennong reclaimed this land. How could we just...

Just as crops are planted in spring and harvested in autumn, one cannot hope to evade the elements forever. It is the way of the world for things to go wrong, and we can only let nature run its course.

When you move to a nomadic city, everyone will have something to do. Trust that the proper arrangements have been made.

We just don't understand... We thought our harvest has been weak the past two years because of the weather. It's nothing we can't overcome with a bit of hard work.

But now, you're telling us there's something wrong with the land itself... Shu, you Tianshis are wiser than us. Can't you please think of a way to save this land?

Just tell us what we have to do. It doesn't matter how hard we have to work, even if it means tilling every last clump of soil–

It rained just two days ago, so how come this land is...?

The farmer standing at the edge of the field suddenly goes wide-eyed.

All the water stored in the fields drains away at a speed discernable to the naked eye, as if there is a bottomless abyss hidden beneath the land. In a flash, all the water is gone, and along with it, the life of the land.

The moist paddy fields turn to hardened salt flats in an instant, countless parched fissures stretching outward.

Stop right there.

Lord Zuo.

Where do you think you're going?

I've delivered what I needed to deliver, and seen the people I needed to see. And so, it's time for me to leave— Why, have you come to see me off, Lord Zuo?

You can't leave yet. Not until you've given me an explanation.

First, the Sui Regulator tells me to go, then it tells me that I have to stay... You'll have to forgive me for not being able to keep my orders straight.

What's your involvement with the demonic taint that's appeared in the middle of Dahuang, and what plans do you have for the devices in the core city?

What's more... A hundred years ago, a particular convict escaped from the capital, and in just a few months, his pawns were all across Great Yan. What have you been doing in that time?!

I can't fathom what you're trying to say.

Then, I'll simply have to escort you to a place where I can make things clear to you.

The fact that you came here alone shows great bravery, Lord Zuo. If not for the fact that I'm short on time, I'd be more than glad to stay and chat with such a promising young man.

But... What if I choose not to play along?

The man takes out a jade weaver's shuttle. Aside from its extra-delicate appearance, nothing about it seems out of the ordinary.

Zuo Le takes notice of the gossamer threads wrapped faintly around it.

Stop right there––!

Hmm...?

The shock is only momentary.

Before the man can lift the shuttle in his hand, the Candleholder's blade is already at his neck.

I'm just an ordinary man. I don't have the power to fight against you proxies...

But within this scroll, there is no difference between the two of us.

This scroll... is one of my sister's...

How could a mortal dare to harness this power?

Perhaps you underestimated the extent to which the Feranmutologists have researched you... The Sui Regulator is fully aware of each and every one of your abilities.

I never expected Dusk to have such a low opinion of me, that she'd rather team up with a Candleholder to make my life difficult...

But, is it not a crime for a Candleholder to come into private contact with a proxy? As guilty as you already are, Lord Zuo, have you not considered the consequences of such an outrageous act?

The most important thing is for me to stop you right here... and bring you into custody.

You drew the demonic taint into Dahuang in order to destroy the Twelve Pagodas and Five Cities?

Was this entire incident orchestrated by that particular convict?

And if I were to say yes, what then?

What are you going to do about it, Lord Zuo?

Kill me right here and now, granting the Sui beneath the capital city even greater consciousness? Is Yan really prepared to march to war?

If that's what it takes to stop you, then so be it. Even now, the bestial Sui may not stand as a shield for the misdeeds of your kind.

Nevertheless, it is still a trade whose value must be weighed.

The man smiles, ignoring the long blade pointed at his neck. He dusts off his robe and finds a stone step to sit on.

I'm serious––

Why so jittery? Now that I've been sealed within this painting, I am a simple tailor without the ability to so much as capture a fowlbeast. What, are you worried I'll fly away?

We rarely get such opportunities, so let's chat.

The only thing you'll be doing is answering my questions.

Are you not at all curious about the files in the library that you don't have the authorization to access?

