《Magic Item Shop: Grand Opening》 0 - Epiprologue Goodbye Justin If you¡¯re reading this, I¡¯M DEAD! Not just missing for a while and legally declared deceased; DEAD! Parrotsketch.exe DEAD! And that means INHERITANCE TIME! So! Guess who was always my favorite great-grand-nephew. . . . Yep, your cousin Bryce, god rest his poor soul. Not you! Psh, you¡¯re not even in the top ten. ¡®Tool¡¯ nothing; you¡¯re an entire hardware megastore. You¡¯re the Hartville Hardware of relatives! Remember when you broke my irreplaceable antique lithophane in the back stairway while throwing those pretend grenades made of off-brand plastic building blocks at Ellen? Because I certainly do, you destructive little hellion! Yes, you were a child; yes, you sincerely apologized; yes, I forgave you; but I never forgot, either! So there! YOU NEVER PAID ME BACK EITHER! YOU STILL OWE ME! Which means that instead of a simpler bequest, you get a responsibility. Well, that, and also - though I dislike admitting it - because you¡¯re the one I best trust to either carry it forward, or manage it. We both know why; enough said. I¡¯ve carted this around since my grandfather Ellis passed it down to me. I was so crazy in love with your great-grand-uncle at the time that I immediately put it aside, and after he passed there were so many of you stinky brats to still watch over that I never even considered signing it. Perhaps you¡¯ll make the other choice. Perhaps you¡¯ll set it aside too. Speaking of which, I like that Chloe you brought to Thanksgiving this year. Did you know she punched Malcolm in the nose when he made a pass at her while you were out playing touchball in the riverside field? Bam! Right in the cheese! Knocked him into the kitchen table! If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But enough about that. Be assured, this is real; perhaps not true, but absolutely real. I know this because not only could Taid Elisud do magic - real magic, supernatural, not prestidigitation or stage illusions - but he taught me a little too. Small tricks; homely ones, but useful, and one of the most so has been the Sight, the ability to sense magic itself. The enclosed contract burns with it. It¡¯s the most powerful artifact I¡¯ve ever encountered, and I therefore believe it is what it purports to be, just as Taid Eli did. So sign it or don¡¯t, it¡¯s up to you. You don¡¯t even have to keep it in the family; if you find someone better suited, go ahead and give it to them. Because while you¡¯re a stiff-necked, mule-headed, self-righteous, arrogant little goblin of a malapert. . .out of everyone I know in this world, I nevertheless trust you most to do the right thing. God help me, but I truly do. Meridith Carse with love if I have to I guess 1 - Expanded Contract Auntie Merry, more than scary, always tsun and never dere . . .Justin thought, amused. When did you ever watch the Red Green Show? It was very in character for her last words to him to be a spiky ball of of criticisms wrapped around a tiny lump of grudging but sincere respect. Justin didn¡¯t mind, though. While they were more alike than she would ever have admitted, he felt rather proud of it. She¡¯d been an admirable woman, in almost every way, and in particular, an excellent model of integrity for him since his childhood. The only adult he could remember who had ever apologized to him for being wrong about something. Which was the main reason he was taking her bizarre claims seriously. He put the exquisite handwritten letter down and stared at the small leather folio lying on his desk. His eyes slid to the right, where a small freestanding picture frame held a headshot of a young woman, more cute than beautiful. Her dark hair was cut in a blunt chin-length bob, and her expression overlaid fondness with a smirk. Then he looked down at the two black mourning bands around his upper left arm. He picked up the folio and untied the leather strap holding it closed. Inside it was a sheaf of small, pale parchment pages, barely larger than his two hands put together. They had borders of gold foil, which in turn were covered in celtic knot designs that glittered like powdered gemstones. A dense mass of tiny characters filled the first page, written in thin lines of purple ink. Justin didn¡¯t recognize the writing, but as he studied it, the meaning entered his mind regardless. AS YOU COMPREHEND SO ARE YOU WORTHY AS YOU CHOOSE SO ARE YOU GIVEN AS YOU SIGN SO ARE YOU BOUND Huh, he thought, putting the parchment down and leaning back in his chair. He rolled his head up and stared at the ceiling. So. . .magic is real. It was certainly far more believable than the first alternatives that came to mind, such as some kind of conspiracy theorist black-bag operation hypnotic programming in his past. Or ¡®Gray¡¯ alien telepathy, like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind ¨C no; Occam¡¯s Razor clearly said call it magic and move on! He sat up and looked at the parchment again. Hail, stranger. he read; I do not know the origins of The Magic Item Shop. Many decades ago, as I crawled dying through the wreckage of my city, I found its Contract. In the desperate hope of survival and with my last moments of breath, I made my unalterable choices and signed my name. I was transported to another city, in another world, and granted skills and powers beyond my imagination. I regret nothing. Managing The Magic Item Shop has afforded me a life of meaning, happiness, and wonder greater than I ever dared to dream. But I have also learned that with enough time, even The Magic Item Shop can become a source of boredom, frustration, and eventually resentment. Therefore, I have chosen to exercise the unwritten termination clause before these consequences become unbearable. After copious research, I have concluded - as was claimed in my predecessor¡¯s message to me ¨C that my remaining life will power the next iteration of The Magic Item Shop Contract, while my soul passes benignly into the unknown. Whether you seek escape, or adventure, or just an honest and virtuous career in supernatural crafting and retail, The Magic Item Shop can provide it. I will not recommend this to you, as I do not know your circumstances, but I will assert again that I, personally, regret nothing. You will leave behind everyone you know and everything you possess, other than your clothes, but you will be healed of all illnesses, curses, and other malign conditions, and either returned to your peak physical condition at the end of your adolescence, or advanced to it. I cannot tell you more than this. I can only leave you with my best wishes, and the greatest words of wisdom I have yet acquired: To a mind of sufficient discernment, everything is negotiable, and a hint is as loud as a thunderclap. Oh yes. . .message received, my predecessor, Justin thought. ¡®Unalterable choices¡¯, but ¡®everything is negotiable¡¯, plus ¡®unwritten clauses¡¯. And I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more hints in there that I haven¡¯t sussed out yet. He carefully extracted the top sheet from the folio. The parchment was surprisingly stiff in his hands, and he set it down on his desk, then grazed a fingertip along the glittering design on one edge. It was barely gritty to the touch, like ultra-fine sandpaper. I think those really are powdered gems, he thought. The idea of selling it to a collector of mysterious uniquities passed briefly through his mind and was instantly discarded. He had already decided to sign. There was nothing keeping him in this world any longer. Unconsciously, his right hand rose to the double black bands on his upper left arm. Beneath the topmost parchment in the folio were more of the same. These sheets, however, had obvious checklists, and signature lines at their bottoms. Justin removed them all and spread them out on the desk. If there was ever a time to RTFM, he thought, this is absolutely, positively, categorically it. # # # The choices were easier than he¡¯d anticipated. He was. . .not transmigrating; trans-emigrating? Close enough - to Ribe.
LOCATION
Welcome to the kingdom of Eternia. It''s known as the most serene, albeit strange, place of all the kingdoms, but adventure is easy to find here if you seek it out. The temperate climate makes for a relaxed and casual place for people living in it, and it reflects in the soul of its inhabitants.
Choose a location for your shop.
DEWFORD A town surrounded by verdant green where the wind tells of impending change. Dewford is a recent settlement located on a major trade route, with various migratory species giving it a plethora of wildlife. There doesn''t seem to be a lot going on in this peaceful town, other than a few strange incidents within the mysterious woods. Stick to the road, and things will be just fine. RIBE A city blessed with pristine waters and a natural serenity. Ribe is a beautiful and bright city widely known for its hot springs and enchanted waters. The city thrives on tourism, and encourages new businesses. Rumor has it the city lies on top of a network of underground crystal caves inhabited by slimes - if you believe such a thing. ELLEND A city where you can hear the melody of the sea. Ellend is a large port city skirted by the ocean shore, connected to several islands via a network of ships. The way of life in this place relies heavily on the ocean and on its trade, and there is plenty of both, with a wild variety of customers from both the mainland and island settlements.
CARNA A city with a fresh scent in the air. It feels like a place where adventures start. Carna is a bustling city sharing its border with the wild lands; unclaimed territory filled with monsters, ruins, and dungeons. There are plenty of quests and opportunities to go around, and many looking to spend their hard earned coins seeking out taverns, gambling halls, and shops. MAGMANA A city strong in its founding traditions as the rocks it was carved from. Magmana is known as a mystical and historical city, named after its mountains. There''s a strange aura to this place, where many ruins and their secrets of old are still left untouched. Its isolation makes for a mostly local market leaving only limited contact with other cities. BELICE A city rich in life and resources as there are colours in the rainbow. Belice is the vibrant and energetic capital situateed in the heart of Eternia Kingdom. As its capital, most of high society resides here to enjoy the many wonders the world has to offer. The city is decorated with aqueducts used not only to transport water, but infrastructure as well.
Hot springs? Tourism? Serenity? Encouraging business environment? There were supposed to be other options? Not for him. An asian-themed para-Venice swimsuited him right down to the water. (He paused to add an entry to his new Purchases spreadsheet: Complete Down To The Bone discography) Supplies obviously had to wait on his crafting picks.
CRAFTS
In order to create high quality wares to earn more profit, you''ll need to research, refine or combine the raw materials inside your packages. As per the contract, you''ll innately learn and develop skills in your selected crafts as well as generate the required tools within your shop. You should keep in mind to factor in what your customers can afford. If you pick less than 3 crafts or skills, you may choose 1 extra Shop Upgrade or Special Item for every point leftover.
Choose up to 3 Crafts or Skills
Smithing Smelting, forging and smithing are the trades of a working man. While demanding in effort, the rewards you yield are equally great. Fan the flames! Mold the metal! Your craftsmanship will build the tools that last through the ages. Weaving A talented clothier makes more than bolts or pieces of clothing¡ªher true profession is fashion. The skills include weaving fabrics, sewing, and tanning hides, giving you copious amounts of freedom to design the next trend of fashion. Artist Being an artist demands a steady hand and an eye for detail; to carve, shape or paint your designs into reality. From paintings to sculptures to jewelry, these decorated and clearly ornamental items represent the beauty and treasure of this world.
Alchemy Alchemy is more than just recipes; it''s a process of experimenting and understanding how to make potions, cures. To learn is to improve¡ªrefining and brewing reagents to eventually create a concoction better than the sum of its parts. Fragrances A pleasant odor is more than just scent if touched with a little magic¡ªIt puts a spring in your step. Imagine a wax candle to soothe the stress away, hair care with a literal touch of fresh spring meadow, or perfume to rival the allure of a succubus. Baking Does making sweet confections sound like your cup of tea? Speaking of¡ªsweets go great with tea. Exotic and monstrous ingredients will make for the finest of cooking dishes, but cakes and other baked goods specifically are currently all the rage at high society.
Spellcraft It requires a scholarly mind and the accumulation of centuries worth of research to customize spells to your liking, or fundamentally make a spell with a brand new effect. Masters of spellcraft can also etch spells into scrolls or tomes for simple usage. Enchanting Enchanting demands meticulous and precise rituals, where reagents are used to assist or enhance the process, but is worth every second in the end. You can etch items with the effects of practical spells, or animate items such as brooms to sweep your shop. Divination A wondrous, mythical and vague profession¡ªto read the hearts of men, to obtain knowledge and to predict the future. Divination can be difficult, especially where free will is involved, but it can be honed with the help of reagents such as tea leaves.
Breeder Hatch monster eggs, handling them for produce or training them for a variety of uses. It''s a profession suitable only to those with a strong arm and a wild spirit. Though some locations are not too enthusiastic about having monsters in their midst.
Alchemy was a no-brainer ¨C it explicitly listed cures in its description. Straight to the top of the list. Even in a potentially competitive market, healing was still too personally useful to let past. Of the remaining options, only Spellcraft and Baking stood out to him. The rest either seemed like excessively repetitive drudgery, or simply didn¡¯t appeal. Spellcraft. . .yes, it was definitely second in line. Scribing scrolls and tomes, storing up magic for later use, plus customizing and innovating spells? Word magic? Irresistible! Baking, though. . .unexpectedly, he liked the idea, but did he really need the Shop¡¯s magical enhancement to do it? Well, what about these Upgrades and Artifacts, then? Was an extra one worth the trade? He turned to the last pages.
SHOP
The next section of the contract specifies various upgrades, additions and alterations available to your shop. It gives the place a more unique look.
Choose 3 Shop Upgrades
Bigger Shop You may select this option multiple times, each time doubling your indoor area. More room. More displays. More storage. By default, your shop would make a cozy, little corner store. Warped Space Your shop''s exterior is much smaller than the inside would suggest. Does a cozy, little store actually contain a superstore? Is your store a cute, little dollhouse you could carry around in one hand? Mobile Once per year, you may choose to have your shop teleport to a different random city. Despite other upgrades, you may not take your shop out of your city without having this option.
Transform Your shop is no longer a mere shop. Instead, it is a more specialized store such as a bakery, tavern, hot spring resort, or a cafe. Your shop will have all the required facilities installed. Automated Your shop has been improved with skilled enchantments, automating various services and chores such as cleaning; accounting, repair, or specific tasks such as waiting tables. Improved Housing A complete redecoration of your private, living area allows it to be much more spacious and luxurious. It comes with refillable comfort items such as soaps and other toiletries.
Deluxe Your shop''s interior is of a much higher quality than the standard. Whether you have gilded, high-class decor or you have finely crafted, mundane furniture is up to you. Library A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A library is added to your shop. It contains various encyclopedias and almanacs to explain rare creatures, substances, and phenomena. It also contains a set of magical grimoires. Assistance A cute, helpful worker will show up at your front door when your shop opens and work up to eight hours a day before going home. She''s highly skilled but insists upon her privacy.
These. . .some of them didn¡¯t make sense. Assistance and Automated stepped all over each other, with Automated the clear superior. Once he had enough of an income stream, he could hire a cute, helpful, highly skilled worker. Or two, or more. Could he buy and/or create the skilled enchantments for Automated? Unknown! And private personal life or not, employees meant entanglements. Responsibilities. Obligations. No, Automated was the way to go. Similarly, Bigger Shop and Warped Space were in direct competition, with Warped Space likewise the preferable choice. So many possibilities with the latter! How much extra space did it afford? He was reading a language he didn¡¯t actually know, which likely meant superstore was closer to his own understanding of the term than not. Wait. How well did he understand the term? Just how big was a superstore? A few moments online later, he was sarcastically thinking to himself, Oh very well; I suppose a quarter of a million square feet might suffice. Sure, that was way out on the high end of the range, but on the other hand. . .Warped Space¡¯s entry hadn¡¯t changed. So. At least three out of nine Upgrades to choose. Library was a must-have, even without the potential synergy with Spellcraft; Mobile a must-not. And he could purchase the effects of both Deluxe Shop and Improved Housing through mundane remodeling. If anything, he would prefer it. Better for the local economy, better for his reputation, better all around. Eliminated, then. That left Automated, Library, and Warped Space, and. . .possibly Transform? How did choosing that even work? Oh, now there was space for it! A title box and a few lines for a simple description. Maaagic, he thought. Put it aside for later. Artifacts.
ARTIFACTS
Lastly, the contract allows for you to select a few magical artifacts specifically chosen from your benefactor to help you along.
Choose 3 Special Items
Miracle Garden This small indoor or outdoor garden plot contains miracle soil¡ªa perfect mixture of self-replenishing nutrients to make wholesome plantlife thrive. Magic Fountain This fountain contains pure, mana-infused water that''s great for farming, as a potion or food ingredient. The water heightens existing magical effects. Amorous Heart This glowing, winged heart of light fills the room with a pink glow that showers all it shines upon with amorous intent. Letting this float up to your ceiling is a great way to bring people to your shop on dates, or to buy romantic gifts for their lover!
Aquarium This aquarium, pond or river that could even be indoors, is a one-way Portal to a plethora of vibrant, aquatic environments. You''ll have to use your fishing prowess to pull the exotic and magical fish to your side. Cursed Fountain A Magic Fountain under a terrible curse. It curses anything it is mixed into, worsening any effects it may have. Healing potions become poisons. Speed potions slow or cause paralysis. Chandelier This multi-color chandelier will illuminate your shop in a symphony of soft, yet beautiful lights. The light makes all it shines upon more appealing, as if the one viewing it were wearing rose-colored glasses.
Rare Draught After filling it with a liquid, it will magically refill with the same liquid at dawn each day. Interestingly, filling it with turpentine and then washing it out will reset it. Mana Well This deep, blue well of raw, wispy mana will make the use of magic less tiring in your shop. Enchanted items that need to recharge will recharge more quickly, and casting spells will be less tiring for all those nearby. Pink Vouchers A small booklet containing pink slips of paper that return at a rate of one per day. Burn one in a fire, and an eager companion will show up at your door to love you for the whole night.
Crystal Ball This crystal ball allows to you to scry on nearby public areas such as streets and parks. It also allows you to concentrate to make temporary, illusory signs appear, to scout out customers and advertise your shop. Light Fairies A few magically-created, artificial fairies live in your shop. They have a keen sense for interests, able to direct customers to whichever wares most resonate with them. Unlike real fairies, they''re made of pure light and are terrible conversation. War Armor A suit of enchanted armor¡ªperhaps that of a monk, assassin or sorceress, rather than a knight¡ªprotects your shop. An emotionless apparition manifests within the armor to channel the power whenever you need him. You can also call the armor to your own body, allowing you to bring out the full potential within.
Bank Note This magic notebook contains all your financial information. It can only be used by you, and you can summon it at will. By writing out transactions, you can conjure or deposit money, changing the amount in your account accordingly. It makes a great cash register and even files your taxes. Ancient Grimoire This archaic tome contains various rare and forbidden spells, and it helps with translations of older texts. It may have an eerie appearance, but you can''t judge a book by its cover. Shadow Guard The very shadows within your shop keep a constant watch on everything. Should anyone try to pickpocket or steal, inky, black hands will rise up to slap the would-be thieves on the wrist. It also ''scares'' off monsters to stay away from your territory.
Artificer''s Loupe Rather than magnifying light, this lense magnifies the color of magic, essentially allowing you to see magical effects as auras glowing around things. With a little practice, you can easily identify magic items. Golden Toolset This is a bundle of all the tools you''ll need for one craft of your choice. They''re all enchanted gold. They''ll never wear or need cleaned, and they''ll magically enhance your skill in the craft. You may select this multiple times for different crafts.
Miracle Garden, pass; gardening, magic or not, held no interest for him. Magic Fountain, starred; the synergy with Alchemy went without saying. Amorous. . .Heart. . . . Chloe. Bean. He. . .hadn¡¯t thought about them. Hadn¡¯t remembered, hadn¡¯t missed them. Not for hours. Justin sat back in his chair and scrubbed at his face. For the first time in months, his eyes stayed dry. Oh, it still hurt; the emptiness was still worse and more painful than anything else he¡¯d ever felt, but. . .maybe he finally had a way forward. A way out. The money was just an occasional cold drip of satisfaction into the void within him, a mere token gesture, but this. . .a new- no, a second life. Not ¨C a new one. Never that. Never again. Gone, forever. He swallowed convulsively. A second life. Away from everything, from all the little reminders - the places they¡¯d gone together, the moments they¡¯d shared in them. . . . He looked around the room with fresh eyes. Bare walls; all her art missing. Donated or given away. Half-empty book-shelves, the same. He thought of the room down the hall. The door he never opened anymore. The air would be stale in there. The impressions in the carpet from the ¨C furniture ¨C would be long gone. I hate this place, he suddenly realized. Then. . .don¡¯t stay here any longer, something deep inside him said. Right. He¡¯d be selling the house, too. That meant moving out. Packing up ¨C no. He wasn¡¯t taking much with him, was he? There were companies that handled that. Estate sellers. Yes. He¡¯d need a rental. Something private. Cozy. With a good kitchen? He could start learning to bake? Yes. Why not. A crash course, a deep dive, a good distraction. But not too distant. Nearby. He needed to reconnect with his friends, his colleagues, again, if only for a little while. He didn¡¯t want anyone wasting their time looking for him, once he¡¯d left. He didn¡¯t want them thinking he¡¯d gone off to die. Heh. He could annoy them with his early attempts at baking. They wouldn¡¯t dare refuse. Amusing. And the mild irritation it caused would make their parting smoother, too. They¡¯d have an easier time rationalizing his absence, his lack of communication. He took a deep breath, blew it out, and looked back down at the last parchment sheet. Get back on the horse, kiddo, his father¡¯s rough voice echoed in his memory. Better the world should hurt you than you hurt yourself. Aquarium, no; Cursed Fountain, hell no; why was that even in there!? Chandelier, no; Rare Draught, interesting, but probably no; Mana Well, starred, more Spellcraft ¨C and perhaps Alchemy ¨C synergy; Pink Voucher let go of the chair before you break something Justin! He stood up and walked around the house a few times, clenching and unclenching his fists, before stopping in the kitchen. That. . .hadn¡¯t been fun. He opened the refrigerator. Leftovers. Second Story Thai. He dumped the rice in a bowl, poured the chicken yellow curry over it, put it in the microwave. While it heated, he thought about going back into therapy, during the time he had left. Maybe he would. He put the idea on hold in favor of a glass of water. When the curry was hot, he ate in the kitchen, standing up, leaning against the counter. Then returned to his office. Back on the horse. Crystal Ball, no, and also creepy; Light Fairies, probably not, insufficient superiority to employees; War Armor ¨C he paused to consider his overflowing rage of a few minutes ago ¨C hard no; Bank Note, no, not least because he enjoyed doing his own books; Ancient Grimoire, starred, for even more synergy; Shadow Guard. . .no, there were probably spells for that sort of thing, and who exactly defined ¡®monsters¡¯, anyway? Not him, apparently; no extra lines appeared for it as he tried to give it fair consideration. And besides, if ¡®monsters¡¯ had the money ¨C or goods to barter, or services - why not sell to them, instead of scaring them off? Artificer¡¯s Loupe, no, as again, Spellcraft could probably provide a substitute; and, finally, Golden Toolset - definitely no. He might not be a tenth the handyman his father had been, but he shared the old goat¡¯s principles. The work¡¯s not done until the tools are clean. Never blame them for your own mistakes. The man¡¯s epigrams didn¡¯t match up exactly as counters to Golden Toolset¡¯s benefits, but that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was how he¡¯d feel his father¡¯s disapproval every time he used it. Not his disappointment ¨C never that ¨C but certainly disapproval. It¡¯d make the work too easy; weaken the foundations of his new skills. No. So. . .Ancient Grimoire, Magic Fountain, and Mana Well? Yes. Good picks. Things were shaping up nicely. He took a look at the fourth page, Blessings, before he returned to the others.
SPECIALTY
An important aspect of the contract states the choosing of a specialty in the form of a blessing. Not only does this grant you a unique ability, but it also subtly affects the items you receive in your packages, as well as the process with which you craft items. The blessing is primarily beneficial though in some rare cases, your wares may display a temper, aftertaste or side-effect.
Choose 1 Blessing
FIRE A Blessing for those with a fiery will and a temper of an elder dragon. You gain the ability to breathe long-lasting flame and control the distribution of its heat. This precise control allows you to cook your dishes to perfection, heat any metal you work just right, or better incubate a monster egg. You also become very resistant to heat. ARCANE A Blessing for those that follow the eternal path of magical study. Having your mind opened to the arcane allows you to learn the magical arts more easily, plus you gain a sixth sense for magic. You can always tell when you''re about to use a cursed item, or whenever someone is casting a spell near you. LEAF A Blessing for those that are in harmony with the very plant-life around them. This blessing instills within you a vast knowledge of plant-life and a magically-enhanced green thumb. Furthermore, all herb and mushroom packages you receive are of a higher and rarer quality, as if they were blessed by Mother Nature herself.
LOVE A Blessing for those who wish to arouse feelings of intimacy and pleasure. This blessing grants you savoir faire, tact, and grace in spades. Your body will be shaped to your desire, becoming more attractive. Seductive. Flawless. Many admirers, and possibly customers, will practically fall right out of the sky. TIME A Blessing for those that look at the big picture, beyond what scholars comprehend. You gain the ability to create pockets of accelerated or slowed time within your shop. These time bubbles allow a maximum of twice, or half normal time. A blessing that''s great for those impatient or those looking to sleep in a few more hours. VENOM A Blessing for those who with the slyness of a serpent and just as poisonous as a bite. The best way to know what something does is to experiment it on yourself. You build a formidable resistance to anything volatile, poisonous or any negative effects from imbibing items, instead developing an innate sense of the effect it would''ve had on you.
SEA A Blessing for those whose heart is like a pearl of the ocean, who like to swim free. You''re one with water. You can sense it nearby and gain the ability to breathe under-water and telekinetically control it. While you can''t move it with dangerous force, you can rinse flasks, dry herbs, measure and handle precise amounts of alchemical fluids. SUN A Blessing for those who share their power and wish to grant the desires of others. This blessing will cause residual mana to accumulate within you. Three times per month, you may call upon your power to grant a minor wish to your customers. Additionally, you instinctively know what your customers desire. MOON A Blessing for those who are denizens of the night, soothed by its embrace. The need for sleep is reduced to only one or two days each week. You can keep at physical tasks for much longer than before, and you''re a bit more resistant to ailments. It''s perfect if you''re looking to keep your shop open even during the night.
Arcane led the list at first, Time was a hopes-dashed bust, and then he read the entry for Sun. Then he made himself consciously understand every word, every sentence, of Moon¡¯s entry afterwards, because RTFM, but while it was almost as good as Arcane, neither of them came anywhere close to the utter fullness of Yes and Win that was Sun. Three minor wishes to sell ¨C or gift - per month, and instinctual knowledge of his customers¡¯ desires? Never mind how either of those alone was practically a license to print mon¨C right, fantasy universe; a license to mint coinage, instead - the sheer power Sun granted overwhelmed every other option available. Sold! Now that he¡¯d decided on Alchemy and Spellcraft for his product lines, his Supplies were obvious:
SUPPLY
The contract specifies that a package will be dropped off by a mysterious benefactor each month. It''s randomly filled with rare and exotic materials often found in dangerous environments, so how they even gather the goods is a puzzle on its own. You''ll get by easily enough selling as is, but with effort and skill you can easily turn your shop into a lucrative opportunity. You may select the same package multiple times if you would simply like to receive more of that resource.
Choose 5 Packages
Herbs Fresh or dried, these herbs are produced from rare and exotic plants exclusively found in the deep wilds. They''re highly sought after for their healing properties and the ability to cure ailments. Additionally, some of these herbs can temporarily enhance the physique, while others possess unique flavors to be used as spices. [Usable in Alchemy, Baking, Divination, Fragrances] Mushrooms Found inside dark and dangerous caverns deep underground, these odd mushrooms can have eccentric effects if ingested. Some mushrooms will drastically alter a person''s body, or possess mentally suggestive or hallucinogenic properties. Research and caution is advised in handling these magical and strange fungi. [Usable in Alchemy, Baking] Ores An assortment of rough ores mined from rich deposits in the mountains. These ores can be refined into precious metals, or some contain gemstones or crystalized mana. The contents of this package can turn a tidy profit depending on your luck, but seeing how heavy the ores can be, the quantity in a package is often low. [Usable in Artist, Enchanting, Smithing]
Relics Ancient artifacts and arcane tomes written in forgotten languages, these relics are filled with knowledge from days past. They can be sold for its archeological value, but their true potential lies in the knowledge that can be extracted from them. Be careful¡ªsome items still possess deadly curses! [Usable in Artist, Divination, Enchanting, Spellcraft] Monster Produce The produce of monsters is difficult to come by for obvious reasons. Phoenix feathers. Fluffy wool. Delicious milk from monstrous origins. These are some of the items you can expect¡ªeach with its own unique magical properties and effects. The quality of goods made from monster produce is often greater than their counterparts. [Usable in Alchemy, Artist, Baking, Fragrances, Weaving] Monster Parts If you''ve wondered how a monster obtains its innate magical abilities, then look no further than their monstrous parts. For instance; dragon scales grant resistance, minotaur horns grants strength, succubus tails grants attraction¡ªand they all make for very potent reagents. They won''t miss them. Besides, they grow back. [Usable in Alchemy, Enchanting, Fragrances, Smithing, Spellcraft]
Monster Eggs A monster egg is a mystery wrapped in a shell. From a slime to a succubus, anything could hatch from it, where only a keen eye and a keen mind could reveal its contents. Society generally considers them to be a delicacy, as they are rich in magical nutrients and taste, but you could hatch them just as well. [Usable in Baking, Breeder]
Herbs, Monster Parts, and Monster Produce. Between the drug implications and the blatant warning of caution is advised in handling, Mushrooms were on the No-Fly list. Same with Relics and their deadly curses bullcrap. Not even once! As for Monster Eggs. . .no, in the end, going mundane with baking wasn¡¯t a hard choice, and Breeding wasn¡¯t even in the running. Three words: baby monster poop. And he knew what he wanted from the Artifacts, so he¡¯d substitute an Upgrade. Transform. There was something lurking there, a vague idea, less than half-formed. . .not a bakery, not a resort, definitely not a tavern. He took a couple of deep, calming breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. A cafe? Wait. Coffee. Was coffee even a thing in this other world? No, it had to be. A cafe wouldn¡¯t be an option if it wasn¡¯t. That¡¯s what the word literally meant. But. . .what about chocolate? And vanilla? This bore deeper thought. 2 - Gofer Broker He didn¡¯t sign for days, of course. He¡¯d taken the hints, and once he¡¯d decided on his choices, there were considerable preparations to be made. At the top of that list was the customized outfitting for his ¡®trans-emigration¡¯. As good a term as any. Everything you possess, other than your clothes, his own predecessor had written. For Justin, that was a loophole through which he could, and would, drive a whole fleet of trucks. He had the money ¨C the blood money, as he privately characterized it, despite being legally obtained ¨C to exploit that to the hilt. Bespoke pants, sewn with concealed gold and platinum wire, of multiple karats and multiple gauges. Which had necessarily been sourced from multiple sellers, because the federal government had views on the ownership of precious metals by private citizens. It jacked the price up, but he could afford it. Hand-made gemstone buttons, hidden behind fabric covers ¨C emeralds, rubies, high-end jadeite. Large pieces and small ones. No diamonds. Thank god for Etsy. He lost some materials to theft while finding a reliable seamstress, but the end result she produced was more than worth it. The jacket was trickier. Yes, there were off-the-shelf hoodies and such with built-in speakers, but a rush order of the top rated ones quickly revealed that the audio quality among all of them just didn¡¯t make the grade. He needed the highest fidelity, the longest battery life, the most reliable players he could afford ¨C he had a plan; this wasn¡¯t merely for his personal use. A ruggedized solar panel, for recharging. A fieldwork multimeter, to ensure the safe replacement of batteries with a locally built generator, eventually. Formulas, instuctions, technical diagrams stitched into the lining. Everything had to be integrated, made literally necessary to its function as an article of clothing. And more, things he hadn¡¯t even thought of, couldn¡¯t think of, because he lacked the background. A few calls, a few emails, a few days later, and he was shaking hands with both the Deans of Fine Arts and of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. A seven-figure charitable trust, even at the lowest bound, bought a lot of attention. Three weeks after that, thanks to a crash interdisciplinary program originally for scholarship students that somehow sucked in another half-dozen uncompensated participants, he had his prototypical Upcoat ¨C an overcoat built for technological Uplifting. Smiles all around. People felt good. It was a silly project, frivolous even, but there was also a strong sense of accomplishment. They¡¯d done something special, they¡¯d done it well, and they¡¯d done it quickly. And, of course, they''d gotten academic credit for it. He was gone the next day. He¡¯d put his last half-million into an educational trust for the next generation of his family, one that was limited to trade schools. Named for his father. No one in that world ever saw or heard from him again. # # #
YOU KNOW
said the luminous white oval,
I SEE ALL TYPES IN THIS BUSINESS
Justin¡¯s vision flickered, in the spiritual equivalent of a blink. He would have looked around, if he¡¯d been embodied. As it was, all he could do was stare at the glowing, amorphous entity before him.
FROM WINNERS TO LOSERS
it continued,
HEROES TO MONSTERS LIBERATORS TO DESPOTS SAGES TO FOOLS
FROM THE HONEST TO THE DECEITFUL THE BEAUTIFUL TO THE HIDEOUS THE VIRTUOUS TO THE VILE THE WITLESS TO THE WISE
FROM LIONS AND EAGLES TO BEARS AND WOLVES TO FOXES AND JACKALS TO SERPENTS AND WEASELS
AND
THEN
THERE''S
YOU
Justin began laughing uproariously. ¡°Th-thanks!¡± he stuttered out, between the gusts of hilarity.
¡®EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE¡¯
the being grumbled.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY TIMES THAT HINT HAS BEEN PASSED ALONG?
BAD ENOUGH IT¡¯S ADVICE SO VALID FOR PROPERLY KEEPING THE SHOP THAT I CAN¡¯T RIGHTFULLY REMOVE IT
BUT THEN THERE ARE THE TIMES WE GET
PEOPLE
LIKE
YOU
PEOPLE WHO BLATANTLY ATTEMPT TO AMEND THE CONTRACT! YOU DON¡¯T EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO HIDE IT! NO FAKING THE INK! NO SIMULATING THE LOGOGRAPHY! NOTHING! YOU JUST
SCRIBBLE!
ON ME!
Justin¡¯s laughter shut off like a light switch. ¡°Oh,¡± he said. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I apologize.¡±
HUH
said the entity, elongating slightly in surprise.
REALLY?
¡°Yes, really,¡± said Justin. ¡°I regret how I crossed your personal boundaries like that. I didn¡¯t realize you were a sapient being.¡±
WELL
THANK YOU
NOT THE FIRST TIME I¡¯VE HEARD THAT OF COURSE BUT IT WAS AMONG THE SOONEST
¡°That said,¡± Justin added, because Justin, ¡°I still would have done it. I would have warned you first, though.¡± Somehow, despite being a glowy white blob, the entity manage to convey the impression that it was facepalming.
NEVER MIND I SHOULDN¡¯T HAVE EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU LET¡¯S JUST GET THIS OVER WITH
BOTTOM LINE YOU CAN¡¯T HAVE ALL THOSE CHANGES
FIRST YOU CAN¡¯T HAVE THE UPLIFT DATA OUT OF MY HANDS HARD NO FROM UPPER MANAGEMENT
DON¡¯T EVEN TRY
HOWEVER The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.THE MUSIC COLLECTION IS NEGOTIABLE YOUR SHOP TRANSFORM CHOICE COULD TECHNICALLY COVER IT EXCEPT THE COLLECTION¡¯S EXTREME SIZE REQUIRES A COMPARABLE EXPENDITURE IT¡¯S A LOT OF HIGHLY ORGANIZED ENERGY SO YOU MAY HAVE IT ALL IN EXCHANGE FOR 75% OF YOUR VALUABLES OR
¡°Ten percent,¡± Justin interrupted automatically.
HEY! YOU COULD LET ME FINISH?
OR WE CAN
¡°Ten. Percent.¡± Justin repeated.
OR! WE CAN! SET!
SOME EXCLUDING FILTERS FOR A REDUCTION IN THAT COST SUCH AS
¡°No,¡± Justin said. ¡°Ten percent for all of it. Which price does not, by the way, include any of the technology involved in accessing or using it. No O. Henry, Monkey¡¯s Paw shenanigans. And now we negotiate.¡±
DID I MENTION THAT I SEE LAMPREYS AND LEECHES TOO? OR THAT THEY¡¯D BE ASHAMED TO BE COMPARED TO YOU?
¡°I have plans for that money! It¡¯s investment capital! For a better Shop!¡±
OH SURE I''VE HEARD THAT BEFORE WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE IT THIS TIME?
¡°Well, to begin with, I didn¡¯t go negative back at you! I stayed positive! I went for the mutual win!¡±
. . . FINE THAT¡¯S A FAIR POINT
ASSUMING I LIKE WHAT I HEAR ABOUT THESE PLANS LATER I COULD GO AS LOW AS 50%
¡°And counter-assuming that you don¡¯t keep trying to punish me for going all-in on this deal - the way I actually did! - then I suppose I could give up twenty percent. Total; ten more, not ten plus twenty.¡±
. . . I CAN SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING SETTLE AT A PROVISIONAL 25%?
¡°I don¡¯t like it either, but yes.¡±
MOVING ON THEN
YOU MAY CONVERT
TWO
NORMAL MONTHLY SUPPLY CHOICES INTO
ONE
MONTHLY SUPPLY OF EARTH SEEDS WHICH WILL ALWAYS INCLUDE CHOCOLATE VANILLA AND COFFEE
YOU DON¡¯T NEED THE POPPING CORN THAT¡¯S ALREADY AVAILABLE THERE BIT TRICKY TO GET IN COMMERCIAL QUANTITIES
BUT WE''RE SURE YOU¡¯LL FIND A WAY
¡°Guaranteed monthly supplies of raw cacao, vanilla, and coffee seeds, in quantities sufficient for one venue¡¯s monthly retail usage and sales, at prices affordable in the labor segment of the economy? Because I am not down with denying chocolate to the children of working-class parents!¡±
ACCEPTABLE COMMENDABLE EVEN
AND FINALLY
TO BE HONEST I REALLY LIKE YOUR TRANSFORM PROPOSAL
UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH IT DOES STRETCH THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE TRANSFORM UPGRADE TO THE BREAKING POINT EVEN IN COMBINATION WITH WARPED SPACE
IT¡¯S SUPPOSED TO BE A SPECIALIZATION NOT AN AGGREGATION
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND
IT¡¯S SUCH A GREAT IDEA WITH TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL AND HAS SO MUCH CONCEPTUAL MASS IN YOUR ORIGINAL WORLD AND YOU REALLY DID YOUR RESEARCH AND HONED THE DESCRIPTION TO A RAZOR¡¯S EDGE SO IT¡¯S NOT IMPOSSIBLE VERY EXPENSIVE BUT POSSIBLE
OH AND ALSO TO BE EXPLICITLY CLEAR WITHOUT MOBILE THERE¡¯S STILL NO LEAVING THE CITY
¡°The latter is fine,¡± Justin said. ¡°I expected as much, going by Mobile¡¯s text. What still confuses me is the dichotomy between Bigger Shop and Warped Space.¡±
IT''S NOT COMPLICATED SOME PEOPLE SIMPLY WANT A BIGGER FOOTPRINT WITHOUT ANY MAGICAL ENHANCEMENT
¡°And there¡¯s no supernatural consequences involved? Bigger Shop isn¡¯t inherently ¨C narratively, let¡¯s say - safer in any way?¡±
NO IT¡¯S PURELY A PERSONAL PREFERENCE NOTHING MORE
¡°Then this is where we dicker over the increased cost for my Transform upgrade, I suppose.¡±
AND AS I SAID I RATHER LIKE IT SO I¡¯LL CUT YOU A DEAL
50% OFF THE TOP PLUS THE 25% FOR THE MUSIC LIBRARY EQUALS 75% OF THE
OVER FOUR MILLION DOLLARS IN METALS AND GEMS THAT YOU¡¯RE SNEAKING IN YOU GREEDY MANIPULATIVE UNDERHANDED CHEAT!
¡°No. Much too high. I can do another fifteen percent, for a total of forty, but that¡¯s it.¡±
AAUGGH YOU¡¯RE KILLING ME HERE KILLING ME WHY DON¡¯T YOU JUST CARVE MY HEART RIGHT OUT OF MY CHEST AND TAKE A BIG BITE?
Justin spirit-blinked again. ¡°Because you¡¯re a formless glowy blob, and I¡¯m currently disembodied?¡±
OH HAR HAR GET A LOAD OF MISTER COMEDIAN OVER THERE
LOOK PAL EONS I¡¯VE BEEN AT THIS EONS I TELL YOU I¡¯VE SEEN THEM COME AND GO HIGH AND LOW AND IF THERE¡¯S ONE THING I¡¯VE LEARNED IT¡¯S THAT SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA TAKE THE LOSS
¡°So do it,¡± Justin said. ¡°Take that loss.¡±
WHAT? NO! NOT ME! YOU!
¡°Too late; you should have phrased it better. And are you seriously reducing this to the neener-neener nanny-nanny boo-boo poopy-pants level already?¡±
YOU
YOU
INSUFFERABLE
INTOLERABLE
INVIDIOUS
ARRGHH!
¡°Hold it,¡± Justin said, as a few new clues from their conversation fell together in his head, leading to a sudden shock of insight. ¡°You. . .you¡¯re bluffing! You are! You can¡¯t actually refuse any of my amendments, can you? You can only enforce what the upper management decides. You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re negotiating for your own damn cut! Ohohohoho! Well now! Let¡¯s just see, then. . . .¡±
40%TOTALAGREEDCONTRACTACCEPTEDSO
The entity floated closer to Justin¡¯s bodiless point of view. . .
I¡¯LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE
. . .growing in size. . .
CARSE-HOLE
. . .and brightness. . .
AND REMEMBER
. . .until it loomed over him, massive. . .
YOU
. . .inconceivably large. . .
CHOSE
. . .and blazing like an OI supergiant star. . .
