Volume 10 | The Apothecary Diaries - Light Novel Audiobook

Prong a bell tinkled clear and distinct the young woman who climbed out of the carriage had the same red hair as guoku a veil worked with silver embroidery hid her face and she wore a robe of wonderful shining silk guoku wondered how old she was the girl was supposed to be her niece but she didn't recall having any such newbile young relatives all her nephews and nieces had been older than her and so very mean yet her Own brother guoku o swore this girl was his daughter so it must be so she had to go

along with it lady guoku said someone behind her it was koku O the middle of a trio of sisters who served as her ladies in waiting she gave her mistress a worried look don't fret dear one are we prepared to receive her yes ma'am Yoku was at one of the the emperor's Villas she'd received special permission to meet her niece here outside the court proper no consort was allowed to leave The rear Palace but guoku was the empress she had certain rights the young woman in the beautiful robe approached with graceful footsteps and knelt before

guoku lady guoku I believe this is the first time we've met my name is yakin raise your head you must be tired from such such a long journey for today rest and regain your strength here in this Villa guoku smiled at yakin she could see the girl's eyes behind the veil deep green like hers everything from the Color of her skin to the cast of her face spoke to a prominent strain of foreign blood she was quite Charming on first impression in fact she had an innocence about her still room to grow and mature accompanied

by the anxiousness of someone venturing into a world they knew little of deep within those emerald eyes though could be seen A determination working to assert itself they were much alike yes guoku had looked much the same when she had first Arrived in the capital first come to the rear Palace did this girl too Harbor some private resolution let her guoku would attend to her own business how would you like your meal we can make it in the style of the western capital for you or would you prefer to try the local Cuisine Yoku gave

yakin a teasing smile it enveloped the girl who smiled back uncomfortably her niece was here from the west but why would she try to gain His Majesty's Imperial affection now that joku Yu's former place was vacant or did she have her eye on the emperor's younger brother for gyu's purposes it didn't matter she took yakin's hand and felt her knee nie stiffen you're so cold and your skin is so dry she said let me get you some moisturizer the sea a is simply terrible for the skin the girl was openly wary of guoku if this

was an act it was a superb one if it wasn't it only showed that they hadn't spent long Teaching her the tricks of gaining a person's heart and mind there was never enough time to teach a consort to be all the things she ought to know dancing and singing and politics guoku took the moisturizer from kakuu then rubbed some on her own hand to demonstrate that it was safe her niece still looked doubtful perhaps she was just that anxious that was all right as far as guoku was concerned let her be as suspicious as she

wanted guoku wrapped her in a smile As soft as silk she would wrap her in layer after layer of smiles until every Thorn every needle she might have was covered over she would take the child into her bosom and hold her gently kyoku rubbed her niece's hand some might consider it unseen me but the warmth returned to yakin's fingers kokyu was frowning but she didn't argue with guoku Yoku was glad that hongyang who was her Chief lady in waiting and by rights should have been here wasn't present Kokyu had asked her to take care of

of some other business she felt a little guilty but this was going to be easier without her yoki's job was to smile to never let that smile slip or fade that was her one weapon her father Guin had found it and taught her to wield it chapter 1 return to the Western Capital Mayo Mayo wiped her brow as she looked out of the carriage the sun pounded down baking the Earth the people who followed behind the vehicle on foot wore conical Traveling hats but it wouldn't save them from the reflected light which would still be

strong enough to T the Skin So a year later and I'm back Mayo Mo thought the last time she'd come it had been a little earlier in the year and not quite so hot at least there was no humidity the sweat she wiped it dried quickly but it was still blazing the quack doctor had promptly succumbed to the Heat and was curled up in a corner of the carriage what this place needs is A little Greenery that would make things better chew observed she held out a Leather Pouch of water flavored with the Rind of

some sort of citrus fruit even the lukewarm drink was better than nothing on Mayo Mayo's parched throat you've been here before right Miss moo yes last year she certainly hadn't expected to be back again this year most commoners never took a trip this long in their entire lives but you weren't here very long right let Miss cheu show you Around this time you can see the sights enjoy yourself there was a gleam In Her Eyes the less something had to do with work the more eager she was to do it no thank you I have

a job to do mayoo would have loved to go sightseeing to finally see the entire city and Sample all the medicinal herbs and other plant life for sale at this Nexus of trade but they would was one person she had to keep an eye on at all times Jin she that son of a even now the memory made her blood Boil and she suspected it always would miss May Mayo Miss mayam Mayo you look tense Chu said and began massaging mayar's cheeks it seemed like somehow someone always ended up doing that oh oh do I

I'm sure they be perfectly happy for you to go out all day if you told them it was to inspect your surrounding just make sure you call me when you do she just wants me to be her excuse Chu was easy to talk to and better than any of the other potential minders who might Be assigned to her but still Oh Me Oh My we've been talking so much that we've arrived a town of stone and brick came into view it was dotted with green trees and a lake sparkled l in the distance awnings fluttered

here and there to keep off the Sun the carriage rolled right on toward a great Mansion for a moment Mayo Mayo thought they were going to the same house she'd been to last year but then she realized it was the one next door to that so this is the administrative Office Chu said looking at a stone plaque on the front of the building the carriage stopped at the gate the other Physicians were already waiting inside uh uh is that everybody said the darkskinned dror U waving to them okay Miss Mayo Miss Chu has other things

to do so right thank you very much don't mention a che Pitter patted away into the administrative building over here Dr you call he was standing with tianu and One of the other Physicians Mayo mayo and the quack went over to him with Lee haaku following at an unobtrusive distance have you been here before do you tianu draw yes plenty of times that was back before this was a bureaucratic office though I'm from the Western Capital myself you know a Native Son of I Province I know where the Eastern Villa is more or less said

Tiano who didn't sound very interested in the answer despite having Asked the question before it was an office huh Mayo Mayo Thor as they walked inside she pondered what it might have been used for before it did indeed feel more like a rich person's house than a proper Administrative Building maybe it's a mansion They confiscated from someone who wasn't paying their taxes that was entirely Her Imagination but it was enough to pass the time until they arrived at the Villa the medical supplies were already there what should We do next the seriousl looking physician asked

doctor you let's see the plan is for us to split into three groups just like we did on the ships the moon Prince will be at Lord guoku Yu's Annex Grand commandant KH will be here in the administrative office and our man Lou from the board of Rights will be in Lord yoku's main house the good doctor seemed to refer to one of those men very differently from the others maybe they were close personally or perhaps in rank Should we split up into the same groups we did on the boats then the other doctor asks

I think something a little different today doctor you said he grabbed tianu and pushed him toward Mayo Mayo on the quack I'm with them sir tianu asked I was sure I would be with Dr lie again Mayo agreed Li was evidently the remaining physician the name was also extremely common so so much so that it Was no help in telling people apart and those surnamed Lee often found themselves called by their full name Le Haku was a handy example of that phenomenon we tried to take all possible factors into account when we made that decision

you can be with Dr lie provided that you can mind your mouth I heard about your little gaffes on the ship evidently tenu had given lip to some high officials but I might be just as rude anywhere else Um where am I going to the annex I'm going to be in the administrative office here and Doctor Lee will be at the main residence that would mean I'm in the same building as the Imperial younger brother wouldn't it wouldn't that only have the potential to make things worse that implied Mayo would also be in gin's building

she might have guessed as much ah hoping to get a chance to do an exam on the moon Prince good luck I doubt you'll even see him much doctor you Smacked tianu on the shoulder tianu rubbed it painfully doctor you continued you'll make the perfect group nangy Yang is good at mixing up medicines which is precisely what you AR Tian but you're the best surgeon among the new crop this will be the perfect opportunity for you to learn from each other that would be great if nangy Yang were here Mayo Mayo thought but she didn't

bother correct ing him she decided that if it didn't actively harm her she could live with it She glanced at the quack doctor he doesn't even seem to be on the list and he didn't seem to realize it either I only hope I can be a good teacher the quack said fidgeting Mayo Mayo looked away from him looking forward to it partner tianu said slapping mayoo on the back we are not Partners mayoo stood before the quack Doctor Who flushed with embarrassment and hid behind her I look forward to working with you big guy tianu

said yes it'll be my pleasure the Quack said tianu evidently didn't take him very seriously you may be with a new group but your job hasn't changed doctors look after their patients and nothing else each group will have a junior official assigned to it to act as a messenger in case anything comes up don't hesitate to use them it was nice working with Dr U he made things simple Mayo Mayo knew the Personnel on this trip had been selected for their ability to adapt to a rapidly changing situation But he had a special ease that

must have come from being on his home soil you heard him shall we get going tenu asked picking up his stuff administrative office main building an Annex two of the three of them belonged to to guoku youu outright which served to demonstrate how powerful he was the office and the main house were right next to each other the annex was a 5-minute walkway each of them fronted the main street but inside the administrative building the hubub Outside was hardly audible it was just that big the walls and the trees outside probably also helped block out

the noise Mayo mayo and her three companions were joined by the junior official who would serve as their messenger the five of them shown to their building by a man who looked to be a local as they stepped out the gate they got a good view of the Town liaku once again maintained a respectful distance but tianu kept glancing back at him I guess it does Seem sort of odd thought mayam Mayo a few ordinary Physicians being given a bodyguard to say nothing of the fact that the quack himself was personally in charge of gin's

care tianu was too sharp not to wonder why Mayo mayo and the quack were being entrusted with the Imperial younger brother she worried about when he might start asking questions but for the time being she tried to act like everything was normal she could at least play innocent until He specifically pressed her about it my isn't this exciting if the quack had still had his mustache it would have been all a quiver he wasn't a particularly brave unic but at the moment his timidity seemed to be outweighed by his excitement at seeing the Western capital

tianu too was looking everywhere at once his expression never changed though and he seemed less like he was having fun than more like he was taking careful Stock of everything I'm never sure what to make of this guy Mayo Mayo could never tell what he was thinking she had figured out though that he was quick to latch on to anything that piqued his curiosity if she knew what that was she might be able to anticipate how he'd react but she still didn't know what he found interesting H tenu said tilting his head quizzically as they

left the office Mayo Mayo wondered what was up and then she saw a familiar face the Owner of the face seemed to recognize them too because he trotted over it's been much too long he said with a respectful bow of the head and a gentle smile it was the Pretty Boy rierson the freak strategists former Aid that's right I heard he transferred to the Western capital he was more taned than the last time Mayo Mayo had seen him no doubt from the strong sunlight in these parts two attendants walked behind him it has sir said

moo yeah I haven't seen You in a bit said tianu at almost the same time only the quack was left out of the loop he looked at Mayo as if to ask who this person was do you two know each other Mayo asked looking from rickerson to tianu and back yes in that I never forget someone I've met rickerson smile Mayo sensed something tired in the expression she also noticed that his clothes were Dusty and there was mud all over his shoes the first thing they told us when we started at Court was to learn

what the strategist's aid looked like tianu said ah I see Mayo Mayo said tiu might have greeted ruson familiarly but he didn't actually know or care that much about him the quack meanwhile shifted uncomfortably feeling shy around this stranger but once Mayo couldn't just let everyone else do the talking this is the master physician I've come to the Western Capital to assist him she said Master physician rierson asked with a puzzled look at the Quack oh his name his name is damn she'd always almost forgotten it again she thought it was ghl Gwen but she

decided not to say it aloud instead she said if I tell you he's the physician who served many years at the Ria Palace would you know who I mean ah neatly done rers clapped his hands yeah this is him that was a close one I almost forgot the quack was a body double for her own own father Lu Omen and he was being treated as if he were His more August counterpart rickerson for his part would surely be familiar with luoman who was the freak strategist's Uncle he would probably also grasp that the quack was

the only position in the rear Palace never know if the walls might have eyes or ears they were still technically in Lee but the Western Capital was as good as foreign territory more to the point both of rickon's attendants appeared to be locals Mayo couldn't afford to say Anything careless she would have to watch how she spoke Mayo didn't have anything particular to talk about with rickerson and she was Keen to get out of there before anyone gave the game away I'm am sure you're busy master rickerson I apologize for taking up your time she

said not at all I'm just now back from traveling for work it took me quite a ways out but I knew you all must be arriving soon so I hurried back I never expected my timing to be so perfect he Smiled broadly but it couldn't hide the mud on the Hem of His robe it was dry now but it was obvious that it had originally been quite dark rich soil was he out in the fields for some reason the Western Capital was a dry Place puddles were not a common sight on the roads here even

if they had been the dust would have been whiter lacking in nutrients the only place he could have picked up Fertile Earth like what was clinging to His outfit was in a field that had been watered maybe he was coming back from whatever Village was closest to the water hurrying to get back he hadn't had time to worry about how he looked so nobody told him when exactly we were going to arrive lengthy trip or no she would have expected rers to know at least that much I must be on my way I'm afraid if

I stand and chat for too long my former boss might notice me I'll see you again said rickerson he looked like There was something more he would have wished to say but he must have been too busy tianu who knew who he meant by his former boss snickered only the quack doctor was left entirely in the dark and he spent the entire conversation looking sad mayoo would have to explain to him who rusen was while they were on their way to their destination she found herself with a lot to think about but she also remembered

what doctor you had said to them doctors look after their Patients and nothing else Mayo Mayo was an apothecary so she would do an apothecary's job and nothing else chapter 2 boss and former boss Ron heaved a sigh as he returned to his room which at the moment was a chamber of the administrative building that he had appropriated as his living quarters is this purely about making my life hard he muttered shuing off his sand s and mud covered outfit it was quite a while ago that rickerson had suggested a tour of The farming Villages

but guoku you would only approved the idea a few days earlier rickerson had gone but an unsettling premonition had brought him hurrying back and now here he was when I left for the villages everyone told me they were going to arrive substantially later than expected they being the visitors from the capital he had encountered moments ago he had to admit he' never expected his former superior's esteemed daughter to be among the entan Of course Master Laken came rers and mused even the Seas sickening Prospect of ship travel wouldn't have deterred him from joining this trip

with all due respect to the esteemed daughter Mayo Mayo rers found the idea faintly amusing when he had been told that his former boss would arrive in about 10 days he'd set aside the 5 days before that for his trip to the farming Village but then rierson brushed off his over robobee getting sand everywhere he would have Loved to wash properly but there was no time there was hardly even a moment to wipe himself down his only choice was to take an incense cake and dorb some around his neck in these parts incense usually meant

either perfume or a cake like this one and rers had only one of each on hand one was a perfume that guyaku had given him as a joke while the cake was one that he'd been hard so hold on while walking around town that was his choice of incense today a cheap Product like this was perfect incense in the western Capital tended to have strong fragrances so something cheap that didn't smell quite as much was ideal he rubbed in just enough to mask the smell of sweat as a final touch he pasted a smile on

his face a smile was essential for doing business his mother had told him never let it slip in front of a customer rickerson wondered what gyoku you would think to see him back so much earlier than expected things could Get a little awkward if his former boss was there but so it went he cinched his belt and left the room it's been some time sir rickerson said forcing himself to act completely natural as he entered the hall kyoku you and his subordinates were there along with the guests enjoying a light meal servants bustled in and

out with the food it was too early for dinner but the offerings looked Sumptuous all the same rasum recognized all the guests naturally he Wouldn't forget them the stubbly man with the monacle was lacken his former Superior he would know him anywhere beside Len sat his Aid onsu he had been around since before rers had served Laken when rierson had taken over he distinctly remembered Ono coming to him with tears of gratitude in his eye onu was a cap capable man but he had an unfortunate tendency to draw life's short straws a tendency to which

he might as well have resigned himself the Moment he found his way into lakan's orbit Ono saw rers come in he gave a slight bow and whispered to Len Len looked at rickerson with the same vacant expression he always wore if onu hadn't said something he would probably never have realized rason was there ruson was sometimes curious exactly what he looked like to the strategist Len beckoned Rasen over but he wasn't sure if he should approach the strategist out of the blue he looked to guoku a the Interim ruler of the western Capital waved at

him from his place of honor at the table to go pay his respects rickerson felt very awkward indeed onu was looking at him with an expression that was hard to describe he seemed to be wondering whose side rickerson was on between his current boss and his former boss onu ought to have understood to whom rickson's present position made him beholden lacken meanwhile munched on some fried food seemingly indifferent to The situation the food first passed through the hands of a lady and waiting rers didn't recognize who left only the meest scraps for laan's consumption rierson

might have assumed she was his food taster but if so she was keeping most of the meal for herself lens simply got her left leftovers he'd heard the Imperial younger brother would be coming to the city but at the moment he didn't see him this didn't seem to be a public banquet luckan had probably accepted the Invitation without thinking anything of it but Ono's brimming eyes made it clear that he was supposed to have politely refused um rickerson I want to eat that one bun Len said at first rers had been sure lackan had forgotten

his name but it turned out that wasn't true as for that one bun he added also says he doesn't know which bun I mean but I told him that bun rers agreed with Ono that wasn't enough to go on was that why Lan had called him over because he wanted a Snack bun ruson searched his memory you're talking about something sweet yes sir of course I am does it have any fing I don't think so so wasn't a red bean filling that made this bun sweet is it covered in sauce or do you dip it

in anything ah the sauce yes there was a sauce that white stuff I love it rickerson finally connected the dots Master Lake are you talking about the fried buns from the ludia fandan the name meant the double six restaurant it Was a place Len had gone once and several times after that he'd sent rickerson to buy the Buns sir on S fry up a mandarin roll then top it with sweetened condensed milk he said I'm on it there was a mandarin roll already in front of Leen that must have been what put him in mind

of the lulus creation fried bread with condensed milk sounds tasty said the woman who appeared to be lens's food taster her eyes sparkling she didn't seem much like your ordinary Lady in waiting another of Lin's finds perhaps Miss cheu perhaps you'd be so kind as to taste slightly less of the food for poison onu said so her name was Chu Ono's Touch of deference suggested she wasn't Len's lady in waiting so much as someone who had been borrowed from elsewhere to fill this role oops my bad Chu said if nothing else this conversation proved a

ricet that lacken was still Laken I can have the rolls prepared for your snack tomorrow sir Ono Said I want them for dinner tonight please sir be reasonable we're already at a banquet Ono's voice came out in a squeak he didn't seem able to muster much more rickerson looked on sympathetic well aware of how demanding Len could be when he was in one of his moods on Su gave the former Aid a dirty look I see some things never change ruson said to Ono in an effort to repair his mood indeed they don't and you

seem to have made yourself Quite at home here in the west onzo had noticed rickerson suntan and smelled the incense wafting from him he'd never been the kind to wear incense back in the capital he only did it here to cover the smell of sweat but he refrained from saying so he thought it would sound like an excuse you'll have to pardon rickerson he's only just gotten back from quite a long trip said guoku as he took a bite of meat evidently he had been listening to their conversation oh Oh I see on Su said

paling to be so suddenly addressed by guoku himself no doubt he hadn't expected the great man's conversation to turn to him is the food to your liking if there's anything you want I can have my chef prepare it in immediately you know the fried dough at the ludia fandan Lan never want to need asking twice broke in the people of the western Capital would not of course know the fried bread of the Royal City oh please tell me about it Yoku said now That he had expressed a willingness to listen it would be reason's job

to explain he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach this seemed likely to be his lot for the for seeable future not a happy Prospect for the ever anxious Rus chapter 3 the annex and the Forgotten man guoku yanex seemed like quite a comfortable place to be thanks to its abundance of greenery when one thought of icy Province where the Western Capital was located one thought of the Desert but in fact there were many grassy plain it was dry yes but there was more here than sand there was enough water for herbus plant at least to

grow which was not to say that water wasn't precious here was that the main house we stayed in last time Mayo Mayo wondered there had been lots of green there too just having all those trees in the Mansions Garden was enough to provide the impression of wealth of course to the people of the capital who Were used to living by the Great River with the sea not so far away it might have lacked a certain something but it's enough to be refreshing the garden here was done roughly in the style of the central region but

it was full of plants she had never seen before her first thought was that she would love to test their medicinal effects but well that was Mayo Mayo for you young lady let's set our luggage down first it's been such a long trip and I'm so very tired The quack said looking as rundown as he sounded good idea said tianu hey yyang once we get to our room maybe we can play Rock Paper Scissors to see who gets to explore the Mansion liaku walked a few Paces behind the three of them keeping watch the medical

office was in a separate building from the Mansion they couldn't exactly complain about the location sickness was considered an impurity after all if the office was anywhere too well traveled they would Only have to worry about infection every time a patient showed up anyway this is one Odd Place the quack said looking at their building mystified I thought the same thing at the administrative buildings medical office it certainly wasn't what they were used to in lie and while the Western Capital had its own architectural style the building didn't really seem to belong to that either

it almost looked like is this a chapel tianu asked his hand brushing the bricks Chapel what's that what's that the quack asked no wonder he didn't know the word there weren't many chapels in lie and the quack was hardly what you would call Cosmopolitan think of it like a shrine May Mayo offered oh a place to pray yeah there's a lot of different religions in this city tianu said they entered the building to find a high Ved room there didn't appear to be any objects of worship inside the only vestages of any faith once practiced

here were some Decorations on the wall walls maybe some Pious person had once lived here when the place had passed into guoku Yu's hands he had stopped short of tearing it down but it was no longer a place of worship it's the perfect size oh and look the rest of our belongings have already arrived H there really is quite a lot it's going to be a job organizing everything suppose we just leave them in the boxes the quack said good point let's hurry up and rock paper scissors It who gets to go exploring not long

ago M would have eagerly accepted tian's suggestion careful thought though left her with a question even if she won the game would the other two actually do their work here at the same time she knew she would be annoyed if tianu won and if the quack doctor earned the chance to go exploring well that thought was a little nerve-wracking too in the end Mayo Mayo took the most boring solution she rolled up her sleeves tied A handkerchief over her mouth and said right exploring comes later first we need to get this stuff sorted oh you

seemed all excited to look around earlier I'm so very tired from our trip young lady can't we take things slower no we can't Mayo said rebuffing them both their medical supplies could have rotted during the long sea Voyage they needed to know what was still usable and what wasn't so that they could stock up on anything they needed no one leaves This room until we get all of this organized oh no the quack stuck out his lower lip and looked deeply dejected tianu didn't look happy about it but he shuffled over to the supplies and

started working what would you like me to do young lady asked the big mut liaku he looked like he might just drop to the floor and start doing push-ups to pass the time if she didn't have anything for him to do so she decided to put into physical labor could you get the box by The door and bring it here Mayo Mayo asked sure sure thing oh this is heavy it turned out to be a bit much even for liaku mayoo went over to the Box opened the lid and peaked in it was packed with

rice husks and sweet potatoes no wonder it was so heavy even Lee Hau wouldn't be able to lift it by himself I don't think this is ours she said what do you think should we borrow a cart and haul this somewhere liaku asked no I think we can just let someone in charge know and they Can deal with it mayor Mo replied pondering ing whom they should tell at just that moment someone came from the direction of the garden waving urgently ye I think some of my cargo got mixed in with yours the newcomer called

he was a man with no particular distinguishing characteristics the only thing notable about him was how unnotable he was he had unobjectionable looks and was probably 23 or 24 years old I feel like I've seen him somewhere before Mayar Thought pondering further when the newcomer saw Mayo Mayo he stopped short it it's you he said pointing dramatically at her the one who might be lean's sister or might not I can't tell the answer is not now she was sure she'd had this conversation before but who is this guy her eyes drifted to the box full

of sweet potatoes The Mention Of Lan's name sparked a memory you're LAN 's brother aren't you her memory of him was hazy but she thought That was who he was lan is younger than me why should I have to be defined in terms of him yeah this was Lan's brother with his delectable reaction she had met him before and remembered him mostly for being very normal and offering copious chances for witty interjection his face though that she had completely forgotten well I don't know your name she pointed out my name is that wasn't an invitation

she'd only just recently and finally remembered the quack doctor's name she Didn't need any more to learn listen to me let me tell you my name Mayo Mayo however was in no mood to listen more importantly what are you doing here this guy normally spent all his time tending potato fields in the central region L's brother looks scandalized by Mayo Mayo's question liaku having decided that he wasn't a threat looked on quietly I'm here because they dragged me here they brought me instead of my father with orders to teach the people of the Western Capital

how to grow these things mayoo sensed some resentment these things referred to the sweet potatoes I take it lean duped you into doing this H he did not Lan's brother was nothing if not easy to read and Lan remained his usual ruthless self why didn't he ask his father Mayo Mayo asked Lan's father La something or other loved farming and seemed like he would go to the ends of the Earth if there was a field to be tended there Lan's brother paused after His experiment with growing sweet potatoes in the north came to light he

can't get away experiment sweet potatoes yield several times more than a rice crop so he thought they would be perfect for Shoku Province where there's plenty of people and space right gyi had been trying everything he could to shore up the food supply and she seemed to recall lahan being very bullish on potatoes as well the problem is sweet potatoes come from the south so they don't grow well In the North in fact I doubt they'll grow at all but Dad says it's worth trying to figure out what the northern limit is so I just

let him do that I'm not sure this is the time even Mayo Mayo could tell that this was a dangerous idea a famine was looming they couldn't spare people and land to satisfy one Farmer's curiosity and he had such a pleasant look the man had reminded her of Lu Omen and evidently when something interested him he became completely Absorbed in it to the exclusion of everything else it would be too risky for all the fields to be sweet potatoes so I brought these too have a look have a look Lan's brother tossed her something from

the box next to the crate of sweet potato regular potato this is a white potato right it was a big Stout round potato potatoes were a relatively new food stuff the matron of the Verdigris house had told Maya Mayo that they weren't yet widely eaten when she Was young and that's right a tuber like this can grow even in the cold even if the ground isn't very fertile so he made me bring these along lean Only Knows nice Dad but he can be a pretty formidable character when he wants to Lan's father L something or

other by name was evidently a bonafied member of the LA Clan even mayam Mayo had nearly been taken in by his Pleasant countenance potatoes can be harvested twice a year so my father has been Hellbent on planting them I'm afraid he might be trying to use them to fudge his Harvest numbers you seem to know a lot about potatoes mayam Mayo observed she'd taken Lan's brother to be a completely average person with no special qualities other than his vulnerability to a good quip but it turned out he did have something to offer wow you're a

regular farmer liaku said clapping Lan's brother on the back he hadn't followed the entire conversation but he was impressed Just the same F farmer L's brother choked he seemed to want to push back but he was too enraged to say anything more the quack doctor apparently intimidated by lean's brother's Fury kept his distance tianu seem to judge the Man simply too normal to be interesting so your point is these potatoes aren't food they're seed crops Mayo Mayo said yes they are I'm supposed to show the people how to raise them him and his my older

brother can't spend his Whole life tied to one place how is one field so different from another anyway in short this normal person had demonstrated a normal interest in the outside world and been duped for it the fact that he had chased down this crate of seed potatoes though showed that he was indeed a dedicated farmer Mayo Mayo suspected he would produce a lovely crop even if he complained or old time teaching them to grow new crops huh that presumably meant Lan's brother would be Spending his time out in the farming Villages when you go

out to the Villages take me with you mayamaya said why would I do that there's something I want to investigate this was a gift from above she'd assumed she would have to ask rickerson or someone until Lan's brother had come along I saw rosen's outfit the mud streak clothes suggested he'd been inspecting a farm somewhere but what was a man sent all the way from the capital doing relegated to the fringes of his New home maybe he was checking the harvests to make sure no one's cheating on their taxes or maybe maybe he knows about

the insect plague a plague of insects had struck west of the royal Capital which meant there was a good chance the locusts had come from farther west than that it would always be easier to deal with a swarm of locusts when there weren't as many of them I'm not all that interested in bugs but I don't think I can get out of this one for a Second mayam Maya found herself thinking of another young woman one who had liked insects far more than she did of course I'm trusting myself to your services today Master physician

as ever gingi smiled as he received them they were in the most Sumptuous guest room in the annex there was a rich thick delicately embroidered sheep's wool rug and the curtains appeared to be made of silk they shimmered and Shone each time the wind ruffled them mayam may could never Help wondering about the market value of gingi's accommodations that looks good though she thought spying a plate of fruit on the table there were luscious grapes so recently chilled that they were still sweating they promised sweet juice filling the mouth as they burst between the teeth

I wonder if he needs them checked for poison sadly Mayo Mayo wasn't there at that moment to taste gin's food that job fell to gingi's lady in waiting team may the boisterous chew Was missing today and Mayo didn't see baru either although she had her suspicions about what was on the other side of the gently rustling curtains swiren and G shun stood by the wall the quack doctor remained coward in gin's presence e well let's get started then as usual he could barely get the words out and as usual his exam was Pro former at

best tianu was also absent from this scene it proved too likely to offend someone Important to be invited on a visit like this tianu was perceptive enough that he might have looked as scance at Mayo mayo and the quack going to do this exam but if he had any doubts he had kept them to himself for the moment was that because he knew how to take a hint or had someone on gingi's side of things reached out to help him understand May preferred not to think about it I also don't care either way she had

things to do for now she would put aside the Question of why gingi had been consigned to the Villa the freak strategist wasn't in the same building that was what really mattered all right young lady I'll be heading back the quack said yes sir Mayar replied the quack left without so much as a scruple his bodyguard liaku went with him gingi turned down the sparkle just a bit tea if you would he said of course sir replied te and went to prepare it here you go swiren thoughtfully brought a chair so mayamal Sat down she

wasn't rude enough to grab any grapes just then but she tried to send swi and a telepathic message that she'd like some as a souvenir how are you settling into your new workplace Jin she asked easily enough sir the Personnel haven't changed so it's just getting used to the new environment that was the honest answer what she really wanted now was to find out what kinds of medicine were available in the western Capital when they'd taken stock of what Had been used during the ship Voyage it turned out to be chiefly nausea medication and antipyretic

the southern route they' taken had been as hot as high summer and combined with the poor air circulation on the ship they'd had lots of cases of dizziness heat stroke was best cured by water not medicine but mayoo suspected that while she was away the quack had diagnosed many of the cases as coals and handed out antipyretics that would explain it funny Enough it had worked out the medicine the quack had prescribed tasted so bad that patients had to take it with plenty of water anyway so in the end it had cured their heat stroke

he sure got luck on his side she marveled even better she'd heard that they would be given new supplies bought in the western Capital to make up the shortfall in their inventory wish I could have gone along on the shopping trip though she was so curious about exactly what drugs were Sold here Mayo Mayo however had other things to attend to she glanced around then stole a look at gin's side she wasn't sure how to bring that up so she settled on changing the subject entirely I gather we have a potato farmer Among Us thanks

to Lan's connections this was lean they were talking about if they succeeded in cultivating potatoes in icy Province she was sure he intended to go straight into exporting them to show or something it was right next door to IC Which would minimize shipping costs gingi gave her a look a potato farmer he's your cousin is what I heard no relation she said firmly so that there would be no mistake but I heard he was lean's older brother yes but Lan and I are complete strangers gyi gave her a harder look but he went along with

it anyway yes we do have a potato farmer here when I heard he was from the llan I expected someone I don't know more distinctive have you met him sir I've Only seen him in passing I saw him when L was helping him onto the ship in other words he had spotted them smack in the middle of the dup he's a very normal person sir yeah very normal it seemed gingi shared Mayo's assessment but anyway if he already knew about him that made everything easier I'd like to accompany him him to the farming Villages do

you think I could be given permission the farming Villages it would help me if you could go but then how Would you handle your medical duties gingi patted his flank pointedly you did that to yourself mayam Mayo thought he already knew how to change the dressings anyway so she didn't have to be examining it all the time a young man named tianu has been assigned to our group I think he could manage things sir she said ignoring gin's injury for the moment she might object to tianu as a person but his actual work seemed Trustworthy

very well gingi sounded like he had to swallow some objection but agreed nonetheless I was already planning to have someone get a firsthand look at The Farms there are enough issues with the villages Vis the impending play this might be perfect what kind of issue Mayo Mayo cocked her head gyi had so many different problems to deal with she didn't even know which one he meant jinshi looked to Gayo shun and the other Man unrolled a map of I Province on the table it bore several circles in ink what are these Mayo Mayo asked the

locations of the farming Villages there aren't as many as I expected considering I see province's size there's a fair number of individual plots of Farmland but some sort of problem crops up when they reach a certain size outside of the western Capital itself the population here has never been very large and with all the trade that goes on many people Simply import their food in this land withered soil was the norm and water sources were limited Mayo Mayo might only be able to go out to the nearest Village is that the same place rickerson went

he looked very busy she doubted been visiting the Farms just to pass the time he must have gone to the closest place and these gingi said taking a brush G ocean offered him and drawing a larger circle on the map are grazing land grazing land sir in other words a Place where livestock could feed probably not cows here in the western Capital goats and sheep more likely some of them are used by the farmers but some of them are areas that nomadic tribes pass through groups that don't have permanent settlements I see gyi didn't seem

to be explaining for Mayo Mayo's sake so much as he was trying to organize his own thought do you remember the orders I issued to try to combat The Grasshoppers he asked I do you forbade The killing of pest Birds promoted the eating of insects and said the farming Villages should be taught how to make insecticide mayam Mayo had been involved involved in the insecticide project herself she' developed several formulas that used primarily local ingredients right those orders went out all over lie including I see province of course however he trailed off Mayo Mayo thought

she could see the miscalculation gingi had been confronted with even if farmers Do use insecticide they only use it on their fields she said exactly and I see Province had a few small fields and a lot of very big Plains the farmers wouldn't kill the bugs in the grassy areas not to mention that there was every chance the nomads had never received the orders at all even if they had they wouldn't want to put Farm chemicals all over something their livestock were going to eat and they wouldn't go around killing grasshoppers One by one either

gingi and Mayar were both silent the grasshoppers that had avoided extermination would produce a new generation many times larger than their o mayoo though was puzzled pardon me sir but wasn't there already a small scale insect plague in Western lie last year did that include the Western Capital no report of any plague came from I see Province Jin she said sounding equally perplexed admittedly this area survives largely by trade and Doesn't do much planting of its own so any agricultural damage would be modest but there should have been some she thought back to the previous

Autumn gingi had sent her a crate of grasshoppers it almost qualified as harassment and she had measured hundreds of them at the time Lan had speculated that they might have come from hwaran on the seasonal winds and which area was closest to hwaran I see provins could the grasshoppers have missed them by Pure Luck oh are these people hiding something Mayo Mayo searched gin's face he didn't look overly concerned but seemed calm like he was simply confirming something he already knew information he already had she tried to look at the others in the room for

a hint but swiren taay and goosun betrayed nothing is I see Province trying to hide a bad Harvest she wondered he wondered then she groaned to herself maybe it's Empress guoku brother guoku you the man Who was now in charge in the western capital on behalf of their father he seemed to have some sort of history with Empress guoku but mayoo had largely ignored it as something that didn't involve a simple Apothecary did all this have something to do with why rickerson had been out in the village getting himself filthy mayoo started to feel impatient

Restless thinking about the question only left her tying herself in knots but she hated the feeling of Leaving it unanswered best to move quickly then I know it's somewhat sudden but perhaps you'd allow me to leave for the farming Villages tomorrow sir much as I'd like you to get underway as soon as possible that might be a bit too soon Jin she said gaan intervened at that moment Moon Prince he said what is it gaan if zel Mayo is to leave best she wait a few days first why so everything can be gotten ready no

sir because Bas should Arrive a few days from now Mayo felt like she hadn't heard that name in a long time Bas she remembered was traveling Overland to reach the Western capital I think he would make an ideal bodyguard for AI Alo goosun said all right we'll use that time to prepare replied gyi and with that it was settled Mayo Mayo let out a sigh of relief and was about to head back to the medical office where the Quack and tianu waited but gingi spoke again just a Moment yes sir my stomach is bothering me

perhaps you could examine it he grinned at her I might have known I'll be waiting in the Next Room he said then he left and perhaps informed ahead of time swiren and the others stayed behind very well Mayo said after a moment she took out fresh bandages privately though she wished bason would hurry up and get here chapter 4 spring comes to bason part one quack quack said a voice bason looked at the yellow beaked moist eyed Fluffy feathered white duck in front of him I guess this is goodbye duck bason had received several secret

orders from the Moon Prince over the past several months one of them concerned the likes of this domestic white duck it was a classic bit of livestock easy to raise and it frequently laid eggs in fact raising Ducks had been the mission in question at first bason had thought the moon Prince must be making fun of him for all the flaws he might have he Hailed from a clan that had historically been charged with guarding the Imperial family and now he was supposed to look after some water foul he began to wonder if the moon