Such a great opportunity is sitting right here. Surely, those questions are of much more interest to you?

Don't try to talk your way out of this...

Then, let's settle the account.

Between Great Yan, and the Feranmuts.

...The trail's gone cold?

If these demon-tainted seeds floated over from that river, then why do the traces of contamination get fainter the closer we go to the edge of the city...?

Could it be...?

She scoops up a handful of sand and twirls it carefully within her palm, her brow knitting together.

The newly-built nomadic city in the distance undulates as it sends faint vibrations through the earth, like a continuous mountain range or the bulging back of a gargantuan beast.

Steel and concrete prop up soil that is thousands of years old, the massive structure seemingly erecting a bridge that spans the ages. But, who knows of the vestiges left upon this land across its myriad epochs?

Was this your doing?

All these years, you've been silently suppressing this demonic presence... What are you after?

How could there be any <i>Xian</i> like you...?

Lord Zuo, have you ever seen a silkworm? Or perhaps, heard the idiom: 'to wrap yourself in your own cocoon'?

What are you getting at?

I'm quite familiar with these things.

For these creatures to grow, they must endure a calamity. Those that survive will break out of their cocoons; those that do not will have their lives quietly snuffed out in the darkness.

Who are you implying is the silkworm here?

You and I, and all things in existence.

Say what you will, but we have no interest in comparing ourselves to insects.

You people are so proud of the civilization you've built, but are there no records of the very beginning in the Sui Regulator's files? Of how the True Lung was able to end the Hundred Clan Rebellion?

Of course we're aware. We understand full well that it was nothing more than a bout of folly brought about by the bestial Sui's arrogance, not a gift of any sort. Why, are you that keen for Yan to sing the praises of your kind?

Besides, you no longer have that kind of power.

No living being can escape the cycle of destruction and rebirth. Summer insects sing not of sleet or ice. Everything we see, hear, and think is enclosed in a silken cocoon, and we must never forget our humility.

What are you getting at?

Since the end of that great battle and the appearance of our kind, the Sui Regulator has also accumulated a thousand years of history.

Have you ever considered why Yan never moved to banish the Sui, until now?

A hundred years ago, the convict incited great chaos, resulting in the death of a proxy. Now that the awakening of the bestial Sui is an inevitability, banishment has become a clear imperative.

The bestial Sui is awakening? Which Feranmutologist came up with that conclusion?

Who stands to benefit when Yan goes to war? In whose interest would it be to banish the Sui?

Did you fail to consider these questions, Lord Zuo, or are you simply pretending that they don't exist?

Why should I take anything you say at face value...?

Naturally, you don't have to believe me. Let us settle another account.

Setting aside the fact that I am a lowly peddler, my brothers and sisters have for centuries kept a great many dangers from Great Yan.

Even when it comes to my 'unemployed' little sister, Yan cannot even fathom the amount of effort it would've taken to build its nomadic cities without her.

Of course, there's also the sister who has been standing guard here all this time.

When it comes to the symbiotic history of the Feranmuts and Yan, from beginning to end, my brothers and sisters have done nothing to harm you. All they've wanted is to live like ordinary people.

But now, they are about to lose their lives over some undeserved disaster... Tell me, Lord Zuo, how are we to settle this account?

Indeed, a number of you have made invaluable contributions to Yan, which the nation has never forgotten.

Yet now, there are some of you who choose to stand against Great Yan, threatening the lives of countless people.

Ah, were you not suggesting just now that your <i>Xians</i> had taken good care of Yan? Why then, at the first sign of hardship, do you turn against the <i>Xians?</i>

Where even are these <i>Xians?</i> From beginning to end, there have only been ordinary people.

Why not take a look at the ground beneath your own feet?

Didn't we already dispose of the contaminated crops...?

No, no... This is the grain that was harvested normally before. How did it become like this...?

The granary is filled with the rice that was harvested only a few days ago.

What should have been a golden mound of grain has now turned into a red-and-black mass.