THIS
¡°Oh, bring it, round boy,¡± Justin said, as he, and the entity, and the merest concept of space left around both of them all collapsed into a single sourceless, dimensionless point, and vanished. 3 - Quay To The City ¡°¡¯Eyy, mister; you alive?¡± Heat. . .light. . .the sun beaming down. . .warming and welcoming. . .filling him with energy. . . . ¡°¡¯Cuz those¡¯r some really nice clothes, y¡¯know? An¡¯ if yer dead, y¡¯don¡¯ need¡®m no more, right?¡± The sound of lapping water nearby. . .small waves hitting a hard, vertical surface. . . . ¡°Kon? Kon! Kon, you come out where I can see you! Right this instant, Kon!¡± A repeated jab in his side. . .a hard point, not quite sharp, not quite dull. . . ¡°Kon? Kon! What are you - stop that! Don¡¯t poke the man! Get away from him!¡± Justin¡¯s eyes popped open. He was lying on a quay of pale stone, parallel to its edge. The undercolor was halfway between the yellow of ivory and the brown of beige. Beyond it, a great canal of light blue water stretched out, at least a couple of hundred feet wide, and curiously empty of watercraft. It sparkled in the bright sunlight, a gentle breeze tickling its surface. On the far side, there was a mostly empty street, fronted by a row of long, two-story buildings that ran off in both directions. Going by their regularly placed tiny balconies and shuttered windows, all closed, and the multicolored clothes and linens hung out to dry from their eaves, they were tenement housing. He pushed himself up on one arm and looked around. He was in a little C-shaped nook of fish-reeking empty crates, stacked chest-high and shielding him from most people¡¯s sight. A girl¡¯s head peered over the top of the side presumably towards to the quay¡¯s steet-end, her lower lip bitten in concern. She had vaguely asiatic features ¨C dark hair, slightly sun-bronzed, in a ponytail; a flatter face and broader nose than his own; black almond eyes with an inner epicanthic fold and lacking an upper crease. Inside the nook, below the girl¡¯s head, a younger boy with features familial to hers was squatting on his heels. He wore a simple tunic and trousers of light brown canvas, tied at the waist with rope, and held a bamboo-like rod, a bit thinner than his wrist, with four cords of different thicknesses and colors attached to one end and wrapped loosely down its length ¨C black, gray, green, and blue. ¡°Oh. You are alive,¡± he said, disgruntled. The girl sucked in a hissing breath, then begged Justin, ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt him! He didn¡¯t mean any harm!¡± Justin held up his other hand. ¡°I won¡¯t. In fact, if you two can safely escort me to a reliable - and discreet - moneychanger, I¡¯ll give each of you a bit of silver for it.¡± He sat up slowly, keeping his eyes trained on hers and his expression friendly, then crossed his legs. ¡°Y¡¯don¡¯ look or smell hungover,¡± the boy mused. ¡°Nor drugged ¡¯n rolled, neither.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, and I doubt I was.¡± Justin smiled. ¡°But I was very excited to come here, and hardly slept the night before I arrived. I¡¯m guessing I fell asleep on the way, and my guide left me here as a prank. Ah, but where are my manners ¨C young lady, I¡¯m going to stand up now, so I can greet you both properly. Is that all right with you?¡± ¡°Oh ¨C uh, yes,¡± she said. ¡°Um, thank you for the, the warning.¡± She stepped back a pace, out of arm¡¯s reach. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Justin said, rising to his feet. He faced both of them, cupped his hands, and inclined his head. ¡°I am Justin of the Carse family, a newly trained alchemist, among other skills. I have emigrated to Ribe to open a shop here. Please look after me.¡± ¡°Um-¡± the girl began. ¡°I¡¯m Daigo Kon!¡± the boy interrupted her, bouncing to his feet and imitating Justin¡¯s gesture. ¡°How much silver?¡± ¡°Kon!¡± the girl hissed at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude! Or greedy!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± the boy replied, with the same dismissive attitude and tone that an uncountable number of junior siblings had displayed to their seniors in the past, and doubtlessly many more would in the future. Justin waited patiently as the children tried to stare each other down, eventually clearing his throat to break their deadlock. ¡°Ah!¡± the girl squeaked. ¡°I¡¯m that one¡¯s big sister, Daigo Kim,¡± she said, bobbing her head. ¡°Please look after us kindly, big brother Jasutin.¡± ¡°And now that we¡¯ve been properly introduced. . .¡± Justin leaned towards the girl, put his hand up to conceal his mouth, and mock-whispered, ¡°. . .is he brave, or just really spoiled?¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Kon shouted in protest from below. A shy smile lifted the corners of Kim¡¯s mouth slightly. She put her own hand up and mock-whispered back, ¡°A little brave, and a lot spoiled.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll spoil you!¡± Kon yelled, jumping off the end of the quay into the water. Justin leaned over to see the boy butterflying smoothly along the quay¡¯s side. There were small stone bollards along its edge, simple yard-high pillars of the same stone. When Kon neared the closest, he whipped the rod in his hand at it. The black cord flew out, a loop at its end settling neatly over the bollard¡¯s top, and the boy began cliff-walking up the quay¡¯s side with its assistance. ¡°That¡¯s a neat trick,¡± Justin said, impressed. I wonder what the other cords are used for, he thought. I¡¯m guessing one of them is a hook, and another a whip end. Or maybe two hooks, two different sizes and shapes? ¡°Kon¡¯s very good with his river-stick,¡± Kim conceded. ¡°Please excuse me now; I have to show him who¡¯s senior. Again,¡± she added, putting a long-suffering emphasis on the last word. She stepped further back from the wall of crates, giving herself more room to maneuver, and letting Justin see that she was dressed almost identically to her little brother. The only difference was her well-braided sandals made from dark green straw-like fibers; her brother was barefooted. ¡°Allow me,¡± Justin said, as he began to move crates out of the way for an exit. ¡°Young Kon,¡± he said, raising his voice, ¡°if you fight with your sister, you¡¯ll get less silver.¡± Kon, who had barely finished scrambling up the quay¡¯s side, froze in place. His eyes narrowed. Justin cocked his head to one side and smirked at him as he continued to restack the crates. Kon straightened up and turned away, lifting his chin. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I am greedy,¡± he told Kim, not looking at her. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Kim said, with a hint of not-quite-provocative consolation in her voice. Her eyes slid over to Justin¡¯s, and her smile changed to echo his smirk. ¡°So! Old man Tabaro is trustworthy,¡± Kon said. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Kim gave Justin a longer, more thorough appraisal as he stepped out of the nook. ¡°No; Madame Shinbi,¡± she decided. ¡°She¡¯s farther away, but more discreet. She has a big beauty salon and parlor, so she hears a lot of secrets to keep, and has better contacts.¡± ¡°Too far!¡± Kon objected. ¡°And eww! Her place stinks!¡± ¡°And old man Tabaro gives you candy, sometimes,¡± Kim said. ¡°While Madame Shinbi would give you a flick to the ear, if she caught you.¡± ¡°Madame Shinbi it is,¡± Justin said, moving up the quay a little past Kim and looking back at her. She twitched, and hurried in front of him, leading the way. Kon muttered something under his breath as they went by that made Kim pause and hiss again, this time in anger. Justin caught the boy¡¯s subtle glance, and realized he was testing the boundaries Justin might set for him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to correct your language, Young Kon,¡± he told him directly. ¡°Talk is cheap but deeds are priceless.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Kon blinked. ¡°Talk is cheap, but deeds are priceless,¡± he repeated, in a softer voice than his usual so far. He moved to flank Justin¡¯s other side as Kim began walking forward again. ¡°Huh. Never heard that one before.¡± ¡°The second half is my father¡¯s original addition,¡± Justin said. ¡°Other versions of the idiom had been in print among my people for. . .somewhere over two hundred years, and were probably much older than that. My favorite was ¡®Talk is cheap, until you hire an advocate.¡¯¡± Kim snortled a laugh, then hunched her shoulders from embarrassment at the piggy noise. Interesting, Justin thought. He¡¯d meant to say a lawyer, but the other words had come out instead. Seamlessly. And apart from that one incongruity, he was unable to distinguish between whatever language they were all speaking and English. I¡¯ll have to test it later, he thought. If he could still speak English - and/or Welsh ¨C it might be very valuable. Fluency in one or more languages unknown to this world could have great potential. ¡°I used to be an advocate,¡± Justin added. That made both of the children laugh. # # # Kim led them north along the empty waterfront street and the closed and shuttered warehouses ¨C big, white, basic barns - at the quay¡¯s base. Past those, the buildings on this side of the canal were primarily small to medium shops serving the local residents. The majority were made entirely of the same dark brown to reddish woods as the tenements on the far side, some with panels of white plaster at waist height and higher. About one in every eight, however, was set on a half-story foundation of inward-sloping stone, darker than the pale paving of the streets and quays, with little reflective chips glimmering on their polished surfaces. The buildings above these were usually made of a greener wood that had faded and silvered with age. Rather than dilapidated and shabby, though, the change in color left the wood looking like heirloom material; dignified, and expensive. People began to appear on the street ¨C and watercraft in the canal - once the warehouses were behind them; mostly women, mostly shopping, and mostly for groceries. Justin saw and heard them haggling over fresh fish, chicken, eggs and pork, and sewing supplies and other vital household items. Storefront signs ¨C the logograms on which he was both hugely relieved and impressed to be able to read as well ¨C carried family names. A few of the larger stores had overhead marquees of black characters on white plaques that listed their deals of the day and prices. Some quick mental math showed that costs, in ¡®Rr¡¯, were comparable to the inland USA mid-atlantic area he''d come from; maybe a little lower. The people were dressed in a rainbow of patterned sarongs, women wearing them tied at the neck and shoulders and bust in an endless variety of styles, with woven reed hats for sun protection, accessorized with ribbons, and braided reed sandals much nicer than Kim¡¯s. Occasionally there were small restaurants with wicker tables and chairs outside, under awnings and parasols, and the same plurality of women was seated at them, sipping from handleless ceramic or glass cups, snacking, and chatting. Justin could practically feel their eyes sliding over him, assessing him, in his foreign, exotic clothes, and it took a semi-regular exertion of his will to relax his jaw. His social issues weren¡¯t their fault. He was a strange young man in a non-touristy part of town, accompanying two children, who - going by their own clothes ¨C were from a lower socioeconomic stratum than the immediate locals. Is ¡®the wrong side of the canal¡¯ a phrase in Ribe? he found himself wondering. But everyone seemed polite and calm; no one gave the Daigo siblings looks of dislike, let alone disgust. Regardless of the children, though - people in a healthy community were supposed to keep an eye on someone with markers like his, tourism town or no. They weren¡¯t all eyeing him up like a potential side of bridegroom beef for their daughters and sisters. Not all of them. It was a relief when they came to the tall abutment of a large, gently sloped bridge of three arches crossing the canal on their left. A relatively smaller waterway to the right made the joint of a T with it, splitting in two around the abutment¡¯s base. The double channels ran underneath arches of sectioned stairs on pillars to either side that led to the abutment¡¯s top, bracketed by two inclines for wheeled vehicles. Justin peered closer at those to see regular, wavy vertical abrasion patterns meant to both reduce slippage and channel rainwater. At the bridge¡¯s right end, Justin could see the crowns of a small, dense copse of trees with drooping branches and long oval leaves. This was where all the local men with free time were socializing; some dangling lines in the water, others sitting at more wicker tables, playing card and dice and tile games, reading broadsheets and books, smoking pipes, drinking, napping in the sun or shade, and so on. Their population also leaned noticeably more towards the elderly than the shopping district¡¯s had. The men wore sarongs as well, but in duller shades, and no higher than their waists. If they were not bare-chested, they wore pocketed fabric vests, with varying levels of embroidery, or blocky, wide-necked, short-sleeved shirts that combined tunics with south american guayaberas, also embroidered. As with the women, braided sandals and wide-rimmed reed hats, albeit ribbonless, were ubiquitous. Justin followed Kim away from the canal onto the broad boulevard opposite it, which led easterly, deeper into the city. Two wide greenways of grass, flowers, shrubs, and trees ran down its middle, surrounding the smaller canal in its center. This one was less than half the width of the first, but much busier, with numerous sail-less boats moving east and west on its right and left sides respectively. Most of these seemed to be taxis or small transports, and were being propelled by poles, oars, and geared human-powered paddlewheels. A spare few appeared to be enchanted - richly appointed, painstakingly detailed junk-like micro-yachts, gliding across the water with no visible means of propulsion. Curiously, a tiny number among those were old, worn things, all in the same style, like flat-bottomed pirogues with short outriggers and low, open-sided cabin roofs, universally painted a flat matte black. Almost all the buildings here followed the grey stone half-story base template, with a broad variety of roof styles ¨C gables, hips, pyramids, all jumbled together; some doubled or tripled, and deep eaves everywhere. Roughly half had roofed wooden walls enclosing courtyards that could be glimpsed through their open gates. Some walls were basic palisades while others were full buildings themselves, in the classic siheyuan design. Nearly every one was tiled in a narrow range of mild blues, and their long swooping rafters were painted in golden yellows. Way down at the boulevard¡¯s far end, a range of peaks rose out of the haze like a jagged bell curve, with a castle complex of tall towers before and beneath, mimicking them. ¡°This is the Dawnway,¡± Kon said, stopping to gesture dramatically. ¡°Which¡¯s why there¡¯s that grove up there at the bridge¡¯s end. Back when, at the wrong time of the year, the morning sun¡¯d go straight offa the water and outta the back of folk¡¯s heads coming up it. Bad design! Accidents! Discontent! So Kikuo the Shrewd put in them trees during her Renovations.¡± ¡°Angling for a bonus from some impromptu tour-guiding?¡± Justin asked, directly calling the boy out again. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t say no!¡± Kon replied, without a hint of shame. On Justin¡¯s other side, Kim let out an aggrieved sigh. ¡°Madame Shinbi¡¯s Dawn Salon is three blocks down on the right,¡± she said, pointing. ¡°Since you want discretion, use the deliveries gate in the back. You can tell the doorman the Daigo sibs sent you; it should get you all the way in.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Kon objected. ¡°He ain¡¯t paid us yet!¡± Kim leaned around to give her brother the hairy eyeball. ¡°I dare you to say you don¡¯t trust him for it,¡± she challenged. Kon folded his arms and looked away, pouting. ¡°Thought so,¡± Kim said smugly. ¡°There are. . .¡± Justin paused to get the phrasing correct, ¡°. . .circumstances. . .that prevent you from introducing me yourselves?¡± ¡°Outta our territory,¡± Kon grumped. ¡°Can¡¯t go no further. Not without payin¡¯, anyways, an¡¯ not in coin.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Justin said. ¡°May I please know your home address, then? I would like to visit, and compliment your parents.¡± ¡°Never had any,¡± Kon shrugged. ¡°Master Kaji looks after us, but he didn¡¯t raise us none.¡± ¡°I¡¯d still like to visit, though,¡± Justin prodded. ¡°There are fables, where I come from, that claim the first people you meet in a new land have the most fate with you, and how you relate to them shapes your life there afterward the most. ¡®You never get a second chance to make a first impression, but you can change a bad one with seven more,¡¯ some say.¡± Kim was biting her lower lip again. This time, however, she seemed more passively uncertain than actively worried; adorably so. She looked at her brother, and the two had a rapid, silent conversation using just their faces, the way close siblings could. Finally, she huffed a sigh, and looked up at Justin. ¡°We¡¯re housed in the Shrine of the Fist and the Rod,¡± she said. ¡°People in the District of Stars can tell you where it is, and anybody from Ribe can get you to the District of Stars.¡± ¡°Bring me candy!¡± Kon demanded. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Kim countered. ¡°Maybe the second time,¡± Justin told Kon. ¡°But when I next come visit, I¡¯ll teach you some daps instead, eh? For now, Big K, show me your fist.¡± Kon gave his sister a puzzled glance, then took a martial stance: left side forward, left arm up to guard, palm open to parry or grab, feet correctly placed, center balanced over them, right fist chambered for a strike. ¡°Sorry, my bad,¡± Justin said. ¡°I meant a bro-fist, like this.¡± He put his right fist forward, more casually, at waist-height. When Kon relaxed and imitated him, Justin lightly tapped the boy¡¯s knuckles with his own. ¡°Bro-fist, the fundamental dap,¡± he explained. Kon stared down at his own hand, his brow wrinkled in confusion. ¡°Rather get candy,¡± he muttered absently. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Justin said. He turned to Kim. ¡°Hold still, please,¡± he told her, and reached out to gently rub her hair, just firmly enough to convey affection without disturbing her ponytail. ¡°Headpats for Princess Kim, the best of big sisters,¡± he said afterwards. Kim reached up with both hands to lightly touch the same spot, her eyes wide. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m off to the Madame,¡± Justin said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two later; that¡¯s a promise.¡± He strode away up the boulevard. # # # Behind him, the siblings exchanged looks of amazed disbelief. ¡°He touched us!¡± Kim exclaimed. ¡°I know!¡± Kon said. ¡°He touched us!¡± ¡°I know!" ¡°How ¨C what -¡± Kim boggled. ¡°Let¡¯s follow him!¡± ¡°No!¡± Kim said, snapping out of her fugue. Quick as a flash, she grabbed Kon in a headlock and started dragging him away. ¡°But ¨C but -¡± Kon choked out. ¡°We are going straight back to the Shrine, Kon, and right! This! Instant!¡± Kim insisted. ¡°But!¡± ¡°Now, Kon!¡± ¡°Big ¨C K!¡± Kon gasped, squirming in her grasp. ¡°Call ¨C me - Big ¨C K!¡± ¡°No!¡± 4 - Discretionary Funding Madame Shinbi¡¯s business was more of an entire complex than a simple salon and parlor, Justin found. It took up most of its square city block, leaving room for only a row of smaller shops along its western edge. Both halves of that street were purveying sweets, flowers, accessories, souvenirs, and other small items in the tourist trade. Business was good, Justin noticed, as he walked south along it to the next intersection. He turned left there, through a half-open double gate capped by a curved black beam resting on two poles, like an inverted torii. The other side was a blank bare alley; clean, but empty of life or decoration, all windowless white-plastered rear walls of mortared stone, topped by more wooden palisades. Security through banality, he thought to himself. The only people who would linger here were obvious troublemakers or tourists with weird fixations on backstreets. The block to the south, now on his right, was split in half by another empty alley. Probably the main delivery route, judging by the canal water glimmering at its far end. The Salon¡¯s back gate was a few yards past that, and Justin ambled over to it, scanning for a bell or clapper or knocker. He found a green braided cord, reminiscent of Kim¡¯s sandals, with a red wooden ball at its end, hanging in a little box, and gave it an experimental tug. There was a clack overhead, like a small mallet hitting a board, and he looked up at the shadowy roofed bastion above. ¡°The Dawn Salon will gladly accommodate the honorable guest at the front entrance,¡± a deep male voice rumbled out of the darkness inside it, two stories up. ¡°The Daigo siblings, from the Shrine of the Rod and the Fist, sent me,¡± Justin said. He heard the faintest whisper of a sigh from above. ¡°I dare not presume to question the honorable guest¡¯s veracity, but I regret to say that I find that most dubious,¡± the voice said. ¡°Perhaps there has been a miscommunication?¡± ¡°Kon¡¯s about this high,¡± Justin said, putting his hand out. ¡°Good with his river-stick; goes barefoot, a little rude and greedy. Kim¡¯s shyer and much more polite, but very protective of him; about this tall; ponytail, green sandals. Nice kids, overall; could probably do with more affection in their lives.¡± There was an indrawn breath and a thump above. As Justin stood silently in the alley¡¯s quiet, he could hear footsteps descending stairs on the wall¡¯s other side. A moment later, the left half of the gate cracked open to reveal a stereotypically tall, bearded, meaty guardsman, in black leather boots, heavy black trousers, and a thick, quilted, thigh-length coat of dark brown livery, buttoned on the side. A gilt symbol of a half-sun over four offset lines of wave caps filled most its chest area. ¡°Why?¡± he asked, clearly suspicious. ¡°They recommended Madame Shinbi to me for reliable and discreet moneychanging,¡± Justin answered. The guard gave him a careful visual inspection, twice over. Apparently not finding anything objectionable, he stepped back, pulling the door barely wide enough for Justin to slip through sideways. ¡°You may enter,¡± the guard said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Justin said, bobbing his head respectfully. He eeled through the gate and stopped there, hands at his side, taking a quick glance around. The delivery courtyard was all business; rough slate paving and closed storehouses or open-sided stabling lining its walls, more than half filled with barrels and crates. Another, smaller gate led into the ground floor of the building proper. ¡°Wait here, please,¡± the guard said, and Justin nodded again. The guard closed and barred the door, then actually hustled across the yard to the building¡¯s gate, the left half of which opened just as he reached it, and immediately thunk!ed close behind him. That¡¯s some well trained staff, Justin thought. He¡¯d worked in high-profile courthouses that were less professional. The building¡¯s internal gatekeeper had to be watching from somewhere, but the gates and the walls near them were featureless, leaving nowhere to conceal a spyhole. Magic? Wait; no - better not show too much interest. He tilted his head back and gazed at the bright blue morning sky overhead, focusing on the one wispy strip of white cloud he could see. Less than five minutes later, the building gate¡¯s right half opened. The guard stepped out and to the left, motioning Justin forward. ¡°This way, please, honored guest,¡± he said. Justin strode across the courtyard and inside; the door closed behind him, revealing a dimly lit combined storage and mudroom holding three more liveried men. Two were similar to the first guard, albeit shorter, thicker, and clean-shaven, with the puffy faces of long-time brawlers. The third man was tall, thin, and butlerish, in finer livery and a meticulously trimmed Van Dyke. Behind him was a heavy door set in a solid frame. He was holding up a cylinder of clear glass by its ring handle of silvery metal. It contained a glowing blue crystal and was capped with more of the metal at both ends, engraved with sigils Justin couldn¡¯t quite make out. The man scrutinized Justin in its light. Dark now, when the sun is bright outside, to blind intruders. Justin thought. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they keep it brightly lit in here when it¡¯s dark outside, as well. And I¡¯ll bet that lamp¡¯s magic, too; some kind of detector? The houseman put the lamp down on a shelf, then wrapped his own hands together at neck height and shook them back and forth twice, obviously a gesture of greeting. ¡°I am Polou the Damo, honored guest,¡± he said. ¡°May I have a name with which to introduce you?¡± he asked. ¡°Justin of the Carse family; I have no titles,¡± Justin said. He followed the Damo¡¯s example, but shook his hands back at the man only once. ¡°The Madame is currently engaged with other guests, and regrets the necessity for a short delay before she can welcome you herself. In the meantime, we would like to offer you our hospitality; we have prepared a private room for your exclusive use. Please follow me.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Justin said, inclining his head. The Damo opened the door behind himself, picked up the cylinder, and led Justin through. They went a short distance down the slate-floored, brown-wood-wainscotted hall beyond, past more doors. The Damo opened the fifth to reveal a simple but nicely appointed sitting room with a light brown and blonde parquet floor under red rugs, creamy wallpaper, two small white couches facing each other over a basic dark green coffee table, and a paned pyramidal skylight overhead. ¡°My stomach is still somewhat uncertain from my journeying,¡± Justin said, moving to stand by the nearer couch, ¡°so please do not feel obliged to offer me any refreshments. I would prefer not to waste the Madame¡¯s resources on an unreciprocable politesse.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. It wasn¡¯t entirely a lie, but the larger truth was that he wasn¡¯t willing to trust the establishment¡¯s food or drink yet. ¡°As you wish,¡± the Damo said. ¡°The Madame will join you presently. I must return to my other duties; please excuse me.¡± He bowed and exited. Justin sat on the couch and reached down to the bottom of his left pant leg. He undid the lowest of the buttons holding the ankle-to-upper-calf flaps closed, then snapped it free with a pull and twist. He put the button on the table and did the same again on the right, then slipped the elasticized fabric covers off each of the two gemstones. Beneath them were a faceted dark blue sapphire and a cabochon piece of luminously bright green jadeite. He slide the gems into the table¡¯s center, put the bitty fabric caps in his left pocket, leaned back into the couch, and clasped his hands together over his waist. He was completely certain he was being watched by hidden observers, so he sat and waited in patience, breathing steadily through his nose on a regular count. # # # Going by the skylight¡¯s patch of illumination, he sat quietly for about ten minutes before the latch of the far door clicked. He rose to his feet as an older woman with a short sleek cap of ear-length black hair entered, hands pressed flat at her own waist. She was dressed in layers ¨C a thin white wrap under a black one, under a floor-length dress of dark blue silk that was covered by a long white apron. The woman moved to the side of the door, her face expressionless, and another walked in. With her perfect coiffure of braided hoops and bejeweled hairpins, her glowing skin, and her brighter blue silk robes embroidered with gold stitching, not unlike hanfu, this had to be Madame Shinbi. She was also overweight. Not quite obese yet, but definitely on the far side of chubby. ¡°Welcome to the Dawn Salon, Mister Carse,¡± she said. ¡°I am your hostess, Shinbi Yun.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time, Madame,¡± Justin said, wrapping his hands like the Damo had and giving her three shakes. ¡°Please, call me Justin. I am newly come to Ribe, and after something of a falling-out between myself and my appointed guide, I appear to have been abandoned without counsel. I am wholly unfamiliar with the proper local customs, so I humbly entreat you to forgive my errors in such regards.¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Shinbi said, smiling, ¡°Please, sit. Your manners may not be ours, but your courtesy is estimable. I know many older men of good repute here who could benefit greatly from your example.¡± Justin waited until she had settled herself first before sitting down again. The maid closed the door and moved to stand beside her mistress. ¡°May I?¡± Shinbi said, indicating the gems. ¡°Please,¡± Justin said. ¡°I have no other appointments today to hurry me, but I confess I am very eager to learn how far my assets may extend here.¡± The maid produced a white felt cloth from a horizontal fold at her apron¡¯s waist and placed it in Shinbi¡¯s outstretched hand. The Madame picked up the jadeite with it and brought the stone closer for a thorough examination. ¡°This is an excellent piece,¡± she said. ¡°The polishing is exceptional, and the quality of the stone is first-rate. I might even purchase it for my own use.¡± She set it down and picked up the sapphire. An intrigued look flickered across her face. ¡°I am unfamiliar with this faceting,¡± she admitted. ¡°But I find it attractive, and the stone itself is superb.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a ¡®radiant¡¯ cut, Madame,¡± Justin said. ¡°It was only created about. . .um. . .forty-five years ago, by an artisan named Hentry Grossbard. He hybridized a square cut with the brilliance of the older round cuts. It was considered sufficiently original at the time for the government of his nation to award him a writ of licensing. Which has, ah, since expired. This version has seventy facets - twenty-five on the crown, eight on the girdle, and thirty-seven on the pavilion.¡± ¡®Writ of licensing¡¯ instead of ¡®patent¡¯, Justin thought. Another linguistic incongruity. ¡°I find your familiarity with the item praiseworthy, Mister Carse.¡± ¡°Thank you, Madame. I chose my assets very carefully and did a great deal of research on them before I came. The fact is, I am a permanent immigrant to Ribe. For reasons beyond my control, I can never return home; nor, to be honest, would I ever desire to. Please understand,¡± Justin held up a hand, as if swearing an oath, ¡°I left without regrets, and on good terms with all who knew me, or at worst neutral. No troubles will follow me. But there were some. . .tragic losses, and after those I received an unrelated bequest of both crafting tools and training in their use.¡± He brought his hand down to his lap. ¡°I found myself in good pocket with the opportunity for an entirely new career, and so. . .here I am.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Shinbi said. ¡°I appreciate the explanation.¡± She put a hand up to her cheek, and tapped it with her index finger. ¡°Mister Carse,¡± she continued, ¡°Under normal conditions, I would raise further subjects less immediately, but I have pressing responsibilities, and you have confessed some eagerness. May I therefore hear more about your plans? If you still have unmet needs in certain areas, they could become our mutual opportunities.¡± ¡°I would be grateful. Miss Kim did recommend you for your contacts, after all, second to your discretion.¡± ¡° I had no idea she was so ¨C informed - about me,¡± Shinbi murmured. At the same time, the maid minusculely stiffened. ¡°I promised them a little silver as a reward for their advice and guidance, after Kon poked me awake with his river-stick,¡± Justin said, ¡°and then I played the big brother for them a bit, up to the Dawnway. They seemed to take it to heart.¡± ¡°I ¨C see,¡± Shinbi said, her chins quivering. Justin wasn¡¯t completely sure, but he got the impression she was restraining laughter. Or possibly screams. Or both. Between her reactions and the maid¡¯s, though, there was definitely something odd going on. But that was a topic for later investigation. ¡°Other than some ready cash and temporary lodgings,¡± Justin mused, ¡°I suppose my first priority now should be hiring an advocate to manage the regularization of my status as a citizen. Then the purchase of a ship suitable for both living aboard and crafting and selling my wares, and third acquiring the licensing and so on required towards those ends. ¡°Those wares will be alchemy, at the start, with a focus on potions and particularly on curatives. So fourth, after I¡¯m established, might be hiring a comparably discreet local practitioner to review my methods and products . .¡± he paused to smile knowingly at her, ¡°. . .should Madame be interested in the opportunity to lead my list of preferred customers. Oh, and I need a tailor, soonest, for appropriate local clothes.¡± ¡°Encouragingly summarized, Mister Carse,¡± Shinbi beamed. ¡°I feel confident that we can come to some satisfactory arrangements. I know of several skilled advocate¡¯s offices that could easily meet all your stated needs, and I would be glad to have my household provide you with a start on a suitable wardrobe. I must say, it¡¯s very refreshing to deal with someone so forethoughtful and organized at such a young age.¡± ¡°I¡¯m older than I look,¡± Justin demurred. ¡°Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me? While I am enjoying your company, I would prefer to more respect your responsibilities.¡± ¡°Thank you, and no; I think we have more than enough in the boat for now,¡± Shinbi said. ¡°Would half a percent of these gems¡¯ appraisals be an acceptable fee?¡± Justin shrugged helplessly. ¡°I have hardly the slightest idea of the current market, but I¡¯m willing to trust the sibs¡¯ opinion of you, so yes. And likewise, please use your own judgment for the denominations.¡± ¡°Two percent is standard for the banks, and the range is one to two percent among legitimate smaller private exchangers,¡± Madame Shinbi explained, as the maid folded up the gems inside the white felt and tucked them away in her apron. ¡°So half a percent is an especially favorable rate, but not so low as to merit suspicion when precedence in the purchase of curatives is also on the scales in the longer term. ¡°Thank you for relying on the Dawn Salon for your needs, Mister Carse,¡± she said, rising to her feet. The maid went to the door and opened it as Justin stood as well. ¡°Miss Mai will bring you your specie soon,¡± Shinbi continued, then glided out of the room and crooked a sideways index finger at someone to her right, ¡°while Lua here will convey you to our fitters. If I cannot meet with you again today, I will be looking forward to our next appointment with anticipation.¡± She swept off to the left. Maid Miss Mai (Justin smothered a grin) exited the room as well, leaning down to whisper briefly at someone out of sight - presumably ¡®Lua¡¯ ¨C before she followed Shinbi off to the left. A young girl, perhaps in her mid-teens, and much smaller than the other women, but glowing with health much as they were, stepped around the doorjamb and bowed gracefullly. She was dressed like Mai, her blue overdress several shades darker, and her longer black hair was twisted in a dozen or so loops pinned against her head, except for a straight, flat-ended section pouring down the middle of her back like a black waterfall. ¡°Please follow me, honored guest,¡± she said, in a voice as sweet as birdsong. 5 - Suited Highly As Justin expected, Lua led him to the fitters for Shinbi¡¯s personal household, rather than some branded spa shop in the professional side of the complex. He might have started out with buying the Madame¡¯s discretion, but the favor he was being shown felt like much more than a merely financial exchange. He figured some of it, maybe most, was the early advantage prospect of an otherwise unaffiliated healer alchemist. But the personal reference from the Daigo kids also had to have something to do with it. Had to. There was clearly much more to those two than the opportunistic savvy they¡¯d displayed. Justin made a mental note to ask about them as soon as he¡¯d acquired a sufficiently trustworthy advisor. Probably an advocate, if Ribe recognized the privilege of client confidentiality. He¡¯d simply been trying to be a decent person to them, too. Whatever certain people liked to bitterly claim to the contrary, Justin knew better; sometimes being kind paid off, and in big ways. Newton¡¯s Third Law applied to more than the physics of the material universe alone, he¡¯d learned. Whomever you can spare, he said politely, when the Madame¡¯s Chamberlain asked for his preference between a male or female fitter. I only wish to disturb the household as little as I can. That got him some approving looks. And later, from the thin, balding older man named Mister Gau whom the Chamberlain assigned to help him, some helpful information about ranks and titles and professional regulation, after Justin described his desired presentation as a young independent magical crafter to him. In the narrow, cramped cloths storage, Gau piled bagged bolts of fabric in Justin¡¯s arms selected from the packed racks around them before they climbed a pair of ladders that led to the attic. It was filled with dusty crates and chests and loom parts in the middle, and worktables at each end, under triangular hip windows and roof hatches open for lighting. Sarongs, vests, and shirts were leisure clothes, Gau explained as he took Justin¡¯s measurements, indicating a readiness to socialize. Trousers and tunics were work clothes, signifying someone who was on the job, and didn¡¯t have time for unrelated interactions. Vests on men were more blue-collar markers, and the guayabera tunics more white-collar, but there was plenty of overlap. The social signaling was less about socioeconomic position than how serious the wearer¡¯s basic personality was, and the status they thought they merited. So a career tradesman as hard-boiled as Justin¡¯s father would have been a guayatunic man all the way to his grave. And in denim, or ¡®oarcloth¡¯ here, too; unriveted, and dyed brown by default instead of blue, but it was standard wear for an alchemist, and bleach-white when worn formally. And robes like those on Lua and Miss Mai were internal household servants clothes for the middle to upper classes; the more layers and the higher quality, the more formal and the higher the status, respectively. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. That established, Gau pulled out the raw fabrics and started stitching together a half dozen sets of work clothes and two formal whites for him, while Justin practiced tying on the shorter male sarong. Justin should buy unembroidered vests or guayatunics premade off the rack, Gau added as he worked. Upper-body social clothes made for Justin by the Madame¡¯s household had inappropriate personal implications, while premade blank ones would indicate that he was open to making new connections with people. ¡°So families gift social shirts to men and boys as an invitation or sign of closer bonds,¡± Justin mused, ¡°and embroider them as means of conveying individuation?¡± ¡°You catch on quick,¡± Gau approved, hemming with the unconscious skill of decades of experience. ¡°Women and girls get ribbons. There¡¯re many subtleties, but asking about a person¡¯s embroideries is always a good topic. Keep at it, and you¡¯ll be proficient before you realize.¡± According to Gau, Ribe had Schools and Associations instead of Guilds. To Justin, the name sounded more like something from the cultivation webnovels and manhua that oh Chloe Chloe I miss you and her post-Rumspringa circle of friends had liked, but as Gau continued, Justin realized that the differences were minimal. Schools were usually named for the one dominant family that led them, rather than what they did. However, like classical guilds, they had legally defined territories across the city where they monopolized their markets. It was commonly just an infraction, at worst a misdemeanor, to work over those boundaries, or without School oversight. But in neighborhoods where the Schools were reliable, competent, and appreciated, word got around about under-the-table scabbing, and the resulting fines made it unprofitable. On the other hand, over time those monopolies tended to lead to corruption, and consequential reductions in quality and reputation. That was naturally followed by increasing unreported gray-market competition, which self-organized into non-familial Associations. After that came the gradually up-scaling violence between the School and the Association until at last the nearby Schools and the government stepped in to reorganize things before the trouble spilled over into the tourism economy. The Schools were usually replaced by the private, non-familial Associations after that, more accurately named for their area and line of work. And then, over more time, families rose to prominence in those Associations and took them over, or branches of the larger families cooperated across the boundaries to undercut them at a local loss, or the territorial monopoly policy started corrupting the Associations themselves, and the cycle rolled over again. Alchemy, to Justin¡¯s relief, was in a solid, early Association phase over the great majority of the city at present. And thanks in large part to Ribe¡¯s plethora of enchanted waters, the craft had a larger market here than many other cities, including a non-trivial export segment. He still hadn¡¯t mentioned spellcasting to anyone yet, and was in no hurry to change that. He figured he had a lot more to learn before he opened that box in public. Gau was just finishing up Justin¡¯s last work suit when Miss Mai appeared again, carrying a black lacquered platter with a flat brown pouch on it. She was accompanied by another guardsman, much younger that the others Justin had seen, but every bit as assured. He was carrying a small leather valise, clean, but with the scuffs and marks of long use. ¡°Your funds, Mister Carse,¡± she said, holding out the platter. Her voice was a cool contralto. 6 - Moneying Worship ¡°Thank you, Miss Mai,¡± Justin said. He picked up the pouch. There was a two-section coiled harness underneath it, the lower loop running through slits on at the top of the pouch¡¯s back, and a thin pad at the midpoint of the upper one. ¡°Ah. Under the clothes, over the shoulder and around the waist?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Miss Mai said. ¡°The Madame recommends you first open an account at the Temple of Dawn, then secure lodgings at the Maple Yard, guided by Tomu here.¡± The guardsman set down the valise and shook his clasped hands at Justin, who reciprocated. ¡°At noon,¡± Miss Mai continued, ¡°Advocate Tzo of the Ling Fei Firm will be lunching privately at the Silver Palace and invites you to join him. If you agree now, we will be able to confirm the appointment with enough time for him to assemble some portfolios of ships on the market for your consideration.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pass up a free meal at the Palace,¡± Gau advised absently, testing a seam with a pull and a twist. ¡°Order the pork soup dumplings.¡± ¡°That all sounds excellent,¡± Justin said. ¡°Please accept my thanks for the household¡¯s efforts on my behalf, and convey my gratitude to the Madame for her generosity. I assure you, she will not find me unappreciative.¡± ¡°I am certain of it,¡± Miss Mai said, her rigid posture softening a bit. ¡°Please excuse me; many other duties require my attention.¡± She bowed and left. ¡°I¡¯m done too, youngster,¡± Gau said, folding the last work suit. ¡°These should hold you for at least a couple weeks. Tomu, hand me that valise so I can pack the kid¡¯s traveling clothes for him.¡± Justin resisted the paranoid urge to refuse Gau¡¯s offer, knowing the degree of his concern about the jacket¡¯s electronics was irrational. He focused on the pouch to distract himself. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be rude of me to check this now, right?¡± he asked the two other men. ¡°We didn¡¯t settle on a price for my goods.¡± ¡°Nah, go ahead; better you do it here in private,¡± Gau said. Tomu nodded. Inside the pouch were six paper bills tucked into an inner pocket, thicker, larger, and less rectangular than US currency: 1 dark green one, worth 5000 Rr, or Ribe ri, five dark yellow ones worth 500 each, and a small handwritten receipt. The coins were round, mint-stamped and milled, not cast; threaded through small central holes on clasps like large, blunt, springless safety pins. According to the receipt, he¡¯d received another 560 Rr in 20-ri silvers, 31 Rr in 1-ri silvers, and 34 hundredth-ri coppers, riti, for a total of Rr 8091.34. Base valuation of the gems at Rr 8132, he thought. It was a strangely precise amount; he¡¯d been expecting a rounder figure. But it was also close to a tenth higher than their average Earth resale price in dollars, so he was hardly going to kick about it. And the household was comping him the secure pouch and valise, too, apparently; they weren¡¯t mentioned on the receipt. ¡°Mister Gau, what would one normally pay for a lunch at this Palace?¡± ¡°A good one? Five or six hundred ri.¡± He sucked his teeth in amusement at Justin¡¯s raised eyebrows. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s the Ling Fei saying how much they want your business. Yun-si sure must¡¯ve praised your name to them. All right, anything else? This old man¡¯s got more work too.¡± Justin shook his head and cupped his hands at the tailor instead of shaking them. ¡°No, Mister Gau. Thank you for your advice and the fruits of your skill. I shall remember you with gratitude every time I make use of either.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Yeah, yeah, get-get. Out with you both.¡± The words and tone were dismissive, but the older man¡¯s smile sent a different message. # # # Tomu wordlessly escorted Justin back through the building the way he¡¯d come, out through the rear gate, and farther down the alley towards the next street. ¡°The Temple Bank is four blocks east on the other side of the ¡®Way, sir,¡± he said, in a reedy, youthful voice, when they were halfway to the identical black-beamed gate at the alley¡¯s other end. ¡°Please stay on my left and keep your bag between us.¡± He rested his right hand on the hilt of the short sword on the same hip in a casual backhand grip. ¡°The Dawnway is one of the safest public streets in Ribe, but Miss Mai told me to treat this as an elite courier escort, unless you expressly wished otherwise.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine,¡± Justin said, stopping, ¡°but before we go farther, I would like to learn a few things about the Temple and the Maple Yard. Are all Ribe¡¯s financial institutions religious?¡± ¡°Almost all, sir. The Celestial Court took charge of them after the riots caused by the failure of the Szurkan Expeditions.¡± ¡°Let me guess. . .a currency collapse caused by a massive credit default that was funding foreign military adventures?¡± ¡°Yes, sir; that¡¯s what we¡¯re taught.¡± ¡°In Temple Schoo- er, that is, Temple classes?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Backed by the full faith period, no credit or government needed,¡± Justin muttered to himself. ¡°I suppose it puts a low ceiling on organized crime, though.¡± ¡°Oh yes, sir,¡± Tomu said, with earnest civic pride. ¡°Our crooks are the most honorable and tricky in the world. They have to be.¡± Justin let that pass without comment, unsure whether the technically younger man was winding him up or not. ¡°So opening an account will involve oaths, enforced by the, er. . .call it Mandate of Heaven?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the phrase, sir, but that seems an accurate characterization.¡± Well, Justin thought, too late to back out now. And I came here to stay anyways. I suppose that should include adopting the local beliefs. Or facts. He hadn¡¯t thought about that before signing ¨C the possibility of a fundamentally non-agnostic world, where gods actively interfered. He was ready ¨C eager, even - for magic, yes, but not literal theurgy. A serious blind spot. But ehh, whatever. All I can do is keep moving forward. ¡°Would you tell me what kind of prices I¡¯m facing for lodging at the Maple Yard, over a week? No, wait; tell me about the local calendar first, please,¡± he asked. The fact that Tomu didn¡¯t give him a weird look for that request further warned him not to underestimate the young guardsman. Not only did Tomu have unrevealed depths, but he wasn¡¯t bothering to try to hide it. ¡°There¡¯s four hundred and six days in a year, sir, over eight months of five weeks of ten days,¡± Tomu said, ¡°with single holy days on the equinoxes, and pairs at the solstices. Today is the forty-fifth of Crane. Next month is Dog, then the Summer Equinox and Dragon, Beaver and Bear in the Fall, and Tiger and Phoenix bracketing the Winter Solstice and New Year, followed by Hen. ¡°An outer room at the Maple Yard, with shared amenities and no meals, should cost about a hundred ri for a week. A middle room would be two to two-and-a-half times that, depending on amenities and meals, and an inner suite for eight to ten times as much. If you can afford it, sir, I recommend taking a suite.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Justin said. He took a deep breath. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go and. . .face the Celestial music.¡± He strode forward, Tomu quick-stepping to catch up beside him. ¡°We get all kinds here in Ribe, sir; we¡¯re very ecumenical,¡± the guardsman said reassuringly. ¡°And you seem a decent person to me; everyone I¡¯ve seen you with so far appears to like you, including Miss Mai. I¡¯m sure things will be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just never been at all. . .theistic,¡± Justin said, gesturing vaguely as they approached the intersection. ¡°I doubt the Gods will mind, sir.¡± That¡¯s flattering of you, but are you including how I¡¯m from another world - and probably another universe ¨C in your analysis? Justin thought. Or that I made whatever supernatural power I contracted with to get here so upset that it knocked me out and dumped me on a wharf to fend for myself? Because I am, and I¡¯m nowhere near as confident about what¡¯s coming next as you are. Does Grouchy White Glowy Blob work for your Gods? Hell, is he one of them? Inquiring minds want to know! 7 - Theological Explications The Dawn Temple was more of a complex like the Madame¡¯s than a western cathedral. It was oriented with its main entrance to the west, which likely had some kind of liturgical symbolism behind it. And it was large; at least four blocks square, with by far the tallest buildings Justin had seen yet; multiple round and square pagodas from four to eight stories high. Beyond them all to the east was a single monster of a structure, at least twice the tallest pagoda¡¯s height, and very like the stepped towers leading to a central spire that were dimly viewable at the Dawnway¡¯s far end. A wide plaza in front of the Temple took up half of the next block south from it, named, eponymously enough, the Dawn Temple Plaza. As they passed, Tomu pointed out restaurants, high-end shops, and the Jiten Museum of Art and History to the west. The half-block of the plaza¡¯s entire south side was occupied by an elite-looking three-story hotel called the Labyrinth of Serenity. The plaza¡¯s center held a small henge of polished gold statues on white marble plinths, in two flattish curves running from east to west, facing the Temple. Tourists and a scattering of natives were lined up in front of them, heads bowed in prayer. Justin shaded his eyes and focused to see that the statues were representations of the months¡¯ tutelary animals. Around the henge were rows of speed portraitists drawing tourists against the backdrops of the statues and the buildings, on wall scrolls pinned to their easels. Justin made another mental note to check out the Museum later ¨C no, he corrected himself; get a recommendation for a good tour company, and use several of their trips to get a basic education about the city in the process. The last of the Plaza¡¯s features were two large fountains at the centers of its north and south halves made of the same marble as the plinths. The round southern one, with its layered spire design, was too far away for Justin to make out any details on the artwork, but it was surrounded by filled patio seating. The northern was a half-circle with a tall half-oval carved frieze for its vertical backdrop, its back to the Temple. Descending waters glinted with reflected light as they sheeted down from its top. Instead of statuary, its flat pool was filled with another frieze, horizontal, with tourists standing nearby studying it and pointing out features. Interesting, but also for later, Justin thought. The Bank was on the opposite side of the Dawnway, over a tall, wide bridge like the one at the Dawnway¡¯s western end, fronting the plaza¡¯s open north. Water taxis of various sizes and kinds were lined up next to it on both banks, like a well-organized fleet of cabs at an airport dropping off and picking up customers. Tomu escorted Justin over the canal to the Bank on the other side, a much smaller but still impressive building with multiple gates in its exterior southern wall thrown wide open. A constant flow of people was entering and exiting, many of them tourists in a wide range of foreign garb. The first inner courtyard on the other side had two gates at either end of its far wall, framing a massive, brightly colored mosaic. It depicted a classically asian aristocratic courtyard of small waterways, bridges, trees, and gazebos filled with what had to be the robed Celestial Court. Justin was certain the mosaic¡¯s materials were genuine precious metals and gems, not gilt and glass. He would have chosen to pause and take a closer look if the view hadn¡¯t been blocked by a throng of sight-seers, including what had to be at least two of the tour trips he¡¯d just been thinking about. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. There were guards to either side of the inner gates, their gazes fixed forward, looking not. . .bored, exactly, but far from alert, either. Most people going further inside were passing on the right, with the reverse true to the left. Tomu, unexpectedly, shepherded Justin through the latter side, against most of the traffic. The second courtyard was deeper, with identical temple buildings on three of its sides, made entirely of the green-aged-to-silvery wood Justin had seen earlier, set back from and above masonry steps. The middle of the back of the mosaic wall had an open-faced building of light brown varnished wood, full of teller stations with bald, saffron-robed monks serving the clients. Tomu led Justin up the steps of the western building to their left into a pillared pavilion with a yellow wooden statue in its center, surrounded by black-cushioned benches with ornate scrollwork. The statue depicted a long-bearded, robed elder holding aloft a burning orb in his right hand and an open fan at his left hip. Behind the statue and against the far wall was a small reception desk between two hallways. A red-robed monk with a shaved head was kneeling behind the desk, on a platform that raised him to face-height. Tomu approached him, shaking his clasped hands, and said, ¡°Greetings, Seiso. We would appreciate the regard of the first available Kokyu.¡± The monk smiled and produced a wooden slip with a 3 in Ribean script on it from the desk¡¯s underside, first gesturing with it towards the hallway on his left, then handing it across. ¡°Senior Taiko will see you immediately.¡± ¡°Thank you, Seiso,¡± Tomu said, and led Justin down the varnished, spotless hallways to a sliding panel door with a plaque hanging in a little box to its upper left. It had a matching 3, and Tomu clapped gently twice outside and inquired, ¡°Kokyu Taiko?¡± ¡°Enter, please,¡± came a voice from inside. Tomu hung the slip on the plaque¡¯s hook, covering it, then slid the door open. He stepped in, looked around, and nodded for Justin to come forward. As Justin walked into the small, cozy office, the eyes of the red-robed older man seated at a floor-table across from him flashed yellow. He immediately stood up and bowed deeply, holding the bent position. ¡°This humble servant is honored by your presence, Prominence,¡± he said respectfully. Tomu twitched. ¡°May I assist you in any way, O Blessed One?¡± the monk continued, and Justin did the Homer, good and hard and loud and painful. Temple of Dawn and Blessing of Sun, hurr durr lookit the dummy! Justin thought, tremendously annoyed with himself. God help me, I even noticed I had this blind spot earlier! ¡°Only if you really need it,¡± the monk replied in a very different voice as he straightened up again. ¡°And so far, you haven¡¯t.¡± His eyes had been replaced with balls of fire like roiling miniature suns. They bulged spherically out of their sockets, tipping the man¡¯s appearance into Justin¡¯s uncanny valley just enough to be noticeable. Tomu went stiff as a board. Justin reached back and fumbled the door shut without looking, trying to gently rub the sting off his forehead with his other hand. ¡°Uh. . .thanks for coming to meet me personally?¡± he said. Tomu¡¯s head, and only his head, slowly turned to face Justin like it was on an axle, staring in horrified incredulity. ¡°Would you prefer to wait outside?¡± Justin asked him. He looked back at the obviously god-housing monk. ¡°Or is it better if he stays? I wouldn¡¯t want to deny him the opportunity of an audience. Oh, I¡¯m not using the proper forms of address, am I? Sorry about that.¡± ¡°He wants to forget this ever happened, and We¡¯re going to oblige him,¡± the engodded monk said. ¡°You can ignore the proprieties; We may have Blessed you, but We don¡¯t own you. So no apology needed. Call Us Sol, by the way.¡± He turned to open a built-in drawer in the wall behind him, took out a blank jade slip made of actual white jade, closed it, and sat down at the table. ¡°I suppose I better,¡± Justin said, because Justin. 8 - The Cracks of Dawn ¡°You can sit if you want, while We write you a voucher for your Shop,¡± Sol said, grinning at him. He laid the slip flat on the table and held his fingertip to it, holding it in place with the other hand. A tiny, brilliant spark, like the world¡¯s itty-bittiest welding arc, hissed into existence at the point of contact, and Sol began burning logograms into the slip¡¯s surface. ¡°This won¡¯t take Us long though. The Contract usually handles it, but you¡¯ve managed to work It into both a fine frothing lather of rage and an incredibly tight corner at the same time.¡± ¡°He¡¯s ¨C ah, It¡¯s ¨C not in any trouble, is It? Or,¡± Justin reflected, ¡°not in too much trouble, anyway.¡± ¡°No, just angrier than a sewer rat in a festival flood and busier than a one-armed man in a rowboat race,¡± Sol said. ¡°It¡¯s all good. Been needing to have Its chain jerked for a while now. Knock some of the conceit off Its shoulders. And in the medium to long term, the City will benefit more.¡± ¡°Um. I appreciate hearing so,¡± Justin said. ¡°Our pleasure,¡± Sol said. ¡°And We mean exactly that. You Agnostites are always such a refreshing change from the norm, and you yourself are a signally egregious example. Taiko is laughing himself nearly sick in here.¡± ¡°Poor Tomu¡¯s loss then, I guess,¡± Justin said, feeling more than a little off-footed. He found the idea of casual memory removal deeply disturbing, celestially caused or not. ¡°He¡¯ll live,¡± Sol said, shrugging the one shoulder of the arm holding the slip in place. ¡°Not like he needs your sympathy, that one.¡± He paused in his work to look up at Justin. ¡°Might-be does deserve it, though. Up to you.¡± He burned a sun disc into the bottom of the jade slip and pushed it across the table. ¡°There you go, one non-transferable blank check for your Shop property. You should be able to find something acceptable in Tzo¡¯s stack; don¡¯t abuse the voucher with personal item additions; touch the vessel and wish for its investiture. What else. . .ah, yes. Cleverly done with the raw seeds, Prominence. We¡¯ll see what We can do about backing that play. Moon¡¯s particularly excited at the prospect. Don¡¯t say ¡®honestly.¡± ¡°Thank you. Hon-¡± he caught himself in time and gave Sol a pressed-lip stare. ¡°I put it at less than even odds of ¨C wait, if you already know what I¡¯m going to -¡± ¡°Secret of comedy,¡± Sol interrupted. ¡°See you around, monkey boy.¡± The fiery orbs shrank back in, fading away to reveal the black eyes of Kyoku Taiko. The senior monk¡¯s features wrinkled up into a squashed rictus of involuntary glee and he toppled over onto his side, curling into a fetal position and wheezing helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so funny,¡± Justin sulked. He was still feeling massively stupid. Not only over failing to put Dawn and Sun together and come up with a four-by-clue, but also for not stopping to take a mere five minutes and brainstorm some countermeasures for his theistic blinders the first time he noticed them! Idiot! You had a personal guard and sufficient privacy and the time! There was no need to rush, and good reason not too! And dammit, I¡¯m still not ¨C he stiffened, just as Tomu had, before breathing a sigh of relief. No; I didn¡¯t call on Sol. Or anyone else. ''Dammit'' is only a secular exclamation. I think. Good. Right. Okay. But avoid it anyways. Focus. Now I stop and take those five minutes, while ¨C he glanced over at Taiko - Monsignor Giggles over there gets it out of his system. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. So. What do I know, or at least sufficiently believe? At least one god is real and actively involved with the world. I have been Blessed by him. His Blessing bestows at least one title, ¡®Prominence¡¯ - Justin paused, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply through his nose. And what is a solar prominence? A filament of plasma thrown off the sun¡¯s surface. Holding its power, but no longer a part of it. Right, he said he didn¡¯t own me. He opened his eyes again, looking around the Kokyu¡¯s office. It reminded him of the apothecary sets he¡¯d seen in Kung Fu and similar films ¨C lots of drawers set into the walls, most of them small; a low side table with a porcelain tea service, a glowing yellow orb overhead, hanging from the ceiling. No wall art, no personal touches. What else? He can read my mind. He can predict ¨C prophesize? - my actions. Thinking and probably saying ¡®God¡¯ might attract his attention. Treating him like a regular person utterly horrifies Tomu, but sends Laughing Altar Boy over there on a PTO vacay to the Funny Farm. He associates with the Contract. Remarks suggest his status is higher than Its is. ¡®Upper management¡¯? Possibly. He co-operates with the Contract to help fulfill Its duties. Odds are he really can wipe memories, which is epistemologically terrifying. Uses colloquialisms. Local ones? Likes my seeds scheme and intends to support it, if possible. Claims ¡®Moon¡¯, probably another Celestial Court member, is particularly excited about it. Anything else? Oh, right - willing to tease me. Almost certainly intended me to notice him wanting me to notice noticing how well he can predict ¨C or foresee - my actions. He might as well have underlined it. Wait, what did he say beforehand? Justin closed his eyes again and searched his short-term memory. ¡°And in the medium to long term, the City will benefit more.¡± Was that prophecy? It¡¯s phrased as a flat assertion, not a hope or an estimate. Maybe. Too soon to tell. The colloquialisms. Keep those in mind. Could be tools for later use. Or hints. Angry sewer rat, festival flood, one-armed man, rowboat race. Contract chain jerked, conceit off shoulders. Tomu doesn¡¯t need my sympathy, up to me. Check. I should be able to find something acceptable in Tzo¡¯s stack ¨C oh, that¡¯s got be a hint. Ask to see everything he brought. I. . .yeah, without the warning, I might have tried to attach some personal property riders to the purchase. Touch and wish for investiture. . .let¡¯s arrange to have some privacy when we do that. Hrm. If Sol¡¯s involvement hastens the closing process ¨C bet that slip is some kind of venerable icon now; can I get a document from Taiko certifying it? ¨C then I might ¡®invest¡¯ the Shop today. And if the first Supplies drop is either already there, or happens soon afterwards, I need to have the next steps for that lined up and waiting. Ask Taiko about plant magicians. Or clergy. Clergy first. Okay. . . ? Nothing else coming to mind. Countermeasures. Ah. Celestial Court. Probably in the regal sense, but I can apply the legal one. Treat this place as though it is a courtroom. A foreign one, without enough time to fully prepare; watch out for assumptions. And I¡¯m always in front of the judge. No consults, no recesses. Yes. Good! That will work. It¡¯ll be counterproductively stressful past the short term, but the default mindset should do the job until I fix some new habits. Good enough for now? He envisioned Professor Yule from his law degree days, his go-to model of experience for double-checking his case planning. She pored over his imagined outline, squinting through her cherished antique bifocals. Her prissy, creaky old-lady voice echoed in his head: ¡®Adequate, Mister Carse¡¯. He looked at the still incapacitated Taiko. ¡°Are you going to be done anytime soon?¡± he asked, exasperated. He gave Tomu a glance; the guardsman was still frozen in place, head turned to the left, eyes glassy. ¡°Poor Tomu here can¡¯t be comfortable like that, and I have other tasks to complete before a business lunch for which I really don¡¯t want to be late. One your god showed up to facilitate, if I may remind you?¡± 9 - Sum Answers ¡°M-my. .a. . .a-apologies, P-Prominence,¡± the monk gasped, pushing himself upright. He dabbed at his leaky eyes with the hem of his sleeve. ¡°I was. . .overcome. How else may I assist you?¡± The corners of his mouth kept twitching up as he spoke, but he seemed to have himself back under control. ¡°I originally came to set up an account and make a deposit,¡± Justin said, sitting down cross-legged on the other side of the Kokyu¡¯s desk. ¡°Of course, Prominence,¡± Taiko said, removing a slab of white jade and a small case of the silver-green wood from a lower drawer behind him. He put them on the desk and opened the case to reveal a set of silver needles and two tiny, cork-stoppered bottles of clear glass. Barely an eighth ounce each, if that, tucked into little enclosures of yellow felt. One of the bottles held a clear fluid, the other a red one. ¡°Disinfect needle, prick finger, regist-¡± Justin started to ask, pointing sequentially. He stopped short when the jade slab began glowing the moment his finger approached it. ¡°Or it appears you could register yourself directly, Prominence,¡± Taiko said. He leaned down to study the jade. ¡°Would you oblige me by moving your hand closer but not touching the register yet, please?¡± Justin indulged him. The glow intensified, concentrating at the slab¡¯s center to form a rough-edged circle with a smaller curved arc, even rougher, hovering above it. A sun and prominence, Justin deduced. ¡°Thank you, Prominence,¡± Taiko said. ¡°At your convenience?¡± Justin pressed his hand to the slab, which flashed white ¨C not blindingly, but far from softly ¨C then resumed its glow. ¡°Will your deposit fit upon this register, Prominence?¡± Taiko asked. ¡°Oh, right,¡± Justin said, pulling his security pouch out and removing the 5000-ri bill. ¡°Please place your palm on the register and rotate it slightly to open your account, Prominence. Either direction will do.¡± He palmed the slab and twisted, and it turned into a starry void contained within the slab¡¯s original shape. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool,¡± Justin said, with sincere admiration. ¡°Huh. The truth is revealed in the light, but the night protects our secrets - no; our privacy?¡± he asked. Taiko perked up, and he pulled a small scroll and charcoal pencil from under the desk to record Justin¡¯s unintentional epigram. Justin double-facepalmed, this time more gently. ¡°That wasn¡¯t ¨C I didn¡¯t mean ¨C oh, never mind,¡± he mumbled. He took his hands away. ¡°Put my deposit on the slab?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, please, Prominence,¡± Taiko said. Justin set the bill down and it vanished instantaneously. No fading, no sinking in, just ¨C poof, gone. ¡°Very cool,¡± Justin said. He resisted the urge to say or even seriously think My compliments to the gods, in the same way one made sure to refrain from even appearing to flatter the bench. Excellent, he thought, as he caught himself catching himself. The gimmick¡¯s working already. ¡°Please close your account, Prominence,¡± Taiko said. ¡°The register will deactivate on its own after a short period, but-¡± ¡° -it¡¯s poor practice and a bad habit to not do it immediately yourself?¡± Justin finished, doing so at the same time with a reversed twist. The slab turned glowing white again, then dulled to normal when he removed his palm. ¡°Exactly so, Prominence. Is there anything else with which I may assist you?¡± ¡°Yes. What does being a Prominence entail? Do I have duties? Authority? A stipend? What¡¯s expected of me?¡± ¡°A Prominence is one whom the Dawn has favored with a gift of supernatural power. I cannot advise you on that aspect further; if I was meant to know useful details, I would have been granted them. What I was given to know is that you are almost completely separate from the ecclesiastical hierarchy; you answer directly to the Dawn Himself, but have been assigned no authority over others. And no mention was made of a stipend, so I doubt that you have one. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Your unofficial status is another matter, however,¡± Taiko continued, with a sly look. ¡°Prominences, having been singled out by the Dawn, and demonstrably meriting His approval through bearing and wielding His power, invariably receive great respect and deference from both the clergy and even the less devoted laity. Which naturally comes with consequences of their own the more one makes use of them.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not,¡± Justin said, shuddering. ¡°I¡¯ll pass on that. So. . .I can¡¯t order you to keep quiet about me?¡± ¡°Not with authority, no. But if that is your desire, Prominence, I will gladly respect your privacy. To have been made so immanent with the Dawn is already a benediction for me beyond compare. All other ambitions are now but petty shadows beneath it. You have my word that no others will learn of today¡¯s events from me; I so swear it, by the Light of Dawn.¡± Justin huffed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thanks, Kokyu. I just arrived this morning, you know? I have too much on my plate as it is.¡± ¡°It is my honor to serve, O Blessed One. May I assist you otherwise?¡± ¡°Can you give me a quick review of the Ling Fei advocacy office?¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence. I am told they are a respectably senior firm with a reputation for integrity more than victories, working across the boundary between the middle and upper classes. According to my sources, they have remained on the smaller side for many generations because their higher standards for their clients limit their growth. If I was seeking representation, I would be more than satisfied with their services.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect. Next, this slip ¨C am I correct in thinking it¡¯s a potential object of veneration?¡± ¡°It definitely is an icon, Brother. Not to the degree that a sanctum would be dedicated to it; such Divine relics as this are far from common, but they are not unheard of either. And I believe I can anticipate your next question,¡± Taiko smirked. ¡°The Ling Fei office would be ecstatic at being allowed to retain it after discharge, which would be permitted at your discretion. Whether placed on public display, or held privately, it would be a great source of pride and honor for them.¡± ¡°Good. Turn their little five-hundred-plus gi-ri tactic around on them. What about certification ¨C oh. That would happen at deposit, wouldn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°Just so, Brother.¡± ¡°Then last would be. . .um. . .agricultural magic? What was it ¨C Blessing of Leaf? Is that a thing? I¡¯m hoping I¡¯ll need one or more practitioners who can either raise a limited supply of raw seeds to productive, and more importantly re-productively healthy adult plants. Or, in the worst scenario, revitalize old or processed ones into being fertile, and raise them from there. Possibly to begin very soon, as in hours to days, although the process itself can take as long as needed. Is that at all feasible?¡± ¡°Ah, your ¡®raw seeds play¡¯? As the Gods favor it, Brother, I am certain something can be done. Let me think. . .hmm. May I know the reasons for the haste?¡± ¡°I strongly suspect the Contract will strongly object. If it hasn¡¯t or doesn¡¯t notice the technicality ahead of time, and renders the seeds irreversibly infertile somehow, the first batch still might be the only one I get, and be at risk of senescence before they can be productively planted.¡± ¡°I thought as much, Brother. I believe the simplest solution would be to store them in one of the Sky or Stars Temples¡¯ deeper Vaults, where the passage of time is slowed to a crawl. Very expensive ¨C unless, of course. . .¡± he paused for effect, beaming, ¡°. . .one has a recently Inlightened senior clergyman to attest to the Gods¡¯ favor. Then we may investigate further measures under less pressure. Would that do?¡± Stasis, Justin thought, and then experienced another of those moments of insight where an entire case strategy or other plan would occur to him as a complete, working whole all at once. ¡°Yes. Good,¡± he said distractedly, keeping the concept at the forefront of his mind. ¡°Paper and pencil, please,¡± he told Taiko, holding his hand out. The Kokyu pulled a blank scroll and the pencil out of whatever receptacle he had tucked under his desk and passed them to him. Justin hastily scribbled down the elements of his idea, passed the pencil back, and rolled up the scroll to tuck it into his pouch. ¡°Very well, then; I think that¡¯s it - oh! No, I mean, yes, one more thing! Listen, I met a couple of orphans earlier; siblings, Daigo Kon and Kim. From the Shrine of the Fist and the Rod?¡± Taiko¡¯s face crinkled up again. ¡°Yes, Prominence, I am aware of them,¡± he said. ¡°Nice kids, you know? Very helpful. But when I mentioned them to someone earlier, their reactions were a bit odd,¡± Justin said, observing the monk¡¯s similar response. ¡°Do you know of them? Or what that might be about? They aren¡¯t being ¨C that Shrine name; it isn¡¯t some kind of, of disciplinarium or something, is it?¡± Taiko shook his head as he started chuckling again. ¡°They-they¡¯re Demons, Prominence!¡± he choked out. He leaned on the table with one arm, palming his shaved head with the other as he fell into another fit of giggles. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Justin scoffed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you exaggerating? They didn¡¯t seem anywhere near that bad to m- wait, you mean literally!?¡± 10 - Shame of Fools ¡°Yes!¡± Taiko gasped, briefly getting a hold of himself. ¡°They are the Fist and the Rod, Prominence!¡± he said, before Justin¡¯s dumbfounded expression reduced him to laughter again. ¡°You people have demon children just ¨C just- wandering around on the streets here!?¡± ¡°Ahahaaha, no, P-Prominence; a-as a rule, they s-stay sealed in their Shrines, dozing.¡± Taiko wiped his eyes with the other sleeve. ¡°And few of them are childlike; most are much larger and more monstrous. Their Hokyukko bind and supervise them, sending them out as needed to deal with serious emergencies ¨C evil entities, natural disasters; large earthquakes or fires. In the very old days, centuries ago, they were used for Ribe¡¯s defense against invasions and raids. But they haven¡¯t been needed for those duties for a long time.¡± ¡°Do you know why they were there ¨C oh. My. Go-hhoodness.¡± Justin buried his face in his hands again. ¡°They were there for me, weren¡¯t they?¡± he mumbled into his palms. ¡°I¡¯m not being ¨C hubristic, right?¡± ¡°I believe they were, Prominence, so no, I believe you aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To those with the skills and powers to sense such things, Prominence, you are a very intense source of unnatural energies. More than just supernatural; inhuman. Alien. The politest names we have for such beings are ¡®Voidspawn¡¯ or the technical term ¡®Xenopote¡¯. Furthermore, your. . .presence. . .is exceptionally strong. Cataclysmically so, one could say.¡± A horrible suspicion began to form in Justin¡¯s mind. Evil entities. Natural disasters. ¡°I ¨C at the ¨C I came here from the Dawn Salon; the Damo had this blue crystal lightsource ¨C he was studying me - did that ¨C did they ¨C oh no. No. No. Please, no.¡± ¡°That sounds like a Stellar Lamp, Prominence; a magical tool for detecting beings with your nature, among other uses.¡± It was Justin¡¯s turn to topple over onto his side in a fetal position. In his case, however, he was moaning with shame and embarrassment. His face felt hot as a coal. Every sentence, every turn of phrase from his interview with Madame Shinbi flashed through his mind. He¡¯d just been trying to hide his unearthly origins while being as genuinely honest and polite as he could. To appear as a relatively normal foreigner, maybe a tad awkward, his language stilted from trying to feel his way around unfamiliar customs. Get in, get a fair price, get out. A room, a guide, a plan past the next day¡¯s shelter and meals. But they¡¯d known. And thought he was some kind of, of eldritch abomination from beyond the stars. With immense power, and mimicking human form. From that point of view ¨C what he¡¯d said, the way he¡¯d put some things, his phrasing ¨C they could have taken the most ridiculous double meanings - Oh god, he thought, cringing even harder. I must have come across as the ultimate Lovecraftian ¨C what was the word ¨C chuunibyou? Yes - how did Derek put it, that one time? Like the chuuniest cthulhuoid chuuni that ever cthulhuly chuuned a chuuni chuun of cthulhuoid chuuns. Oh, god! Pretty much! whispered Sol¡¯s voice in his ears, cold, like a bracing dawn breeze, but also carrying the promise of coming warmth. As I said - a signally egregious example. Not helping! Justin thought back. Not trying to help! Sol replied. You still don¡¯t need it. You keep saying that ¨C oh god, is that a warning!? Am I going to!? Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. That will depend on you. I will offer you some advice, though. No obligation. I¡¯ll take it, Justin thought, desperately. If you don¡¯t settle down and get to rowing, you¡¯re going to be late to the same meeting I showed up to facilitate. The rustle of wind in his ears faded away. Right. Right. Okay. Nothing¡¯s actually broken, here. Taiko won¡¯t say anything. Tomu¡¯s chugging some Milk of Amnesia. So ¨C as long as the Shinbis never find out that I didn¡¯t know that they knew what I was ¨C am ¨C except if I had known they knew, I would have. . .um. . . - uhhh. . .where was I going with that? Oh. Yeah. Hiding how - - oh. No. Don¡¯t do that, Justin. Respect your father. Honor his memory. A hot day. Hotter tears, burning his eyes. His father¡¯s voice; raspy, tired, worn out from another hard day¡¯s work, with more left to do at home. But still, the time to sit beside him, put a hand on his back, rubbing gently. ¡®Son. . .did I raise you to run from things? To hide? To lie? You don¡¯t know better than the truth. You can¡¯t. You¡¯re not - separate from the world, looking down on it, in charge of it. That¡¯s just ¨C vanity; false pride, to cover up your fear. You¡¯re only in charge of you. You¡¯re part of the world, like I am; like everyone and everything else. And that means lying to the world is lying to yourself, and that¡¯s always where things start going wrong in life, son. Always.¡¯ Justin scrubbed his face and sat up. Taiko was sitting cross-legged, watching him, the inner edges of his steepled hands pressed against his smile. ¡°Screw it,¡± Justin said. ¡°Back on the horse. How long until lunch service at the Silver Palace? And enough with the ¡®Prominence¡¯ already.¡± ¡°Yes, O Blessed -¡± ¡°All of it, Taiko. How do you usually address the non-laity with respect? Use that.¡± ¡°A lunch appointment at the Palace would likely be scheduled no sooner than two hours from now -¡± - was what Justin understood, but what he actually heard was ¡®than the last third of the Heron¡¯, and he made a mental note to follow up on it - ¡°- address, would ¡®Brother¡¯ be acceptable?¡± Taiko finished asking as Justin refocused on the man. ¡°The range of applicable meanings is broad enough that no one would find it noteworthy.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll do,¡± Justin said. ¡°Next. I don¡¯t want to bumble around the City scaring the crap out of anybody who can sense me. Can we do something about that?¡± ¡°Not. . .easily, Brother. But I feel I have misled you regarding the prevalence of such persons. They are far from common. Only higher clergy such as myself, ranked Masters in the magical Schools, and singularly sensitive mystics are at all likely to perceive your. . .emanations. And even then, unless they were actively searching, or within. . .hmm. . .several body lengths, they would not casually notice.¡± ¡°What does ¡®not easily¡¯ mean, exactly?¡± ¡°Several priests or spellcasters accompanying you while keeping a mobile barrier active, which would include the constant recitation of sutras or incantations. . .there are enchanted objects than can provide similar effects, but they would not be for sale, and borrowing them would require both negotiations and costly favors. . .or - and I only mention this for completeness¡¯s sake ¨C a binding by a Hyokokku -¡± ¡°Never mind, then. Can you at least assign someone to accompany me and explain the situation, if necessary?¡± ¡°Will I do? I¡¯m entirely at your service, you know,¡± Taiko said. ¡°Not to suggest anything improper, Brother, but I have the rest of my life free for you. I fully expected to die today, like Seiso Hou out at reception, and the rest of the clergy stationed here in the Temple.¡± ¡°What!?¡± ¡°We were expecting you, Brother; due to the Shinbi warning us, but we didn¡¯t know what you truly were. Not until I could examine you myself. And then of course I realized that the Dawn had Blessed you, Brother, which cast a very different light on the matter.¡± Justin looked around the room. ¡°This was a setup!?¡± ¡°Yes, Brother, but at the last moment, Tomu there signaled us that he¡¯d assessed you as probably non-malign, by bringing you in through the West gate. We¡¯d cleared out both these western offices and those to the North, including one of the Vaults, to, er, receive you. And then you didn¡¯t react to the barriers going up once you¡¯d entered, and, er. . .here we are.¡± Justin¡¯s eyes flickered around the room again, this time in thought, and then Taiko flinched away as he exploded into a spate of enraged cursing. ¡°I humbly apologize, Brother - but we honestly thought -¡± ¡°Not you!¡± Justin bellowed. ¡°That cactus-humping cockmongle Contract! That rat bastard! He set me up for all this! I know it! Ohh, when I get my hands on him-! ¡®Scribble¡¯ nothing, I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll hand him to Kon with a box of crayons! No; finger paints! I¡¯ll use him for paper towels! I¡¯ll ¨C do you have monster breeders in this City!?¡± ¡°Um ¨C not within it, no ¨C but nearby -¡± ¡°Three words,¡± Justin hissed malevolently. ¡°Baby. Monster. Poop.¡± 11 - Interlude: Modeling Deportment ¡°Dawn,¡± the Contract acknowledged, as the Sun God¡¯s Aspect reached into the Notional Space where It was designing, and Illuminated one of the golemic abstractions It kept there for that purpose. A massive multicolored array of conceptual sigils, coding, incantations, subroutines, ceremonies, algorithms, and rituals surrounded them in a densely packed, 5-dimensional ¡®sphere¡¯. ¡°That kid is seriously pissed at you,¡± the Dawn said. ¡°Good,¡± It growled, struggling to balance the elements and formulas for the Ancient Grimoire, Magic Fountain, and Mana Well. Inside those of the three hundred thousand square feet plus of Warped Space that the conniving little wretch had unconsciously set as a template. It tried adding a boreward spin to the Fountain¡¯s output while slightly increasing the Well¡¯s enthrillment and the Grimoire¡¯s contrascenscion qualities as counterweights. The model remained stable, and It carefully, delicately began easing the excess sidereal plancking out. At the same time, It replaced that with the latest iteration of the autoadjusting yoctorb infracasters It had crocked together from the bits and bobs of a lobotomized Mobile. This was where the current design usually went tits-up. The current design went tits-up. A tiny hitch in the Fountain¡¯s output spiraled exponentially out of control, triggering a mass cascade collapse that shattered the model completely. It flew apart with the tinkling shrieks of a thousand fairies¡¯ crystal wings being smashed into dust by a hammer of badly tuned death metal. The Contract moved away from the dissonant mess, letting its tools dissolve back into nothingness. Stupid snarky Merideth Carse, It thought, stupid Agnostic Industrialist macrocosm economy, stupid greedy ex-attorney Keeper, STUPID! INNOVATIVE! TRANSFORM! UPGRADE! ¡°I¡¯ll take every damn fraction of distraction preventing him from attempting to resurrect his wife and child I can get,¡± It snarled in explanation. ¡°We don¡¯t think he¡¯ll try,¡± the Dawn said. ¡°We¡¯ve been in his head now, and he¡¯s not the type.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t think you know him anywhere near as well as I do,¡± the Contract snapped back. ¡°If I were a gambling entity, I¡¯d put a wager on it. They were everything to him. These flat-affect near-psychopath geniuses ¨C if and when they commit to something outside themselves, they commit hard and utterly. Tear-down-the-pillars-of-Heaven utterly.¡± It began recreating the model. ¡°We disagree,¡± the Dawn said. ¡°There¡¯s a fundamental universalism to him, a basal sense of oneness with reality. He misses his wife terribly, but something in his core refuses to believe they¡¯ve been separated forever.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Dawn shook Their head. ¡°Not the way you¡¯re thinking. He feels as though they¡¯re still connected, still essentially unified. You know how some mortals look at a mountain, or the sea, or the night sky, and feel tiny and insignificant in comparison?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°The intended emphasis of your upcoming point due to an unnecessarily rhetorical question is noted.¡± Dawn rolled Their eyes. ¡°We think he doesn''t do that. At all. He doesn¡¯t experience separation from the rest of reality in that way. To him, since the same universal laws apply equally to everything, everything is fundamentally One, in a way that supersedes the metaphysical importance of any differences. He¡¯s not smaller than the mountain, or the sea, or the night sky, because they¡¯re not separate from him in any meaningful way. To him, it¡¯s like being bigger than your finger or toe. Or the inverse. The comparison is senseless. You are your finger or toe. He is the mountain, and the sea, and the night sky, because the laws of nature work on all of them identically. It¡¯s an odd, backwards, agnostical, scientific way to approach the Dao, but it works remarkably well for him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hearing how any of that prevents him from descending to desperate acts to experience reunification with his beloved in the immediate senses of their prior coterminality,¡± the Contract droned. It looked at the aetheric representations of the three Artifacts slowly orbiting the model¡¯s core. Usually, much as with a stool¡¯s legs, three was enough to provide stability. This wasn¡¯t a usual case. The size-related stresses on the Warped Space Upgrade were extreme. Not the worst It had ever had to deal with, but. . .up there, on that list. However, the multiple aspects of this new Transform combined with its motile nature were exacerbating the difficulty of getting it all to solidly and reliably integrate as a functioning whole. Let alone an actual working one. There was a solution. Tested. Proven. It had used it before. It just. . .really, really didn¡¯t want to use it this time. Or ever, to be honest, but sometimes it was necessary. On the other hand, though, It wasn¡¯t convinced that this was one of those times. It wanted this to not be one of those times. ¡°Why are you this certain he¡¯s that much at risk?¡± the Dawn asked. ¡°We¡¯re too much alike,¡± It admitted to the Dawn as the model solidified into its previous state. ¡°When opposites attract, parallels repel. And I don¡¯t want to watch him make the same mistakes. I don¡¯t want to see him trapped like this; cursed like this.¡± ¡°And We¡¯re saying We don¡¯t think he will. He¡¯s chaotic enough that We can¡¯t predict him perfectly, but the more We observe and interact with him, the more We believe he has an acceptable plan to rejoin her. We agree that he does intend to ¡®experience reunification with his beloved in the immediate sense of their prior coterminality¡¯. But not by descending to desperate acts. His strategy is a long shot, but perhaps not as long as an outside observer would conclude. The kid¡¯s view of reality can be marvelously inverted at times.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his plan?¡± ¡°He thinks she¡¯s even crazier, more obsessively in love than he is, and he¡¯s putting his faith in the conviction that she¡¯ll find her way back to him. All he has to do is stay alive long enough for her to do it.¡± ¡°No!¡± the Contract roared. ¡°Things do not work that way!¡± The Dawn moved closer and clasped It¡¯s notional shoulder. ¡°Things didn¡¯t work that way for you. But maybe, just maybe - if they can pull it off - maybe that can change to things not having worked that way for you. . .yet.¡± ¡°No. I am not a creature of faith,¡± It asserted. ¡°We¡¯re all creatures of faith,¡± the Dawn disagreed. ¡°If not faith that there¡¯s meaning to Our existence, then either faith in the possibility of that, or faith in the unprovable proposition that there categorically isn¡¯t. Faith is unavoidable. There is the Dao that can be named, and the Dao that cannot.¡± ¡°Mysticism,¡± It said. ¡°Exoterism,¡± the Dawn said, and rose in departure. Once their conversations reached that point of divergence, they were over. The Contract looked at the model. It could make it work. It just had to. . .participate. It stared at the multidimensional symbology defining the Ancient Grimoire. ¡°I hate immanentizing,¡± It grumbled. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t bother with metabolism, other stuff gets on you. And beings emote at you, and expect reciprocation. ¡°Stupid, innovative, Transform, UPGRADE!¡± 12 - Salon Way Home The rest of the clergy originally standing by to put him down weren¡¯t anywhere as giddy as Kokyu Taiko. They were all impressed enough by the direct descent of their God to promise to keep the morning¡¯s events to themselves, though. Barring the necessary reports to their superiors, of course, but Justin hadn¡¯t hoped to keep things that secret. He knew better. ¡°Are we done, then?¡± he asked, receiving a bobble of nods and ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡±¡¯s from the assembled monks and priests. He wasn¡¯t sure what the difference was yet. The monks present were ranked from nine junior Seisos to three senior Kokyus to one master Tairyu. No Hohasei - the highest rank, seemingly the equivalent of a temple¡¯s Abbot - had attended. There were only two Priests, on the other hand, in undecorated but high-quality tunic and trousers, and both of them were a lot less impressed with Justin than the monks were. They kept muttering to each other and glancing at him with expressions that verged on the suspicious. Justin put their issues aside for-guidance-on from Taiko later and clapped his hands. ¡°Okay! Please lower that barrier and go report to the rest of the people involved, so I can get poor Tomu out of here. I¡¯m going to walk him back to the Salon to make sure he¡¯s taken care of, and then I need to move on with the rest of my day. Thank you all for not killing me, I greatly appreciate it!¡± All the Seiso and one of the other Kokyu looked shocked at his levity and casual dismissal of the near-fatal misunderstanding, but Taiko, the third senior monk, and the Tairyu master all grinned at each other and bowed to him. The rest quickly followed their example, then hurried off to undo whatever sealing magic ¨C or theurgy? Add it to the Taiko list ¨C had closed off the western offices. Justin would have liked to watch that, but Taiko had agreed with his suggestion that it might be better for Tomu for everything to be as close as possible to how it had been at the beginning of his edited memories when his consciousness was returned. Justin didn¡¯t mind; he was sure there would be plenty of other opportunities to see spellcasting soon, and yes, in fact, he was choosing to feel sympathetic towards the younger man. Tomu might have led him into a killing field, but he¡¯d also come to trust Justin enough to try to defuse the situation in a very short span of time. And how the hehhck, aha, watch that language had Tomu been selected for the role? Had he volunteered? Been promised a large death benefits package for his loved ones? Was he mortally ill? Was Justin getting loopy after the deluge of shocking revelations he¡¯d just heard? Magic 8 Ball says Signs Point To Yes on that last one, he thought. Once the rest were gone, Taiko and Justin got into position. The instant they had, the rest of Tomu¡¯s body turned to match his head¡¯s earlier movement, and he staggered in place. Odds are Sol¡¯s still watching, Justin deduced. ¡°Easy there, Tomu,¡± Justin said, reaching out to steady him. ¡°I ¨C what -¡± Tomu stuttered, his eyes darting around. ¡°Be at ease, guardsman. The Dawn removed some of your recent memories, at your request,¡± Taiko said. ¡°I think it wiser that I not theorize as to your reasons, but I can assure you that all is well. Would you please tell me the last thing you remember?¡± Tomu frowned. ¡°I ¨C was at - the Salon. Speaking with -¡± his head twitched to the side as Justin¡¯s presence drew his attention again for some reason ¡°¨C Madame Yun? And - Miss Mai? They. . .no, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where we met,¡± Justin said. ¡°Miss Mai asked you to escort me over here, you did, the Dawn dropped in to brighten our day -¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Tomu and Taiko both jerked in reaction; Tomu away from Justin, unnerved, while Taiko snorted in repressed laugher. ¡°- and you asked to be kindly excused from the past hour or so while the Dawn gave me some advice. Now it¡¯s our turn to make sure you get back to the Salon safely.¡± ¡°Oh ¨C uh ¨C I¡¯m sure that isnt nece-¡± ¡°We insist,¡± Taiko said, in the tone of a cheerfully obstinate authority who was simultaneously saying and I dare you to disagree. ¡°Yes, Kokyu,¡± Tomu gulped, swallowing everything else he¡¯d been intending to say. ¡°Good, good,¡± Justin said, sliding open the office door and walking out. Taiko gave Tomu what could be described, semantically, as a sunny little smile: a mere sliver of light creeping over the horizon in the cold and the damp and the dark. Technically sunny, and very little. ¡°Let us commence to depart!¡± Justin called from the hallway. Tomu scrambled to follow him, the Kokyu bringing up the rear. ¡°Places to go, people to see, rooms to rent, boats to buy! Dumplings to devour!¡± ¡°Say to the Madame or Miss Mai, and only to them,¡± Justin heard Taiko instruct the young man behind him, ¡°that I told you to tell them that I know from direct Inlightenment that Mister Carse is a Prominence; that as far as he understands their decisions, he respects them and holds no ill will; and that he is kindly disposed towards you personally.¡± ¡°Yes, Kokyu,¡± Tomu said obediently. Working that out had been one of the last things Justin and Taiko had done. The clock was still ticking, and Justin didn¡¯t want to get bogged down at the Salon with recriminations or apologies. On either side. Make sure they knew he¡¯d be checking on the kid, and get on with the next thing. ¡°Brother, may I recommend our guest lodging here to you?¡± Taiko said, prodding a hesitant Tomu up beside them both. ¡°We have some very nice appointments in the rear courtyards for special visitors, and the security is second only to the main Temple itself and the High Court. The meals do tend to be simple, but nothing would prevent us from ordering in, or dining out. And there is plenty of precedence for exceptions should you wish to imbibe -¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like drunkenness,¡± Justin said, managing to not sound cold and clipped about it. ¡°But the rest sounds. . .good, actually. I think I would like that. Thank you for offering, Taiko.¡± ¡°I am honored to serve, Brother. Seiso Hou!¡± Taiko called as they exited the building. The junior monk looked up from where he was excitedly whispering with a few of his fellows under the eaves to the north. They all shook their hands at each other, and Hou jogged over as the others dispersed. ¡°Yes, senior?¡± he asked. ¡°Is the Pearl Chamber available for our Brother here?¡± Taiko said. ¡°- and it¡¯s not if someone else would be getting bumped out,¡± Justin clarified. ¡°No, seniors; it is unoccupied and unreserved, as far as I know. Unless you have other tasks for me, I shall attend to it immediately,¡± Hou said, bowing. ¡°Brother?¡± Taiko asked. ¡°Yeah, one thing,¡± Justin sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®senior¡¯, Hou. I¡¯m outside the hierarchy, remember? And I want to keep my status hidden for now. Addressing me that way invites curiosity. If you have to use a title, I prefer Brother. Pass the word around; remind the rest of your mission team in private, please.¡± ¡°My apologies, sen ¨C Brother,¡± Hou said, flushing. Taiko reached out and patted his junior¡¯s shoulder fondly ¡°It¡¯s been quite a day for all of us, Hou. After you¡¯ve seen to the Brother¡¯s lodging, perhaps you should meditate? I intend to do so myself at the earliest opportunity.¡± ¡°Yes, senior,¡± Hou said, straightening up noticeably. ¡°Thank you for your guidance.¡± He turned and trotted north under the eaves. ¡°Was I too brusque with him?¡± Justin asked Taiko. ¡°No, he needed the reminder,¡± Taiko said, ¡°and it is both my duty and my pleasure to give him guidance. But thank you for your concern, Brother. The more I come to know you, the better I understand why the Dawn chose to Bless you. Now, let¡¯s take Tomu back before something else interrupts us.¡± ¡°Man plans, god laughs,¡± Justin said, discovering as he did that the Riben language was well-suited to chinese 4-character Chengyu idioms. Taiko beamed at him, pulled the scroll and pencil from inside his robes, and jotted the phrase down. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Justin begged him. ¡°Do not be concerned, Brother; I will make sure to take all the credit for anything of merit you may say,¡± Taiko said, with a completely straight face. ¡°Future generations will universally acclaim me as by far the wittier between us.¡± Justin rolled his eyes and started down the steps. 13 - Vulgar Boatman Tomu had paused at the Salon¡¯s front entrance to turn around and give Justin an intense, analytical look, as if he were some kind of riddle the guardsman was trying to solve. Then the kid had shaken his head, more in defeat than in negation, and marched in. Justin and Taiko had raised their eyebrows at each other, but with nothing to say, they turned away and strolled towards the canal to their north. ¡°Do you know where the Ling Fei office is?¡± Justin asked. ¡°I can get us close enough to find it,¡± Taiko assured him. ¡°It¡¯s very near the High Court. Do you intend to visit them ahead of your lunch appointment?¡± ¡°I was considering it,¡± Justin said. ¡°Remember what Sol said? ¡®Something acceptable in Tzo¡¯s stack¡¯? He¡¯s supposed to be bringing some number of ship property portfolios with him, but would you necessarily call that a ¡®stack¡¯?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Taiko said. ¡°You¡¯re wondering if ¡®his stack¡¯ referred to his collection at the office, and whether there might be a unpredictably preferable selection among them, one he would not have brought with him?¡± ¡°I like how quick you are,¡± Justin complimented the old monk. ¡°Yes, I do too,¡± Taiko agreed. Justin let it pass. The man had earned a share of being full of himself for a while. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s my other reason, smart guy?¡± Justin said as they reached the rope-and-stone-bollard fencing at the greenway¡¯s edge - the sloped stone bank of the canal a good hundred feet beyond - and turned east again. A few heartbeats counted as a while, right? Taiko rubbed his palms together, staring off into the distance. ¡°Because. . .¡± he began, ¡°. . .after the recent events you now wish to ascertain, and if necessary, ameliorate your legal status, as soon as possible?¡± Justin squinted at him. ¡°Did the Shinbi tell you about my plans?¡± Taiko smiled beatifically back. ¡°Not to that degree. I really am that good, Brother.¡± ¡°Good enough to throw at a cataclysm-class Xenopote, yet not quite good enough to preserve from being expended?¡± Justin poked back, finally feeling a little nettled by the old monk¡¯s composure. ¡°Ah, that would be the politics,¡± Taiko said, putting a clipped emphasis on the last two words. ¡°Oh, do tell ¨C no, er, don¡¯t. Later. First, what was it. . .oh, yeah, timekeeping. Earlier you said ¡®the last third of the Heron¡¯ ¨C what hours do we use here?¡± ¡°From dawn to dusk, we divide the days into the Rooster, Heron, Hawk, and Duck, and the nights belong to the Raven, Nightingale, Robin, and Owl.¡± All birds. Ask why later. Assuming a twenty-four-ish hour day, that¡¯s three Earth hours to one Riben. Justin considered pinging Sol for clarification before remembering that whether god or mortal, phone or celestial telepathy, constantly bothering someone on their private line was darn rude. But there was something else the hours reminded him off, something in the back of his mind, that kept him picking at the topic. Something from. . .before the Temple. Tomu. Eight months! Justin felt like giving himself a Gibbslap. Sol¡¯s Blessing granted him three minor wishes per month. Not one per ten-or-so days; three per month. Which was twenty-four wishes per year here, compared to thirty-six by Earth¡¯s calendar; a divisor, or rather a concentrator of one-and-a-half. And if number of days per year counted as well ¨C which wouldn¡¯t surprise him - twenty-four went into four hundred and six. . .almost 17 times, vs. a bit over ten. . .right around one-and-two-thirds. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Less wishes. . .but he was Ivory Sure they were more powerful. By two-thirds. No wonder he¡¯s taking such a personal interest in me. I was certain all this Xenopotency was the Contract stuffing me full of Its power until I invested the Ship with it ¨C but the Dawn said ¡®wish¡¯ for its investiture, so maybe. . .but-again, that was supposed to accumulate over days. . . . There was another water taxi-stand at the middle of the next block, interrupting the greenway; less crowded and busy than the one at the Plaza. Taiko, who had considerately remained silent while Justin pondered, extended a hand towards it as they approached. ¡°If we are hoping to reach the Ling Fei before Advocate Tzo¡¯s paperwork departs, Brother, I recommend hiring a double poler. It will be much quicker, and please, allow me to pay. Tairyu Omon assigned me an expense account that will go to waste otherwise.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Justin said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this! We were planning -¡± His face solidified into a stony mask at the memory, and he stopped in his tracks. ¡°Brother?¡± Taiko said. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Justin said, quietly. ¡°Pick one and let¡¯s go.¡± Taiko briefly dickered with the available gondoliers, who apparently were no more respectful towards the clergy than anyone else when it came to payment, before striking a deal with a pair in green tunics and trousers. The upholstery and fittings on their boat were among the least flashy, all a simple forest green a couple of shades darker than their clothes. Justin stepped into the middle of their long, narrow boat and sat down on the double seat there, his bag on his lap. Taiko joined him; the polemen pushed away from the small quay into the flow of traffic, and began singing: ¡°Say hoo-up hey! And hoo-up haw! From Rooster''s crow to Raven''s caw! We polemen dip and push and draw! And spin our sticks without a flaw!¡± By the last line they were rotating their poles over the shoulders like quarterstaffs after each stroke, alternating sides in opposite tandem. They did a flashy triple spin overhead after their first stanza, interlocking the paths of their poles with perfect timing. ¡°Say hoo-up haw! And hoo-up hey! From blessed dawn to berth of day! We polemen push from quay to cay! We''re on your starboard, give us way!¡± ¡°Of course they would be singing gondoliers,¡± Justin muttered, as the rowboat packed with bales ahead and to their port side angled deeper into the canal. ¡°With a Cirque du Soleil spear routine thrown in for good measure.¡± ¡°Gentlemen, less show-boating and more speed-boating, please,¡± Taiko called. ¡°Everyone¡¯s a critic,¡± groused the bow poleman. ¡°Is this particular critic paying you?¡± Taiko asked, in the same the hell you think you¡¯re talking to, boy? tone he¡¯d used on Tomu earlier. The man¡¯s back stiffened and he put more strength into his poling, leaning harder into each shove. The aft poleman chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind m¡¯ brother-in-law up ¡¯ere. He¡¯s between gigs at th¡¯ Deckhall, and it¡¯s making both ¡®im and m¡¯sister double-cranky. We¡¯ll get you up east wind-swift, Kokyu, no worries. C¡¯mon, Tosa, put yer back into it!¡± Tosa mumbled vaguely about putting something in someone¡¯s back all right, but he stepped up his efforts, and the boat began to skip along at an impressive pace. ¡°Thanks, Taiko,¡± Justin said, slowly letting the tension drain out of him. ¡°I¡¯m always glad to help you, Brother,¡± Taiko said easily. ¡°Yeah, about that; what about the rest of your duties? Or ¨C no, the rest of my list first. What¡¯s the difference between monks and priests?¡± ¡°Priests are of the aristocracy, Brother. Monks serve, priests rule.¡± ¡°Pencil please,¡± Justin said, taking the scroll Taiko had given him earlier out of his pouch. He jotted down the monk¡¯s Chengyu on it, put it away, and handed the pencil back with his nose in the air. Taiko stared forward, his cheeks twitching upwards. Great. Theocracy. Probably why those two back at the Bank were sipping the vinegar. I¡¯m a potential competitor-slash-rival for political power. And a potential boost to the monkly faction, if any - - oh for Chrismmmahahas¡¯ sake! The god hadn¡¯t said ¡®monkey boy¡¯ - he¡¯d said ¡®monk-y boy¡¯. The first-glance seeming reference to Justin¡¯s parting ¡®round boy¡¯ shot at the Contract had been a red herring. Next time Justin had an audible conversation with the god, he¡¯d have to turn on his player¡¯s record function. And why did that make him feel as if he¡¯d missed yet another subtle hint somewhere? It also occurred to him, in company with a shiver of unease, that an increasingly good adjective for Sol¡¯s behavior was ¡®oracular¡¯. ¡°Put the rest of that off for later, then,¡± Justin said. ¡°Maybe tonight.¡± ¡°As you wish, Brother.¡± ¡°What else ¨C oh, right. Sealing. Is it magic or theurgy? Or both, and it depends on who¡¯s doing it and how?¡± ¡°The latter, Brother. Magic is more perilous, of course, being of chaos where theurgy is far more lawful. . . .¡± 14 - Bridging Buildings The Ling Fei offices geographically matched their client list, Taiko relayed to Justin, straddling the border between an upper-middle-class and lower-upper-class neighborhood. This far from the tourist centers of the city, the blocks were smaller. According to Taiko, Ribe¡¯s islands decreased in size steadily from the west to the east, with a broad, empty bay of the freshwater Sea of Toh between the last and the Holy Peaks on its eastern shore. The old monk sketched the city¡¯s basic outline for him on the upholstery with a fingertip as the polemen shuttled them east-by-south-east through increasingly narrow canals. The city was essentially a half-circle, with the tourist areas mostly to the north and the local homes and businesses to the south. In the west were the farms and ranches on the mainland. Then came the lower class districts, mostly in the southern half, where the land began breaking up and the canals started. The northern to middle arc of the central city beyond composed most of the tourist section, with middle class native housing again farther south. The upper-class districts began as the islands shrank in size and grew in separation, with the wealthiest and oldest families occupying some whole mid-to-southern islets to themselves, and the wealthiest visitors touring and guesting on the northern ones. As the polemen approached an arcing bridge, the rear one called out to an elderly woman sitting in a little one-woman opera-box of the silvered-green wood attached to one end, holding a fishing line dropped into the water below. ¡°Oy, Old Mother Rakko!¡± he said. ¡°Noways cursed enough to be a mother t¡¯ you, Imtak,¡± she screeched back. ¡°Whaddya want, y¡¯little rowdy?¡± ¡°Directions to the Ling Fei, should it please yeh!¡± ¡°Southeast side o¡¯ th¡¯ Rice Parade! And keep yeh t¡¯ th¡¯ south here, boys; don¡¯t be scarin¡¯ m¡¯fish!¡± ¡°Much obliged, Matron!¡± A dismissive hmph! was the only reply. Justin studied the bridge¡¯s carvings of crawly, unfamiliar shellfish as they passed by it. ¡°Bridge o¡¯ th¡¯ Rice Parade¡¯s two more east and one south, honored guests,¡± Imtak said. ¡°Nearly there. Told yeh we¡¯d do it wind-swift, Kokyu!¡± ¡°I had no doubts, brother,¡± Taiko said. As they passed the next intersection, one of the black outrigger pirogues came gliding down the center of the canal crosswise to them, and the polemen slowed and swayed off to the right to give it way. ¡°What are those, by the way?¡± Justin asked Taiko. The old monk twitched. ¡°You can see the- !¡± He sighed. ¡°Of course you can see the Hokki. They are mobile Shrines, Brother. A topic for another time, though, please?¡± He deliberately looked back and forth in warning between Justin¡¯s eyes and the back of Tosa at the boat¡¯s prow. ¡°Sure,¡± Justin shrugged. ¡°Save it for dinner?¡± ¡°That would be wisest, I think.¡± # # # The Bridge of the Rice Parade was apparently named for the bas-relief depiction of human rice haulers on its sides who met at its center. They were unknowingly dribbling out a trail from their leaking sacks, which was followed by a chain of creatures feasting on each other in sequence. First, there were small birds like tits or finches, pecking at the ground, followed by bullfrogs gulping down the last ones in line, then geese, foxes, owls, wildcats, large hawk-ish avians, and finally children with bows. This place is incredible, Justin thought. Historical art everywhere. If he didn¡¯t have alchemy and spellcrafting to focus on, he could have spent weeks, months, touring it himself. Then again, he wasn¡¯t going to die of old age anytime soon, on top of having his youth back. Imtak and Tosa poled under the bridge and up to a small wood jetty between two closed water-doors in the middle of the next block. Above the landing, a stairwell blocked by a shiny brass gateway topped by more brasswork overhead led to a two-story passageway with an arched roof, like a large french traboule. The entire small block appeared to be one four-story building, with a first floor exterior of windowless solid stone. The second story had a few narrow double panes, all closed, while the third and sprouted fourth larger pairs, some open, and balconies wide enough for table seating. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Should w¡¯ wait on yeh, sirs?¡± Imtak said, as Justin climbed out. ¡°No, thank you,¡± Taiko said, standing and passing a handful of coins back to the man. ¡°That was a good, quick journeying, brothers. May the Dawn warm you.¡± He stepped onto the jetty and shook his hands at them. ¡°Do appreciate th¡¯ blessing, Kokyu. Alright, Tosa, punt us off!¡± Beside the gate there was another box with a ball-tipped pull-cord in it. Justin waited for Taiko to join him before giving it a couple of yanks. This time, he heard no wooden knocking sounds, but after a moment he heard a latch click and clack. There was a rustle of slippered steps, and a young woman in a white wimple and black-on-black serving robes appeared a few feet back from the gateway, out of grabbing or even stabbing range. Her gaze flickered over Justin before settling on Taiko. ¡°How may I assist you, Kokyu?¡± she asked, in a professionally demure voice ¨C polite, but noncommittally neutral. Taiko beamed at her. ¡°Tairyu Omon of the Northern Temple instructed me to help my Brother here make a purchase and arrange some other legal matters. I am confident the Ling Fei will be very interested in his business.¡± Justin interpreted this as The bank¡¯s handing you a low-profile high-depositor on a golden platter, so let us in already. Which was likely close enough, because the woman took out a key right away, moved forward, and unlocked and opened the gate. ¡°Please, enter,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you, sister,¡± Taiko said, gliding in. Justin followed him; the woman closed and relocked the gate, and led them down the dark traboule to a pair of wooden double doors facing each other across the passage. She thumped the southern one thrice with her fist and stepped back to let it open. Beyond it was a mudding room with a bench along the east wall, barrels stacked next to a lectern against the west, and an internal door between them to the south. The woman led them inside, and a work-clothed doorkeeper closed the door behind them before moving behind the lectern. He squinted at them in the light of four square glass lanterns burning in the corners of the ceiling. ¡°Names?¡± he asked the woman. Taiko shook his hands at the man and identified both himself and Justin, whose attention was on the lanterns. They held what looked like 120-degree arc sections of blazing bamboo stood on end, burning smokelessly. Curious. ¡°Business?¡± the doorkeeper asked. ¡°A ship purchase, arranging citizenship and licensing, and if satisfied with those, a retainer agreement,¡± Taiko said. ¡°Brother Carse here was scheduled to lunch with Advocate Tzo at the Silver Palace, but a higher authority gave us reason to believe that an earlier meeting would be preferable.¡± Nicely parsed, Justin thought approvingly. The more he watched the man work, the more he believed in his working theory that Taiko¡¯s role in the Temple was some kind of wide-application problem-solver. And I doubt he was ¡®Inlightened¡¯ before today, too. I wonder how that¡¯s going to affect things for him. Another topic for dinner. An early topic for dinner, at that. The doorkeeper jotted down their details before opening the southern door for them. The woman led them through it into a back hallway of dark brown wood and up four flights of a stairway to their left, both lit by more of the same lanterns. At the top she guided them east down another hallway, floored with a series of long, identical deep red rugs and paneled in similar wood to that below, but lighter. This hallway was much more richly appointed, with small tables against the walls holding various objets d¡¯art interposed with portraits of men and women on the walls. Most of them were wearing the same kind of formal robes below their serious faces. Even in another world, Justin could recognize a company¡¯s Buffalo Walk when he saw it. Though he chose to repress a chuckle at the familiarity, he couldn¡¯t prevent a small smile from creeping out. Just as doctors tended to make the worst patients, lawyers tended to make the worst clients. Including how they knew the tricks for impressing clients and, among other purposes, putting them into a more submissive, obedient state. At the hallway¡¯s midpoint was a long series of windows overlooking another canal, and Justin realized that not only did the Ling Fei own both the western and eastern blocks, but the private bridge between them that they were crossing as well, and that furthermore this was a subtle message to people like him: we know you know the game; now look upon the true level of success to which our standards and traditions have raised us. Well played, Justin acknowledged. As professional power moves went, it was far from the worst he¡¯d encountered. The art was valuable, but it wasn¡¯t wealth in the way that sole ownership of two entire blocks straddling the middle and upper class boundary was. About twenty feet past the edge of the second building, the small tables began to replaced by doors. Down at the hall¡¯s far end, a massive pair of double panels with simple but elegant gold trim awaited those of sufficiently exalted status. The young woman, displaying a finely tuned sense of status, led them to a southern door two-thirds of the way down the hall ¨C well past the hoi polloi line, and close enough to the final sanctum to flatter, but still with plenty of distance left for further rewards of increased respect. She knocked; a voice inside said, ¡°Enter!¡± and she turned the handle and pushed it open. After the past few minutes of consummate professionalism, Justin was naturally shocked when out of the half-dozen people in the room, one of the two priests from the Bank whipped around, pointed a finger at them, and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s him - it!¡± 15 - Back Office He wasn¡¯t shocked enough to not react, however; Justin shoved the woman forward, Taiko back, and retreated, closing the door but hanging onto its latch. Once it was shut, he used the handle to hold it closed while leaning into it with his shoulder. When the sound and vibrations of pounding feet approached, he crouched slightly and rammed it back open again, getting his whole body into the motion, from his feet to his hips to his shoulder and arm. The percussive bang! and thud of it striking someone in at least two places, followed by floor-shaking thumps and then curses as more people piled into his target and, apparently, fell all over each other, was a balm to his irritated soul. He looked over at Taiko. The old monk was grinning again, and he bowed to Justin in respect. Justin shoved the door open wider and looked around its edge. The oldest man in the room, a heavy-set gentleman with receding gray hair, in perfectly tailored black household robes, had stayed put. He was leaning on his desk with one hand and looking down while he knuckle-massaged his forehead with the other. The young woman was simultaneously glaring at Justin while covering her mouth in dismay. Another man stood by the desk, thinner and not quite as old in black workclothes, his hand grasping something inside his guayatunic. The priest and two men dressed like him in blue were tangled up in a groaning, moaning mess on the floor. The bank priest was cupping his right hand with his left while his swelling nose dripped blood on the red carpet. Of the other two, one was holding his forehead and the other his knee while they struggled with each other. Justin slipped through the doorway, followed by Taiko, and moved to the side of the room opposite the young woman. ¡°Advocate Tzo?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Yes?¡± said the older man, looking up. Justin pulled the faintly glowing jade slip out of his security pouch and waved it like a pet¡¯s treat. ¡°Justin of the Carse; good morning, Advocate. Would you be willing to broker the sale of a ship to me in exchange for keeping this after its discharge? The recently Inlightened Kokyu Taiko over there would be delighted to assist me in ensuring that the Ling Fei are allowed to retain it after deposit.¡± Justin saw the sale happen behind Tzo¡¯s eyes. He¡¯d learned how to recognize it after the hundreds of other times he or one of his mentors or his own mentees had offered an irresistible price. At ¡°recently Inlightened¡±, however, the other man had blanched, then slowly pressed the back of his hand against the inside of his robes. Which let him show how he was spreading his empty fingers apart before removing them from his guayatunic. Justin glanced to the side to see Taiko still grinning, his attention entirely focused on the thinner man. There was something more predatory about his smile this time, however. ¡°Tai-ko,¡± Justin said, in an affectionately remonstrating goodness me I can¡¯t take you anywhere voice. ¡°I am merely preventing any further hasty missteps, Brother,¡± Taiko said, not looking away from the other man. ¡°There have been too many self-inflicted injuries by overly zealous young people for me today already.¡± The thinner man swallowed and said, ¡°Advocate?¡± ¡°Mister Cariss and Kokyu Taiko are our honorable guests, Tirot,¡± Tzo instantly answered. ¡°Lord Unobu and his companions, as I was explaining to them before our honorable guests¡¯ arrival, are not. Please escort them out of the house, with the assistance. . .¡± he paused for a breath, looking towards the door. Right on cue, four men in cloth-and-leather uniforms, with truncheons in their hands, filed in through the opening. ¡°. . .of Captain Ougo and his men.¡± ¡°You dare!¡± squawked Unobu, then, in a much quieter voice ¡°. . .aiyai my hand. . . .¡± ¡°As I said, Lord Unobu, you are acting outrageously out of your authority, and now directly impeding my firm¡¯s business. Be assured, Castellan Chiro will hear of this. I suggest you and your companions retire to your own properties for medical care immediately.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°My mother will hear of this!¡± Unobu gasped. ¡°Help me up, you fools!¡± His companions, belying his characterization, had risen to their feet and now shook their hands at Tzo. ¡°We apologize for our intrusion, Advocate; we were not fully informed about this matter,¡± said the shorter one. ¡°Thank you for your advice; we shall leave in accordance with the Captain¡¯s directions.¡± ¡°Yes, Advocate,¡± the taller one humbly concurred. Unobu looked around, suddenly aware that he had no allies in the room. Even the young woman was avoiding his gaze. His attention settled on Justin, and his lip curled further. ¡°This isn¡¯t over, monster,¡± he spat. ¡°I-¡± ¡°Good,¡± Justin overrode him, switching on his cross-examining-intimidator persona. ¡°Because you¡¯re the best candidate I¡¯ve found here yet for relieving my. . .frustrations.