Prince had abandoned him such however was not the case the raising of livestock will save this country from much unhappiness and I'm confident that you will pursue the duty diligently bason had been told if the moon Prince was willing to give him such a vote of confidence he could hardly Decline this had been near the end of last year once he knew what his mission would be he knew that the first thing he had to do was seek the advice of someone who knew more about raising Ducks than he did thus early in the year

he'd found himself spending a great deal of time visiting one particular place to the northwest of the capital was a place called red plum Village it was a Haven for those who had left their homes and families in Hope of becoming Wayfarers Wayfarers usually that word evoked images of monks undergoing harsh training but here things were a little different many here seemed to sincerely believe that their practice could make them true Immortals raising animals was one facet of their practice when bason had first heard of it he doubted his ears I thought monks and nuns

were all vegetarians he said Immortals are long lived unto endless life a person can't live on vegetables alone was the prompt And non Shalon to answer the place was run by an old man as bason had heard and if you ignored the fact that his clothes were dirty and covered in feathers you could see that in fact he had healthy skin and stood very straight his life might or might not prove to be endless but he was clearly experienced in how to be long lived the old bason might have argued the point but he liked

to think he had learned a thing or two over the past several years he decided to Consider the old man to be in the same category as that exent entric Apothecary and left it at that it turned out he had the right idea training Wayfarers was a pretense for red plum Village in reality it was a group of researchers much of their practice contravened the precepts normally observed by monks and nuns but the research was so valuable that everyone above them seemed to turn a blind eye ducks can lay up to 150 eggs a year

they're omnivores so they'll eat Anything and they can start laying eggs as early as 6 months after hatching they're not so dissimilar to chickens but if you intend to feed them grasshoppers you'd be better off with ducks I think they're physically larger if you feed them one single type of food from infancy they'll come to eat that food exclusively but that carries the risk of adversely impacting their growth so I don't recommend it the only possible problem with ducks is that they Don't incubate their eggs as ready as chickens do so bason wondered why people

researching a particular field were always such windbags even that Apothecary Mayo Mayo could be quite the talker when she warmed to her subject and the bureaucrat lahan was the same way red plum Village sprawled across a substantial area much of which was devoted to agricultural Fields none of the Wayfarers here wore the attire of religionists they were all dressed to Work Outdoors their breath fogged as they worked in the fields and so as you can see I'm terribly busy with my research so I'm afraid I can't entertain your request the old man said finally winding

down to the end of his speech I'm sorry I don't quite follow bason said I'm saying that I cannot teach you but my disciple whom I currently entrust with the work can you'll find her in that shed Fair well hey hey wait the old man scampered away with a quickness that Bellied his age left with no choice bason went towards the shed which was periodically emitting steam excuse me he said I'd like to learn about duck keeping the door barely seemed to be hanging on and when he opened it feted air hit him in the

face yeah yes of course leoshi told me came a nervous voice bason could see a small figure in the haze I it's you bason exclaimed the small figure was a young plainly dressed woman the fabric of her outfit wasn't Even dyed that alone embroided and her hair held back with a simple piece of string had no hair sticks or ornaments yet even without a spot of rouge or whitening powder she looked so much more full of light wife than she had the last time he had seen her consort Leu I am not a consort anymore

Master bason standing before him was an ephemeral princess a member of the uclan who had twice entered the rear Palace as consort of an emperor what are you doing here Bason asked he immediately wished he could have said something more thoughtful his sister Mame would have given him a piece of her mind if she knew lishu had once been an upper consort but she had been banished from the rear Palace true she had been manipulated by the woman people called the white lady but that didn't change the fact that she had caused quite a commotion

at court lishu had been obliged to retire from the world no one Had told bason so much as where she had gone or what she was doing the emperor said only that if he wish to see her he should focus on doing great Deeds at a loss bason had recently ly made donations in cash and kind to several temples in hopes of making himself feel a little better they hadn't even told him which Temple she might have been hiding at he was so flabbergasted by this unexpected reunion that he could hardly think well well as

you know I was Banished from the rear Palace I couldn't go back to my family or to my last Temple his majesty intervened on my behalf so that I could come here to red plum Village she said yes but of all the places Le's outfit was filthy in spots smeared not just with mud but animal dung worst of all there was no one in this shed but Basin and Leu and bason agonized over whether it was appropriate for him to be alone with a young lady have you no attendance what happened to That lady in

waiting who used to serve you bason asked shaken to see lisu's reduced circumstances almost as shaken as he was to have Leu right here in front of him you mean Canon I released her from my service she has her entire future ahead of her she shouldn't waste it here with me I asked his majesty to arrange a good match for her Leu smiled and glanced down her long eyelashes fluttering bason clenched his fists then you you're here alone you mustn't worry I have an old lady to look after me just one yeah I have no

more need for heavy outfits or elaborate hair ornaments after all to Basin Liu's words carried an air of self-recrimination and yet her expression was as clear as a cloudless sky bason had never been the best at guessing what a woman might have been thinking and right now he had no idea hear what to say or do Leu was as retiring and as Charming as ever and appeared to be hard at work despite Circumstances far beneath her station her slim fingers were caked with mud this is no place for someone like you lady leisu I'll talk

to them convince them to give you better work bason said it was the most helpful thing he could think of lishu however shook her head no thank you I'm grateful for the thought be but these circumstances yeah what about them Bon's question was all but interrupted by quacking he turned to find himself Confronting several dozen Ducks G the birds surrounded Basin peering at him with their heads cocked in puzzlement he couldn't shake the sense that they were taking stock of him then the Ducks waddled over to Leu nuzzling up to her she patted their wings

uh at first I was sure I couldn't possibly raise Ducks she told him but I've looked after these sweethearts since they hatched and they think of me as their mother leoshi told me that's Just the way ducks are when he heard the words Ducks hatched and leoshi he finally realized lishu was the disciple the old man had been talking about lady Leu you mean you yeah I was told to teach teach you about hatching Ducks her stutter had vanished perhaps she was more comfortable surrounded by The Animals ah Master Bas she said yeah yeah what

is it he asked unconsciously straightening up as if addressing one of his superiors Lishu glanced at him then picked up a handful of her skirt I know it's a little late to be asking this but how are your injuries basic had completely forgotten that the last time lishu had seen him he'd been one big pile of cuts bruises and broken bones oh I'm used to getting a little injured you don't have to worry about me he said privately he was overjoyed that she was concerned about him even if that concern was only natural but he

was also a bit Embarrassed he realized Liu had never exactly seen him at his best but you suffered all that for my sake and I never even got to thank you lady Leu bason felt strange simultaneously relaxed and anxious to be with this young woman he shook his head no this wouldn't do he had business to attend to well lady lishu if you would be so kind as to instruct me yes of course she said but she sounded almost disappointed there was a Story passed down which related that long ago when there had been a

plague of locusts the Ducks had combed it by eating all the bugs it was a legend of course not a serious model for policy but at the same time legends often contain a seed of Truth Ducks did eat insects as omnivores they frequently ate humans leftover food but during plagues of locusts they could eat those too a few even preferred eating bugs and sort them out besides having more livestock Could only benefit the farmers therefore it had been decided that ducks would be distributed to the farming Villages but therein lay a problem how would they

get these ducks that they were going to give out Ducks were living things one didn't just snap one's fingers and make more of them here like this the eggs should always be kept slightly warmer than human body temperature you can't just leave them lying there either you have to turn them once in a while lishu Gently turned one of the eggs over in demonstration it sat on a bed of straw underneath which was soil as soft as mulch the eggs won't hatch if they get too hot or too cold so leoshi told me I should

learn the temperature by touch Alone by touch alone yeah yeah also they need some humidity humidity it was sticky as summer in the shed even though outside it was cold enough for one's breath to fog The shed was so full of steam it was almost hard to see there's a hot spring nearby so will we we get our hot water there lishu rolled back the rush matat on the shed floor to reveal a Channel with water no doubt quite hot flowing through it if it gets too cold we light a fire in the oven we

have to monitor the eggs constantly so three of us work in shifts it certainly did seem like too much for one person to handle alone even with two others to help bason Worried that it must be all too much for lishu who had spent so much of her life as a sheltered princess are you sure you're all right here lady lishu he asked uh all right how well a young woman of your station shouldn't have to be here you could be somewhere with ladies in Waiting attending upon you you may be a wayf farer but

that doesn't change the fact that you are a princess of the U Clan the the emperor bason had heard doted upon Leu like his own Daughter and anyway having been caught up in the white lady's schemes she was really a victim herself in his opinion she deserved better than this master Bas are you worried about me W worried no it's simply your right Mady oh uh no of course I shouldn't have assumed you would be concerned about the life likes of me that's not what I meant at all bason cursed his mouth which couldn't seem

to string too coherent words together if the moon Prince were Here he would have known what to say bason however could only look at the wall of the shed and feel miserable Master bason uh are you quite all right lishu peered at him with worry no no bason was the one who was worried lady Leu began you've suffered enough you can go ahead and live the life you want now even Bas wasn't sure what he was saying the life she wanted what was that Bon's life was duty to the Imperial family protecting the moon Prince

what he Wanted didn't come into it and he had the temerity to lecture lishu about choosing her own life the words sounded Hollow in his ears Master Bas Leu seemed like she could hardly speak of course not she must have been too scandalized too deeply offended by the advice Basin dispensed so cavalierly he resolved to learn what he had come here to learn as fast as he could and then go home I I don't know what I want yet what I want has never mattered I was never allowed To choose my own life then start

now I will and what I want is to to to go on doing this for a while longer she squatted down and turned another egg her clothes were filthy her hair plain and she wore no makeup at all yet on her face was something bason had never seen there before a small smile chapter 5 Spring comes to Basin part two he thought of the young woman as like a little flower gossamer and delicate he'd been afraid she might break if he Touched her now as bason rode along on his horse he looked at the side

of the road where a small blue flower was blooming he had always thought of flowers as things to be cherished and loved but he saw now that they grew on their own with or without anyone to do upon them he turned toward the farming Village his breath white in the air a wagon loaded with ducks in cages clattered along beside him when the eggs had hatched he had raised the ducklings Until they were big enough and now he was take them to the Villages how many times had he done this now Distributing Ducks is beneath

you sir a soldier said this wasn't the first time one of his subordinates had objected to his going on these trips they might even think it was a waste as the moon Prince had warned him they might bason was well aware of how they felt I've been given a job and I'm going to do it if you don't like this assignment perhaps I can find You another one no sir the soldier said and neither he nor the others spoke up again though they continued to share ruthful looks even bason oblivious as he could be could

imagine what they said about him behind his back he was the Pampered Second Son of the May Clan the upstart from a branch family son of a unic and more besides yes his father goosun came from a branch family of the clan and to serve the moon Prince had Cast Away the Mal name and spent nearly Seven years pretending to be a unip bason hated the idea of his father being belittled but what would it gain him to meet out punishment here the mlan were confidants of the Imperial family and he would only be accused

of abusing his position bason had made the mistake of becoming emotional more than once before on one occasion an older soldier in his division had complained that he wasn't being treated as well as bason and claimed the Young man was being shown Favoritism bason had lost his temper and fought the man in a practice match that was hardly less than a duel his opponent had ended up with three broken ribs and a broken right arm thankfully none of the ribs had pierced a lung and the arm had snapped cleanly and would heal nonetheless the man

had left the Army perhaps he was humiliated by having been beaten by the younger less experienced Basin or perhaps he had simply never engag engaged in training Fierce enough To break bones the moon Prince was never less than committed even when training he could deflect basin's sword Strokes with his blade and gayor shun he would strike back mercilessly whenever he saw an opening in Bon's G when bason had been younger even his older sister had been better at swordsmanship than him he was physically strong but never thought of himself as much of a swordsman he

had been good enough though to bring down that soldier who had been very proud of His own strength he'd already known at that point that he had to be careful how much of his strength he used when dealing with women but on that day he learned the same was true when he was facing men he discovered his opponents were quite breakable he never forgot the lesson no matter what might be said to or of him he must never be too eager to react with Force I can't go around thrashing people and I'd thrash them in

a second he muttered to himself as he Took a duck off the wagon and handed it to a farmer along with a Stern warning not to kill the animal we're giving you these ducks as a pair we'll buy the eggs at a high price and we recommend you breed more Ducks too but immediately killing them for food would be a mistake you hear me some of these Farmers already kept ducks or had in the past so thankfully bason didn't have to teach all of them how to raise the animals from scrap he made sure they

knew that The Ducks would eat bugs and that this should be their primary diet but also that if there weren't enough of them the Ducks could eat leftovers vegetable scraps or even gr he could give the people all the warnings and advice he liked but he had no way of knowing if they would listen they might have thought he was something of a quack himself just when he had made the rounds of the villages and thought he was done passing out animals he heard a noisy Quacking from the wagon he discovered one young fledgling was

still with him squa you again jofu bason gave the fledgling a look of annoyance this particular bird had a black spot on her beak and seemed to think bason was her mother a profound mistake if there ever was one evidently this duck had hatched on the day of his reunion with Leu and Basin happened to be the first thing she saw she followed him everywhere he went whenever he showed up at red plum Village so he took to calling her jofu as if that were her name although it really just meant duck now he said

to the duck you know what has to happen right jofu you're going to go to some Farm village where you'll be able to deal a crushing blow to those awful locusts you can't follow me around forever now's your chance to build up the body a good soldier needs eat grains eat grass eat insects and grow big P jofu said and spread her wings she Almost appeared to be listening to him but a duck is well a duck eventually she would forget she had ever known Bas or so he' assumed as he continued to take his

young birds to the farming Villages and then raise another group of chicks jofu was always with him never staying behind in The Villages bason and jofu went out together and inevitably they came back together more than once bason tried to leave his fledgling in one of the farming Villages but each time jofu Would bite the farmers and climb onto the head of Bon's horse where she would flap her wings to be taken home jofu also got a beak full of the hands of several soldiers who tried to manhandle her it got so bad that some

soldiers began referring to the duck as respectfully as any senior officer jer's feathers went from yellow to white but the black spot on her beak remained as did her tendency to Savage Strangers Like a wild dog while following Bas Around like a loyal one today too bason returned with jofu riding on his shoulder he would have to go to red plum Village to drop the bird off that's right bason looked to the west where the sun was setting turning the sky red the date had been set for the moon Prince's departure for the Western Capital

Bon's next visit to red plum Village would most likely be his last he would leave with another crop of ducks and distribute them to more villages on his Own way west word was that the Westwood expedition was likely to be a long one this time a few months at least the better part of a year more likely six months or more he mumbled with a sigh he dismounted his horse as he passed through the gates of red plum Village being here always put him on edge his heart raced despite the idilic scenes of livestock roaming

in the field he told his subordinates to take care of the wagon then headed for the duck shed he Seemed to walk quicker the closer he got he couldn't help looking for Leu even though he knew she wasn't always there when he came each time he saw her so small and so delicate yet standing resolutely on her own two feet he felt something very strange a simultaneous Rush of relief and anxiety and today would she be there to day M Master Bas his heart leapt there was lishu in her plain clothes holding a basket jofu

jumped down off his shoulder and waddled Toward the shed bason pressed a hand to his chest and tried to order his pounding heart to be quiet lady Leu I'd like to make my report to you if I may he took out a map and Circle The Villages he had visited that day with this he had canvas nearly all the front Frontier Farm Villages red plum Village wasn't the only place raising Ducks there were others as well the work would have to be able to go on after Bas and left it looks like you've taken them

Everywhere they could be needed what will you do next Leu asked giving Bas a glance m d I plan to take the next group with me and head West I expect this will be my last visit here lishu bling w my official duty is to serve as the moon Prince's bodyguard he's going to the Western Capital so I must go with him he's going again the moon Prince's Journey West had been made public at this point but the news seemed not to have reached leisu in her seclusion here She knew of his first trip to

the Western Capital though which had happened about this time last year when she had still been a consort I remember that was where I first met you bason said although it pained him to imagine how he must have seemed to her at the time met me and saved me for the first time but not the last there had been a banquet at the Western capital a lion brought in for entertainment had attacked Leu bason remembered her Cowering under a table rumors called her a vile Shameless woman of no Chastity but all he'd seen was a

frightened lonely girl the world had never treated did well bason worried how she would get by in the future her mother was dead while her father had only ever seen her as a political porn and he had been stripped of his station at the same time Leu had come to this Village would she be all right that worry had plagued bason ever since lishu left the court Meeting her here had only added to his fears with me he was so lost in thought that he almost didn't hear the words coming out of his own mouth

what ah would you consider leaving red plum village with me he repeated even he didn't know what he thought he was saying his face was beat red and he couldn't bring himself to look at Leu lishu meanwhile looked studiously at the ground and was also blushing it must be his fault for having said something so Outrageous might it be possible that time would turn back for him just a few minutes bason felt his breath grow ragged ah never mind it was nothing nothing lishu gave him a probing look and the flush in her cheeks began

to subside anyway I have more reports to make if you'll excuse me with that bason left he never did look at Liu's face the moment bason got home he shut himself in his room and hung his head what am I doing he groaned throwing himself across His desk and alternating between holding his head in his hands and tearing at his hair the door opened with a clatter what are you doing sister it was Bon's older sister M she was already married but still living in the main ma household her husband Bon's brother-in-law was of M

blood himself and with Bon's father was also responsible for his Majesty's safety if it was decided that bason was not suitable for the family headship the Position would most likely pass to his brother-in-law bason in fact was perfectly happy to be able to focus his full attention on guarding the moon Prince but he couldn't let that show at present Bon's grandfather was the nominal head of the family but in practice most of the work of running the clan was handled by basin's mother teay it was all rather complicated but in essence the successor from the

main household had been disinherited and Osan Had been adopted into the main family from the branch house taom had once been engaged to marry the disowned successor and was already well entrenched in the Clan's day-to-day business so she simply went on and married Bon's father hence why she was 6 years older than geosan teay had then taught Mamay the basics of the Clan's dealings and basin's older sister would presumably take T's Place someday the Marlan were the Bodyguards of the Imperial IAL family meaning they Could die at any time so the clan took a pragmatic

approach to succession if bason died someone else would take his place as the moon Prince's guard bason rarely returned home as such the unorthodox assignment he'd been given recently however meant he saw much more of Mame which could be a little awkward what brings you here he asked now is that any way to speak to a kind old older sister who just wants to see how her little brother is doing bason and Mam seem to have very different ideas of what it meant to be kind on that subject is it just me or do you

sort of stink Mar very deliberately pinched her nose this was nothing new to bason she had always complained when he smelled sweaty but these days he suspected it was something else I think that would be the Ducks he said spend enough time with foul and it was hard not to start smelling like them ducks ducks ah yes one of those anti-locust measures yes do You think it will really help Sister We're groping in the dark here I'll thank you not to belittle our efforts goodness pardon me she said although she didn't seem to feel very

guilty she started looking around Bon's room sister if you don't need anything then would you kindly get out well when did you get a tongue like that Mame sat on the bed evidently disinclined to listen to him the bed was one of the few pieces of furniture in his chamber he kept Furnishings to a minimum because he trained here as well you could stand to have a little more stuff in here mam remarked no it would only get in the way yeah this is a bachelor's room if I ever saw one his sister's words were

always sharp as any sword what's a man's love life got to do with his room bason said with a scowl everything besides you're certainly the right age to be thinking about a wife don't you have any good prospects s sister you can't just Drop that subject on me he sprang up from his chair so fast it fell over I might point out that at least for the time being you're expected to become the next head of the clan our uncle raised the possibility that you should take a wife at least for form's sake there's no

telling when you might die so it would be nice if you would leave a few children behind HG children but that that would mean ah yeah don't worry no one is expecting much from you you know That's why we had to push Barry and cheu to pick up the slack I'd like to see at least three more potential successes but maybe that's asking too much it's really not a good look for you though sitting back and letting your relatives do all the work you need a wife even if only for show otherwise no one will

take you seriously that's uncle's assessment I hear what you're saying the subject made Bon's head hurt you want me to hurry up and get married don't you just like the Others not at all why bason looked at her at a loss as to what else she could possibly mean I think you're like me you couldn't accept a partner who was chosen for you the way mother father and bar you could what I'm saying is that if there's someone you're in love with now would be the time to say so before uncle or someone decides for

you in l l love with I knew it I'll take that as a yes she gave him a very unpleasant smirk I'm as sorry as sister But I don't know what you mean no of course you don't you don't have to say it it's written all over your face bason unconsciously put his hands to his cheeks and discovered they were warm m stretched out on the bed I didn't come here today just to tease you bason stayed silent Mame smirked even harder as I said neither mother nor father nor Bou chose their own Partners there's

nothing wrong with that but they happen to be the kind who can cope with Whomever they end up with not me I could never abide someone my parents or family picked for me so I never gave him the chance I decided for myself bason thought of my's husband he was 12 years older than her bason remembered her saying she would marry him when she was was only 8 years old everyone had had a good chuckle but 8 years later her pronouncement had come true every time he met his brother-in-law bason felt like a failure Mamay

pointed squarely at Him you and I are the same we could never consent to political marriages I I'd like to think if you agreed to such a match it would always remain a sham mother and father gradually learned to love each other and baru and Chu have found their places in their relationship but you wouldn't be able to do either of those thing even if you could accept the situation I tell you your wife would never be happy I I think he found he couldn't contradict Her outright he was sure that whomever his family might

choose as his wife she wouldn't be a bad person likewise he was confident that he would come to care for her in the back of his mind though there floated an image of a girl like a flower on the roadside there you just thought of someone didn't you I I did not he exclaimed flushing bright red mame's smile got wider not that it matters to me but let me give you some sisterly advice if there's someone you have Feelings for you need to tell her if she rejects you so be it at least you'll know

where you stand I know you and without that you'd spend your entire life pining for her bason was silent this too he could not deny you might have nothing but brute strength to recommend you you might be a damn fool who always goes charging in but you're still my little brother make your choice and make it like you mean it you never said anything like that to Bou baru has Committed to his choices in his own way you know bason didn't really understand what that meant M looking like she felt lighter now that she had

said what she came to say got up from the bed I'll be going then Bon's mouth moved but no words came out as his sister went to leave the room then she turned one other thing I'd like to be sure of yeah why she's not married is she bason froze in place but looked away no well not Anymore w m replied with a theatricality that drove Bas up the wall the Ducks surrounded bason quacking noisily jofu still with the black spot on her beak was there with him jofu was noticeably bigger than the other birds

she alone had remained with him as the other Ducks had gone one by one to the farming Villages bason was wearing a brand new outfit perhaps it would have been just as well to choose something well- worn Since it was only going to get dirty anyway but new clothes were a chance to reset and refresh himself jofer LED bason along shaking her tail she knew where he was going steam Rose from the Hatchery warmed as ever by the hot springs and the fire in the oven by Bon's request they were hatching several times as many

ducks as before bason braced himself as someone emerged from the shed he thought it might have been Leu but after a second he realized his Mistake it was one of the other Wayfarers responsible for the Hatchery a middle-aged woman he'd met several times before Master Bas everything is ready she said she had cages each quacking with a duck I was told this would be your last visit I do hope you'll take good care of these sweeties she bowed deeply to him some of the Wayfarers were just researchers but others treated the ducks like their own

children bason had faith that a nun who felt love even for Waterfoul would never mistreat Liu with all respect and apologies to the nun however there was just one thing on Bon's mind disappointment he told Leu his next visit would be his last but he hadn't said when he would be coming anyway she wasn't under any obligation to match his schedule he clenched his fists despondent at his own ineptitude he took the cages and put them on the wagon the driver of the wagon pitched in and the three of them loaded the cages Jofu had

wandered off evidently tired of the scene I must apologize to you for being on duty today the nun said I am sure I don't know what you mean ma'am bason said I'm sure you would much rather be passing the time with a sweet young thing like lishu than a ripe old Auntie like me although it can be tricky to hold a conversation with that girl she's not the world's best talker ah Heaven you know you sound a lot like her the Nun laughed out loud but there was a refinement to it it spoke to the

upbringing she must have had before she became a Wayfair Leu is well timid if I were a bit younger it's the sort of thing that might have annoyed me what now all I feel is sympathy she reminds me of myself when I was her age age the nun patted the ducks in the cages no one gives her any trouble of course other than a few strange ones who like this kind of lifestyle most of us Who come to red plum Village have our story I left the profane World more than 20 years ago now so

I have no idea who or what lishu might be and no interest in finding out I just wish she would stop tripping and breaking the eggs the nun put a cage on the wagon there there that's the last one where are these ducks going to end up I wonder we're going west bason said he would head Overland toward the Western Capital Distributing the Ducks as he went well Have a safe trip the nun said to the birds eat lots of bugs lay plenty of good eggs and live as long as you can the Ducks quacked

at the nun almost as if in response she knew that if they couldn't make themselves useful they would be turned into dinner bason couldn't ask the farmers to raise pets bason found himself wondering who this woman was and why she had come to red plum Village but he didn't ask he could only assume she too had a story of her Own jofu quacked pecking at Bon's toes what is it where have you been bason asked in response the duck grabbed a beak full of his robe and pulled look looks like she wants to take you

somewhere why not go see where I'll handle the rest here uh you sure bason glanced at the driver who nodded jofu loped ahead of bason flapping her wings and looking back occasionally to make sure he was still following Ducks were evidently smarter than he had given them Credit for jofu led him to a small Lake a place edged with green among the otherwise desolate scenery a young woman in white Sat by the Lakeside lady Leu Bas said and the young woman looked up she was holding a blade of young grass Master Bas lishu was so

surprised to see him that she dropped the grass jofu promptly started pecking at it it seemed to be a favorite duck snack is today your last visit then confronted with Leu whom he had given up hope of seeing Bason froze he was overjoyed to see her but he had no idea how to talk to her and after all the practice he had done last night lady Leu he said yeah W wonderful weather we're having isn't it uh it is lishu looked confused the sky was cloudy and though it wasn't raining neither was it sunny and

cheerful Leu was no more sure what to say than bason for a moment silent rained between them jofer stood smacked between the two and looked from one to the Other by coincidence they spoke at the exact same time g go ahead lady lishu W no please speak first Master bason once again neither of them said anything the situation remained at an impass although jofu continued to Peck at the grass bason bowled up his fists gritted his teeth furrowed his brow and finally managed to open his mouth lady Leu would you do me the honor of

coming to the Western Capital with me his clothes the ones he' picked out fresh were filthy From loading Ducks onto the wagon he had nothing in his hands to offer not a fancy accessory not even a flower ma hadn't demanded to know who exactly he had feelings for but if she had seen him like this she would never have let Him Live It Down Still For This one act she would have had praise bason would ask the emperor and the moon Prince he knew the emperor was concerned about Liu he would go to him Spirit

Earnest head bowed Bon's heart was pounding in his Chest his breath was harsh fogging in the air in front of him he could barely bring himself to look at lishu for fear of how she might have been regarding him when he did though he found her red faed and biting her lip she held up her skirts with grass stained fingers lady Leu he said Master Bas lishu finally managed to open her mouth but her eyes brimmed with tears and she sniffled as she spoke I I CC can't go with you what do you mean you

can't bason asked trying Hard not to let his face fall he'd been well aware that she might turn him down he'd practically been begging for it springing that question on her like he had lishu was trying as hard as he was to hide her emotions and meeting with the same mixed success tears gathered in her eyes and her mouth was tight she was clenching her fists so hard her nails bit into her Palms M had told him to tell her to make clear how he felt maybe that had been a mistake Bon's actions Had only

brought Leu more pain lady Le you please just he was about to say forget what I said but she burst out I wish I could I wish I could go with you she looked him Square in the face just managing to hold back her tears but now I know all too well I'm a foolish girl who knows nothing of the world and someone will try to use me no matter where I go I know they were trying to keep me safe by sending me here here to red plum Village bason knew it was true All

the inhabitants of red plum Village were eccentrics loosed from the fets of the secular World many of them weren't even that interested in other people so they wouldn't torment lishu or try to use her for their own ends as her father had if I were to go with you to the Western Capital master bason I would only be a burden to you lady Leu no do your duty for G I mean the moon Prince master Basin I'd only be baggage I've come to have some idea of how people see Me the tears continued to gather

in lisu's eyes as she looked up at bason but they didn't fall she blinked furiously holding them back what you said when you caught me it gave me the strength to go on to this day it holds me up jofu nuzzled lisu's feet worried about it lishu patted the duck on the head she looked down and then when she looked up again there were no more tears in her eyes I am not just a tool I want to learn to think for myself and choose My own path bason thought he caught the hint of a

spark in lisu's eyes it was still weak and dim but he saw the determination to make it burn brighter I know there are many people who care for me caran and my lady in waiting his majesty and Lady AR Duo the moon Prince and you master Bab along with many others but I've been so caught up in my own Misfortune that I've never so much as thanked you lishu was as delicate and ephemeral as a flower How could she be expected to worry about anyone but herself you can't blame yourself for that anyone in your

position would have done the same don't baby me please I've been doing a lot of thinking such as I can and this is my choice if I told myself myself that I couldn't have done differently that anyone would have done the same thing wouldn't that be a slap in your face as well Master bason basin's breath caught in his throat guarding the Imperial Family meant putting his life on the line not something he could readily do while also trying to keep lishu safe I can't go to the Western Capital lishu said giving jofu a pat

on the head but maybe once I've gained a little more confidence in myself here she glanced away from him again maybe you could come back to red plum Village her face was red she looked like there was more she wanted to say but nothing came bason was blushing as hard as she was his mouth Hung open but he couldn't seem to say anything either as what Leu was saying dawned on him he felt the blood run hot with excitement ah absolo he said without quite meaning to he pitched forward jofu squawked and scrambled out of

the way when I see you again I promise I'll be a more worthy man you said you would only be extra weight but I can easily lift one or 200 kin if you still worry that won't be enough I'll keep working until I can Lift too no three times that much he would work so that lishu need never fear that she was merely baggage so that she would know he wouldn't stagger no matter how hard she leaned against him the surface of the lake rippled softly catching the light jofu pecked at the grass along the

bank where there were small buds amid the stalks spring would be here soon but Winter's chill had not yet departed Leu was in her own winter now but though she' be trampled though She' be picked though she' be pecked at she was trying to put forth a beautiful Blossom it was not for bason to interfere he would simply wait anticipating the spring day when that flower would Bloom he would do what he had to do until the day he could go to that flower I'm going to the Western Capital but I'll be back I'll protect

the moon Prince help protect this nation and I will protect you I'll grow into a man who can support anyone and anything Who needs him lishu smile I know you will I only pray for your success and safety was it just him or was there an aroma of flowers in the air strange none of the buds among the grass seemed to be open yet there was only Leu with a smile on her face that looked like the first hint of spring chapter 6 The Farm Village part one bason arrived in the western Capital 3 days

after Mayo mayo and the others she waited by the entrance to the annex feeling it would Be polite to at least say hello to him when he appeared however she burst out what is that so much for the friendly greeting what [Applause] this is jofu jofu as in Duck I can see that and it looks delicious bason was covered in sand and dust and perched on his shoulder for reasons unknown was a duck a perfectly ordinary domestic duck with white feathers and a yellow Bill the only distinctive thing about it was A single black spot

on its beat oh ho a lovely gift you've brought me I see sit back dear younger brother-in-law and let your sister handle dinner cheu was ready to grab the bird right off his shoulder this duck isn't for food bason said stopping her in her tracks oh yeah they're in laws aren't they Mayo Mayo Thor she got the impression chew teased Basin a lot if it's not food then what is it your pet cheu asked the duck did seem noticeably attached to Basin it Held onto his head with its wings and pred his hair I've been

hatching ducks and distributing them to farming villages on the moon Prince's orders I was going to leave jofu in one of the villages but she's taken too much of a liking to me and won't leave oh I see said Chu seeing his Basin had given the duck a name he was evidently taken with her as well the duck demonstrating her native intelligence hopped down off Bon's shoulder and pooped on the ground Smart I have to go see the moon Prince is there anyone who could take care of jofu for me oh I will CH said

sticking her hand in the air is there anyone else not sure I'd be much better Mayo Mayo said she was already drooling I remember the ducken prepared back at Lan's Place boy that was good she didn't trust herself not to be bested by her own appetite maybe we could get the quack to take care of her no no no there was someone Even more appropriate I know a farmer who would be perfect I'll ask him she said a farmer wait you have acquaintances in the western Capital no he was sent here from the central region

bason remained puzzled but there wasn't much more Mayo Mayo could say it was the truth in any case they could entrust the duck to Lan's brother bason had been in the western Capital two full days when Mayo Mayo finally got permission to tour a farming Village you could take your Time young lady we've plenty of medicine still no need to go rushing off to the fringes of a place we hardly know yet said the quack Doctor Who took her excuse entirely at face value they had to be some reason after all for a court lady

serving as a medical assistant to leave her post and go on an inspection tour it's all right sir who knows I might even find some unknown drug that much was true I se Province was home to different flora and fora than KY there Was no telling what plants or animals she might encounter and what their potential medicinal properties might be Maya was actually a bit excited she hoped she could find interesting medicine she brought the absolute minimum of belongings only what she could fit into a bag she asked that some gold nuggets or silver chunks

be prepared for her in case she needed cash on hand for anything unprocessed precious metals would be the most Versatile and effective forms of payment in ic province which did so much trade with other Nation H do they normally send C ladies on jobs like this asked tnu with a skeptical look I guess not but I was hired more as an apothecary than a physician so it was always possible they would send me on this kind of errand in order to come up with a pesticide an apothecary here I thought it was pure nepotism that

got you where you are nyang tianu sure did know how to Needle a person oh come now don't be like that you mustn't be so suspicious my boy oh my poor quack you're the one who needs to be more suspicious few were the people in the world uninvolved enough that it wasn't worth asking questions about them if you say so Mister have a good time nangang that appeared to be all tnu meant to contribute to the conversation because he flopped over on one of the patient cots and waved over his shoulder the Quack gave Mayo

Mayo a package of snacks and wave too see you soon don't worry I'll keep an eye on things while you're away liaku said yes with him there at least she wouldn't have to worry about the quack doctor took you long enough she's right on time bason and Chu were waiting for her at the entrance to the annex Mayo Mayo had been told to wait until B Jon arrived in the western Capital so that he could go with her as her bodyguard and liaku could stay here Mayo Mayo looked around isn't there supposed to be someone

else uh is this it I thought we were supposed to be bringing seed potatoes along with Lan's brother for that matter but she only saw a couple of horses where's the wagon with the potatoes Chu stuck her hand in the air I'll field this one the seed potatoes are going by wagon but the wagon is so much slower that we gave him a head start it was the other guy's idea the guy driving the wagon I don't know How to describe him not very memorable and as for why I'm here it's because you're already such

a dear friend of mine Miss Mayo Mayo Miss cheu begged to go along with you or she would spend all her time worrying how you were doing in lands unknown what I'm hearing is it sounded like fun so you decided to tag along the unmemorable wagon driver had to be Lan's brother mayoo realized Chu hadn't officially met him yet rather than actually saying mayoo was right chu Produced a string of small flags and what takes you on a tour of the farming Villages Master Bas may may asked just to be polite the moon Prince's orders

he told me to guard you with my life life he doesn't want Master laan going on a rampage in the western Capital there was nothing mayao could say to that she especially couldn't say that she thought liaku might have been a better choice for the job it sounded like bason had some idea of her connection to the old Fart but since he still treated her just the same way he always had she decided to let it go seems like practically everyone I meet these days knows she was discovering that everyone around her seemed aware of

something she herself would rather not admit the freak strategists Behavior couldn't be swept under the rug here but what can I do we're not related so Mayo Mayo decided now was no time to rethink her attitude my father is here as the moon Prince's Guard I'm sure it'll be fine bason said although he sounded like he was mostly trying to convince himself he might have been starting to wonder why gingi seemed to be keeping him at arms length recently I hope he's not getting frustrated Mayo Mayo thought she'd been concerned about Bon's psychological state but

he appeared surprisingly stable slightly calmer and more mature than before in fact is it just me little brother or have you turned over a new Leaf Chu said nudging him she seemed to share Mayo's intuition why why would you ask that in any case it was true that goosin was here to serve as gin's bodyguard ginshi might well have some enemies in the western Capital but they weren't actually likely to try to lay a hand on him if someone important is assassinated in the middle of a long journey it's the local ruler who has to

face the music Mayo Mayo didn't know much about joku But she'd like to think that he wouldn't allow his most important visitor to find himself in danger Chu grinned then climbed onto her horse and put her feet in the syrups she was wearing not a skirt but a pair of trousers all right the village is about 40 km from here we should reach it in 4 hours or so bason said sounds like we'll still catch that wagon how about we take a little detour cheu suggested unfortunately this isn't the capital and there aren't many tea

