Chapter 1306 (1/2)
Han Yazhu, Ambassador of the Final Republic of Earth and personification of the bulwark between Zone 7 and the trio of women that had ruled so long as Xiang Le, was somewhat scandalized as he hurried after the three women in front of him. He felt a pang of regret in his heart as he thought about the half-full, immaculately brewed cup of coffee he left back at his tent. “Ah… far be it from me to question your immutable wisdom… but is the party not scheduled to begin at 6 P.M. tonight ? Perhaps we should wait a little longer at the campsite before we set out toward Kharon.”
Xia snorted. Her hair was done up in a tight bun behind her head. She walked forward with methodical steps that seemed to all cover the same distance. “True, the invitation said the festivities would begin at 6 P.M. But do you really want us to just sit around in that tent all day before that? Besides…”
Xia glanced forward along the worn track they were following through the thick trees in order to reach Kharon. Ann, who was only a few meters in front of Xia, laughed lightly and shrugged. “You know how Le gets when she sets her mind to something.”
Le, who was leading the group by a sizable margin, turned around and adjusted her glasses on her nose. “Based on the setup and dramatic plotlines converging in the background… I expect this birthday party to partially be a reaction event. A time where the world finally gets an accurate read on what the protagonist is capable of in comparison to themselves and therefore is overwhelmed with some sort of emotion. And if we don’t arrive early, we will miss some of the best reactions from token antagonists.”
Han Yazhu winced. Not this again… “Miss Le, I thought we had discussed-”
“Who are the token antagonists?” Ann asked curiously, cutting off Han before he could try and gently correct Le’s thought processes.
Le tapped a finger on her cheek. “Well, definitely the President of Zone 1. By extension, some of the Order heads that haven’t agreed with the Order Ducis’ policies. The Zone leader from Phirun, the Floating City, is definitely hideous enough to position himself as unlikable… oh, and of course us. Be sure to try and accept your role as a foil generously; some of the most entertaining reactions are when an unexpected individual bets on the protagonist based on a hunch. If we remain low key, we might be able to take that chance.”
“These are real people, not characters-” Han began, but Le’s frosty glare shut him up. Then she stopped where she was, at a bend in the path, and beckoned them all over.
They filed next to Le and followed the line of her gaze. They were standing at the edge of a long valley, the trees gradually falling away in front of them as the valley broadened toward the end. Before entering into the landform in front of them, this was probably the best vantage point. And there, sitting in the lowest and flattest part of the valley, seemingly propped up against the line of mountains behind it, was Kharon, the seat of Randidly Ghosthound’s power.
The dark metal of its hundreds of legs gleamed in the midday sun. And from what Han Yazhu understood, there were larger legs folded beneath the twenty-meter thick base on which Kharon stood. It was a moving city, a glorious achievement of engineering and magic that was one of the most talked-about things of the past year. Compared to it, many other accomplishments seemed lackluster.
Han Yazhu wondered how they gathered enough fresh water to support themselves in the city. Did they just have a mage constantly using Skills to fulfill their demands…?
“I would kill to see the engine that powers that thing,” Xia said with obvious longing in her voice. While her eyes still remained locked on Kharon, she pulled out a small notebook and began to jot down a few of her thoughts.
Ann nodded rapidly. “The wow-factor of this place is tremendous! Can you imagine if we had our own mobile city-”
“I think the real question is where they obtained the materials for the construction,” Xia’s forehead creased and she leaned forward to study the distant Kharon more closely. Her hand continued to write her observations on her notepaper with blinding speed. “There must be a framework on the base… Le, what are you shaking your head at?”
And when Han Yazhu turned away from Kharon, Le was shaking her head. The youngest of the three who had been Xiang Le sighed. “Your reactions were relatively boring. That’s why I wanted to come here early. I knew I would need someone else to give me the fix that I need.”
Han Yazhu grimaced. “I really wish you would consider the political implications of some of the things you say at the party-”
Le gave him a withering look. “I know you don’t believe me. But he has a Traveling City Han. If that doesn’t prove Randidly Ghosthound is the protagonist, I don’t know what does.”
*****
Tim Moss wasn’t lonely, not really, but he was sitting alone in a low meadow and experimenting with how much he could compress the moss spirits that floated around him. Perhaps it was due to some of the other kid’s shrieks of joy or maybe it was his concentration, but when a voice spoke behind him it took him completely by surprise.
“Hey, new kid.”
Tim looked sharply up, the tight ball of moss spirits that he had been playing with exploding in a small nova of color over his face and arms. The older kid who had spoken to him, who Tim vaguely recognized to be named Kevin, raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment on the moss spirits as the dispersed in every direction. For which, Tim was extremely grateful. Everyone used them, after all, but if people found out the Path that he was working through…
“Yes…?” Tim said hesitantly after the remaining emerald energy drifted away. Kevin was twelve and tall, towering over the new arrival to Kharon. They were currently in one of the broad parks of Kharon. Generally, around this time of day, there would be mandatory lessons on Skill use that children were expected to attend. But today was a bit special.
Even so, most parents sent their children here anyway, busy with their own preparations. Which led to the chaotic mess of dodgeball and capture the flag that appeared to be happening simultaneously across the park.
It was the birthday of Randidly Ghosthound, so only a skeleton crew was here to chaperone the over a thousand children running rampant with bright red rubber balls. By this point in the day, the adults seemed content to allow the children to do whatever they wished and retreated to the command tent at the center of the park.