¡± It came out a lot more impactful that he¡¯d intended ¨C supernaturally so, he suspected. He turned it off again and breathed a little sigh through his nose, letting his regret for his ¨C tantrum; honestly ¨C show. On the positive side, Unobu was thoroughly cowed, to the point where he scrambled to his feet and backed out of the room, staring at Justin the entire time. His companions followed him, looking over their shoulders with wide eyes, and the thinner man walked across the room after them in a curve that consistently maintained his starting distance from either Taiko or Justin. Or both. Probably both, Justin thought, in private self-criticism. Tzo did a dismissive chin-and-eyes point, and the young woman left as well, closing the door behind her. Justin smiled at Tzo. He raised the slip slightly, stepped forward, and placed it on the man¡¯s desk. ¡°Go ahead; hold it,¡± he invited. ¡°Taiko and the Dawn themselves had their hands on it less than an hour ago.¡± Tzo reached out with both of his own hands and picked up the slip, staring down at it and cradling it reverently, his breath shuddering. Justin motioned Taiko closer, and when the Kokyu approached, he leaned in to whisper, ¡°What happened to the sixth?¡± Taiko knitted his brows and shook his head fractionally, not understanding. ¡°There were six people in the room when we entered,¡± Justin whispered. ¡°Where¡¯s the last one?¡± Taiko¡¯s lips parted to reply, but before he could speak, a woman¡¯s voice, from some indeterminate point in the room, muttered ¡°Not worth keeping it up, then.¡± Taiko straightened up and shook his hands twice at the office in general. ¡°Hokyukko Taisa,¡± he said, obviously recognizing her. ¡°Well met. May the Dawn strengthen your resolve.¡± ¡°Ko-boy. May the Stars light your way. What have you brought into my District?¡± ¡°Okay, lady,¡± Justin broke in. ¡°First of all, that should have been who; and second, that should have been first-person. If you want to know something about me, introduce yourself like a civilized person, and ask me, instead of trying to play bad-roe -¡± ¡®horse-apple¡¯, his brain thought ¡°¨C dominance games like that.¡± ¡°My, Ko; how very sensitive it is -¡± the voice said, before Justin interrupted again. Part of him ¨C the angry part, that had been with him since the funeral wanted to go right back into intimidation mode, but he knew deliberate provocation when he heard it, and he wasn¡¯t going to give this person the satisfaction, let alone the confirmation. ¡°No,¡± he said, keeping a tight rein on his own tone, ¡°Either you behave, or you leave. Taiko¡¯s my guide, and rapidly becoming my friend, but not my keeper, and if you know what that is -¡± he pointed at the slip in Tzo¡¯s hands, whose incuriosity towards their conversation had to be the result of supernatural influence ¡°- which you better, then you should also be aware that beyond basic courtesy, I don¡¯t answer to you in any meaningful way. So cut the crap and at least pretend to be a responsible adult, or pack up your temper-testing bag of nonsense and get the hell out of my private legal consultation.¡± Actually saying that out loud ¨C attorney-client privilege being one of the few things he held even remotely close to sacred ¨C almost caused his anger to slip the leash again. With great effort, he wrestled it down and continued. ¡°If you want to evaluate my stability and safety as a Xenopote, the Northern Dawn Temple is hosting me, and you can make an appointment for an interview there, just like anybody else. But at the moment I am busy with my own private concerns, and your vocational responsibilities do not grant you any kind of special status with me. I am at a minimum your equal, and if you don¡¯t like being told off in this way, I suggest you go look in a mirror. ¡°Now, is that clear enough for you, or do you need it explained again with smaller words in shorter sentences?¡± There was no discernible reason to call the Hokyukko¡¯s ensuing silence shocked, but Justin got that impression regardless. This time, Taiko wasn¡¯t smiling at his antics. He looked worse than grim; he looked to be one thought away from the kickoff. This was finally the Kyoku Taiko that Justin might have met at the Bank if things had gone differently - a hard man, of deep faith, with a long history of terrible choices behind him, on the verge of ruinous violence. ¡°Don¡¯t test him further, Taisa,¡± Taiko said, flatly enunciating each word with clipped precision. ¡°The Stars may lie beyond the Dawn, but They are not above it.¡± 16 - Holy Ship Three quick heartbeats went by, and Taiko slumped, drawing in and blowing out a long, relieved breath. ¡°She¡¯s left,¡± he said. ¡°Took her long enough,¡± Justin snapped. ¡°The gall of some people!¡± ¡°One more near-death experience before noon today will be a new personal best,¡± Taiko mumbled, pressing the heels of his open palms against the sides of his head. ¡°Does the Bank really count for that?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Jusutin,¡± Taiko said, his slip into using the first name a sign of how rattled he truly was, ¡°I don¡¯t think you yet understand how dangerous you can be, and I don¡¯t mean your Xenopote nature. You are a Prominence of the Dawn. If we found another like you alive in the world today, it would astound me. We have confirmed knowledge of less than five like you over the past two millenia. ¡± ¡°No, I think I do understand it,¡± Justin disagreed. ¡°The scope of the things I could do with his Blessing disturbs me plenty. But the Dawn¡¯s been in my head and he trusts me to not abuse his gift, just as I trust him to not foodle my noodle. Like, you know, some people around here are fond of doing. What I don¡¯t understand is why she didn¡¯t act like it.¡± ¡°Hokyukko Taisa has long been. . .specially. . .favored. . .by the Stars,¡± Taiko said hesitantly, displaying his uncertainty about how to describe the situation. ¡°As a result, there have been. . .how should I say it. . . .¡± ¡°Jurisdictional incidents?¡± Justin guessed. ¡°Yes,¡± Taiko said. ¡°That. Apt.¡± ¡°People have tried talking to her superior, right? Only checking for completeness¡¯ sake.¡± ¡°That position has remained vacant since the previous appointee died.¡± ¡°Is this the politics again?¡± Justin asked, doing a credible job of imitating Taiko¡¯s earlier phrasing. ¡°No, Brother; that¡¯s the Stars finding none of the candidates for the position satisfactory.¡± Justin made an eeurrghh sound of experienced sympathy. ¡°Unexpected replacement hiring,¡± he commiserated. ¡°Always awful. Oh well; not my circus, not my monkeys. Let¡¯s pick up the pace again; I want to stay as far out ahead of the gossip curve as possible.¡± ¡°The Ling Fei office would be honored beyond measure to represent you,¡± Tzo said, looking up from the slip, his presence of mind clearly having just been returned at Justin¡¯s statement. He made a mental note that Tzo¡¯s fugue state might have been caused, triggered, whatever by Taisa, but apparently like Sol with Tomu back at the Bank, the Stars was still watching them and had turned Tzo¡¯s router back on again. Oh, and Taiko had said They, possibly indicating that the Stars had been with Taisa in some more intrinsically present way than usual. ¡°If you have some ready cash ¨C any amount ¨C I will take it as a retainer immediately and personally write you the receipt,¡± Tzo continued. ¡°Will five hundred ri do?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Expediently so, most honorable Cariss,¡± Tzo said, pulling open a drawer. # # # ¡°You want to see the discards,¡± the robed senior clerk in the filing transfer room said, looking back and forth between Justin and Tzo. The untucked wimple above her lined face fluttered with the motion. ¡°Yes, please, Mistress Hiyuko,¡± Justin said politely. ¡°Kokyu Taiko was directly Inlightened earlier today and -¡± this time the memory triggered, and Justin snapped his fingers. ¡°I said lunch; he said meeting!¡± Justin exclaimed, rounding on Taiko. ¡°Right time, right place!¡± ¡°- we believe that the Dawn wished us to examine Advocate Tzo¡¯s ¡®stack¡¯ of available ship portfolios,¡± Taiko smoothly recovered, ¡°as distinct from the curated selection that would have been brought to lunch.¡± ¡°My most sincere and heartfelt congratulations, Kokyu!¡± Hiyuko said, bowing repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s the pinnacle of my life,¡± Taiko sighed in happiness. Justin swallowed his so far, preferring to not step on the monk¡¯s gift to the woman of sharing a moment of reverent congruency with her. ¡°Hiyuko?¡± Tzu, aka Mr. Big Shot Partner And Don¡¯t You Forget It, reminded her, wasting Justin¡¯s consideration. He sighed internally. Something else that was the way of both worlds. Professionally, though, he could understand the Advocate¡¯s reminder. When the guarantee of clients¡¯ privacy was part of your business, you had to be triply careful about preventing your staff from developing excessive attachments to outsiders. ¡°Oh, yes, Advocate,¡± she said, recovering her composure. ¡°In fact, we did put them in a stack. This way, please.¡± She led them though the immaculate cabinets to a set of four long desks under a sun-facing window where eight junior clerks were whispering together, their paperwork and filing forgotten before them They jumped up and shook their hands at their seniors and the clients, then retreated into the stacks, some of them blushing. ¡°Here,¡± Hiyuko said, lifting a dustcover from an open-topped box on a smaller desk set against the wall. ¡°These five. We. . .ah. . .considered them -¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Hiyuko,¡± Tzo said. ¡°Trust me, this is an excellent day for the Ling Fei, and you have done your part in that by fulfilling your responsibilities with both dispatch and recitude.¡± All right, the man knows his carrots, too, Justin acknowledged. Hiyuko nodded, her posture straightening with pride. She picked up the stack and carried it over to the table nearest the window, then opened each portfolio one at a time, laying the pictures and documents out in the sunlight. ¡°Oh. My. Goodness.¡± Justin said when the third one was revealed. ¡°That¡¯s got to be it.¡± ¡°Riku-go¡¯s Folly!?¡± Tzo choked out in astonishment. ¡°I¡¯ll look at the others as well,¡± Justin said, ¡°but I am completely, absolutely, and utterly certain this is the one.¡± His lips were drawn back in an expression that had the same relation to friendliness that a shark¡¯s had to mercy; it knew other beings approved of the idea, but personally, it just couldn¡¯t see the point. Taiko¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Is this ¨C that monstrosity ¨C that was supposedly made almost completely out of Sunwood?¡± He leaned forward for a closer look. ¡°Why does it still exist? And what are ¨C are those detachable!? Does that even work!?¡± ¡°It was completed sixty-three years ago, Inlightened,¡± Hiyuko said, pleased to be able to show off for him. ¡°It has not been sea-proven, but the mechanisms were tested several times three years ago as per the maintenance schedule - every twenty years - and functioned to specifications.¡± ¡°You cannot be serious,¡± Taiko said, with the first real disapproval Justin had seen from him yet. ¡°This. . .thing. . .is practically an, an, apostasy. It¡¯s an ¨C an -¡± ¡°Abomination?¡± Justin asked, looking over the fourth and fifth portfolios and giving them, like Moon all those weeks ago, fair consideration just to be sure. And like Moon, they weren¡¯t anywhere near as appealing. ¡°Yes! I mean,¡± he gave Justin a look that stopped somewhere short of New Guilt City, but was definitely within its outlying suburb of Regretsville, ¡°no!¡± He paused to draw a calming breath. It didn¡¯t work. ¡°I mean - Sunwood is for ¨C for ¨C things that, that, aren¡¯t that!¡± Taiko ¨C babbled, really. Justin had seen the man deliriously happy, smug, confident, and grimly ready for go-time, but always on top of the situation. Even when he''d gotten giggly with it right in front of him. Watching that control slip as he threw a minor fit like this was delicious. ¡°It¡¯s going to make the Contract lose Its mind,¡± Justin said contentedly. ¡°I know it. How soon can we see this beautiful beast?¡± ¡°I can dine any time of the day,¡± Tzo said, ¡°but I can¡¯t participate in ¨C events - like this at a whim. We can go right now, if you wish.¡± ¡°Forth!¡± Justin said, pointing towards the upper half of the window. ¡°To iniquity ¨C and beyond!¡± It got him weird looks instead of laughs, but he was expecting that, so it was fine. ¡°Excuse us please,¡± Taiko said, grabbing Justin by the upper arm and hauling him off into the double-story filing shelves. ¡°I take it ¡®Sunwood¡¯ has some religious significance?¡± Justin said, when he felt they were far enough. ¡°It¡¯s one of the Dawn¡¯s greatest gifts to us!¡± Taiko ranted, throwing his hands in the air. ¡°It¡¯s sacred! The Dawn receives our prayers to Him through it! He lights and warms our houses with it; He cooks our food with it; He fuels our baths, and our forges ¨C that¡¯s part of why Ribe is so clean -¡± Justin snapped his fingers. Again. He was doing that a lot today. ¡°That¡¯s what was itching at me! There¡¯s no smoke here ¨C and the canals are so tidy; there¡¯s hardly any trash in them. Tell me more.¡± ¡°Yes, it burns without smoke. It burns with faith ¨C well, the Dawn¡¯s power, may He Illuminate us, but the degree reflects the belief and sincerity of the oblation given ¨C until it¡¯s fully purified. Then we, yes, make use of it, but honorably! Not ¨C not ¨C maniacal monuments to vanity like that, that ¨C thing! People would ¨C must have already ¨C put their feet on it ¨C we don¡¯t use Sunwood for, for, flooring! It¡¯s ¨C obscene!¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Justin said, and he did. Treading the Dawn beneath your feet ¨C that was some hard-core ''Unrivaled Above The Heavens'' whackadoodlery, in a class all its own. ¡°But - " Justin asked, "- what if a Prominence, at the explicit direction of the Dawn, were to invest that ship with Void Power, for the express purpose of best exerting their Blessing?¡± Taiko blinked at him, tried to process that, and blue-screened. His eyes defocused and his jaw went slack, and now it was Justin¡¯s turn to feel regret. That might have been a bit cruel, he thought. ¡°All right, tough guy, everything¡¯s fine,¡± Justin said, lowering his voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to lightly touch your left wrist now, okay?¡± He reached down and gently clasped the old monk¡¯s left arm with his first two right fingers and thumb. Taiko looked down at the contact, still blurry, but he didn¡¯t object or pull away. ¡°And now we¡¯re going to turn around in place and look at a different view, yes?¡± Justin said, keeping his voice low and soothing. He shuffled clockwise around Taiko, tugging the man¡¯s arm with him, until the monk had turned to look directly down a corridor between the shelves, rather than aslant at one of them. It wasn¡¯t much of a change, but it was the best Justin had under these conditions. ¡°Now you¡¯re seeing something different, right?¡± Justin said. ¡°And now we touch your right elbow,¡± he continued, lifting and pressing Taiko¡¯s limp right against it to begin the cross-contact drills. ¡°And now we let go, and now we pick up your right hand and raise it -¡± Taiko suddenly pulled his wrist out of Justin¡¯s grip. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he said indignantly. ¡°Dissociative state recovery exercises,¡± Justin said. ¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°I ¨C yes, I do. Is this some magic from your - before?¡± Taiko said. ¡°No magic, ¡° not that I know of, anyway, ¡°just a centering and refocusing method,¡± Justin shrugged. ¡°Sometimes you get unstable clients,¡± and attorneys, he mentally added ¡°who need a little, ah, centering and refocusing. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Strangely calm,¡± Taiko said. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked. I can¡¯t sense anything causing it, but ¨C no, never mind. Where was I? Oh, yes, Sunwood ¨C after purification, it¡¯s impervious to fire, and extraordinarily hard, so the remainder of the majority of pieces that aren¡¯t used for religious construction and iconography are originally cut as roof tiles, and are eventually placed there. It almost can¡¯t be worked in that state, you see, so it¡¯s cut into its final shape when green. Next often as boards, for the walls and roofs of the homes of the more faithful ¨C and yes,¡± he added, irritatedly, ¡°the wealthier, I admit.¡± ¡°Pause a minute, please, Taiko?¡± Justin said, holding up a hand and looking aside. Coal-free, faith-primed steam power, he thought. He counted off the sequential Uplift mnemonic in his head for a quick refresher: mine pumps, drills, conveyors; mills, tractors, boats, trucks and; factor-ies, ships, trains - airships! Wait ¨C sunwood-rayon lifting cells!? Would that work? Would the processing ¨C no, getting ahead of yourself again. Later. Just getting a proof-of-concept Stirling engine made is going to be plenty tough as it is. He looked back again to see Taiko doing some musing of his own. The monk¡¯s glance flitted back to him, and Taiko sighed. ¡°I. . .may have overreacted,¡± he said. Justin shrugged. ¡°Eh, no worries. I can think of some comparable examples from before without trying,¡± he said. Washing dishes in ¨C no; filling a public pool with Holy Water, he thought but did not say, anticipating Taiko¡¯s disgusted reaction. Honestly, that kind of disgusted him, now that he¡¯d thought of it. ¡°But you are feeling better now, yes?¡± Justin checked. Taiko smiled ruefully. ¡°I did ask for this, in a sense. I should see it through. Though you did nearly give me an apoplexy -¡± he paused as Justin held up three fingers with his lips inquisitively pursed, and an eager mockingly waiting on the sidelines in its jersey to sub in for it. Because Justin. ¡°No, Brother, that doesn¡¯t count, and please stop trying!¡± 17 - His Colossal Junk ¡°A grievous shame!¡± Tzo laughed. ¡°My turn! What¡¯s the difference between an advocate and a bucket of manure?¡± ¡°The bucket,¡± Justin said, grinning back. Tzo had led them back through the buildings to one of the internal docks next to where they had originally entered. A page had gone ahead and prepared a very swanky mostly-white paddleboat for them, with a striped black-and-white awning above pillars with rolled curtains at their top. There were four excited-looking teen boys in similarly white workclothes already standing in the cranking positions, and an equally excited looking-and-dressed teen girl at the rudder. A middle-aged woman in black robes and wimple ¨C properly tucked ¨C awaited them beside it with a wooden briefcase. Tzo had introduced her as Nuti, his chief, before they all piled in, the doors were opened, and the teens conveyed them out onto the water, turning south. They¡¯d made a bit of stilted conversation before Justin seized on the idea of asking Tzo if advocate jokes were a custom among the Riben professionals. As it turned out, not only was it so, but Tzo ¨C like Justin ¨C was a lifelong collector. And now they were trading them. Or rather exchanging them, since neither of them had managed to tell the other one they hadn¡¯t already known. ¡°My turn,¡± Justin said. ¡°Do you know how to save a drowning advocate?¡± ¡°Stop holding them underwater!¡± Tzo said cheerfully. ¡°My turn! If we see an advocate on an oarboard, why shouldn¡¯t we swerve to run them down?¡± ¡°Because it might be your oarboard!¡± Justin said, having quickly translated bicycle to paddleboard to oarboard in his head as Tzo was finishing the setup. ¡°My turn! Do you know how to save a drowning advocate?¡± Tzo, being a savvy man, didn¡¯t point out that Justin had just told that one. He squinted, bit his lip, and finally shook his head in defeat. ¡°No,¡± he said. Justin let the anticipation build a few heartbeats before he grinned and held out his hands. ¡°Your turn,¡± he said. Tzo got it almost instantly and burst into roaring laughter. ¡°Thank you!¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s clever! I¡¯ll be telling that one at dinner tonight.¡± Justin nodded. ¡°Still your turn,¡± he pointed out. Tzo gave Taiko a quick, devious look. ¡°Why did the Gods make Demons before They made advocates?¡± he asked. Technically, Justin thought, it¡¯s my ¡®win¡¯ right now, since I stumped him. Is he hoping to catch me out by edging towards a taboo? ¡°They wanted the practice,¡± Justin said, mindfully switching needed to wanted before speaking. ¡°My turn. . .¡± ¡°We¡¯re nearly there, most honorable Cariss, so perhaps this should be our last exchange?¡± Tzo interrupted. Justin looked around. They had long since broken out of the denser islands and were now approaching the Toh¡¯s southern shore, where a large line of docks loomed off to the east. To their south and southwest were yards and slips, mostly filled with unfinished boats, with only a few larger sea-scaled ships among them. ¡°Right,¡± Justin said. ¡°Earlier, you said the High Court Prosecutors were the most arrogant in the field?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tzo said. ¡°Then I know what to end with. Do you know what the difference is. . . .¡± A few words later and everyone except Taiko and Tzo were staring at him with reactions ranging from shocked offense to scandalized delight. Three of the four crankers had stopped flat, their mouths open, and the rudder-girl was covering hers with both hands, her light brown eyes above as round as pennies. Taiko was openly laughing, and Tzo, while chuckling, was also giving Justin the professional side-eye, the look that said I see what you just did there, and yes, it impressed me. Justin winked at him, and that was the end of all conversation, jokes included, until they docked. # # # Master Shipwright Pei looked at the guests crowding his third-floor office and ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth before smacking his lips. Decision made, he slid the wooden window adjacent to his desk aside, stuck his head out, and bellowed, ¡°BARU!¡± ¡°yes, master pei¡± came a faint voice from below. ¡°SEND OUT THE WORD! ALL-HANDS EVOLUTION! THE ORPHAN SAILS TODAY!¡± ¡°yes, master pei ¨C ehhhhh!?¡± ¡°YOU HEARD ME! GET TO IT!¡± ¡°Yes, Master Pei!¡± The voice¡¯s last response was significantly louder and more excited. Pei slid the window shut and stretched in his chair, unconcerned with the usual proprieties Justin had come to expect seeing directed towards a Kokyu. Contrary to Justin¡¯s expectations of a gnarled, bearded, rough sailing type, Pei was a startlingly handsome man, tall and slender with piercing black eyes, high cheekbones, and thick, wavy hair. ¡°The Utzin School has been looking forward to this day for generations,¡± he said, clapping once and rubbing his hands together. ¡°Advocate, I¡¯ll be troubling you to keep that slip handy for any of a troublesome bent, please.¡± ¡°Of course, Master,¡± Tzo said fulsomely. ¡°It¡¯s a banner day for the Ling Fei as well, and I wish to see this through to completion. . .mmm, not as much as you do, I¡¯m sure, but more so than less?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Pei said, rising to his feet. ¡°Go on, turn around, out we go, down the stairs, right at the door, around the back,¡± he said, waving his hands at Tzo, Taiko, Nuti, Justin, two of the crank teens, and the rudder-girl. They were a throng, Justin had to agree, as they shuffled around and began exiting. ¡°You do have a name ready, Brother?¡± Taiko asked behind him, as they all clattered and clunked down the open-sided stairwell from the offices at the ceiling. The keel and ribs of the cargo ship under construction in the Utzin¡¯s main hangar rose beside them as they went, resembling a pair of palms with upturned fingers. ¡°Oh yes,¡± Justin said. ¡°Had it before I left. We even. . .¡± he trailed off, his shoulders tensing. Taiko patted his back gently. ¡°Another time,¡± he said, understanding. ¡°Yes,¡± Justin said. ¡°Good to hear,¡± Pei said from the next flight up. ¡°Bad luck, launching a ship without a name.¡± ¡°It never received one?¡± Tzo asked, sounding surprised. ¡°No, just nicknames. ¡®The Orphan¡¯ finally stuck about. . .¡± he counted on his fingers ¡°. . .Master Huolin¡¯s time, so about a hundred and fifty years ago? Nobody was ever going to officially name a ship that, so the others faded away.¡± As they reached the bottom, the last few of the workers that had previously filled the huge room finished putting away tools and stabilizing halted pieces of construction. They rushed out the large cargo door in the back as Pei and the rest exited by the side door near the stairs. Behind the building was a wide east-west cobblestone road, and beyond that rows and columns of more white warehouses up a gentle slope, doubtlessly full of wood and other shipbuilding materials. Pei pointed them to the west. ¡°The Orphan¡¯s about a twelfth that way. Unless you¡¯re in an odd hurry, we¡¯ll walk it.¡± He suited actions to words and began strolling east, the others falling in beside or behind him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Most of the available School should be there by then,¡± he continued, ¡°and those who just heard and ran over should have finished the prep. We¡¯ll jack it up on the rollers, haul it over to the slipway, connect the hulls, you¡¯ll lustrate it ¨C what¡¯s your sacrifice?¡± Justin sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Hot tea, mint if you¡¯ve got it,¡± he said, managing to sound normal. ¡°Can be done,¡± Pei said. ¡°Then into the water it goes, you get boated out to it with a bone-crew to get you to your berth, and I get to spend the next twelfth shouting at people to get back to work, the party¡¯s tonight you skimmers, you¡¯re not being paid to stand around and celebrate, hey-up haw and hoo-up hey.¡± Taiko opened his mouth, then closed it without saying anything. ¡°Uncertain about offering me a Temple berth?¡± Justin asked him. Taiko had the integrity to let his embarrassment show. ¡°Yes, Brother. Any other ship but this one. . . .¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Justin said again, taking the opportunity to pat the old monk on the back and take back the coup he¡¯d counted on Justin earlier. Taiko¡¯s raised eyebrow told him the man hadn¡¯t missed that part of it. ¡°Could moor out near the Drops, Orphan¡¯s got a couple of lighters, bring the crew back in those, hire your own for the return,¡± Pei said. ¡°While I must confess that finding you mooring would exhaust our own stocks of both reputation and influence,¡± Tzo said, ¡°I am also confident that we can assist you by providing crew.¡± What went unsaid was the implication that Sol¡¯s slip would help stretch Justin¡¯s 500 ri retainer a long, long way, and that this crew would naturally include trained guards. Justin was good with all that, including the second-party security force. Tzo was a crafty old bull shark, no question, but as a retired colleague in the same field, Justin respected him all the more for it. And he believed the man¡¯s religious near-rapture over the slip hadn¡¯t been feigned. Tzo wasn¡¯t just a casual believer, more greedy for the slip¡¯s value to his social status than its metaphysical significance; deep down, where it counted, he was devout. I definitely should inform him about the Prominonsense, Justin decided. Keeping that from his Advocate was straight-up sabotage; not only did he need to know it to do his job, but not telling him could backfire on his entire office. It was like not telling your doctor all your symptoms. He¡¯d had clients like that himself; he preferred not to be one. Well. . .he thought. . .as little of one as I think The Plan can handle, anyways. Some things in his life had too much higher a priority. Like the words he was about to say. Words he had barely let himself think a handful of times since the Contract had showed up in his mail. Words that were going to make him lose all control in front of a slipway full of strangers, if he didn¡¯t get his damn loins girded ahead of time. Get to rowing, Justin. ¡°Advocate, a short word to the side, please?¡± he said, catching Tzo¡¯s gaze. # # # ¡°Very irregular!¡± spluttered the lanky, pinch-faced Registry officer. The man had met them at the Orphan¡¯s land-berth as ruffled as a molting penguin. No proper notifications! No proper filings! No inspections, no certifications, no identifications! The harbormaster, much closer in appearance to Justin¡¯s expectations for Master Pei, lurked behind his obstreperous colleague. His fingers were curling and uncurling as if he was about to pounce on the other man and start strangling him. It wasn¡¯t just the Utzin and the Ling Fei who desperately wanted to see the Orphan launched, Justin noted. Mistress Nuti calmly counter-cited statute and case in a hypnotically rising and falling tone. The notifications were a custom of courtesy, not law. The filings were in front of him. Since the buyer was waiving the inspections, their absence was no hindrance, and here were the certifications directly from Master Pei¡¯s hand. Full Riben citizenship was hardly required when other luxury sales to wealthy foreign tourists were so common, as per section. . . . ¡°There are both Temple and Church restrictions on the sale of Sunwood!¡± the man barked, with the attitude of an ill-tempered grand master putting a novice down with a fools¡¯ mate, and Justin knew they had him. Tzo pulled the slip out of his robes and dangled it in the suddenly pale face of the man of troublesome bent. Taiko, out of nowhere, put his arm around the official¡¯s shoulder, and kindly illuminated the fellow as to how yes, it was a open voucher literally signed by the Dawn not an hour before, and that he, Kokyu Taiko, the Inlightened whom the Dawn had used to write it out, could and was personally attesting to the Dawn¡¯s will that this sale be completed with the utmost dispatch. Tzo actually winked back at Justin while Taiko. . .buffaloed the man, really. The Advocate was the one other person besides Pei he had met so far who hadn¡¯t immediately fallen into awed respect as soon as they were informed about the Dawn¡¯s favor. Well, not counting the priests, who had recovered from that suspiciously quickly. The Registry official had almost melted in place by the end, and he shakily stamped and signed and accredited and registered everything necessary before tottering over to some piled boards and sitting down with his head between his knees. To Justin¡¯s dismay, the full evolution of the Utzin School had awakened the interest of the neighboring shipyards, and a horde of the numerous goldbrickers and management in the area that could get away with skivving off had tagged along to observe. A select few had even been allowed to pitch in with the log-roll transport of the three hulls, which to Justin¡¯s eyes had begun to resemble an impromptu japanese mikoshi procession. The news was going to be all over the city before sundown. Oh well, Justin thought resignedly. Keeping it under wraps was a forlorn hope of a long shot anyway. He¡¯d intended a quiet facade of a life here while he beavered away at The Plan in secret, but. . .there were going to be bureaucrats and officials and aristos and every other stripe of self-impressed nose-poker imaginable trying to climb his hulls by morning. At the latest. OK then. Can¡¯t go home, so you gotta keep going big. Counter-PR. Let it all hang out, baby; get far enough in front of the rumor mill to win the race. Unobooboo and possibly Taisa would have been casting events in the worst light possible since their parting, so for once the truth really was his best offense. Speech before christening ¨C no; I¡¯ll ¡®dedicate¡¯ it to the Dawn, so. . .inauguration? Um no thank you; the less prophecy the better. . .commencement? Dawny, but doesn¡¯t gerund well. . .hm, come at it from gerund forms then. . .oh. Hallowing. That¡¯s - perfect. Done, next, outline. Greetings, Introduce Inlightened Taiko, appreciate years of loyalty to School and contract ¨C no, switch those ¨C Taiko testimony RE Prominence and the Dawn¡¯s instructions, alchemical cures, By the ¨C Power- yep, that¡¯s the word ¨C of the Dawn, I hallow this ship with the name - He cut himself off there. Right on schedule, too, because while he was planning, the workers had gotten the hulls into position. Those up on the three decks had just finished knocking the locking pins into place - connecting the three hulls into one massive trimaran luxury junk at their decklines ¨C and were sliding down their ropes to join the other workers about to release the restraints. Justin climbed up on the small platform Pei¡¯s crew had thrown together from spare scaffolding, yanking Taiko along with him by the collar when the monk had tried to demur. Appreciation, loyalty, School, contract, introducing The Inlightened Kyoku Taiko! - the man deliberately tried to step on Justin¡¯s foot as he moved forward; childish! The happy crowd went silent when Taiko named Justin as the Dawn¡¯s newest Prominence. Confused and disbelieving looks were exchanged. Justin stepped forward and swept his arm back in a grand gesture of presentation towards the Orphan. That kicked the first few pebbles loose, as a few people got the point and realized who else could be worthy, of course the god descended and a couple of heartbeats later the avalanche began. The crowd were screaming their heads off; hats were thrown, spontaneous hugging and kissing broke out, two different groups began singing two different hymns, only to switch to the other¡¯s at almost the same moment. Justin felt slightly sick to his stomach. But like Taiko, he''d chosen this, and he too would see it through. Pei bounded up the scaffolding and screamed at the crowd, his handsome features contorted and going red from effort: ¡°YOU¡¯RE NOT BEING PAID TO WORSHIP! SHUT UP AND LISTEN!¡± The crowd silenced again. Justin¡¯s father couldn¡¯t have done it better. Divine instructions, cures to be brewed and sold, more to come. Taiko stepped back and Justin turned around to face the Orphan¡¯s central prow. He took hold of the scaffolding¡¯s banister in a death grip with his left hand, and raised the little ceramic flask of mint tea with his right, his blood pressure skyrocketing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Taiko¡¯s expression turn concerned. Justin knew he had to look like a genuine lunatic; his teeth gritted in agony, glaring madly at the ship looming over them. ¡°By the power of the Dawn, I hallow this ship with the name - ¡°RIGHT HERE CHLOE!¡± The bottle smashed. The restraints loosened. The ship and its cradles inched down the oiled planking, gathering speed. Justin released his grasp. He¡¯d done it. He¡¯d gotten the last words - his, their last words - out, and hadn''t broken down. With a tremendous splash, the Right Here Chloe muscled its way into the water, steady as the sun in its progress through the sky. The crowd held its breath, watching, until Pei thrust a celebratory fist into the air, and then with one mighty voice, they cried out the salutation of their forebears: ¡°SHE LIIIVES!¡± Justin burst into tears. 18 - Mayin Mast Fortunately, the crowd took his breakdown for a religious paroxysm, a release of the stress accumulated while serving the Dawn¡¯s will for god-only-knew how long. So rather than the reverent mobbing he¡¯d feared, they held back, showing their respect by talking quietly and watching him from a distance. He had the uncomfortable feeling that his helpless crying jag had somehow impressed them more than an oratorical or mag- theurgical - or other kind of performative demonstration would have. He caught Pei blankly staring at him from a distance and realized he¡¯d exceeded the man¡¯s capacity to remain unimpressed. Taiko was busy running interference for him with the few people conceited, or fanatical, or enough of both to think they deserved a piece of Justin¡¯s time despite his state. Nuti was guiding the stunned Registry official through the closing documentation, practically moving the man¡¯s hand for him. And Tzo. . .was watching one of the crank-teens sprint down the slips the way they had come, probably headed back to the Ling Fei boat with instructions. Tzo turned to catch his eye, nodded so slightly it was almost invisible, and faded discreetly into the throng as it began to disperse. That would be my cue, Justin thought. . .not dizzily, but not entirely steady on his feet either. He stumbled over to Pei regardless. ¡°Bone-crew?¡± he rasped. Pei only continued to stare at him. ¡°Master Pei, you¡¯re not being paid to stand around and worship,¡± Justin said. It came out far more exhausted than the teasing remonstration he¡¯d intended. Pei shied like a horse, jerking back as though Justin was some kind of threat. Then his features tightened up into their normal alertness, and he really looked at Justin for the first time in several minutes. ¡°You¡¯re. . .far from being done today, aren¡¯t you,¡± he observed more than asked. ¡°This wasn¡¯t the Dawn¡¯s task for you. This was just another step towards its completion.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a perceptive man, Master Pei,¡± Justin said. Pei¡¯s glance swept over the crowd. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have flinched from you that way. Bad impression. Let me try to repair it, please.¡± Justin nodded, and Pei shuffled closer to embrace him. The small delay to Pei¡¯s movement gave Justin enough warning to not flinch himself, and as the taller and older-appearing man wrapped his arms about him, Justin reciprocated and let his forehead rest on the shipwright¡¯s shoulder, leaning in. I hate this, he thought to himself. I¡¯m a fraud ¨C not a complete fraud; I do believe in the Dawn¡¯s divinity, but I¡¯m not of the faith. I don¡¯t worship. I don¡¯t deserve this much respect from those that do. And not least because I¡¯ll use their respect to get and do whatever I must, regardless of merit. He carefully kept his attention away from any thoughts about making an explicit deal with the god, and gave Pei an adult that¡¯s-enough squeeze before letting go. ¡°Thank you for your invaluable contributions to my mission, Master Pei,¡± he said, raising his voice and clapping a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. Pei nodded soberly, muttered ¡°let¡¯s get you on your way then, son,¡± then added in Justin¡¯s volume, ¡°Honored to serve, Prominence.¡± He turned to scan the crowd. ¡°BARU!¡± he shouted. ¡°Scoop ¡®em up, get ¡®em back, take the desk! Helming her myself!¡± ¡°knew you would, boss,¡± Baru¡¯s voice came faintly back from the crowd, then, louder: ¡°All right, you layabouts, pack it up and get back to work! Our other boys and girls won¡¯t build themselves!¡± There were more boos and catcalls in response than sounds of agreement, but they were good-spirited, so Justin turned away at Pei¡¯s gesture. He followed the man to a landing below a staircase past the slipway¡¯s edge where a half-full longboat with 4 oarmen awaited. More of the same, filled with excited sailors, were already clustering around the Chloe, waiting for them to arrive. ¡°Prominence; Master Pei,¡± Tzo said from above as Justin was clambering in. ¡°Will the East-Wind docks serve as a transfer point? I regret to say there may be a delay in assembling sufficient crew for so large a vessel -¡± Justin shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to fully Invest the Chloe as soon as sensible, which means getting her as well away from interference and observation as feasible. That also might get a bit,¡± he paused to lick his lips in anticipation, ¡°loud and spectacular, and also, I believe, obviate the need for crew. Although I would appreciate the loan of some human guards as well, Tzo.¡± Pei gave him a startled glance. ¡°But didn¡¯t you just -¡± ¡°That was a Solar Hallowing, Pei. This will be something. . .different.¡± Pei looked unnerved. Up above Tzo cursed: ¡°Ah, screw a school of spiny eels in summer! I can¡¯t miss that, either - er, with your permission, of course, Prominence?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say the more the merrier, but you¡¯re more than welcome. And where¡¯s -¡± ¡°Coming, Brother,¡± Taiko said, moving into view. ¡°The excellent Advocate is not the only one here who takes a personal delight in witnessing the making of history.¡± He and Tzo exchanged nods of acknowledging agreement. Pei¡¯s mood abruptly changed to enthusiastic. ¡°Then get in here, gentlemen! We¡¯re wasting daylight!¡± He clapped his hands and rubbed the palms together again. ¡°By tradition, Prominence, as owner you¡¯re first to board, so budge over to the port hull there, please. . . .¡± # # # Justin was indeed the first to climb the plank-and-rope ladder the slipway workers had left hanging for that purpose. He¡¯d triple tied and checked the Shinbi valise with his wealth and his electronics inside, after tucking his sandals in as well. Taiko¡¯s eyes had flitted upwards and over in a split-second roll at that, but Justin had given him a sincere smile, and the old monk had taken it with the respect for his sensibilities intended. Gonna need to add ship shoes and some kind of genkan areas to the design, Justin thought, as Pei, Tzo, Taiko, and the sailors swarming aboard all imitated his bared feet. Respect or not, kitchens and storerooms and laundries and dance floors, to say nothing of alchemy labs, required footgear. Later. ¡°No, Pei, I prefer to not take a tour,¡± he said. ¡°The Investiture is going to severely alter the internals anyways, and I want to practice climbing the central mainmast for that.¡± ¡°Bunta!¡± Pei shouted, nodding. ¡°Get a training rig up the main! By your leave, then, Prominence; it¡¯s the wheelhouse for me.¡± ¡°Enjoy!¡± Justin said, and Pei grinned back at him before going. ¡°Ah,¡± Taiko said. ¡°Invest at the point that the Dawn sees first, and is ever closest to? A good choice.¡± ¡°Seemed appropriate,¡± Justin said. ¡°Got a spare scratch sheet?¡± ¡°Always,¡± Taiko said, pulling another small scroll out of his robes. Justin walked over to the back corner of the upper deck, between the high bulwark and the outer walls of the rear cabin, and sat down. One more thing that had been nagging at him, and he had an inkling about it, so while the safety harness went up. . . . Third month, forty-fifth day, so 145. 406 into 365.25; 8 times, 404-5; 9 times; 391-0, 9 times, so 0.899, call it 0.9, times 145 is 130.5, minus 31, 28, 31, 30 is. . .noonish of May 10th-ish. Oh well. Just a weird idea then - - wait. Winter solstice. New Year¡¯s here is combined with the solstice, or just after it. Which was. . .December 21, so take back 10 kadams to honor the ¨C 120.5th day - son of a ¨C it is freaking Beltane! Or its mathematical analogue, at least - Sol, you magnificent bastard! Did you arrange this!? You¡¯re not the least clever mortal I¡¯ve had dealings with, Sol¡¯s voice breezed through his ears, warmer than usual with approval. Your Goodwife isn¡¯t here, so you needn¡¯t bother with the wreath or ribbons or dancing. Your wits now and your ascent to come will be offering enough, and more. Well done, Prominence. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Taiko?¡± Justin said. ¡°Yes, brother?¡± ¡°Your god is a devious crafty underhandling schemer,¡± Justin said. There were a few shocked gasps and widened eyes from the sailors within earshot. Taiko, naturally, had the indecency to react with enthusiasm. ¡°Oh!¡± he chirped eagerly. ¡°What has he done this time, Brother?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s the local calendar analogue to the date of an ancient marriage and fertility festival of my ancestors,¡± Justin sighed. ¡°And he just implicitly confirmed that the timing was deliberate.¡± ¡°The Dawn is ever foresighful in his benevolence,¡± Taiko said piously, cupping one hand over the other and raising them above his bowed head. ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯re a chucklepunk who should go eat a great big bag of, of - spiny eel sausages,¡± Justin grumbled. Tzo snorted and turned to look over the railings, his shoulders shaking. # # # ¡°Getting real insistent,¡± Pei observed. The four of them were standing at the aft railing, watching a small fleet of boats and ships with very officially very upset very official people in them, chasing them out to the Drops. They''d fallen into their wake as the Chloe passed east of the city center through the upper-class islands. They were barely gaining. A few inches per minute, at best. Right Here Chloe, despite her mutant bulk, was an uncommonly fast ship. Thanks to their higher Froude numbers, normal trimarans often were. The combination of her triple-triple sail area and her lack of anything onboard besides owner, shipwright, and two passengers was more than enough to overcome the deficits from towing the now-filled longboats between her hulls. There was rather a lot of screaming and shouting at sea today. Not only were the officials, and bureaucrats, and aristos, and so on howling themselves hoarse with commands, and demands, the Utzin sailors were belting out hymms in at the top of their lungs in retaliation. Justin shrugged. ¡°Last chance -¡± he began, and Tzo flipped a hand at him dismissively. ¡°I would not miss this for the world,¡± the old shark said fiercely. ¡°I¡¯m staying, no matter the risk, so stop asking.¡± Justin shrugged. ¡°On your own head be it, then.¡± He turned to Pei. ¡°The weather¡¯s good, Taiko¡¯s on lookout, and Tzo¡¯s got the wheel. No time like the present.¡± He held out a hand to the shipwright, who grasped him by the forearm and gave him a firm shake. Then Pei shook his hands at the other two, who returned the courtesy, turned to the stairs, and slid down them professionally. They watched him jog across the upper deck to the last rope coiled at the trailing edge of the starboard ¡®tween-hull platform, wrap it in a descender¡¯s hitch, and ease his way off the decking. The rudderman in the longboat underneath shifted it to the side, sliding neatly underneath him as he dropped onto a thwart. He sat and waved at them, and Taiko and Justin moved to the opposite of the stern while Tzo went down the narrow stairs into the wheelhouse proper. Justin and Taiko waved three times, and the longboats released their prow attachments, gliding from between the hulls into open water. The oars went out, and still singing, they got themselves under way. Justin and Taiko descended to the upper deck, where Justin undid the rope ties, opened the valise, and took out his Upcoat. He shrugged it on, handed Taiko the sheet of translated lyrics he¡¯d been holding back from the man, and activated the music player and speakers. Taiko scanned the lines with fascination. ¡°Simple, but all the more singable for it. Who is this little-¡± ¡°Nobody in particular,¡± Justin cut him off, as he started strapping on the safety harness at the base of the central mainmast. ¡°The songwriter once said something along the lines that it doesn¡¯t really matter who they were referring to or what they meant by any of the words, because there¡¯s only one writer and there are millions of listeners. Just sing. You¡¯re a smart guy, you¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Taiko, far too perceptively for Justin¡¯s taste, recognized his short temper for the nervousness it really was, and patted him on the back as he took a deep breath and passed the rope around the mast. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ve been up and down it half a dozen times already, and the Dawn wants this to work.¡± ¡°Shut up, I hate you, you¡¯re a big jerk, you and your da- darn clever god both,¡± Justin said. He didn¡¯t fear heights, but they weren¡¯t his favorite thing in life either. Especially when he was about to make himself ground zero for the transfer of what Taiko had called a cataclysmic amount of power at over a hundred feet in the air. The things we do for love, he thought, more proud than amused than perplexed than dismayed. He turned on the player and speakers, found the song in the menu he¡¯d primed ahead of time for circumstances ¨C well, maybe not just like this, but along these lines ¨C set it on repeat with an initial thirty-second delay, and hit play. Funny thing; he''d looked high and low for cover alternatives before signing, but in the end only the original could do. There was simply something right about it that the others didn''t have. The Toronto charity choral version had come close, though. He was kind of looking forward to hearing that being done by real believers here someday. And he was delaying. He slid the Klemheist knots for the opposite hand and foot loops up, stepped in, pulled, and started climbing. Pull with hand and step up on opposite loop, release opposite grip, slide knot up, lift foot, bend down and tug knot up, grip again, pull with hand and step up, flip waist loop farther up mast, release grip, slide knot up, lift, bend, tug, grip pull, step, flip, release. . .carefully, steadily, full attention given. . . . When the clouds began forming a quarter of the way to the top, he got a little nervous. When the purple flashes of what resembled nothing so much as the tribulation lightning from Chloe¡¯s and her - their -friends'' cultivation novels started flickering in them overhead, around halfway up, he got a lot nervous. When the actual damn bolts of the stuff started leaping up and down around the ship, at ever-narrowing distances, with a fourth of the way left to go. . .while the mast flexed and warped beneath him, swaying back and forth through the empty air like some badly maintained traveling carnival thrill ride. . . . Well, it still didn¡¯t even come close to making him think about quitting, but he did have to consciously clamp down on his biology. At least, almost all of the conceited, narcissistic, delusionally self-impressed troublemakers chasing them had turned around and were making their best speed away. The collectively deranged Utzin nutbars, on the other hand, were rowing like mad to hold a steady distance as close to. . .no, a lot closer to the lightning strikes than Justin liked. Working his way through every word for idiocy he could remember got him the rest of the way to the top. Ominously, when he did, the lightning slowed, and then stopped. As the last bars of the last repeat began, he tightened the ropes as much as he could, and without hesitation, slapped his hand on the flat circle of the mast¡¯s top and wished. The world seemed to pause for a moment, as if it was holding its breath in witness like the crowds at the slip less than an hour ago. The last chords rang out. And as he¡¯d anticipated, the lightning that had been building up in the clouds exploded downwards, with repeated blinding flashes and earstabbing BANG!s . . .only to cascade over a perfectly spherical, translucent sun-yellow shield that covered the entire ship, and then ground itself in apparently futile harmlessness through the frothing waters of the Toh. ¦µ SO MOTE IT BE! ¦µ Sol¡¯s voice boomed in his head, drowning out the crackling thunder. Justin watched as the ship below shifted and changed, simultaneously growing and shrinking in his vision like a dolly zoom. Third stories grew out of each hull¡¯s forecastle and aftercastle. Sturdy wheelhouses appeared to the rear; lounges with floor-to-ceiling glass windows under eaves to the forwards. A dancefloor surrounded by integrated couches and planters sprung out of the forward upper deck of the starboard hull. A tabled patio did the same on the central one, and a massive square well with a giant¡¯s stair of staggered platforms to the forward opened on the port, which was then slowly concealed by a horizontal rolling cover rising out of the sides, while vertical accordion panels came together to hide away the platforms. Looking good, Justin thought, finally holding his own breath with anticipation. Any minute now, any minute. . . . An agonized, infuriated shriek arose from the bowels of the port hull. Yes! Justin thought. Who called it? Daddy done called it! ¡°YOU - YOU ¨C PSYCHOPATHIC ¨C IMBECILE!¡± it gibbered. ¡°WHAT! HAVE! YOU! DONE!?¡± ¡°indiana father, you little toe-rag,¡± Justin whispered. ¡°in-di-a-na fa-ther!¡± # # # The lightning thundered deeper and deeper into the Toh, into the dark and the pressure below, losing power every inch of the way. But it had power to spare. It fragmented across the freshwater sea''s floor, blasting fulgurite formations into the sand, clawing its way into undersea caverns thousands of feet beneath. It fractally split again and again, each thread-thin, hair-thin strand eventually dying away into nothingness, absorbed by the materia of the world. . .except for one last, crackling line of electricity. That final extended spark found its way into a gallery of glowing multicolored crystals encompassing a single massive dark sphere. The line grounded out across the face of one small hexagonal prism of cloudy white at the periphery. The damage it left behind could not even be called so much a scratch; it was, at most, a mere discontinuity in the prism''s lattice edge. But after thousands of years of discharge and decay, and the slow accumulation of similar harms nearby, as small as it was. . .it was more than enough to tip the balance. The being sealed in the sphere did not awaken. But time started to move for it again. The rate was imperceptible, almost immeasurably slow, but it was also - as the formation''s self-repair functions increasingly began to lose ground against the damage of millenia - accelerating. 19 - Book Smarts The temptation to simply hang out up there and listen to the Contract¡¯s psychotic-adjacent break ¨C with a different soundtrack, though ¨C - or, Justin, you could not fiddle with the nigh-irreplaceable Earth technology that¡¯s likely a significant multiplier to The Plan overall, at over a hundred feet up, he thought - - wasn¡¯t that appealing, once he¡¯d calmed down from the bladder-testing terror he¡¯d just put himself through. He closed his hand around the pocketed player with exquisite caution and turned it off, then started climbing down. Roughly a tenth of the pursuit fleet total had either continued to chase the Chloe or turned around to start again after the show was over. One each of those two groups, plus another half-dozen of the remainder, had broken off to approach the Utzin longboats. Justin memorized what characteristics he could see of them, because in his opinion, those were the smart ones to watch out for. The rest were scuttling away towards the City, with the lone exception of one rakish, fast-moving craft that was heading into deeper northern waters at high speed, and another high-speed newcomer behind the fleet, aiming straight through them. Probably couriers, messengers, something along those lines. Note to dinner self: have Taiko brief you on geopolitics. The Contract¡¯s infuriated screeching was getting louder the farther he descended, but going by the rate of increase he had the impression it was climbing towards the upper deck from below at the same time. Ahhh, so good. And still more to look forward to, he thought. Knock me out and dump me on a quay radiating disastrous levels of eldritch power for the Demonic secret police to find and apprehend, will you? Well, how you like me now, Jokey Pokey? ¡°- NEVER AGREED TO THIS!¡± Oh yes you did, sucker. ¡®Narratively¡¯, remember? 3rd definition - That part of an oration in which the speaker makes his or her statement of facts. That argument was so literally rhetorical that it wouldn¡¯t last a mashed potato moment in court ¨C or to be accurate, not in a good court - but it didn¡¯t need to. Justin only needed the pretext, the wedge, the lever with which to move the world. Or, in this context, the decisions of whatever ¡®Upper Management¡¯ was in charge of the Contract. You got a feel, after sufficient experience in business and corporate law, for the characteristics common to employees and executives who didn¡¯t have their superiors¡¯ support. People who remained in their positions because they¡¯d made themselves indispensable and/or irreplaceable. Often they¡¯d earned it, by being the best there was at what they did, but you knew they were out on a thin branch all the same. If someone with a better balance between competence and cost came along, they¡¯d be out on the street with a box full of their things before the ink on the new hire¡¯s agreement was dry. The Contract gave Justin that feeling, in spades. And he loved taking people like that down. The degree to which the Contract had made it personal was the delicious double icing on the cake of settling accounts. As he reached the last quarter of the mast¡¯s height, the port-side double trap-doors to the main deck staircase slammed open. Justin looked down to see the Contract stomping up and out, and he felt a little bad. A little. The Contract, for unknown but doubtlessly interesting reasons, had taken on the form of a large, animated Grimoire, around 4 feet tall. Its cover was made of the black, gnarly hide of some warped monster, and covered in glowing arcane sigils of magical-looking metals, golden-orange and silvery. Two pairs of stumpy, thick-muscled arms and legs grew out of its cover near the spine, the legs near its bottom edge and the arms slightly more than halfway up. Between those it wore a belt-clamp holding its pages shut, with loops filled with arcane tools and buttoned pouches. Its elemental face was at the top of its spine, with three white glowing gems for eyes, all different sizes, inset in a triangle of small cups, and a broad, jagged rip underneath them for a mouth. It was also shedding. Horribly, and not in a euphemistic or exaggerated sense. Bits of the cover were constantly flaking off, breaking down into smaller floaty, ashy pieces that dissolved into nothingness in midair. Beneath those were raw red striated patches, glistening like wet exposed muscle, which were quickly being re-covered by new black leathery growth. And bright blue steaming goo was dripping from its eyes, like boiling hot tears of slimy neon ¨C not the edges of the sockets, as human eyes wept, but directly from the gems themselves. A little bad. Nowhere near enough to change his script, though. Some people, well. . .you just had to keep rubbing their noses in it until the lesson took. ¡°Who exactly asked for what, you ambulatory bog-roll!?¡± Justin shouted down at it. ¡°You wanted to poke the butcher-bear? Congratulations, ding-a-ling! Consider the butcher-bear poked!¡± I think English¡¯s ¡®Grizzly¡¯ has the edge over Riben¡¯s ¡®butcher-bear¡¯ in isolation, Justin thought, but I gotta say ¡®butcher-bear¡¯ scans better metrically. The Contract screamed back at him, wordless with rage, while he kept descending. Neener-neener nanny-nanny boo-boo poopy-pants, Justin paused to silently mouth at it, emphasizing the movements. It dropped to its hands and knees and clawed at the decking in fury, over and over again, doing no damage that he could see. Time to twist the knife, Justin thought. ¡°Hey, book smarts, are you in violation yet!? Do I need to contact your superiors!? The Contract looked up and howled at him, ¡°YOU CANNOT SEPARATE EXPANDED DIMENSIONS! AND YOU CANNOT REJOIN EXPANDED DIMENSIONS! AND YOU CANNOT STACK EXPANDED DIMENSIONS INSIDE OTHER EXPANDED DIMENSIONS! IT ALL PUNCHES HOLES IN REALITY, LUNATIC!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Sounds like a you problem!¡± Justin sneered back. Inside, however, he was exulting. Yesss! It¡¯s the Shrines section, isn¡¯t it!? They¡¯re inherently, necessarily ¡®Warped Spaces¡¯ themselves! That wild guess had probably panned out. The evidence was almost non-existent; he¡¯d had only the tiniest hints right after he¡¯d woken up, and he¡¯d put the odds at no better than one in sixth, closer to one in eight. Of course, even if it hadn¡¯t paid out, he¡¯d still have wanted those Shrines in there. For so many reasons. ¡°IT¡¯S AN EVERYBODY PROBLEM YOU APOCALYPSE--?¡Ô¨’?ING ¡Þt¦®¡Þt¡Þ?¦Î ?¡Ô¨’¡Ít ?¡àt?¡Þ¦Æ¡à?¡à!¡± The translation ¨C magic; enchantment; whatever the term was ¨C fritzed at the end of the Contract¡¯s shrill, hissing fulmination, but the sense of excessively perverse revulsion it still managed to convey gave Justin pause. He hadn¡¯t known that was possible, and the experience was giving him second thoughts. o-oh m-my, oh n-no, Sol laughed in his head. Thank you, Justin. I¡¯ve never observed It in this extreme a state. That¡¯s a first, and as a deity, I treasure those. So It¡¯s basically all right? Yes. What you¡¯re seeing is only cosmetic. A consequence of Its divided focus as It works to recompile the Shop¡¯s structure to compensate for your wish. Which shall be done, and there¡¯s no apocalypse incoming because of it. But I should put my hand in here. Look aft, please. Justin¡¯s attention had been so wholly on the Contract that he¡¯d missed another fast ship coming up behind them to port, its bow full of richly robed older men and women who were also shouting, as well as gesturing both indignantly and demandingly. Please imagine a field protecting them? Sol asked. No price asked, no precedent set; just sensible cooperation towards a mutually - On it, Justin thought, estimating the ship¡¯s center point and a large enough radius to cover its length and height. A good relationship of unweighed give-and-take with Sol was more than prudent; the god¡¯s continuing respect for Justin¡¯s boundaries had also earned him multiple shares of goodwill. The Contract must have noticed them as well, because it turned and screamed, ¡°I¡¯M NOT OPEN! GO AWAY!