Houses around you're welcome to share some grass with your horse if you want bason said unruffled by chew tweet she is his older brother's wife as far as it goes bason seemed to be showing her a certain measure of respect although Chu treated him the same way she seemed to treat everyone which would you like to ride Miss Mayo Chu asked I'm not sure I have a good answer to that there were two horses and Mayo Mayo didn't know how to ride by herself so she would have to Ride with one of the others it

didn't really matter to her who okay you can be behind Miss cheu then Mr Bon's saddle is hard tough on the bum Miss Chu's saddle is nicely tanned highly shock absorbent and easy to sit in for long hours on the trail tell me which would you like better needless to say Mayo Mayo pointed at Chu just a second where did you get such a nice saddle I thought we were borrowing these horses yes but the Prince is a very thoughtful man he does Good work every once in a while and just what do you mean

by that bason snapped displeased by this backhanded compliment at least in that way he was still bason what do I mean the moment the moon Prince said he was assigning you to guard Duty I said that then shouldn't there be another woman to chaperone and he looked like he had seen the light don't you worry Miss mayam male the ever thoughtful mchu has your back your spirit may be stouter than a Stern log But your body is so delicate you would probably die if someone punched you mchu knew you couldn't be trusted to bason by

himself he doesn't know his own strength you should be grateful to me I probably would die if someone punched me May was not exactly the brny type she could endure poisons of all kinds but physical assault would quickly prove her undoing you should be grateful too little brother you can call me Miss cheu or honored elder sister if you prefer and Bason was never going to out talk to he could only hang his head with the winner of the conversation decided the three set off there was nothing particularly remarkable about the journey from the city

they headed west across empty Plains sticking to a strip of bare Earth seemed to pass for a rope once or twice they crossed paths with Caravans coming the other way sometimes they saw tents belonging to Nomads the family's children tending the goats or sheep is That the Horizon Mayo Mayo wondered her old man Lumen had explained that there was a theory that the world was a sphere and that this was evidenced by the fact that on open land you could see a slight curvature along The Horizon in the far distance mayam Mayo thought she did

indeed see a Bend she didn't know for sure whether it was true that the world was round but if so it would explain why the stars move or anyway so Luan had said now she wished she had paid more Attention but unfortunately most of his explanation hadn't stuck with her she realized with shagrin that it must have been one of the things he had learned while studying in a foreign land and here she had ignored it it was surprisingly cold on the plains though it was spring there was plenty of sunshine but also a wind

that sapped the body's heat what was more the air was so dry and a bit thin they were high above sea level here you go Miss Mayo Chu said Passing her cloak it was made of wool that blocked the wind and was worked with embroidery so fine that it would have looked distinguished even in the cap cheu was wearing a cloak too it looked equally warm but was somewhat plainer than the one she had given Mayo May oddly subdued for Chu who normally liked to be the center of attention Bon's cloak was simple but practical

he also notably wore gloves to keep his hands Warm on the rains pressed up against cheu and with the cloak on her back Mayo Mayo was able to stay warm but the wind and the sun still got at every part of her that was exposed wish I had at some of my sister's balms right now between the strong sun and dry air she was concerned about tanning she'd applied a sun blocking ointment but what about cheu her skin was darker than May Mayo's but appeared perfectly healthy Miss cheu I have something to prevent tanning you

Want some it'll keep your skin from drying out too it was worth asking she figured if she ran out she could just make more with with the components they had at the Western Capital oh can I miss cheu has always been a little darker so Tans don't stand out so much but she'd be happy to try it sure I'll give you some when we take a break bason had informed them that there was nowhere along the road for any Pleasant diversions but they would have to rest The horses at some point there was plenty of

grass everywhere for the animals to eat but if they could stop somewhere there was water so much the better and just at that moment a river came into sight we'll take a short break there Bas called yers said Chu all right said Mayo when they reached the water Mayo found it wasn't so much a river as a very large puddle the water was shallow and there was no current it had probably been formed by a rainstorm and Would soon be dry again there were trees growing nearby shading large rocks with pattern carved into them signposts

to Here There and Everywhere Mayo Mayo surmised she gazed at the trees growing around the watering hole a those pomegranate trees the leaves looked like it somehow a few of the branches bobbed gently maybe there were Birds perching in them she could see some at the water along with a group of wild horses getting a drink there might be snakes Around Chu said oh you you think Mayo mayo and Chu looked but they didn't find any there was a hole in the ground that looked like a den but when they dug at it a rat

came out they brought Provisions so they let the rodent get away Tall Grass grew by the water's edge Mayo Mayo knew from her research that beefwood and licorice were endemic to this area but she didn't see any not that she would have expected to find significant quantities in one place I Guess it was a lot to hope for she did however find some grass with a unique scent it was taller than your average grass but not as tall as a tree and looked like mugart if its medicinal properties were anything like Mug warts it might

be useful in Exterminating insects Mayo Mayo took a sample in hopes of finding out and collected a few other intriguing plants as well Chu clapped her hands and called Miss Mayo Mayo lunch is ready Mayo mayo and her Companions sat on a blanket eating meat and pickled vegetables sandwiched between pieces of bread Mayo Mayo found she had sweated profusely despite only riding along her body was ravenous for water and salt it made the pickled vegetables taste very good indeed no sooner had he finished eating than Bas started studying a map he took a floating Compass

out of his bag and floated it in the water Mayo mayo and cheu watched him Mayu asked the obvious Question what good is a map out on the open Plains it's better than nothing but you're right that there aren't a lot of landmarks out here Chu commented between the compass and the position of the sun I think it looks like we should Edge North a little bit as long as there's nothing to block The View we should be able to see houses that'll be our destination she might sound flippant but she was surprisingly capable evident

she could even do Land Navigation bason Looked away seeming to feel a little awkward may I ask something else said Mayo Mayo anything you like Miss Mayo Mayo why don't we have a local guide frankly she wished she had asked sooner she'd figured they were just going to a nearby Village they weren't leaving Lee or anything and that a guide wouldn't be necessary but this was turning into a more elaborate trip than she had expected along long journey was never precisely safe even within National Borders it was best to have someone who knew the territory

inside and out funny you should ask that Chu said glancing around bason was looking too his gaze hard his hand was on the hilt of his sword and he was obviously ready to LEAP into battle I don't like where this is going Chu stood in front of mayam okay just stay right there Miss May May don't move an inch Mayo Mayo discovered that they were surrounded by strange men she almost hadn't seen them emerge they were Scruffy looking types who spoke lenise with a strong accent as for what they said it was your standard threats

make with the cash demands and so on and of course they wanted to be left with the women these were Bandits if mayoo had ever seen them wonder if I have any particular value as a woman neither myomo nor Chu was especially attractive she doubted they would fetch much of a price if the bandits tried to sell them it wasn't a particularly happy thought And her heart was starting to race she took a few slow deep breaths to try to calm herself Miss mayoo feel free to close your eyes if they try anything Miss Chu

will use her married woman appeal to get us out of it she seemed very confident in fact she seemed to be looking down her low set nose at them Mayo Mayo however wasn't eager to close her eyes she reached into her bag and found a sewing needle and some bug repellent they wouldn't be enough to do Any serious damage but they might set their attackers back on their heels for a moment as it happened though they didn't need Cho a lure or Mayo's sewing needle there was an audible crack and then Bandit no one went

flying clean past Mayo Mayo there was a noticeable Crunch and Bandit no two collapsed to the ground holding his arm and writhing it was a distinct snap and Bandit no three went down spitting a mix of saliva blood and teeth there was no restraint a Fight in a stage play would have lasted longer frankly it almost felt like too little to describe bason had reached for his sword but that didn't mean he was going to use it he took them all out barehanded thought Mayo Mayo flabbergasted she took several more breaths then came back to

herself and rushed over to bason let me see your hand uh yeah bason looking a little surprised slipped off his glove and held out his Hand the fingers didn't look broken and the wrists seemed intact in addition to being pretto naturally strong Basin so Mayo Mayo had heard was less susceptible to pain than most people it meant he could sometimes injure himself with his displays of strength I don't understand it after all those terrible noises she would have expected the person administering the beatings to at least have hurt their hand there had to be some

reason Basin was completely Unharmed she took his glove and soon discovered the explanation outwardly it was made of wool and looked quite soft but it felt heavy there was some kind of metal inside basin's brute strength combined with a weighted glove it was almost enough to make her feel sorry for the bandits speaking of the bandits cheu was flitting from one to the next tying them up then she tied the three of them together before she put up her feet and wiped the sweat from her brow with a Sigh what are we going to do

with them Mayo Mayo asked her question was innocent but Chu replied what are we supposed to do with them we can't take them with us we'll leave them here when we get to to the Village we can ask someone to come get them she didn't look like she cared very much I don't like this though bason said folding his arms and furrowing his brow I know what you mean Mayo Mayo said for once finding herself feeling the same way he did what If the men were eaten by a wolf or something while The Travelers were

on their way to the Village it was hardly outside the realm of possibility I don't think I'd sleep well knowing I'd been a part of of that even if they are Crooks bason walked over to the bandits and took one of them by the arm Then There came another unpleasant crack oh apparently what bason hadn't liked was the possibility that the bandits might escape a couple of them wet themselves As he mercilessly snapped each of their arms he'd presumably chosen their arms and not their legs so that they could walk when they were being taken

to prison never realized I was the nice one Mayo Mayo thought she looked at the bandits and mentally urged them to give up their life of crime their Journey was quiet after that I thought there might be more bugs oh well there were a few they were traveling across the plains after all it was hardly a swarm though She just spotted a grasshopper popping through the grass now and then maybe we didn't have to worry about a plague after all if there weren't tons of grasshoppers in the western Capital well nothing could be better about

the time they reached the next resting point they caught up with Lan's brother and his potatoes for reasons myamar couldn't guess there was a duck at top the horse pulling the wagon quacking out orders jofer you're here Too the moment the duck saw Basin she flapped down off the horse's head her eyes seemed to Sparkle and Mayo Mayo would have sworn she saw a blizzard of flower petals behind her I tried to leave her at the man Menon but she insisted on coming with lean's brother said Mayo Mayo was the one who had originally foisted

the duck on him so she couldn't really complain I have to admit I've grown quite fond of her Lan's brother said clearly smitten she's very Intelligent and very helpful she gladly eats bugs sounds like you had a nice quiet trip mayam Mo said some people obviously hadn't encountered any Bandits why you've always been peevish but now you're downright prickly she took exception to Lan's brother's tone but nonetheless she decided to indulge him with an explanation of what had happened we were attacked by Bandits they really have those out here lon's brother asked the blood draining

from his face ah now That's how a normal person would react as she savored L's brother's response she looked at Chu who had been unconcerned by the attack Chu seemed downright used to being threatened by criminals or at the very least unsurprised like this was all somehow part of the plan Lan's brother's party consisted of one wagon full of cargo Lan's brother himself two sturdy looking soldiers for guards three Farmers probably there to help as well as two Local guide and one duck Mayo Mayo was no logistician but two guides seemed like one more than

they needed maybe one of them was supposed to be with us come to think of it Chu had dodged her question about having a local guide they set off again after this second break it turned out the village was very close modest houses were arranged on either side of a river the surrounding area peppered with trees and farm field there was a gently sloping mountain behind the Village but unlike the mountains Mayo Mayo knew it looked as if the grassy plane had simply risen up into a hill the little white spots she saw were probably

sheep the black ones maybe oxen judging by the number of houses there couldn't be more than 300 people in this Village as they approached they were greeted by Lo oxen some of the sheep were still fluffy While others were recently Shor it was right in the middle of shearing season The Village children No strangers to physical labor it seemed were collecting sheep patties into bask what's that about bason asked giving the kids a funny look Mayo felt they could ask him the very same question considering he had a duck on his head they used the

Sheep dung for fuel I believe and if you tuck it under your bed it's supposed to keep you warm she explained under your bed sure you didn't know silly little brother chew drawed not missing an opportunity to give him Greet little brother seemed to be her default name for him when she was tweaking him the village was surrounded by a moat and a brick wall maybe the bandits didn't constrain themselves to attacking Travelers bason talked to someone at the entrance and they were quickly allowed in maybe a messenger had preceded them the duck hopped off

his head and trotted behind him an important looking person Mayo took to be the village headman came out to greet them Oh excuse me before bason could say anything to him Chu started chatting volubly with the headman the headman's eyes glinted and he shouted to one of the guides Chu was smiling broadly about something while the guide grew paler and paler it was impossible to miss the charge in the air one of the soldier guards from Lan's Brothers group stood ready behind Chu she was still smiling and the guide still seemed calm but it was

obvious that the man was being taken Away oh now I get it Mayo crossed her arms and watched them lead the guide off somewhere hey what's going on asked Lan's brother ever the straight man I suspect they want to ask him for a discount he promised us a safe route and yet we got attacked by Bandits okay but is it really fair to take it out on him fair question but it sounds like this was the guide's special Road guaranteed to be perfectly safe they even paid extra to learn about it that's silly There's nothing

but grass in every direction it's not the guide's fault they let him dupe them he was right about that Mayo Mayo was making it all up in fact saying whatever came to mind talk of Bandits was too stimulating for Lan's brother so she changed the subject while they talked bason went up to the headman his duck like a faithful dog followed behind him after the two conversed for a while bason came over to mayao the headman is going to show us Somewhere we can stay tonight all right I appreciate your help Lan's brother said politely

to bason he was the son of a distinguished household no matter how it might seem and he'd been raised with proper manners if Lan hadn't betrayed his own family Lan's brother might have been a soldier himself by now of course but by the way bason looked at Lan's brother what should I call you bason didn't know L's brother's name either oh Lan's brother's eyes filled with hope This was the moment he had been waiting for I think you can just call him Lan's brother may said hey Lan's brother said clapping a hand on Mayo's shoulder

all right Lan's brother easy to remember I like it listen you forgetting his manners Lan's brother wheeled on Basin so there you have it he's Lion's brother that's what he's called and that's what he is I think you know lean yes Lan's brother isn't as Quirky as his brother his brother's a harmless normal person He's also a professional potato farmer so we can leave this to him who's normal and who's a farmer Lan's brother demanded but if he wasn't a farmer then what was he she'd seen him tending those sprawling Fields he could afford to

take a little more pride in his work I hear you if he's a relative of Master Lans he deserves to be treated respectfully Mayo Mayo had the distinct sense that bason glanced at her as he said this but she decided to ignore it he didn't seem to View her as falling into that same category frankly I could almost like that about him bason didn't always treat her respectfully to borrow a phrase but he was easy to work with aham said the man who looked like the village headman apparently that's what he really was May I

show you to your quarters oh yes sure if you would if you would relieved the headman LED them to an open space in the middle of the village you can use this he said pointing to a portable tent like The ones the nomads used this tent belonged to someone who settled here years ago and it's still serving its purpose we keep it warm inside too the women can stay in the small tent next to it mayau poked her head in to find that it was indeed warm made from a frame that looked something like a

net covered in felt there was a carpet on the ground and a fireplace in the middle given the lack of Windows one might expect that to result in bad air quality But a chimney extended from the fireplace to allow the smoke to escape there was a pile of brown things beside the half maybe the Sheep pies the kids had been collecting the carpet was worked with some kind of pattern it might not be much but the village was clearly trying to extend the best Hospitality it could good timing we were just about to break it

down the edman said break it down Mayo Mayo asked yes you see we have had a visitor just the Other day as well did his name happen to be rusen yeah yeah is he an acquaintance of yours Mayo nodded she knew it what she still didn't know was what he'd come here for she hadn't seen rickerson since that first day so she hadn't had a chance to ask him it's already late so I think for today we should eat and then get some rest I'll post a guard outside your tent that's found all right bason

asked yes thank you that's fine said M She picked up her belongings and moved them to the smaller T she slipped off her shoes as she went inside the fluffy carpet greeting her feet there were several layers of felt underneath it she took off her cloak and hung it on something that juted out of the wall then she tossed herself spread eagle on the carpet oops better look alive she gave herself a quick smack on the cheek the tent was so so warm inside and the carpet was so soft that she felt like She might

doze right off just as she sat up Chu came in that looks nice Miss Mayo I think I'll join you she flung herself down on the carpet and grinned Blissful before you fall asleep Miss cheu can I ask you something Mayo Mayo try to organize the thoughts that had been whirling in her head all day as she considered she found herself at adopting a formal seated position feet tucked under her behind cheu mirrored her posture yep of course what is it she Looked exactly like she always did those Bandits you were behind that weren't you

Miss Chu Chu didn't so much as blink at the question whatever do you mean Miss mayam she cocked her head sorry that sounded worse than I meant what I was trying to say was you expected the bandits to attack and you had us come second as bait to minimize the harm they would do still Chu looked unfazed what in the world gave you that idea she didn't seem to be asking purely to throw Mayo Mayo off she enjoyed hearing the answer well first I wondered why we were split into two groups at all at first

I thought maybe you were just trying to be nice to me and make sure I could get here as quickly as possible I could see the same impulse behind the way G uh I mean the moon Prince got us that comfortable saddle but I couldn't shake the question if we were going to split into two groups why would both of the guides go with just one of them it Didn't make sense oh Chu seemed like a good map reader but even for her a guide would be indispensable in unfamiliar territory it was almost like she'd

gone out of her way not to have one secondly that cloak Mayo Mayo said pointing at the Garment hanging on the wall oh didn't you like it I liked it very much it kept me quite warm the thing that struck me though was how lovely it is lovely Maro looked at the cloak chew was wearing I know you Like to be showy Miss cheu so if you had two cloaks I might have expected expected you to take the more elaborate one for yourself but instead you wore the pler one well yes but miss chud does

know how to behave herself around her betters her tone suggested otherwise yeah and the fact that you gave me the nicer cloak implied that it was from the Moon Prince you bolstered that impression by talking about how he had given you the saddle you practically had Me convinced the cloak was from him too but it wasn't was it Mayo Mayo's cloak had been Pleasant to the touch covered in delicate embroidery it would have been obvious What a fine piece of clothing it was even at a distance a cloak like that is like saying to the

bandits please rob me and by wearing a slighty planer outfit you made yourself look like the Marx lady in waiting he miss cheu is practically your lady in waiting Miss May mayor so what you're Saying is that I separated us into two groups then deliberately gave you a nicer cloak so that they would attack you not so much attack me specifically it's more like you wanted to put all the best Targets in one place this time chew blink if we'd all traveled with the wagon it would have been quite a production having some soldiers around

would have given us an advantage in battle but we'd also o have been with people who weren't accustomed to being Attacked if we let them get traumatized it might have had a negative impact on our work not to mention the distinct possibility that they might be taken as hostages the relentlessly ordinary Lan's brother was a perfectly strong healthy guy but he didn't seem like an experienced brawler Mayo Mayo suspected he was as afraid of a fight as the next person if instead we went in two groups one of which was not only smaller but included

someone who obviously looked Like money the bandits would be more likely to attack that group two women one man the man being master bason who despite his outrageous strength still has that baby face and a relatively small build for a soldier when they said to leave the women they weren't thinking of selling us were they it was about the potential for ransom the bandits would never have expected Basin to turn out to be a bear in a man's clo but he was a lion Slayer after all That's all very clever Miss May Mayo but if

it's true how did Miss cheu draw those Bandits out at exactly the right moment you can wear all the nice cloaks you want but they were obviously waiting for us they showed up at the perfect time you might say that would actually explain why you were talking to one of the guys earlier here's the third thing that made me suspicious you spoke to one of the guides as soon as we arrived in the village I think it's reasonable to Assume that you thought one of them was crooked before you ever hired them she thought of

how the man paled as Chu spoke before that first group left you told each of the guides different things didn't you like which Watering Hole the second group would use you pull out a map and say you want to make sure of where you can take a rest convenient way to let them know where you're going to be isn't it there were any number of ways the guide might have slipped Information to the bandits even if Mayo didn't know exactly which one he'd used who knows could have been pigeons like the white lady you deliberately

hired a shady guide someone you thought was in cahoots with Bandits then you told each of them that you would be resting at a different location so that you knew where you might be attacked was that so you could be sure which of the guys was clean what if they'd both been dirty Chu raised her hands in a gesture of Surrender it was just the one of them she chirped I knew exactly who the other one was was this on the moon Prince's orders Mayo had begged gingi to use her like a tool so a

situation like this wasn't completely unexpected but it was out of character for him no it wasn't you guess right I got the cloak for you is that so it probably really wasn't gingi then did Chu belong to some chain of command that didn't include him you make Miss Chu's life very hard miss Mayam being so smart did you know that you don't make my life any easier Miss cheu with the way I never know what you're thinking they both side Miss Mayo Mayo I have two requests yeah Miss Miss cheu is always her cheerful easygoing

cheu self so please always treat Miss cheu as you would treat Miss Chu she pulled out a string of little Flags shoot I'm not sure what that means but okay mayoo took the string and let it dangle from her fingers unsure what else To do with it in that case Miss Mayo Miss cheu has one other request for you and it comes with the question yeah what made you think that that lovely expensive cloak might not have come from the Moon Prince she seemed genuinely curious I just thought that if he gave me something like

that it would have been a fine make but more subdued more practical is that all that's where we are right now gyi had started to understand Mayo's preferences Chu Narrowed her eyes and looked to the entrance of the tent terribly sorry to disturb you a woman said from outside yeah come in mayo said and there was a rustling of Fel excuse me said a middle-aged woman peering in she was holding Reigns I've brought three goats as you asked what would you like me to do with them great thank you here's payment Che pressed some coins

into the woman's hand she must have asked for these animals before coming to the tent Is she planning to take those goats home if she just wanted to eat them it would be cheaper to buy some that had already been killed and butchered and she wouldn't need three of them between the goats and the duck they were on their way to having their own Farm cheu took the goat's rains and dug through her luggage until she came up with a heavy looking bag what's that it's salt salt we're not near the ocean and you can't

get rocks salt around here so salt is a Treasured commodity one our goat friends happen to love and what is this salt for Mayo couldn't imagine where Chu was going with this cheu grin negotiating with the goats and the salt Miss cheu is a pacifist you see she likes to do things the quiet way when she can I'm sleepy but I've got to take care of a job you just rest your poor tired self Miss mayam Maya cheu twirled back toward the entrance of the tent and then she was gone goats and all chapter 7

the Farm Village Part Two lean's Brother stared fixedly at the Earth he reached down to check how it felt and even put a bit of it in his mouth then spat it out again what do you think Mayo Mayo asked watching him work a farmer's day started early the sun was only just cresting the Horizon but Lan's brother was already up and about Mayo Mayo had been so tired she couldn't actually sleep well and then she'd heard the sounds of the farmers up first thing in the morning They were in the fields of the farming

village where they had arrived the day before the previous night they'd asked the headman for permission to come out here so here Lan's brother was without further Ado wheat was beginning to sprout in the field Mayo Mayo wondered if the sheep and goats would eat it but other than when they were put out to pasture the animals were safely and scomed within a fence so maybe it worked out I think the soil is all right and They keep it watered well if anything one could wish for slightly poorer soil around here it's better if the

soil isn't as nutritious cheu asked poking her head over and to think she can't have gone to sleep earlier than I did last night she'd returned sometime in the we hours her negoti ations must have gone long in spite of it she seemed perfectly energetic Mayo Mayo figured it was best not to ask what exactly she had been negotiating about Chu had insisted May Mayo treat her the same way she always did so Mayo kept quiet Lan's brother stood up and surveyed the field unlike most vegetables potatoes actually grow best if the soil isn't too

rich sweet potato plants if there are too many nutrients in the soil they just grow a bunch of leaves and no potato white potatoes become prone to disease ah yes of course by the way bread by itself isn't much of a breakfast so I'm going to make some coni too please do That would be Wonder cheu was peeling a sweet potato what do you think you're doing Lan's brother demanded snatching it away from her faster than lightning oh Chu said twirling around theatrically this is seed stock for planting not for eating yeah but there's nothing

but wheat around here there's hardly even any rice I thought some potato would bulk it up a bit potato conji does sound good Mayo Mayo realized her stomach was growling a nice Hardy Ki would be better Than bread to start the day we're going to plant the this you can't eat it Lan's brother said as if scolding a child he sounded strangely like frizzy glasses maybe it was because they were brothers a nearby sheep looked up and gave a reproving b as if to say keep it down a I won't be able to use this

for stock anymore Lan's brother groaned looking miserably at the half peeled potato it'll make a delicious breakfast then s I guess it had better not by itself Though I'll need at least three more no absolutely not Lan's brother snapped stopping chew before she could do any more Mischief Mayo's fists clenched truly she saw this most ordinary man had his place to shine it was when quipping at someone that Lan's brother came into his own okay let's forget about breakfast for a second do you think we can grow crops here personally Mayo Mayo would have liked

to enjoy observing a bit more of this back and forth but if She didn't keep things moving they would never get anywhere L's brother crossed his arms this place is a lot like shaku Province not as far north as that but weatherwise it's more suited to white potatoes than sweet potato it's colder than Kyo Province I guess it does feel chilly funny I thought it was pretty warm in the western capital in fact my ears hurt a little mayo Mayo thought pinching her nose and blowing to balance them out we're a lot higher above sea

Level here than in the western capital I guess so are we really Chu took a map out of the folds of her robe Miss Chu is an excellent map reader but this one doesn't list the elevations no wonder the air seems so thin here I know because my father told me all about it the normal person said puffing out his chest the temperature stays high in the western Capital because the desert is so close around here it's a bit cold even during the day Chu said Mayo was only Now starting to appreciate on a visceral

level how different the climate could be even within a single Province you really don't think the potatoes will grow I'm not sure for sweet potatoes temperatures like what C Province gets in Spring and early summer are ideal and there's nothing quite like that anywhere here in the desert or on the heights it might be worth planting some just to see but I think regular potatoes might be easier to grow there's just one problem Lan's Brother looked downright stormy there was clearly something about this situation that he didn't like suddenly he lunged toward the middle of

the field and began stomping on the wheat which was still hardly taller than grass maybe the farmers had been late planting it what's that you're doing I think they're going to be very mad at you she said although she only stood and watched I'm the one who's mad look how few offshoots there are on this wheat they haven't Stomped it down at all stomped it mayoo cocked her head puzzled as she watched Lan's brother crisscross the field like an agriculturally inclined crab You Have To Tread on the wheat to encourage tillers it makes the root

stronger too and the wheat more resilient but look at this field they haven't been out here once and not in any of the other fields either more tillers means more ears more ears means more Harvest yet look at these pathetic Crops wow there's a real Farmer for you who's a farmer who else Lan's brother continued his ridiculous crab walk across the wheat field he might not know it like it or want to admit it but he was a farmer through and through Chu must have decided the wheat treading looked like fun because she joined Lan's

brother in traing back and forth around the feet at which point it became clear that if Mayo Mayo didn't join them this would never End they were still crab walking as the villagers began to wake up then began to crowd and gawk observing the visitors bizarre behavior from a safe distance bason popped out from among the crowd wow what are you doing he asked personally mayoo didn't want to be interrogated about strange Behavior by a man with a duck on his shoulder you can't call what they do around here farming Lan's brother exclaimed came From

his place on the carpet please keep it down during meals okay cheu said she was stuffing bread into her cheeks like a squirrel Mayo mayo and the others had gone back to their tent and decided to start by getting some breakfast there was flatbread carrying skewers of sheep meat and bioi in the fireplace was a stew pot boiling with a soup of Wheat and sheep meat they were allegedly drinking tea but it wasn't like any tea Mayo Mayo had ever had the color was Lighter than most and it was made with goats milk instead of

hot water looks like dairy products and animal meat are the Staples here not a lot of vegetables there would probably have been even fewer if this weren't a farming Village they all ate together in the large tent chesen g wasn't ready in time so it would be dinner the peeled potato had been cut thin and was cooking on the halfth Basin sat in front of the half so Chu mayo and Lan's brother all got to Sit somewhere warm the others who had come with them including the soldiers serving as their bodyguards sat around them in

a sort of ring the soup was hot but tasted weak May got some salt from chew and put a pinch in her Bowl the skewers were far more satisfying than anything you could get from a street stall in the imperial capital the bread that served as a tray was tough you had to break off bits of it and dip it in the soup put some warmed up cheese on Top of it and it was delicious as for vegetables there were a few in the soup and packed into the bioi but the quantity left something to

be desired why don't they know how to cultivate the wheat I'm telling you that's the question do you realize how much better the Harvest would be if they stomped the crop I'm sure you're very right if you're not going to eat your cheese can I have it hey I haven't even answered and you're Already eating it cheu had snatched the cheese from Lan's brother's plate in a single Swift motion she doesn't have to do that cheese was one thing there was plenty of she seemed to be taking from Lan's brother just to get under his

skin as mayo and the others ate they discussed what had happened in the fields earlier that day we're supposed to be out here for an inspection of the Farms so what did you you see Lan's brother asked bason who already seemed To regard Lan's brother as his name he might normally have been more punctilious about asking what he was really called it was almost as if there was some Supernatural Force at work I'm not I told you my name is you brought those seed potatoes presumably you mean to plant them may Mayo interrupted I told

you lean said to plant them if there was anywhere good and since he asked me I feel like I have to see his requests through even if he is my no Account younger brother he's a surprisingly standup guy for someone with such a terrible family nonetheless Lan's brother exuded something that made one want to mess with him okay so you mentioned the wheat Fields is there some sort of problem big one do these people here actually believe they've set up those fields properly Lan's brother took a slug of soup I admit I'm no expert but

do they really deserve to be talked about like that just because they didn't Do this wheat stomping or whatever bason asked Mayo Mayo agreed with him wheat stomping improved the crop no doubt but it wasn't as if the wheat wouldn't grow without it maybe these people were busy with other things and wheat stomping just fell by the wayside raising livestock was more important important in ic Province anyway it's not just the Stomping their planting methods are all over the place I understand that they've done direct sewing but you need to at Least space the seeds

evenly that's not even to mention that they started planting too late in the season and they need more fertilizer lots more the soil color was so uneven wow you really know your stuff potato I do not not know my stuff I'm sick of eating potatoes mayam had no such objections she was happy to take the baked sweet potato from cheu it was perfectly sweet and delicious on its own but spread a little butter on it and it took on an extra dimension of Richness Chu evidently shared May Mayo's appreciation because she discreetly took a few

of them cut them up and started cooking them Mayo Mayo understood what Lan's brother was getting at but even she could think of a possible rejoiner don't farming methods vary from region to region maybe with them raising so much livestock here wheat isn't considered that important why develop refined techniques for working with a secondary crop you're not wrong I'm Saying that the problem here isn't ignorance it's indifferent they'll never get much of a harvest to speak of with what they're doing now these people know the techniques they just aren't bothering to use them because they

have other sources of income right is it that big a deal bason asked sipping some milk tea H that's what I'm saying you mean why would they go out of their way to do bad farming when they can just make money other ways is that it Mayo Mayo Said she thought she saw what Lyon's brother was getting at yay yeah that's what I mean Lan's brother said relaxing somewhat now that he finally felt someone understood him I don't get it said bason this isn't making sense to Miss Chu either explain in a way she can

understand said Chu if they can feed themselves entirely with nomadic grazing why not do that Mayo Mayo said settling down in one place to plant Fields just makes it that much harder to raise Livestock which implies there was some advantage to settled living that made the tradeoff worthwhile yeah you'd run yourself ragged trying to do this kind of thing while you traveled Bas observed that's right it's hardly unusual for nomadic herds people to settle down and become Farmers including it would seem the owner of this tent so did they become Farmers because they had no

other choice or because they thought there was some Specific benefit to it if they did it voluntarily for the advantages wouldn't you expect them to be more interested in improving their harvests Lan's brother nodded assiduously at Mayo's explanation although the other two continued to look baffled I guess I'm not much for explaining does that make any sense she asked I mean I get that something is off here bason said it's hard to put into words isn't it Chu said Mayo Mayo groaned and took a b light of her potato Which had gone cold there was

nothing else remotely sweet around here so the potato's sweetness was that much more pronounced just then Mayo Mayo looked toward the entrance of the tent a couple of kids were peering in at the visitors with interest a boy and a girl around 10 years of age probably siblings want some mayo Mayo asked the kids looked a little intimidated but reached out for the sweet potato which they'd never seen before they each took a bite and their Eyes went wide can we have more they asked you may but maybe you could answer some questions for me

first said mayam Maya since the kids had come right to them this would be the perfect chance to dig up some information after breakfast they toured the village with the kids are your families looking after the fields like they should they're not cutting Corners are they chew asked the siblings not mincing words the brother and sister shared a look but you can't Cut Corners in a field can you yeah can you I don't think kids this young are going to understand what you're getting at Miss Chu you think not miss mayor mayor she gave the

kids another cooked potato the grown-ups say they can get money for starting field I don't know if that's what it means to cut Corners though money you mean from selling the wheat the older brother shook his head no um they say you get the money even if you don't grow the crops so life's easy Hey you kid we told you to stay away from the guests one of the adults roared and the siblings ran off frightened although not enough to drop their potatoes no way mayam Mayo called after to them but it was too late

they were already gone so they get paid even if they don't grow anything that sounded fishy if it was true it would explain why they didn't feel any compulsion to look after the crops I'm sorry did those children do something wrong Mayo Mayo Asked no nothing the Villager said although he continued to give mayoo and the others an apologetic look in that case may Mayo wished he wouldn't have shouted he' driven away two very plant young informers Mayo Mayo would have liked to ask them a little more about the money supposedly in those fields it

doesn't look like they're hiding anything she thought as they continued to walk around the village to all appearances it was quiet peaceful Unremarkable there were no commercial shops to speak of people mostly supported themselves they said a merchant came by about once every 10 days the villagers proved to be kind and friendly it was hard to imagine they were doing anything wrong maybe the kids just misunderstood something and now we're overthinking it there was one man however who seemed to be taking this far harder than Mayo was poor gay you look ready to smash something

try putting on A smile said Chu ever ready to give Lan's brother some grief Lan's brother scowled and looked at the Village Fields he carried a bag full of seed potatoes nominally they were here on a tour of inspection but he'd come along seeking a good opportunity to introduce this new crop and if he was going to give people something new to grow no doubt he would have liked them to be a little more interested in growing it Lan's brother always vehemently denied being a farmer Yet he was deeply devoted to the agricultural art he

was your ordinary good paradoxical man he might also have denied being ordinary but the principle that motivated his behavior seemed as normal as the next persons the world is full of Elder sons who aren't actually interested in inheriting family headship myomo thought but she figured that if she pointed that out to lean's brother he would only get angry the most efficient thing might Have been to split up and each start asking their own questions but they couldn't make too much of a show of marching around the patriarchal Spirit was alive and well in ic Province

and a strange woman going Here There and Everywhere by herself was unlikely to be well received they could assign a bodyguard but it would be Mayo Mayo doing most of the talking so it wouldn't solve the issue Chu doesn't seem to have any problem doing her own thing though She'd claimed to have business to attend to and had disappeared somewhere she could be a strange one but swin accepted her so she was probably safe Mayo's best bet would be to convince Lan's brother or bason to ask questions on her behalf if she had to choose

one of them she would choose Lan's brother bason had a duck following him around and the villagers were giving him weird looks luckily mayam Mayo didn't have to convince Lan's brother to do anything he Was already doing what she wanted namely asking the villagers whether there had been any damage from insects lately insects eh said one of the villagers yeah bugs weren't especially bad last year well they're pests that come every year last year just like all the others they did plenty of damage sure enough but we pulled through somehow we can thank the governor

that we have food to put on our tables the governor would That be guoku you so the Grasshoppers had been bad but not bad enough to consume the entire crop m all right one more thing then that field over there who's is that I'd like to meet them Lan's brother pointed at one of the wheat Fields what that oh that's nen's field he's an old man lives out on the edge of town you can't miss his place there's a shrine right next to it thank I'll have a look you don't actually mean to go see

him do you the Villager looked Distinctly uncomfortable I do some kind of problem with that well look I won't stop you it's just the old guy can throw you for a loop sometimes he's not a bad person though if it doesn't bother you I guess that's fine there was something funny in the Villager tone if anything it made them even more Curious Mayo mayo and the others headed for the edge of town like the Villager had told them May yeah what makes you so interested in That particular field can't you tell it's the only pretty

one out there pretty there might have been better descriptors for a field or maybe better things to describe as pretty but lean's brother was completely serious the other fields are scattershot not laid out well only that one one is neatly divided into section it's been stomped too there's good strong wheat growing there if you say so when he mentioned it she thought maybe she could see it but sadly Mayo Mayo didn't have that much interest in wheat doesn't look like there's any Mondo Grass around here thinking of wheat naturally led her to think of medicinal

plants the plant she had in mind though sometimes called snake beard really had nothing to do with wheat specific L she thought of the roots wheat with Urgot could be used medically although its toxic properties tended to get more attention since there were no ears yet anyway it was hard for her to Muster much interest there are no good plants anywhere around here Mayo Mayo was on the verge of suffering from a chronic lack of medicinal herbs a condition made all the worse by the great variety of medicines she'd been able to encounter since becoming

a medical assistant drugs I want to see some drugs just the thought brought on a sudden episode her breath growing ragged there hadn't even been any good medicine along the Roadside on the way here uh hey are you all right you don't look so good Lan's brother said concerned P pardon me it's nothing easy enough to say but she wanted to see some drugs to smell them she would take anything even if it was poisonous what was there nearby that might serve as a medicine maybe the Sheep grazing idly in the field can you use

their horns as medicine I can't quite remember she thought it was called lingyang G and yang meant sheep these Must have been a different kind of sheep however because their horns didn't look anything like the medicinal ones Mayo Mayo had seen maybe they would still have a similar effect arms out stretched like a hungry ghoul Mayo Mayo reached for the Sheep nearest the fence hey I knew there was something wrong with you Lan's brother pinned her hands behind her back Mayo Mayo was perfectly aware that her behavior was erratic but her body seemed to act

on Its own she just needed medicine any medicine medicine she robed trying to urge lean's brother to bring her some sort of drug anything at all medicine are you sick what's going on here bason asked coming over with his duck she says she needs medicine she does come to think of it lady SAR and gave me something before we left bason plucked a cloth wrapped object from the fos of his robe she said that if the cat started to act strange I should show her This the package was marked one he unwrapped it slowly it

contained something dried s seahorse perhaps known better by the name dragon's bastard bizarre underwater life forms not quite fish and not quite insects bason promptly hid the dried creature away again no h let's see here bason said perusing a note that was tucked in the package quacked the duck reading over his shoulder if me Mayo starts acting funny Show her the contents of this package however you must not let her have them immediately once the job is done she may have one of them it was bason reading the note yet somehow Mayo heard San's voice

it's her and that old hag swiren didn't handle Mero quite the same as the Madam of the Verdigris house but she had her ways and they were she'd seen gingi dangle medicinal prizes in front of the Apothecary enough times that she knew What worked on May Mayo the fact that she'd given Basin this thing right down to the note proved that she still saw him as a soft little boy who needed a nanny to show him how to get mam Mayo to do what he wanted you heard the lady bason said have you recovered from

your little attack yes sir all all better she flung her hands in the air to demonstrate how can that be who ever heard of a medicine that works just by looking at it demanded Lan's brother not Failing to interject they say that sickness begins in the spirit anyway don't worry about it we need to hurry up and do our job said myow and get that seahorse they did say seahorses boosted vitality no stop this doesn't make sense something's wrong here something's wrong here I don't know Lan's brother the way you repeat yourself like that reminds

me of someone specifically someone with tousled hair and glasses I told you my Name isn't Lan's brother it's well we better get going times are wasting said bason interrupting Lan's brother before he could give them his name it was practically a running gag by now they would have to be careful it didn't overstay its welcome the farmer had spoken of a shrine but it didn't quite look like the shrines Mayo Mayo was used to it was made of brick and there were no windows inside hung a cloth and in place of a statue there was

a painting Of the Gods on the wall beside the shrine was a shack seemingly the house the Villager had mentioned all right here goes nothing said Lan's brother who still didn't look like he thought this was a good idea he knocked on the door then he waited then he waited there was no response maybe he's out do you you think he's at work I'm sure he has to take care of some sheep or his field or something it was almost lunchtime though so hopefully he would be back soon just Then a low raspy voice came

from behind them can I help help you mayam and the others turned to find an older man with tanned skin standing there he had a hoe in his hands and a cloth wrapped around his neck the very picture of a farmer his clothes patched in places were stre with dark soil yes he was a farmer all right but Bon's hand immediately went to his sword and he settled into a fighting stance Mayo Mayo saw why hey now what do you think you're doing going to assault A simple farmor the man's tanned skin was covered with

discolorations some from age others from long hours spent under the blazing sun those however were not what had startled bason no that would be the man's missing left eye the cavity yawned in his face the eyeball simply absent his right hand wrapped around the ho was missing its pointer finger and his Exposed Skin was covered with scars from swords and arrows Mayo Mayo saw why the Villager had seemed so Intimidated and why bason had reacted instinctively this man had the air not of a farmer but of a soldier have you been in the military sir

bason asked careful to sound polite nothing as fancy as that I was just a locust making trouble in the plains Locust a striking choice of words and there was something else that nagged at Mayo have you been work working in the fields she asked before she could stop herself there was the hoe in his hands and the mud on his Shirt she recognized the stains what else do you think I'd be doing the man asked although he didn't sound particularly bothered Mayo's question had indeed seemed obvious but there was something that had dawned on her

as she looked at the village field I just didn't think one normally got quite so dirty doing field work you wouldn't get this filthy even tending the wheat not at this time of year the dust of the fields was dry so long as one didn't go Out of one's way to use damp Earth it shouldn't have stuck like this tell me did a man named rusen come this way you friends of his The Farmer blinked at them with his one eye then opened the door to his shed come on inside I can offer you goat's

milk at least he leaned his hoe against the wall and ushered them in the old man was indeed nanen and his house was as plain inside as it was outside it's a lot like my house actually Mayo Mayo thought Picturing her Shack in the pleasure quarter nanzen had a hearth a cot and a very modest table that was about it aside from farm implements his house seemed to be dedicated to farming much the way Mayo Mayo was to Medicine judging by this room he looks like a pretty simple man those scars all over his body

though the those didn't seem like the marks of a man who'd made his living as an honest farmer there were three chairs inside nanen let the guest Sit while he stayed standing and poured goats milk into chipped teacup the duck pecked at the dirt floor some grain must have spilled there you're right a man named rusen did come through here would been about 10 days ago just a day before Mayo mayo and the others met him in the western capital do you know what he was here for Mayo Mayo asked she'd originally planned to let

bason or lean's brother do the talking but since she had brought up Rasen she would Handle this conversation what he was here for all he did was grab a hoe and help me plow plow you mean to get ready for the spring planting wheat could be grown in two seasons seeds planted in Winter could be harvested in spring or early summer while seeds planted in Spring could be harvested in autumn no no I do need to do this spring planting but that wasn't what this was about nanzen put the goat's milk on the table and

slid the cups toward Mayo mayo and The others bason looked like he wasn't too sure about this unfamiliar drink but mayoo was grateful for the opportunity to wet her throat it was normal goat's milk lukewarm but without anything weird in it might sound a little overblown but I had him help me with the ritual ritual Mayo Mayo asked bason and Lan's brother traded a look as confused as she was you mean some sort of ceremony to pray for a good harvest more like to prevent a bad one I'm sorry this is all a little Difficult

for me to follow do you think you could explain more thoroughly in response nanzen sat on the bed his tongue sticking out of his mouth his less than refined manners were showing you lot willing to listen to an old man prattle for a bit the villagers sure ared listen sir we don't have much time to spare bason said growing annoyed oh well pardon me nanzen lay down and rolled over on the cot mayoo got to her feet holding up a Hand to stop Basin sir I'm sorry please tell us what you have to say she

bowed her head apologies were free after all if he was going to get all bent out of shape about this she might as well say sorry um I don't know know nanen said from someone else it might have sounded playful from him it came off as sadistic I don't think I feel like it anymore you watch your attitude bason was about to Surge forward but Mayo Mayo stopped him again Lan's brother unused to conflict Become a bystander I know he's hot-headed but I wish he would stop picking fight she knew basin's strength and highly doubted

an old man would stand a chance against him but who knows sometimes these stubborn old bastards turn out to be tougher than you'd think maybe bason could best the old man physically but what if he simply refused to admit defeat and clammed up that would be bad for us she had a feeling that nanzen was just being stubborn he'd Let them into his house when they'd mentioned rers she suspected there was actually something he wanted to get off his chest what can we do to get you to talk to us Mayo Mayo said as humble

as she could be well how about a little guessing game sir what exactly are we supposed to guess simple what I used to be yes simple if only I knew what he meant bason and Lan's brother were still looking at each other The duck did what bason couldn't and pecked at the old man's feet all right I'll take a shot bason said but nanzen waved his hand with two few finger I'm not asking you kid I'm talking to the girl there K kid bason forced himself to keep it together to an old heavily scarred man

like this he really was nothing but a young whipper snap so only Mayo Mayo had the right to answer the question became what should she say nanen it's a good strong name it Meant to Intuit the truth I hope he's as honest as his name suggests and that everything he's told us is true she thought reviewing in her mind what he had said nanzen had called himself a locust not a favorable bug for a farmer so he Savages crops Nan Zen lacked his pointer finger as well as his left eye you don't usually get hurt

that bad as a farmer but he says he's never been in the Army he must at least have been in some kind of battle several judging by The extent of his injuries without his finger he wouldn't be able to use a weapon especially a bow Mayo Mayo found herself thinking about the bandits who had attacked them the day before they and their broken arms were probably in the hands of the authorities by now only a couple outcomes for robbers like them hanging for one the best they can hope for is mutilation then she remembered nanzan

saying that rickerson had helped him with a ceremony of some kind nanen She said yeah his attitude defied her to guess Lan's brother was looking at Mayo with what seemed to be indignation not that it mattered to her maybe didn't like that she already knew this random old guy's name even though they'd met just a few minutes earlier not the problem right now Mayo Mayo took in a breath and let the words out in a rush were you a human sacrifice sir everyone froze what kind of answer is that Basin demanded you don't know The

expression it's when someone is sacrificed while still alive of course I know that M what I don't know is why you think it has anything to do with this old man he's obviously still alive whereas proper sacrifices tended to end up dead mayoo however stood by her answer he didn't ask why only why she looked at nanzen who showed none of Bon's disbelief or annoyance instead he looked somehow satisfied yes he said I see a sacrifice maybe that's what I was Nanzen let out a long breath and narrowed his single remaining eye would the three

of you be so kind as to listen to the ramblings of a foolish old man his tone was light but there was deep emotion in his eye if you would be so kind as to let us mayam replied this time bason and Lan's brother mindful not to upset Nan's energ again bowed their heads respectfully chapter 8 an old man's ramblings it was over 50 years ago now and there were twice as many Nomads As there are today maybe more I was one of them born into a tribe that was well you might say more warlike

than many of the others being martial minded sounds good and all but in truth we were a little more than brigan we mostly raised livestock but if one of us wanted a wife he would go to one of the neighboring tribes or a settled Village and just take one theft and even the selling of people were just ordinary side businesses for us oh don't give me that Look I know it was wrong but at the time I didn't question it I thought that was how life worked my grandfather had done it and his father my

grandmother and mother were both abducted women it all seemed Perfectly Natural to me but I know better than anyone just how bad it was moving on I was a young man then just in my teens but even the chieftain trusted my Barm he always wanted me in raiding parties I knew that if we won our battles we ate good food got more Thing if the losers didn't like it well it was their own fault for letting us beat them an easy Pride to muster when you've never tasted defeat yourself that Pride spread until it had

infected the entire TR tribe then one day the chieftain's son he says he wants a windreader girl the windreader tribe they were something like priests I guess they were entrusted with rituals for everyone on the plains they moved about the land Raising birds and reading the wind they had a lot of very intelligent people in that tribe they could tell you what the weather would be each year and they were never wrong there were a lot of hard people among our Clans violent people but there was an unspoken understanding no one touched the windreader tribe

until we broke that rule we attacked the windreader tribe to get a wife for our future Chief the wind readers were right in the middle of one of their rituals Hardly a bow or sword among them what did they have strange thing seems the ritual involved domesticated birds and hoes the women followed the the birds around while the men work the ground with their hes funny stuff right but that was the ritual I guess I remember the chieftain's boy laughing how he sneered they look like a bunch of farmers and then he said fire I

remember how my bow creaked just before I let my arrow loose the way it twanged the ark The arrow took the thwack as it found its Mark in one of the wind readers heads that was the signal to attack they were defenseless as babes they had no weapons they were just working the Earth it took no skill to kill them it was as easy as cornering an injured deer the pillaging that took place that day was the worst I had ever seen in my life although it didn't sink in until later we didn't hesitate to

kill those who served us as priests in fact that made Everything worse maybe it was the fear of murdering them the fear that if we left any of them alive they might tell the gods what we had done we killed all the grown men and the older women too we left only the young women alive the youngest children we sold into slavery and the trib's birds those became our dinner sickening story isn't it but we did it it was even exciting in a way that's why we didn't notice not then even during the Looting one

particularly Stupid bird kept kept pecking at the ground I remember seeing him but I just speared the creature only later did I learn he might have been the only things standing between us and disaster after that we let our appetites run even wilder than we had before the chief's son took the windreader girl against her will and she became pregnant about the time she bore her second child that was when the catastrophe came there was a great Dark Shadow over the whole plain Like a smear of charcoal against the sky at first we thought it

was an unseasonable rainstorm then we heard what seemed like a ringing in our ears the livestock were restless the children clung to us in fear and the women held them close one man rode off on his horse saying he was going to investigate but he was soon back almost fleeing toward us his clothes were in tatters but so was his hair even his skin his horse was near mad with fright I tell you it was a job to calm her down she looked like she'd been bitten by something we asked the man if he'd been

attacked looks like you already have a pretty good idea of what he found but let an old man spell it out for you the villagers they don't believe this story at all there hasn't been anything that size around here for decades they tell me anyway the Scout didn't have to tell us what he'd found because a moment later it found around us bugs bugs all Over our camp more than you could count grasshoppers they were a black cloud that attacked our tents the beating of their wings was deafening and the only thing worse was the

sound of them chewing the Sheep grazing in the fields ran off terrified and the dogs howled like beasts possessed the men swung their swords wildly but what were they going to do but the things out of the sky we tried swinging torches instead but we couldn't have had a worse idea Burning grasshoppers crawled all over everything and everyone and the tragedy only got worse I started stomping on the insects on the ground it was the only thing I could think of to do none of them were bigger than a couple of sun yet it was

like we were in the belly of a giant grasshopper the women tried to hide in the tents but the bugs got in through the cracks I could hear the children crying inside I could hear their mothers screaming ing they didn't Even stop to comfort their kids they heaped abuse on their husbands on the men who couldn't protect their own families from the insects these were women who had been snatched away from their own homes to be brides and now they let out everything they had been storing up until that moment the grass wasn't enough for

the creatures they set Upon Our Food stores as well wheat beans and vegetables sure but they even went for our dried meat they chewed holes in Our tents when they finally left the only things in their wake were people exhausted from screaming and countless dead grasshoppers they had eaten everything and our livestock had run away we somehow managed to find a horse and we headed to a village to try to procure some kind of food we knew we were just Bandits to them so we tried to pick someone they wouldn't recognize but it wasn't enough

as soon as he got close they shot him we never dreamed they Would shoot someone without even trying to find out who it was first we ran he couldn't keep up with us but we ran just the same I remember him reaching out to us begging for help but there was nothing we could do for him instead we just left him there I looked back just once the villagers had dragged our friend and his horse into the village I guess we should have known it wasn't as if we were the only ones ravaged and left

starving by the grasshoppers I just Prayed that the man we'd abandoned didn't suffer before he died I know funny right prayer from the ones who had murdered their priests we had nothing else to eat so we killed the few animals we had left we made soup trying to fill it out with some grasses but all we did was make ourselves sick some of the kids were so hungry they resorted to eating the Grasshoppers on the ground then one of them died maybe the Grasshoppers were poisonous or maybe they ate the things Without tearing off the

legs first I don't know they wasted away for want of nutrition then started dying as they grew too weak to go on then there were the pregnant women they needed twice as much nutrition as the rest of us so of course they grew weak too their bodies wasted but their bellies kept getting bigger the wife of the next Chieftain was like that there was no food for her after the tragedy her first child clung to her sucking its thumb to try to Distract itself from the Hunger you won't be surprised to hear that the second

was still born the death of his child just about broke the chieftain's son and he suffered another blow when his wife died soon after the birth with the last of her strength she said you bastards desecrated the ritual and now there are no more wind readers to do the offices for you the insects will Menace the people of the Plains for the rest of time she must had those words inside her For years years ever since we had killed her people and abducted her she chortled with laughter and died clutching her withered child to her

wasted body people began to agree that it was as she said we were the cause of This Disaster for having interrupted the ritual observant everyone on the plains took us as their enemies I'm not going to pretend we didn't deserve it but just the same we wanted to survive we ate grass we ate bugs we killed and were killed and we Kept bleeing one starving man resorted to eating the Flesh of his dead friend when that wasn't enough he started trying to kill the living for food my left eye I lost it to an arrow

shot by someone who wanted to eat me I pulled it straight back out and shot him back I didn't want to eat or be eaten so I ran away there was nothing to run to though and I found myself starving my throat parched unable to Bear the hunger any longer I followed the smell of Ki into a City they were having a food distribution by the grace of the local Governor the kji they handed out was tasteless sludge hardly fit for livestock but to me it was the most wonderful thing I had ever eaten I

was still snotty and weeping when the guards arrested me seems someone in town recognized me from some Act of banditry I didn't resist I was through fighting I just hoped they would feed me in prison the thought of a few Square meals before I was hanged brought joy to my heart I never did get to be hanged instead in punishment they cut off my finger so I could never use a bow again then they made me a farmer to this day I think they let me off lightly considering what I did the governor as it

turned out knew about the wind raders and their ceremony they were allowed to continue with the mysterious ritual for their food because they were under the governor's protection we might not know what the Ritual meant I was told but it did mean something what who was this Governor he's gone now with the rest of the eclan as I'm sure you know this was back before that upstart gookin made his name the Ian knew about the wind reader ceremony which is why they scattered us across the land as surfs to replace the wind Raiders sadly all

a surf can do is work the land the eye didn't know what it was the wind readers were doing with their Birds and anyway chickens were about all we had around so we continued with the ritual but in an incomplete form so you're right I was allowed to live purely so the ritual would live on I'm a human sacrifice that they happen to call a surf this Village was founded by sacrifices like me we built that Shrine in memory of the wind readers we killed I paid with my life a pittance compared to murdering our

priests and bringing disaster upon us I'm sure no one who Paid any attention to us would believe the trade was worth it that all takes us up to 17 years ago when the ye Clan was wiped out the farmers disappeared to wherever they like a few fools men who'd always been the rough kind went back to banditry ah I know that look you've met a few Highway and yourself who knows maybe I'd recognize them if I saw them you want to know why I stayed here simple because I never want to have grasshoppers tearing at

me again no Never again all right that's enough rambling got any questions for me chapter nine right and ritual nanzen took a mouthful of lukewarm goat's milk to wet his parched throat Mayo Mayo basin and lean's brother waited in silence I didn't expect to get so much information out of him Mayo Mayo thought she would have to try to sort through all he had told them she crossed her arms so more than 50 years ago nanzen and his tribe had destroyed the wind Raders and several years after that a major insect plague had occurred nanzen

believed the plague had been caused by the loss of the ritual he'd become a surf destined to spend the rest of his life performing that ritual that seemed like a fair summary I guess the ritual involves tilling the Earth it still didn't quite make sense to Mayo Mayo but it did to someone else nanzen it's nanen right you're talking about fall plowing then mayo and bason both looked at Lan's Brother quizzically they didn't recognize that expression it's exactly what it says plowing after the Harvest in the fall he explained and that's good wouldn't it be

more efficient to plow right before you plant the crops bason asked Mayo Mayo agreed with him I'm aware of a couple of advantages for one you can improve the soil by turning it over and putting down Patty straw mushrooms or some other fertilizer and for another it helps eliminate eggs laid In the soil by pest insect Mayo's ears twitched and she grabbed Lan's brother by the collar say that again uh uh you can put down Patty straw no the other one eliminating pest insects yes that Mayo Mayo shook him violently hey quit it bason said

holding her back you're choking him Mayo Mayo let Lan's brother go ow ye is it that exciting it's a pretty ordinary farming activity he said in the clear belief that this was General Knowledge I don't know if there Are a lot of farmers out there as diligent as you Mayo Mayo rejoined uh oh uh you think so Lan's brother was clearly having some conflicting feelings he appre appreciated the compliment but it was hard for him to accept yes that's exactly what I'm doing nanzen broke in a quick look around this Village probably told you it

doesn't matter if the people around here know what to do or not most of them just don't care to do it and if knowledge isn't used it gets lost Mayo Felt a Pang Lan's brother had said the old man was the only one in town trying to keep up a decent field may I ask you something are the people here even making an honest effort to raise wheat it sort of feels like they aren't well trying very hard May Maya said shamelessly cribbing from Lan's brother so nanzen said it's obvious even to the visitors is

it yes sir your field was much prettier than the others anyway that's what a pro Farmer told me I'm not trying to be pretty I'm just trying to get a better Harvest and the field turns out that way I can tell you I never thought I would be the only one working myself to the bone out here funny how life works out Bon's dig had to hurt he was a serious and dedicated military man Mayo could understand why he might take a dim view of someone who had done things that put him at the bottom

of the human dung Heap even if it was more than 50 years ago Now he might even be wondering why the man hadn't been given a harsher punishment Mayo Mayo had to admit she couldn't help wondering the same thing she knew though that executing neon Zen wouldn't have changed anything because he had been left alive at least they could talk to him and learn what he knew I wonder how rusen found out about him maybe like Mayo Mayo he'd simply walked around this Village and maybe like Lan's brother he'd noticed the quality of the Field

or perhaps he'd heard about nanen from someone in the western Capital they were talking about criminals who had become surfs 50 years and more before and had been released from that status long ago rickerson was still a fresh face in this area mayam Mayo doubted he'd come here knowing about them well asking was quicker than pondering do you know if rierson came to this Village because he'd found out about the ritual yeah that's right I didn't think there Was anyone left who knew about the ritual even the governor doesn't seem to have heard of it

rers he said something about an acquaintance mentioning it nanen put down the now empty cup of milk and shifted on the hardl looking bed the governor doesn't know about it do you mean master gookin sir in his story nanzen had described jokin as an upstart governor oh sorry bad choice of words not him yeah Master guoin is the ruler of IC Province but it's his is welp Who's been running things lately you mean his son yeah what's his name guoku out it seemed a former Bandit and former surf was not inclined to show undue respect

to the governor not that Mayo cared but bason appeared to take exception to nanan's attitude at least she told herself he resisted turning physical with the guy I got the impression that Master gyoku Yu is well regarded in this F Village what's behind there does it have something to do with The ritual Mayo Mayo asked hardly he's popular plain and simple he never punishes the farmers even if there's a bad harvest in fact he's so generous that if we don't have enough to eat he gives to us from the stores hell you can almost get

more that way than you would by doing a proper job wow wish I could say that Lan's brother piped up yeah he's a real compassionate guy a lot of the nomads are settling down they say they'll be better off as Farmers behind Nan xen's words mayam Mayo thought she caught a tone of contempt you'd think such a compassionate leader would want to continue the ritual Lan's brother said setting down his empty cup with a tink like I said he doesn't know the ritual he doesn't understand even the ye Clan didn't know exactly what the ritual

was or how it work what they make me do these days is just a pale imitation based on the best of their knowledge so this ritual wasn't about petitioning the Gods at all it was really a way of preventing insect plagues Mayo said that's what I think it's the work me and the other surfs were given to do in exchange for our lives if we didn't want to do it too bad they forced us a few guys couldn't stand it and tried to run away and a few guys just plain slacked off but the authorities

caught them and hanged them to a man what did they expect when they'd spat on their chance to get off lightly when you're told that You plow the fields or you die then you plow like your life depends on it what Nan xen had done was never going to be simply forgiven or forgotten so what else was there for him to do after a decade they started giving us some small change based on the size of the Harvest it wasn't much but it meant we could start saving up and that was everything we're close to

the Western Capital here I think the proximity increased the income from the Harvest it was such a Simple thing but it got us involved made us start thinking about how we could improve yields or keep the crops from getting sick or keep the bugs away part of the reason we started keeping chickens was so they could eat whatever insects turned up when we plowed the field Quack quacked The Duck not that it was relevant so the birds the wind readers used weren't chickens asked Mayo Mayo no they weren't chickens aren't suited to a nomadic life

but if they Weren't chickens then bason looked very serious they must have been Ducks no they weren't Ducks what's wrong with you Lan's brother exploded Bas and frowned at this instantaneous comeback ducks eat bugs and they're bigger than chickens which means they can eat more bugs right ducks like water this is a desert no one is going to raise any Ducks I have proof positive that you're wrong bason said indicating his duck even waterfoul can Grow big and strong here if they put their minds to it whoever heard of a duck putting its mind to

anything Lan's brother demanded but it was was hopeless bason was a complete duck Fanboy the animal at his feet seemed to Puff out her chest hate to break it to you but they weren't Ducks did you call them I've never seen one of these before nanzen said Lan's brother smirked at bason who sued and patted his duck on the head the birds are exactly what We're missing to do the wind reader ritual those birds weren't about eating bugs they were used to find them no one can just guess where there's going to be insects on

all the wide Plains can they I'd say it was because the wind readers knew how to do that that the ye Clan gave them their protection and now here was a surf a survivor of a decimated tribe that had believed the wind readers and their rights were nothing but Superstition all right can I get back to Work there's so much yet to do nanzen heaved himself to his feet of course sir whatever it is that you still have to do perhaps you would let us help Ma Ma asked before looking to either Basin or lean's

brother for approval you visitors from the Western Capital have funny Hobbies you're rusen he said the same thing sure I'd appreciate it I'm the only former surf around here everyone else came to this Village later they don't give a care about anyone's Fields But their own it's only me looking after the feels of the guys who are gone and it gets harder every year nanen had to be almost 70 by now old enough that he might die at any time yet he kept laboring away I can't countenance what he did but still as nanen shuffled

away Mayo felt like she could see shackles around his ankles for the next two days or so mayo and the others helped neon xen with his work they turned over the Earth with farming implements Discovering ing ants and earthworms and small beetles in The Damp soil and something else long thin blobs that on closer inspection had tiny eggs inside the chickens started with the earthworms but when those ran out they moved on to these bundles of eggs basin's duck joined them pecking away at the ground grasshopper eggs Mayo Mayo would have liked to calculate how

many there were likely to be in a one field but she didn't have time whenever she found an Egg bundle that the birds had missed she would pluck it out of the ground and place it in a jar these are probably the larger ones she thought it was the kind of work that would drive someone with a fear of insects insane even Mayo Mayo who had a good deal of experience with Grasshopper dissection didn't enjoy looking at the little egg bundle Lan's brother and bason both plowed several times as much soil as mayau could manage

H's brother showed his stuff as a True Farmer the way he held and used the hoe was just different while basin's ridiculous strength for once served him well I'm glad bason was willing to join us here he could have refused on the grounds that this wasn't solders work there wouldn't have been much she could do then he seemed to have taken gin's concern about the Grasshoppers to heart though and joined in without complaint it probably seemed easy compared to raising Ducks basin willingness to be Part of this convinced the guards and Farmers they'd brought from

the Western Capital to help out too it looked like they were going to plow the entire field within the day even Chu was there scampering across the plowed Earth picking up any stray grasshopper egg two children followed close behind her the brother and sister she'd given the potato to they seemed to be under the impression that if they helped out there might be another potato in it for them Miss mayor Mayo Miss Miss mayor mayor I've got lots want to see Miss Chu Miss Chu I don't want to see them although if you have a

Praying mantisa I'll gladly take it praying mantis eggs could be made into a medicine called sang P sha or mantis egg case which was pretty valuable in that it was hard to get in large quantity these eggs are ing there's little guys coming out of them sure you don't want to see Miss M well it is spring and yes I'm sure they're disgusting please don't show them to me from the insect encyclopedia in the shei clan Fortress Mayo Mayo had learned that grasshoppers lived for about 3 months and could lay upward of 100 eggs at

a time the eggs hatched in Spring and the new generation would lay more eggs in summer I should have asked them to bring the she Clan book about bugs and the one about medicinal herbs while we're at it the more information they had the better off They would be it wasn't like grasshoppers bred all year round at the moment the eggs laid last Autumn was starting to hatch fall plowing was a good idea it would turn up the eggs that had been hidden in the earth which would then become food for birds or small animals

I think I remember Lan talking about this what had he called it multiplying like rats say a single pair of rats had 12 children for a total of 14 rats assume there were six females Among the children meaning seven total including their mother each of them could have another 12 babies this was basically an academic proposition of course not all of the rats were going to survive into adulthood but grasshoppers multiplied much the same way meaning that it was crucial to bring their numbers down as early in the cycle as possible if one cluster of

eggs is 100 then 10 is a, and 100 would be 10,000 they could reduce the number of Grasshoppers they had to deal with in the future by orders of magnitude if they could take care of the eggs now grasshoppers like to lay their eggs in ground that was somewhat damp I guess with the river right nearby and plenty of grass to eat this is the perfect place for them maybe some of the land had deliberately been left uncultivated specifically to attract The Grasshoppers there were supposedly a number of other Villages like this one scattered around

IC Province but how many of them were still functioning Nan Zen came up to mayam Maya carrying a jar of grasshopper eggs all we have to do now is burn these sounds good to me last year I was late with this and a lot of the Grasshoppers got away from me she did recall the farmers of the village saying that last year had been a bad one for bug damage so the Harvest was poor she asked nanzen nodded there was only enough for us to eat and we Have no stores if we'd had to pay

taxes on top of that we probably would have starved then we wouldn't have had enough left over to buy daily Necessities from the merchants so we would have had to sell off our Liv stock but the governor Exempted you from taxes right in fact he even sent you Port that he did he's cut from good cloth that Governor yanen said but again he sounded like he was saying it through gritted teeth mayam Mayo decided not to beat around the bush you Don't quite sound like you mean that sir may I ask what bothers you so

much about him I realize a former bandits in no position to criticize but these people will take anything they can get they beg and Weedle and plead for every last bit they're like grasshoppers themselves if they're so eager not to starve maybe they should try growing some crops but they don't have to bother because they have a bad Harvest and in Comes the Money what would you do if you could Make as much or more lazing about than by breaking your back in the field is that why none of the fields in this Village seem

well cared for you got it it was the same way with the Grasshoppers last year everyone just stood by and watched the bugs ravage their fields The Village headman was only wondering how to spin it in his letter to get the most sympathy from the governor meanwhile I was going from plant to plant plucking those Grasshoppers off the leaves one at a time they thought I was a fool it hardly seemed like the actions of someone who had once been the viest of Bandits the terror of the earlier plague seemed to have left a permanent

mark on nanen no Maybe I'm Wrong maybe nanzen had always had a diligence streak born and raised to brigandage he'd learned to shoot a bow and had excelled at what he had been told was important killing logic was not after all something one was born with Judging by how the village looks now they must have brought in quite a lot of cash last year Mayo said they sure did it's been this way for more than a decade always the same they have a crop failure the governor saves their necks a good kind Governor good and

kind huh she wondered where all this money to support the farmers was coming from maybe it was excess from trade she'd seen what a flourishing place the Western Capital was there seemed to be more than enough Cash going around to spare a few small coins for a farming Village if they're going to spend all that money out here it seems seems like an irrigation canal or two might be nice Mayo Mayo said when people had to do less physical labor hauling water new kinds of work opened up more Fields could be developed it would have

been a wise investment in May Mayo's eyes that man rickerson said the same thing said nanzan did he when they got back to the capital she would have To find out how rickerson had learned about this former surf I suppose I should apologize for making you spend all your time helping me out here neon xen said was there anything else you needed in this Village anything else Mayo Mayo rested her chin on the shaft of her hoe and closed her eyes oh she went over to Lan's brother who wasn't just turning over the Earth but

was starting to build up ridges are you planning to make a field here she Asked his face says shoot I always do that Lion's brother could deny it all he liked but he was a farmer through and through aren't you going tell people about your potatoes that's what you brought them for right yeah well you'd think wouldn't you Lan's brother grumbled but you saw these people they aren't actually interested in field work you think they'd actually bother growing potatoes if I gave them To them I doubt they'd use their established fields to grow new crops

but they don't look like they're about to bother breaking new ground either point taken May Mayo said that's why I was so eager to meet the one person around here with a decent field oh yeah but there's no point giving the potatoes to the old guy I guess not as the last of the former surfs in this Village nanzen had to tend to his own field as well as to the plowing for the so-called ritual not Normally the plowing would have been finished in Autumn and here it was dragging on into spring a clear sign

of just how short of help he was you don't think we could leave someone here to help Mayo Mayo asked looking at the farmers they had brought from the central region Lan's brother almost seemed to think about it but then said they only came all the way from the central region because I did I can't just leave them to work the soil in a Land they hardly know it would just be too tragic don't you think yeah that's fair Lan's brother's older brotherliness could come out at the strangest times he might have made a really

good eldest son if only he'd been born into a normal family I'm just glad my dad isn't here he'd vow to make them understand the glory of potatoes and then who knows what he'd do if you excuse my saying so I can't picture lean's father taking matters into his own hands like that In mayo Mayo's mind he was an easygoing almost luminesque figure and also the glory of potatoes oh he would describe the beauty of the flowers the shape of the leaves the graceful Supple Roots their potatoes he could at least focus on their deliciousness