¡± The ship kept approaching. And flex, Sol said, and the instant after Justin focused his will and the yellow field sprang into existence, more purple lightning erupted out of the tip of the Right Here Chloe¡¯s central mainmast, aimed at the other ship. It shattered against the Dawn¡¯s shield. Most of the passengers and crew on board ducked, covering their heads and hiding, but three of those in the prow stood firm, one turning back to shout and gesture at the crew instead, sweeping their extended pointing finger in an arc overhead. The crew tentatively returned to their stations, and the ship¡¯s speed began returning to what it had been. Never mind, then, Sol said. The Dawn¡¯s chill was stronger than usual in his ears. They had their chance. Rather than abandon them to the Contract¡¯s, and/or the Shop¡¯s, and/or apparently the damn god¡¯s lack of mercy, Justin shrank his visualization to a few yards behind the other ship¡¯s prow, flexed, and thought Please. When the Chloe¡¯s second web of powah! unlimited powah! blasted out, it vaporized the exposed bow down past the waterline with the steamy flash and SHHHRACKK! of wood being exploded by the hyper-evaporation of its internal moisture. But not the rest of the boat, or the people on it, behind the second shield. Including the potentially. . .not ¡®innocent¡¯; Justin didn¡¯t believe in innocence beyond legal decisions, but he did believe in the ideal of justice. The potentially underserving. Because he chose to believe that at least one person on that craft didn¡¯t deserve to be tortured, possibly to death, by the Chloe¡¯s sithtastic version of tribulation lightning. The other ship naturally stopped as though it had run into a wall of ballistic gel after the mild waves of the Toh hammered into its suddenly open front. The passengers in the front toppled into the water and their shouts changed to cries of alarm. Or we could do that, Sol said. You may regret letting them live. I¡¯m also not about to chri- hallow ¨C my newly Invested home, including its alchemy lab, let alone named as it is, with the blood of the stupid, Justin thought. Like calls to like; once together, always together; principles of correspondence -¡± So it¡¯s not the blood so much as the stupidity? Sol chuckled, and the god¡¯s presence vanished from his mind again. At the same time, the Contract¡¯s Grimoire-form disappeared in a flare of purple fire. Uh, Justin thought, as he skidded down the last few feet of the mast and started pulling off the harness. Now what? "Oi!¡± Pei¡¯s distant voice answered him from beyond the Chloe¡¯s stern. ¡°Slow down, and steady us some lines, you lot!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Tzo said on the heels of Pei¡¯s call, no longer at the helm. Justin assumed the man had put the wheel¡¯s tie on at the last minute, and stepped out to watch the climax. He was shading his eyes as he scrutinized the rest of the pursuing fleet, all but one of which had dropped in speed after the closest ship¡¯s crippling ¨C the exception being the newcomer he had spotted earlier. ¡°I believe that¡¯s Captain Ougo with your hires,¡± he said smugly. Justin looked at Taiko, his eyebrows raised. The old monk immediately got the message, and he glowered sarcastically, his shoulders drooping as he raised three fingers and nodded his head in mock-resignation. Justin said ¡°Yes!¡±, did a fist-pump, and headed for the still-trailing ropes the Utzin crew wanted, waving Taiko over to the starboard promenade to deal with that set. 20 - Billets and Expanses ¡°Do you finally understand now?¡± Inlightened Taiko called down to the cluster of smaller craft tacking behind the Right Here Chloe. Taiko pointed to a young woman hunched over a blistering hand with Lichtenstein marks trailing up her arm. ¡°Stay! Off! This! Ship!¡± he enunciated. ¡°You cannot allow mere workmen aboard a Holy Vessel and yet deny the nobility of Ribe access!¡± some suicidally overconfident female Elder or Priestess or both in the same ship yelled. ¡°Tell the Chloe!¡± Taiko yelled back. ¡°I¡¯m not allowing or denying anybody!¡± He seemed to be especially enjoying himself, so Justin left him to it. His heart had nearly stopped the first time some foolhardy Young-Master-type had leaped some eighty-odd feet through the air to. . not land on the Chloe¡¯s deck. Because a smaller purple bolt from the Investiture point had interrupted him mid-flight, bouncing him back into the water near his start as a limp, briefly smoking lump. Justin didn¡¯t think the brat had been killed, but by then he was all in favor of a more Darwinian approach, and had stopped caring. He¡¯d also taken Sol¡¯s far from subtle ¡®hint¡¯ to heart and had Tzo circle the wallowing, broken Soaring Sunfisher while he and Taiko memorized everything they could about everyone aboard. Or nearby. Just in case, because Deus Vult took on a whole new dictionary of meanings when a god was prone to getting all chatty cathy in your head with his divine DMs. His heart had also nearly stopped the second time some foolhardy not-so-young Master Shipwright type had insisted on climbing aboard, asserting that the Chloe would accept him, and also refusing to allow any of his workers to take the risk first. Justin¡¯s counterpoint that he was blatantly contradicting himself was met with dismissive waves from Pei and Taiko as the latter pushed the rope-and-plank ladder over the gunwale. A few heartbeats later, Pei was rolling over the bulwark to stand up with his arms outstretched in proof. ¡°See! Safe as a babe in his big sister¡¯s arms,¡± he¡¯d said, then paused and looked around while Justin blinked. ¡°When did she get this big -¡± he began, before turning and giving Justin another yet another unnerved look. Justin had given him a gallic whatchagonnado? shrug in return; Pei had mastered himself and turned to lean over the gunwale. ¡°Bunta!¡± he¡¯d said. ¡°Get the winners up, the rest back to work!¡± ¡°Aye, Master Pei,¡± Bunta¡¯s voice had drifted up. ¡°You heard the boss; get aboard, you four.¡± And of course the same events had been repeated in sequence as the Ling Fei ship approached. This time, the interloper had been the Young Mistress with the now-scorched arm, who had danced across the water ahead of Ougo¡¯s skiff and reached out to the ladder before he could arrive. And gotten zapped for her troubles as well, if not quite as hard. Ougo had stolidly obeyed Tzo and climbed safely up without hesitation, followed by his company of one hundred and eight guards in rotation after rotation of the skiff. Justin had given Tzo an astonished look, which the Advocate had answered by detailing the likely tabling of the six squads of eighteen troops apiece, as they spread out across the decks. He anticipated staggered six-hour shifts, with two squads patrolling at a time; four troops each per hull¡¯s end, with four more skulking around in stealth between them, the third and fourth squads on alert reserve, and the fifth and sixth either training, on support duty, or sleeping. And now, according to Pei, they were about halfway back to the Riben bay proper. Justin was off to show Tzo, Ougo, two of his Leads - Sergeants to his English language centers, and several Senior guards aka Corporals likewise - their quarters. Or rather investigate them with the guards, because he still hadn¡¯t been anywhere other than the mainmast and the wheelhouse himself. ¡°Gentlemen and ladies,¡± Justin said, as they approached the ¡°as far as I know ¨C and I am effectively one-hundred-percent confident - there are no Demons on board. However, as with the weather decks you see around you, spaces inside the Chloe have been warped and expanded.¡± ¡°So - like a Shrine, but neither consecrated, nor unhabited?¡± Tzo asked. ¡°Not consecrated to the Stars, I believe, no; and not habited,¡± Justin said. ¡°But I thought it prudent to warn you about it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Prominence;¡± Ougo answered for them. Justin nodded, turned, and opened the double doors to the Chloe¡¯s main-hull Security Quarters, revealing a large, empty standby room, at least thirty feet on a side. Unlit Sunwood tile lanterns with frosted glass dotted the ceiling and walls, and the Leads followed the Seniors in, climbing up on their clasped hands to set them afire with their hands and prayers - the Riben equivalent of lighters. The side doors led to hallways, maybe eighty-foot long, with what Justin had intended to be offices, briefing and interview rooms, and so on along their length; the back door to an even larger recreation room. The side doors from there opened into two more hallways, these shorter and bracketing armories between them as they T-squared into another connected hallway of doors. Justin watched a female Senior open one of those to reveal a pair of empty connected rooms, each with another door in their right-hand walls. They were roughly five hundred square feet in total, with a large, box-walled and -ceilinged veranda almost as wide on their far side. ¡°Ah, here are the quarters,¡± he said. He¡¯d made it a particular point in his mental designs to have these match top-end standard cruise ship suites in their fundamentals. He stepped in and opened the door in the first room. Sinks, cabinets, bidet-toilets, shower, good. ¡°Is that a four-person bath?¡± the Senior said, looking through the other room¡¯s door. ¡°Should be, yeah,¡± Justin said. ¡°I though this were supposed to be the guard¡¯s barracks, Prominence, not passenger suites?¡± she said. ¡°No,¡± Justin said, ¡°these are the barracks. Equipment and training and storage and the like should be on the other side of the hall.¡± ¡°There¡¯s personal utilities like this for each squad¡¯s room?¡± asked a Lead, disbelievingly. Justin looked around. Yes, you could fit three triple-decker bunks in each room and have space left over, especially with the veranda increasing that. ¡°There¡¯s personal utilities like this for each of these four-person rooms,¡± Justin corrected, and the Lead made hrk snork kscht wut? noises. Justin was getting an uneasy feeling. If even just half of that hall¡¯s doors led to suites like this, and they were doubled again to port, the sizes weren¡¯t matching up to his estimates. This was too much, too big. Based on his original layout for a swanky live-aboard luxury cruiser, with detailed venues set at nicely exclusive sizes, plus room for The Plan and its synergistically supporting elements, he¡¯d set a minimum of 150K in his scribbling. But not an upper cap, anticipating messysary alterations and negotiations later. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. This was looking. . .more than double that. A lot more than that. More than an order of magnitude more than that. He squished down a bubble of mad laughter. Maybe, between his modifications and the addition of the Shrine section, just maybe, he¡¯d hit the jackpot. MOAR! ¡°Where¡¯s this platform on the hull?¡± the Senior asked, examining the walled and roofed veranda and the open sea beyond its railing. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing it.¡± ¡°It should be one of those little rectangular slot portholes from that side,¡± Justin said absently, running some new calculations through the back of his mind. He pointed at a small wooden flap sticking out of the center of the ceiling¡¯s edge. ¡°If everything¡¯s working the way it¡¯s supposed to, which seems to be so, you ought to be able to shoot or throw things through it accurately from anywhere on this side, and only need to avoid incoming fire from a patch right there the same size as the porthole. The enchantments will compensate. That¡¯s why you can feel the air from outside across the whole inside.¡± ¡°Oh, Stars preserve us. . .¡± the Senior muttered, looking dazed. ¡°This is going to be the worst duty ever. We¡¯re going to get decimated.¡± ¡°Button that up, Niri!¡± the Sergeant barked. ¡°Sorry, sir; I¡¯ll see that she¡¯s -¡± ¡°Because any duty that starts out this ridiculously well is doomed to a tragic failure of a resolution?¡± Justin interrupted him, grinning at the Senior. ¡°. . .er. . .yes, prominence. . . .¡± Niri admitted quietly, flushing. ¡°I¡¯ve never served, but I¡¯ve represented military and police clients in my previous career as an advocate,¡± Justin told them both. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the humor. Lead, I know better than to interfere with your authority, but I will also say - on the record - that I feel flattered that Senior Niri is willing to joke around in front of me. And yes, the barracks are supposed to be this good. The Chloe¡¯s intended to have visitors, but very few guests, and there are some levels of professionalism you can¡¯t buy. You have to earn them. Same reason why my quarters and yours share the same kitchens and stores, across all three hulls.¡± The Lead and Senior exchanged indeciperable looks. ¡°Anyhoo, anyhaw,¡± Justin said, ¡°I need to go talk to Tzo and Ougo, so I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± The Lead moved out of his way as he returned to the hallway. If the Right Here Chloe¡¯s that big ¨C high-rise big, skyscraper big!? - no, the displacement doesn¡¯t seem to have changed ¨C but that wouldn¡¯t matter? - no, dammit, calm down. If the beans are here, they should be in the starboard stores or processing. And I always intended to reveal the Magic Fountain quickly; magical amplifier or not, it¡¯s still more useful as an immediate cash or credit income source, helping to preserve my Earth wealth reserves, than it would be as a higher-priced exclusive secret. He double-checked his mental list: It¡¯s been less than half a day, he thought. What else? Oh, right; lunch. Lunch should be in there somewhere. Ooh, are ¡®spiky eels¡¯ edible? Automation capacity would be nice to know, but it can wait if necessary. Portraitists and printing too. Move Pei up to main list ahead of barrier questions, add Tzo to entry because Nuti had those documents. Care and feeding of guards! Check stores, add to Item 1. Guards will probably have housewares coming ¨C also Item 1 - and can cook for themselves if necessary. Anything else? Yes - copy communications to Item 1, check with Tzo, clarify with Ougo. Looks good. Let¡¯s go collect those excellent gentlemen. # # # As Taiko, Tzo, and Justin followed Lead Norodo down the promenade to the starboard hull, Ougo bringing up the rear, Justin could practically feel the last man¡¯s studious gaze on his back. He hadn¡¯t the vaguest idea what the guard Captain was thinking. Ougo could be measuring Justin¡¯s head for anything from a noose to a crown. Justin being Justin, he seized the conversational bull by the horns as they stepped onto the Right¡¯s weather deck. ¡°Anything you¡¯d like to ask, Ougo?¡± he said. ¡°Are you trying to seduce my troops?¡± Ougo answered, even more bluntly ignoring both title and name. ¡°No, just earn their best performance,¡± Justin said. ¡°You¡¯ve noticed the sails, the ropes, adjusting themselves? That was part of the. . .package. The deal with Book Smarts- - oh, right, you weren¡¯t here for that. The Right Here Chloe is ¨C huh.¡± He paused to look around. ¡°Yeah, that works,¡± he said. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t think of it sooner. . . .¡± ¡°Three words, three hulls?¡± Taiko said. ¡°The Right -¡± he pointed down, ¡°- the Here -¡± he pointed behind and above them, ¡°- and the Chloe?¡± He pointed straight back. ¡°Exactly,¡± Justin said, gesturing them all forward again. ¡°I thought that was your plan beginning from the stacks,¡± Taiko said as they approached the halfdeck cabin doors, where Norodo was waiting. ¡°No, before the other ¡®left¡¯,¡± Justin said. ¡°I decided on the name long before then. But that¡¯s for another time. Where was I ¨C oh, sorry, Ougo. I apologize for getting off track. Some portion of the Chloe¡¯s necessary services and chores have been automated with skilled enchantments. But I don¡¯t want to trust my honor, let alone my life, to that sort of thing. And while I don¡¯t want your troops to sacrifice themselves for either of those, I do want them to do the best they can to secure them. ¡°One of the things I learned from professional security in my previous career was of the three fastest ways for clients to raise their standing with them, good racks and good grub were second and third. Hence the upper tier housing and the shared kitchen and stores. So for the foreseeable future, I¡¯ll be eating what your troops eat and living like they do. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± ¡°Good speech,¡± Ougu said curtly. ¡°Can¡¯t fault your reasoning.¡± Tzo cleared his throat and when Ougo turned his head, Tzo gave him a look. Ougo¡¯s already military posture stiffened further and he ducked his head. ¡°Yes, Advocate,¡± he said. ¡°Great, good talk, wasting daylight,¡± Justin said, gripping the notches of the halfdeck cabin''s center sliding doors. ¡°Let¡¯s open this up and have a look!¡± 21 - Test Tasting The ¡®Magic Fountain¡¯. As The Plan had formed and solidified, Justin had given serious consideration to swapping that out for the Crystal Ball. Despite his initial, reflexive privacy-wonk distaste for it, the scrying ¨C and as he planned further, the potentially far more valuable grossly unspecified illusion broadcasting aspect ¨C had a synergistic appeal all its own. One that he couldn¡¯t trivially discount. He¡¯d gone back and forth on that choice over and over again, exerting every measure of the case preparation, branching tactical decision skills he¡¯d built up over the years to their maximum. He¡¯d had the time, but not the second chance, he¡¯d figured. There would be no chain of appeals. He had one shot, so he needed to be as precisely on target with it as he could get. In the end, it had come down to the broader applicability and the longer term. As with the yield of the Magic Fountain, he could make money not only scrying for customers as a service - the description said nothing about removing the Crystal Ball from the Shop, only that it was limited to nearby public areas - but also as a potentially planetwide, one-way communications broadcast hub. And that was before adding any possible reply channels using the local magics, physics, whatever, to create a network. But the first required travel and expenses and adjusting each job to the client¡¯s needs, among other drawbacks, and the second required his personal concentration to function. Oh, it could be massively useful, no argument, but it was a single point of failure, and a gigantic time sink, and again he was betting that there were substitutes he could buy or trade for. With, among other assets, the yield from Magic Fountain, which also synergized better with The Plan overall. And which also, since there was no mention of concentration or control or focus in its description, likely didn¡¯t need his attention to function. Money and power almost literally on tap. So he¡¯d stayed with the Magic Fountain. Going by the minimal aesthetic he¡¯d seen aboard the Chloe so far, he hadn¡¯t been expecting a fanciful, overdesigned, thoroughly impractical fantasy-novel-cover gallery containing some kind of multi-level Fontana di Trevi knock-off. But he also hadn¡¯t been expecting a bare, empty room containing a hand-carved-looking stone livestock trough against one wall, with a faint bubbling noise like a cheap and ill-positioned aquarium pump coming from it. ¡°Underwhelming,¡± he said. The Ship¡¯s Security area they¡¯d passed through to reach it, though smaller than those of the Here¡¯s hull, had been more impressive. So had the Lab Stores to the sides of the corridor leading to the Fountain. They¡¯d been stocked, and Justin¡¯s fingers and mind still itched to get in there and find a manifest and start charting an experimental schedule and not now Justin! ¡°Subtle,¡± Taiko said. ¡°Unobtrusive. Inconspicuous. Unnotic -¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Primary Test Subject Taiko; point made!¡± Lead Norodo came back from lighting the Sunlamps in the Lab proper with a basket of vials, her other task. She offered Taiko the container, and he selected one. ¡°Thank you, Lead,¡± Taiko said, moving forward. They all followed him to crowd around the Fountain as he dipped it in for the first tasting. He took a sip and swished it around in his mouth like some sorcerous sommelier before swallowing. ¡°Fresh and sweet, like a good spring,¡± he said, his eyes closed and his body motionless. ¡°It is. . .yes, useful to my cultivation. It contains mana, rather than chi, but does not transfer or transform it. Rather, it consumes it - somehow - in assisting my practice of my Mystery. Fascinating. I can hardly wait for it to be fully expended so that I may try another mouthful with a Sutra.¡± ¡°Prominence?¡± Ougo said. Norodo inhaled. ¡°My duty, Lead,¡± Ougo said, crisply. Norodo stared over his head in the way obedient but disagreeing subordinates apparently shared between universes, and after Justin¡¯s ¡°At your discretion, Captain,¡± she thrust out the basket of vials. Ougo took one, filled it, and drank, also closing his eyes and going motionless. Justin¡¯s awareness of his presence intensified in an inexplicable way. It was as though the man had become more solid, more ineluctably real. Undismissable; unignorable. Some kind of command presence magic? Justin wondered. Good. That''ll do for a first test. ¡°I wonder if you could raise seafood in it,¡± Tzo said. Ougo¡¯s eyes flew open. Everyone else in the room turned to stare at the Advocate. ¡°What?¡± Tzo said, staring back. Not even challengingly; more puzzled, as though they were the strange ones. ¡°I missed lunch. I¡¯m hungry. And never mind the cultivation benefits; imagine the taste!¡± ¡°Ougo, your assesment?¡± Justin said, ignoring Tzo¡¯s interjections. Where Taiko would have made some crack about Tzo and his priorities in response, the no-nonsense Captain stayed on topic. ¡°I agree with Inlightened Taiko. The energy is mana, but extraordinarily purified. I perceive no inherent risk of deviation or corruption that is not already present. It may not even exacerbate such existing deviations.¡± ¡°Then before we discuss pricing, Lady and Gentlemen, it¡¯s time for me to trust you.¡± Taiko pressed his fists up under his chin like a little child overplaying their cuteness card, his eyes round with anticipation, practically vibrating in place. ¡°Your Blessing, Brother? You will reveal it?¡± ¡°Yes, Taiko, and stop that,¡± Justin said. ¡°It¡¯s creepy, you¡¯re a grown man, not a little girl, knock it off!¡± ¡°Yes, Brother,¡± Taiko said, settling down again. ¡°One of the powers the Dawn has given me is an instinctive knowledge of my customer¡¯s desires. As far as I can tell, that hasn¡¯t activated yet, so I suspect that the status of ¡®customer¡¯ is dependent on a completed sale -¡± ¡°Me first!¡± Taiko jumped in. Justin resisted the urge to facepalm. Ever since the Kokyu had been given the opportunity to repeatedly tell the nearby clerical and secular authorities not only to step right the hell off, but where and how as well, backed by the Right Here Chloe¡¯s very definite personal boundaries, he¡¯d turned almost manically playful. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Justin continued, ¡°I haven¡¯t tested it yet, and one of the possibilities I¡¯ve considered is that customer status could be dependent on some kind of established pricing standard.¡± ¡°So you want to explore your Blessing¡¯s limits, benefits, ramifications, and so on before you unintentionally set some kind of. . .contractually official price?¡± Tzo mused, back on professional task again. ¡°Well, there¡¯s one particular prospect I absolutely must confirm as soon as possible,¡± Justin said, ¡°and the Captain¡¯s display a moment ago presents a fortunately good opportunity. So what I actually need you to volunteer for, Taiko, is a brief period of employment.¡± ¡°So you can. . .make yourself a customer?¡± Taiko deduced. ¡°Brilliant, Brother! Let¡¯s try it!¡± Even Ougo was nodding in appreciation. Only Norodo, who was turning out to be the most stone-faced of them all, did not react appreciably. ¡°Yes, but first I want to sell you some Mana Water, just in case there¡¯s some kind of initiatory registration of some kind involved,¡± Justin clarified, taking a vial out of Norodo¡¯s basket, and filling it. Tzo was giving him that look of impressed professional respect again. ¡°Please sell me some Mana Water, Brother!¡± Taiko said, pulling his black fabric money pouch out of his robes. ¡°Certainly, Inlightened Kokyu Taiko. Let¡¯s see,¡± Justin said, counting with his fingers, ¡°Inlightened discount, monastic discount, Kokyu discount, first customer discount, first Inlightened customer discount, first monastic customer discount, first Kokyu discount, first day of business discount, first sale discount, first Mana Water sale discount, first Right hull sale discount. . .uh. . .first name Taiko discount. . .baldness discount, barefoot discount. . .standing on one foot discount. . .¡± Taiko raised his right leg. Justin stared at him for a long, silent moment. Fine, he thought. Feeling playful? I¡¯ll play with you. Let¡¯s see how far we can push this. ¡°. . .little finger up one nostril discount. . . .¡± Taiko stuffed his left pinky up his nose. ¡°. . .making a stupid face discount. . . .¡± Taiko rounded his eyes and stuck out his tongue to one side as if he were a congenital idiot. ¡°. . .being a cocky annoying know-it-all discount. . . .¡± ¡°Dat¡¯z ¡®ine¡¯-¡¯een, ¡®uther!¡± Taiko slurred. All right, enough, Justin thought. Congratulations; you win. ¡°. . .and the disturbingly masochistic submission display discount,¡± Justin said, giving up, ¡°for a total of ten ri, plea ¨C no, wait, I forgot the most important one.¡± Or maybe you don¡¯t? He let his nastiest, evilest No; screw you, Mr. Prosecutor smile crawl across his face. ¡°Only one ri, please, after including. . .the best friend in the world discount.¡± Taiko''s face changed from Oh try me to a softer, more affectionate My compliments; you got me, and then you got me twice. Your win. Naturally, the old monk was able to slip a coin clip out of his pouch and a 1-ri coin off it with one hand and make it look easy. They traded vial and money, and the moment they did, Justin knew that Taiko desired to The least comprehensible desire was a jangled mix of two much lesser ones, and Justin could sense even more chaotic wants roiling and tumbling beneath those. Occasional hints and shadow and outlines of basic drives like food, sleep, lust, evacuation, recognition and other emerged from that subconscious soup only to fall back again into indeterminacy. Justin pushed ¨C flexed ¨C his will, and the uncanny knowledge faded away. ¡°It worked,¡± he said. ¡°Norodo,¡± Ougo said. The Lead stepped forward, folding her belt over and spreading open the flaps of a slit on its inner side to reveal folded sheets of Riben scrip. ¡°Excuse me, Captain?¡± Tzo barked, sounding shocked and nearly outraged. ¡°That is not how the Ling Fei do things! Lead Norodo, you will not obey that clearly illegal order -¡± He stopped as Norodo pulled out a few hundred ri then held up a hand. ¡°Respectfully, Advocate, I have my own reasons, and there was no order. The rest of the troops will make their own decisions; mine is to do this. Prominence, please sell me some Mana Water.¡± Just puffed out an uncertain breath. ¡°Advocate?¡± he asked. ¡°I ¨C if the Lead ¨C Ougo, you had better have a damn good reason for this!¡± ¡°Is that a no objection, Tzo?¡± Tzo looked at Justin, his jaw working. ¡°Yes,¡± he eventually said. ¡°Do as you will.¡± Justin filled a vial, said ¡°Ship¡¯s Security discount, 10 ri,¡± and exchanged it for a Riben sawbuck. ¡°Ah,¡± he said in understanding. ¡°Norodo. . .I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Norodo nodded and stepped back, her face a mask of professional neutrality again. Justin tried concentrating on the experience of know-ing Taiko¡¯s desires. The old monk¡¯s information appeared again, replacing his awareness of Norodo¡¯s single overpowering wish. This time, Taiko¡¯s least discernible desire was something along the lines of help Justin help Norodo jumbled up with find out what Norodo and Ougo are up to. Justin flexed again and Taiko¡¯s desires disappeared from his mind. He concentrated on Norodo and hers reappeared. Check every so often to find out what the effective duration and range are, he reminded himself. He took a deep breath. He wanted to know; he needed to do this, if only for his own peace of mind, but it also frightened him more than anything else he¡¯d faced in recent memory. He deliberately thought about other things than memetic hazard recursion errors and his brains dripping out his ears and said ¡°Taiko, I¡¯ll pay you 10 ri to handle a sale for me.¡± ¡°Deal, Brother!¡± Justin handed Taiko the 10 ri bill he¡¯d just received from Norodo. ¡°Sell me a vial of Mana Water, please,¡± he said. Taiko handed him the vial he¡¯d bought several minutes ago; Justin handed him back the 1-ri coin Taiko had give him in exchange. and a jumble of basic drives below those. Nothing hurt and his brains stayed where they were. ¡°Taiko, you¡¯re fired,¡± Justin said. His own information remained the same. He checked Taiko''s; it replaced his own. Almost done, he thought, pushing Taiko''s desires away and mentally crossing his fingers. ¡°Ougo, would you please exert that technique you used when testing the Mana Water again?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± Ougo said. That same sense of presence pushed at Justin¡¯s attention. He tried to focus on his Customer Sense instead. The others saw his head roll back in relief and the crisp, almost jittery energy he¡¯d been displaying since they met him melt away into relaxation. Thank you, Sol, he thought. I can''t tell you how much this means to me. You¡¯re welcome, the god¡¯s voice breezed through his ears. And you don''t have to; I know. It will take us more of your hours to finish arranging things over here. We might not be done until I rise again tomorrow. And thanks for that as well, and for the notice, Justin thought. You¡¯re triply welcome. Keep up the good work. You too. The god''s presence left him again. Note to self: check with Sol at next opportunity, and categorically before selling anything to gods or Demons and then examining their desires. 22 - Bothering God ¡°Good, next,¡± Justin said. ¡°Taiko, would you please try to desire an exact amount of something between 1 and 1000, as hard as you can?¡± ¡°You genius,¡± Tzo breathed, as quick on the uptake as Taiko for once. ¡°If that works ¨C the ramifications!¡± Both Ougo and Norodo had come to a kind of subtle, quivering, professional attention as well. Justin concentrated on Taiko¡¯s desires: ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± Justin cackled in delight. ¡°Five hundred and sixty seven, yes? Yes?¡± Taiko was staring at him with an amazement that exceeded his reaction at their first meeting like. . .like the full sunrise does the false dawn before it, Justin thought, even more grateful to Sol than he had been a heartbeat before. ¡°Yes,¡± the old monk whispered, almost soundlessly. Norodo stepped forward, her fists clenched. Justin, taking the hint, switched his Customer Sense to her. A moment later he blinked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s quite a ¨C well, no, not my place to judge; you do you, Madam,¡± he said. ¡°Just to confirm, though - eight?¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± Norodo said, her eyes wide. She and Ougo exchanged a glance; he nodded, and she quickstepped towards the door. ¡°One moment, please,¡± Justin called out. ¡°For an initial demonstration, I am pleased beyond words, but there are a few key issues I want to address before we start recruiting and training a communications corps. First, I don¡¯t know if Customer status will expire, or how long it will last if it does; second -¡± Ougo held up a hand to stop him. ¡°I appreciate your concern for my troops, Prominence,¡± he said, ¡°but we will need to acquire such knowledge before we can sensibly discuss release terms with the Ling Fei regardless. Advocate?¡± ¡°Compared to this, the slip is a child¡¯s bauble,¡± Tzo muttered numbly, lost in his distraction. ¡°The military implications ¨C the economics!¡± ¡°Advocate Tzo!¡± Ougo said, louder. ¡°Hmm?¡± Tzo said, looking up, his eyes glazed over. ¡°Do as you think best, Captain,¡± he said. ¡°I trust you explicitly. It was far too late to be having second thoughts about this affiliation when I had you and your company board anyway.¡± He looked at Justin, his attention returning to the present. ¡°I. . .no, we should not ¨C my advice, Prominence, as your Advocate, is that we do not act precipitously in strengthening your ties with the Ling Fei just yet. ¡°Much as I may desire to,¡± he added, flashing a smile. ¡°It would raise suspicions and questions I do not think we wish to awaken. We should let them slumber as long as we can.¡± ¡°I agree, Prominence,¡± Taiko said. ¡°We must be exceedingly careful in revealing this capacity. It is literally revolutionary. In the past, mass revelations from the Celestial Court have been used this way through both the Temples and the Churches, in times of emergency. But we discovered several years after the Court took over the Banks that certain deposits and withdrawals were being denied because those involved were attempting to do something like this with codes. The Gods were not deceived, however, and. . . .¡± His face paled as his voice trailed away, and he stumbled backwards into the wall, then slid to a seated position against it as his legs failed him completely, staring at Justin¡¯s face the entire time. He no longer looked amazed. For the first time, Justin saw genuine fear on the old monk¡¯s face. ¡°. . .not just the Dawn¡¯s ¨C the entire-!¡± His gaze flickered across the others present as he cut himself off. ¡°You might as well tell them, Taiko,¡± Justin said. ¡°I¡¯ll explain what you mean if you don¡¯t want -¡± ¡°N-no, I mean, ye-yes, Prominence,¡± Taiko stuttered. He took a moment to calm himself before speaking again. ¡°Apart from the Dawn, the Prominence is ¨C may be - outside the entire Celestial hierarchy,¡± he explained. ¡°I thought the Dawn meant only His own sphere, but - if the Prominence can do this ¨C the Celestial Court implictly forbade it - but the Dawn would never ¨C so Father Sky at least must have consented ¨C but then. . . .¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I dislike having authority over other people so much, eh?¡± Justin told the room as a whole. ¡°Almost as much as I utterly loathe other people having authority over me. The Dawn was explicit about that, too. I have none. I have to convince people to do things.¡± ¡°I believe you,¡± Tzo said, also looking shaken to his core. ¡°And yes, that is a good thing, and a tremendous relief.¡± ¡°You ¨C don¡¯t even answer ¨C to Father Sky!?¡± Ougo gasped. ¡°Oh, I probably would,¡± Justin said. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just as a favor to the Dawn, who¡¯s like my number two guy right now -¡± ¡°That is not funny!¡± Taiko suddenly shouted. ¡°Do not say such things!¡± ¡°All right, fine, calm down, you¡¯re my number two, chill out,¡± Justin said, patting at the air. ¡°I apologize. I¡¯m sorry I gave you precedence over the Dawn, and I promise I won¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°You had better not,¡± Taiko growled, glaring at him, before he remembered what he¡¯d just discovered, and said, in a much less peremptory tone, ¡°Prom- er, that is, Brother. Uh ¨C please.¡± ¡°I gave you my word, Taiko,¡± Justin said mildly. ¡°I do respect some limits.¡± Respect, yes, he thought to himself. Obey? That¡¯s another thing entirely. ¡°Prominence?¡± Norodo said by the door out. ¡°Captain?¡± Justin said. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Advocate?¡± Ougo said, blatantly passing the ri. Justin saw the temptation to say Kyoku? pass behind Tzo¡¯s eyes before the man extended a hand in acquiescence, saying ¡°Prominence.¡± ¡°Brad, Rocky, unh!, go, Norodo,¡± Justin said, noticing as he did that the names translated perfectly. None of them would get the RHPS reference, but he couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°Next is pricing. Your thoughts, gentlemen?¡± ¡°Not less than a thousand ri per ounce, Brother,¡± Taiko said, ¡°and if you wish to use sales to estab- no, I will be honest, deceitfullly implant an effectively undisclosed pseudo-intelligence network - I suggest a single ounce purchase per customer per. . .hmm, month limit. ¡°The price is severely on the low side for the potential value,¡± Tzo said, ¡°but that could have its advantages. I do concur with and recommend the Kokyu¡¯s limit as well, intelligence gathering or not.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ougo said, stroking his jaw and looking upwards. ¡°The price is almost low enough to arouse suspicions among the wary of a hidden benefit to you , but not quite. And if you ¨C or maybe better Kyoku Taiko ¨C were to make charitable donations to the deserving through the Temples, that would reduce their numbers to the most wary.¡± ¡°I¡¯d planned to, and they¡¯d suspect anyway?¡± Justin asked. Ougo nodded once. ¡°All right, let¡¯s see. . .¡± Justin said, eyeing the Fountain. ¡°Approximately three hundred gallons, Prominence,¡± Ougo said, which Justin¡¯s head translated into 1400 liters. Ounces to grams; divide; times a thousand. . . . ¡°Fifty - million - ri?¡± Justin spat out. Now it was his turn to boggle. That was a factor of a hundred times his original best hope. Probably more that the market could bear. ¡°Perhaps a tenth less,¡± Tzo said, ¡°but nevertheless far more than the entire local population could afford to purchase in a year, the High Court included. However, if it ships well, without losing potency. . .yes, if you had your own - trustworthy - agents, you could clear that much, mmm, quarterly, once you had a reliable supply chain established.¡± ¡°I guess I can stop worrying about funding in the near future,¡± Justin said dazedly, adding a footnote to his mental list entry about investors. ¡°I think you can stop worrying about funding forever, Brother,¡± Taiko said. Ha, you have no idea what kind of funds I may need, Justin almost said in his astonishment. Only his years of experience as an attorney kept his mouth reflexively shut, by habit. ¡°Taiko, what do I want?¡± Justin said, moving automatically to the next item on his current roster while he tried to recover his composure. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Brother; as soon as you fired me, I could no longer sense your desires.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Justin said. ¡°Have to test that too. . .not now, though. Next should be. . .oh, yes, the seeds. The seeds! Back to the Stores, gentlemen!¡± # # # The vanilla, cocoa, and coffee beans were fine, fresh and healthily colored; mostly green, but some browns and red among the cacao pods. And also plentiful. Sacks were piled high and strapped down with rope on pallets in their respective sections of the warehouse-like stores. Justin did some more fast math, concluding there was enough to supply the Shop¡¯s estimated average customer base for a month, as agreed. And he didn¡¯t even need to do sampling ¨C the varieties were conveniently labeled. Not only were there a dizzying array of coffees, but a plentiful amount of Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario pods, and vanilla planifola, tahitiensis, and pompona. None of them useful until after the drying, roasting, processing, etc. involved. But that was fine too. ¡°Brother,¡± Taiko said hesitantly, looking at the rows of pallets, ¡°this is many, many times more than I anticipated, when I said -¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Justin assured him. ¡°We¡¯ll work it out. The important thing is to get a broad selection stowed in the Temples before Dawn tomorrow. Probably another reason why he gave me that estimate. Such a bro he¡¯s turning out to be! I gotta do something else nice for the guy.¡± Taiko was mostly back to taking Justin¡¯s distressingly familiar attitude towards the god in stride, but that example of it made all three of the other men twitch, flinch or shudder. ¡°What?¡± said Justin. ¡°He is! Wouldn¡¯t it be ruder for me to not acknowledge it?¡± He wasn¡¯t even joking. So far, Sol had been an absolute mensch among menschen. The others exchanged glances easily interpretable as variations on No, I can¡¯t believe him either. Justin let it pass. He had the feeling his casual camaraderie with Sol was something the god enjoyed for its rarity as much as its eccentricity - maybe even more - and could stand to have some more of, but the others¡¯ relationship with their actual, no-kidding, utility-service-provider of a deity was also about as personal as personal business could get. An issue with the Customer comms occurred to him, and he used it to change the subject. ¡°Timekeeping ¨C scheduled checks - is going to be a significant effectiveness multiplier with the network if we can arrange it. Do we have means for that?¡± He tried to say watches, then clocks, but the translation failed both times. ¡°We don¡¯t have ¨C mechanical means of marking time?¡± he asked, talking around the problem. ¡°No, why?¡± Tzo said, puzzled. ¡°One simply prays to Father ¨C no don¡¯t!¡± he ended on what could only be called a scream of protest. ¡°Yo, Big Daddy! Can I get a hours-minutes check here, please?¡± Justin said - because Justin - while trying to recreate his mindset when intentionally reaching out to Sol. . AT THE TONE, THE TIME WILL BE 1:31 AND ZERO SECONDS. Sky Father¡¯s voice needed to be that large and powerful, to be heard in the planetary emptiness in Justin¡¯s mind that framed it. It was also freezingly, bitingly cold, and Justin could somehow sense it absorbing an incalculable amount of Sol¡¯s presence. Then there was a combined rising-falling sound, similar to the old THX pre-movie sound effect, and as its volume ramped up in his head, louder, and louder, and louder, Justin had just enough time to think ohhhhh ssshh- - before it cut off and he heard the tone. He sat ¨C dropped, more accurately - onto a empty space on the shelving nearby, speechless. ¡°Jusutin!?¡± Taiko cried, leaping forward and gripping his shoulders. ¡°Jusutin! Can you hear -¡± Justin facepalmed with one hand and reached up to pat one of Taiko¡¯s with the other as he began laughing helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C hahaa! I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m okay, Taiko ¨C he ahaahahahaaa! He just ¨C just ¨C ahahaha! I see where, where, Sol gets his humor from, or at least some ¨C ahahaha! Man, he got me good! He really nailed me!¡± Tzo was clutching his chest. ¡°Jasutin,¡± he said, before pausing to gather himself, ¡°Jasutin ¨C you are going to be the death of me.¡± Ougo was fractionally shaking his head from side to side in astounded awe. ¡°You must have the biggest stones of any man I¡¯ve ever met,¡± he said. ¡°Of any man in the world. Of any man in the history of the world. Or even in the world to come. Even my grandfather would never dare. . .you surpass my ability to. . . .¡± he trailed off, his head finally stilling. Justin got himself under control, let go of Taiko¡¯s hand, stopped palming his face, and tried to stand up. Taiko pressed him down. ¡°Jusutin,¡± he said, his voice shaking. ¡°You must not ¨C even you must not -¡± ¡°Aaah, calm down, Taiko,¡± Justin said. ¡°The big guy wouldn¡¯t have pranked me if he was upset. Come on, let me up, there¡¯s still a lot to do today.¡± He took looked the monk straight in the eyes and said, ¡°We¡¯re wasting time.¡± Taiko stepped back so quickly he almost fell over. ¡°Right!¡± Justin said, popping up. ¡°So, if we¡¯re going to do distance comm checks, that means I¡¯ll have to leave ¨C was planning to anyways; gotta do that beans transport, get some troops in here for that, please, Ougo? And I need to speak with Pei about the Chloe¡¯s construction and weight ¨C did Nuti pass you the docs, Tzo? Good! So while all that is being arranged, I need to figure out if I can get some personal offense-defense options set up before I leave, which means searching my new Alchemy and Spellcraft knowledge, so I¡¯m heading up to the Lab next, since it¡¯s closest. Onwards!¡± 23 - Laborator Achiever In contrast to the Mana Fountain, the Right¡¯s huge, two-story atrium Alchemy Lab was vastly superior to Justin¡¯s expectations. Both floors of the bow wall were covered in apothecary¡¯s cubbies, drawers, and cabinets like Taiko¡¯s office had been, all labeled and presumably stocked ¨C Justin had pulled a few open to check. The port and starboard walls closest to them each had, at a guess, equipment cabinets on both floors, with washing stations taking up the farther halves on the bottom. The center was divided in half by three large double-sided blackboards suspended from a brass ¨C probably naval ¨C theater rigging grid attached to the ceiling¡¯s fly loft, along with Sunwood chandeliers and lanterns of the same material. Thanks to the banks of unshuttered windows composing most of the stern wall, there was no need to light them as yet. Two long tables with grey stone tops ran parallel to the blackboards on each side, above an odd looping pattern of brass tracks on the floor. On the starboard side of the room there were three rows of three large square tables, each topped with a 2x2 checkerboard of white and black stone, over granite pedestals. Intriguingly, those were locked into place with seesaw levers at foot level, over what looked like three sets of the brass rails inset into the floor, like smaller versions of what urban trolleys used. Justin followed them with his eyes to the solid partitions between the windows on the starboard wall, where the tracks turned vertical, climbing to the ceiling. Justin¡¯s eyes tracked to the chains, pulleys, and handled wheels on that wall to either side of each, and he muttered, ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me,¡± under his breath. ¡°Brother?¡± Taiko said. He continued to almost hover over Justin, like a mother unprepared for her child¡¯s sudden combination of the ability to walk with their gross ignorance of environmental dangers. . .and even more unsure how to handle it herself, both emotionally and practically. ¡°Come help me with this,¡± Justin said, moving to the nearest vertical rails. Yes, there were the locking pins at the floor, and next to them vertical bars ¨C also yes, geared at the bottom, connected to handled wheels at waist height. Justin looked up. More locking pins, these synched to gearing at the top of the bars. He kicked free the lower locking pins, and spun the wheels attached to the bars, which pulled out the pins above. ¡°Grab that wheel and start turning when I do,¡± Justin said. Taiko took position, gripping the handle. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Taiko said. ¡°Are the tables supposed to. . .attach to the walls? And be raise ¨C oh by the Dawn -¡± Justin had planted his foot on the wall and pushed as he started spinning his own wheel. The top of the wall, a good twenty feet up, cracked free of the hull and began folding outwards from the base. As it lowered, the effort needed to spin the wheels increased slightly, and a thin set of railings and banister began rising diagonally out of either side. Then, once the platform it was becoming had passed the 45-degree angle, the strength needed became even greater, as a further matryoshka extension inside the wall began extending outward as well. ¡°Whoa, this is way too cool!¡± Justin enthused. ¡°It must be for tests and ingredients and concoctions requiring direct sun and moon and starlight! Kick the tables free, roll ¡®em on out and in again as needed. Neat! What do you think, Taiko? About ten rods -¡± thirty feet ¡°- long?¡± Something heavy clonk!ed into place below as the fully extended platform reached horizontal. Justin crouched down to peer underneath and see supporting buttresses locked in place and the shallow channel in the hull below up from which they had been drawn as the platform descended. Super cool! he thought. Dad would have loved this! ¡°What in the Stars is that!?¡± came the voice of the Right¡¯s helmswoman from above. ¡°Nothing like that was ever installed ¨C where ¨C how -¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good!¡± Justin shouted up. He trotted out onto the platform ¨C which felt solid as a rock, no flex whatsoever ¨C and turned to wave up at her ¨C Bari, right. ¡°Post-investiture modifications, Bari, courtesy of the Dawn and Book Smarts!¡± ¡°Er ¨C yes ¨C Prominence -¡± the woman said. ¡°Ah, thank you for explaining?¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome! ¡®Scuse me now, I need to get familiar with everything else woohoo!,¡± Justin said, returning inside. ¡°And those?¡± Taiko said, pointing at two enclosed, separate structures occupying the center of the port side of the room, like small temporary buildings. ¡°Armored brewing stations, I¡¯d guess,¡± Justin said. ¡°Alchemy explodes sometimes, right?¡± It certainly did in. . .those. . .xianxia novels. ¡°It is ¨C not unknown -¡± Taiko said, getting somewhat wild-eyed again at the prospect of yet another tangible, and worse, probably approaching risk to his god-given charge. ¡°Ju- Brother,¡± he said, ¡°may I ask ¨C must you hurry so? Are there reasons for your. . .haste?¡± Justin found it both amusing and admirable how the old monk could condense the emotional sense of ¡®your damnfool recklessness verging on the pathological¡¯ into the pronunciation of one single-syllable word. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Contract¡¯s going to throw at me when It and the Dawn get back from working out whatever it is they¡¯re doing wherever it is they are,¡± Justin said, shrugging. ¡°And we both know the moment I get far enough away from the Chloe I¡¯ll have to defend myself. Which reminds me; we need to strategize with Tzo about my legal standing before that happens.¡± He added another note to his list. ¡°But, that said, I take your point,¡± Justin continued. ¡°I¡¯ve ¨C we¡¯ve, sorry ¨C gotten most of the time-critical things on my schedule done. We¡¯ve completed So- ah, the Dawn¡¯s instructions, so all that¡¯s left is getting the seed stocks into storage. If you think we can get that done today -¡± Taiko¡¯s almost frantic nods of agreement at the prospect of slowing Justin¡¯s roll made him smile, ¡°- then yeah, you¡¯re right. I know there was an objective reason beyond that, though. . .oh! Right, I didn¡¯t want to take up too much more of Pei and his people¡¯s time -¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a concern, Prominence,¡± Pei¡¯s voice came to them from the second floor balcony. They looked up to see the Master Shipwright leaning on the banister above. ¡°After that display of the Dawn¡¯s favor earlier, I had folks arguing over who got to stay and advise you and yours. Look, I¡¯ll say it all, laid straight and knotless; I was uncomfortable about sailing on the Or- your Chloe ¨C for the reputational risks more than the impiety. ¡°At first I thought you were some absurdly rich tourist brat spending his parent¡¯s money, who¡¯d bought the Church into finally closing the Chloe¡¯s books at a profit. Never would¡¯ve thought the Dawn might¡¯ve tapped you for a Prominence, or the Chloe for your. . .uh, Kyoku?¡± ¡°Hmmm. . .I don¡¯t recall any formal classifications ¨C there have been so few Prominences, after all. Kilari¡¯s farmhouse on her Peak is considered a Sanctum now, but -¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Home, gentlemen,¡± Justin said. He recalled how much easier it had been to think about, about, literary preferences, a moment ago, and gave it a try: ¡°Chloe is my. . .home.¡± He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. For once, saying something like that, with its personal double meaning, wasn¡¯t anywhere near as agonizing as it usually was. Bad, but not ¨C disabling, as it had been. There was no hitch in his awareness, no need to repress his pain. That was. . .not funny, not odd ¨C abrupt. He¡¯d never say it was too soon; suffering was no honor, but to recover this far this quickly, after only one breakdown into grief. . . . . .oh. That¡¯s not why ¨C or not all of why; I¡¯m sure it helped, but ¨C it¡¯s because I¡¯m finally making progress. The Plan is in motion, and it¡¯s working. That¡¯s got to be it. Something deep inside him - some twisted, furious, raging tangle of loss and hurt and anger - unsnarled a little further as he consciously acknowledged that. He opened his eyes. Pei and Tzo were politely looking away from his blind display of ¨C whatever had crossed his face while he was thinking privately. Only Taiko was still watching him, a curious mix of sympathy and ¨C was that recognition in the old monk¡¯s eyes? Something for another time. Dinner. Justin didn¡¯t have many positive triggers. Honesty like Pei¡¯s, though, was definitely one of them, and he decided to reciprocate. After all they¡¯d done for him already, Taiko and Tzo had more than earned that respect and trust, too. And more practically, it was a great opportunity to shut down any possible plans of theirs to hook him up with someone, which was and likely always would be one of his biggest negative ones. ¡°Chloe is my dead wife,¡± he said, ¡°and ¡®right here, Chloe¡¯ were my last words to her.¡± He caught the flicker of unease returning to Taiko¡¯s expression, and held up a hand. ¡°Taiko, I know better than to try and resurrect her. Almost every legend and myth and even story I¡¯ve heard all uniformly make it clear that it would be self-destructive madness. We even made a deal together; I- ¡± he swallowed, ¡°I promised her I wouldn¡¯t.¡± . . .and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ready to hear about her end of that deal yet, he thought, so I¡¯ll keep it to myself for now. . . . ¡°I won¡¯t marry again, gentlemen,¡± he continued. ¡°Or court, or take a lover. All this,¡± he swung an arm around, indicating the entire thousands-of-square-feet Alchemy teaching and multi-user lab he¡¯d specified in his Contractual Addendums, ¡°is primarily because cures were the one specific Alchemical product named when I was offered this deal. Possible external market pressure aside ¨C and I still don¡¯t know how rare such things are ¨C from a personal moral and ethical standpoint, I didn¡¯t want to be the sole bottleneck to providing them.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re the fastest way to raise your standing with your security,¡± Ougo rumbled from the ground floor doorway. ¡°That too,¡± Justin said, nodding. ¡°I tend towards the view that practicality is a hallmark of virtue.¡± Ougo returned him a short head-bob of agreement. ¡°So! Pei, anything else, before I interrupted you?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Was only going to say how a Prominence hasn¡¯t appeared in centuries, and you¡¯re barely man-high and a foreigner on top of it.¡± Justin felt a touch flattered that the no-nonsense Shipwright hadn¡¯t bothered to add no offense or something similar to his characterizations. ¡°I suppose I should make it clear that I¡¯m a Xenopote too,¡± Justin replied, gesturing at the Lab again and bracing himself. But only Pei reacted visibly, and it was only to lean down to rest his forehead on the banister as he laughed. ¡°A Voidspawn Prominence!? Ohohohoho! That explains a few more things!¡± Pei chortled. ¡°Including why so many of the young pride of the Church are out there in force,¡± Ougo said. ¡°The embroidery alone for your defeat or capture is an irresistible prize.¡± ¡°Then all the more reason to get brewy,¡± Justin said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together, much as Pei had at their first meeting. The main difference this time was the manic mad scientist grin spreading across Justin¡¯s face. ¡°Ougo, is there anyone with Alchemical experience among your troops?¡± ¡°Several. Norodo is the best,¡± Ougo said. ¡°Though her skills are secondary to her position as our chief chiurgeon.¡± ¡°Well, with your permission, let¡¯s get them all in here and cracking away at this. Those seeds I was poking at earlier? Void materials, from my previous home. Not a patch on -¡± he halted, as the translator failed again, ¡°- uh, painter¡¯s-brush mold broth filtrate, yikes, for medical value ¨C but I think there¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll be Alchemically potent.¡± ¡°I have some familiarity with the craft as well, Brother,¡± Taiko said proudly, ¡°and yes, ¡®Void materials¡¯ as you put it are highly likely to have great potency, and not just in Alchemical terms.¡± ¡°Good; that gives us two team heads for testing. First item I want researched is the Fountain water: minimum amount needed for enhancement; maximum amount applicable to an effect; ratios thereby -¡± - Taiko had his scroll out and was writing it all down as quickly as Justin was rattling off his list - ¡°- what kinds of effects can be enhanced; how many kinds at a time; ratios for that; can enhancement choices be pre-installed by will or other means. . .oh, and practical testing should focus as exclusively as possible on cures, sleep or disabling poisons - particularly exhalational and if possible diaphoreinic - and specific antitoxins to those for that sweet parallel development synergy. After that, the beans inside the {coffee} -¡± huh, there were no words close enough in Riben, and more importantly, he could use English here; very good to have that confirmed, ¡°- cherries and the {cacao} pods, with an initial eye towards speed enhancement for the former and general health and overall improvement for the latter.¡± ¡°Elemental interaction should be a primary priority also, Brother,¡± Taiko said, and as Justin grasped the meaning of the words, the Alchemical knowledge he¡¯d been promised began to unfold within him. Alchemy, as practiced in this world, followed the cyclical generative-restrictive Chinese elements model: Wood fed Fire, which created Earth, which produced Metal, which gathered Water, which grew Wood, and so on. Likewise, Water put out Fire, which melted Metal, which cut Wood, which separated Earth, which absorbed Water. Alchemical ingredients had varying amounts of varying affinities with these elements, which were further complicated by their purity, age, processing, contamination. . .a dizzying array of characteristics. These in turn fed into a complicated chain of interactions involving containers, orders of introduction, timing, heat, pressure, solubles, catalysts; the insertion of personal or extraneous mana or chi, which ¨C along with other reactions - could be affected by willpower, incantations, formations ¨C - but not, Justin noticed, grabbing onto the absence like an infophile clutching a rock in a stream of data trying to sweep them away ¨C music. Oh, there was rhythm, and tonal chants, but nothing really melodic was used ¨C not even chords. Guessed it, he thought. Not triumphantly; not yet; whether its absence in the craft was oversight or irrelevance had yet to be determined. But if it was the former, or a similar reason, then he might have another ace ¨C no, hundreds of decks of aces! to leverage both his new skillsets with. ¡°Brother?¡± Taiko asked, sounding concerned. ¡°Sorry! All good here, I got overwhelmed by finding out how complex Alchemy is. Master Pei?¡± ¡°Aye, Prominence?¡± ¡°Would it be possible to do some private designing for me? As in completely secret privacy?¡± ¡°For the right price, yes,¡± Pei said. The interest in his voice suggested the price might be a lot less dear than otherwise. ¡°Oh, Master Pei,¡± Tzo said, cheerily, ¡°I can absolutely assure you, price will never be an object for our Prominence. Heheheheh.¡± ¡°Normally an Advocate laughing like that about money would send me straight out the door,¡± Pei riposted, ¡°but I¡¯m listening." ¡°If one had the means to physically lift one of the Chloe¡¯s hulls with a contained pulling or pushing force, and then impart motive force to it while elevated, what kind of attachments or cradles would be necessary to do so safely and successfully?¡± Pei whistled, while Ougo came to that quivering professional attention again. ¡°Flight?¡± Tzo whispered. ¡°I¡¯d. . .have to think on it a while, Prominence,¡± Pei said, his voice distant as he began considering the idea. ¡°No idea how the Celestial Palaces get around, but. . . .¡± ¡°No rush. I just wanted to raise the topic and get on your schedule.¡± ¡°Long past done that,¡± Pei said. ¡°Glad to hear it. Taiko, please start transferring the Fountain water and setting up for the testing, and be ready to hear music out of nowhere. Ougo, Tzo, if you would accompany me back to the Security section? That¡¯s where I put the master audio controls, and it¡¯s time to check those out.¡± 24 - Craft Funk The volume was set to a reasonable level, and the Here¡¯s master control was gating the Right¡¯s input to all three hulls. ¡°First monosource shipwide audio check,¡± Justin¡¯s excited voice called out, ¡°in 3! 2! 1!¡± Justin had semi-specified ¨C in the limited space available to describe his Transform selection ¨C a ship¡¯s sound system as comparable in quality to a modern Earth cruiser¡¯s as possible, secondary to remaining compatible with cutting-edge Eternian transmission and data systems. Which were then sub-ranked by reliability, repairability, upgradeability, and durability, in that order, and most importantly of all, capable of reproducibly storing every bit of data he brought with him. He might have lost all the uplift data that wasn¡¯t in his head ¨C the retention of the latter which his self-check upon exposure to Sunwood¡¯s qualities had shown earlier ¨C but he was far from disappointed. The troops detailed to assist had to run back and forth between Right and Here, and later Chloe a few times to get it all worked out, but after ten minutes or so the system was up and running. And Justin could not be happier about it, particularly the storage. The security areas had dedicated comm rooms with high-security cabinet racks holding hundreds of bank-style jade slips, under consoles with multiple jade plates on top like the one Taiko had used to take Justin¡¯s bank deposit. One of which, in each hull¡¯s comm room, that had a slot in its side matching the USB-C connectors for flash microdrive dongles. Like the ones his Upcoat used for zipper pulls over its internal and external pockets. One at each zipper¡¯s end, of course, because who knew when you might want to open a pocket from the other side? It could happen. ¡°Nyaahahahahaaa!¡± Justin cackled, this time in the triumph he¡¯d denied himself in the Lab, as the plate¡¯s readout confirmed the download of Down To The Bone¡¯s Gotta Get Back To You onto the jade slip, and started on Cafe Music BGM¡¯s jazz cover of A Town With An Ocean View. He stepped back and bopped out a few neoswing steps in celebration. The two troops on duty watched him, looking bemused, over some other emotion he couldn¡¯t identify. Let¡¯s see, he thought, tabbing back into the Complete Discography list on his Gram-tek Hardpad 9001. Should pick a song for testing I¡¯ll want to use for concocting too. . .Tuff Enuff? Maybe; star it. . .what else. . .speed is important. . .strength. . .general enhancement? Songs about being, mmm, better? Nothing was coming to mind so he started typing ¡®better¡¯ into the search window. By the time he reached the second ¡®t¡¯, the autocomplete gave him the answer. Yeah, that¡¯s. . .that¡¯s perfect. It¡¯s even on the pad¡¯s drive already. Back to the lab, Igor! # # # Ougo met and stopped him in the hallway outside. ¡°At Kokyu Taiko¡¯s direction, two pallets each of your nine raw seed varietals have been staged for transport, Prominence,¡± the Captain said. ¡°He, Master Pei, and I need your decision on their destination once the Kokyu has briefed you on the options. Master Pei has halted our movement until then, also to reduce disturbances to the Lab. Lead Norodo and all six of my other Alchemically experienced troops are working there -¡± Down the hallway behind him, Niri, the Senior from the initial security quarters exploration, turned a corner, muttering to her companion, ¡°- you boys just don¡¯t understand -¡± and stopped in place, paling, as she saw Justin past her Captain. ¡°Prominence. Captain.¡± she said, straightening up in rigidity. ¡°Carry on, you two,¡± Ougo said, without looking over his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t understand what, Senior Niri?¡± Justin asked. Ougo gave him a resigned must you? look and said, ¡°Hold there. Answer the client, Senior.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¨C not a,¡± she nervously licked her lip, ¡°pervert, right, Sir?¡± ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Justin said. ¡°Why would you ¨C wait, is this about the ¨C dammit ¨C lavatory spray bowls ¨C in the washrooms?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Niri said. ¡°Good god, no,¡± Justin said, shocked into using the g-word, which he¡¯d been deliberately avoiding out of respect for Sol¡¯s time and attention. After a moment¡¯s thought, however, he could sort-of-kind-of understand how some of the troops might think that. ¡°No, I just like being clean and, and healthy! They¡¯re not for ¨C prurient ¨C use!¡± Note to self: check on ship¡¯s boiler fuel; probably Sunwood, cut for the most likely repair needs? I would have. Niri gave her companion a see? told you look that was less than a glare, but more than a chiding. ¡°Anything else?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Oh, one thing about them; best practice is not to use them for, er, internal feminine cleansing, if you take my meaning?¡± ¡°Yes, I mean, uh, no, sir;¡± Niri said, blushing. ¡°Uh, with your permission, Prominence, Captain?¡± Justin quickly nodded at Ougo, who said, ¡°Next duties, troops.¡± ¡°Senior Niri?¡± one of the troops in the comm room called. ¡°We¡¯ve got a question?¡± ¡°Coming, Jaro,¡± she said, advancing down the hall, her abashed junior trailing behind her. Justin and Ougo had almost reached the same corner when she popped out again. ¡°Prominence?¡± she said. ¡°Yes?¡± Justin replied, stopping and turning to look. Ougo¡¯s jaw tensed, then relaxed. ¡°I, uh, I mean, uh, we, that is. . . .¡± ¡°Say it or swallow it, Niri!¡± Ougo barked. ¡°Couldyouteachussomedancemovessometime?¡± Niri said in a breathless rush. Ougo¡¯s jaw tensed, and this time stayed that way. Justin laughed. Haha! That came out of nowhere, he thought. ¡°With the Captain¡¯s permission, sure. I¡¯ll add it to my schedule. Might not be for a few days, but yes, I¡¯d like that too.¡± ¡°Thank you / Many thanks, Prominence!¡± Niri said, in chorus with the unseen troops in the comm room. Ougo accompanied Justin farther up the corridor towards the doors. When Justin felt they were far enough out of earshot, he slowed and leaned in closer to Ougo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know; I¡¯m horribly prejudicial to discipline,¡± he said quietly, ¡°and I agree that¡¯s a bad thing, without qualification. Please believe me, Captain; I don¡¯t have any idealistic delusions about ¡®liberating¡¯ or ¡®improving¡¯ your troops. I recognize that discipline is essential not only to their duty but their honor. And I¡¯m not about to claim that being ¡®right¡¯ about contradicting your orders by questioning Niri justifies my doing so, either.¡± Ougo stopped, put one hand on his hip, and scratched the side of his head with the other. ¡°The Advocate tried to warn me about you,¡± he said, his tension dissipating. ¡°At length. I should have taken him more seriously. I thought it was his concerns about the potential political fallout. Ha. No, he meant you, all on your own. You¡¯d still be a wild wave of chaos without the Dawn¡¯s favor, wouldn¡¯t you? Never mind; don¡¯t answer that. Just tell me this, Prominence ¨C if you can ¨C what is your goal? Why are you doing. . .¡± he gestured at the ship around them, as a stand-in for everything else, ¡°. . .all this?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you everything yet,¡± Justin said, ¡°but I can tell you ¨C with an informed guess at your primary concern - that I want a stable, secure Ribe for decades to come ¨C perhaps centuries. One that¡¯s as safe and stable for raising children as I can make it. And that through the Dawn, the miraculous is already within my grasp, and that list of customers has only three names on it, at most. And Taiko will keep refusing his second place position until I force it down his damn throat with a forked stick like a goose being stuffed for pate. Will that do, for the time being?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Ougo¡¯s face had gone shuttered and blank at Justin¡¯s mention of children. ¡°So you will tempt me now, as well?¡± he said. ¡°I said I¡¯d see what I could do,¡± Justin answered. ¡°In fact, give me a moment while I check something.¡± He closed his eyes, focused on Sol¡¯s presence, and thought, Sol, sorry to interrupt; can you spare me a minute? Always, Sol¡¯s voice breezed through his mind. First question: is it possible for us to separate the hulls yet? Now that you¡¯ve warned us it might happen, yes. And rejoin them, as you please. Great! Second, can I have an estimate on how soon I¡¯ll have accumulated enough mana to grant a wish? You have enough for two and most of what¡¯s needed for your third. Excuse the crap out of happened when how? Justin thought in scattered confusion, his gast thoroughly flabbered. You accumulated enough for your first in your transition here, and then - even if you didn¡¯t sing it yourself -you dedicated a beautiful new hymn from beyond the Void to me when you invested the Shop¡¯s power. Thank you for that. I love it. It¡¯s going to be wildly popular by the next Solstice, by the way. Uh, Justin thought. You¡¯re welcome? I. . .yes, I suppose that was my intention. . . . And you weren¡¯t thinking at all about earning a reward, either. You simply wanted to show me your sincere appreciation. Filling your dedicated Minor Wish reserve is less than the least I should do in return. Also, they¡¯re technically that, not Miracles. The distinction matters. Uhn. Okay. Uhh. . . . Next, a Minor Wish on its own, even one as intensified as you correctly deduced yours to be earlier, is still - albeit barely - insufficient to grant Norodo¡¯s chief desire on its own. And no, they don¡¯t stack. You can¡¯t use a Minor Wish to ¨C no, Justin; nor two, or more, either ¨C enhance another. Last, you were going to ask me about the upcoming conflict. As with Tomu, do as you see fit. I trust your judgment. Must get back to It, but feel free to contact me again whenever. I¡¯m always here for you. Thanks, Sol, Justin thought humbly. The god¡¯s presence vanished from his awareness and he opened his eyes. Ougo was patiently watching him with one raised eyebrow, his hands now clasped behind him. ¡°I should be able to grant Norodo her Minor Wish by the end of the month, if not sooner,¡± Justin said. ¡°Good thing she already knows some Alchemy; that should help. Or in another couple of weeks, at the latest, should I have to pull out a couple of last resorts in the immediate-to-near future.¡± Ougo stared at him. ¡°You can grant -¡± he began, then ¡°- no. Of course you can. Why not another outrageous ¨C ah. I see. That¡¯s your ¡®couple of last resorts¡¯.¡± With great effort, Justin kept himself from baring his teeth in savage anticipation. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m less opposed to your entering combat directly now. You¡¯d jump in to protect your security -¡± what could have been a sneer was flavored only by the return of Ougo¡¯s earlier resignation ¡°- regardless of my preferences, wouldn¡¯t you. With that kind of power in your hands, my troops are better off knowing ahead of time that you¡¯ll be on the field than being surprised by it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad we could come to an understanding, Captain,¡± Justin said. ¡°Why is it good for Norodo to know Alchemy?¡± Ougo asked, as they started up the hall again. ¡°I would be surprised if a. . .physical restoration potion that one crafted oneself, or helped to craft, did not work better because of it.¡± ¡°Tempter,¡± Ougo growled darkly beside him, not sounding entirely serious about it. He stepped in front of Justin, blocking him, before sliding one of the doors open and scanning the deck. ¡°But not really though?¡± Justin said, after Ougo had waved him forward, and they were climbing the stairs to the quarterdeck. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not leading anybody into anything bad, and it¡¯ll be a straightforward cash transaction, no debts or favors involved, and I¡¯m not gonna soak her on the price, and. . . .¡± # # # ¡°No. Never mind the Furnace; you would explode,¡± Taiko told Justin in flat denial. The rest of the alchemy squad were semi-circled around them in the Lab, where Justin was outlining his proposition on a blackboard. ¡°No, no, not all of them at once!¡± Justin explained. ¡°More like. . .multiple accounts! Like fund transfers at the bank, y¡¯know? That¡¯s part of why I feel lucky about the resilience increase coming first in the song. If keep enough of it in reserve, it should enhance my resistance to the side effects of the speed and strength increases to ameliorate them.¡± ¡°That reasoning is sound,¡± Norodo agreed. ¡°It is a well-established practice for such enhancements. The shifting of the enchantments the Prominence proposes also has good precedents. Four total may require a very complex formula, but our supply of ingredients is exceptional ¨C particularly this Mana Water - and that will compensate greatly.¡± ¡°And when things go awry,¡± Taiko said, ¡°which they will, and you have to risk harming yourself, which you will -¡± ¡°The Prominence has a winning tile hidden in his hand, one powerful enough that I would not directly oppose him were I aware of it,¡± Ougo overrode him. ¡°With respect, Kyoku, while we are both here to protect the Prominence, we are not here to supervise him.¡± ¡°Taiko,¡± Justin said mildly, ¡°I did say I took your point earlier. This is for my safety. Also, I had another chat with the Dawn a few minutes ago. He¡¯s very pleased with me. Remember that song I played while climbing? It¡¯s a new hymn to him now. Very pleased. The best way you can help me is to get on board with this.¡± Taiko exhaled his frustration. ¡°Then so be it,¡± he conceded. ¡°I can¡¯t even request a veto, can I.¡± ¡°No. But please also keep in mind there¡¯s almost no way I¡¯m going out there to fight without you by my side.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something, I suppose,¡± Taiko said. Only Justin, who was facing everyone else with his back to the board, saw Ougo¡¯s lips silently shape the word Tempter at him from where the Captain stood behind the others. ¡°Good!¡± Justin said, moving past the board to the Lab¡¯s starboard side. ¡°Mana Water testers, over here please. You¡¯re our leads on the initial checks for the impact of music on Alchemy. Here¡¯s a translation of the lyrics to this song, for enhancing the Mana Water itself -¡± he dropped a scroll on the bow worktable nearest the wall as he passed it, then turned to the sternmost one and kicked its locking lever free, ¡°and this will provide the audio.¡± Everyone had followed him over. Justin let it pass as he shoved the table along its rails up to the wall, locked it down, and propped the Hardpad on it. ¡°See this triangle here? Press that, lightly, with a clean finger, to make the music play. Doing the same to this square will make it stop and reset it to the beginning. These two parallel lines will pause it at that moment in the song, and pressing them or the triangle will start it again from there. Please take extreme care with this tool. It¡¯s literally irreplaceable.¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± the entire room said in awed unison. ¡°Man, that was already old this morning. Now it¡¯s getting sick and diseased,¡± Justin said under his breath. The crowd parted for him as he walked back to the port side. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s start plugging some numbers into this bad boy!¡± he said, picking up a piece of chalk and turning to the first draft formula on the board: 1. Base - Water (Mana) <> {} REDUCED by - Earth {} RETARDS - Fire {} ENHANCED by - Metal {} IMPROVES - Wood {} 2. Resilience - Metal (Snow Tiger Claw) <> {} REDUCED by - Fire {} RETARDS - Wood {} ENHANCED by - Earth {} IMPROVES - Water {} A. +Earth (Mountain Ox Horn) <> {} REDUCED by - Wood {} RETARDS - Water {} ENHANCED by - Fire {} IMPROVES - Metal {} 3. Skill - Wood (Cacao Bean) <> {} REDUCED by - Metal {} RETARDS - Earth {} ENHANCED by - Water {} IMPROVES - Fire {} B. +Water (Mana) <> {} REDUCED by - Earth {} RETARDS - Fire {} ENHANCED by - Metal {} IMPROVES - Wood {} 4. Speed - Fire (Sunwood) <> {} REDUCED by - Water {} RETARDS - Metal {} ENHANCED by - Wood {} IMPROVES - Earth {} C. +Wood (Coffee Bean) {} REDUCED by - Metal {} RETARDS - Earth {} ENHANCED by - Water {} IMPROVES - Fire {} 5. Strength - Earth (Qilin Hoof) <> {} REDUCED by - Wood {} RETARDS - Water {} ENHANCED by - Fire {} IMPROVES - Metal {} D. +Fire (Vermilion Feather) {} {} REDUCED by - Water {} RETARDS - Metal {} ENHANCED by - Wood {} IMPROVES - Earth {} 25 - Suns Days Even Better As the hull separation process got underway, the gear-toothed brass locking pins rose out of their slots in the Right¡¯s portside weather deck, without any human involvement. Ah, Automation, Justin thought contentedly. I knew you were a wonderful choice. He noticed some of the troops watching the display draw circles on their foreheads with their fingertips, then again over their hearts. Others were ritualistically tapping their heads and hearts with a fluttering of fingertips. He nudged Taiko, skulking beside him in the shadows behind the Right¡¯s open quarterdeck doors. ¡°Yes, Brother, some of them are asking for the Dawn¡¯s or the Stars¡¯ protection from Demonic powers, I¡¯m sure. But the rest are thanking Him for the chance to be a part of these events, or something similar.¡± He nudged Justin back, pointing with his eyes and a tiny tilt of his head. ¡°And some of the latter are remonstrating with some of the former.¡± Justin turned to see four troops near the bow ruthlessly poking and prodding a hapless fifth for his ¨C not lack of faith, of course, Justin thought; lack of courage, maybe? Whatever. Let¡¯s not, please. He waved to catch their attention, putting out his palms at an angle and slowly lowering them. Ease off, lady and gentlemen, if you would. Three of the four stopped; the last ¨C Justin recognized her as another Senior, one who name he hadn¡¯t learned yet ¨C jerked a subtle thumb in his direction and continued berating the fifth. The Blessed Prominence is even watching out for your ungrateful hide! he imagined her saying. There was a whispered ooooohh from the troops as the surfaces of the promenade planking separated horizontally or vertically with a jerk, and began flattening in width while expanding in length and height and scissoring back into the Here¡¯s starboard side. Justin turned to watch it himself, fascinated. It was like a CGI transformation in a high-budget sci-fi movie, only better, because here the physics were real. Note to self: find out what geniuses designed this! What else did they do? Are there any plans of theirs left incomplete!? ¡°Aha,¡± Taiko chuckled as the released Right began to curve left, away from the Here¡¯s larger hull. ¡°Our eager new customers are not happy about this.¡± He pointed to the small flotilla still following them, where the angry, violent gesticulations had picked up again at the Right Here Chloe¡¯s separation into three independent hulls. ¡°The poor precious darlings,¡± Justin said sarcastically. He was pretty sure some of them were going to leave him no better choice than to beat them into submission, and he hated the prospect of being trapped by other people¡¯s decisions like that. ¡°Oh, how my tender, wounded heart bleeds buckets of flaming piss for them,¡± he added. Taiko coughed in surprise. ¡°Never heard that one before?¡± Justin said. ¡°No, Brother. Is that a. . .does that happen, where you came from?¡± ¡°What? No! We weren¡¯t Demons; we ¨C some of us - were masters of purely technical arts and crafts. The great majority of us just got on with normal life; work, family, community, vocations, hobbies - the way people here do. We didn¡¯t have mana or chi or cultivation or divine intervention! Well, not that could be proven, and people did keep trying. ¡°There was an illusionist ¨C we had entirely physical illusionists; it was all misdirection, sleight of hand, and mechanical trickery ¨C who had a standing offer of over a million ri for anyone who could demonstrate real chi or mana to his satisfaction. People tried. He never had to pay out. He was a better trickster than they were, so the tests were fair, but the fakes and cheats and con artists couldn¡¯t beat them. But no, Taiko, people did not bleed bucketfuls from their hearts and live, let alone buckets of fiery urine. Good lord, man; what kind of life do you think I led before I came here?¡± ¡°A rich and powerful one,¡± Taiko said, with the perception Justin had come to expect from the man, and he had to shrug. ¡°Okay, yes, you got me there,¡± he admitted. ¡°I started from the laborer class beside my father, and worked hard almost my entire life, so by the time I left, I had millions of ri, and my name alone could make people agree to negotiate private settlements instead of going to public court. But we couldn¡¯t leap 30 rods through the air, or walk on water! Well - we had reached the point of personal flying devices, but most of them were expensive, finicky, had limited flight time, and we didn¡¯t have abnormal resistance to falling damage. . .although. . .there was that guy who got to seventeen thousand feet with his paramotor. . .hmmm. . . .¡± ¡°Your musical tool seems more than merely technical to me,¡± Taiko said, once it was clear Justin had mentally drifted off into further mad adventures territory. ¡°Legendary, more like. One might even say celestial.¡± ¡°One wishes one wouldn¡¯t,¡± Justin said. ¡°And speaking of which, show¡¯s over, so let¡¯s get back to the Lab and check their progress.¡± Before they went farther inside, though, he paused to check the other crafts¡¯ dispositions. The Here was headed easterly towards the High Bay, as their primary distraction, and doing its job ¨C about half of the flotilla had changed course to pursue it, with a few faster ships moving up ahead of it in that direction. The Chloe was headed back south, leading a third of the remaining half on a wild goose chase ¨C when it reached the island narrows, it was going to reverse course, returning to the Drops. I wonder how many circuits it¡¯ll take before they figure it out? he thought. They were planning to all meet back up again later, after the Right offloaded the seeds and had taken on the housewares and provisions Justin intended to buy, with thanks to Tzo for the funding. After the strategy meeting where they¡¯d decided that, Tzo had asked Justin to sell Taiko four dozen doses of the Fountain¡¯s product, and then, with a look of smug anticipation shining in his eyes, said ¡°Kokyu Taiko? Would you please sell me some Mana Water?¡± ¡°Oh you crafty old -!¡± Justin had exclaimed, before giving his Advocate a non-sarcastic golf clap. ¡°Nicely done,¡± he¡¯d said. ¡°You beat me to it. This way your client privacy remains safe.¡± Tzo had prayed over a pair of Ling Fei drafts before paying Taiko with them. ¡°Forty-eight thousand ri should set you up for a week or so minimum,¡± he¡¯d said. ¡°Glad you¡¯re on my side,¡± Justin had said, returning one of the looks of professional acknowledgment Tzo had given him earlier. ¡°I think I shall not dispute whether you are as much as I am,¡± Tzo had replied, giving his smug full rein. Once the old bull shark had some Mana Water of his own to experiment with, he¡¯d holed up in the Right¡¯s comm room. He was absorbed in sampling as much of Justin¡¯s music library as he could while the troops there transferred the data from the first flash drive onto the recording slips. Justin¡¯s estimate had the transfer rate at about a terabyte per day. A full transfer was going to be a long process. But he felt confident he had the time now. Sol would keep the Contract from shafting him, and the Right was headed for the northern docks nearest to the Sky Temple Taiko thought best suited to his needs. As Justin and Taiko approached the doors to the Lab¡¯s second floor, the two of them only needed to exchange a glance to agree on a silent entrance. Taiko eased one of the sliding panels open and they quietly slipped in. On the starboard side, Justin¡¯s HardPad was now playing Bridge over Troubled Water, which had turned out to be extremely good at assisting the elemental neutralization of Mana Water. To port, Norodo and a trooper were clacking away at two of the blackboards with chalk sticks, finishing the latest iteration of what the troops were campaigning hard to be named the ¡®Potion of Prominence¡¯. 1. Base - Water (Mana) <> {} REDUCED by - Earth {} RETARDS - Fire {} ENHANCED by - Metal {} IMPROVES - Wood {} 2. Resilience - Metal (Snow Tiger Claw) <> {} 2A. (Particulated) Dissolution ¨C Neutral Furnace (Metal) + (Metal-aligned Mana Water) <> via Vibration (Mana Manipulation method) NOTE X2.76 Recursion effect [Mana Water Q3 x {0.92}] 2B. Separation ¨C refined Metal-Earth hybrid P2¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Mana Alignment method) Fire [0.07] : Infridigation¡ú Disposal {} Wood [0.05] : Neutralization ¡ú Disposal {} Earth [5.71] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention {} Water: [0.92] : Suspension ¡ú Retention {} NOTE X2.7 Recursion effect {} NOTE X? Catalyzation effect P3 REDUCED by - Fire {} RETARDS - Wood {} ENHANCED by - Earth {} IMPROVES - Water {} 2C. +Earth (Mountain Ox Horn) <> {} 2C(1). (Ground) Dissolution ¨C Neutral Furnace (Metal) + (Metal-aligned Mana Water) <> via Vibration (Mana Manipulation method) NOTE Level 1.9 Neutralization effect 2C(2). Separation ¨C refined Metal-Earth hybrid P2 ¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Mana Alignment method) Wood [0.11] : Division ¡ú Disposal Water [0.04] : Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Fire [4.44] : Suspension¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effects P4 > P5 Metal [1.58] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention REDUCED by - Wood {} RETARDS - Water {} ENHANCED by - Fire {} IMPROVES - Metal {} 3. Skill - Wood (Cacao Bean) <> {} 3A. (Ground) Putrefaction ¨C Sky Furnace (Earth ¨C Glass) + (No medium) via Chronoacceleration (Mana Manipulation method) NOTE Level 1.0 Reduction effect 3B. Separation ¨C refined Wood-Water hybrid P3¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Mana Alignment method) Metal [0.05] : Ignition ¡ú Disposal NOTE Hybridization Interference Earth [0.43] : Neutralizaion ¡ú Disposal You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Water [6.00] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention Fire [0.93] : Suspension ¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effects P4 > P5 REDUCED by - Metal {} RETARDS - Earth {} ENHANCED by - Water {} IMPROVES - Fire {} 3C. +Water (Mana) <> {} 3C(1). Concentration ¨C Sky Furnace (Earth ¨C Glass) + (No medium) <> via Evaporation (Mana Manipulation method) 3C(2). Separation ¨C refined Wood-Water hybrid P3 ¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Mana Alignment method) Earth [0.01]: Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Fire [0.01]: Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Metal [5.00] : Suspension¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effect P1 Wood [25.00] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention NOTE Exceptional Improvement effect REDUCED by - Earth {} RETARDS - Fire {} ENHANCED by - Metal {} IMPROVES - Wood {} 4. Speed - Fire (Sunwood) <> {} 4A. (Particulated) Calcination ¨C Wood Furnace (Sunwood) + (No medium) via Ignition (Chi Manipulation method) NOTE Level 5.0 Recursion effect 4B. Separation ¨C refined Fire-Wood hybrid P4¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Chi Alignment method) Water [0.001] : Evaporation ¡ú Disposal Metal [0.001] : Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Wood [25.00] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention Earth [125.00] : Suspension ¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effects P5>P2 REDUCED by - Water {} RETARDS - Metal {} ENHANCED by - Wood {} IMPROVES - Earth {} 4C. +Wood (Coffee Bean) <> {} 4C(1). (Ground) Calcination ¨C Wood Furnace (Sunwood) + (No medium) <> via Ignition (Chi Manipulation method) 4C(2). Separation ¨C refined Fire-Wood hybrid P4 ¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Chi Alignment method) Metal [0.04]: Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Earth [0.41]: Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Water [5.05] : Suspension¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effect P3 Fire [25.01] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention REDUCED by - Metal {} RETARDS - Earth {} ENHANCED by - Water {} IMPROVES - Fire {} 5. Strength - Earth (Qilin Hoof) <> {} 5A. (Fragmented) Fossilization ¨C Sky Furnace (Earth ¨C Glass) + (No medium) via Chronition (Mana Manipulation method) NOTE Level 5.0 Recursion effect 5B. Separation ¨C refined Earth-Fire hybrid P5¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Mana Alignment method) Wood [0.009] : Ignition ¡ú Disposal Water [0.032] : Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Fire [12.21] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention Metal [12.02] : Suspension ¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effects P5>P2 REDUCED by - Wood {} RETARDS - Water {} ENHANCED by - Fire {} IMPROVES - Metal {} 5C. +Fire (Vermilion Feather) <> {} 5C(1). (Ground) Calcination ¨C Wood Furnace (Sunwood) + (No medium) via Ignition (Mana Manipulation method) 5C(2). Separation ¨C refined Earth-Fire hybrid P5 ¡ú Retention / Detritus ¡ú Disposal via Coagulation (Mana Alignment method) Water [0.04]: Evaporation ¡ú Disposal Metal [0.41]: Neutralization ¡ú Disposal Wood [5.05] : Suspension¡ú Retention NOTE X? Catalyzation effects P3 > P4 Earth [25.01] : Hybridization ¡ú Retention REDUCED by - Water {} RETARDS - Metal {} ENHANCED by - Wood {} IMPROVES - Earth {} 6. Final Conjugation using Variability Binders : Sky Furnace (Earth-Glass) Base : Neutral (Water) <> {} (Neutral) Basal Slime (reconstituted with Neutral Mana Water) <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Synthesis via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Chronoexpansion via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú P1 : Metal-Earth <> {}¡ú Dissolution via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Coagulation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú (Wood) Basal Slime (reconstituted with Wood-aligned Mana Water) <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Synthesis via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Chronoexpansion via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú P2: Wood-Water <> {} ¡ú Dissolution via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Fermentation via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú (Neutral) Basal Slime (reconstituted with Neutral Mana Water) <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Synthesis via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Chronoexpansion via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú P3 : Fire-Wood <> {} ¡ú Dissolution via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Evaporation via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú (Earth) Basal Slime (reconstituted with Neutral Mana Water) <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Synthesis via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Chronolimitation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú P4: Earth-Fire <> {} ¡ú Dissolution via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Coagulation via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú ¡ú (Wood) Basal Slime (reconstituted with Wood-aligned Mana Water) <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Synthesis via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Chronoexpansion via Mana Manipulation <>{} ¡ú ¡ú Distillation via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú Completion : Chronocompensation via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú ¡ú Chronosuspension via Mana Manipulation <> {} ¡ú ¡ú SOLUTION. # # # To be explicit, there''s no clues in there. I mean, not knowingly. I just. . .get absorbed by ideas, and the next thing I know it''s three days later and I''ve got half or more of the core mechanic of a 20+ hour indy puzzle game crocked out. For a story where it will almost certainly never be a significant plot point. Oh well. Justin was getting close to giving in on that. Despite all the personal reasons for his dislike, it was nevertheless both catchy and accurate. It¡¯s a pity nobody else can use it, he thought with regret. According to the last summary he¡¯d been given, a couple of squads of Ougo¡¯s troops pumped up with the stuff would have ripped through the Young Flowers of the High Court out there like a few dozen coked-out gardeners equipped with mil-spec weed-whackers. Unfortunately, purified Mana Water base or not, the amount of undiluted mana added limited it to upper-tier magicians accustomed to handling such quantities of Chaotic corruption and the chi deviation it provoked. Or, Xenopote Voidspawns so steeped in the stuff already, and particularly ones still so new to the world that they¡¯d barely tasted its water, and had never eaten its food, that they rendered the potion¡¯s mana corruption negligible in comparison. We¡¯ll work out a more chi-aligned version in time, Justin thought. And then any interlopers who think the absence of that lightning defense after it¡¯s gone means they¡¯re free to invade my home will get some very big surprises. ¡°Good,¡± Norodo said down below, setting her chalk in the curved ledge at the blackboard¡¯s base. ¡°All that¡¯s left now is the math.¡± ¡°This reliability is groundbreaking,¡± the trooper said, running a hand through his short red hair as he stared at the three nearly filled boards. ¡°The precision it provides. . .two decimal places! Only the Associations¡¯ best practitioners get numbers that detailed. And it takes them years of study and brewing.¡± ¡°Revolutionary,¡± Norodo agreed. ¡°Again. The Prominence¡¯s tool must never be endangered.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the trooper said, looking around. ¡°And Riku-go¡¯s Folly is actually sailing. Never thought we¡¯d see the day. And we¡¯re on it. My mother¡¯s going to throw a fit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also on duty, Ozu. Start doing that math,¡± Norodo said. ¡°Yes, Lead,¡± Ozu-the-no-longer-unknown said, stepping up to the board and consulting a scroll in his hand. Justin cocked his head at Taiko and they headed to the port staircase down.¡°So it¡¯s going well?¡± Justin called as they reached halfway. ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± Norodo said. ¡°Except for the creation itself, the hardest parts are done. Other than that, only the calculations remain. Do you have the translation for us?¡± ¡°Not yet, Lead; I¡¯ll get right on it,¡± Justin said, resisting the urge to knuckle his forehead. He not only liked and respected Norodo but felt hugely sympathetic towards her; she didn¡¯t deserve his mockery. He got behind the nearest port-side standing desk, waited not at all for Taiko to put a fresh scroll in his hand the instant he held it out, and started writing. ¡°Would you walk me through some of all ¨C this ¨C while I do it, please?¡± he asked, waving his index and middle finger across the boards. ¡°I have what I think is a competent Journeyman¡¯s knowledge of the Craft, and I¡¯m glad my original formulation was on the button, and I can figure some of what¡¯s up there out, but other parts are a mystery to me. Oh, and I overheard your conversation about two decimal precision as I was coming in ¨C how did the music help with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s surpassingly exact every time we request it, Prominence!¡± Ozu said, a wild grin spreading across his face. ¡°In combination with your Mana Water and the capacity of that lovely hymn about Troubled Waters you selected to assist in neutralizing its composition, we¡¯re able to get material measurements of elemental composition a whole order of magnitude finer than our usual margins of error for solutions! The possibilities this presents are unprecedented!¡± Justin smiled back at him. Ozu was the first person Justin had met in Ribe as given to excitedly pushing the run-on sentence boundary as he could be, and he found the young man¡¯s enthusiasm infectious. Norodo, going by her set frown, was not as impressed. ¡°The task at hand, trooper, is the mathematics we need for correct proportions. Not exulting at the Prominence.¡± ¡°Yes, Lead,¡± Ozu said, abashed, and turned back to the blackboard, where he began filling in an array next to the formula¡¯s beginning. Justin finished his own task, handing the scroll off to Taiko, who began copying it at his own desk, then leaned forward, studying the board. ¡°Is, er ¨C reconstituted slime ¨C a common ingredient? In general? Or local to Ribe?¡± Justin asked. There wasn¡¯t much on them in his supernaturally installed mental database for Alchemy, and the great majority of that could be accurately summarized as no don¡¯t you fools, with a few side orders of greedy and ignorant added to the delivery. And he hadn¡¯t forgotten the very obvious hiiinnnnt behind the Contract¡¯s mention of rumors of a network of crystal caves under Ribe inhabited by slimes. He¡¯d be dealing with slimes in crystal caves in less than a year. He was certain of it. Other things in them too, no doubt. Possibly even the caves themselves. And that¡¯s all the more reason to get this potion done properly. Focus, Justin. ¡°Generally no, Prominence,¡± Ozu said, one of those fortunate people able to carry on a sensible conversation while simultaneously doing complex arithmetic. ¡°There¡¯s a ¨C taboo, I guess you could say ¨C about using them. Their mana is not only poor but very chaotic, and they¡¯re like dangerous pests if they get out of control. I hear in Magmana they use them for some city utilities, but they say they¡¯re all crazy over there. Er, your pardon, Lead.¡± ¡°No offense given, trooper. It¡¯s far from the least reason I left.¡± # # # Under Pei¡¯s expert handling, the Right drew up to the long, skinny dock meant for middle to upper-class pleasure craft without any need for a row-tow. It was already crowded with the toadies and functionaries and other annoying meddlers who had been dogging Justin¡¯s wake since noon. A somewhat weatherbeaten sloopish thing had nipped in to the dock¡¯s end ahead of a larger, much more lavish craft, and two women in diaphanous cultivator robes had leaped off it with a fine disregard for the shouts and curses coming from their rival for the berth. One of them looked young, about Justin¡¯s apparent age, with a straight sword on her hip and a small buckler strapped to her back. Her older companion, closer to Tzo¡¯s age, leaned on a wide-bladed guan-do-ish weapon, with a pair of hilt-pointing spikes on its back edge. Justin was keeping an eye on them because theirs was one of the ships that had played it smart and stayed back to observe the hasty people¡¯s mistakes. But they were unmistakably being scorned by the rest of the Young Flowers of the High Court. It was remarkable how much distaste and contempt Taiko could pack into that phrase. At least the potioneering had gone off without a hitch. And the reactions to the very alien talkboxing on the track had been fun to watch, too. The troops were now all equipped with specific antitoxins for the toxins Justin had created with the others as his hold-out weapon ¨C partial paralytics and general incapacitants all, not deadly ones. His Potion of Prominence wouldn¡¯t last more than an hour, and extended use would run it out quicker, but Justin now had nine exponents of five in power to switch around between toughness, skill, speed, and strength. He¡¯d tested them all out before they docked, sensibly using the skill enhancement to cheat his way to quick proficiency. And it had been fun, tremendous fun. Although he could see it becoming addictive, too. ¡°He¡¯s not going to get any farther,¡± Ougo rumbled next to him, meaning Tzo, who was standing at the base of the Right¡¯s gangway, patiently explaining to bureaucrats and brats alike that no, they did not have any authority over a Prominence, or an Inlightened for that matter, or the Right, or any of the other hulls, or a dozen other things. Tzo was in his element, and Justin didn¡¯t begruge him it in the slightest. He could play the game as well as anyone else, and a lot better than most, but it was a professional responsibility for him, not a vocation. ¡°I agree, Captain,¡± Justin. ¡°Do you think we can keep it to one or two fights?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but I accept your and the Kokyu¡¯s conviction that Constellation Taisa will involve herself.¡± ¡°Yes, I could almost hope she does,¡± Justin said silkily, then shook off his irritation. ¡°But a grown man doesn¡¯t pick unnecessary fights.¡± ¡°And these are going to be necessary,¡± Ougo said regretfully. ¡°They have too much time and energy and face invested in this to walk away. And there¡¯s a whiff of the mob out there. I can feel it, how the idiot reassurance of safety in numbers has spread through them.¡± ¡°Then I suppose it¡¯s Plan Representative Trial by Combat,¡± Justin said. ¡°It will be Tsukanu over there,¡± Taiko said behind both of them. ¡°The tall, light-haired, good looking one with the long sword over there. Best family, most talent, least wisdom, worst spoiled. Half the crowd will agree to let him play representative simply in the hopes that you¡¯ll thump him like a fresh gourd.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡± Justin said, jerking his chin at the woman with the spiked guan-do. She was pushing her way through the throng, straight towards the gangway. The younger one was following in her wake, looking concerned. ¡°I think she¡¯s going for it,¡± Justin said. ¡°Yep. Here she comes. . .and huh, nothing. Not even a static shock. How does the ship decide who to let through? Not that I¡¯m seriously asking right now. Or Right now. Taiko kicked him, lightly. ¡°Innntholenthe!¡± Justin squeaked, in an overdone falsetto Castilian accent. ¡°I thall have thu whip-ped, you naughty creathture! Oh, and here comes the younger one, too, and no big surprise, she passes as well.¡± ¡°Our Terrible Prominence is becoming agitated,¡± Taiko told Ougo in a stage whisper. ¡°We¡¯d better tell Tzo to get on with it before the Favored of the Dawn goes down there and spills the tiles just to alleviate his tension.¡± ¡°Ah, humourous clients,¡± Ougo said, in a tone so flat Master Mason¡¯s levels could be tested against it. ¡°Always a delightful prospect.¡± ¡°Just keep her off me as long as you can when she shows up, that¡¯s all I ask,¡± Justin said, moving towards the gangway. ¡°Always, Brother,¡± Taiko said. # # # The arrangements hadn¡¯t take long; apparently this was the kind of resolution the Young Flowers of the High Court were familiar with and expected. Justin heaved a dyspeptic sigh as he waited without anticipation, watching Young Lord Tsukanu speechify and pose with his unsheathed sword for his retinue across the dock. Tzo had asked them to delay few moments for some unrevealed reason. Taiko had take up position on the dock¡¯s end side, while the two women had stepped up to watch the land side for him. According to Tzo, they simply wanted to do some nice, quiet, private, expensive business, and were seeking his favor towards that end. The referee stepped forward with a long-handled cup half-filled with water from the Toh, checked them both for readiness, and threw the water up in the air. # # # ¡°And these are the port-side ¡®speaker¡¯ controls,¡± Tzo said, drawing his finger across the jade plate, ¡°and this is the right song -¡± he drew his finger down the one beside it, ¡°and now we shall see if the music used to create the potion enhances its use as well -¡± Just as the water approached the ground, he tapped the triangle. 25.5 - Suns Days Even Better With Music The source text, for those just want to read: Justin released the trigger in his mind. Faster accelerated his personal clock to 625X normal, and Lord Tsukanu''s blade-first charge at him slowed to something. . .quicker than a crawl, because the lordling was accelerating too. But not quick enough. Justin increased his dodging abilities by 5 times with the one exponent in Better, leaving the last four in Harder to protect him from his own speed. He sprinted forward, crouching low, and Tsukanu¡¯s eyes widened as he lowered his sword¡¯s tip, trying to catch up. When it reached too low to rise again in time, Justin took one last hunching step, then straightened as he switched Better¡¯s exponent into Faster, flashing forward while he carefully extended his left arm. His. . .everything. . .strained at 5 times his normal exertion, but he got in close, past Tsukanu''s sword. Pulling two exponents back out of Faster and one from Harder, he rebalanced them at 125X speed and toughness, put one into Better for a 5X improvement to his aiming, and the last two into Stronger for 25X his usual strength. His clotheslining arm touched Tsukanu''s upper chest. The boy threw himself backwards and to his right to avoid the impact, bringing his blade up and around for a draw cut. Justin didn''t quite panic, but he stutter-stepped through quick reversals to his original 4-1-4 allocation of Harder, Better, and Faster, then back to the previous 3-1-3-2 with Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Stronger, unwilling to commit to either offense or defense. He''d kept the edge in speed over Tsukanu, though, and the next thing both of them knew, the swordsman was spinning and rotating in midair, helpless. As they''d circled each other, close as a tango, Justin''s force kept being applied to Tsukanu across two different axes of radial motion, until Justin finally got some good leverage, and automatically pushed at the outmaneuvered lordling. To the watchers, Justin appeared to effortlessly flicker forward and spin Tsukanu around his arm like an aged master playing with his favorite staff. . .before mercilessly slamming him face first into the dock so hard that after bouncing nine feet in the air, he left a cracked outline in the stone below as his limp, unconscious body rose overhead. An invisible coffin compressed Justin''s arms against his sides. He hardly needed to see or hear Taisa to know it was her work. But he turned his head and did see Taiko crumpled in a motionless heap farther up the dock and almost lost his temper completely. ¡°And now, my little -¡± Taisa crooned - - as Justin threw all nine exponents into Better to - ¡°- Void-boyo, you will -¡± - conceal his biting down on the toxin pellet tucked in his cheek between his teeth, and focused on Sol. ¡°- answer to me -¡± O GREAT SOL INVICTUS! UNCONQUERABLE SUN! Justin shouted in his mind. I WISH FOR MY WEAPONS TO OVERWHELM THIS FOE! ¦µSO MOTE IT BE!¦µ Sol said. Justin switched Better to Get her! and vomited the sudden flood of black poisonous goo towards her voice, blasting straight through all her Hokyukko barriers, including the ones restraining him. ¡°- becauurghhklhrrgllguh! kkh! uhghkk!¡± Taisa coughed and choked. ¡°YOU ARE NOT!¡± Justin roared, switching two exponents each into [Harder], [Faster], and [Better] - ¡°THE BOSS!¡± - and the three left into [Stronger] - ¡°OF ME!¡± - before lunging forward, grabbing her by the poison-drenched face, and thrusting her into the Right''s no-go zone. The purple lightning cascaded over her body, leaking through her final, skin-level barrier to cover her in a web of burning, crippling agony, while bypassing him completely. She jittered and jerked in his hand like an overpowered wind-up toy, and Sol, that wonderful, magnificent bastard of a god - it had to be him - began flashing and flaring the Right¡¯s super-taser bolts in synchrony with Swatkin''s technofunkalicious talkbox scatting, bringing the SHOoO/zap!/Oo/zang!/OoO/zow!/WaAh/zap! /OoH/zang!/OoOOH/zap! to the dance floor. Justin stalked down the dock towards the frozen observers, dragging Taisa''s blackening form through the electrified air beside him. Her hairs were coruscating like sparkling threads under the Right''s punishment. As Swatkin¡¯s voxalising riffs rose to their crescendo, Justin roared at them: ¡°DOES ANY AMONG YOU DARE TO STAND AGAINST ME!?¡± No answer came, but a few of the wiser in the mob''s middle and rear began backing away. ¡°ANY TWO!?¡± Most flinched; none met his gaze straight-on. ¡°ANY TEN!?¡± This time, none met his gaze at all. ¡°ANY NUMBER AT ALL!?¡± There was no reply, but the back of the mob had thinned noticeably as prudence became ever more contagious. He yanked Taisa''s body free of the lightning and flung her towards them. Her smoking form ragdolled to a stop at the feet of the nearest ones, who stumbled backwards in sudden terror, as if she were about to explode. ¡°THEN GO YOU NOW IN PEACE AND TROUBLE ME NO MORE! HERE! ENDETH! THE LESSON!¡± he bellowed at them. The remainder broke and ran. 26 - Reconcilable Similarities With less than a minute of use left at full power, Justin switched 5 exponents into Harder and dropped the rest into reserves, where they went back to extending the Prominence Potion¡¯s duration to its full measure. When he turned around, Ougo¡¯s medics were already off the Right and working on Taiko. One of them saw him looking and lifted his circled thumb and fingers a few inches, the Riben rising-sun equivalent of a thumb¡¯s-up. Tzo, smugging more than ever, was leaning on the gunwales above next to Ougo, watching the crowd stampede down to the dock¡¯s beginning and scatter in all three directions from there. His gaze turned to Taisa¡¯s smoking, blackened body. ¡°Consider the butcher-bear. . .poked,¡± Justin heard him say, a rasp of savage satisfaction underlining his usual precise and skilled advocate¡¯s diction. It seemed he had some resentment of his own over her secret infiltration of his private meeting with Justin. Ougo had half an eye on the crowd, half an eye on Justin and his troops working on Taiko, and a whole eye on the Hokyukko¡¯s still form. He gave Justin an approving nod; Justin returned it, and walked up the dock to the motionless Constellation of the Crocodile. He pulled out one of the two general restoratives he was carrying and set it down beside her. She didn¡¯t reach for it. Justin watched her closely, relieved to see her chest was still rising and falling. He¡¯d never killed anyone ¨C come close, yes, and more than once ¨C but he¡¯d never actually taken another human life. He bent down and put out a hand, testing the heat from her body. With his toughness enhanced to 3,125 times normal, he couldn¡¯t feel any. He poked her cheek. I wish Kon was here, his scattered brain thought haphazardly. She didn¡¯t react to that, either. Justin sighed, straightened out her limbs, and searched her robes until he found her money pouch. Opening it, he flipped through her cash until he found a 1000-ri note. He reached down to pluck it out. . .and hesitated. Do I really need to test that possibility of my Customer Sense with her? The degree to which consent is needed? Or need to be able to sense her desires that much, on the slim chance it works? Really? He could practically feel his father¡¯s stare on the back of his head. No. No, he didn¡¯t. He let go of the note, closed up her pouch again, and tucked it back into her robes. Then he sat down beside her head, lifted it up to rest in his lap, and pulled off a sandal. He used its edge to wedge open one side of her mouth before uncorking the restorative potion and trickling it down her throat. One swallowed sip cautiously slipped past a pause in her breathing was enough to make her stir. Justin recorked the potion, set it down beside her again, and pulled out his sandal and put it back on. As Taisa¡¯s eyes began to focus and track, he set her down and inched back, crouching on his flat feet like a gopnik, his arms extending limply past his knees ¡°That¡¯s two,¡± he said, when he thought she could understand him. He pointed at the potion by her head. ¡°Drink that,¡± he told her. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m a busy man. I want this resolved, and I don¡¯t have the time to waste on waiting for you to recover without it.¡± She looked at him for a long few seconds before rolling onto her side, shakily propping herself up with one arm and grasping the potion with the other. She stared at her trembling fist in disbelief, then drew the potion back to her other hand to hold it steady while she uncorked it. A few more gulps later and she was looking. . .not a lot better, but no longer banging on death¡¯s door with both fists, either, which was right about where Justin wanted her. He¡¯d been fortunate beyond his merits in both fights and he knew it, but he¡¯d also been lot less fortunate than his opponents had been un-fortunate. He¡¯d prepared better, but they¡¯d been childishly overconfident. ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether there¡¯ll be a three, missy,¡± Justin said, loosening by a few inches the leash on his incandescent rage over Taiko being harmed. ¡°But I can guarantee you, there won¡¯t be a four. Do you understand me, Constellation Taisa? I wasn¡¯t bluffing, back in Tzo¡¯s office. I am a true Prominence of the Dawn, and your life was in the palm of my hand the entire time. And should there be another attempt on your part to initiate force against myself or one of my associates,¡± he said, then let Angry Cross-Examiner Justin partially out of his box, ¡°I. Will. Kill. You.¡± Taisa visibly swallowed. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± She nodded, the aftereffects of the Right¡¯s lightning rendering her movements jerky. ¡°And do you admit your defeat at my hands?¡± ¡°Y-y-yes-s. I ¨C sub-m-mit. W-we hhaav-ve a-an ac-cord,¡± she stammered. ¡°Remember that,¡± Justin said. He rose to his feet, turned, and left her there, walking down the dock to Taiko, who was being helped to his feet by one of the troops. ¡°Report,¡± he said, as he reached them. ¡°The Kokyu¡¯s not well yet, but he will be soon enough,¡± the one who had given him the rising OK sign said. ¡°A good rest onboard is what he needs the most now.¡± ¡°See to it, please,¡± Justin said. The troops all circle-drew on their foreheads, to his chagrin. Apparently, taking down both Tsukanu and Taisa in three deft moves now warranted their religious obeisance to him as a representative of the Dawn. But since it could only improve their care of Taiko, Justin straightened, put his hands behind his back, and sauntered over to and up the Right¡¯s gangway to her weatherdeck. # # # ¡°How much of that was luck?¡± Ougo asked, as Justin closed the door to the Right¡¯s halfdeck security station behind himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know; maybe half?¡± Justin said, tiredly. Coming that close to losing control always wore him out. Combined with the amount of energy he¡¯d expended in an incredibly short time, he was about to start reeling. He made his way over to one of the corners and slid down it, sitting cross-legged and letting his head rest against the walls. ¡°The physical edge I had over Tsukanu from the Prompo was always going to guarantee my win, but the way it looked like perfect combat mastery on my end was pure happenstance. I was expecting to just toss him into the water, or another ship¡¯s side. And you know how the fight with Taisa went,¡± he added, giving Ougo the yeah I used one nod. ¡°Still shaking my head at how stupid she was, putting herself between me and the Right¡¯s ¡®bad touch, no!¡¯ boundary like that.¡± ¡°Are you in need of medical care yourself, Prominence?¡± Ougo asked. ¡°Probably not,¡± Justin said, as the door slid open to admit Tzo. ¡°This is only. . .nervous exhaustion? I¡¯m not an experienced fighter.¡± ¡°Hard to tell from your performance out there,¡± Tzo said approvingly. ¡°It was extraordinarily impressive. Since Hokyukko Taisa has long been one of the strongest combatants in Ribe, I do not think anyone else from the High Court, elders included, is going to similarly challenge you again for quite some time.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°So our bluff worked?¡± Justin said, looking between Tzo and Ougo. ¡°I believe so, yes,¡± Tzo said. Ougo nodded in agreement. ¡°Good,¡± Justin said. ¡°Because in reality, I¡¯ve only ever had a little training in blocking and evasion skills. Stayed out of fights as a kid. Or, well, I do know how to handle a. . .er, several classes of personal explosive projectile weapons, but those don¡¯t count here.¡± ¡°I advise you to set up a training regimen with Lead Yiofu at your earliest opportunity, then,¡± Ougo said. ¡°You have a sunlit break in the storm to begin gaining the skills you lack and turn your deception into a truth before the next clouds roll in. I would take advantage of it.¡± ¡°Yeah, good idea. I¡¯ll make some time for that,¡± Justin said. He closed his eyes to think. Alchemy, Spellcraft, and combat training for my daily must-dos; general education with Taiko, and Sunwood steampunk theorizing for breaks from those; body-weight exercises and swimming for workouts, plus whatever Yiofu requires. . .that¡¯s a full schedule already. ¡°Do we have an estimate for when Taiko will be ready to go dicker with the Sky temple?¡± he asked, eyes still closed. ¡°No more than an hour, possibly sooner,¡± Ougo said. ¡°Lead Norodo confirms that because of the added precision and reliability due to your. . .music. . .we can brew another Potion of Prominence while waiting.¡± ¡°Good. Tzo, what can you tell me about my newest customers?¡± ¡°The elder is Lady Abala of the Goh; the younger her niece Tutui. Somehow they found out about the sale of magical cures you spoke about at the hallowing, and they¡¯re seeking assistance for the grandfather of the Goh family. He¡¯s been incapacitated by some ailment their own doctors have been unable to identify, and they¡¯re hoping you can do more. ¡°And yes, that¡¯s the same family as Riku-Go the Deranged, this ship¡¯s designer and creator. The Goh fell to a status barely above the petty aristocracy after they helped Kikuo overthrow him, and despite their assistance. The Goh lost almost everything in the doing, and have been sustaining themselves through mercenary work ever since.¡± ¡°Will I have to make a house call?¡± Justin asked. ¡°It seems so, Prominence,¡± Tzo said. ¡°They¡¯ll have to wait in line behind at least the Shinbi and Lead Norodo, then,¡± Justin said, ¡°but you can tell them they do have the third-to-fifth position on my list, along with Taiko and the Daigos. And thank you for handling that, Tzo; I hired you to be my advocate, not my personal assistant. Speaking of which, I need to hire one of those. . .or, no, do I? Taiko would leap at the chance. . . .¡± ¡°And no doubt keep trying more and more annoying methods to change your mind if you gave the position to someone else, too,¡± Tzo said said. Justin could hear the amusement in his voice. Right, Justin thought, what was that other thing? Warped Space related ¨C the valuables! Must check with Sol. ¡°Gotta go have another chat with Sunny D,¡± he told the others in the room. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me for anything short of an emergency, please.¡± He focused on Sol¡¯s presence. Solly solly bo-bol-ley, bo-na-na fanna fo-fol-ley, fee-fi-mo-mol-ley. . .Solly! . . .oh for the love of. . . .yes, Justin, you ridiculous creature; what? Thanks for the rhythmic timing assist. That was awesome. I can neither refuse nor accept credit for anything of that nature. What else? The precious metals and stones from Earth. Can they be used in the way I hoped? No, but also yes. You can never go back there; that cosmos is forever closed to you. But also yes, in that as Void materials, they can be used to assist in the creation of portals to other cosmoi? Yes? YES? Yes. And your concern that they would, in time, conform and cohere to the fundamental nature and laws of this cosmos, consequentially decreasing and eventually removing their ability to so assist you, is correct. And so is your hope that keeping them stored in a Warped Space could prevent that. And since you¡¯ve been wondering in the back of your mind about how I benefit from our association. . .now you should know. The Greater Powers ¨C the Contract¡¯s ¡®Upper Management¡¯ ¨C have forbidden me and my family from opening such portals ourselves, or empowering other entities to do so. I can¡¯t help you with that. Just began cackling madly. You can¡¯t help me, but I¡¯m an exception to that forbidding, right? Yes. I¡¯m not even allowed to specify how and why, nor is this any kind of a hint, merely a compliment, but - as I told you once before - you¡¯re not the least clever mortal I¡¯ve had dealings with. So their potency for that is decaying, and I should get them all down into one of the Shrines on Chloe as soon as possible? Yes, but you also have another, superior option. I¡¯m listening. One of the both necessary and sufficient certifications for becoming a Hokyukko is to defeat another in single combat. A qualifying graduation exam, one could say. The loser¡¯s powers are transferred to the winner - or at least as much of them as the winner can wield without self-destructing. And just as all the Stars are Suns, so too is the Sun a Star itself? Sooo. . .I would give you my oath? Because if it will help us find- No. For your Plan to work as currently intended, I and my family still can¡¯t own you. I will have to trust you explicitly with the knowledge of how to open this world to invasion by entities beyond your capacity to imagine, but not grant you the power to do that. Then how. . .oh. Ohhhh. . .I beat Taisa. I¡¯m. . .technically. . .authorized? to take her power? No, that can¡¯t be it; that would still disqualify me, because it¡¯s from the Stars ¨C no, wait - imitate it! Copy it ¨C with this month¡¯s second Minor Wish, which isn¡¯t a Miracle! Sol, you double magnificent bastard! Apropos of nothing, I can¡¯t tell you how pleased I was when you decided not to take a cash coup from Taisa without her agreement, or with how you handled the rest of the aftermath. I literally can¡¯t tell you. Oh, I¡¯ll just bet you were ¡®pleased¡¯. Let¡¯s see. . .the Shop¡¯s wishing mana must not count as help beating her. . .ohh-ho-ho, and the Shop itself is still in flux, isn¡¯t it? So if I lay the groundwork now. . .What did Book Smarts say. . .¡®It all punches holes in reality¡¯! I can¡¯t comment on any of that except to say that I can¡¯t comment on any of that. Trying to play it safe where this ¡®Upper Management¡¯ was involved, Justin avoided thinking Thank you or So I¡¯m on the right track or anything else of the same kind. Instead, he took a few calming breaths and put himself into emergency case-planning mode. His focus narrowed to the task at hand and that alone, completely shutting out everything else around him: 27 - Crazy Monky Love Justin opened his eyes. Ougo and Tzo were gone; the duty troopers behind the security desk were standing at attention, eyes front. ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Justin said. ¡°Any messages for me?¡± ¡°Inlightened Kokyu is resting in your Quarters below, Prominence,¡± the older man on the left said. ¡°Advocate Tzo has returned to the Comm Room, and Captain Ougo is overseeing the cart packing and the scouts¡¯ reports about routes to the Temple.¡± ¡°Good. And your names are?