Mayo looked over at the siblings following cheu around she sat down her jar and went over to them say would you like another of those potatoes she asked squatting down so she was eye level with them yes We would want potatoes the kid's eyes sparkled we've never ate something so sweet before it was sweeter than raisins raisins Mayo Mayo said sweets are valuable around here chew interjected they don't have honey and sugar doesn't come cheap she placed her large jar on her head and spun around so sweets are worth more here than in the central

region I think we can use this mayoo headed back to Lan's brother grinning there was a big hole dug behind Nan xen's house it was covered in Scorch marks maybe it was normally for burning trash or something this is where you burn the grasshopper eggs Mayo Mayo asked him right they don't burn easy so you you have to had fuel presumably meaning oil or animal dun the firewood and charcoal that Mayo mayo and the others took for granted would almost pass for luxury products around here since we've got all these eggs to burn I wouldn't

mind trying something different Mayo Mayo suggested Nan Zen gave her a look whatever works what did you have in mind maybe I could borrow this she touched a big pot sitting outside it was old but sturdy if they got the rust off it looked like it would be quite usable the dry grass and dead insects inside attested to how long it had been sitting there sure have fun mayoo promptly turned the pot over and began scrubbing it with a reed scrub brush here you go Miss May Chu said she had hauled water From the river

which Mayo gladly used that's quite a pot you've got there big enough to make King jaao Rousey for 30 people I wonder if they used it for cooking Mayo Mayo said as she and Chu faced each other over the pot scrubbing away that was for making the surf's rice they'd cook up an entire days worth at once said nanzan H so there were plenty of surfs said Chu Mayo Mayo had told her nanen story but the unusual lady in waiting didn't seem much bothered it it Was as if it hardly mattered to her whether she

was dealing with a former Bandit or even a killer so was this a serving dish Chu picked up a round metal plate that's a mirror used to be in the shrine mirrors were sometimes used for ritual purposes this one might have been polished to a shine once upon a time but now it was stre with rust and reflected almost nothing as long as we're polishing things you want us to polish this CH said rubbing it with her arm Sure if you would haven't had time myself perhaps the Surfs had shared the duty of polishing it

once again in some long ago time but it was simply too much for nean xen to get to by himself how much do the villagers really know Mayo Mayo wondered they seem to treat nanzen as an eccentric but they weren't openly hostile toward him nor did they seem particularly worried about an in plague was it possible the villagers were pretty laidback Mayo Mayo couldn't stop Herself from musing wonder if this Village would survive if it was ever hit by Bandits she was speaking almost to herself but chew chirped oh they would be fine they might

be settled now but they used to be Nomads they have bows and swords in their Huts all strung and sharpened and ready to go plus they know the terrain you'd have to be a very Brave Bandit to attack this place that explains why they go after Travelers instead Mayo said what did ever happen To that guide of ours it seemed like it might be better left unthought about but there was something she had to ask why did you decide to have us be the bait Miss cheu Master bason didn't seem like he knew what you

were planning and it would be unlike the moon Prince to order us to do something like that gyi seemed to be quite alert to Mayo safety these days even basin's presence as their bodyguard seemed like an act of consideration from him Chu narrowed her Already small eyes making them even smaller my orders were to minimize risk and isn't it safer to know when and where you'll be attacked rather than not having any idea when the enemy will strike so Chu had been thinking of safety too in her own way all right but I think normally

you try to hide how much danger people are in it makes them less jumpy I know you've got a lot of guts Miss May May anyway I I thought maybe you'd appreciate the More logical approach I just want to say for the record that if someone punched me I would die understood and duly noted but if we need anyone to survive any poisons you'll be up Chu certainly knew who was good for what as they chatted the pot got progressively cleaner nanzen was doing some other work nearby what would you like us to do with

this I mean with this pot chew cool put the grasshopper eggs in it he replied cheu recoiled with almost comical intensity Miss mayor mayor no no Miss cheu don't worry we're not going to eat them I promised you promise promise Chu still didn't look like she believed her yeah they AR look very tasty do they and they're disgusting we should know we gathered them mature bugs she had eaten but even she would say no to insect eggs We'll pour oil on these and fry them and Burn Them Burn Them Mayo took the pot and headed

toward the shrine it was of modest brick construction but if it were Cleaned and decorated it would be suitably imposing I say we light a fire here that seems ritual is doesn't it Mayo Mayo asked oh ho said Chu and a ritual needs a feast right Mayo Mayo looked at the kids from the village who were still hanging around word about the potatoes must have traveled because there was a small crowd in addition to the brother and sister I see what you're getting her Chu laughed she saw where Mayo Mayo was going with This good

you just leave the decorations to me she pulled a length of red ribbon from her collar we'll need a platform for our lovely pot I'll get Lan's brother and my little brother-in-law to help apparently Chu now also called him Lan's brother Chu focused on building the platform so mayam Maya was left to prepare the meal she borrowed the oven in Yan xen's house to whip something up Mayo sometimes felt like she was standing in en's Pro Chef Shadow but the Fact was she wasn't a half bad cook herself cooking is basically just like mixing up

drugs but with food you put the ingredients and the garnishes together to make something tasty what you doing Nan xan asked narrowing his remaining eye ritual how's that again rituals are supposed to be joyous celebrations are they not sir and for that you need a feast I suppose you've got me there he looked uneasy his gaze settled on Lan's brother stop don't use All of them I only brought so many you know what was them the seed potatoes of course they had decided to make this Festival a big one I know I know less whining

more steaming you can't talk to people like G Lans brother grumbled angrily to himself but he put more fuel in the stove he was using two sticks to pick it up maybe he felt an instinctive resistance to handling sheep dong with his bare hands even if it was dry you can use whatever tools I have around my House if you use up my food I'd appreciate if you could spare me a few coins for it I live right on the edge nanzen said thank you sir may Mayo said I'm going to get some sleep said

nanzen lying down on the crude bed he looked Hardy but he was an old man and days on end of work in the fields took their toll sweet potatoes get their sweetest when slow cooked right Mayo Mayo asked yeah you can't just roast them over a big hot flame so it's not just potato Farming he's so well versed in it's potato cooking too it looked like L had been relying in no small measure on Lan's brother to dream up ways to use sweet potatoes Lan's brother could be rough on his younger sibling but he was

fundamentally a decent person too decent the way he made a point of pushing back at everything suggested an ordinary but belated rebellious fade I'm not a very versatile cook what do you think we can make with the ingredients on hand here Mayo Mayo asked why are you asking me because Miss cheu is more the eating type and master Basin won't be any help Chu seemed like she might have been able to make Ki if she really had to but when it came to more elaborate dishes she was focused on consumption rather than production well I

don't know Lan's brother said flatly he looked away from her but he was obviously lying I see said Maya I'm sorry I was just hoping to treat them to something they'd really Enjoy she looked back toward the door where children were peeking in the crowd of kids accompanying the brother and sister had grown to substantial proportions oh look at all your friends she said uncharacteristically speaking directly to the children I'll bet you were all hoping you could have something special something delicious why asked the sister on the verge of tears you mean mean you mean

we don't Get to eat potatoes oh you will you will it's just I'm sorry I won't be able to make them taste very good by myself why are you bad at cooking asked another kid oh I wish we could have potatoes doesn't sound like we'll get any a third child said mournfully Lan's brother looked increasingly uncomfortable he hunched he kept his back to them but only for a moment then he sighed a long sigh turned and raised a finger listen you little brats you Want food help with the cooking those who don't work don't eat

but those who do work I'll treat you to the best food you've ever had the children cheered and Lan's brother proved he was the ultimate eldest son what a soft touch Mayo Mayo thought as she speared a potato in the steamer on her chopsticks by the time Mayo mayo and her crew were done cooking the shrine had been fully decorated Chu had placed the pot full of grasshopper eggs smack in the middle a top a small But well constructed pile of bricks that served as an impromptu platform the modest Shrine was festooned with red banners

and animal large lamps glowed here and there there was a clanging of metal Mayo Mayo looked toward the sound to discover two metal plates had been tied together to create a Clapper when the wind blew through it rattled the symbols and made the banners flutter the chair and tables such as they were consisted of barrels covered in felt the Table was piled with the food Mayo mayo and the others had made by the time everything was ready the sun was already brushing the Western Horizon what all's going on here someone asked it wasn't just kids

anymore the adults had started to show up as well once everyone was there Mayo Mayo poured oil into the huge pot then they lit a fire using dried grass to get it started there was a whiff of an aroma that might have been Pleasant or might have been stomach Turning it was hard to tell the pot began to burn brilliantly accentuated by the Gathering Darkness what are you uh hem doing esteemed visitors The Village headman asked perplexed several of the other villagers were with him allow me to explain said B stepping forward Chu came up

beside him and briefly showed him a piece of paper Q cards thankfully the villagers didn't notice this Village was founded long ago in order to carry out a ritual bason Said yes we've heard of it the headman said you mean their ritual of turning up the Earth that no one understands only nanen does it now that's correct and I'm well aware that you don't understand it the reason reason we have come to you this day is to bring to you the full and proper form of the ritual which you knew only in part but which

we now give to you in Hope very profound bason was reciting from a script and he sounded like it but backlit by the fire he still Managed to look important maybe even sacred Chu was well prepared she had a whole sheath of paper from which she selected appropriate lines based on the villager's reaction she really knows how to handle her little brother Lan's brother was holding the duck in his arms having it waddling around behind Basin might spoil the reverential image they were trying to create Lan's brother nudged mayam Maya is that true he hissed

the moment was so convincingly Manufactured that he had been taken in along with the audience it is now try to play along way it's not true he looked scandalized meanwhile bason continued to speak with the Villagers have you really I see you're prepared to conduct the ritual right now but may I ask you a question first the headman ventured what would you like to know it's only nanzen who's been entrusted with this Duty isn't it the rest of us were summoned here by the governor as settlers we Weren't told of any ritual there was a

great crack from inside the pot the headman seemed to be saying that the visitors were more than welcome to conduct their right but the villagers had no intention of joining in by the look on his face it was clear he thought bason was trying to push something on him and he didn't want it Chu stopped hopping around for a thoughtful second then showed bason another q card I understand your objection it need not be You who conducts the ritual bason looked at Mayo Mayo from behind him Chu gave her a broad wink but may I

take it then that you don't care what happens as a result bason pointed directly at Mayo Mayo this was also a choose Direction they're trying to pass the buck to me he seemed to be indicating they would leave the ritual to Mayo but that was more than she had signed on for what the hell do they want me to do still she had to roll with it she walked forward one slow Solemn step at a time toward the big pot there has to be something I can try some little Bluff something to pull the wool

over their eyes Mayo placed her hands in front of her chest which gave her a chance to dig through the folds of her robes she didn't keep as much in there as chew did but she had some herbs and sewing tool she walked as slowly as she could and tried to come up with a script finally she arrived in front of the cauldron where she bowed her head this Fire carries our offerings to the gods there was a time once when other humans were our sacrifices but the gods spoke to us and revealed that this

was not the manner of sacrifice they desired she'd cribbed the words from a novel that had been popular in the rear Palace it had sounded even more highflying in the original but she couldn't remember all the words the God of this land takes the form of a bird therefore it was decreed that the deity should be given an Offering in a ordance with the preferred sustenance of its manifestation she'd spotted one of the chickens sleeping in the shed a bird deity but we worship a god of the pasture why you mean after all this time

as Farmers you still worship your old God cheu asked making sure to lay it on thick that would explain it now I see why your wheat grows so poorly let me guess it gets worse every year doesn't it well who can blame it when the people Who live here don't even worship the god of these parts that set the villagers muttering among themselves it was true Mayo Mayo suspected that the Harvest got worse and worse with such listless cultivation the land itself would decline unlike wet rice cultivation grain needed soil that had been well cared

for or the crop would wither I think this is going well it seemed rather promising until that's a lot of nonsense I think the land is just Exhausted all this talk of gods who knows if they even exist one of the village youth called out come on have a little faith Mayo thought never mind her own attitude other Villages started to speak up we've been here all this time why bring up gods and rituals now yeah we don't need a good harvest anyway not with such a compassionate and generous Governor Watching Over Us he's right

we don't know if the gods exist but we sure know the governor does and we know he'll Watch out for us there was a general murmur of agreement believe only what you can see fair enough Mayo Mayo sympathized she couldn't say she would have done any different in their place but she had a job to do Mao bowed her head and laughed what's so funny one of the villagers demanded why nothing only you all seem to be laboring under a misunderstanding allow me to reiterate it need not be you who conducts the Ritual she said

repeating Bon's words then she turned her back to the Villages taking the opportunity to Rifle through the folds of her robe she was careful not to let any of them see her let's see what we need is she gave a great flourish of her hands and the flame in The Cauldron whooshed and danced L the fire someone exclaim the Flames had turned yellow what is this Mayo Mayo had more than just medicinal herbs stashed in her robes she also Carried disinfectant alcohol not to mention she still had a pinch of the salt from cooking earlier

Jew kept some with her she'd explained it was a luxury item around here ah this takes me back the same thing had once been behind a mystery in the rear Palace salt burned yellow can you not see the gods will mayoo picked up the mirror housed in the shrine jeu had polished it somewhat but only enough to get off the worst of the rust that's perfect though she dribbled Some alcohol on the mirror and transferred some of the fire from the pot to its surface now the fire burned blue green Mayo Mayo turned and put

on her business smile it appears the God is angry and grieved the bronze mirror was growing quite warm with the fire on it so she set it beside the pot a buzz started among the villagers when they saw the color changing Flames now I realize that you will not participate in the ritual she looked at the meal set Out on the barrel but we seem to have made somewhat too much food tonight won't you all have some before it goes cold yippy the kids said throwing their hands in the air it wouldn't be right to

make them help all day and then not give them any food the adults were more hesitant intimidated by the colorful fire but they were undeniably drawn to the unusual food the likes of which they'd never seen before when everyone was looking at the table Mayo Mayo nudg Cheu don't put me on the spot like that again she muttered frankly she' broken into a cold sweat I had faith that you could do it Miss Mayo Chu said innocently and then with a smile she jumped in to join the general melee over the feast I sure hope

it works Mayo Mayo was exhausted she decided to let Chu and the others handle things from here she would go back to the tent to get some rest chapter 10 results reported the air was rich with the smell of tea And sweet snacks the host of this tea party had skin as smooth as a bab's and the room was suffused with Pleasant chatter by this description perhaps you're picturing a tea party full of vibrant young women but you would be wrong ohello young lady Welcome Home the host of this Gathering was an older man a

unic at that namely it was the quack doctor he was chatting away with tianu popping dried Jujubes into his mouth in between bits of chitchat liaku stood by The wall keeping watch but it must have been pretty quiet because he had some walnuts and was discreetly cracking the shells when he had a chance are those our medicinal walnuts Mayo Mayo thought but she decided to start by greeting The Physician thank you I've just returned I see it starting to look like a real medical office around here the office really a converted building in Jen's Annex

had more shelves and cots than it had before and even partitioning screen Mayo Mayo had been away from the medical office for a good 10 days visiting the village and she was glad to discover that the others appear to have been doing real work while she was gone we got more furniture for your room too young lady don't worry it's right where you left it all right thank you 10 days earlier her quarters had contained nothing but a cop she hoped they had at least found her a desk and a bookshelf don't worry we didn't

touch any of your Belongings the quack said I just straightened up a little your room did look so sad and empty I think it should be much nicer to be in now he sounded unusually motivated the message mayoo got was that he'd had enough time on his hands to redecorate the babyfaced Wonder here really got into making the place feel like home said Tiano no more reverent than usual Mayo Mayo was getting a very bad feeling about this I take this to mean there were no serious Issues she asked as she set down her baggage

and started going through the drawers of the new medicine cabinet it gladdened her heart to smell medicine that actually smelled like medicine for the first time in so long she'd also successfully obtained the seahorse from Basin she would have to process it later h no not to speak of the quack said we just kept conducting the moon Prince's exams we saw a patient every once in a while mostly just common colds the Temperature swings on the ship left some people weak tianu frustrated by the quacks relaxed roundabout way of speaking jumped in mayoo was just

as happy to get the story as directly as possible so her gaze flitted between tianu and the medicine cabinet as she continued to check their inventory we had one person who got stung by a scorpion but he was fine a guy with him treated him right after the sting so it sounds like he wasn't going to die even If he acted like he was tianu related this like a secondhand Story Probably because this field wasn't his specialty certainly the quack hadn't treated the man so who had was it someone who knew something about scorpion venom

do we have someone with us who knows about scorpion venom Mayo Mayo took some swertia from a drawer tore off a piece and licked it she immediately regretted it it was cringe inducing bitter although the flavor certainly did say Medicine they deal with scorpion venom all the time around here one of the ladies at the dining hall told us how to treat it and I might add wondered aloud if we were really doct did you know they fry scorpions and eat them here the quack said wow a frightening idea his brow creased we've got to

make sure we try that Mayo Mayo said her morale jumping she put the dried herbs back in the drawer she was eager to find out if the grass she'd Collected on the trip had any medicinal properties no no the quack said shivering judging by the two Physicians Mayo Mayo decided everything looked all right she wanted to spend a bit more quality time with the medicine but a nagging doubt led her to go to her room I'm going to go put my stuff down she said her room was right at the top of the stairs and

as soon as she entered she understood why tianu had been snickering what in the name of her Formerly plain unadorned chamber now boasted a cherry pink canopy over the bed it was was far too cute to be bug netting plus it was embroidered here and there her desk was covered with a tablecloth also embroidered and her chair had a western style open work lace cushion curtains in much the same style hung at the window and a flower patent tapestry decorated the wall she smelled incense too a floral fragrance much too girlish for her to top

it all off dried Flowers had been scattered here and there around the room for a second she stared in absolute silence then she began to shake she would have liked to tear down the decor right then and there but the quack had trailed up behind her and was looking at her expectantly you're appreciating the needle work aren't you the merchant promised me it would be perfect for a young lady he said and maybe it would but this was Mayo Mayo they were talking About who agewise by the way was practically an old m what do

you think Miss do you like it the quack came over to her his eyes glistening with hope Mayo Mayo made a slight choking sound she frowned mightily and then her shoulders slumped behind them liaku looked on sympathetically while tianu grinned Mayar resolved to put swertia in his tea that evening after dinner Mayo returned to her room feeling a little better Since she'd been able to get tianu back good proper the way his face puckered when he drank the stier tea well you didn't see that every day what's he so upset about it's medicinal in the

pleasure District they had mixed swertia into the eyebrow black it was reputed to prevent hair thinning it was also effective against indigestion diarrhea and stomach pains but it was so bitter that it was rarely used at the court medical office why did they have it with Them then it had less to do with the gastric side of things and more to do with the hair loss prevention people liked that part of it we do get people who come in About Hair Matters once in a while of course Mayo Mayo didn't give out personal information unlike

the quack but she wasn't above taking the opportunity to ask a patient for a favor in exchange Mayo Mayo could only sigh at the overwhelmingly girlish room if she just Put everything back the way it had been the quack would be sad she would have to change things a little bit at a time so he didn't notice maybe she would start tomorrow though it sounded like a lot of work right now she was just changing into her sleepwear when she heard a knock at the door come in she said and a very good evening to

you Chu appeared now dressed in an ordinary lady in waiting's outfit rather than the trousers she'd worn on their trip our Dear quack has done done his exam and now the ladies in waiting would like theirs in other words gingi was summoning Mayo Mayo Chu offered her pretext without batting an eye it's been 10 days mayam Maya wondered how gin's injury was doing it should have been fine without her as long as he wasn't scratching he's very interested in how things went at the farming Village Chu said I would have assumed you'd already filled him

in said mayaya between shoe And Basin surely there wasn't much he could add ah but the moon Prince likes to get all kinds of perspectives different standpoints bring different viewpoints I suppose you're not wrong it was a good philosophy but in that case mayoo thought he would be better off summoning Lan's brother then again unlike the rest of them mayoo suspected gyi wouldn't be able to tolerate him they'd probably have a whole conversation and never get anything said Anyway if this was a direct order then may Mayo had no choice but to go looked like

she was going to have to change her clothes again J bounced ahead of mayo Mayo with a lamp the light bobbing along with her Illuminating the space around them at weird angles creepy Place huh nothing like a big old mansion in the middle of the night too true Mayo Mayo thought back to her days in the rear Palace to the spooky story stories and the consort who danced upon the outer War she'd found herself going out at night quite a bit as a matter of fact you know they say there's an apparition in this house

Chu said holding the lantern in front of her face an apparition oh was all Mayo Mayo said Chu poked out her lower lip oh aren't you even a little scared Miss Mayo Mayo I've heard a lot of those kinds of stories no point being scared now cheu though still looked like May Mayo had spoiled her fun so mayam Mayo said just for my Reference what kind of apparitions are they oh would you like to know would you like to know Miss mayam Mayo Chu's eyes began to shine it shows up right here it said what

shows up uh flying head H that made no no sense a head was you know a head they didn't fly there's a FID around here a fuman okay yes Mayo Mayo had heard of those they were a kind of Supernatural monster said to look like a head that flew around of its own accord oh miss mayam you don't look like you Believe me that's because I don't think there's any fomar around here you were kind of hoping though weren't you miss cheu they soon arrived safely at gingi's Chambers with no monsters in sight boring Chu

said I know I know let's do what we came here for they bowed to the door guard whose name Mayo Mayo didn't know and entered the room by this point the sumptuousness of the accommodations could be taken as given swiren and G shun were inside good Evening mayam said with another bow she looked around the room kind of lonely in here she thought not many people around she assumed gingi was within but she didn't see Tay or bason baru might have been there or he might not Chu was nudging a nearby curtain so maybe he

was over there Tay is busy giving Basin a talking to swiren said answering Mayo Mayo's question as she prepared tea I didn't even ask the old lady in waiting was just that Sharp she knew exactly what Mayo was thinking I don't think he noticeably screwed up at the Village though if anything she thought bason seemed more mature than he had been before he seemed to have developed a bit of a nervous streak but she assumed he had a lot on his plate cute or not he just can't have a duck in his room swiren added

the duck that's what this is about at least she knew knew what was up now it looked like bason hadn't succeeded in leaving the Bird with lian's brother who had stayed behind in the farming Village to teach them some actual farming now I you be so kind as to take this to the Moon Prince asked swiren handing her the tray of tea with a bright smile if it's all right that I do so she said g shun nodded indicating no problem gin's put upon a t and clutched a single white feather in his hand gayos

shun always did like adorable things the duck must have had a restorative effect on him all Of the people in the room at that moment knew basically what was going on with gingi except for the lacad day Isaac chew she was on her best behavior at the moment presumably because swin was there very well then Mayo turned toward the inner chamber when she opened the door the air carried a bracing smell of incense that tickled her nostrils gingi often preferred Sandalwood but today he was using alaways wood I'm sure he's got the best stuff money

can buy alaways Wood had medicinal properties and Mayo May would have loved to get her hands on some but the incense gin she was using was probably dizzyingly expensive she couldn't just beg him to share a bit of it is that you mayam Mayo gingi was was bent over his desk writing something he was surrounded by papers yes sir mayam set the tray on the table and poured the tea swiren had used boiling water so by the time mayam Maya got settled it was perfectly steep she poured two cups Equally full and took one for

herself if I may she took a sip she didn't actually think swiren would have prepared poison tea but protocol was protocol she discovered a richly fermented black tea that not only wet the throat but promoted blood flow here you are you are thank ginshi put down his brush and gave a great stretch how's your health been sir cutting right to the chase are we ah well that's all right you can tell me about the trip while you do your exam Gingi Shrugged out of the top of his robe Mayo Mayo felt like he used to

be a little slower to do that but having been subjected to so many exams by now he no longer hesitated she couldn't afford to stand on ceremony either so she summarily removed his bandid I see you've gotten good at changing the dressings she said well do something every day a perfect Crimson flower bloomed on gin's flank new skin was forming over the burn turning it a Bright red like a rose or a peony Mayo Mayo might even have admired the Bey beauty of it if she hadn't known that it was politically motivated I'd say it's

just about better the scar would likely never heal completely it would fade from red to Pink but probably not much more than that I wish I could take some skin from his butt and stick it on this thing she spared a glance at gin's hunches you know I can't help thinking you seem to Look as much at my back as my front during our exams lately Jing she said it's your imagination sir Mayo Mayo put fresh salv on gin's side less to treat the burn than to keep the skin from drying out eventually she planned

to start adding some herbs that would remove blemishes there all done she applied a fresh bandage and that was the extent of gyi's treatment it was over so quickly that the tea was still steaming Mayo Mayo helped herself to a sip it Does go so much quicker when you do it she said he pulled his robe back on and drank down the tea on the table when Mayo Mayo moved to pour him a second cup he gestured for her not to bother instead he took a book from the desk and sat down on his bed

you seem very busy she observed mostly because I'm still figuring out what I'm doing here a new land means much to learn so it was study rather than work that kept him occupied give me your report he said apparently He meant to to listen while he read his book a necessary evil for the time starved how much detail do you want sir I want every opinion and observation you can give me don't skimp on the details just because I've heard from bason and chew already yes sir in that case I gingi interrupted her patting the

bed beside him Mayo Mayo didn't say anything it would be tiring for you to stand there the whole time we're talking talking have a seat certainly I'll go Get a chair she was about to do just that but ginshi grabbed her wrist he was giving her his bring the country to its knees smile have a seat just when she'd thought he was behaving himself today Mayo Mayo was left with little choice but to sit down beside gyi there she began to relate the story of their visit to the Village telling someone else about it gave

her a chance to organize things in her own mind she described how the bandits had attacked them on the Road she talked about the farmers who showed no particular desire to work explained the windreader tribe and the Surfs she even mentioned the ye Clan gingi seemed to be mentally comparing what she said with what he had heard from the other two often he nodded sometimes he would give a tilt of his head as if something seemed off to him I think that's all I can tell you sir do you have any question questions I think

the thing that bothers Me most would be the windreader tribe I know what you mean a tribe of ritual celebrants who wander the plains controlling birds and plowing the Earth controlling bird ginshi seemed fixated on the same thing that had gotten Mayo Mayo's attention are we very sure the birds in question aren't Ducks sir Mayo Mayo asked yeah I feel a bit bad doing that to bason bason was currently in his mother T's bad books on account of that duck as it was gingi who had originally Ordered him to raise the animals he felt a

certain measure of guilt moreover it seemed he'd instructed Tay to nudge her son now and again to get him to keep his distance during gin's examination everyone was concerned that if bason not the most subtle of men were to find out about the brand he might not be able to keep the secret what kind of bird do you think they used asked gin bason had been convinced it must be Ducks but mayoo had another idea perhaps pigeons she said Mayoo had been in the western Capital before a year ago on that trip former consort lishu

had been attacked and the means of coordinating that attack had been messenger pigeon that's how the white lady did it she couldn't help wondering if there was some connection yes pigeon I had the same thought gingi got up from the bed and disappeared behind a partitioning screen from which he emerged carrying a bird cage with a bird sleeping inside you have a pigeon Right here Mayo Mayo observed so I do I've started using them for Simple Communications ginshi looked older than his 21 years but he was still young enough to be adaptable in his thinking

he took in new things quickly it's been 20 days or so since we got here and I've done nothing but attend Banquets and make official greeting but that's provided opportunities to gather intelligence gingi began to fill mayam Mayo in on what he'd been up to while She was away the bird was soundly asleep ignoring the Millet in its food bowl gingi told her about all his dinners with the Western capital's Upper Crust how he had been shown every important sight in the area and even how some PPE had occasionally approached him on behalf of their

daughter or a relative we just missed sir joku U's daughter she was leaving for the capital when our party arrived he said ah yeah he asked if I wanted her for my wife but he Pretended to be joking of course sir Mayo Mayo studiously kept any emotion out of her voice gingi responded by tugging on her cheeks I a moth brazen sir I agree he let go and Mayo rubbed her cheeks what do you mean to do she asked I started by sending a letter to Empress koku immediately I have her response here already sir

I thought the round trip took at least a month gingi took out a letter and showed it to her it was in a pretty sad state for a Missive from the empress you used a pigeon M said only one way it seemed gingi was willing to let her read the letter so Mayo Mayo took a peek she says to let her handle things with her niece that was the gist of it anyway if kokuu was indeed Empress koku's half brother then his daughter would be her niece what is she planning to do I wonder the

empress didn't exactly seem to be on the best of terms with her half brother she had her own designs mayama was sure Meanwhile Mayo mayo and the others had to confront the problem that was in front of them if the wind readers were using pigeons it would lend Credence to that man nanzen story jingi said you think the wind readers were able to share information on the plains they would have to be insect plagues are like fires the problem is getting to them the moment they start gyi tossed Mayo Mayo the book he'd been reading

and she discovered it wasn't text but contained Columns of numbers records of some sort these are the plagues that have occurred over the last several decades lahan would have the numbers figured out in an instant but it's been harder for me the records gave locations followed by numbers relating to the Swarms it was enough to give anyone who wasn't a specialist a headache you think there's some kind of pattern sir something Insidious I couldn't be sure from the Harvest records alone but thanks to your Inspection I know now icy province is falsely reporting inflated Harvest

numbers inflated I don't understand why would they do that normally higher numbers would only mean higher taxes if they'd Been Under reporting their harvests that she would have understood I don't know yeah but if natural disasters are occurring in places not mentioned in the records then all these pages are useless gyi shook his head hopeless the only way to know for sure Is to go see it for yourself not just the village you visited others too it wasn't easy for the Imperial younger brother however though he was still within his own borders in this far

land he was less powerful than at home and there were fewer people at his disposal anything else jump out at you he asked maybe one thing yeah there aren't very many medicinal herbs around here sir she looked straight at gyi even allowing some of Her annoyance to show on her face I'd like an encyclopedia of local plants there will be a limit to how many medicines I can make using only what we've brought from home the easiest thing would be for Mayo Mayo to go to a bookstore herself but it didn't look like she would

have the charm surely she wouldn't get in trouble for asking him to take care of a little errand very well any other questions may I ask something of a personal nature go ahead Who are the yay Clan this was pure Curiosity on Mayo Mayo's part she knew the Yi had been annihilated 17 years before on the orders of the empress regnant but she didn't know what they had done the ye Clan gingi muttered what is it sir is it something you can't talk about it's not so much that I'm just not sure myself I know

that they served the throne alongside the Shai Clan since the days of the mother Royal and I've heard that They followed a system of matrinal descent the mother Royal wangmo was the woman who had founded lie according to Legend she was sometimes said to be the mother of the first emperor matr lineal sir mayoo was surprised patriarchalism tended to be the order of the de day in Lee and she would have expected that tendency to be even stronger in ic province which was home to so many nomadic tribes yes that's right an informant revealed the

ye's treachery And so they were destroyed one theory has it that they had unduly influenced the Imperial family but gun tells me even he doesn't know for sure even Master goosun doesn't know no I tried looking into records from that era but they're so compressed and superficial that there was no point that seemed strange sloppy even gin's refusal to be definite might have suggested how much rumor and hearsay there was in what he was telling her I see sir she cleaned up The S and gathered the used bandages you're going already gingi clenched his fists

and looked at her like a sad puppy yes sir I've come almost straight from my trip myself and I'm very tired I wish you would let me get some sleep in that case gingi started but then he shook his head what is it sir Mayo Mayo had a very good guess what it was but she pretended not to know no better not after a major violation of the rules even a small transgression is looked upon harshly a Violation of the rules huh Mayo Mayo looked at gyi's side maybe I'm not being very fair gyi was

a man who could have had anything and everything he desired and yet he was such a straight shooter that it caused him to beat around the bush like this he didn't want to take the shortest route to what he wanted but the one that would be best for the other person too bad that doesn't exist here so it was that mayam Mayo pretended not to know even Though she did not fair of her at all in that case I'll be going sir she tried to make herself smile a little to take the edge off her

unfairness gin's arm was still outstretched but he didn't get off the bed Chu walked Mayo Mayo back to her room she didn't tell any ghost stories this time instead she complained about the stern talking to that swi and had given her while Mayar was busy with ging fum who cleans in the middle of the night no one that's who what do you Think Miss mayom Chu Mayo found out had been forced to polish the floor Sorry Miss Chu it had probably been a convenient way of preventing Chu from bursting into gin's room swiren was as

ever gin's Ally Chu was respectful enough not to ask any questions about what had gone on while Mayo mayo and gingi had been alone together so apparently she knew something about where the line was for a lady in waiting even if the way she looked and acted Suggested exactly the opposite once I drop you off Miss Mayo Mayo I'll be going back to my room Hanky Panky with my husband can wait for another day Miss cheu we don't share the intimate details of our conjugal lives with other people but this stuff isn't anything new to

you is it it's not that's true Mayo Mayo had had to stand guard during the emperor and empress's Hanky Panky not to mention everything the ladies of the pleasure District got up to with their customer Frankly she was more accustomed to human Hanky Panky than insect culation then why worry about Chu and Mayo Mayo were just turning the corner of the hallway when what looked like a white mask darted in front of them wow mayam Mayo's brain didn't process it at first it looked like a floating grinning face Miss mayor mayor asked chew who had

been turned toward her she quickly realized something was a miss and spun around bringing the lamp to Bear then she set Off running after the white mask with mayo close behind when Mayo caught up with cheu she was dangling from the branches of the big tree in the central Courtyard I'm real sorry I lost track of it she draw then she hopped down her hair full of leave War wow who knew they really had ghosts here she looked downright intrigued so that's a f tuman Mayo Mayo had certainly never expected to witness one herself but

based on all the descriptions that was certainly what They seem to have on their hands a genuine flying head chapter 11 the fuma part one the fuman the flying head had first appeared about 2 months ago the first person to witness it was a manservant he'd finished his work and was ambling under the Moonlight when he saw something pale float into view he looked closer and discovered it was a white mask the man assumed it was someone playing a trick but he was too tired for pranks just then he was about To just walk by

when the mask turned and looked at him startled then terrified the man ran away the next morning when he was feeling calmer the man realized he must have just been seeing thing but when he went to where he'd seen the mask the night before he found no trace of anything after that other people started reporting the mysterious mask too some said they'd turned toward a strange noise to find the mask grinning at them others that it had been floating through The air finally more recently stories started circulating of a woman's disembodied head flying through the

Mansion which inspired some to say that it must be a fitan so you saw it too little lady liaku asked around a mouthful of conji mayo Mayo was at the medical office eating with the others and over breakfast she told them what she had seen the night before H what were you doing wandering around the house in the middle of the night yyang Leave it to tianu to spoil a perfectly good conversation his meal consisted entirely of some juice it seemed he was not a Mourning person yeah who knows what might be lurking out there

at night if you can't sleep you should at least stay in your room said the quack doctor who'd prepared himself a hearty breakfast of conji goats milk and fried bread sorry it was sort of spur of the moment Miss cheu invited me May Mayo's apology didn't sound especially Apologetic she was still tired from traveling and on top of that she'd gotten back late from her evening Excursion and then witness this flying head in the end she'd hardly gotten any sleep at all she didn't have much appetite and would have been happy with a breakfast of

juice just like tianu but the quack insisted she have at least a little conji so she was trying to force some out what was he her mother by the way Master liaku what do you mean me too Oh someone came to me asking about the fuman e no one mentioned it to me the quack Quake if he'd still had his mustache it would have been quivering like a loach's whiskers I thought it might be best not to tell you ghosts aren't your favorite topic right liaku said he knew the quack well who was it who

asked you about it no May Mayo was curious the whole thing had happened so late the night before that she'd resolved to worry about it the next day And had quickly said said her goodbyes to Chu one of the servant kids I gave him some candy and now we're friends he makes them sound like a dog or a cat leh haku's repeated visits to the Verdigris house had taught him how to get on kids good side if the apprentices don't like him they'll never take his messages to perin after all why bother demonstrating his new

Talent all the way out here in the western Capital that's what Mayar wanted to know maybe hanging around with The quack just left him with that much time to kill I'm not saying I believe in spirits or whatever liaku added when I asked if you'd seen it I didn't mean well I know you never take that sort of thing seriously now that I have seen it I'm Keen to pin down what it really is I'd be happy to help liaku said I'm off for today though if anything happens wake me up he cleaned his bowl

and went to his room on the first floor to sleep even men of seemingly endless endurance Had to get their rest getting a good sleep after a night on watch was part of leh haku's job a relief guard stood outside the medical office as liaku was leaving a small child came up to the room where's Mr Soldier she asked looking around her face bloodless apparently the military man standing guard at the door didn't count mayoo quickly realized what she meant if you're looking for master liaku he's off duty she said this girl must be the

Servant Le Haku had mentioned she looked to be about 10 years old oh the girl looked disappointed and refused to meet Mayo's eyes mayoo glanced at tianu in the quack would you like me to call for him she asked you'd bother an off duty Soldier tianu burst out he was annoying but right it wouldn't be pretty if their guard was sleep deprived when something happened but leh Haku had told them to wake him up if there was any need liaku was awake and must have heard the noisy Conversation because he came right out of his

room hey there he said Mr Soldier the girl went right over to him we saw it again oh you did what did you see uh a head a woman's head somehow everything kept coming back to this ghost story where did you see it liaku asked outside the grounds keeper he could barely stand up he was so scared all right I hear you where's the grounds keeper now he's out working in the garden but he's white as a sheet good to know here here's some Candy for you yippy the girl skipped out of the medical office

mayoo looked at liaku may I ask you something Master liaku yeah what's that you're not doing this out of personal curiosity are you this is an official investigation I knew you were a sharp one liaku didn't make any effort to hide it he believed there was a chance this flying head was really someone who might mean harm if he was investigating Moreover it was presumably on someone else's orders that tianu he's a heap of trouble liaku muttered to Mayo Mayo it was rare for the sunny cheerful Soldier to complain like that the quack was humming

a tune as he washed the dishes tianu had finished his breakfast and was off brushing his teeth an upper physician had ordered that the medical staff should not have rotting teeth it wouldn't look good that physician being not incidentally Dr Leo sounds like leh Haku and tianu don't get along Mayo had sort of suspected as much the two of you don't click she asked I guess tianu and I we just cut from different cloth maybe it's not like we're going to get into a fight but I'm not sure how to talk to him you know

what I mean Mayo Mayo did indeed know what he meant usually one could solve those Problems by keeping one's distance from the person in question but that wasn't an option here you're saying it wouldn't normally be a Problem but we're in such Close Quarters here that it makes things hard and it might not be so bad if this was someone with whom you could settle things with a fight but tianu is obviously not that kind of person am I right I knew you were a sharp one it's not that I can't handle him but I

don't know what's at his core it's like I can see the branches but not the trunk the Haku seem to have tanu pinned down by sheer Instinct whereas you young lady there's A logic to how you behave whatever you do you can bet there's either poison or drugs at the bottom of it you could at least say drugs or poison please Mayo replied as far as tianu is concerned you're right that his personality has a few wrinkles but I don't think it's anything to be too concerned about he had managed to become a physician after

all and short-handed or not they would never have brought him to the Western Capital if they hadn't thoroughly Investigated his background sure I understand sorry I'm a soldier I guess I'm always thinking in terms of battle battle how do you mean the only thing I know for sure is that I could never trust him to have my back sheer Instinct there was nothing Mayo could say to that she decided to put the topic of tianu aside in any case may I ask did the orders to investigate the fuman come from the Moon Prince yeah that's

right Master gyi told me to there was a name Mayo Mayo didn't hear much from other people these days wish he'd said something to me then again Mayo Mayo did prefer to do things with the absolute minimum of conversation sorry should I have told you I know you if something gets your interest you work on it so hard you forget to eat or sleep and my orders include not letting you run yourself into the ground Mayo Mayo had thought she was keeping her monologue internal But apparently the words had come out of her mouth and

now liaku was apologizing on gin's behalf not let me run myself into the ground huh in that case she could wish that he wouldn't summon her to his room for someone who never stopped piling fresh demands on her gingi sometimes tried to be cons considerate in the strangest way and now there's a floating head involved he was always coming to her with problems that seemed right out of a ghost story it's Strange though liaku said what's strange Mayo Mayo asked other than the flying head I mean that's exactly it when I first heard the story

people talked about a floating mask but over the last 20 days or so a lot of people seem to be reporting a flying head interesting point what I saw looked more like a mask than a head she'd only glimpsed it so she couldn't be sure but that was her initial impression this is that thing we were talking about breakfast hard to Ignore huh Mayo Mayo spun at the voice behind them it was tianu back from brushing his teeth he was grinning liaku didn't look very surprised he seemed to have guessed tianu was there eavesdropping is

Bad Manners you know he said Eaves dropping no no I was just curious how long the two of you would keep chattering together an unmarried man and woman believe us it's nothing like that Mayo may only Haku replied in unison Believe me I don't think it is how much had Tian you heard so that flying head some story huh what said want to let me in on it absolutely not Mayo shot back Tiana's face fell oh why not because you'll tell I will not because you'll get bored in the middle of it and give up

that I might do liaku stayed quiet letting Mayo Mayo handle tianu he really didn't like dealing with the guy I can be useful tianu said if you don't think I can be or if you think I'm a risk or Whatever it's just because you don't know how to use me do you also refuse to use scissors because you could cut yourself with them mayoo looked at liaku he looked back as if to say it was up to her after a long moment Mayo Mayo said just don't get in our way yeah there was The faintest