¡± Justin said, standing up and stretching. His planning session had been nearly as good as a nap. ¡°Guardsman Soru, Prominence,¡± said the older, circling his forehead. ¡°Guards-guardsman Topi, Prominence,¡± stuttered the younger, hastily imitating his partner. ¡°Thank you. It may take me a few days to get everyone¡¯s faces and names memorized, and I¡¯m horribly busy, so I ask for your understanding if I don¡¯t remember you immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± they chorused. Justin restrained his sigh. He did feel like less of a fraud about that since his last conversation with Sol, but his dislike of receiving respect he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d earned remained strong. And it wasn¡¯t precisely a lie that he might take that long to get the rest of the troops set in his head. . .it was just very improbable. Since Ougo and a large number of his current command were likely to change their direct allegiance to Justin from the Ling Fei in the near future, he wasn¡¯t above planting some false low expectations which he¡¯d later outdo in order to help establish his own command mystique among them. He also hadn¡¯t realized how much he¡¯d missed lawyering these past months until he¡¯d seen Tzo in action. Hands off the wheel, though, he reminded himself. No backseat advocating. Let Tzo do his job. An advocate who represents himself has a fool for a client. ¡°If anyone needs me, I¡¯m going to consult with Tzo. Carry on, gentlemen.¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence." Ugghghhghh. . .Justin groaned privately. # # # ¡°Enjoying the concert, Advocate?¡± Justin half-shouted from the doorway. Tzo had cranked the volume so loud that Justin had been able to hear Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts tearing up Bad Dog No Biscuits on their 2001 Souvenir from Tokyo tour from two halls away. ¡°Yes!¡± Tzo answered, his voice also raised. Because of course turning it down was out of the question. The poor guardsman and -woman on duty were looking a little frayed around the edges, and wild around the eyes, and gave Justin pleading looks from behind the advocate¡¯s back. ¡°This music is incredible!¡± Tzo enthused. ¡°Do you know how to make these instruments? Can it be done, here? I never imagined music could be like this! And there¡¯s far more, correct? Can I ¨C may I - live on board? Please say yes!¡± Oh lord, he¡¯s a big-band bop-jazz addict already, Justin thought. Then again, this was Yoko Kanno they were listening to; the woman was a musical genius, and there were worse genres Tzo could have imprinted on. Much worse genres. Justin imagined Tzo fixating on the the HampsterDance - or anything by Crazy Frog - and controlled a shudder. Note to self: run a broad-spectrum ¡®songs like¡¯ search based on. . .Caramelldansen, to start, and securely partition every result. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°No guarantees on the instruments,¡± he said, because he wouldn¡¯t put it past the ''Upper Management'' to consider that data Uplift-capable, ¡°but yes, there¡¯s more. And many other genres. And, yes, you can have a room here. No; a suite." ¡°Thank you, Prominence!¡± Tzo shouted, his face shining. ¡°Reduce the volume, though, please?¡± Justin said. ¡°The troops can¡¯t do their duty like this.¡± ¡°Volume?¡± Tzo said. ¡°Ah. Because the sound can fill all the space available. Oh, yes, of course.¡± He reached out to a plate and slid his finger down as Want It All Back started and Mai Yamane began working the audience. ¡°Thanks,¡± Justin said. ¡°Now, if you can tear yourself away from your new love, I¡¯d appreciate your cross-input while I ask Taiko about cooperative Hokyukko who would be willing to advise me.¡± ¡°Ah. . .¡± Tzo said, looking regretfully at the console, then visibly reasserting his self-control, ¡°yes, Prominence. Although I¡¯m not sure who could advise you better than the Kokyu himself.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Because. . .he used to be one?¡± Tzo said doubtfully, as if he thought Justin was prodding him to deduce some secret reason to not rely on the Prominence''s closest associate, and he was failing. ¡°One of the best?¡± His eyes cut to the side, towards where Justin had recently curbstomped the woman who likely was the best, for hundreds of miles around. A handful of little pieces flashed into a working whole in Justin¡¯s mind again, as they sometimes did. ¡°Wait,¡± he said, stabbing a finger in the same direction, ¡°was that ¨C was that some kind of, of, vicarious grudge match!?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Tzo said, shocked. ¡°Hokyukko Taisa trained Taiko. He even changed his name to honor her. And then he -¡± he closed his mouth, his head pulling back. ¡°I think you¡¯d better tell me,¡± Justin growled. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the niceties at this point, whether it¡¯s ¡®for him to say¡¯ or the like. I want to know. And if you won¡¯t tell me, someone else absolutely will. What happened, Tzo?¡± ¡°He ¨C he sinned, Prominence,¡± Tzo said, backing away. Justin got a grip on himself again and made his tensed muscles relax. ¡°Go on,¡± he said. ¡°He committed one of the most serious violations of the Stars¡¯ code, Prominence,¡± Tzo continued. ¡°He. . .fell in love with his Demon, Karishalla the Brush. It¡¯s considered one of the great tragic stories of our recent generations. She could no longer be reasoned with because of it, so she was ¨C disjointed, and her parts sent to and sealed in other Shrines. And Taiko was nearly excommunicated and executed, but the Celestial Court directly intervened. Not all ¨C not the Stars, of course ¨C but most. The Dawn took him into His service about. . . .¡± He paused. ¡°It was twenty-two years ago last month, Advocate,¡± the guardswoman supplied. Approximately two Earth sunspot cycles, Justin thought, the surprise reveal having activated his tactical trial mindset. Which seized on the possible relevance before immediately discarding it. ¡°Thank you,¡± Tzo said. ¡°And he¡¯s served Him ever since. Most loyally, I would think. There was tremendous controversy over his promotion to Kokyu short of a decade ago. The High Court were. . .well, it¡¯s an archaic term, but wroth fits best.¡± ¡°So he was being thrown away against me,¡± Justin muttered angrily. He heard the beginning of a loss of control in his own voice, and backed up to the wall before sitting down against it. He pulled his knees up, rested his elbows on them, and buried his face in his hands. ¡°What a mess,¡± he said. ¡°What a dissonant ¨C damn - mess.¡± And of course Sol hadn¡¯t told him, because he needed Justin to lay the smack down on Taisa, so that Justin could be properly empowered to crack open the seal on this cosmos for him. And - to be fair - possibly also because he couldn¡¯t, constrained in some way from telling Justin too much. And likewise of course the god had Inlightened Taiko beforehand as well, which had further inflamed matters, ha-ha-ha, and put him at Justin¡¯s side. There were probably dozens of other links in the chain Justin hadn¡¯t noticed yet, and even more he probably never would. What had he said about Sol earlier, in sarcastically admiring jest? Oh, yes - your god is a devious crafty underhandling schemer. He¡¯d been far more accurate than he¡¯d known. And yet. . .he couldn¡¯t stay angry. And not only because Sol was helping Justin get what he wanted more than anything else, including ¨C heh, the risks of invasions by entities beyond his capacity to imagine. Though he had thought twice, thought three times about that. No, it was because, ¡®agnostite¡¯ or not, he still trusted Sol. He trusted the god to have Taiko¡¯s best interests at heart, along with everyone else¡¯s. Because you had to trust people in order to be fully human. Oh, you could rely on other people, even depend upon them, but trust ¨C real trust ¨C went beyond that. It was a matter of faith ¨C a belief in other people that exceeded the reasonable; exceeded the rational. And, yes, that went for gods too, he supposed. If you didn¡¯t trust, you weren¡¯t much of a person. Not in the condemning, judgmental sense, but in a sympathetic, compassionate one. You were hollow; empty, in a fundamentally handicapping way. . .lacking some vital and elemental and necessary piece of humanity. Chloe had taught him that. He wasn¡¯t about to forget it. Remember our deal, he¡¯d said. You have to stay a person I¡¯ll want to come back to me. You remember our deal, she¡¯d replied. You have to stay a person I¡¯ll want to return to. He thumped his head against the wall behind him. Justin? I can¡¯t. . .see you. I can¡¯t. . .feel your hand. . . . I¡¯m still right here. Right here, Chloe. 28 - Flight Risks Well. Sitting around chewing old memories wasn¡¯t getting any work done. Justin drew in his feet and stood up. ¡°Prominence?¡± Tzo said with concern ¨C personal concern, more than professional. ¡°It is what it is, Tzo,¡± Justin said, and shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s adulthood; one damn thing after another, and getting back up and dealing with the next. Let¡¯s go see how Lover Boy is doing.¡± ¡°As you wish, Prominence. But. . .you¡¯re crying again.¡± ¡°I miss my wife,¡± Justin simply said, wiping his eyes with his fingers. ¡°Er. . .Prominence?¡± said the guardswoman, moving out from behind the counter and offering him a handkerchief. ¡°Thank you,¡± Justin said, ¡°Trooper. . . .¡± ¡°Eiko, Prominence,¡± she said, circling her forehead and moving back. Note to self: find out the correct name for that gesture. ¡°And you?¡± Justin said, looking at her partner. ¡°Teyu, Prominence,¡± the guardsman said, stiffly at attention. Justin cleaned his face with the cloth, grateful his nose hadn¡¯t started running. ¡°I might need it more today, so I¡¯ll have it cleaned and give it back to you later,¡± he told Eiko, holding up his other hand as she opened her mouth to refuse. ¡°No, Eiko, I¡¯m not going to keep it. If you really must give me something, I only arrived here this morning, and my local clothes are all brand new.¡± Her face lit up. ¡°Yes, Prominence!¡± she said, sounding thrilled. ¡°And you might consider offering Lead Norodo and Senior Niri an in on that,¡± Justin added, folding the handkerchief and tucking it into one of his guayatunic¡¯s lower pockets. Justin suspected it was egotistically, narcissistically rude to suggest someone do some personal Riben embroidery for you, but on the gripping hand, the level of deference he was being shown made him think no one would dare to do it without an invitation. And he wanted some, dammit! ¡°Yes, Prominence!¡± Eiko. . .gushed, really. So he was probably right, and his status was sufficient to override the impropiety. ¡°Carry on, then,¡± Justin said, turning and leaving the room. He reversed himself in the hallway, snapping his fingers, and went back in again. ¡°Budge over,¡± he told Teyo, who scrambled to oblige. Justin tapped a few characters into the search box, selected the correct track from the drop-list, and hit play. He gave Eiko a last nod and left. # # # ¡°Jusutin!¡± Taiko said, where he was lying on the floor of the Right¡¯s Captain¡¯s Quarters, bundled up in some Riben futon-analogues, straining to rise against the chiurgeon-troopers¡¯ hands holding him flat. ¡°Are you hale!?¡± ¡°Tai-bro. That¡¯s my question. I¡¯m fine; I beat her like a drum wrapped up in a cheap rug. With the Dawn¡¯s assistance, that is; credit where credit¡¯s due. How are you?¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve been told,¡± Taiko said, ignoring the query, his eyes scanning Justin¡¯s body for any signs of evidence to the contrary. ¡°Taiko, I told you - I¡¯m fine,¡± Justin huffed. ¡°I know better than to hide things like that. It¡¯s stupid. She barely touched me, and Tsukanu never even got the chance. Oh, never mind,¡± he added, as Taiko continued to scrutinize him for damage, ¡°you¡¯re not going to be sensible. Who¡¯s the guard-in-charge here?¡± ¡°Senior Obu, Prominence,¡± one of them said. He had red hair like Ozu¡¯s, only longer, and was two or three inches taller and beefier all around. ¡°Related to Ozu?¡± Justin asked him. ¡°I¡¯m his older cousin, Prominence,¡± Obu said respectfully. But there was a smidgen of worry tucked behind it. ¡°Good,¡± Justin said. ¡°He seems very intelligent, so I¡¯m reassured to hear that you¡¯re family.¡± ¡°Thank you, Prominence,¡± Obu said, his expression lightening. ¡°Taiko¡¯s condition?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Your Kokyu is well enough for conversation, Prominence,¡± Obu reported. ¡°He was struck in the head, severely enough that I would not move him for a few hours, despite having received one of the new restoratives you¡¯ve had us brewing. If necessary, he could be carried in a litter.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Justin said, relaxing some too. ¡°Can you give us some privacy?¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± Obu said, gathering up his two assistants by eye. ¡°We¡¯ll wait outside.¡± They stood and filed through the door. Justin sat cross-legged by Taiko¡¯s side; Tzo imitated him on the other. ¡°Tzo told me a little about your history,¡± Justin said, jumping feet-first straight into it. He leaned forward and put his hand over Taiko¡¯s mouth just as it was opening. ¡°No, shut up, I don¡¯t really care, except for how it¡¯s turned out useful to me. The Dawn also told me that having beat Taisa, I¡¯m technically qualified to claim a Hokyukko¡¯s powers. Except that for reasons, I need to do it through a mana-fueled Minor Wish, instead of his or any of his family¡¯s power. And now you may speak,¡± he finished, taking his hand away. Taiko stared up at the ceiling in thought. ¡°I¡¯m. . .not sure what you want me to tell you, Brother,¡± he finally said. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the barriers, then,¡± Justin said. The old monk¡¯s fingers tightened on the edge of his covering. ¡°What?¡± Justin said, pointing at them. Taiko¡¯s eyes shifted to Tzo, then back to Justin again. ¡°Oh for pity¡¯s sake. . .¡± Justin grumbled. ¡°Taiko, you have my permission as a Prominence of the Dawn to reveal any secrets. . .no, dammit, that won¡¯t suffice, will it. I don¡¯t have any actual authority. Let me think, then. . . .¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°It has to do with the Celestial Palaces, correct?¡± Tzo said. ¡°Specifically, their method or methods of flight?¡± ¡°Wait what?¡± Justin said, taken by surprise. Taiko actually flinched. ¡°Our excellent Kokyu here was the only one of us to not react as markedly when you asked Pei about it,¡± Tzo said. ¡°He was very good, very bland, but that itself stood out to me.¡± Note to self, repeat and emphasize: never underestimate Tzo, Justin thought. ¡°So Hokyukko barriers can exclude atmosphere ¨C er, the air ¨C and are both light and strong enough to not only resist its external pressure, but thereby provide a lifting force as well?¡± Justin said. ¡°You know why it works?¡± Taiko gasped. ¡°You understand the theurgy?¡± ¡°Theurgy, pffft, what theurgy?¡± Justin said. ¡°Masters of technical arts and crafts, remember? Or, I mean, we couldn¡¯t do that exact trick yet ourselves; we didn¡¯t have strong enough physical materials, let alone real force fields. But people had been theorizing about it and doing the math long before I was born. We¡¯d long understood the physics involved and had been using it in cruder ways for a couple of centuries. Until we developed superior alternatives, that is.¡± Tzo was moving his flattened hands up and down in front of him, first staring at them, then past them into space. ¡°The volume is. . .empty. . .¡± he said. ¡°. . .like hulls keep water out, but they sink deeper with more weight. . .but air is everywhere; it would just. . .flow in, and it does have weight, because we feel it when the wind blows. . . .¡± Justin found himself holding his breath in suspense, watching Tzo grappling with the concepts involved, and silently cheering him on. It felt like watching Galileo, or Newton, or someone similar from Earth¡¯s history, struggling to achieve a great scientific insight. And even though the man didn¡¯t appear to understand mass or density as a separate - or rather, separable ¨C abstract qualities, he was nevertheless making progress despite that. ¡°. . .but water presses back harder, the deeper you push with an oar, or a pole. . .because ¨C because there¡¯s more weight ¨C pushing back - the deeper you go? Strong enough materials, you said. . .external pressure ¨C air has weight ¨C does water also have a. . .lifting force, you said, inside it, against oars and poles? And deeper water has greater lifting force ¨C air has depth!? Yes! It must! And that¡¯s why it¡¯s harder to breathe the higher one climbs! Not because the air gets heavier, but because the air has less weight! Because ¨C because - there¡¯s less of it to breathe! And ¨C and an empty Shrine - with no air in it - would have no weight ¨C the air would push it up just like water pushes, resists - a pole!¡± As he watched Tzo wring the basics of buoyancy flight almost literally out of the air itself, from barely a handful of oblique hints, Justin felt his eyes prickling. It was one of the most beautiful things he¡¯d ever seen in his life, a moment of pure analytic brilliance so glorious that it was bringing him to tears. Again. ¡°Dawn forgive me,¡± Taiko whispered in fear - the old monk was far less enraptured. ¡°O Rising Lord, I have kept my oaths, I have told no secrets of the Stars, I. . . .¡± Justin put his hand on Taiko¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s not your fault. If anybody¡¯s responsible, it¡¯s me. And some men ¨C no; some minds, I should say ¨C simply can¡¯t be stopped. Besides, he¡¯s figured out the essence of it already, so if anything bad was going to happen, I think it would have.¡± ¡°But. . . .¡± Taiko quavered. ¡°Sol probably planned this too,¡± Justin said. ¡°Because if things go the way I¡¯m planning, there might be an increasing supply of unemployed Hokyukko in the near future, which would be bad, but a shipping and travel revolution based on Hokyukko-powered vacuum airships is gonna be freaking awesome to watch happen. In addition to fixing the unemployment issue.¡± Yes, it is, and should do, but no, I¡¯ve only been taking advantage of your plan, Sol¡¯s voice cut in, this time almost balmy as a summer¡¯s morning. I did not put Taiko directly in your path. He was stationed at the North Temple and ran from there to replace Kokyu Sinar in the West when Tomu changed direction at the gates. Please tell my Kokyu that his oaths remain unbroken, that he retains my favor, and that I do not mistakenly Inlighten my worshipers. His choice to face the danger they all thought you were, in his brother monk¡¯s place ¨C in addition to his other valiant acts in my service over the past two decades - earned him the status he now possesses. He is praiseworthy in my sight. You yourself are an element that surpasses the merely chaotic, Justin. I cannot exhaustively predict your actions to the degree you have assumed. You bring disruption wherever you go, but I have repeatedly watched you also leave a better world in your wake as you do. I did not raise Taiko up so you could better help me. I raised Taiko up so we could better help him. Sorry, Justin thought, now feeling ashamed. No offense given, no apology needed, no regrets apply. Based on the information you had, your suspicions were neither irrational nor unjustified, and yet you chose to trust me in spite of them. And I choose to place my trust in you as well. That potion¡¯s about to expire, by the way. You might want to lie down before it happens. Sol¡¯s presence vanished again. Justin pulled one of Taiko¡¯s less supportive pillows out, turned ninety degrees, and lay down beside the blanket-bundled older man, tucking the cushion under his own head. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, nobody¡¯s getting blasted with divine distemper,¡± he said. ¡°Taiko, your oaths remain unbroken, you retain the Dawn¡¯s favor, he doesn¡¯t Inlighten his worshipers mistakenly, you¡¯re praiseworthy in his sight. I¡¯m lying down because he warned me the potion¡¯s about to expire and suggested it. Get Obu back in here and have him check me over and wake me up as soon as possible, Tzo, right away, I still have two ¨C no, a few important god-chores to do today. . . .¡± Sure enough, even as he was speaking a great, sleepy wave of lassitude poured over him, and his eyes closed of their own accord. # # # Thousands of fathoms below, a tiny trickle of mana flowed into the entity bound and sealed within the spherical formation of inscribed crystals. Somewhere in the world, several bodies of its progeny had absorbed a minuscule amount of another being¡¯s essence. It was a necessary part of the exchange needed for the expenditure of what remained of their own, according to the fundamental laws of the cosmos. Furthermore, as they were dead, almost the entirety of what passed into them then dissipated into the materia of the world. Now that magic involved had run its course, a fraction of it had been passed along, or rather up, to their creator, through the entity¡¯s innate sorcery. And though only a sliver of the fraction of that minuscule amount recovered penetrated the weakening formation. . .and though the processing of that by the entity was likewise slowed to less than a snail¡¯s pace. . .it was still enough to trigger a warning glow on the wall of the formation¡¯s monitoring station deep within the High Court¡¯s underchambers. The priestess on duty made a note of it in the log and went back to gossiping with her friend about the exciting, disturbing, possibly heretical events taking place in the city proper to their west. The true importance of what the formation guarded had been kept secret from the beginning, as a means of security through obscurity, and had long since been forgotten by almost all. The priestess was not technically failing in her diligence, or at least no more than the High Court overall had been failing in that over multiple millennia. The monitors¡¯ sensitivity had originally, deliberately, been set so high that false positives were a common occurrence. Common to the degree that a summary of them was kept and they were investigated in mass four times per year, once per season, instead of as-they-appeared. Had the sealed entity been less clever itself, the trickle of mana would have awakened it enough to then trigger other, far more notable warnings. But in the last moments of its binding, it had put its outer self into a trance state indistinguishable from that to which it was being subjected. . .while its deeper being continued to work the great enchantment that would make it unstoppable in this world, once and for all. And so, excruciatingly slowly, and all the more undetectably for it, the tiniest speck of the sliver of the fraction of the minuscule amount of the essence exchanged, hardly more than the equivalent of a magical molecule, was integrated into that working. 29 - Boat Dream Justin sleeps. And dreams. He is prone to lucid dreams. It¡¯s been a small advantage in his life; nothing compared to the benefits of consistent, mentally focused effort ¨C it¡¯s not work if you enjoy it, and enjoying it is just a change of mindset - but from time to time, it¡¯s helped. Mostly academically. But as his proficiency with the law and negotiation and arguing cases in court grew, some times he would dream lucidly before an upcoming challenge, and end up better prepared for those as a result, too. And then there are the other times. Also mostly good, when he gets to relive a series of happy memories. They aren¡¯t perfect, aren¡¯t eidetic, but they¡¯re close. Like a low-resolution virtual reality recording of his life, one that he can pause and zoom and study for all the tiny details his conscious mind had filtered out at the time. He usually doesn¡¯t bother, though. He¡¯s too busy enjoying the experience. This memory is one of his favorites. It¡¯s an after-Services Sunday lunch with the Farmers; Jolie¡¯s chicken and dumplings, steamed nawlins vegetables, hot multi-berry pie with cheese and whipped heavy or ice cream for dessert. Delicious. The weekend after the one he first met Chloe and her friends at the Keystone Escape rooms. Frances¡¯ belated 15th birthday gift ¡®from the firm¡¯s senior staff¡¯, i.e. her father and aunt, combined with a ¡®team-building¡¯ exercise. Made a good write-off, too. Except the Walker case had blown up that morning, and everyone else had to cancel and rush back to the office to put out the fires as soon as they heard. Everyone except Frances, who didn¡¯t work there, still in high school, and Justin, who shouldn¡¯t touch it, due to his conflicting interests. So they¡¯d joined up with Chloe¡¯s team, who were missing three people, at her invitation, and had a great time together. Set a fastest solve record for Congressional Conspiracy, the venue¡¯s toughest room. Even both including, and despite, Frances¡¯ poorly concealed matchmaking. And now, asleep for the first time since his arrival here, Justin is re-experiencing the Farmer¡¯s regular post-lunch old-school karaoke in the high-ceiling parlor of their Second Empire Victorian home. Jolie, Frances¡¯ mother, at the piano, her hair pulled back in a big poofy afro pony-bun, and Frances in her new primary-color-bead birthday cornrows, whispering in her ear and smirking at him. Big bald TJ, his boss, senior partner, her father, sitting in his recliner with a pilsnerfull of peach Lembec, just the barest hint of sediment curling like smoke in the bottom of the glass. Throttle, Frances¡¯ weeby-appearing little brother, technically Thomas the Third, in the chair in the corner, reading history, fingerprint smudges on his glasses. The book is Woodard¡¯s The Republic Of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. From the local library. He¡¯s deep into it, even more than he usually is, half a dozen differently colored pastel Post-It bookmarks sticking out of the top. Cousin Belle and her swain, Joseph, on the couch, Sunday best, skirt and suit, behaving decently, but not paying much attention to the rest of the room. The rest of the extended family out back in the yard, or off to do other things. And Jolie turns, and looks at him, and then turns back to the keys and starts playing. Justin can see every particle of eyeliner on Frances; trace every tiny blood vessel in her sclera; observe every muscle movement on her face as she grins at him. She knows. She¡¯s in contact with Chloe ¨C the deductions come fast; Chloe has called the office, as he¡¯d heard Frances suggesting when she huddled up with her in the escape room; left her a message, and now they¡¯re phone friends. They¡¯re alike in that, he suspects. Unlike him, they make connections easily and quickly, although Chloe¡¯s much shyer. They¡¯re conspiring. He doesn¡¯t mind. Chloe is interesting, in ways few people have ever been to him. He can¡¯t always predict her ¨C sometimes, but not always. And she doesn¡¯t just seem to have a moral center; she practically is a moral center. A legacy of her Amish upbringing, in part, but he thinks it¡¯s attributable to her inherent character also. Maybe even moreso. And, well, she¡¯s adorable. And doesn¡¯t seem to realize it. People¡¯s eyes follow her, unconsciously compelled. She¡¯s not beautiful; but she is cute. She¡¯s not overtly sexy, not glamorous, but she¡¯s charismatic. Like some inversion of Amy Greene¡¯s story about Marilyn Monroe, one where the Chloe Effect turns off the instant she meets the eyes of those watching her. Because she thinks they¡¯re staring at her because she¡¯s weird, a dorky, nerdy, unattractive little Amish exile, and transforms into precisely that the moment she notices their attention. But she isn¡¯t. She¡¯s more like the female lead in a classic screwball romantic comedy, except much smarter and much less annoying. Interesting. And now Frances sings I wan-ted to be with-you a-lone at him, just as always, and Throttle, Belle, and Joseph look up, because what? Justin? Too old, and isn¡¯t she dating Orestes? But TJ is joining in, smiling into his fruit beer; so now it¡¯s obvious to them how that¡¯s not it. And if TJ knows, then the whole office must know, and Justin still doesn¡¯t mind. He gets up and stands next to Jolie, across from Frances, and comes in on the chorus with her, some-thing hap-pens and I¡¯m head-over-heels, staring her down because he¡¯ll be damned if he¡¯ll let a 15-year-old embarrass him with his sudden attraction to a single, unattached young woman of marriageable age. And then, suddenly, the way dreams can change, it¡¯s later that afternoon, and he¡¯s in the kitchen drying the dishes that Frances is washing. And he carelessly, thoughtlessly starts singing again; Freberging, his father used to call it; filking, he later learned from Chloe and Carla and Derek and their social group: Dumplings happen and I get ¡®em for meals I always pii-iig ouuut When I get ¡®em for mee-ee-eals Dumplings happen and I get ¡®em for meals Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. and Frances holds up a hand to make him stop and sings back Ah-ah don¡¯t take my part and he jumps in and sings Don¡¯t take my quart and they harmonize together Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t throw them away and then TJ¡¯s deep, dark bass rumbles from the next room This is myyy. . .craaazy white boyy, ahh-ahhh. . . . ¡°Thomas!¡± they hear Jolie say indignantly from nearby her husband, but she¡¯s laughing underneath that. So are Justin and Frances, and no underneath about it. And then he¡¯s in the meeting room at Turner, Mitchell, and Wright, years before that, barely starting out at Farmers Law, sitting beside TJ. They¡¯re meeting TMW¡¯s Devon Greene for the first time, and unfortunately not the last. Devon sneers at Justin¡¯s then new-to-him boss, saying your token cracker doesn¡¯t belong here, and TJ replies, that¡¯s inappropriate, Mr. Greene. And in-dream Justin, unaware Justin, doesn¡¯t expect any more than that, outsider newbie hire as he is; in fact, he wouldn¡¯t say more himself, in TJ¡¯s place. He¡¯d merely call out Greene the way Senior Partner Thomas Farmer Junior had. But lucid dreaming Justin knows better, and turns his attention to the older man next to him as TJ continues, he¡¯s from New Hampshire, Devon; he¡¯s a generic honky; crackers are from south of the Mason-Dixon Line; don¡¯t you know your damn taxonomy? And then the dream goes more commonly dreamlike; the two of them, he and TJ, have their elbows on the table, leaning their heads on their palms, facing each other, pointing, laughing, tossing made-up slurs back and forth, words that don¡¯t even exist, none of which happened in real life, while Greene and his client Trevor wobble and judder like hot outraged licorice jelly men across the table from them, joined at their middles like siamese twins, and each new un-word Justin and TJ create diminishes them-him-it somehow, and Obu is above him, holding his shoulder, he¡¯s back on the Right, Taiko and Tzo are on his right, looking concerned, and Justin scuttles backwards on his hands and butt and feet until he hits a wall, and the impact shocks him out of his dream-fugue. # # # ¡°Prominence?¡± Obu asked. ¡°Wow,¡± Justin said. ¡°Make a note, whomever; Potion of Prominence may increase likelihood of vivid dreaming. Wow. I haven¡¯t remembered any of that in years.¡± Obu gave one of his assistants a look, and the man picked up a scroll from a neat stack nearby, unrolled it, and jotted down a few words. ¡°Bad one?¡± Tzo said. ¡°No; good ones; second family good. Colleague uncle good. But vivid. Uhhh, right ¨C how long was I out?¡± ¡°A ninth of an hour, Prominence,¡± Obu said. ¡°We are close to the end of the Hawk.¡± ¡°Plenty of time, then,¡± Justin said. He slid back towards the others across the smooth, silvered-green Sunwood flooring, picked up his pillow, and lay back down again. ¡°Now, where were we? Hokyukko powers. Taiko ¨C dammit, still stuck there, aren¡¯t we -¡± ¡°No; I will teach you, Brother,¡± Taiko interrupted. ¡°I must. . .I have become ¨C been granted - Inlightenment. I must grow to meet it; to meet my new responsibilities. I must. . .push ¨C no; test the boundaries I set for myself, so long ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it gets done,¡± Justin said, pleased. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so hard leading Taiko - and Tzo, in light of his display of deducing forbidden knowledge a few minutes past - into less formality with the Dawn after all. ¡°Then how about you think about what I need to know first and best, while I take a first swing at my ¨C er, phrasing? And Tzo! Why don¡¯t we collaborate ¨C oh bother; Obu, I hate to keep doing this -¡± ¡°Prominence ¨C if I may -¡± Obu said. Justin rolled a hand in a go-on gesture. ¡°It is our job to come, and go, and come again, as needed; we are pleased to do so.¡± He ducked his head in Tzo¡¯s direction. ¡°As retainers to the Ling Fei, discretion is among our primary duties.¡± ¡°Quite so,¡± Tzo said approvingly. ¡°Captain Ougo himself was recruited for that very reason. And though I do not relish the prospect of the hiring cycle we shall have to undertake soon, the benefits far more than -¡± ¡°What if we had your applicants buy something from someone, or several someones, temporarily in my employ?¡± Justin broke in. He cocked his head at Obu and his assistants, who, mistaking his meaning, rose to exit. ¡°I would be pleased to do so,¡± Justin added, letting the misunderstanding go without comment. ¡°That would be a great advantage, Prominence,¡± Tzo said, dryly. ¡°And I am sure we can come to an agreeable price for your counsel.¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s ¨C hmmm, no; you two should work together instead, combining your knowledge, about how to phrase a Minor Wish granting me Hokyukko powers. The right to which I¡¯ve earned, by beating Taisa. ¡°The focus should be on impermeability; I wisahaahaha no I don¡¯t I never said the word! I, uh, need to lock away some Void materials I brought with me as much as possible from the natural laws of this world, to prevent their, ah. . .normalization. So I can later use that quality of theirs to, to. . .exploit their suitability as magical foci in spellcrafting; spell-casting.¡± ¡°Yes, Brother,¡± Taiko said, simultaneous with Tzo¡¯s lip-curled ¡°As you don¡¯t wish, Prominence.¡± ¡°Ha ha, yes, rub it in, the pain is part of life''s lessons,¡± Justin said. ¡°Taiko, you¡¯ll keep a list of anything I might need to check with the Dawn about oaths-and-secrets-wise?¡± ¡°Yes, Brother.¡± ¡°All right, then, I¡¯m going over there to think in the quiet.¡± Justin got up, booted the rolled coverlet-pillow into the farthest corner of the room, and followed it over. It had loosened in flight, so he tightened it up again before lying down and linking his fingers over his chest. His previous Minor Wish ¨C a variation on several he¡¯d had prepared, depending on how the conflict turned out - had been a lot easier. This one was going to take some more serious thought. He started with the usual. Maybe, buried somewhere deep in Earth¡¯s junkpile of mythology, there was a solar deity who was as liminal as they were luminal, har har. Or, more likely, a few. But Justin had never come across any in his preparatory research. The closest he could think of was the Hindu Agni, whose portfolio included the transfer of votive offerings and messages between mortals and deities, alongside a few other boundary, threshold-related aspects. But perhaps that¡¯s for the best? Yeah, come to think of it, the less Sol¡¯s grubby little fingers are on this, the better. Okay, then, not so much with the godly enhancement on the Wish. What else? Music. Barriers? Walls? Stars? Justin let his mind drift, hoping for inspiration. For symbolism. Sooo. . .if he had to pick a single most representative symbol of a box, or a container ¨C no, he thought, of a space; the abstract concept of a bounded area, preventing the normalization of the contents to this cosmos¡¯s laws ¨C so different laws on the inside, and do specify them, Justin! Don''t just accept anything random, let alone what some other being might insert - and bigger on the inside than the outside, magically so - - except I¡¯m not from a magical culture. ¡®Masters of technical arts and crafts.¡¯ And any sufficiently advanced technology - Ohohoho! That¡¯s perfect! And the Monolith¡¯s a lot more Void-ish, a lot more ¡®beyond-the-stars¡¯ than it¡¯s locally solar. One could even make a case that in ¡®2010¡¯ it thematically begets a sun. And that gives me a song, too! What else? Interface. CAD software. KISS; model it on ¨C oh, dammit, push through ¨C - he forced himself not to think of Chloe at her desk, studying interior design ¨C - Tinkercad. What next? Taiko and Tzo¡¯s low-voiced conversation faded from his awareness as he focused his full attention on the task at hand. 30 - Storeage Spaces Tzo and Taiko stared at the coils of silver and gold and platinum wires and cabling resting on one of the flattened legs of the black pants, then the piles of glittering gems sorted by type on the other. Now that they were in as secure a location as he was likely to find, and they had the wording for the Minor Wish down, Justin had stripped all his baubles out of their seams and concealments in his Earth trousers. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Tzo started, then swallowed. ¡°Not enough to purchase the Orphan, of course, but ¨C still -¡± ¡°I might disagree, Advocate,¡± Taiko said. ¡°That is an absurd amount of liquid assets, Brother,¡± Taiko added, and pffpffpffed out a breathy laugh. ¡°- and of course the eventual per-season market value of your Mana Water exceeds it by, by -¡± Tzo murmured. ¡°A factor of twenty-ish, I think,¡± Justin said. ¡°Not counting their value as Void materials, that is.¡± ¡°Which ¨C if you could sell them all at once without crashing the price - ¡° Taiko continued, ¡°would increase that by a factor of one hundred. At least.¡± ¡°Tzo? Two hundred and fifty million?¡± Justin said. ¡°Yes?¡± the advocate replied inattentively. ¡°Could that much purchase the Right Here Chloe?¡± Justin asked. ¡°What? Oh. No. No; Riku-Go¡¯s Folly ¨C er, the Orph ¨C ah, your ship, had a minimum floor of one-point-two billion ri. Though a genuine opportunity to get it off the High Court¡¯s account books might lower that. . .no, not enough to matter, no.¡± ¡°So this is effectively a billion-dollar home,¡± Justin said, looking around. ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right.¡± Even for him, that was one beast of a brag. Two-thirds of the Empire State Building¡¯s price, or of the Burj Khalifa¡¯s construction costs. But going by his shaky guesstimations based on what he¡¯d seen so far, he also had an uncomfortable feeling that the Right Here Chloe¡¯s functional square footage was approaching the range of those buildings as well. Three million square feet. Which was simply ridiculous. Yeah, he might have pushed the Contract a little farther than he¡¯d meant to, then. But the Dawn seemed fine with it, so eh whatever, it was probably all good. ¡°You were that rich!?¡± Taiko exclaimed. ¡°What? No! I had less than a hundredth of that! I meant right for impressing ¨C uh, other people.¡± Taiko and Tzo both gave him looks of disbelief. Okay, yes, he¡¯d fumbled there, hadn¡¯t he. ¡®Sounds about right¡¯ was the kind of nonchalantly pseudo-conceited thing he would have said. . .before. . .to get a, a, reaction. And he wasn¡¯t ¨C these two weren¡¯t, by his assessment ¨C ready to hear about whom he really wanted to ¡®impress¡¯. As Justin mentally scrambled to find an explanation that was morally and ethically acceptable to him while still not revealing his long-term plans, understanding flashed across Taiko¡¯s face. ¡°Ah!¡± the old monk said. ¡°Shrines and Hokyukko powers ¨C you intend to host Demons here? But why ¨C oh, by the Dawn, are there more items of power here beyond your Magic Fountain!? And you need ¨C want ¨C Demons, for guardians you can - you must bind, to secure them?¡± Justin looked at him, shaking his head slightly in amazement. ¡°Taiko,¡± he said, ¡°you are a scary old man. Yes, you¡¯re correct. There¡¯s a Mana Well behind the secure bulkheads in the lower hold of the Here, with meditation and work rooms around it, and a Library containing magical grimoires likewise on the Chloe, next to the Spellcrafting lab. That¡¯s partly why the Shrine areas are on that hull. The Mana Well is less important, less dangerous, in my view, than the knowledge in the Library, so it needs the most protection. Tzo -¡± The advocate held up a hand to stop him. ¡°I understand completely, Prominence,¡± the older man said. ¡°No matter how honorable the retainer, how strict their oath, some temptations must be warded against by all means available. Even under less strait circumstances, the Ling Fei would not be offended by your caution in obtaining guards outside our purview. Indeed, more the opposite; it is reassuring.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tzo,¡± Justin said. ¡°And of course the Ling Fei will be among the first offered the opportunity to make use of these facilities. . .in due time.¡± ¡°Do you plan to recruit the Fist and the Rod?¡± Taiko asked curiously. ¡°I¡¯ve been considering it,¡± Justin said. ¡°Do you think Master Kaji would be interested in relocating?¡± ¡°For someone of another vocation, I would say they would be a fool not to,¡± Taiko said, staring down at his blanket-buried feet in thought. ¡°But Hokyukko traditionally build stronger-than-normal relationships with their local communities as a means to reduce their emotional attachments to their ¨C charges. So he might prefer not to leave. And the Shrine of the Fist and the Rod is not ¨C even were the Fist and the Rod to depart, to be housed elsewhere, and be replaced by another Demon, so that the Shrine''s name changed - its standing would not be greatly reduced. It has a long and honorable history.¡± Justin had noticed something, and brought it up: ¡°You said another Demon, singular, even though Kim and Kon are a duo ¨C they are a duo, right? - is that unusual?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It is almost unheard of,¡± Taiko agreed. ¡°As a rule, Demons do not share territory, or power, or ¨C anything, really. May-She-Remain-Bound -¡± Taiko reached up, then dropped his fluttering fingertips through the air, in what Justin guessed was some Stars-aligned benediction ¡°- Kimukkanaya the Strongest is no more than a single level in power below one of the Celestial Court Themselves. Why she ¨C cares so ¨C for Kon the Rod is unknown, as unknown as their origins, or how and why he can return her. . .sentiments. But they have been together for many, many centuries. So long that there are children¡¯s songs whose sources we cannot trace, warning about them, about never threatening Kon lest his Big Sister erupt in rage, but also about how to placate him with candy, or fair contests. And thereby keep Kim calm and ¨C well, not docile, but ¨C peaceable.¡± Tzo stirred and asked, ¡°Kokyu, what is your position on the theory that the Fist and the Rod are the heirs of the, er, ¡®ancient Demon Queen¡¯?¡± Taiko snorted. ¡°The good advocate is talking around the Church¡¯s position that said ¡®ancient Demon Queen¡¯ never existed, as a defense against the apparently ineradicable belief that not only did she exist, but was Sky Father¡¯s consort and the mother of the cosmos. Which the Church holds is heresy of the highest, worst kind, and Jusutin,¡± Taiko raised his voice, ¡°please do not ask Sky Father about it. It is a known fact that the Skylord does not want to talk about that, and will not entertain questions on the matter. Explosively so, sometimes.¡± Justin put his hands up in both acceptance of the monk¡¯s request, and in defense against his glare. ¡°Understood. Everybody has their trigger topics. I won¡¯t bring it up with him.¡± Note to self: bring that up with the Dawn. ¡°As for your question, advocate,¡± Taiko said, settling down again,¡± I am inclined towards the belief that ¡®Demon Ruler¡¯ - whether ¡®Queen¡¯ or ¡®King¡¯ or else-word - was a title granted to multiple entities of ancient history in series, rather than one specific one. What is kept hidden is that -¡± Taiko halted a moment in habitual self-censorship, then recovered and continued ¡°- the Fist maintains a certain amount of order among the lesser Demons of Ribe. To the degree that they will pass information to each other, and upwards to her. ¡°Which she also traditionally provides to her Hokyukko, which in turn is one main reason why she is granted more latitude than most. Apart from that, however - because of this capacity of hers, there is, or was, a consensus among the Stars¡¯ clergy that as the undisputed Strongest in Ribe, she is capable of frankly terrorizing the lesser Demons into obedience, so much so that they will go against their natures. From this, the theory extends to the proposition that a ¡®Demon Ruler¡¯ is a Demon strong enough to enforce such cooperation, although in Kim¡¯s case, as she is not as powerful as the legendary -¡± ¡°Taiko,¡± Justin said, a pained expression on his face. ¡°please tell me Kim isn¡¯t referred to as the ¡®Demon Princess¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, Brother,¡± Taiko said, closing his eyes. ¡°What else have you done?¡± ¡°Um, called her ¡®Princess Kim, the best of big sisters¡¯, and gave her some headpats? She. . .didn¡¯t seem to mind, though. . . .¡± ¡°You touched her ¨C then again, you were so overstuffed with Void power at the time that it wouldn¡¯t have mattered, would it,¡± Taiko said, repeatedly pinching his lower lip between his front teeth, and pulling it out again as he thought. Tzo was knuckling his forehead again, the way he had been when Justin had first met him in his office. ¡°You patted. . .the Fist. . .on the head,¡± he said. ¡°I thought she was just a cute street kid who deserved some better-than-decent treatment for being such a good older sibling!¡± Justin protested. ¡°Oh, right; also, is it going to cause trouble if I give them some silver? I promised to give them some silver. In exchange for recommending Madame Shinbi to me and giving me directions to her Salon.¡± ¡°No, thank goodness,¡± Taiko said. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem. They receive offerings regularly, money included.¡± ¡°Will I be able to touch Kon safely ¨C actually, how do I manage to touch both of them safely now?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Because I still think they need more physical affection. Heck, even more so, now that I know more about them! And I promised to teach Kon some stylish young people¡¯s hand greetings from my previous home, since Kim was so insistent about not giving him candy.¡± ¡°Patted. The Fist. On the head.¡± Tzo repeated numbly. ¡°I¡¯m. . .not sure, Brother,¡± Taiko admitted, pitilessly ignoring how Tzo was stuck in a verbal holding pattern. ¡°It could be that your physical structure alone, as a Xenopote, would be sufficient to resist their chaos. Or the power formerly invested in you by, ah, ¡®Book Smarts¡¯ might be needed. Or your Hokyukko powers could compensate for that ¨C there¡¯s too much we don¡¯t know to say.¡± ¡°What do they do with the money?¡± Justin asked Taiko, ¡°Buy things,¡± Taiko said, with a smirk. ¡°Oh har har, what things? Besides candy, in Kon¡¯s case?¡± ¡°In Kim¡¯s case, primarily alcohol. Clothes; treats. . .games at festivals; toys, which they eventually tire of and give away. The things young children usually would purchase. Except for the alcohol, of course.¡± ¡°So not a lot of money, then,¡± Justin said. ¡°No, Brother; most often they receive offerings of food. Which they do eat, yes.¡± ¡°Does anyone ever give them embroidery? Does Kim ever do any?¡± Justin asked. That broke Tzo out of his trance and reduced Taiko to gape-mouthed silence again. ¡°What?¡± Justin said, honestly puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Eiko, Niri, and Norodo are going to give me some, but I¡¯m nowhere near that close with Nuti and even if I was, there¡¯s probably professional reasons against it. All that¡¯s left is Kimmuetcetera, and I did meet her first, after all." ¡°You are, without qualification, the strangest person I have ever met,¡± Taiko pronounced. ¡°I can comprehend your willingness to form a familial bond with them; you have the power and the, the, inhuman compassion for it, I suppose, but. . .the Fist. . .doing embroidery. . .for a Prominence, voidspawn or not. . . .¡± He shook his head. ¡°Jusutin. Demons, let alone the Strongest, do not ¨C do not -¡± ¡°You¡¯ve traveled so far into madness that you¡¯ve emerged from the other side in some bizarre realm where everything normal is turned perverse and the perverse made normal and nothing can make sense anymore,¡± Tzo said. ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, right?¡± Justin asked him, doubtfully, since Tzo sounded wholly serious. ¡°If you weren¡¯t a Prominence, as your Advocate I would have you committed to an asylum,¡± Tzo said, his face and tone as straight as a ruler. ¡°You want personal embroidery from the Strongest Demon in the Holy City of Ribe. You can¡¯t get more insane than that. Sassing the Skyfather is one thing, but ¨C this!¡± ¡°Brother, that was not a challenge,¡± Taiko rushed to add, correctly interpreting the look forming on Justin¡¯s face at the words can''t get more insane than that. ¡°Ahhh, you two just don¡¯t know how to enjoy life,¡± Justin grumped. Yeah, they¡¯re still nowhere near ready to hear about the rest of my plans, he thought. 31 - Well-less Wishing After he¡¯d blown Taiko and Tzo¡¯s minds again, Justin finally wised the damn freaking hell up ¨C or a little more, anyways - and repeated to them everything he could remember of what the Dawn had told him. And his observations about how the god had been leading him to more closely examine and investigate some options by mentioning them, or tangentially related things in passing, too. His ongoing policy that it was still imprudent to tell them about the first major step on the path to his ultimate objective was no reason to keep hoarding the information he could share. And the fact that the Dawn hadn¡¯t alluded to that step in the slightest, as far he could recognize, felt like inverse confirmation from the god that he should be more open with them. So then, once the two of them had that information to mull over, Justin took a few minutes to write out some hasty-but-accurate transcriptions of the Contract¡¯s original list of option for them also. He couldn¡¯t have taken that chance back on Earth; the risk was far too great. Here and now though, after he¡¯d signed the Contract? Not taking advantage of his two closest advisors'' wits was self-sabotaging stupidity. He didn¡¯t transcribe his predecessor¡¯s note, though. As much as he trusted these two, the prospect of youthful, healthful immortality was the kind of temptation that could break anybody. That was one more secret he was keeping from everyone. It was too bad the Prompo¡¯s [Better] enhancement didn¡¯t work on intellectual, abstract efforts, as he¡¯d found out in his pre-fight testing and familiarization; only physical ones. And of course his own physical capacities limited the amount of improvement it could provide. With the limited time and means he¡¯d had to check, he put that at somewhere over a thousand times normal. He had a suspicion that it was right around thirty-one hundred, five exponents of five. Yes, even a three thousand times improvement to his own wits would have been the next best thing to a Push To Win button. But he could hardly call the Prompo disappointing, in light of what it could and did do, and between himself, Taiko, and Tzo, they stacked the deck for his next Minor Wish as far as they all thought was presently possible. It was probably overkill, but there was no good reason not to do the best job of something that you could, if you had the time to take the pains for it. Justin¡¯s father had taught him that, in both word and repeated deed. Taiko¡¯s verging-on-innocent query of ¡°Then what can enhance a Minor Wish, Brother?¡± before he¡¯d passed those transcripts over had gotten the man a full-on hug in return, partly because of the sense of confident confirmation it had given Justin. Taiko picking up the same potential hint in the Dawn¡¯s curious event in the night-time insistence about how Minor Wishes were not allowed to enhance each other was a great relief to him. If Taiko also thought there was a tacit implication there that other means could affect Minor Wishes, Justin felt a lot better about the prospect. Taiko then noticing the same thing Justin had from the beginning - that out of all the Blessings, only Sun specifically listed mana, residual mana, as a factor in its functioning ¨C only enhanced that sense of confirmation. ¡°So - Mana Water and a high-mana environment, such as that a nearby a Mana Well would provide?¡± Tzo mused. Justin had shaken his head, tapping the relevant entry on the scroll between them. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Mana Well would help,¡± he said. ¡°See here? ¡®Make the use of magic less tiring,¡¯ and ¡®casting spells will be less tiring¡¯. As for the recharge aspect, it¡¯s possible the Mana Water, in the sense of its time limit on multiple uses, might qualify as a enchanted item for that, but I don¡¯t see any way that would help in the short term.¡± ¡°I must agree,¡± Tzo said. ¡°And the Magic Fountain¡¯s ¡®heightens existing magical effects¡¯ language suggests to me that instant effects, as per your reported Wishing experience on the dock, would likewise not qualify for its benefits in terms of granting you power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my interpretation,¡± Justin said. ¡°It feels like a coin toss at best. I¡¯ll still try it, of course, but now I¡¯m wi- aha, wanting, dammit! - that the Library on the Chloe, and particularly the magic grimoires, were available to us. Entries on wishing magic or rituals or enchantments or any other ways to enhance them would be a help. Ah, well; what can¡¯t be cured must be endured.¡± Taiko perked up and pulled his scroll and charcoal pencil out of his blankets. Justin looked at the neatly folded robes set out of the way by one wall, then back to the blanket-wrapped - and presumably nude beneath those - old monk. ¡°Oh good grief Taiko,¡± Justin complained, followed by a couple of loud claps from outside the door. Tzo stacked the sheets they had been consulting, pulled up a corner of Taiko¡¯s lowest futon, and tucked them underneath before calling, ¡®Come in!¡± Obu¡¯s two assistants bustled inside, one carrying a tray of bowls and utensils in one hand and the handle of a large teapots in the other. His companion had brought two small, steaming, covered buckets. Justin could smell fish, vegetables, spices, tea, and something else familiar he couldn¡¯t identify. The aromas seemed to shoot straight from his nose to his stomach, and the latter¡¯s emptiness reached up to grab his salivary glands and give them a good hard tug. The something else turned out to be short, thin noodles, which had been sitting in the fish-and-leafy-greens broth in one bucket so long that they had absorbed almost all of it. The other bucket had the vegetables, in stacked steamer baskets. One contained pale orangish roots that branched repeatedly below their lower halves; the uppers were cut into thick slices, while the lower, thinner branches were simply cut or snapped apart from each other. Another held broken spikes from a purplish head of fractal buds like romanesco broccoli, and the third had finger-length brown pea pods, small orbs pressed together like strands of beads. Under those were two baskets of black to dark blue rice-like grains. Obu¡¯s assistants neatly served them all with chopsticks, bowls of noodles, white fish pieces, and dark greens, set the steamer baskets out between them all next to the teapot, and exited again. ¡°What¡¯re all these called?¡± Justin asked, waving a finger across the spread. ¡°There are politer names for it, but noodles served this way are commonly called slop,¡± Tzo said, transferring several pieces of each of the vegetable to his own bowl of the stuff. ¡°This is whitefish slop; that¡¯s ginjo root, star buds, and those are egg peas.¡± Justin had practiced with chopsticks before he left, guessing that they might go along with the asian theme of the line drawing of Ribe in the Contract, so he didn¡¯t embarrass himself when he dipped them into his own bowl and picked out a mouthful of noodles. It was easier than he¡¯d thought it would be; the long soak had caused the noodle starch to thicken everything in the slop into a sticky mass. It had also made the noodles very tasty; the broth base was excellent, savory and rich, and had migrated into them completely. The fish was flaky and mild, and the bitterness had been almost completely cooked out of the greens. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Ginjo was crunchy like carrots, but also spicy like ginger, while star buds were surprisingly soft and sweet for their appearance, closer to brussels sprouts than anything else. The peas themselves were yellow inside the pods, like yolks, firm but less crunchy than ginjo, with an earthy, almost sour flavor. ¡°Thanks for arranging this, Tzo,¡± Justin said. ¡°I would have kept forgetting or putting it off until it hurt.¡± The advocate nodded, his mouth full. He chewed, swallowed, moistened his throat with a sip of tea, and said, ¡°We¡¯ll visit the Palace another day. It¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± ¡°Pork soup dumplings,¡± Justin said, and Tzo grinned at him. ¡°Theirs are excellent,¡± he said, ¡°and not to be missed, but their eel puffs are outstanding. It¡¯s not a proper meal there without an order or three.¡± # # # ¡°All right! Everybody ready?¡± Justin said, from the center of the ritual circle inscribed on the stage of the Right¡¯s multi-hundred seat Theater. Technically, the Ballroom on the Chloe should have the best acoustics, complementing its shaped multi-level orchestra platform. But since they were using the built-in speaker system for this, and the music¡¯s addition to the whole was probably no more than a few percents improvement at best, the Theater¡¯s concert acoustics would serve just as well. Not to mention how the Chloe was currently sailing back and forth between Ribe¡¯s southern shipbuilding docks and the Drops out in the open Toh to the north, and thus the Ballroom wasn¡¯t easily available to them. Nor was the Chloe¡¯s Library, which was what really stung. But they¡¯d piled on - and up - everything else they could from what was available aboard the Right. Including all the fallbacks from Justin¡¯s excruciating preparations before he¡¯d left, and everybody with a say agreed that they¡¯d put together an exceptional assembly of resources. As the selected troopers sounded off, Justin cast his mind back over one last check of the past hour or so of preparation. There wasn¡¯t much for him to do himself before the climax except be a good, quiet, receptive target of everyone else¡¯s efforts. As Justin had half-feared, half-anticipated, his Shop-supplied Spellcraft knowledge had given him only the most basic of spell casting skills. He had the minimum necessary for him to be able to test his crafted spells at a graduate, or journeyman level. Had he grown up in this world, that would have been the point in his career when he would first be capable of selling his abilities on his own, as an independent professional, without a School or Master¡¯s support. He had been given that much spell casting expertise, and nothing more. He could craft spells that were improved, degraded, and altered in multiple other ways, as well as create new ones. Those ranged in originality from the smallest variations on existing examples, to wholly unfamiliar models drawn from his Earth experiences listening to Derek, Carla, and the rest of Chloe¡¯s friends nerd out around the gaming or dining table. Alchemy was great; the prospect of combining the more artistic selection of components with the precise mathematics of balancing them all was hugely appealing. But after he¡¯d burned through the common tendency of adults new to the RPG hobby to play characters contrary to their daily lives ¨C in his case, barbarians, berserkers, and other battle-maniacs ¨C he¡¯d moved on to spellcasters. And stuck there. He¡¯d been exposed to far too much tragic stupidity as a criminal defense attorney to ever want to pretend to be a thief, or worse. Spellcrafting, both on its own, and as a means to spellcasting, was where ¨C outside The Plan - the most personal attraction for him was in all this. Word magic flavor ice cream? Two scoops please! That was fine by him. Ougo had eight competent magician-specialists in his company, one each assigned to the six eighteen-troop squads, plus a seventh in Ougo¡¯s command squad, plus the man himself. They could do all the actual casting, which let Justin leverage the Spellcrafting knowledge he did have through them. And thus they were now within the ritual space they¡¯d laid out in cordage and paint on the Right¡¯s stage: Justin in the center; Taiko, Ougo, and the chief caster in a triangular formation around him, and five more casters at the elemental points around that. Justin had given some thought to taking advantage of the stage¡¯s platforming abilities when designing the ritual, but Ougo had quickly and efficiently argued him out of that. Along with his other ideas about using the overhead lighting for illuminated sigils and area boundaries instead of the standard painted or rope ones. Prominence ¨C Ougo had explained politely, but firmly, you¡¯re already combining one amplifying ritual with one technically degrading ritual to take possible advantage of an untested material component¡¯s heightening factor. That¡¯s one too many variables already. I would not gild that blade any further, lest it blind me in combat. Justin had nodded, thinking Keep It Simple, Stupid to himself. Out loud he¡¯d said, ¡°You¡¯re entirely right, Captain. We¡¯ll do as you advise.¡± The last of the troopers called, ¡°Ready, Prominence!¡± and Justin waved his hand over his head in agreement for Tzo in the control booth up against the back wall, in the center of the half-circle of overhead boxes. Taiko, standing at one of the nine music stands they¡¯d repurposed from the orchestra pit, cleared his throat, and made the final go-ahead gesture. A moment later, Tzo¡¯s voice came from the speakers overhead: ¡°We shall begin. Music in five, four, three, two. . . .¡± As the opening meows of Deodato¡¯s jazzed-up cover of Also Sprach Zarathustra drifted down from overhead, Taiko began reciting from the scroll before him. ¡°In this Hour of the Hawk on this forty-fifth day of Crane, in the Renovations Era Year of 707, within this ritual circle created upon the Theater stage aboard the separated Right hull of the Magic Item Shop Right Here Chloe, abreast the Sea of Toh in the Kingdom of Eternia upon the world of Shothi, do I, Taiko of Ribe, born Tiko of the Bura, defrocked former Hokyukko, both prior by action and hereinafter the ¡®First Customer¡¯, now wish for Justin Carse, Contracted Keeper of the Magic Item Shop Right Here Chloe, hereinafter the ¡®Proprietor¡¯, to be assigned, awarded, dispensed to, endowed, equipped, imbued, infused, invested, and in all other benign ways provided with the maximum acuity, amount, degree, durability, intensity, magnitude, stability, strength, and other relevant characteristics possible - - inherent to a suite of Void-based abilities, capacities, masteries, powers, proficiencies, senses, spells, techniques, and other applicable faculties as closely analogous as possible to those which he does, is, has, or should be awarded, conferred, deserve, earned, guerdoned, incurred, merit, requited, and is in any other way further entitled to, according to Celestial Law, as a consequence of his defeat in single combat of the Constellation of the Crocodile Taisa of the Riben Temple of the Stars, as so acknowledged by that individual. . . . . .through the full and complete expenditure of all mana specifically reserved towards the fulfillment of my requirements according to the Contractually established constraints of this magical alteration of all applicable cosmoses, without any amplification, augmentation, bestowal, enhancement, enrichment, guidance, improvement, supplementation or other involvement beyond the minimum necessary by the God of Dawn in specific or any other Celestial source in general, and as modified by the ongoing ritual being performed around us. . . . . .minimum of eight options designated as ¡®meta keys¡¯, which can redefine the previously described ¡®hot keys¡¯ into prearranged combinations. . . . . . .including ¡®logic blocks¡¯ capable of activating ¡®hot keys¡¯ and ¡®meta keys¡¯, integrated with said suite of Void-based abilities, capacities. . . . . .Wish shall occur on the Effective Date and Time and its fundamental alterations of all applicable cosmoses shall continue in perpetuity, without limit or possibility of termination except by the cosmically, demonically, divinely, karmically, magically, mentally, physically, spiritually, and in all other possible or impossible ways uncompelled choice of the Proprietor, including any prior, subsequent, and atemporal arrangements, auguries, machinations, manipulations, oracles, prophecies, stratagems, whims, or other involvements with, of, or by destiny, doom, fate, fortune, karma, kismet, preordination, providence, or. . . ." 32 - Lego My Ego ¦µSO MOTE IT BE!¦µ