Gleam in tanu's eyes Mayo mayo and tianu started by going out into the Courtyard where Mayo Mayo had seen the fat man the night before so what happens now tianu asked although he Sounded like he didn't much care what happens now is you show us just how useful you can be Mr scissors mayam said looking around the courtyard she told liaku to get some sleep since he'd been on duty the previous night but had convinced him to leave his map of the mansion with her meanwhile they told the quack they were just going to run

a little errand so their investigation had to be quick you have to tell scissors which paper you want them to cut Although you can stab any old thing from behind with them Mayo Mayo didn't respond to that it sounded like tanu was miffed that she and Le Haku didn't trust him he is who he is though his commitment to ethics seemed well less than enthusiastic how about we start by looking around all the areas the spirit is supposed to have appeared Mayo Mayo suggested yeah sure the courtyard was where the mysterious Masque was most often

cited most of the reports place it By that tree or on top of that building mayoo said looking at her blueprint for an Annex this place was pretty big oh tianu said looking from the tree to the building and back this was the same tree chew had been dangling from last night there was still a bunch of leaves under it suggesting the ground hadn't cleaned up yet anything catch your eye Mayo Mayo asked nah what about you nyang that was what he always called her she'd given up trying to correct him but these days Even

the other doctors were starting to do it it was very frustrating uh couple of things first she looked at the tree this tree isn't quite like the others I've seen growing in the western Capital it's bigger and taller paer yeah so what doesn't it make you curious different kinds of plants means different possible medicines you can make from them we need to get a little closer to be certain what we're dealing with though okay and that has What to do with why we're here that TI if he wasn't specifically interested in something you couldn't get

him to lift a finger for it he was no fun Mayo Mayo concluded giving him a sour look what's the other thing tianu asked the other thing is that the fuman reported inside the house seems to take the form of either a mask or a face outside however people claim to see a head I'm sorry how are a head and a face different what did you see anyway Nang a mask I'd say I Spotted it just as it disappeared around the corner of that hallway toward this Courtyard she pointed to the place a mask so

it didn't look like a head to you no definitely a mask or a face but some of the reports describe it as a head the discrepancy nettled Mayo Mayo a head is basically the three-dimensional version of a mask right tianu said he was clever and he'd immediately put his finger on something key I'm not completely sure we can put it that way Way but I couldn't help wondering I was thinking I'd investigate that tree go right ahead need anything from me the dull scissors had finally decided to sharpen up if you'd be so kind then

Mayo took a handkerchief from the folds of her robe and wrapped it around a rock she found on the ground tossed this into the branches for me yeah sure you make it sound so easy despite his grumbling tianu tossed The Rock beautifully catching the cloth on a branch it wasn't Exactly proper etiquette for a court lady to be climbing a tree a handkerchief that had been blown away would provide a convenient excuse Mayo Mayo trotted up to the trunk of the tree the plant was a broad Lea thing almost 6 M tall osmanthus she observed

a tree that produced a profusion of small strong smelling blossoms that could be used for making osmanthus wine or floral tea Mayo Mayo grabbed onto the trunk and had just gotten off the ground when she Exclaimed yuck her hand was covered in half-dried bird doodo the stuff was all over the tree gross tianu offered keep it to yourself please said Mayo Mayo she studied the gunk on her hand then gave it a vigorous sniff are you uh smelling that tianu asked unable to ignore what he was was seeing Mayo Mayo however just stared at the

ground then poked something she saw there with a stick hey what are you up to tenu asked more confused than ever mayoo picked up two Small twigs and held them like Chopsticks H you're picking it up you're picking something out of poop using Chopsticks he backed up a step giving her a profoundly suspicious look Mayo Mayo was wasn't exactly thrilled to be doing this but there was a lot you could learn from animal dun in addition to the not quite dry bird droppings the space under the tree was home to something that looked like hairballs

they came from specific kinds of birds some of Them would spit up things they couldn't digest this bird appears to eat mainly bugs Mayo Mayo said dissecting the hair ball with a stick inside she discovered insect wings and legs well yeah Birds usually do right there's some fur in here too probably from a mouse or something she also spotted some bones alongside the fur and insect bits so it eats mice probably from a hawk or some other bird of prey then bugs were one thing but if this bird was eating mice Then it had to

be of a certain size yeah however Mayo Mayo looked around the wealth of water and green scery in this house attracted a fair number of birds but she didn't see anything that looked big enough to eat mice at least not at the moment a bird like that would have scared off its smaller cousins anyway Mayo Mayo gave it another moment's thought then looked at the building it's not possible to get up on that roof is it she said I don't want me to throw Another handkerchief up there think you could get it that far doubt

it this didn't seem to be getting them anywhere mayama was just thinking it was time to go back when something moved at the edge of her vision she looked toward it and saw some ltis work decoration under the eaves I changed my mind I do want to climb up to the roof but there's no way up there's got to be something let's find a ladder easy for you to say we probably have to ask The groundskeeper which tianu didn't look about to do his interests seemed to be flagging the groundkeeper that was the old man

who'd said he'd seen the head yesterday wasn't it Mayo Mayo headed for where the grounds keeper was cleaning up excuse me could we possibly borrow a ladder what you think you can just March up and demand something like that the grounds keeper was looking very put upon he seemed all around gloomy maybe on Account of his strange encounter the day before they told us to be polite to the visitors but they never said we had to help you climb up and mess around on the roofs and right they were too Tian said whose side is

he on tianu was obviously not going to be any help Mayo Mayo would have to persuade this man on her own I think there's a bird nesting under the roof she said nesting you know now that you mention it there have been a lot of dropping things around lately yes sir Having bird nests around can only mean more work so I thought maybe I'd clean it up I would be perfectly happy if I could just keep any eggs I happen to find they're a medicinal ingredient you know medicinal you don't even know what kind of

bird it is up there true sir but most eggs are very nutritious regardless of species mama was sort of making things up as she went most egg were edible at least if you cooked them then she added one last little push I think I Might know what's behind the ghost that's been terrorizing everyone lately e you do really the groundkeeper said yes sir she replied confident she could solve at least half the riddle the groundkeeper found a ladder for them in short order but it was old and rickety and wobbled when they placed it on

the ground let me guess you want me to climb up on the roof tianu said you say that almost as if you didn't want to I don't even myomo didn't think she could impose On the old grounds keeper to climb up to the roof so she resolved to do it herself the only problem was the gaggle of servants and bureaucrats that had begun to form once the big ladder was put out in the courtyard didn't they have anything better to do sadly none of them volunteered to climb in Mayo's place they just stood and stared

one of them incidentally was the original official with too much time on his hands gyi was There everyone else took a few steps back at the arrival of this VI ginshi looked at what was going on a gast then said something to bason bason nodded and came over to Mayo Mayo his duck following him politely it looks like you're going to climb that ladder let me do it what do you need up there you'll climb up there for me master Bas frankly if that was the choice Mayo Mayo would rather go herself Bon's athletic prowess

wasn't in question but she worried that He might not improvise quickly enough besides who knows what he might do with his outrageous strength the duck gave a flap of its wings as if to cheer him on Mayo Mayo's disquiet only increased you needn't trouble yourself I can do it she said firmly but bason would not be deterred I told you I'll go up there what do you need me to do bason was clearly here on the presumption that he was going to handle this task Mayo Mayo would have to bend I think I think now

That a bird has made a nest in the rafters of the roof if you find it do you think you could catch the bird for me a bird ah Birds I know how to handle he said with a glance back at his duck domestic ducks however did not fly I suspect this bird is nocturnal so it's probably asleep right now if you could sneak up there very quietly so it doesn't wake up please if you can reach it grab it understood Basin was raring to go May felt less and less sure about This master Basin

one cannot get into Paradise if one takes a life unnecessarily remember try not to strangle the poor thing try not to strangle it Basin immediately sounded well smaller this is bad bad bad she definitely felt an ominous Ripple of foreshadowing she seriously considered waking liaku and asking him to handle this but then she looked up at the rafters again he would never be able to fit between them you know considering The size of the space up there I definitely think I should should do this she said no no no I'll go You You Can Count

On Me bason responded then he set off up the ladder Mayo's anxiety mounting with every step if there was a silver lining here it would be that Basin was so sturdy that he wouldn't hurt himself if he fell bason made the top of the ladder then peered in through the lattice work along the roof line he shot Mayo Mayo an all good gesture guess That means means there's a nest up there the lattice work was designed to be removable and Basin Pride it away he ran a rope through it and lowered it to the ground

then wedged himself into the roof space the entire assembled crowd Mayo Mayo included swallowed hard everyone seemed strangely silent then Mayo Mayo realized that Chu had wandered up at some point and was holding a board on which she'd written quiet plea for a long moment nothing happened and then There was a loud crash shoot it got away bason exclaimed oh come on mayam was beside herself but Chu put down her board and scrambled up the ladder what was she doing she took up a position in front of the open roof space and as a small

object came flashing out she caught it in a net everyone once again including Mayo Mayo was stunned into silence at Jew's display of dexterity where'd she get that net from Mayo Mayo wondered gotcha Chu cried and held the Net Aloft she looked so thoroughly proud of herself that it was hard not to be a little annoyed she always did love to be the center of attention and she'd found a perfect opportunity a hubub spread throughout the courtyard but when ginshi the most important person there told everyone to get back to work they obligingly scattered once

the gawkers had moved on the rest of them could see exact what was in Chu's NE what in the world is this gin shei asked he and Bas Looked equally astonished judging from basin's reaction the bird had gotten away from him before he'd seen exactly what it looked like Chu had captured an owl about 30 cm in size it didn't look like a normal owl though the most striking thing about it was its face which was eerie and strange round and white the feathers r in its face were black and if it were somewhere dark

and the owl had its wings tucked in it might well look like a white Mark however Isn't it kind of small tianu asked unimpressed he didn't hesitate to throw himself into the conversation in spite of gin's presence the moon Prince himself Mayo Mayo jabbed him with her elbow oops Moon Prince sir I didn't realize you were here very sorry Mayo Mayo was coming to think that tianu was not very concerned with etiquette not that she was in any position to judge gin's expression was somewhat hard but superficially he wore a smile befitting One who lived

above the clouds a nobleman considering the commotion it would have been difficult not to notice but what exactly were you doing he asks playing innocent are we may or may Thor here he'd even sent bason to do the Dirty Work mayam Maya worried what tianu would say if left to his own devices stepped forward before he could speak sir rumor has it that an apparition has been spotted in and around this house of late the soldier attached to the Physicians told me that he'd heard about it from a servant and he's been investigating it on

his patrols of the Mansion the same servant came to him again this very morning but as our soldier was on guard Duty last night I hesitated to make him deal with it himself myo assumed cheu would have filled gyi in on their experiences of the night before as a matter of fact I myself encountered what I take to be that Spirit just last night so I wanted To help find out what was going on and what about this physician with you presumably he has medical duties to attend to ginshi looked at tianu coldly damn she

knew it hadn't been a good idea to let tianu get involved she glowed at him he however stepped forward with an innocent look my humble apologies he said as elaborately as possible I begged her to let me accompany her Mayo Mayo here is far more accomplished in the mixing of medicines Than my inadequate self and has been graciously teaching me a great deal when she said that she wished to examine the courtyard I simply assumed she meant she was going to hunt for herbs and other ingredients and followed along why you little he was acting

exceptionally polite and wasn't even getting her name wrong mayam Mayo thought gin's eyes glinted even more brightly oh I see I think I understand what's going on here you believe this bird is the alleged Spirit yes uh anyway that's half the answer May May looked at the owl this place is too public ging she said perhaps I could ask you a few more questions somewhere else certainly sir Mayo said and off they went chapter 12 the foman part two gingi studied the animal in the cage I've never seen a bird with a face quite like

this before I never imagined they had moved to gin's Chambers where he sat in the place of honor with swiren Tay and cheu around Him as well as Bas for his bodyguard Mayo suspected Bon's older brother baru was nearby as well but she didn't expect to actually see him at any point gon was absent whether he was off duty or on some other errand she didn't know for some reason tianu was there too smiling away pretend you have work or something and get out of here Mayo Mayo thought at him but if seemed like something

interesting was going on tianu would make it his business to be a part of it What made you think a bird like this might be the true identity of our Fatu man jingi asked Mayo Mayo closed her eyes she would have to be careful not to give tianu any information that might tip him off so the first thing that struck me as odd was the word mask people said they had seen it by the tree or on the roof of the building so my first thought was to look near the tree my encounter with the

alleged Spirit also took the form of a mask chew had Noticed the tree as well Mayo's investigation had turned up bird droppings and not those of a small bird but rather a fairly large carnivorous one I've seen small birds flying through the house during the day so it occurred to me that if there was a predator around they might well be nocturnal so that was when you realized there was a bird behind the these Apparition how did you prove it once I knew about this bird sir it was a fairly Simple guess I'd never seen

one myself but I had heard of birds with faces that looked like masks there was a picture of one in the encyclopedia of animals that I got at the Apothecary shop where I used to work although I admit I didn't pay it much M the first time I saw it she trusted gyi would know which encyclopedia she was referring to one of the books brought out of the shei clan Fortress it was in gin's keeping at the moment if he brought it to the Western Capital he might be able to look at it an encyclopedia

gingi said with a glance at Tay she brought out an armload of books chew helping to carry those she couldn't fit in her armed the books included the Encyclopedia of medicinal herbs along with those about insects and animals those were shy Clan books but there were several others Mayo Mayo had never seen guess he didn't waste any time digging them out after yesterday she was impressed by how quickly he Worked this is what we would call appropriately enough a masked owl she said no normal owl would give the impression of a flying mask and this

one has an unusual coloration this owl boasted feathers so dark they were almost black usually even birds with dark colored bodies had white feathers on their bellies but other than its face this one was a uniform dark brown it would be easy to miss it in the night a masked owl that's this isn't it gyi Asked opening to the relevant page of the she Clan encyclopedia coloring aside the unsettling mask-like face certainly matched the bird in the cage tianu raised his hand may I ask something go ahead gingi sounded somewhat more commanding than usual I

agree it looks like it's wearing a mask but doesn't it seem a bit small it's a little undersized to be a person's face tianu peered into the cage at the bird the animal wasn't fighting in fact it looks Sleepy if they put some nesting material in with it maybe it would doze off the human eye is unreliable Mayar replied it might be only the white part you'd see floating in midair but I think it would look bigger than it is then Mayo took a piece of paper from the folds of her robe she was just

looking for writing utensils when Chu took some out and offered them to her she was Nimble that was for sure incidentally she hadn't spared the annoyed looks at bason who Would almost let the bird Escape Mayo Mayo made four dots on the paper right where a person's eyes mouth and nose would be and held it up for gyi and Tian people will perceive anything as a human face as long as the dots are in the right place it's like how we sometimes see faces in the knots of wooden pillars so now we know what the

mysterious mask was Tiana said he reached into the cage and poked the owl which didn't particularly react Tome appeared Carrying a small dish of raw chicken meat it seemed she was more generous with owls than with ducks maybe two Predators knew each other so the bird gets meat Tay picked up a piece of chicken with a pair of Chopsticks and held it out the owl promptly took it it showed no aversion to food offered by humans what about the head though you said you'd solved half the riddle does that mean you think the head is

something else tianu was no fool he Remembered exactly what may Mayo had said a mask and a head what does that mean gingi asked mayoo began to explain taking the chance to review everything she knew Witnesses began reporting it about 2 months ago at the time some people reported a mask and some said they saw a head but in the last 20 days or so most Witnesses have reported a head what's more they reported outside the mansion in my case I saw the mask but no head so you think the mask and The head a

different thing if this bird accounts for the mask then what's the head gin she asked about that Mayo Mayo glanced at Chu yeah whatever do you need is there something you want from Miss Chu it's not you is it Miss Chu Mayo considered the timeline the head had been witnessed starting about 20 days earlier or in other words right about the time Mayo mayo and the others had arrived in the western capital and there was one member of their party who seemed Especially prone into doing unusual thing how could you Miss May Mayo hasn't Miss

cheu been with you the last several days Mayo Mayo had to admit that was true they'd been working in the fields together it was just a hypothesis she said but I feel like this owl has given me a big piece of the puzzle as the owl ate its chicken she looked at its leg there she spotted a small well-crafted metal ring I don't think think it will take us long at all to find out the Truth about the head we just have to set a little trap she smiled at the owl with the unsettling face

and gave it a pat on the head the next day Chu appeared at the medical office Mayar had cleaned up from breakfast and was helping the quack make some medicines a look at gin's Encyclopedia of herbs had given her some idea as to which of the specimens she'd collected might be useful and they were experimenting are you a prophet it Miss Mayo Chu asked blinking I take it you Caught the culprit you weren't too rough with them were you what in the world are you two talking about I'm so confused said the quack who was

in no way part of this conversation it seemed like a lot of work to explain things to him so Mayo decided to just have him keep working on the medicines when he was done with that she suspected he would make them tea Chu needed no invitation to make herself at home she sat in a chair and waited for the quack to bring her some sweets the Conversation with mayo Mayo almost seemed ancillary to her goal of treats don't worry it was just like you said Miss Mayo Mayo we watched the owl's cage all night long

and when the bird suddenly started making a Ruckus we searched the premis it was the strangest thing we found a woman dressed all all in black and wearing a bizarre mask Chu related all this with great good cheer while also grabbing a sip of the tea the quack doctor politely produced the Accompanying snacks were dried fruit a very Western capitales treat really wow who knew Mayo Mayo said a bit taken aack herself to find that her prediction had been so on the mark so was this the person who was keeping the owl Bingo Chu formed

a large circle with both arms a gesture of confirmation Mayo thought about the owl they'd caught it was pretty obvious it was a domestic bird the way it had something on its leg and wasn't worried about being in a cage or Eating chicken that had already been cut up for it I don't think this is an animal she was just keeping temporarily she's had it a long time oh plus there's something that's been bothering me about the witness testimony specifically a commonality between the reports of the mosque which had started two months earlier and the

reports of the head which dated from 20 days ago two months ago wouldn't that be just about the time Empress koku's Infamous niece was about To leave for the capital oh Chu said evidently catching Mayo Mayo's drift suppose the owl was intended to be one of the offerings to be taken to the Imperial City but it somehow got away Mayo Mayo said Oh Oh you mean maybe she was trying to catch it so she could have another chance to offer it to the Imperial family now that a member has come all the way here all

right but why the mask trying to hide her identity mayam Mayo had an idea about that Although it wasn't a clear or certain answer just one of her guesses Miss May Mayo Chu said Miss Chu may act silly but she's nobody's fool she would understand that your opinion was just one possibility and would never accept it uncritically it was Chu's roundabout way of saying spit it out already mayam Mayo saw little choice but to oblige I suspect the mask and the black outfit are to make this person look more like the owl's mother cheu Cocked

her head at that are you familiar with imprinting Mayo Mayo asked oh yes Miss sh knows all about that it means that when a bird hatches from its egg it thinks the first thing it sees is its mother the same way the duck feels about my little brother-in-law yes exactly I think maybe whoever raised the owl intended to return it to the Wild and wanted to make sure it didn't imprint on a human face oh judging by the owl's droppings it was catching its own food Which meant it knew how to hunt however it can

and will accept meat from a human hand mayau said domesticate an interesting looking bird like that and a rich person might buy it as a curiosity or it could be given as an offering to the nobility but its keeper didn't want it to end up that way so she let it go or maybe it escape this is only a hypothesis remember Mayo Mayo refused to speak with certainty it was her bad luck though that the owl took up residence Right in Master guoku Yu's Annex and when a member of the Imperial family arrived to stay

there well I'll how terrible hypothesis Mayo Mayo repeated she realized the ow would be quicker to come to her if she dressed the way she had while she was Raising it then when she caught it she planned to release it somewhere far away somewhere people would never find it hpo s don't worry I know perhaps the keeper had used some kind of bird whistle the owl had Responded but hadn't come outside regardless of whether Mayo's guess was accurate it did gain them one thing the person in black is the owl's keeper right Mayo Mayo asked

yes indeed chew chirped they grinned at each other the quack still out of the loop was visibly intimidated by two people who looked to him like they were up to no good if May was right that this person had raised the bird from a fledgling it would bring them close to solving one particular Problem nanzen the former surf had spoken of the windreader tribe and how the Yi Clan had granted the tribe their protection but I'm betting they didn't earn the protection of a major Clan by just ritually scratching in the dirt there was also

the question of how they had actually gotten rid of the insects they found mayoo felt herself being led to one conclusion the the wind readers had kept birds as she had suggested to gingi they might well have used the Creatures to communicate a fast reliable means of carrying messages would have been very valuable for starters mayoo decided she wanted to meet this masked strange chapter 13 the windreader tribe Chu LED Mayo to where the suspect was being kept May Mayo could hear someone shouting I told you already this is all a big misunderstanding The Voice

seemed a bit too strident to be a woman's but when mayam Mayo saw the suspect she Understood it's some kid she said the child was perhaps 10 years old with narrow eyes and lighter skin more characteristic of a resident of caou Province than someone from the Western capital and although her features looked boyish the long hair tied back behind her head suggested that this person was indeed a girl in general men of the western Capital even young boys wore head scarves or otherwise had their hair back in long braid it was probably the Mask and

the long hair that had caused her to be mistaken for a grown woman I'm not just some kid she said puffing out her cheeks which did not help her case there in the room with the suspicious child were goosun te bason and another guard mayoo saw frequently but whose name she didn't know Mayo Mayo ta May called to her narrowing her differently colored eyes Lady te why are you here Mayo Mayo asked she didn't seem like the kind of person who would normally be Present at an interrogation which wasn't to say she didn't seem like

she would be very good at it first they thought she was a woman then they decided she was a little boy whereupon my second son announced that he would conduct the in interogation imagine what happened when he realized he was dealing with a girl child ah said may she could imagine why is Master gaos shun here then bason wasn't very good at dealing with women how bad was he bad Enough that there were fears that he would never succeed in leaving children for posterity if you aren't concerned to be alone with teom and Bas XO

I can leave G yosan said although the furrow in his brow was deeper than usual May m decided to roll with it mother bason groan here he was performing an interrogation under the watchful eye of his parents talk about overprotective the girl was just a child was that still too much for Basin to Handle he seems to cope with me and Miss chew all right she could understand when it came to chew she was something of a rare Beast maybe Bas viewed Mayo Mayo falling into the same category it made her frown a little isn't

the questioning going well want Miss Chu to handle things Chu asked approaching with a bright smile no Miss cheu you're help won't be necessary said taom ow but I'm so good with kids cheu unspooled a string of flags from her sleeve I'm Sorry but if I may ask how far has the questioning gotten Mayo said breaking in between the daughter-in-law and the Mother-in-law the members of the May Clan were all very characterful and Mayo feared getting left behind if she didn't take the initiative to insert herself into the conversation Bon's duck could be seen sticking

her bill into the room to get a look at what was going on but she didn't actually come in she was scared of Tay pardon me at the moment This child her name is kumu rumu it's written like this T said sketching the characters on the table I see thank you Mayo said the name didn't sound much like something from the area of the imperial capital if anything it had the Ring of something from shower or even farther west tell her tell her I'm just a beautiful young lady whose only crime was trying to get

back the bird I raised beautiful young lady everyone looked at kumu whatever else she Certainly had a high opinion of herself at the moment however saying so only seemed likely to get them further off track she maintains that the only thing she wants is her bird back and that she has no malicious intent of any kind and she has informed us in no uncertain terms that as such we should return the animal to her and let her go to explained quite a demanding little so and so Chu said Mayo thoughts exactly who cared I raised

that bird here look At this you can see it likes me I'm not sure I can the bird refused to look at kumu even at such close range the creature appeared to be wearing a strange mask I told you I need this kumu put on a mask to compliment her black outfit finally the all turned in her Direction he see I raised it from an egg and I was dressed like this the whole time meaning it would respond to anybody dressed like that not just you Mayo observed Kuma's jaw practically Hit the Floor no it's

true you've got to believe me how can you not trust such a sweet innocent child she looked like she might burst into tears I even know it's favorite food my but you are cute it's chicken Tay said taking a piece of meat in her Chopsticks and holding it out to the owl who hopped over and greedily pecked it up kumu looked even more scandalized it turns out you don't need black pajamas as long as you have food behind her mask kumu let out what Sounded like a choked SOB bason meanwhile was just standing there not

saying a word is father was on top of things in fact he looked an awful lot like gyosen who stood beside him obviously praying that nothing would happen no I I raised it it's mine kumu insisted and can you prove that to us Mayo Mayo asked I ww wish I could gosh Miss Mayo Mayo you're as ruthless with children as you are with everyone else Chu said pure Peanut Gallery at this Point while teay held out more chicken cheu it seemed was being differential toward her mother-in-law despite the Liberties she appeared to take with her

father-in-law and brother-in-law it's easy to be critical but even children can start a proverbial fire when you're sneaking around a powerful person's house you're going to get in trouble for it even if you're a kid right Mayo Mayo said said fair enough cheu took the chicken and was about to pop it into her Own mouth oh miss cheu raw chicken is dangerous cook it first if you're going to eat it oops my mistake cheu might have been a Gourmand with an iron stomach but even she should probably steer clear of raw pork and chicken I

am mean it I raised it I hatched the egg myself kumu said is that so and where did you get the egg how did you hatch it and how did the owl Escape tell us that Mayo Mayo asked kumu took another great sniff then started to talk the EEG I I Got it from someone this Hunter who was friends with my dad he said he didn't need it but my dad didn't want to buy it a hunter yeah he was out Hawking and he found it in this Nest so he brought it back with him

he thought my dad could hatch it and raise it to sell to some rich guy and this bird had been what emerged how did you hatch the egg then Dad always keeps the room nice and warm he uses plenty of fuel and if it gets too Hot we open the window and about five times a day he flips the egg I couldn't use any fuel though so I kept it tucked close to me you know like the the way a motherb bird might it hatched after about 5 days I'm sure she's right duck eggs are

hatched the same way Bas volunteered he ought to know he'd looked after those ducks for long enough Mayar was only Vaguely Familiar with methods of hatching eggs but it sounded about right This time bason turned to mayam Maya well what do you think I think it sounds plausible to detailed to be a story she concocted on the spot agreed interesting to find out ducks and owls are hatched the same way interesting but unfortunately for bason irrelevant why was he so infatuated with ducks these days anyway yes it's all basically plausible but something still nagged at

her so you raised this ow with the intention to sell it um no I didn't Thought not Mayo Mayo plucked a handful of Kuma's black outfit you were hoping to return it to the wild weren't you after a second Kuma replied yeah I even taught it how to catch mice and bugs so it could hunt for itself but then it was sold out from under you yeah by my stupid dad she clenched her fists when he saw its unusual face and funny color he waited until I was out somewhere and he sold it he never

even asked me I didn't have a mate for it so I was going To let it go back to the woods that was the whole point of this suffocating costume kumu was obviously Furious but it was hardly an unusual story in lie the head of the household was generally entitled to do as he wished with the possessions of the women and children I guess maybe it would be more surprising if you lived somewhere women were in a stronger position May Mayo thought daughters were commonly treated as tools to be used in political marriages or as

A way to gain a dowy selling a girl to the pleasure quarter was in essence much the same thing I understand perhaps I could ask you a few questions while I get my thoughts in order these questions are based entirely on my assumptions so please correct me if I'm wrong okay kumu sniffed and nodded your father isn't a foner himself but makes his money domesticating Hawks and other unusual birds and selling them to wealthy people is that right kumu nodded he hunts too But pets sell for more and whom did he sell the owl to

was it the daughter of Master guoku Yu the owner of this house no she's his adopted daughter the Nightingale King doesn't have a real daughter that age Kuma had stopped sniffling she sounded strikingly clear and forceful the Nightingale King Mayo Mayo asked she'd never heard that expression before adopted daughters were hardly unusual anyway she hadn't expected that to be the point to make Kumu bristle it's the name of the main character in this play he solves the hardest problems with speed and Grace the story is modeled on some Old Duke someone stuck guoku you with

the nickname cuz his name means Jade Nightingale kumu might have looked young but mayoo was starting to appreciate that she was a pretty sharp kid with a highly developed vocabulary for someone her age Master gyoku you certainly seems popular in the western capital I guess It helps that he's the oldest son of Master gookin who made this city what it is but he's real friendly he'll even talk to commoners is is that right Mayo found that this man YuYu didn't quite make sense to her right now though there were more important questions to ask so

your owl was sold to master guoku Yu's daughter but then it escaped and started living here in this house right pretty much how did you learn the owl had gotten out oh well the culprit came to Me and apologized the culprit Mayo May glanced at Chu ta May and bason looked equally surprised I might not look like much but I've got connections with the guoku household they even taught me to write wow and here you just look like a filthy little kid chew muttered are you calling filthy I'm a gorgeous woman just like I said

kumu snapped apparently she was over her crying fit I'd be very interested if you could explain if I may say so you don't look like someone whose Station would normally allow access to this Mansion beom had put it a different way but she was essentially saying the same thing as Chu gayos shun could only look pleadingly at his wife and daughter-in-law silently begging them not to be quite so rude I was real close with gyoku u mom Master guokun wife she's a relative of my dad's that's the way we got into to selling Birds to

Rich folk I actually saw koku's daughter or whoever when we handed the bird over I Tried to ask her to give it back but it was like she didn't know what to do guess she can't just give away something she got from my dad so it was the daughter who let the bird go mayam Mayo suggested she had to admit she didn't have the most favorable feelings toward the young woman who had been sent to the imperial capital as part of a political Ploy but it wasn't the girl's fault indeed she didn't seem like a

bad person as such couldn't tell you all I got was A message it got away sorry I knew what they meant was they wanted me to catch it like I said like I said innocent I don't know about that you gave the residents of this house an awful fright said Mayo Maya kumu growled sounding like a wild dog I think we've got the idea now miss Mayo said cheu yeah as far as it goes but that's not far enough for you is it Miss Mayo there's something else you want to ask about Chu was right

Mayo Wasn't primarily interested in why kumu had been lurking around the Mansion all right maybe you can compensate us for the trouble you've caused by answering a few questions yes I think that's a fine idea here said not kumu but T mayoo kept one eye on T as she said your family raises bird do you ever use them as a means of communication not these days I guess we used to back in the day and we know these people who raise pigeons mayam Crossed her arms thoughtfully did you ever practice falconry then yeah we did

Dad just gave it up cuz he thought he'd make more selling stuff to rich people we used to hunt rabbits even foxes sometimes that's the whole reason he didn't want this egg you need Falcons or Hawks to hunt big enough game to make it worth it what's better to have around right a pet or something that can hunt pets are easier to raise though she was right an owl would only be able to hunt Mice or small rabbits at Best in that case could you train the birds you rais to hunt only specific animals kumu

frowned at that we never did but I guess it's not impossible sometimes people feed birds one specific thing from the day they hatch to influence their diets that way or you can give them specific rewards based on what they hunt for you see in falconry when the bird brings a kill back you trade it for food they could Learn what gets them their favorite treats and then they might start looking more for those things yes kumu was a sharp one all right not withstanding her shrill voice she was far more grown up than her contemporary

Chu you that means maybe you could teach Birds to Target grasshoppers Mayo mused grasshoppers bason said immediately whatever he thought was going on it made him turn toward the duck whose bill was still peeking through the crack in the door Grasshoppers kumu Echo you'd need a bird that wasn't very big like this guy and they like meat better so it' be more practical to teach them to trade grasshoppers for food I see one more question then moo said she took in a deep breath then let the words out all at once are you a member

of the wind reader tribe that set kumu back on her heels for a moment how do you know that name Mayo Mayo clenched her fist so you know about them kumu the self-proclaimed Beautiful woman crossed her arms and went um then she said I'm not sure I'd go that far I've heard my great grandpa used to go by that name back when everyone was still living on the plains my grandma mentioned it to me a few times but I wouldn't say I know much about them would you tell us what you do know I done

kumu was very pleased to discover she had something Mayo wanted can't tell yay for free she smirked she wanted money a predatory pair of eyes Glinted behind her speaking of free perhaps you'd prefer to be handed over to the authorities Tay was smiling for some reason bason who wasn't even involved here shrank back and even the owl fluttered its wings and quivered goosun War the impassive expression of a monk contemplating emptiness while Chu appeared to be pretending to be a tree kumu grimaced no wonder even gun lived in awe of his wife Mayo coughed pointedly

the negotiating is already Over you answer our questions and we don't give you to the law there's also the matter of certain future treatment yes for example we're still considering what will happen to this owl om said picking up the theme fine I get it my grandma told me that way back in the old days one of the nomadic tribes was attacked and most of them were killed she said the women were taken as brides and the kids were sold as slaves that accorded with what mayoo had learned but Something bothered her I heard the

wind readers used Birds would this mean that their method of hatching and raising those animals didn't die with them sorry I don't think I put it quite the right way the wind readers were wiped out at least that half of them were that half Mayo mayo and the others stared at kumu openmouth yeah sure the wind readers were always wandering the plains doing some sort of ritual or whatever so why would they all Go everywhere together in a big Clump it's better to split up right especially since they could use bird Birds to talk to

each other and stuff okay so I don't know for sure if it was exactly half maybe it was a third even a quarter my great grandpa was with one of them what happened to the rest of them Mayo Mayo asked everyone treats the wind readers as if they were gone and the ritual wasn't able to continue was it got to say I don't really know my Great grandpa was from the party of the tribe that survived I guess but he died when my grandma was about 10 she said he taught her a bunch of stuff

about birds but that by that time they weren't Nomads anymore he was already living in town she said they never had to worry about food though cuz he had a regular customer who bought the pigeons he raised a regular customer I guess probably some VIP from somewhere she said but that was all she told me I Don't think she knew much about it herself everyone fell absolutely silent h hey did I say something wrong no mayo Mayo said slowly No in fact thank you very much for the first time she truly appreciated what was meant

by a bolt from the blue no that wasn't quite true she'd thought kumu might have been somehow tangentially connected to the wind reader tribe but she had never expected to come so close to the heart of the matter so can I take my friend Here home or what I found the perfect place to let it go you finally got it back and you're going to release it Mayo Mayo asked that was always the plan it's what my grandma taught me Mayo caught T's eye she gave a single nod and Mayo handed the Caged word to

kumu who broke into a big smile perhaps you'd answer one final question for me yeah kumu was in High Spirits now that she had her owl back mayoo could see her front teeth as she spoke you said your Father was a relative of Master guoku mother can I assume that his mother was also a member of the windreader tribe couldn't say for sure about that she seemed to like birds a lot though and definitely knew how to handle them if guoku Yu's mother was a windreader a great many pieces of this puzzle would start to

fall into play this is some valuable information but if Mayo believed what kumu had told her it would also produce several contradiction for Example if the windreader tribe wasn't completely annihilated why didn't they continue the ritual after the attack it would call into question the point of what Nan Zen's surf had been doing then there was the question of why the surviving wind readers had disappeared yes a great many questions I can think of a possibility suppose someone let people think the wind readers had been destroyed and then put their talents to other uses people

who could communicate Information quickly would have a tactical Advantage if you could corrala people who had been wiped out and keep them in one place there would be any number of uses for them it made sense when mayam thought about kumu great-grandfather who had already been living in town it would also explain his rather untimely demise once the necessary knowledge had been passed along people who remembered the past would only be a hindrance Hey Ye can I go home now may a m snapped out of her revery when kumu poked her she must have gotten

lost in thought sorry about that could you tell us how to contact you I might be able to introduce you to a client who'd be very interested in your birds yikes why do you look so scary apparently kumu wasn't being taken in by Mayo Mayo's attempt at a smile she was trying to look friendly but instead her face conveyed I'll be damned if I Let this precious source of information slip through my fingers don't worry we would never mistreat a child come now won't you introduce us to your daddy T asked eyes bright kumu twitched

then nodded Tay is too strong Mayo thought she was a masterpiece of a woman in a way distinct from either swin or The Madam it's gotten awfully quiet Chu was restraining herself and bason had adopted his father's studiously contemplative Expression mayam Maya wondered if this was how ga had been fashioned into the man he was today presently he stood there doing what appeared to be his best impression of a wall they sent kumu home with one of the men's servants then teay summoned Maya would there happen to be anything you're still not telling us she

asked her tone was polite but the message was unmistakable if you know something spit it out I have my suspicions mom but they're nothing more Than that guesses full of of absurd conjecture I hesitate even to give voice to them Lumen had taught mayoo that she had to take responsibility for her words she wasn't about to draw concrete conclusions on nothing but the strength of unproven assumptions perhaps but my our Master isn't looking for crystal clear conclusions it's in his nature to take in everything that he can perhaps you could share your thoughts with us

in order to help him consider how to Prepare for what's going to happen she turned those Predators eyes on mayam out with it they said very well mom she knew Tay would take whatever she said to their Master ginshi don't tell me I think you should speak to him directly I really don't think it would be a problem for us to Simply talk here she was confident Tay wouldn't twist her words when telling gingi about them by no means my husband was just saying that the moon Prince could use a chance to relax a little

excuse me T's smile was almost mischievous Mayo Mayo glowed at her but she could do no more than that chapter 14 the past and the possible the beautiful room was suffused with the rich Aroma of tea the tea which was served ploop ploop ploop out of a foreign style teapot was red as a rose this was dark tea in the most literal sense mayoo observed as she savored the smell people sometimes took this kind of Tea with sugar or cow's milk but may Mayo declined them she couldn't abide sweetened tea so what's your take on

the matter asked gyi who managed to look elegant just stirring some milk into his drink with a spoon that was the right way to do it to avoid making himself sick to his stomach swiren had heated the milk to make it easy easier on his digestive system Mayar sat across the table from him and sipped her own tea are we sure about this is this the right Setting for this conversation taom had led mayoo directly to gin's chamers but no matter how you sliced it she found herself at a tea party swiren didn't appear to

object meaning they had her tacit approval but may couldn't help wandering here for you the old lady had said with a smile as she pushed tea toward Mayo Mayo she'd felt she couldn't refuse so decided to enjoy just a sip while she spoke with Ginga I must warn you sir my opinion is merely speculation And might not fully Accord with the true fact yes yeah I assure you I'll take an objective view of things and not accept all you say uncritically does that make you feel better yes sir Mo said it was all she could

say gyi glanced at T was his diligently official tone in deference to her presence where would you like me to start with the wind reader tribe put it all together for me even the things I've heard before very well sir that at least made things Easier she would be spared the effort of trying not to repeat herself we first heard about the wind readers from nanzen the the former surf at the farming Village we visited he said the tribe had been destroyed in an attack meant to gain his people wives and slave the windreader tribe

was responsible for a ritual of some kind and according to nanen was under the protection of the eclan this much she had already told gingi so he continued to sip his tea and Munch on a snack as he listened the snack incidentally was a foreign style cookie well matched to the exhaust tea we can speculate that whatever the ritual was it somehow helped stop plagues of insects before they happen it might have been a practice called fall plowing which involves turning over the Earth to not only improve soil quality but destroy the eggs of pest

insects I think Lan's older brother would know the specifics you mean Lan's brother the Llan is full of Highly accomplished individuals isn't it to think they have two virtually professional Farmers so it had come to this even gingi called him Lan's brother I get the impression Lan's brother learned farming under duress though with his distinctive diligent streak she knew he must have dedicated himself to learning the ways of the soil if he'd been born into an ordinary family he might have become a more ordinary overachiever where is Lan's Brother gingi asked we received a message

that he should be returning to the Western Capital tomorrow he's mostly finished teaching the villagers how to farm bason reported oh yeah we left him there didn't we Mayo Mayo Thor she wondered if he'd been successful in teaching them how to cultivate potatoes when he gets back tell him to come talk to me yes sir bason withdrew there was a stray duck feather on his back Mau looked at jingi to see if it was Okay to continue go ahead he said yes sir the wind reader tribe used birds in some capacity but the former surf

didn't know exactly how the suspicious character we caught today kumu however claims that the wind readers were not wiped out and that they passed on the secret of their Birds which is how their descendants now make their living as you suspected they appear to raise messenger pigeons they might also have raised other kinds of birds kumu had seemed to Believe that the knack for raising birds was primarily about cultivating pets to sell to rich people but that wasn't true depending on how the birds are raised I believe they could be used to help find insects

but I do think that messenger birds are the Clans stock in trade this was simply the answer gingi had already arrived at I think the wind readers greatest strength was their ability to use Birds to communicate although I must emphasize that this is only my guess I Wouldn't be surprised if they were serving as an Information Network gingi didn't so much as Flinch what of the tribe survivors then again this is only speculation but I think they might have been protected by those who saw value in their abilities May spoke slowly choosing her words carefully

and who do you think protected them after a moment she said I'm not sure the ye Clan perhaps or maybe some other power why would the ye do that Mayo Mayo Knew as well as gingi that her answer created some inconsistency if the Y had been seriously protecting the wind readers the tragedy of 50 years before would never have occurred I make bold to refer to the former Emperor's mother the empress regnant sir you have my permission it's because she destroyed the ye Clan mayam Mayo could see that it made sense to ginshi the empress

regnant had Ruled the country by proxy controlling her son like a marionette she seemed to have been a thoughtful and logical person there had been obvious reasons for her to expand the rear Palace and forbid logging in the forest but when it came to the annihilation of the eclan there was much that remained unclear you're suggesting that the the I Clan tried to keep the wind readers to themselves not letting the Imperial family know about them and when it Transpired that they were in effect a private spy Network the clan was punished for it I

think it's a possibility sir it was only Mayo Ma's hypothesis she offered it to ginshi merely as something to consider in making his judgments understood what about the possibility that someone other than the ye Clan was harboring this tribe then I remembered that the white lady used pigeons to communicate she might have Learned to do that in sh and it's not impossible that it reached her or sh from the wind raders so the windry dart found a home in shower which leaves us with the question did it get there before the tribe was destroyed or

after now that wasn't a very nice question in my view it would have to have been before their destruction Mayo said so it was treachery yes sir they committed subterfuge Mayo Mayo thought once more About the reason the wind readers had been destroyed the tribe had been Priests of some kind yes but suppose they had also been spies serving the Yi Clan if the wind readers had betrayed their masters then it would make sense that the ye would choose to Simply stand by as another tribe massacred them then they collected the last of the wind

readers in the cities where they could keep an eye eye on them and made sure their Arts were passed down to the Next Generation then eliminated them Kuma's responses had put the idea in mayo Mayo's head and she couldn't get it out again it would be easy to justify moving the wind readers into town the I simply wanted to protect them when in fact they wanted to keep them close gingi seemed to agree with her he was nodding along and sipping his tea Mayo Mayo took a drink herself her throat was parched so the are

involved and Sh is that all jingi asked no there's one more Group kumu had said something else that had gotten Mayo Mayo's attention kumu said something that implied that Master gookin's wife Master guoku whose mother was of windreader origin herself gingi didn't mince words that's right so he's already looked into it why even bother asking about her speculation then behind gingi Chu held up two fingers and grinned she must have been the one to get the info it seems sein's wife played a substantial role in helping his Business Prosper information is as good as gold

in business dealings after all for him to have amassed as many resources as he has over the course of these several decades he must possess a power others don't and now his grandchild's stood next in line for the Imperial Throne if guoin was a self-made man he'd made himself better than any other man in the nation no one has a bad word to say about this wife of his they all say she was intelligent and warm That made sense kumu had said she was kind as well funny considering she had something of a shady son

that was about as far as mayoo needed to delve into this in her own opinion but there was one other thing she had to ask may I bring up something slightly off the subject of the wind reader tribe what is it it's about the farming Village we visited master rierson was there just before we were ah that jyi looked away from her for a moment apparently Thinking I had rierson investigated as well I know he went to inspect the local agriculture even though it seems to have been quite difficult for him he's been very busy

here in the western Capital the visit though was about confirming something we'd suspected since his days in the central region all the way back then sir yeah the reports from IC Province didn't show any major damage to the Harvest last year but it was hard to be sure without seeing for ourselves sir Ruson found the problem on his desk or rather I put it there you did Sir you doubt Me Not exactly just curious rickerson hadn't been looking his best when they had first arrived at the Western Capital it was hard for May Mayo not

to wonder what he'd been up to maybe she was just paranoid allow Miss Chu to explain why he wasn't looking his best Chu said stepping forward with an enthusiastic snort apparently Miss Chu served as her firsters pronoun even in Gingi's present Shu said Tay a bird of prey eyeing a presumptuous Sparrow Gees Tay is scary it's all right let her speak said gingi with his permission safely gained Chu let out a big breath Miss cheu already looked into it on his way home from the village Mr rickerson was set upon by Bandits you know the

ones Miss Mayo Mayo those poor guys who got their arms broken by Mr bason yeah I remember thank you I remember that Miss Chu used me as bait of course you do Well you also remember that the bandits who attacked Miss cheu and her friends were arrested and taken to prison later the bandits leaders were apprehended too one of our informants kindly told us what we wanted to know we also learned that one of our guides had taken Mr rers to the farming Village a few days earlier so in some the guide passed information about

his clients to the bandits who attacked people unused to traveling the plains the same guide had Been responsible for the attacks on both mayoo and rusen Chu anticipating the Bandit connection had put on a little show for him it really was complete coincidence that Miss cheu and her friends were attacked hey don't lie to us myomo had to pinch her lips tight together together to make sure this rejoiner didn't come out of her mouth but in Mr rickson's case it seems there was someone besides the guide pulling the strings someone who wanted to Interfere with

his visit to the Village gingi asked it's possible or it might just have been regular old intimidation the other possibility Miss cheu can think of is that it goes the other way and Mr rickerson wanted to look like a victim then again of course Maybe it really was just a regular Bandit attack if you'd prefer Chu had a surprising talent for drawing lines by implication she spoke only of facts without mixing in her own opinion even if she does use Me as bait did May I'll bear her a grudge for that maybe a little one

understood Jin she said and gestured to chew to step back she straightened up and gave him a perfect bow from what I've just seen it almost looks like it almost looked like gingi himself wasn't completely sure who rers really was everything Mayo Mayo had heard though made her think he was at least a man loyal to his work ginchi took a sip of his tea contemplating all he' just heard Mayo likewise took a drink although her tea was cold by now this Tea's flavor should make me want something sweet but what she really wanted was

something salty no sooner had the thought crossed her mind then a tray of snacks appeared in front of her delivered by swiren who caught mau's eye as she set it down it bore a pile of plain rice crackers join me gin she said picking up one of the crackers it wouldn't be seemly for me to eat all These by myself if you don't mind then Mayo Mayo said one of the crackers practically already in her mouth there was a noisy crunch as she bit into it it didn't seem like particularly fine etiquette but the soul

y cracker was so good I'll be able to take some of these with me right she thought some cookies to take as souvenirs for the quack doctor would be nice too ah but then there's tianu to worry about she could throw the quack off the scent easily but Pulling the wool over tiano's eyes would be harder better make sure first moon Prince may I ask you a question yeah what is it gingi raised an eyebrow she had used the name Moon Prince because toomay and the others were there but he didn't seem to like it

much what shall I do about my position when it comes to one of the new Physicians Tiana unlike the Q I mean the master physician if I come here too often it will be difficult to keep him from connecting the dot That's a good point let's see ginie said but then he paused it was swi and who continued with a smile he's been informed that you've known the moon Prince for some time since you were training in Etiquette in his Chambers put your mind at ease training in Etiquette yeah it's not untrue as such I

suppose not the description frankly made Maya Mayo feel a little ill to train an etiquette by serving a man of Elegance typically meant to prepare to be his Wife it's not untrue swiren reiterated still smiling Mayo Mayo took another bite of rice cracker feeling not the least bit reassured by swen's explanation ginshi appeared to be thinking about something as he ate perhaps we should proceed faster he mused inquiring about what he felt should be hastened seemed likely to invite a very long conversation so mayam decided not to up chapter 15 The Short Straw Lan's brother

soon returned to the annex just as bason had reported he would H that was not an easy trip he said as he sat down his tools outside the medical office he had a lot of stuff potatoes and farming implements and who knew what else so he was using a storehouse behind the medical office he' arrived yesterday but had immediately collapsed into bed and was only just now getting around to cleaning up his tool I'm sorry to hear that Said since there were no patience to speak of she was there to greet him for some reason

so was the quack maybe he had time on his hands tianu was allegedly watching the office but it was really just an excuse for an afternoon nap Lan's brother was probably too ordinary to attract tas's attention yes it must have been so hard for you look you're positively tanned said the quack sounding like a solicitous uncle or something he looked like at any moment He might decide to invite Lan's brother to snack time you're telling me there's damn near no rain it's just beating Sunshine all the time at least it's not humid Lan's brother leaned

a hoe against the wall ah yes of course would you like some nice cold juice we use water specially stored underground oh it's wonderful isn't that water H valuable may may wasn't sure the quack was supposed to be helping himself just like that though Lan's brother had been asked To tea I would love to Lan's brother said but then he stopped or more appropriately froze mayam Mayo gave him a nudge wondering what was wrong from up close she could see lean's brother trembling she followed his gaze to discover a gorgeous and most Noble nobleman Moon

p p p the quack yelped gingi was standing there smiling as if rose petals should be scattering behind him would you good sir be the brother of lahan even scar Jade was still Jade Jinshi approached Lan's brother his lustrous hair Rippling like Silk uh um yes yes I am Lan's brother said obviously struggling to respond he didn't look like he was going to be answering any questions more complicated than that oh yeah I guess that is the normal reaction Mayo Mayo had rather forgotten how inhumanly beautiful JY she was he was possessed of a loveliness

like that of a female Immortal the sort of thing that could capture the hearts Of the serving women in the rear Palace and make its Unix go weak at the need his very presence would naturally prove intoxicating to an or ordinary person like Lan's brother I must apologize to you Jin she said here I've obliged you to accompany us on this journey yet I haven't properly introduced myself perhaps you would recognize me as the Imperial younger brother people call me the moon Prince or the prince of the night only a very few people principally The

emperor could call gingi by his personal name as such mayoo had discovered he didn't use it even when introducing himself that was a kindness in itself if he gave someone his name and they inadvertently used it they might well be punished for disrespect I guess it's not easy being in the Imperial family she thought and she really meant it oh of course it's an H honor to accompany you on this this trip sir funny just the other day he was Complaining he'd been tricked into it Lan's brother certified ordinary person was as nervous as the

next guy in gin's presence incidentally the quack hadn't taken his eyes off gingi said eyes sparkled brightly rose petals drifted behind him gingi said lean has told me a lot about you he says that his biological father being a member of the llan has no small talent for farming and that as his father's assistant his older brother possesses a knowledge of Agriculture unrivaled by any average farmer in other words he's a professional lean's brother looked very very conflicted distinctly unhappy despite gin's heaps of prey no ordinary person however could resist gin's shimmery Aura in other

words Lion's brother was swept right along gingi had him in the palm of his hand ah now this is worth seeing mayoo thought as she observed the spectacle of gingi wielding his sparkliness like an expert swordsman Against a person who through sheer ordinariness simply couldn't resist you've been doing something called fall plowing to reduce the number of pest insects isn't that right I'd never heard of it before I had one of my subordinates look into it and learn that sometime in the past the rulers of this area ensured the farmers performed this tar unfortunately people

now see fattening up livestock as more important than turning over the Earth in the Autumn and the practice has disappeared politics is indeed a difficult business yeah yes sir I'm also given to understand that your as versed in the cultivation of wheat as you are in the raising of potatoes who would have imagined that stepping on the wheat makes it stronger another fact that was new to me indeed every day I'm reminded Ed of how much I do not know it's my sincere hope that you will continue to help me redress my ignorance only by

Your gracious leaves sir said Lan's brother who was by turns flushing red and going pale the quack meanwhile still looked flattery and regarded Lan's brother with whom ginshi had conversed exclusively thus far with some en in fact he appeared to have surpassed envy and gone directly to jealousy much as it pains me there's something I wish to ask you about right away if I might gingi said expertly mixing the slightest touch of grief into his expression Lan's Brother's cheeks went bright red and even the quack was bolded over collateral damage in fact he literally swooned

and naom caught him setting him gently on the ground yikes noting that gingi was as brutal as ever Mayo Mayo nonetheless kept her eyes locked on the scene she took the rest of the farming implements Lan's brother hadn't finished putting away and leaned them against the wall for him if I mean if I might sir if there's anything I can do for you just Ask wonderful gyi absolutely beamed at that and even the quack doctor supposedly not involved in this discussion sat there with his mouth working open and shut like a c on a cutting

ball perhaps we can go inside then I'll explain everything gingi said he snapped his fingers and immediately Basin and chew appeared the former carrying a large roll of paper those two actually get along pretty well don't they behind the pair stood gayos shun Who obviously knew what was going to happen his hands were pressed together and he wore an expression like a body SATA ginshi walked into the medical office like he owned the place as he entered Yu sat up groly from where he had been napping on the couch Lee Hau standing guard shot Maya

what's this look what going on tianu asked oh you know stuff said mayamal who thought it would be too much work to explain was all tnu said although he Sounded interested the roll of paper Basin carried turned out to be a map which he unrolled on the office table this is a map of iy Province he said it contained Plains and mountains and desert it looked rather empty compared to cow Province but there was a road that cut clear through the middle of it a trade route connecting East and West it's got a bunch of

circles on it observed tanu inserting himself into the conversation as if it were the most Natural thing in the world the quack had managed to get to his feet and Was preparing tea Basin meanwhile looked distinctly displeased if ginshi hadn't stopped him he might have chased tianu right out of the room we're standing awfully close awfully close to a member of the Imperial family was that even allowed maybe during his time as a unic but what about now Mayo Mayo was worried she suspected however that this was all part of gin's calculation Lan's brother Ginshi

said the other man snapped to attention yes sir no objections about his name this time the circles Mark areas with farming Villages I fondly hop that you might help instruct them in the ways of fall plowing and cultivating potato gingi wore a smile that could kill a man I why Lan's brother had only just gotten back from a farming Village he hadn't even put his tools away yes as soon as possible perhaps you could leave Tomorrow Lan's brother closed his eyes as if gin's smile was too blinding to look at there was nothing he could

say in response now I get it perhaps we should proceed faster gingi had said now she knew what he meant she was the one who had told him to use those he could use but she couldn't help feeling a Pang of pity for those who became Tools in gingi's hand it was a very large map and depicted a substantial amount of territory how far is it to the Village That's farthest from the Western capital on this map she asked Chu who seemed to have nothing special to do maybe she'd just come along for fun today

she didn't seem to be needed here but she was probably looking for an excuse to get away from her predator of a mother-in-law oh about 400 km I'd say she replied 400 last 's brother was white as a sheet I'd like you to start with the nearest Village then go to the next nearest one if you're on Comfortable riding that far I can have a good comfortable Carriage prepared for you gingi took lean's brother's acen as are given if at all possible I'd like you to finish teaching all of the villages about fall plowing within

the next two months the sooner the better potatoes can come after that in good time this was in fact less about agricultural practice and more about preventing insect play since they couldn't know what would be most Effective they had to do everything they could and gingi intended to use everything and everyone he could Mayo felt bad for Lan's brother but he would just have to take this one for the team as for what she could do mayoo went over to the medicine cabinet and took out some herbs which she mixed with honey she cut the

mixture with water water and put it in a glass drinking vessel which she offered to Lan's brother along with the quack's tea for you she said what's This uh stamina drink I'll prepare a solution that should keep for quite a while so take some whenever you feel too tired on the road why are you assuming I'm going to go do this can you say no mayo Mayo asked do you believe you can say no gingi asked at almost the same moment mayoo certainly didn't believe he could that's why she'd made the drink she would also

prepare some puses to relieve sore muscles Lan's brother ordinary person extraordinaire found Himself confronted at Point Blank Range with a request from a man whose Beauty could have brought a country to its knee he couldn't possibly have it in him to refuse gingi had been counting on it gross mayam thought Lan's brother might have been ordinary but as far as Ordinary People went he was very good at it won't you please for me jinshi smiled as if to say how much help this would be to him Lan's brother could only droop defeated tianu who had

no stake here Found he had the freedom to chuckle to himself at this other person's unhappiness so Mayo gave him a kick in the heel Lan's brother was so pitiful even she had to sympathize with him in politics however to lose the initiative was to lose all a leader had to stay ahead of what was happening in his country and eliminate all possible sources of trouble if he failed to do so the blame would fall on him and if he succeeded so would the indifference for People would simply assume it was his job it's not

easy huh much as she felt for Lan's brother Mayo Mayo knew gingi wasn't wrong to do what he did chapter 16 A Moment's Peace for a little while after that Mayo's days were peaceful that's not to say there was no work the medicines in the medical office had to be restocked using ingredients that could be found in the western capital and she had to make sure they worked as intended she also tried to gather some Medical instruments to make up for the shortfall in what they had the freak strategist showed up at the annex more

than once as well Mayo Mayo had been trying to avoid him and the trouble he would cause but before she knew what was happening the quack was showing him in and inviting him to teach she could only put her head in her hands about the only other notable event was that Bon's duck started laying eggs he got very upset at Mayo Mayo when she tried to eat one he Insisted that he would raise the chick but as it was an unfertilized egg no chick would be forthcoming when Mayo May told him as much shades of

her lectures at the rear Palace he gone bright red and this was a full grown adult male oh she'd had a bit of a fright when she spotted Gail shun and Tay walking arm in- arm in the courtyard she'd let her gaze linger a moment too long surprised and wondering if they got along better than she had realized when the Predator's eyes flashed Gail shun was abruptly shoved Away by his wife who continued to walk along as if nothing had happened being shy was one thing but the younger husband ended up propelled into a pool

a tragedy days turned into weeks and soon it had been an entire month since Lan's brother had left on his journey Mayo Mayo continued to inspect gin's burn but she found it increasingly hard to ignore the desire to take some skin from his backside it Sounds like things are going well enough gingi said one day he held a crumpled letter which when he showed it to her contained a detailed report about the state of some Farmland with Lan's brother you mean Mya asked inspecting the handwriting which was neat and careful although it tended to lean

to the right a bit the letter had to be able to travel by pigeon so unfortunately reporting on the current situation consumed all the meager Available space L's brother didn't even have room to sign his name the letter concluded with the name of the Village he'd been in when he wrote it and that was all it's a real shame him not having room to sign it Mayo Mo thought she could just picture him on some Far flung plane teeth clenched around a handkerchief as he tried to endure the agony would that day ever come when

they might discover what he was truly called no one knew no one knew yes that's right I knew this would be useful gingi looked into the bird cage and smiled the pigeon CED they may only work in One Direction but being able to communicate information so quickly is aoo he used them in his Communications with Empress guoku as well given that he hadn't raised the subject of her niece lately mayoo assumed the empress had the matter in hand she looked at the pigeon which pecked at some Millet and burbled again so you sent some of

these birds with Lan's brother yeah I was able to borrow several through that girl Kumo was that her name how many did you send with him mayoo asked offhandedly three he seemed capable enough of taking care of them we can supply him with more by sending a fast rider to his last location gyi opened a map of I Province swiren appeared and Drew circles around the Villages from which letters had been received Lan's Brothers really been hard at work Mayo Mayo thought gingi had Given him the seeming impossible task of reaching all the villages in

two months but Lan's brother was almost on the return leg of the trip that guy sure knows how to get a job done he also she suspected didn't realize that it was precisely his ability to get a job done that caused people to fo so many on him if he were clever he'd have dialed it back by 20% or so instead of going all out every single time Mayo Mayo yeah yes sir gingi seemed to have grown Accustomed to using her name she remembered how for a long time he'd addressed her merely as you I

it seems your workload has dropped off recently yes I'd say so the most urgent tasks had been taken care of they'd made enough medicine to hold them for a while and had even gotten the tools they needed perhaps you might turn your hand to other things oh mayoo clapped her hands remembering the wheat Harvest is coming up soon do you think I could go help With that sir this didn't seem to be what gingi had been expecting the wheat Harvest why sir I'm very curious if any OT has grown ergot it sounded like he didn't

recognize the word it's a kind of sickness where the wheat becomes black in simple terms it's toxic to eat yes that does sound sound quite simple by the time the wheat is ground it'll be too late to tell so I'd like to look now ergot could be used to induce abortions and there was commonly a good deal of it In poor quality flour so it was best to be sure she could see exactly how large the Harvest was at the same time I see very well I'll prepare a carriage for you that won't be necessary

sir a little bird told me that Master rickerson will be going for an inspection soon and I thought I might be able to travel with him the specific species of little bird the quack doctor who'd happened to overhear it from somewhere Mayo Mayo had confirmed the validity of the rumor with Chu rusen yes sir there's a great deal I'd like to talk with him about I thought it might be a good opportunity she'd ended up not seeing rickerson again after that first day in the western Capital she needed to talk to him personally gyi looked

briefly conflicted but then he said all right I'll inform rickerson that you'll be coming thank you very much sir there was one other thing she wanted to do on this trip gather Medicinal herbs from the plains on the way some of her specimens from the previous trip had yielded promising results she'd better hurry and go get a basket to put them in if you don't mind then Master gingi I've got to be going hey ginshi looked like there was something else he wanted to say but mayoo ignored him she trotted off practically skipping away to

get everything ready a few days later mayam Mayo left for the farming Village my What wonderful weather we're having Chu said with a big stretch these days it seemed that Chu tagged along wherever mayami went guess I didn't have to worry about rain after all she leaned out of the carriage for a good look the weather was indeed lovely Mayo Mayo caught the scent of grass on the breeze as she let the rattling Carriage carry her along the weather should be clear for a while yet outside of the rainy season I see Province doesn't get

any precipitation Worth mentioning said rickerson who sat in the seat across from them he wore an outfit that would be easy to move in appropriate for visiting a farming Village sounds perfect for a wheat Harvest Che said if rain fell during the Harvest the wheat could start to sprout which would make it lower quality and if it couldn't be properly dried it might simply rot it is the weather can be fickle though I've even heard of hail storms occurring around Harvest Time Hil Can be awfully difficult to predict can't it Mayo Mayo said she was

no farming expert such sympathetic but innocuous interjections were the most she could hope to offer if Lan's brother had been here he would probably have been clenching his fist and expounding on the manifold labors of the harvest season mayoo glanced toward the driver's bench bason was holding the rains liaku would have been just as good for a guard but since bason had accompanied them Last time he did so again now his duck was there too she was practically their mascot at this point Mayo Mayo looked at rickerson what caused you to want to survey the

farming villages rickerson she asked this was the question she'd wanted to address to him personally she suspected gyi had already given her the answer indirectly but she wanted to hear it from rickson's own mouth rickerson glanced around with what seemed to Mayo a particularly long look at his Subordinates following behind the carriage then he said there are several reasons which would you like to hear M may as she had requested he addressed her with no honorific or title in the past he'd been altogether too respectful toward her Chu seemed intrigued though that they spoke in

such familiar terms all of them she said firmly very well the first has to do with insect plagues I happen to be in contact with Sahan and I frequently lean on his knowledge and Expertise he warned me that if there were to be a plague in Lee it would be likely to come either from the North or from the Bread Basket to the West indeed a small scale plague of locusts had broken out in the fertile regions to the Northwest the year before the terrifying thing about these insects was that left alone they would wkak

ever more Destruction for reasons I won't pretend to know I was given the honor of being posted here to the Western Capital where I'm treated essentially as a bureaucrat the polite term for what I do might be secretarial work but less favorably I could be called an errand boy some of the paperwork I deal with just happens to be about harvests so I took an incidental interest in the availability of stores and provision do you really need to go visit in person though that's the second reason rickerson held up two fingers May Mayo's eyes widened

she wasn't sure what he could mean rickerson Smiled almost apologetically I think you may be aware of this already that the numbers in the reports regularly fail to line up with the actual amounts was he talking about the attempts to fudge the production quantities such things did indeed seem to be going on in the farming Villages what's the third reason then rickerson had said he had several reasons and Mayo Mayo didn't think just two would qualify as several the third reason his mouth sat open for just a Beat then he said a long time ago

I heard that there was a special form of cul obervation something that would decrease the number of pest insects you mean fall plowing so that's why you spoke to nian Zen that's right do you you see now rickson's smile was gentle Mayo thought he looked thinner than the last time she'd seen him who told you about fall plowing Mayo Mayo asked my mother and my older sister my mother was a merchant who engaged in tra far and Wide and my sister helped her I learned quite a bit from them in my younger days rickerson looked

out the window of the carriage but he didn't seem to be taking in the scenery that makes sense said mayoo what else do I need to ask she spent long enough thinking about it that they arrived at the Village The Carriage rattling as it slowed Mayo Mayo stuck her head out the window wheat shimmered golden in the fields it looked like a rich Harvest she saw green leaves too Suggesting the villagers had planted potatoes all right shall we dedicate ourselves to farm work for a while herb collecting could come on the way home Mayo Mayo

had just hopped out of the carriage sprightly and ready to go when she saw a fast rider coming up behind that wasn't so remarkable in itself but from the man's look something was clearly wrong maybe he was attacked by Bandits no that wasn't it the Horse stopped in front of May mayo and her Party its tongue lulling from its mouth as it listed to one side its Rider wore the uniform of a soldier I think I recognize him he was one of the guards who frequently attended gingi that would suggest he was of a fair

rank so what was he doing running himself ragged catching up with them who's going on Mayo Mayo asked she held out water but the man shook his head his mouth worked open and shut he didn't say a word but gave her a piece of paper the heck the Paper folded as small as possible seemed to be a letter from Lan's brother the moon Prince he said if you saw this you would understand understand what Mayo Mayo wondered perplexed she opened the letter a single line ran down the page it wasn't even drawn with a brush

it looked messy like lean's brother had used a piece of charcoal as an improvised writing instrument but that wasn't all the line had been violently scratched out again the letter didn't Even say where it was from but there was no mistaking who had sent it L's brother had needed to tell them something so badly that he had found time in the midst of some sort of chaos to send a pigeon with this message I know what this is Mayo thought she realized she recognized the dark scribbles they resembled the picture that the girl jzg had

given her the year before after the visit of the shaes shrine Maiden Mayo Mayo hadn't understood what it meant Then but I do now the line was the Horizon that spread out before her and the blot was a dark cloud she looked at the sky still clear and blue and said they coming chapter 17 disaster part one why [Applause] a plague of insects a villager said sounding exasperated mayoo had immediately requested the headman to gather the farmers there were so many people packed in the place where they Were meeting that it was almost hard to

breathe yeah it will be here soon within days Mayo Mayo said desperate the villagers only laughed yeah okay there were some bugs last year but look at the windfall this year everything's fine he's right the weather will be fine for a while yet no need to trip all over ourselves getting the Harvest in said someone else then however someone in the group growled yeah lazy bastards we never make it in Time with that attitude nanen Mayo Mayo said it was the old oneeyed man who had lived through a plague of insects so terrible that people

had resorted to cannibalism he made no attempt to hide his anger with the Villagers and their blahs attitude he slammed the table with his right hand the one that lacked a pointer finger you lot wouldn't know because you won't listen nothing can save you now me I'm going out there and I'm going to start harvesting this Minute isn't really as important as all that nen the headman asked in a village full of very newly minted Farmers the former surf was the oldest and most experienced of all even the headman couldn't dismiss him out of hand

I haven't had my lunch yet Hedman think I could go grab a bite asked one of the villagers sounding entirely unconcerned thank goodness bason isn't here they'd made him wait outside knowing that anywhere that bason went his duck was Sure to follow a quick glance confirmed that the duck was there playing with the local KIDS mayam Maya was convinced that talk was futile they should be spending this time getting started on the Harvest just as she was really starting to fret about what to do rickerson stepped forward perhaps you would help if you felt there

was something in it for you he gave them that pretty boy smile we'll buy your grain at twice the market price there was a heavy jangly thump as Rickerson dropped a bag onto the table it was obviously stuffed with money easily more than a farmer would make in a year the villagers were immediately riveted on it you you mean it we're going to hold you to that you know their eyes were feral yeah but only whatever's in excess of your taxes furthermore it only applies to whatever you can gather in the next 3 days Ron's

gentle tone never faltered but what he was asking for was impossible POS and yet the fire That sparked in the villager's eyes never went out that's the power of Cold Hard Cash mayam thought the villagers streamed out of the meeting place and got to work they went back home and gave sickles to their wives their children their elderly family members once they were alone in the hall Mayo Mayo turned to rickerson are you sure about this are you even at Liberty to make a promise like that if there is a plague of locusts then grain

will fetch far more Than twice the average price and will come out ahead if there's no plague well I won't have any complaints about that is there a problem here no none at all she should have expected him to be quick when it came to calculations like this he'd said his mother was a merchant and even more tellingly he was on good terms with lahan chu apparently inspired by what rierson had done was looking highly motivated are we going to work too I think I'll help in Mr nean 's fi what About you miss Mayo

Mayo I think I'll get ready to help make food and I'll make pesticide too she flipped through the Encyclopedia of herbs gin she had given her looking for anything that might help kill bugs she had some misgivings about producing pesticides right next to the food they were going to hand out for people to eat but desperate times called for desperate measure mayoo was virtually certain the plague would occur the only question was When where was Lan's brother last he'd been about to begin the return leg towards the Western Capital but he was still deep in

the western reaches of icy Province he'd encountered a swarm of grasshoppers there and had managed to dash off his message and get the Pigeon in the air before the bugs were upon them but he didn't have time to find proper writing utensils the situation had obviously been desperate the Grasshoppers were already starting to Carve their sth of Destruction in all likelihood they would begin moving East toward the Western Capital eating everything in their path it's started now there's no delaying it any longer the only questions were how they could bring this to an end and

what that would entail first they had to save as much of the grain from the ravenous insects as they could Harvest it get it inside and make sure the storehouses were shut up so tight that not a single grasshopper Could get in now the challenge began she didn't have to find the best solution she just had to keep looking for a better one the villagers were in the fields harvesting grain as fast as they could I worry whether it's going to rot normally grain would be allowed to sit outside several days to dry but what

should they do here more than anything they needed places to store the Harvest all right enough if I'm going to think I need to work while I'm doing it Mayo Mayo borrowed a stove and began making a huge pot of soup she wished she could make it with some nice astringent soy paste her personal preference but she suspected it might not be to the Villager taste instead she fried up some vegetables in oil put plenty of salt on them to give them some flavor and then added them to a stew of milk and dried meat

the ironic thing is people from the central region would turn up their noses at too much milk she added some fragrant Herbs to make it less pungent a bit of flour to thicken it and she started to think she might have a winner on her hand wish I could do some dumplings but I think we'd better not instead she would get fried bread for the ENT e Mayo Mayo poured the soup into bowls and put the bowls on a tray then zipped around handing them out to the workers Miss Mayo Mayo Miss May Mayo one

for Miss cheu please Chu flounced up to her she'd practically transformed herself into one Of the villagers carrying a knife in her right hand and a sack in her left the sack was full of ears of grain Mayo Mayo gave Chu some stew you're only taking the ears of grain she asked it was Mr nansen's idea he said if the Harvest was the only important thing it would be faster to collect just the ears yes that certainly would be faster than having to bend over and cut down every store Mayo Mao and cheu sat down

on a nearby fence to enjoy their meal Mayo Mao had already Eaten her stew so she munched on some bread there won't be time to dry everything and it won't fit inside if the stems are still on Chet good point wheat straw was used as livestock feed and for daily necess ities like Reed Matt it was an important secondary product but right now there were more important things to focus on oh May oh my but money is a powerful thing isn't it all we had to do was whisper in their ears so straw can come

later and look The villagers had immediately traded their sickles for small knives the children went from field to house dragging bags full of ears of grain now they're drawing them inside because the ears would fly away in the wind out here you're quite good at getting your way aren't you miss cheu oh yeah you should see how I motivate my husband on nights when he's not in the mood Mayo Mayo had a thought perhaps her brothel humor which so frequently fell flat would land With chew sadly no really good jokes came to mind at that

moment she finished the last of her modest meal vowing to work up a routine she could share rers had been exact ly right to tell the people they had 3 days to collect the grain with a firm deadline in place everyone busied themselves thinking of ways to harvest more efficiently by the second day more than half the grain had been taken in bason with his immense strength proved his worth now he could Carry a full bag of grain in each hand doing what would otherwise require several full grown adults however more delicate work as always

eluded him oh oh no what are you doing you are hopeless little brother-in-law cheu cried bason trying to repair a house had only ended up doing more damage making himself a target for more teasing from cheu we can't have the storehouses full of holes Mayo Mayo thought she was patching a House with mud and Clay Wood was precious in this part of the country so Earth would have to do I think we were just in in time rickerson said looking up at the sky Mayo Mayo looked too and saw a small black cloud Beyond The

Hills isn't it a little early for the rainy season she asked yeah yes it is rickerson looked pained a cloud at this time of year is rather troubling that sounded very ominous and all but Mayo wasn't sure exactly what he meant what's That about the clouds bason asked as he passed by lugging a couple bulging sacks of grain as if they weighed nothing at all I merely meant that it's not a good thing to see a raincloud at this time of year rickerson said pointing to the sky to the east I hear you there's another

Cloud over there is that a bad sign too over there rers looked bason was pointing in the opposite direction I'm afraid I don't see anything e my little brother's eyes are hopelessly Good chew broke in regular folk might like to have a telescope on hand though even Chu didn't appear to carry one of those because she leaned forward and squinted Mayo Mayo joined her narrowing her eyes and peering toward the Western sky clouds clouds she thought she heard a faint Buzz then she saw some black specks that wavered in the air they didn't look like

any raincloud she'd ever seen Miss May Mayo Miss May Mayo Miss cheu Miss chew the two of them Looked at each other and nodded Mayo Mayo grabbed the Soup pot and a pestle lying nearby and banged them together she raced through the village crying grasshoppers the bugs are on their way cheu found some men sitting around drinking tea and gave them each a smart smack you heard her grasshoppers incoming they had to do anything they could to light a fire under these Villages Panic would solve nothing but at that moment they needed everyone to Give

everything they had chapter 18 disaster part two the first one came when about 70% of the Harvest had been brought in darker than an ordinary grasshopper with longer legs somebody crushed and killed it someone else shouted not to bother that they had to keep harvesting torches were lit it would barely be a drop in this ocean but it was something the women and children went into the houses and tried to cover any cracks with mud or cloth the houses Were dark inside but they were sternly warn not to light any fires and also to have

food ready that could be eaten as it they were ordered to kill any insects that got through the cracks at Nan xen's house there was too much to fit so they started storing grain in the shrine there the cracks were so packed with Earth that hardly any air got in every house worthy of the name was sprinkled with pesticide not that they knew whether it would do any good the tents Had too many openings to serve as storage areas instead they would be temporary evacuation points for the villagers Basin carried a huge net it might

once have been for catching fish but he swung it around over his head with tremendous speed Gathering up grasshoppers with in it then he dumped them in a huge bucket of water killing them cheu passed out leather pouches instead of food they contained sweetened goat's milk She Was preparing for a long Battle nanzen wore several overshots and the other villagers imitated him rickerson was going from house to house reassuring the villagers whose anxious voices he could hear through the air hole anytime he found bugs entering through a gap he would crush the in insects and

fill the Gap the duck pecked at the Grasshoppers and then spit them out again inedible perhap then the villages started screaming everything seemed to grow darker passing from Bright and clear to Ash and then a gray that reminded Mayo of a rat until everything was practically black it was impossible to open one's eyes never mind walk bugs bumped into people bit and tore at them people couldn't open their mouths it was all they could do to cover them with Rags their layered overshirts were ripped and torn and the beating of wings drowned out every other

sound a droning noise overwhelmed everything so that it was impossible to tell what Someone else was saying soon even the screams couldn't be heard anymore Mayo Mayo covered her face with her hands then opened her eyes the slightest bit she could see Basin still swinging the net over his head it filled almost instantly whereupon he slammed it against the ground the bucket had long ago overflowed with grasshoppers one man had gone mad from the bug bites he howled at the top of his lungs and swung a torch in one hand and a sthe in the