I KNOW YOU¡¯RE UP TO SOMETHING MORE WITH THIS I HAVEN¡¯T FIGURED OUT WHAT YET BUT SOON WE¡¯LL BE DONE WITH THIS OTHER NONSENSE OF YOURS AND THEN THERE SHALL COME
A RECKONING
Maybe you should be careful what you wish for, Book Smarts, Justin thought back. Just because you finally complete delivery doesn¡¯t mean you stop being liable for compensation owing to delay of access, services, and all the rest. Reckon with that. There was no response. ¡°Brother?¡± Taiko said. ¡°Hold on, checking with your celestie bestie,¡± Justin said. Sol? The god¡¯s cold voice whistled through his mind, leaving warmth in its wake. We¡¯re far from done over here, so if I were you, I wouldn¡¯t stack Barriers inside each other. It might still ¡®punch holes in reality¡¯. Other than that, though, it¡¯s safe for you to create Barriers inside the Warped Spaces on this hull. Also, I definitely don¡¯t expect us to be finished until after I rise again tomorrow. I won¡¯t get into the technicalities, but again, thank you for the new experiences. I haven¡¯t had to be this creative in a long time. Have fun experimenting and learning too! The god¡¯s presence vanished again before Justin could reply. Justin yet again reconsidered trying to find a way to contact the Contract¡¯s ¡®Upper Management¡¯, and yet again put the pin back in it. No, he thought, if there¡¯s one priority to add, it¡¯s getting Ougo¡¯s oaths transferred. If it weren¡¯t for the risk that someone above Tzo in the Ling Fei could overrule his command of the man and his forces, I¡¯d have brought the Captain - and probably Norodo - in as far as the other two already. We need their stoicism for balance. But that¡¯ll have to remain an issue for later. Top priority now is power testing! ¡°We¡¯re good to go!¡± Justin said cheerfully. ¡°And no time or place like the present!¡± He began coiling the cordage and ropes used to lay out the ritual space, and Taiko and the troopers pitched in, half of the latter jogging to the rear stage where the buckets and cloths needed to clean up the sigils¡¯ paint had been set aside. Once he had a sufficiently large space cleared, with everyone else working uprange of his testing area, Justin pulled one of the solid-backed orchestra stands over and flipped over the note paper used to delineate the former user¡¯s steps in the ritual. Test 1: he wrote, Basic Plate. ¡°Tzo!¡± he shouted up at the control booth, and pointed in front of himself ¡°Give me five one-story platforms in a line right here!¡± A few seconds later five hexagonal sections of the stage started rising where he¡¯d indicated, as Tzo manipulated the flooring controls. Black-sided with paint, just like their stage surface tops. Once they stopped, Justin stepped up and tried to look through the cracks between them. The joins were far from perfect; good enough not to trip up actors concentrating on their performance, but far from what he wanted as testing walls. He trotted around the end of the line and pointed at the three offset hexes in front of them. ¡°And another three here, please!¡± he shouted. That would block almost anything. He didn¡¯t really expect violent explosions; he wasn¡¯t going to test anything that destructive on board, but better safe than sorry. Once the eight-hex wall was up, he stepped back to its right end and imagined a standard 2001 Monolith form, only transparent yellow rather than solid black. And filled with the air it would surround, and on the metric scale, not the imperial. One meter thick by four meters wide by nine meters tall, almost thirty feet high, resting on the stage ten meters in front of him. And not facing him; angled at forty-five degrees to his left. He focused his will, the way he had when Sol had so conveniently asked for his cooperation earlier after the Right Here Chloe¡¯s investiture. And like before, flexed. This time, unlike how the mana from the Prominence Potion had shifted throughout his body, he could feel the mana leaving his. . .what was the word ¨C dantian, that was it. Lower dantian; Golden Stove, according to his alchemy knowledge, where the chaotic mana of existence in the material world was refined into chi. The monolith flashed into existence. And sure enough, as the Right''s monohull rocked gently in the waters of the Toh, even at dock, the thirty-foot pillar toppled over. But slowly, like. . .styrofoam. Or something lighter. Aerogel? Which suggested the actual material of the Barrier itself was incredibly thin, or at least low-mass. And it likely wasn¡¯t locked to some more fundamental cosmic reference frame; it appeared subject to the same physics everything else was. That had its advantages and drawbacks, but on the whole, he preferred it this way. Rather than landing with a boom, it floated forward as it reached the stage, supported by the air it was equally displacing, its downward momentum converted to forward. The back edge scraped across the stage with a small grinding noise, and the thud as the leading edge thumped into the raised platform to Justin''s left could be felt in the flooring underneath. Weight of air, weight of air, Justin racked his brains. . .one point something? One point three - 1.3 kg per cubic meter. Times 36. . .47 kg. 100 pounds of air in that thing. Yeah, that fits. More importantly, however, he could feel the Barrier''s continuing existence, like a. . .weight, not so much in his mind as in the universe near him. The way echoes and shadows reminded you of the presence of a large object nearby, one that was out of your field of view. But in this case, like a mystically kinesthetic sense. It wasn¡¯t drawing more mana out of him, which he also liked, but his. . .Barrier Sense? Sure, he was already using ¡®Customer Sense¡¯; why not. When he intentionally thought about modifying his creation, he could tell through this new sensory input that he was still connected to it, spooky-action-at-a-distance style. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Justin quickly summarized all that on the paper, then pulled out one of the smallest stretchy covers for his gem-buttons out of his pouch. He moved over to the fallen monolith, set it down on top, and returned to the right end of the three-hex-line, putting most of his body behind it, only his head poking out to watch. He focused his attention on the monolith, and tried to very, very slightly shrink it. It compressed, taking another chunk of his mana. ¡°Possible explosive testing!¡± he shouted, looking around. The troopers were mostly done cleaning up, and everyone not paying attention was out of the potential blast range behind his pseudo-bunker. Justin counter-flexed. The fallen Monolith disappeared. . .and the tiniest, barely perceivable puff of air floated the cover upwards, less than an inch, before it dropped to the stage. His mana didn¡¯t refill. Justin added that, plus a note about possible one-way light-heat transparency and retention. If the Barriers truly were adiabatic, and the ideal gas laws remained the same. . .no, you¡¯re getting ahead of yourself again, he thought. Stick to the outline. Test 2: Basic Size, he wrote, and returned to the wall¡¯s end. He imagined a smaller Monolith, half the previous one¡¯s dimensions, this time lying on one large face, dummy! And flexed. A larger trickle of mana left him this time, maybe. . .twice the first expenditure? He¡¯d have been happy if it was an eighth, just for the convenience of knowing that ¨C at least at this scale ¨C volume not only determined mana costs, but obeyed the square-cube law in doing so. But apparently reducing the volume cost more mana. He looked closer at the. . .not-a-minilith. Because it wasn¡¯t. It was about three-quarters the size of his first monolith. Not ¡®mini¡¯ at all. Justin grumble-growled, deep in his throat, less than pleased at coming up against a limit so soon. Why? he thought, then, Wait ¨C volume? 0.75 times. . .1.5 squared is 2.25, times 2.25 squared. . .huh. ¡°Tonero, I need your measuring cord!¡± he called. Working it out by math would be fun, but not as much fun as knowing more and better, sooner. Ougo¡¯s balding, middle-thickened chief spellcaster brought him the formation/ritualist¡¯s version of a tape measure they¡¯d used to set things up here. ¡°Prominence?¡± the man asked. ¡°Give me your best estimate of the width of this one,¡± Justin said, leading him over. ¡°Well, I mean, the height, in this orientation,¡± he clarified. The magician kneeled at the corner of the. . .semi-lith, Justin labeled it in his head, half or not, and took the measurement. ¡°A little over 0.72 meters, Prominence,¡± Tonero said. Not for the first time, Justin appreciated the seamlessness of the translation magic involved in his transition here. He returned to his orchestra stand and started doing the math. He could have done it in his head, but keeping records of all this was vital. 0.725 times 1.450 squared, times 2.175 squared. . .a-yep, he thought. 7.2 cubic meters; one-fifth the volume of the first monolith. What was it with this world¡¯s magic and powers of five? Besides, obviously, the elementally obvious. He looked around. Tonero, peering over his shoulder, withdrew, looking guilty. ¡°No, no, Tonero, that¡¯s fine!¡± Justin said. ¡°Do check my math! I¡¯m not ready for questions yet, but the more eyes on this the better.¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± Tonero said, looking and sounding relieved. Justin finished his check of the blast-lines. Nobody was at risk, so he counter-flexed to dismiss the - shortylith; yeah, that works, he thought. Now let¡¯s try it in the opposite direction. He moved to the wall¡¯s end, peeked around and imagined a 2x8x18 meter. . .duo-lith. Which would still stick out over the orchestra pit, if he put that end all the way in the backstage, but not reach the seats. And flexed. Yeah. That wasn¡¯t a duolith; that was only a biggalith. It wasn¡¯t even 50 percent bigger in each dimension. . .but it was closer than not. Just under 40 percent, he guessed. And. . .once more about twice as much mana as the first attempt, same as the second. Twice as much mana to reduce or increase the volume by five times, from that initial 36-cubic-meter amount. ¡°And again, please,¡± he told Tonero. The magician took the measurement. ¡°1.38 meters, Prominence.¡± Justin went back to the stand. Is there a faster way. . .oh right. He wrote out the equation - x * (x*2)^2 * (x*3)^2, converted it into 36X5, squared 1.38, squared the result, and multiplied it by 1.38 one last time. Five to the second decimal plus spare change. Times 36; 180 cubic meters, five times the volume of the first monolith. Interesting, Justin thought. Did I set some kind of default for myself by using that imagery? He didn¡¯t have an opinion on that, if it was even the case; it was too soon to judge whether he¡¯d more helped or harmed himself. Now how do I exceed those limits? Moar powah? he thought. Orrr how about nooo, Justin; you¡¯re getting ahead of yourself yet again. Stick! To the outline! Test 3: Basic Force, he wrote, and dismissed the biggalith. Justin grabbed one of the figure-eight rope coils from the pile he¡¯d made, moved to the other side of the raised platform, and created a shortylith, again lying on its largest face. He pushed its narrow end up against one of the angled walls of the rightmost front hexagon platform ¨C gently, at first, then harder as its mass resisted. As he¡¯d expected, its weight was light for its size, but not negligible, maybe. . .twenty pounds? Ten kilos? But this balloon was rigid. Yeah, prudence pudding definitely remained on the post-prandial menu here. He dropped the coil near the shortylith¡¯s other narrow end, gently pressed it up against the surface, and retreated to the wall¡¯s corner. He grasped his connection to the shortylith, and slowly expanded it to normal monolith size. As it grew, it pushed the coil of rope across the stage floor in front of it. The mana loss seemed in line with his previous expenditures, about twice what it took to create a basic monolith, but that meant next to nothing. There could be a minimum amount of force involved, which would begin to cost more mana once the load was exceeded. Or the increase necessary to push the coil could be below his current ability to sense. More important here was the confirmation that Newtonian mechanics did seem to be operating normally, even if the force involved was magically generated. More testing on that aspect needed a proper lab, though. One with some kind of weight-able rotating armature to begin with, maybe applying a pencil against paper to produce a curve and thereby properly measure the forces being exerted. Oh lord. . .Tzo¡¯s going to love that, isn¡¯t he. And all the rest, too. Justin smiled at the thought, as he noted down the last set of observations. Sometime soon, he might not be the only one in this company who¡¯d retired from the practice of law into a new career. Justin decided to reward himself by testing his hopes. He shrank the shortylith back down again - yes, same double cost as its creation or expansion - and dismissed it. Then he imagined a new standard monolith, then attempted to shrink it down past the 7.2 cubic foot limit, trying to push his dantian flex before the creation. It worked. It took a constant effort over the not-quite-infinitesimal longer period necessary ¨C five times as long, I¡¯ll bet, Justin thought, and if the mana expenditure wasn¡¯t five times as great as well, he¡¯d be very surprised ¨C but out popped a half-meter-ish by meter-ish by four-and-a-half meterish semilith. ¡°YEAAAHHH BAYBEEEE!¡± Justin exulted to the celing overhead, thrusting his fists upward. ¡°NOW we¡¯re talkin¡¯! NOW we¡¯re cooking with GAS!¡± 33 - Tough Enough Justin danced around in a little circle, waving his hands over his head. ¡°Aahahaaha! Yes yes yes!¡± he cheered. As he turned he noticed the troopers were staring at him, mostly in amusement. One seemed nervous, while Tonero was suffused with curiosity. ¡°I can spend more mana to exceed the basic limits on volume!¡± Justin explained to them. ¡°And so far it¡¯s not a lot, either! Probably five times as much more again though, to get under. . .1.44 cubic meters would be the next limit, I think. And that suggests to me that any other limits can be exceeded with more mana. I am a happy Prominence!¡± He turned back to the stand and his notes. Behind him, he could hear a couple of the troopers trying to muffle their laughter. He wrote down his observations about the past few tests, then started a new section. Test 4: Basic Amounts, he wrote, and moved to the edge of the raised wall of stage platforms. He created a new shortylith, and tried to create another on top of it. Nothing happened. Too bad, he thought; I was hoping I¡¯d be able to create a set of five at once, but it seems otherwise. Not giving up though. . . . He pushed his dantian again, and to his delight, a second shortylith appeared on top of the previous one. The mana cost was much higher, about ten times a base monolith, and the time was about twice that spent on pushing through the one-fifth volume limit earlier. Justin wrote it all down under the Test 4 heading. Another mana push, another shortylith; Justin repeated it four more times for a total of six of the boxy yellow barriers before he hit another limit. He paused to look around the stage. The troopers were essentially done with the clean up, so he called out to them. ¡°All right, guardsfolk, everybody move off the stage and below its level, please! I don¡¯t expect any trouble from this next test, but better safe than surgery! You folks below, move to the safety areas!¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± the Senior in charge below ¨C Buru, that was the name - shouted back, from beneath the stage where the scratch mechanists crew assembled from the free squad members was crank-powering the under-stage machinery, under Tzo¡¯s direction via the sound system. He suited his own action to his words, returning behind his testing wall for his stand and notes before going over to the orchestra pit, lowering the stand the six feet down into it, then following it himself. He looked around, got a correct headcount of people in sufficient cover, and set his will. This time he needed an effort that was more like a shove than a push, though still less that what he¡¯d consider a haul, let alone a heave. It got him a seventh shortylith, and though the mana cost ¨C the sense of it flowing out of him ¨C was much higher than any of his previous efforts, he still couldn¡¯t feel any emptiness or loss in his lower dantian. Good! He thought. Very good! Maybe I don¡¯t have a sense for that, but I¡¯ll be surprised if I don¡¯t. Which suggests I have a big reserve already. The other interesting new data was how his mana flow sense was far more acute to tiny fractions of a second than his normal senses. In terms of mana expended, the creation of a seventh shortylith felt twenty-five times longer than the creation of a monolith. According to the rest of his brain, though, it was still happening faster than an eyeblink. And if the powers-of-five tier structure was applying there as well, he had a maximum rate of mana expenditure limit. He was hesitant about trying to push past that one with the same moar powah! trick he was currently using. He had no specific intuition warning him against trying it, but common sense suggested his dantian might be more vulnerable to damage from that kind of strain. He recorded those observations and continued to shove out shortyliths, piling them up in more stacks of five. Somewhere around the third of those, the twenty-first shortylith total, he finally felt the dense reserve of mana in his dantain beginning to thin out. But the loss was the next thing to imperceptible; a single percentage point at most. And two more stacks of five later, he butted up against another limit. One shortylith at the 1st Tier-by-amount; five more at the 2nd; 25 more at the 3rd. If the 4th Tier didn¡¯t cap out at 125 more than that, he¡¯d eat Taiko¡¯s scroll. Justin took a deep breath, placed his hands on the orchestra pit¡¯s wall, and focused. Put the next one. . .right. . .there, he thought, imagining it bridging the gap between two piles up on the stage that he could Barrier Sense without seeing. And he hauled. The mana poured out of his dantian in a long rush, and the Tier-4-by-amount-total shortylith popped into existence. Five times as much mana as for any of the previous Tier 3 shortylith, and it did take a literal eyeblink¡¯s worth of time to do it. One towards the fast end of the scale, closer to 100 milliseconds than not, but distinguishable by his normal senses. That¡¯ll do for Test 4, Justin thought. Regardless of how unappetizing the tedium of hauling out another one-hundred-and-twenty-five shortyliths to reach Tier 5 by amount was, he didn¡¯t have the time. He wrote down his observations, dismissed the 32 Barriers stacked across the stage, and looked around for Ougo. ¡°Captain! Ready for some damage tests?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± the stern-faced man answered. ¡°Up on stage we go, then,¡± Justin said, retreating a few feet before dashing at the wall of the orchestra, leaping up to grab the stage¡¯s edge, and pulling himself onto it. Ougo, with his superhuman cultivator¡¯s physique ¨C and perhaps some qinggong ¡°lightness skill¡± added in ¨C walked up to it and trivially rose up to the stage, as if stepping six feet up through thin air was perfectly normal. Which for him, it probably is, Justin thought, a little enviously. Tonero, down in the orchestra pit, had picked up Justin¡¯s stand, and now handed it up to him where he crouched at the stage¡¯s edge. ¡°Thanks, Tonero,¡± Justin said, setting it down beside him. He stood and held his hands out to the rest of the guards. ¡°With the Captain¡¯s permission, everyone¡¯s welcome to come up and watch,¡± he said. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Ougo gave Justin another exasperated really? glance, but didn¡¯t object. After a moment¡¯s pause for any other reaction from their leader, there was a restrained but definite rush as the others hopped onto the stage with them. Justin wrote Test 5: Basic Durability, and flexed his dantian to create a shortylith lying on its largest face next to the end of the raised platforms he¡¯d been sheltering behind earlier. He bent down, lifted it up and pushed the large face flat against them, so it was resting on its 2.1 meter edge, with only the 0.72 meter width between him and the raised platform¡¯s wall. He put his back to it, and looking over his shoulder, lifted his right foot to make contact. Too close, he thought, and slid a foot farther away. This time, when he repeated the motions, the distance was right. He crouched, chambered a gentle mule kick, and smashed the Barrier into dissolving stained-glass fragments of yellow light. As expected, he thought. ¡°And now, hopefully at five times normal durability,¡± he said, and created another one with a dantian push. The mana cost was again about twice normal, and when he bent to lift it up, he thought it was fractionally heavier, too. Not a surprise, he thought, since the first one had enough mass beyond the air it contained to settle on the stage, and then fall over, rather than hovering the way a mass-less Barrier would. How would I. . .oh, yes; a see-saw would work fine for testing alterations to their weight. Oh, damn, there¡¯s another simple weaponization. Make dense ones and just drop them. Flechettes. Concrete bombs. Biggaliths with curved bottom edges and slanted lower halves for friction that will topple right over and squish things. Hmm. Given enough open space, that could be a good non. . .well, low lethality attack. . . . Not the time now, Justin. Focus! He paced off the distance again, and this time, put some force into his back-kick. He¡¯d always had good leg muscle, and once again, the Barrier shattered into yellow fragments. ¡°And that¡¯s my direct testing done,¡± he said, stepping back to his stand. He wrote the data down on the notes, looked at the space in front of the line of platforms, and shoved. This time, the yellow glow was denser; not really brighter, but the Barrier¡¯s translucency was reduced. Justin lifted the new one, noticing the greater weight. It was harder to tell how much more the five-times-stronger shortylith itself weighed compared to the 10 kilos of air inside it, but this time, the increase was unmistakable. If it wasn¡¯t also five times the previous. . .yeah, no bet, Justin thought. This time, he positioned it with the narrowest end against the hexagonal platform¡¯s wall, so that its fifteen-foot-plus length stuck out. He indicated the other narrow end, and said, ¡°At your discretion, Captain.¡± Ougo stepped up, drawing his truncheon, and gave the Barrier¡¯s narrow end a light tap with it, then a rap, and finally a serious smack, which broke it. ¡°A punch from a strong man with some training, but no cultivation¡± he said, stepping back out of the creation area again. Justin noted that down, said, ¡°Tier 4!¡±, focused, and hauled. And felt his dantian thin out a tiny bit more. He stepped forward, got his fingers under the Tier 4 Durability shortylith, and pulled it upright. Yeah, now the increased weight was making itself known. The T4 Durability Barrier was around three times as heavy as the T1. Fifty, maybe sixty pounds. Not something he couldn¡¯t handle, but a Tier 5? Ougo would be lifting that one. He manhandled the T4 into position like the previous one, stepped back, and extended a hand. ¡°Please, Captain.¡± Ougo moved to the Barrier¡¯s end, and worked his way up a scale of strikes, harder, and harder, until the T4 shattered into yellow fragments too. He rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Early initiate level of chi refinement,¡± he said. ¡°Twice as strong as a punch by an elite mortal at the peak of training and development, in comparison.¡± This time, he moved to stand by Justin, who was making a note of his assessment. ¡°And here comes my first attempt at a Tier 5,¡± Justin said, bracing himself. He imagined a shortylith with 625 times the durability of a Tier 1, and heaved. He didn¡¯t get spots before his eyes, or need a deeper breath, the way he might with a similar, purely physical exertion, but the drain on his dantian was notable. It also took somewhere around a half a second to form the Barrier, which happened instantaneously at the end of that delay, rather than forming partially over time. ¡°Whoof,¡± Justin said. ¡°Are you well?¡± Ougo asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good,¡± Justin said. ¡°Not used to feeling my dantian thin out like that, is all. It¡¯s weird. And that,¡± he added, pointing at the solid yellow bulk lying before them both, ¡°should stay flat this time, Captain. I think we¡¯re reaching the point where the transmission of force from your strikes would damage a single platform that was bracing it. We¡¯ll leave this one the way it is to spread the impact out across as much of the stage as possible.¡± Not to mention how I couldn¡¯t lift it without potion doping. . .and thinking of which - note to self: sub-prioritze diagnostic spells within prioritization of healing magic research when Library grimoires are first accessed; cross-reference with Norodo¡¯s existing analytics on me. Because what if potion doping is a thing? Glad I got at least some baseline data from Norodo¡¯s checks before I took it for the first time. . .where was I? Oh, right, avoiding damage to the stage. . .hmmm. . . . ¡°Or. . .wait,¡± Justin said out loud. ¡°Human punching force caps out around one-thousand psi, because the bones can¡¯t take more force. . .so maybe we shouldn¡¯t. Let me think a bit, please. . . .¡± Create a semicircle standing on one edge, that Ougo can swing into as it rolls forward? he thought. No; too risky. And I haven¡¯t even tested for shape alteration capabilities yet. . .aha! Stacked on another at an incline! Yes, that could work. . .no; use three. . .four. One flat on the stage, aligned that direction; another parallel to it, maybe a meter away, with a third stacked on top. And the fourth perpendicular to the others, lower edge centered in the middle of the first one, with its far end rising higher on the other side of the stacked ones. That way the first one will distribute the radial downward force from Ougo smacking the higher end upward as much as possible across the stage, to reduce the chance of damage. Good. But this should be the last toughness test done here. And also thinking of which. . . . Justin went over to the raised hexagonal stage platform that had been taking all the punishment so far. Yes, the paint was scuffed on that one vertical wall. He examined it closely. It didn¡¯t seem to have been knocked out of alignment ¨C Sunwood was some tough stuff ¨C but this wasn¡¯t the time, let alone the place for materials testing to destruction. ¡°Tzo, I¡¯m concerned about the damage done to the platforms so far. Lower and raise them a few times, would you? Captain, please have your troops report on the functioning of the mechanisms as he does.¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence,¡± Ougo said. He stomped lightly on the stage where he stood, and shouted, ¡°You hear that, Buru?¡± ¡°Yes, Captain,¡± came the answering shout from below. Justin dismissed that T5 Durability shortylith, preferring to move the stress on the stage over to its other half, and moved over to that side. He braced himself to start heaving out more of them according to his plan. Shortiliths? he thought, and shook his head. No. The ¡®y¡¯ is fine; ¡®shortilith¡¯ reads too much like some kind of lovecraft-adjacent ickery. Gonna be fun coming up with names for the rest of the sizes, though, he thought, grinning. Chunkaliths. Heftiliths. Hulkaliths. Miniliths. . .mickeyliths. Goofyliths? ¡®You¡¯re a goofylith,¡¯ he reflexively imagined Chloe saying, her tone affectionate and amused, and he stopped to take a couple of deep breaths to recover from the sudden sense of loss and misery. 34 - Interlude: Multiple Persplexives - Part 1 Garden of the Peak / The Celestial Court / Ribe Late Hour of the Hawk ¡°Moonie! Mooniemoon! Mooniemooniemoooooniemoon!¡± Reflecting Pirilulatiko stiffened in her bench seat as Illuminating Kyokenajidumo called for her from somewhere else in the Garden. She briefly considered ducking down below the half-walls of the gazebo where she was currently reading before deciding it was still too undignified. Things wouldn¡¯t stay that way much longer, though, if the Dawn¡¯s trend towards increasing immaturity thanks to His new Xeno-protege¡¯s influence continued unabated. ¡°Moonie!¡± Kyo said triumphantly. ¡°There you are!¡± The Dawn¡¯s Illuminating bounded into the gazebo, unshaven, his clothes disheveled. There was a despairing wince lurking beneath the gleeful expression on the man serving as his God¡¯s primary avatar. He rushed over to her and rubbed his scratchy whiskers all over her delicate cheeks, almost translucently jade-white and perfect as her orbiting icon. ¡°Geh!¡± both the Moon and Piri objected. ¡°Father! Stop that!¡± Illuminating Kyo stepped back, grinning. ¡°But We¡¯re so happy to see you, Moonie!¡± They hopped onto the bench opposite Reflecting Piri, sitting crosslegged, grinning like fools. ¡°We wish we could say the same,¡± Reflecting Piri said dourly. ¡°You¡¯re a mess, Father. Are ¨C are those soup stains!?¡± ¡°Tea!¡± ¡°They / were / visiting / us,¡± two of her sister¡¯s voices came from nearby in eerie sequence ¨C the Glinting and the Glittering again, hidden in the shadows as usual. The Stars was using those two to interact with the rest of the Celestial family much more often these days. It was a sign of how upset she currently was, since they were the most capable of criticism among her many avatars, in comparison to, say, Twinkling or Sparkling. ¡°That thing / did something / ¡®so amusing¡¯ / that Father / spit out / a mouthful,¡± They continued. ¡°Yes!¡± Illuminated Kyo said, ¡°That¡¯s why We came to see You, Moonie!¡± They hopped to their feet again and spread out their arms. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between Us and a High Court Prosecutor?¡± ¡°We¡¯re sure We have no idea, Father,¡± Reflecting Piri sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t think a High Court Prosecutor shines out of Our butt!¡± Illuminating Kyo said. ¡°Father!¡± Moon gasped, scandalized. A rumble of thunderous laughter came from Sky Father¡¯s Tower overhead. ¡°Oh, lighten up!¡± Illuminating Kyo said, Their halo flashing brighter for a moment. ¡°See? Even your Grandfather thinks that¡¯s funny!¡± Not for the first time in her recent days, Reflecting Pirilulatiko wondered if it might be time to leave the Celestial Court and let some other noblewoman serve as the Moon¡¯s primary avatar. When she¡¯d taken on the holy duty, she¡¯d thought she would spend her days providing mortal insight into the guidance of lovers and the inspiration of poets, and the physicality of the ritual dancing with the Moon¡¯s twin brother Sea, and all the other materialistic aspects of the. . .noble. . .pursuits of the Moon¡¯s Celestial portfolio. And, yes, she did do those things, and enjoyed them at a literally Heavenly level, but what she hadn¡¯t expected was all the. . .familial. . .interaction necessary to the position. All the living together. All the. . . squabbling. The powers ¨C the natures - of Celestials were so great, so all-encompassing, that only though their relatively limited avatars could they meet and consult and discuss and. . .do all the other things families did, without risking each other¡¯s destruction. Which naturally, sometimes, included irritating each other. ¡°Whoops, gotta go!¡± Illuminating Kyo¡¯s voice broke into Their thoughts. ¡°New guy¡¯s about to Invest his Shop! Can¡¯t miss that!¡± They rushed out of the gazebo again, robes flapping. Reflecting Piri sighed, harder this time. And it wasn¡¯t like she wouldn¡¯t get to try this chocolate stuff soon enough as a mere mortal anyway, considering how fascinated the Moon Herself was by its potential. # # # The Shrine of the Fist and the Rod / District of the Stars / Ribe Early Hour of the Hawk Once Kimmukkanaya had returned, with Konolati wriggling under half her arms, still ridiculously insisting he was now Big K! Big Bro said so! and had tossed the annoying pest into his little river-world in the rear yard, the weaker Demons started trickling in and trickling out. Mostly to report on The Monster; the Monster had gone to the Bank, the Monster had gone to the east, the Monster had gone to the south and hallowed Riku-go¡¯s Folly in the Dawn¡¯s name and boarded it and sailed away. She was back in her child-avatar, sipping a cup of tea on the side porch when Ginugoro dropped that hot news in her ear. Her long, wicked fangs erupted out of her jaws and her black third eye cracked open reflexively as she turned and examined him. He prostrated himself, trembling, his muzzle extending as he pressed himself flat against the floor and his Demonic characteristics rose to the fore. Her Yin Eye of Shadows saw he was repeating the truth as he¡¯d heard it; there were no hidden secrets for it to uncover and reveal to her. ¡°Who told you this?¡± she growled, not bothering to undo her display. ¡°Uolo, O Fist, who heard it from Hiridhabi,¡± he squeaked, his long rodent whiskers trembling against the boards. ¡°He said the Quickest told him she has been following The Monster since this morning. The Longer of the Bridges District told me she said she saw it herself, and instructed him to pass the word around.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± she growled. ¡°Anything else?¡± A sudden - and intimidatingly massive- build-up of the Dao¡¯s Rectification to the north-east was the universe¡¯s answer. She darted off the porch, out from under the eaves, and then leaped to the roof¡¯s tall flag-bearing spire in one bound. Behind her, Gin shrank completely into his multi-headed and -tailed rodent-avatar and scurried off the porch as well, ducking under the Shrine¡¯s foundations to hide. Kimukkanaya the Fist, the Strongest of Ribe, rested a foot at the spire¡¯s base and wrapped three hands around its tip, her face still bright red, white-dotted, fanged and three-eyed. She leaned towards the burgeoning concentration of power in the distance, her Yin Eye searching for every possible detail she could find. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Purple-tinged thunderheads were building up over the The Drops, where the city shallows turned to undersea cliffs, descending precipitously into the dark, cold depths below. A new rival? she wondered, and let her avatar expand into its supernaturally proper cloudy, misty hugeness. Her point of view ascended higher and higher until she reached the limit of Master Kaji¡¯s barrier. Now she could see Riku-go¡¯s Folly, sailing parallel to the Drops, every sheet of sun-yellow canvas sail out to catch the wind. A small flotilla followed behind it, slowly catching up. Fools, she thought. Couldn¡¯t they see what was ¨C ah, now they were breaking off. Most of them. Down below, Kon¡¯s own giant, whiskered dog-dragon cloud-head popped out of his private river-world, his Rod firmly clenched in his jaws. ¡°Big Brooooo!¡± he roar-howled ¡°Goooo forrrr iiiiit! YEEEAAHHH!¡± Oh, she thought. Not a rival; The Monster. She should have thought of that. It griped at her to acknowledge how the man¡¯s ¨C the entity¡¯s ¨C strength was so much greater than her own; so much that she dared not think to oppose him. But she had attained, and retained, her five-syllable-name and superior position through the strength of her mind and her self-mastery as much as her body, and could repress her supernatural instinct to challenge him for dominance. Does that mean ¨C is he using ¨C sacrificing - the Folly to protect himself as he ascends? A different kind of admiration, more Demonic than the vulnerability his tenderness had surprised out of her earlier, sparked in the tiny cinder of her mortal heart. Ruthless! she thought. So ruthless! So much god-wood, consumed to protect only one being¡¯s rise to power! Truly a Monster! She failed to notice her own assumption that the success of his semi-apotheosis, contrary to the Law of Heaven, was a certainty, not just a mere attempt. The few lesser Demons nearby them in the District, the ones not slumbering in their Hokko, raised their voices in ululation, echoing Kon¡¯s cry. Some of the more sensitive mortals she could see in the streets shivered, or looked around, trying to find the source of the faint animalistic sounds which their senses had translated the Demonic howling around them into. The bare few who knew better - who could hear better - paused what they were doing otherwise. Most of them shuttled nearby children indoors, or suddenly closed the doors and windows of their homes or businesses. In the north-east, the lightning descended. A warm yellow light glowed around its target at the water¡¯s surface, disrupting and deflecting it, as repeated crackling booms thundered over the city. He¡¯s not ascending?? Kim thought. That was the Dawn¡¯s godly righteousness, turning aside the Dao¡¯s reflexive response to the exertion of unnatural forces in the world. She felt oddly disappointed. Then what is he doing with all that power? ¡°Let¡¯s go get a gift!¡± Kon shouted below her, fully emerged and recovered enough to take his boy-form again, even within Master Kaji¡¯s barrier. ¡°What? No! Why?¡± she called back. ¡°For Big Bro¡¯s housewarming!¡± ¡°His what!?¡± ¡°Stinks that we can¡¯t bring him one of his first Sunfires, but I bet he¡¯d like. . .um. . .a book! Yeah! Let¡¯s go get him a book!¡± ¡°No, Kon!¡± ¡°Big K! My name is Big K!¡± Kim groaned wordlessly and began condensing back down into her child-avatar. # # # Exotic Arcana / Lower Caster¡¯s Ward / Carna Early Hour of the Hawk ¡°Master Kyden! Master Kyden!¡± Kyden looked up from his review of Osckelat¡¯s A Journeyman Magician¡¯s Introduction to Void Essence Integration, Volume 2: Theory and Practice. The agitated voice approaching from the hallway outside the open door to his study belonged to Tip, Archmage Morristan¡¯s newest charity-prentice. A moment later the pre-teen girl herself skidded into view, grabbing the doorjamb to stop her headlong rush. ¡°Yes?¡± Kyden said. In his lap, sleepy little Scuffle hoot-growled, his big yellow owlbear cub eyes cracking open just enough to reveal the lower chord of their black pupils. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the Ancient Grimoire!¡± Tip said breathlessly, her pale face even whiter than usual under her light brown hair, apart from two bright spots of red high on her cheeks. ¡°It turned all. . .meaty! And then started shedding! Rian got some on her and she¡¯s apeing out!¡± ¡°Oh, bother,¡± Kyden muttered. ¡°Wakey-wakey, Scuffle. Shoulder, please.¡± The familiar grumbled, but stood up on Kyden¡¯s thigh and stretched before climbing his master¡¯s reinforced jacket to the scarred leather pad on its left shoulder. He dug his claws in and hunkered down, eyes drowsily slitted. Kyden put a bookmark on his page, closed the tome, pushed his notes up beside its edge, and dropped a protective canvas dustcover over it all. ¡°Show me,¡± he told Tip, rising from his nice warm comfy chair. She was dancing from foot to foot in excitement. He followed her down the hallway to the main Reading Hall. Half a dozen customers were clustered around the doorway to the Reserved Room where the Ancient Grimoire was kept, whispering in shocked voices and gesturing. Above, near the third-story ceiling, one of the normally invisible Automated servants - clad in the white robes with bronze accents under a cloth sphere for a head that he¡¯d had made to cover them - continued to clean a large, arch-topped twenty-foot tall window. Since the Automated servant was acting normally, Kyden relaxed a little. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Kyden said, coming up behind the small crowd in the doorway. They hurried out of his way with apologetic mumbles of ¡°sir¡± and ¡°master kyden¡±. ¡®I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m deviating more, but!- ¡± Rian¡¯s voice shrilled from inside. Kyden leaned in to look. Tip¡¯s senior had indeed gone simian again, wispy ochre hair sprouting out of the gaps in her clothes, and her face and face compressed into a half-human, half-orangutan mix. She had retreated into a ceiling corner of the Reserved Room¡¯s second floor and was frantically grooming herself, searching for more, weirder alterations of her body. ¡°Hold still, Rian,¡± Kyden said, pulling his standard, general-use divining monocle out of its slot in his belt. He held it up to one eye, circled between his thumb and forefinger, squinting the other closed and unconsciously opening his mouth as a result. The half-monkey girl froze in place as he scanned her. ¡°No, I¡¯m not seeing any more chaos on or in you,¡± he said reassuringly. ¡°And look at the shadows. They¡¯re not reacting, and the Servant outside isn¡¯t either. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ¨C contagious ¨C whatever it is.¡± He stepped forward for a closer look at the Ancient Grimoire where it rested on its singular lectern. ¡°Weird as hell, though,¡± he muttered under his breath, studying it. Tip¡¯s choice of words had been accurate. The Grimoire¡¯s dark cover had turned leathery, and bits of it were flaking off, rising into the air like black paper-kindling ash floating above a fire. Faint glowing lines of yellow and white glimmered underneath its new surface, fading and returning in flows like pulsating veins of gold and silver. He scanned the Grimoire and its sheddings with his monocle as well. No chaos there either. On a sudden inspiration, he replaced his standard divination lens with his specifically Void-aligned one. Sure enough, instead of its usual tight halo, spines of the Grimoire¡¯s empty Void nothingness aura projected from it in all directions like a spiky sea-urchin. ¡°We should leave it be, though,¡± he said, and motioned for Rian to climb down and exit with him. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re fine, come with us,¡± he cajoled her. ¡°Yes, Master Kyden,¡± Rian said, still wild-eyed. She swung around the room¡¯s top before hand-and-footing her way down the wall next to him and over his head and out through the doorway. ¡°Uhhh. . .Master Kyden?¡± came another voice, from the Reading Hall¡¯s doorway to the hall behind his Shop¡¯s front sales space. ¡°We can¡¯t get out. The door is sealed somehow. You. . .didn¡¯t, um, wouldn¡¯t do that, did you?¡± Oh now what? Kyden thought, then restrained a shout of surprise as, for the first time in the over two years since his signing, the Contract responded:
DUE TO AN UNEXPECTED OVERDRAW ON SHOP RESOURCES SOME OF YOUR LOCAL SERVICES HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY INTERRUPTED
EFFORTS TOWARDS THEIR RESTORATION ARE UNDERWAY AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED BEFORE NOON TOMORROW
WHILE NO LIABILITY APPLIES OR SHOULD BE INFERRED FROM THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT WE DO APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
Scuffle thought at him in shock. Kyden had picked up the little owlbear cub half a year after he¡¯d arrived from Earth, and thus Scuffle had never experienced the Contract¡¯s brain-injected blue-box manner of communication. Kyden thought back automatically. Scuffle admitted Kyden praised Scuffle inched over on Kyden¡¯s shoulder and rubbed his feathered cheek against his foster-father¡¯s in affectionate agreement. Now. . how should I explain this to my guests? Kyden wondered. 35 - Hitting Limits Justin looked around for a distraction and noticed that almost half of the troops from the ritual were watching him. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he told them, waving a hand. ¡°I just. . .I still miss my wife sometimes. She died. Transport accident. Drunk driver, multi. . .wagon crash.¡± Two of them nodded in sober understanding, either having lost someone themselves, or being close to someone who had. Tonero looked away, with his tongue poking one of his cheeks out. ¡°My troops have already been informed about those circumstances, Prominence,¡± Ougo said. As according to your unstated desire to not be irritated by offers went unsaid, but Justin knew it was there. ¡°I appreciate you raising the topic yourself,¡± Ougo added. Probably to encourage Justin to open up more, and he couldn¡¯t blame the man. The Captain had made it evident with prior comments that handling Ling Fei clients was part of both his skill set and his responsibilities to the firm. ¡°She was pregnant with our first child,¡± Justin said, staring the man in the eyes. ¡°Very early. We hadn¡¯t even decided on names yet. I called him ¡®Bean¡¯, and she called her ¡®Leaf¡¯. It was a joke between us. She preferred teas, and I preferred coffee, the beverage made from those small red cherry-beans.¡± You¡¯re right; I do need to start being more open. And I haven¡¯t forgotten my promise to Norodo, and I have personal reasons to see that through was the subtext for the Captain there. Ougo gave him a single slow nod of acknowledgment in return, to show his comprehension of Justin¡¯s deeper meaning. ¡°All right, enough dwelling on the past,¡± Justin said, slapping one cupped hand against and past the other, producing a loud, sharp crack! which echoed in the silent theater. ¡°We¡¯re here to plan for the future. Buru?" he shouted downwards. ¡°I see the platforms have stopped. What have you got for me?" ¡°The frontmost one is hitching regularly as it moves, Prominence, but the rest are fine,¡± Buru shouted from below. ¡°It¡¯s not broken, but some of its gearing has been pushed out of alignment in the same spots. I think it¡¯s because they¡¯re built for vertical support of actors and props, not horizontal impacts to their sides.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Justin shouted back. ¡°Have you found any maintenance guides yet?¡± ¡°No, Prominence; we¡¯re still reading through the operation manuals ¨C should we start looking?¡± ¡°No rush. And nothing wrong with your asking, but to be clear ¨C by default, Your Captain¡¯s and Lead¡¯s orders should take precedence over my w-, er, over my requests.¡± ¡°Understood, Prominence,¡± Buru answered. ¡°Good man. Hey, Tzo!¡± Justin called towards the back of the theater. ¡°Feel free to come down and get involved, if you can tear yourself away from the music sampling I know you¡¯re doing up there!¡± The sound system clicked on and Tzo¡¯s amused voice drifted down. ¡°That¡¯s not even a decision, Prominence, and you know it. I can go through your library ¨C marvelous concept; a library of music! - at my leisure. Watching a Hokyukko learn to use their powers at arm¡¯s length? I may never have the opportunity again. I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Justin waved in understanding and turned back to the place he wanted to test the T5 Durability shorty. Another dantian heave, another flat yellow rectangle, about two and a third feet high by almost 7 feet wide and fifteen and a half feet long. He backed up to get a better idea of the proportions and decided to place the fulcrum stack another meter farther away. Yes, that¡¯s better, he thought. He braced himself and heaved out another T5 Dura-shorty. Or rather, he tried to, and smacked into the next mana cost wall. Right. Because I¡¯m trying to create a second T5, and that¡¯s likely increasing the cost to Tier 6. Which will cost. . .five times as much, I¡¯m thinking, so four of those isn¡¯t going to happen. I¡¯m not about to drain myself that low doing just one test set. Ah! But the fulcrum shortys don¡¯t need to be Tier 5, do they? Yes, good; opportunity for a sidebar compression test. So a second shorty, at Tier 4 Durability, should cost as much as a Tier 5 overall. . .let¡¯s find out. Justin heaved, the mana flowed, and out popped his desired Barrier. And now he had a better sense of his reserves ¨C he¡¯d used about ten percent total now, perhaps more, definitely not less. Which would put Tier 5 Barriers at. . .three-percent-plus of his reserves. He heaved again, placing the second T4 Durable on top of the first. And I think I¡¯m going to sit down for this next one, he thought. If his estimate of a five times mana cost increase per Tier factor was on the mark, and he felt confident that it was, then this was going to eat somewhere around a sixth of this total reserves. ¡°Taiko, get over here and put your hands over my shoulders, please! I¡¯m not sure how much this one is going to affect me.¡± Taiko trotted over, kneeled behind him, and let his hands hover besides Justin¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯d tell you to be careful,¡± he muttered, too low for anyone else to hear, ¡°but you¡¯re being more so that I was when I first started learning.¡± ¡°Thank you for the encouragement,¡± Justin muttered back. ¡°That¡¯s a great relief to hear.¡± Where was ¨C ah, there was Tzo, climbing up onto the stage with a helping hand from Tonero. ¡°All right, here I go!¡± Justin said, loud enough for everyone to hear. He focused on his dantian and on the desired qualities of his Barrier, set himself, and strained. The mana poured out of his dantian in a long ¨C relatively long, at least ¨C two-and-a-half second rush, and he could feel that he¡¯d approached some other kind of limit. This one felt like a cap on the total amount of mana he could expend on one ¨C working, that word would do ¨C and his reserves dropped to less than seventy-five percent. This time, there were physical consequences; as the mana flowed away. His vision went more and more blurry, and he likewise felt an increasing sense of physical confusion. He had ridden a Multi-Axis Trainer once, as a child; on vacation with his father. This reminded him of that experience ¨C the disorientation of spinning around in three dimensions, but without the dizziness that came with one¡¯s center of gravity being disturbed. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Taiko¡¯s hands clamped down on his shoulders as he wobbled in place, trying to adjust to a world that wasn¡¯t actually revolving around him. ¡°I¡¯m good!¡± he clarified for the watchers. ¡°That one was just kind of close to my limit.¡± He looked down at his crossed legs and did some midline work of his own, as he had for Taiko back at the Ling Fei¡¯s records storage. He bent over to touch his left elbow to his lifted right knee, and vice versa, cycling through that three times. After that, he crossed his arms to put his hands over Taiko¡¯s on his shoulders and leaned back, rolling his eyes upwards, before returning to center again, sitting up straight. ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± he said, patting Taiko¡¯s left hand. Taiko let go, and Justin stood, moving back and tugging the old monk along by a fold of his sun-yellow robe. Justin pointed at the second T5 Durability shorty resting where he¡¯d wanted it. ¡°Captain, will that suffice for an upward striking surface?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Ougo replied. ¡°Shall I, then?¡± ¡°One moment, please,¡± Justin said, holding up a palm. ¡°I expect the strength of this one to be five times that of the previous, as before, but the ratio of durability to mass ¨C er, of weight ¨C is getting so high now that I want to reiterate the importance of gradually building up the power of your strikes. I want to believe I¡¯ll be fast enough to dismiss it if it doesn¡¯t break, and goes flying, but I don¡¯t. So again, let¡¯s work our way up to heavier blows, please.¡± He focused his Barrier Sense on it in particular, and prepared himself. ¡°And ready. At your discretion, Captain.¡± Ougo nodded and stepped up to the lowest point of the upwards-angled T5 Durability shorty, at most a foot past the two stacked T4s beneath it. He set his feet, took his truncheon in both hands, and gave the underside a good, solid whack. The T5 remained whole, while his truncheon bounced off. More critically, however, the T5 went flipping end over end diagonally into the air, fast, towards the backstage side of the rigging overhead. Even anticipating it, Justin barely had time to dismiss the shortylith before it smashed into the supporting framework and mechanisms. From the side, Tonero gave a barely audible phoooo of awe. Thank goodness, Justin thought; that could have gone very badly. I¡¯m lucky dismissing my - constructs? Yes, better; come back to that in a bit ¨C is both far simpler and faster than creating them. ¡°Aaaaand we¡¯re done testing durability in here!¡± Justin said firmly as he walked over to the orchestra stand with his notes. ¡°That was too damn close! Much too damn close! Durability testing is over for now!¡± ¡°And relieved I am to hear it,¡± Taiko said from behind him. ¡°We¡¯ll do some more later, maybe out at sea,¡± Justin added. ¡°Captain, how hard a strike was that?¡± ¡°Not very,¡± Ougo said, his lips pursed. ¡°For your testing records, Prominence - I doubt I could have broken that last one with a blunt weapon, even if it were braced against something strong enough. With a piercing attack, maybe. . .no, probably. However, if your Barriers are typical, I think I understand now why Hokyukko traditionally resort to imprisonment techniques first and foremost. They are so light for their size. Any serious combatant could send them flying across the battlefield at great speed. It is much more efficient and effective for Hokyukko to simply ¨C box up their enemies.¡± ¡°Thank you, Captain; your observations are as acute and useful as always,¡± Justin said, writing quickly. Ougo grunted in reply, staring off into the distance. Probably outlining his own new tactics, Justin thought, with approval. ¡°Taiko, Tzo ¨C anybody, really,¡± Justin continued, sweeping an arm around to include all the observers,. ¡°if you think up some safer testing protocols, make a note and pass them along. Next, I want to check shapes, and last I¡¯ll bother Bright Eye to rate the. . .separation strength of a Tier 5 specialized for that.¡± Now where was I? Justin thought. Oh, yes. Constructs. Hmmm. Yes, that really is better. ¡®Workings¡¯ should be a more general term, for. . .spells and rituals? Yes. And now, shapes. Justin started a new page, with Test 6: Basic Shapes written at its top. He looked over at the remaining set of three shortyliths. No need to dismiss them, he thought; I can use them as platforms for these tests. Plus, every additional construct I make up to three more will be a Tier higher than normal, which will provide better data on costs. So, starting with. . .extra vertices? Or should I try curves first? No, vertices. They¡¯ll be easier to record, numerically. He picked up the stand and carried it over, imagining a Y-shape with a shortylith''s volume and counting the intersections of its edges. Eighteen; four at each end for twelve, and six at the center where the three arms join ¨C two more than twice a standard monolith¡¯s eight. He envisioned the Y-construct resting on the one T5 Durability construct left, and pushed his Dantian. The effort was insufficient, as he¡¯d suspected it would be. Justin envisioned a T-construct instead, with sixteen vertices, and pushed again. And bing! there it was. . .for about ten times the mana cost of a Tier 1 shortylith, or twenty times the cost of a normal T1 monolith. Interesting, Justin thought, and matching the algorithm so far. Twice the mana cost of a standard Monolith for being one-fifth volume of that, times five for a Tier increase for being the fourth currently in existence, and times two for having twice as many vertices as a standard cuboid. Now for the opposite side of the scale. He envisioned a shortylith-volume four-sided die resting on top of the T-construct, and pushed; it appeared, for the same cost as the T-construct. And that¡¯s where testing the other scale stops, he thought, until I¡¯m ready to try working with curves. Can¡¯t get a lower vertex count than a tetrahedron. And as a proof of not only concept, but mana cost algorithm, definitely worth the time. Justin dismissed the two new constructs, imagined his Y-shape, and shoved. It appeared on top of the T5, for a mana cost that was. . .perhaps, marginally, higher than the T-shape. That was in line with his expectations as well. So if double the standard cuboid vertices is the Tier limit. . .let¡¯s try five times as many, forty. A six-armed asterisk is. . .thirty-six vertices. Hmmm. This paddlewheel design¡¯s not going to scale well in the higher Tiers. . .tiers? Oho, yes, that could work. A square pyramid of five tiers ¨C no, some other word; levels? Floors! A five-floor square pyramid has forty vertices. Justin envisioned it and shoved the mana out of his dantian; the boxy pyramid appeared, and the mana cost was on the mark: five times the previous one. And what are the odds that ¨C no; why am I wondering? when I can check? ¡°Tzo, hand me the Hardpad, would you?¡± Justin asked. Tzo passed it over, carefully hanging onto it until he was certain Justin¡¯s grip was secure. Justin backed out of the music player and did a search of the applications. As he¡¯d thought, almost all of the even remotely Uplift-helpful ones were gone ¨C including, as he¡¯d thought, the spreadsheet software. ¡°Ah well,¡± Justin sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do the numbers by hand, like the giants before us. Or with abacuses, at least? Yes, the word works, so we must have them. Right?¡± ¡°Yes, Prominence, of course we have abacuses! We¡¯re not primitives,¡± Tzo said, a bit of indignation leaking through. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Justin said, exaggeratedly squaring off with him. ¡°Are their rods usually bowed upwards in the middle so the beads stay on the correct side if jostled?¡± ¡°Er. . .no, Prominence,¡± Tzo admitted. ¡°Are they oriented left-right instead of up-down to make it easier on the user¡¯s arms, and so they can be propped up at an angle for the same reason, plus the convenience?¡± Tzo rolled his eyes. ¡°No, Prominence; thank you for the improvements, Prominence,¡± he said, layering on an attitude of resigned tolerance just as heavily. ¡°Wait until I show you the Lee Kai-chen model, smart guy,¡± Justin said. ¡°I will make you do the cube roots on it! See if I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Oh no," Tzo said dryly. "Not the cube roots. Heaven forfend. Anything but the cube roots."