Other it did him no good The Grasshoppers survived his Counterattack and continued to assault the villagers Chu crept up to the crazed man and swept his feet out from under him the moment he was on the ground she bound him with a rope rickerson was still running from house to house shouting some people were driven out of their minds by The Disappearance of the light others were sane but simply couldn't hear him fire burst from one of the houses and an Elderly woman and some children came rushing out of the otherwise sealed structure one of

the kids held a flint the freshly harvested wheat in the house was perfect Fuel and the fire burned readily the parched air of the dry season made conditions even better for the Flames bason reacted immediately giving one of the posts of the house a kick the place was barely more than a shack to begin with and it promptly collapsed Mayo Mayo could hear bason Shouting although she couldn't catch the words maybe he was saying that the water source was too far away to fight the flames and they needed to destroy the house he was in

his element in moments of Crisis he'd already practically knocked the place down on his own now he rushed over with the bucket full of floating Grasshoppers and emptied it over the house chew Spirited Away the snotty children and the old lady to the tent it was crawling with grasshoppers Just like everywhere else but it was better than being outside how much time had passed Mayo Mayo didn't know it might have been 30 minutes it might have been hours everyone in the village quaked at the bugs the like of which they had never seen they reviled

the creatures and May Mayo she thought she felt someone tap her on the shoulder she turned and found Rasen grasshoppers were chewing on his hair on his clothes she reached up thinking to brush them away Please stop making pesticide your hand will be useless she looked at the hand she had raised it was red and swollen oh her concoction couldn't provide any relief from this swarm she'd been mixing up pesticide and spreading it around as fast as she could putting it everywhere she could think of but it was never enough The Grasshoppers just kept coming

why Why didn't it work it did work there were simply too many of them the starving insects even ate the poisonous Herbs they bit people chewed on clothing and even tried to consume house posts as if that weren't enough the bugs that had fallen to the ground began eating each other there were too many of them and it had driven them into a frenzy Mayo was pretty far gone herself desperately grabbing every herb that could help fight the insects and stewing them up grasshoppers floated in the huge pot Mayo Mayo pulled up plants roots and

all and threw them in was her hand swollen From tearing plants out of the ground barehanded or from the toxic qualities of the pesticide rickerson looked at the sky still dark with the Swarm the insects were everywhere but he seemed to be looking somewhere beyond them above them they say disaster drives out disaster we should be so lucky Mayo Mayo didn't know what he meant but she stared into the darkness herself ow she exclaimed something hard had smacked into her she looked at the ground Wondering what it could have been and found a lump of

ice the pain came again on her back this time then on her shoulder F Fox the air had gotten very cold hail she said between the large chunks of ice and the freezing air The Grasshoppers began to move visibly slower disaster drives out disaster huh Mayo Mayo said no this was no disaster this was a gift from Heaven not a conclusion Mayo Mayo would normally reach yeah fool let it hail on Earth Now her Madness was speeding in another Direction she leaned forward as the hail fell among the Swarm not a rain dance as it

were but a hail dance she didn't feel the pain of the bugs biting at her nor of the hail striking her she was too full of the wish the hope that something anything might happen to help them with this numberless swarm of insects she felt an especially heavy blow right to her head this time Mayo Mayo she remembered rers running over to Her but then everything went black chapter 19 scratches her vision came back but it was hazy H what was I doing again Mayo Mayo sat up slowly her body felt heavy lo you awake

said an upbeat voice it was accompanied by a familiar face May Master liak it was the big friendly mut of a soldier mayau looked around trying to make her brain work she wasn't in a room but a tent to one side she could see cheu stewing something in a pot that Was all well and good but then she saw an insect at the edge of her vision she jumped to her feet grasshopper she cried immediately crushing it underfoot having only just woken up however the motion nearly made her fall down hey young lady killing one

grasshopper won't make any difference okay and you've got to take it slow liaku said he's very right Miss Mayo here eat this cheu sat her back down on the bed and offered her a bowl of something she took It and ate a bite it was a rice pudding faintly salty once Mayo Mayo had some warm food in her the memories started to come back there was a swarm of grasshoppers and then a hail storm and then how long was I out she asked one whole day chew replied you took a good whack on the head

from a big piece of hail I was afraid it would be dangerous to move you so we put you here in this tent May Mayo thought she had made the right choice she also felt downright Pathetic falling unconscious right when they needed her most sounds like I was in pretty bad shape Mayo Mayo was only human no one would blame her if the unprecedented situation had pushed her over the edge but it was still true that in succumbing she had made life harder for the others and to think the tyan didn't bother me the locked

room full of snakes and venomous insects in the shei clan Fortress had been no problem at all there's no need to feel down Miss Mayo Mayo you just got a little confused and took the bug killing a bit too far your cat brand pesticide is on the strong side might poison the Earth you know but it worked it worked we've thinned it down and now they're using it to kill the rest of the bugs the rest of them the short version is we're on the other side of this it helped a lot that the hail

came and dropped the temperature but some of those grasshoppers are Hardy little stinkers so they're out there Dealing with them I helping with that liaku chimed in raising his hand why was he here a swarm of grasshoppers showed up in the western Capital too not as many as here but it's been ugly our good buddy gingi is beside himself he ordered me to go to the Village you were at right away little lady I got here about half a day ago Meanwhile my silly little brother went back to attend the moon Prince this has been

your report on the situation This was probably the most gin he could do Basin meanwhile would presumably still be full of vim and vigor even after a fast ride back boy it was something liaku said those guys in the western Capital it looked like they'd never seen an insect plague before I mean neither have I right but they warned us something was coming they warned us over and over liaku was as his appearance suggested did Stout of heart he had been an excellent choice for this Expedition oh right he added the old fart was there

too he was all Mayo where's my May Mayo boy did he go wild the poor old doctor was cowering in the medical office oh mayom could imagine the freak strategist reaction all too well our buddy gingi he really thought on his feet I guess because he said not to worry because he'd sent you somewhere there's no plague biggest lie I ever heard when I was literally on the front Line granted Mayo Mayo had volunteered for it but the lie was convenient no question the old fart organized a grasshopper extermination Squad he helped Control the Chaos

in the city too mayoo didn't respond immediately it actually sounded like things were more or less under control in the western Capital it was the other farming Villages that worried her speaking of which Lan's brother is he okay she wondered aloud Oh you mean potato guy if He hasn't sent any letters that's probably good news right chu said I don't know the last thing he sent sounded pretty bad and now here we are with grasshoppers everywhere as ordinary Farmers went he was quite distinguished but he'd been pressed into service on this Expedition then sent into

the teeth of the oncoming swarm thank you lahan brother mayoo looked at the ceiling of the tent she tried to picture Lan's brother's smiling face but then she Realized she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him smile he was usually either angry or at his wits end or quipping at somebody I wonder if he's even still alive she knew he'd been sent with trustworthy bodyguards so she wanted to believe he'd survived all this you wouldn't happen to know the extent of the damage would you she asked the Swarm had come and gone that couldn't be changed

now the question was how they would respond about 80% of the wheat Harvest was in Cheu informed her the unharvested wheat was destroyed but it was a bumper crop this year bigger than average subtract the wheat from the one house that burned down and the Harvest comes out to about 70% of a normal year 70% considering the scale of the destruction that sounded almost miraculous to Mayo Mayo maybe Lan's brother really was that good a teacher and guide they couldn't think exclusively in terms of wheat though What about other damage she asked most of the

straw was eaten and so was most of the pasture grass for the animals the potato Fields have pretty much been reduced to Stems but we think they might grow back Chu made it sound so simple but she must have been uncomfortable with the gravity of the situation because Flowers and flags kept popping in and out of her hands liaku watched her raply never seeming to Tire of the display let's be honest the other Farming Villages are probably pretty much annihilated said Chu Good Old gingi keeps sending post horses to the nearest Village every time he

gets a letter from H's brother but I'll bet most places weren't prepared as well as this one was lii cuk added good point things didn't get too chaotic around here Chu said so this was not too chaotic huh Mayo Mayo had thought she was inured to a certain amount of pandemonium but it seemed Chu was even more composed than she was and There was still the matter of the person who had done more than anyone on this occasion where's rusen outside I think want to see him cheu asked in the midst of the turmoil rers

had remained completely calm in fact he had looked downright used to it he'd done more than simply keep his wits and kill grasshoppers he'd seen to understand on a deep level how people in a panic would act what he'd done running from one house to another and talking to the Villages might not have looked like much but without it it was possible that much more grain would have burn even after Mayo Mayo's stern warnings not to use fire the villagers had still done so trapped in suffocating lightless houses with frenzied voices screaming outside anyone would

have been pushed to the edge mayoo saw now how important it was to have a level Voice come from outside what's his story she wondered as she left the tent Chu followed perhaps To keep an eye on her it was chilly outside a lingering effect of the hail storm grasshoppers still crawled along the ground and a few people were trying to catch those that were still in the air in the center of the village was a hideous black pile of what Mayo Mayo assumed were collected bugs it seemed to be writhing ever so slightly and

she didn't want to get too close the villagers who'd been shut up in their houses were filtering out into the Streets stun when they'd left the wheat Fields taking the ears into their their homes they had been full of stalks but now they were devastated and worthless even though she had heard Chu's report on the damage mayam Mayo struggled to comprehend the reality in front of her eye she passed the potato Fields reduced to stems and saw for herself the Bold pastur the grass fields were less thoroughly destroyed than the wheat but it was a

matter of degree the animals Had been let out into the fields but seemed restive and uneasy chickens pecked at the grasshoppers here and there on the ground wonder if they taste good Mayo Mayo had in fact tried some herself once but she couldn't get over the way they looked they just didn't appear tasty the duck was staring this way and that surveying the area looking for Basin maybe aren't you curious how the Grasshoppers taste Miss Mayo Mayo I'm Sorry Miss cheu Mayo Mayo had a bad Feeling about this I whipped this up just to see

if it was edible she produced some sort of stir fry it was very chew esque to pull it out of thin air like that and she seemed to have read Mayo's mind Mayo didn't say anything I got rid of the heads carapaces and legs didn't seem good for the digestion I threw out the innards too never know what they've been eating we need hardly explain what this food stuff was although chew had managed to Completely disguise is it you made the right choice taking out the guts they ate poisonous grasses and even each other but

once you've taken all that out I'm not sure what's left you're so right there's so little of them you can eat anyway dig in mayo Mayo took an unenthusiastic bite what do you think well it's not physically inedible but given the amount of work that goes into preparing it you'd suggest something else yes I'd say so this was Chew's cooking so it was bound to have some pretty nice seasonings the fact that in spite of that it still only Rose to the level of not inedible did not speak well for the merits of this dish

nor were the people standing and staring vacantly at Fields devastated by The Grasshoppers likely to want to turn around and eat them the nutrition they afforded would be small compens for the damage they had done the rest of chew's dish disappeared Back Into Thin Air then She tugged on Mayo Mayo's sleeve as if she had noticed something this way please she said Mayo Mayo followed her along until they stopped in front of one of the Savaged houses she could hear voices inside when she looked in she found rers talking with some villagers I understand he

was saying who pretend this never happened I'm very sorry I hate to go back on a promise even an informal one several Villages along with the headman himself bowed their heads to Rickerson no I understand considering the scale of the destruction I can't blame you in fact I consider us fortunate that the damage wasn't any worse one look at the bag sitting on the table between the parties was enough to explain what they were talking about it was the same one rickerson had used to motivate the complacent villagers before the Swarm arrived the bag full

of money he'd promised to buy their wheat at Double the market price this can't be The only Village that suffered this sort of Destruction and I guess they can't afford to sell their Surplus good day sir rickerson put the bag in the folds of his robe and left the house as he came out he saw Mayo Mayo Mayo Mayo you're awake are you all right why she showed him her head and Palms her head felt fine but her hands still throbbed cheu had tended to it while she was unconscious though applying a salve and bandaging

it so it was better than it Could have been cheu gave rers a nudge you've got some guts carrying that thing around Mr Moneybags you know there could be Bandits around here right oh heaven I'm merely a middling bureaucrat I don't have the the money to buy an entire Village's wheat Supply he stuck out his tongue playfully and then took out the bag it was full of G Stones well well Chu said I carry them with me everywhere a habit from my last position that of course would have been his Aid to the Freak strategist

rierson mayoo thought had proved himself to be a first class con man I'm sorry did you need something with me he asks need something she'd mostly just followed chu chu and liaku between them had given her a pretty good idea of where things stood so there was no real need to ask rierson about it she did think though that rickerson was probably the one who had been the most shocked when she was knocked unconscious she felt she should Apologize I'm terribly sorry for getting knocked out like that I was one more problem when you already

had enough to deal with she bowed to chew too just for good measure not at all I'm just glad you're not seriously hurt all right then see you why is that all is that all well there were other things she wanted to ask rickerson but there was no need to rush there were still a lot of grasshoppers around and she thought she should stay Out of the way maybe rers was tired of thinking about grasshoppers and wanted a change of subject unfortunately mayam was in no better position than he was to come up with something

distracting instead she said you seem to have very good idea what you're doing here reason do you have some sort of experience with this kind of thing the way he had kept his head the whole time even being the former Aid to the freak strategist wouldn't give you that kind of composure Rierson gave her a gental smile I learned it from my mother you must never lose sight of yourself no matter what the situation she said then for a second his expression faltered her last words to me were when you most want to break down

that's when you must be most calm oh her last words yeah our house was attacked by brigin my mother and older sister hid me where I wouldn't be found and then they were killed before my eyes this conversation had abruptly turned Much darker than Mayo Mayo had expected if I made a sound I would have been killed too but I couldn't couldn't cry out couldn't yell my mother knowing very well that I would have screamed my rage and tried to jump on The Killers stuffed a gag in my mouth and bound me hand and foot

so it was that unable to do anything I watched my mother and sister die but because of that I survived that wasn't an easy story to respond to Mayo Mayo replied in the only way she could Think of because you survived so did this Village whatever had happened in the past was no concern of hers but if as a result of his experiences rickerson was able to save this Village and she had to be grateful for those experience it and to she had to acknowledge his uncommon courage I appreciate that may Mayo that way of

looking at it oh she wasn't rers she had no way of knowing how he would have reacted if she'd responded with an excess of emotion he Was a grown man not some Sullen teenage girl so she'd figured there was no need to shower him with folsome sympathy rierson smiled again I feel like you and I get along quite well may do you think I could seek your hand in marriage surely you J she said she wasn't about to take his polite banter seriously yes of course surely rickerson said and chuckled I'm not sure I realized

he was the type to make that kind of joke Mayo thought surprised then again he'd said Something similar last year the last time they'd been in the western Capital maybe this was just another side of him Shu poked her head into the conversation wow are you going to leave miss cheu out in the coal is there room for one more in your little relationship drama Miss cheu is a married woman rickerson said mildly yeah married with child but everyone says I don't look it how you Chu gave him a puzzled of the Head she really

doesn't look it Chu was far far removed from Mayo Mayo's idea of an ordinary housewife well you see the son of the Mah Clan is famous in certain circles oh yeah my husband passed the civil service exam when he was in his teens that's enough to make anyone famous sad to say he quit pretty quick though thanks to him Miss jeu had to go right back to work after the birth she placed her hands together and what's become of your child it can't be very Old yet can it rickerson asked my sister-in-law is taking excellent

care of it Mayo Mayo had been aware of the existence of this child in general terms but now she found that Chu didn't seem to be remotely concerned about her Offspring Mayo Mayo realized that not only had she never heard the child's name she didn't even know whether it was a boy or a girl even knowing that Chu's sister-in-law M May would no doubt do an excellent job raising the child her Approach seemed LA's fair in the extreme all right I have to get back to helping with the Grasshoppers rers said with a polite bow

of his head okay I'll just as mayam Mayo was wondering what in fact she would do a voice came from behind her ye she turned to find nean xen waving at her what did the oneeyed old man want have any more of that poison poison Mayo Mayo gave him a questioning look the one that kills bugs the one you Boiled up in that big pot I'm getting nowhere crushing insects one at a time I want to scatter that stuff on everything and wipe them out Oh you mean the pesticide Mayo Mayo had a hazy memory

of her desperate quest to make the stuff right the poison poison Mayo Mayo wanted to point out that that wasn't exactly what it was but ruson stopped as he was leaving to say yes that poison was astoundingly effective all right hold on oh it's the poison lady said one of the Villagers who had spotted my AMU think you could whip up some more poison for us yeah I need some poison please the kind you have to thin out to keep it from killing anyone said another villager that poison worked like nothing I've ever seen what

in the world world was in it the villagers crowded around her it's not PPP before mayam Maya could get the words out chew clapped her on the shoulder she gave her a knowing look and shook her head Mayo Mayo swallowed Hard please use it only as directed she said and so mayoo found herself Gathering toxic herbs once again about the time mayoo had made a generous quantity of pesticide liaku called he little lady yeah what's the matter looks like you're all set making your poison I thought maybe instead of sticking around here we should head

back to the Western Capital to report in I can leave the soldiers who came out here with me to Help clear away the rest of the bugs sound all right yeah might be a good idea and by the way this isn't poison it's pesticide Mayo looked out at the village she'd shown the farmers how to make the pesticide and even written simple instructions for them if we don't hurry back that old farts going to figure out he's been had loku said oh right he was told I was somewhere there was no plague wasn't he I'm

impressed he believed it however crazed he might have Been the freak strategists inexplicable Sixth Sense always seemed to be up and running strange to think someone had successfully lied to him our buddy gingi is no mean tactician himself he used the old doctor the old doctor in other words the quack Mayo May knew gingi had been making nice with the physician recently she wondered how he had used him he explained to the old doctor what was going on with you and let him let the old fart know you know he told him Indirectly mayomi went

qu that really was a good idea also the old doctor this and the old fart that seemed like it could get confusing the quack doctor was a pudgy middle-aged man but in Zoological terms he was sort of in the same category as mice or squirrel he occupied roughly the same place in the hierarchy as basin's duck once things have quieted down we need to show up in a hurry or the old fart will start to smell something fishy Mayo Mayo looked At her Palm it was still visibly marred from making the pesticide what do we

do about this she asked I have a little change of clothes for you Chu said promptly producing them just tell everyone something went a bit wrong you know you've already got all that stuff on your left arm liaku said gesturing at the offending appendage which was covered in scars from Mayo Mayo using herself as a test subject for her medicine she'd never specifically Mentioned it but apparently he had figured it out come to think of it as overprotective as the freak strategist could seem he'd never once subjected to her being a food taster checking for

poison he would instantly put the screws to anyone who threatened to harm mayoo in the slightest way but maybe he chose not to interfere when it came to threats Mayo chose for herself she wondered if liaku had one of his instinctive reads on that aspect of the strategist good Point she said she figured he was right no one would question a minor injury to her hands at this point all right shall we go home so she put the devastated Village behind her chapter 20 confirmation when she got back to the Western Capital she found it

in a bad state things really were worse here she thought she surveyed the city with a sense of Detachment there were still grasshoppers on the roads and crawling along the walls of buildings sometimes She saw black clumps squirming but she chose not to look too closely she suspected the actual number of grasshoppers was less than it had been in the village but she could see chewed up Street stalls and gwed fruit on the ground everywhere city Folk don't cope well with insects the people here had probably reacted to the Swarm very differently than the villages

she saw hardly anyone outside the farmers had their crops to think of so they tried to Exterminate the bugs to keep the plants safe but simple fear ruled the inhabitants of the western Capital how bad was the chaos she asked liaku who was sitting on the driver's bench rierson had said he would stay in the village for a few more days that was all well and good for the villagers but Mayo Mayo was surprised that he didn't feel he should return to the Western capital to deal with this Emergen it was bedum rain and hail

didn't anyone warn them The Swarm was coming if ginshi had managed to send word even to her he must have had some plan in place in the capital liaku however said this is the Western Capital there's an order to things you know I see gingi could hardly run through the streets shouting at the top of his lungs unlike Mayo he had his position to think of he could do nothing unless he did it through the officials here in the city looks like he did better than nothing though liaku said in A large Town Square there

was what appeared to be a food distribution taking place Mayo Mayo was surprised had the bugs really caused that much damage and exhaustion it had been several days though not every household was going to have extensive provisions on hand a lot of poor families are living handt mouth to begin with often it was the best they could do to earn a day's wage then spend it at a stall for dinner that night a handful of places to eat were still open But in the chaos distribution networks had dried up and they didn't have much to

serve May Mayo could smell the conji being passed out even from where she was the smell made her think Lan's brother it was the smell of sweet potatoes maybe from the huge supply that had come with her and the others on the ship the potatoes were being cooked and served to fill the bellies of The Starving towns folk so they're using up the potatoes on this distribution Mayo Mayo observed oh Lan's brother we hardly knew you it hurts so much to lose him Chu's eyes brimmed with tears she was treating him like he was dead

I'd say if they're coming in useful that's fine isn't it I'm sure potato guy is out there somewhere smiling said laku out there where would that be from the way liaku talked it was hard to tell if he thought Lan's brother was alive or dead The Carriage arrived at the annex people gathered at the gate when they heard the Wiing of the horses specifically the people were the Quack and tianu young lady your back an exhausted looking Haggard man raced up to mayoo liaku grabbed him by the Scruff of the neck before he he could

collide with her the little guy struggled and flailed it was the quack doctor Master physician are you all right Mayo Mayo said with a bow leh Haku put the quack back on the ground what about you young lady you're all right aren't you I know you were Somewhere safe but you must have been so scared I certainly was I would have sworn the world was coming to an end yes sir I know you faint at the sight of a cockroach it'd come to her white as a sheet more than once after encountering a particularly vicious

bug while cleaning a swarm of grasshoppers must have been a living hell for him it's not fair nyang why did you get to evacuate man it must be great having real connections tianu was as full of sarcasm As ever although Mayo Mayo wasn't sure how far he actually believed what gingi had said are you sure it's all right to leave the medical office empty Mayo Mayo asked that was truly and sincerely the first thing on her mind when she saw them ah we're not that busy tianu said maybe cuz we're mostly supposed to take care

of the Moon Prince do you and the others now they have a lot to do the two of them have time on their hands because they're in charge of gyi something about That seemed strange that reminds me young lady Master Len was so very worried about you oh that was not especially useful information he seems to have quite a sweet tooth you should take some mashed sweet potato treats and go say hello to him he was ravenous for them the other day she wished she could ignore the good doctor's suggestion but if she did she

suspected the other party would only come visit her instead anyway she had a bigger problem the quack was Taking advantage of Lan's brother's absence to cook their seed potatoes gracious young lady you're hurt what in the world happened to your hand oh it's nothing to worry about I was making pesticide it's from experiments with that experiments you're not an insect young lady the quack looked genuinely perplexed if it can kill a cat it'll work for sure on a bug tianu interjected all right you two that's enough chatter Chu said as she came into the room

we have lots we want to tell you tell tell the quack said about this bug killing concoction ah yes of course sorry sorry the quack politely made way tenu didn't look like he was going to to be a problem he'd only shown up to make smart remarks many important people not just gooen lived in excessively large houses but gingi's Chambers were located in the innermost sanctum of this one that was all very respectful to him as a guest But frankly it was a real hyp all right nobody's clothes are rumpled excellent cheu said inspecting Mayo's

and leak's outfits Mayo saw a stray hair or two on Chu's head so she patted it down excuse me where hey mayam said but she was interrupted by a tremendous crash the moment they entered gingi was sitting in a somewhat less than formal posture suarin and Tay attended him as usual while gaos shun and bason were there too both looking a bit Uncomfortable Quack quacked The Duck next to them would it be better to say something quippy about the bird or not but bason had left the duck behind and she had returned with mayo mayo

and the others the way she'd gone straight back to Bas the moment they'd arrived at the annex she was more like a dog than a duck seems like gu shun sort of thing moo thought contrary to appearances he had a soft spot for sweet treats and small animals he probably found the Duck's presence healing okay can't spend all my time looking at the duck she glanced at liaku to ask how they would handle the report he took a half step back apparently he wanted her to do the talking Chu likewise retreated we've just returned sir

Mayo said standing a little straighter and talking a little more properly because teay was there if it were just gun or swiren that would be one thing very good gin she said with an air of detached Authority he seemed to Feel the same way as Mayo Mayo because his face wore his proverbial Moon prints mark teay had been one of gin's nursemaids mayo Mayo gathered but her approach to child rearing had been rather different from swiren and how was it he asked a fair question but about all Mayo Mayo could do was repeat what she

had heard from Chu the Harvest was severely impacted but not annihilated as far as the wheat goes we think there's about 70% of a normal Year's Harvest left then Lan's brother's message reached you in time he even calls him that in official meetings maybe even Jin shei didn't know the man's name if he never came back mayam wondered what they would put on his Tombstone we dispatched Messengers to the other Villages but by all accounts we saved less than half the Harvest and there are some places The Messengers haven't come back from yet I can

only assume things are worse there As hard as he had worked Lan's brother simply could couldn't reach everyone in time worse no matter how much he had endured for the sake of the villages he did reach the rest would simply assume the higher ups had ignored and abandoned them struggle as he might Lan's brother was never going to reach the Finish Line Raku how many people do you think we need to send to each Village jinshi asked I'd say at least 10 sir we'll need some to take care of the bugs and some To help

rebuild the houses but the thing that worries me most is violent or briged both really natural disasters like this turned life upside down for people and that tended to do the same to the human heart a ravaged heart could soon turn to thievery or violence gingi was already thinking about what came after the Grasshoppers Point went chew's unruly hair she seemed to think gingi might ask her opinion but she never got a turn to talk very well you've done Good work liaku you can return to your post gingi said sir liaku replied smartly and left

the room the duck for reasons unknown followed him her rump quivered as she went maybe she needed to poop can ducks be house broken Mayo Mayo would have assumed that was impossible but then again if the animal Des created gin's Chambers Tay was apt to roast her on the spot maybe the duck sensing mortal danger had decided to go outside if so It was an impressive trick mayoo turned to follow them but immediately found swiren blocking her exit can I help you Mayo Mayo asked oh ho ho perhaps you'd spare us just a little more

of your time when she put it that way Mayo had no no choice but to do an about facei gingi was no longer wearing his Moon prints expression is your head all right he asked bason must have told him about the Wayward piece of hail and Mayo Mayo's subsequent bout of unconsciousness when She looked closely she could see dark bags under gin's eyes and his lips were dry I'm not sure sir sometimes a person drops dead out of the blue a few days after being hit on the head even if there were no external wounds

bleeding inside the head could apparently still cause death then you need to be lying down no sir my time will come when it comes and about the only person who could do anything about it would be my father him or perhaps Dr Lou but neither Was here in the western Capital so I would prefer to do what I can while I can explained that right hand then he seemed to have noticed malo's bandages scars from an experiment she said slowly I thought you didn't use your dominant hand for that he gave her a long hard

look the reverse of their usual position at length he said um well fine more importantly you're all right that's what matters oh she saw how his hand clenched and unclenched and realized the moon Prince had reverted entirely to J sh it was almost childlike and indeed distressingly human you must be tired you should return to your room and get some rest now that may Mayo was grateful to hear Chu threw her hands in the air in celebration until she saw the look on her mother-in-law's face and put them down again Mayar was eager to go

back to her room but there was one thing she needed to know Master gyi are you not doing anything about the Swarm yourself It might not sound like a very respectful question and it wouldn't help that she'd slipped back to calling him gingi instead of moon Prince but after all his planning and preparation for how to deal with the plague of insects surely he shouldn't be lounging in his guest Suite right now Mayo Mayo pressed the point in these unprecedented times surely there's much that you could still be doing sir her Point seemed to get

across as you know I am a guest here Gingi said returning to his official tone what I can personally do on the ground is limited so I prepared a gift for those who can do whatever they wish mayoo recalled the sweet potato conji being distributed in the marketplace I saw sweet potato conji being passed out she said good to know they're using it as intended using it gingi had already given the provisions to the Western Capital it would be the cap capital's ruler who got the good will for handing Them out the town's people's gratitude

would be directed toward whoever had given them the food he's plucked this moment right out of gin's hands ginshi had done all the work but guoku you would get all the credit it's also clear enough why they allowed me to send Messengers to The Villages at my will if nothing happened they would get to blame the Imperial younger brother for trying to stir the people up and if something did happen the Western Capital would Still be seen to have sent word gyi was a far more straightforward person than he looked at first glance and he

put the nation first without regard for faction or Alliance he could be a terribly useful porn if someone knew how to play him then this convenient catastrophe had arrived these westerners seemed to have planned all along to use a central visitors as their Aaron boys and girls we were at least saved from the worst of it in that the honored strategist took The foray but there were people who found this more painful than Mayo bason remained resolutely expressionless while swiren and teay looked less than cheerful goosun meanwhile was nursing a very deep Furrow in his

brow this seems to be the true reason I was summoned here to serve as a convenient foil Jin she said astoundingly the interim ruler of the western capital joku Yu was trying to use the Imperial younger Brother as his own supporting actor is he trying to make himself the hero of this story Mayo Mayo clenched her fist as she realized what was going on they were going to be in the western capital for a while Yoku Yu might have been Empress kyoku Yu's brother but even so mayayo had the feeling she was never going to

learn to like him very much meanwhile gingi who seemed to keep drawing the Short Straw couldn't hide his mounting exhaustion from those Closest to him he needs to get some sleep and soon Mayo Mayo was just about to try to bring an end to the conversation when swiren called bason your duck is making a racket outside jofer is something wrong that masked owl is back maybe returning it to the wild wasn't so easy it's used to humans now Tay said breaking into a smile At The Mention Of The Owl May was sure now Tay appreciated

the bird as a fellow Predator do you think you could go take A look you know how to handle that thing don't you swaren said when you put it that way I suppose Masterpiece of a woman though she might have been even ta may had to give in the face of a veteran lady in waiting like swira bason worried about his duck hurried outside too it was already dark so chew lit a lantern the sweet smell of Honey floated through the air Miss cheu perhaps you'd help me with dinner preparation saren said oh yes certainly

Chu replied somehow Theatrically swiren gave Mayo Mayo wink I get it real nice without prompting gaon trotted out after them he would be nearby so as to come quick if he were needed once the two of them were alone in the room Mayo Mayo took a deep breath then heaved a sigh Master gin yeah don't you think you're pushing yourself too hard the last vestages of the Moon Prince vanished is there ever a time when I'm not from the moment he had been born a member of the Imperial family Freedom had not been a word

in his vocabulary mayam Maya realized she had simply asked the obvious VI how much more two hards can you push yourself then there had to be a limit to how much gin could take you ask tough questions we don't know where the limit is until we find it do we most people who ruin themselves Beyond repair do it at work while continually swearing they can keep going that left gyi quiet for a moment but his face darkened isn't that what an Apothecary is for to make them better yes sir more or less shall I prepare

an herbal bath for you no gingi held out his hand Mayu stared at it trying to decide if it had some significance his hand was large the fingers long the nails were neatly clipped and filed the large hand stretched a little farther and placed itself on Mayo Mayo's head yikes he must her hair as if he were petting a dog she tried to slap him away but he dodged her Nimbly what the hell sir she asked patting her disheveled hair back into place she hadn't had a chance to bathe for several days so it felt

thick and greasy I simply made myself better so I wouldn't reach my limit so soon gyi held his head high as if to say he hadn't done anything wrong there must be better ways to do that sir is that an invitation to utilize these ways neither of them said anything mayam Mayo backed away a half step and crossed her arms in Her necks tell me about these better okay I've reported everything I have to report if you excuse me and then with an Artful Dodge moo ducked out of the room outside she let out a

long breath he's been so indirect lately that I'd forgotten gin's true personal ity was to charge ahead his methods could be brutal if he had been showing restraint with mayo Mayo it was only because of the ridiculous way he decided to go about this walking around in hopes of clearing Her head mayoo found an owl a duck Basin and for some reason even a goat running around outside that goat belongs to miss chw they were turning this Annex into a farm they have the freedom to do that the scene was simultaneously ridiculous and amusing Mayo

Mayo felt the edges of her mouth creep upward and she clenched her fist vowing to make more pesticide tomorrow she was going to be in the western capital for a while yet if she was going to tell gingi not to push Himself too hard then she should take her own advice but still she would do everything she could she had to epilog aromatic tea and baked snacks with plenty of butter a moderately stimulating incense that Drew out the richest notes of the sweet smell Empress Dooku hosted and her guests came to be entertained she hadd

held many tea parties during her days in the rear Palace but fewer since she had gone from consort to Empress she was confident However that her ability to coddle a visitor had not diminished thank you ever so much for inviting us one of the women said they were the wise lives of some of the most important people in life they were all older than joku with one exception her niece Yaki and who might this be a sharp eyed guest asked upon spotting her my niece koku replied with a smile she's joined us all the way

from the Western Capital yaken had still not entered the rear Palace as not only Guoku but gookin had objected to her doing so yoku's father and her brother wanted different things this realization made her even less hesitant to act she had introduced the girl not as yoku's daughter but as her niece nobody would know joku is the governor of the far off Western reaches he was known in the capital as Jin's son and little more anyway yakin resembled joku Yu more than she did joku no doubt people would conclude that she was joku Yu's niece

on Her mother's side they talked about the most popular perfumes imported velvet the newest makeup subjects that were a bit juvenile considering the age bracket of the attendees partly guoku Yu deliberately brought up these subjects so that yaken who wasn't used to these sorts of functions yet would feel comfortable but it also served to allow her to avoid political discussion the main objective today was not to strengthen her ties with these women in Fact she had gone out of her way to invite well-healed wives who didn't display too much ambition over these past several months

yaken had begun to open up to guoku as guoku had suspected she was adopted not her half brother's bloodchild he must have decided that the emperor's choice of guoku as his Empress showed that the ruler had a thing for exotic looking women guoku Yu could only laugh the emperor was not a man who would choose his Empress for her looks Alone they might have been a factor of course but not enough for him to fall madly in love giu might have the Imperial affection but she was not the kind who could bring a country to

its knee her father guoko understood his majesty well that was why he hadn't offered a young guoku to the previous Emperor he had waited using the time until the throne changed hands to give guoku the education she would need to be Emperor he was a mer Merchant giin he Would choose the path of greatest prophet he would not be distracted by avarice though he would look 10 20 50 years into the future even Beyond his own death he would seek more than the modest Glory of one plan joku knew joku had faith that jokan loved

her but his love was not unconditional if she became a hindrance to his pursuit of gain he would cut her loose what guoku could do was raise her own value make herself way heavier in gookin's scale this tea party Was one way she could do that the party concluded amid a convivial atmosphere the wives showed great interest in the Curious trade goods from the West Yoku would have to make presents of them soon she ordered her ladies in waiting to clean up then went back to her room accompanied by yaken you seem to be learning

how to handle yourself at a tea party joku observed yes ma'am only thanks to you at first you couldn't bring yourself to say a word she Chuckled please I beg you don't remind me yakin was lovely true enough but she was ultimately still a makeshift daughter she could make herself sound aristocratic for a few minutes of brief conversation but much longer than that and her icy twang started to come out guoku would probably still have the same problem if hongyang hadn't corrected her every time her own accent had shown itself ever since she was young

the accent made yaren less than suitable for Tea parties in the end she had been offered up for one purpose to gain the romantic interest of the nobility lady guoku may I ask you something yaken said go ahead how fairs I say Province now the young woman couldn't hide her anxiety why do you ask does something there worry you guoku you asked bluntly after a second yakin replied the bugs must be coming soon I fear for the crop she was a very direct young woman kind at heart and a quick study guoku you Sympathized with

her it had been 10 days or so before that yaken had opened up to guoku about her real parents a subject she had no doubt intended to keep strictly to herself this girl so much like koku had a deep respect for guoku Yu in her former life her family had been Nance but when her father grew ill they settled in a farming Village of course that didn't immediately make them proficient Farmers they let the livestock pasture in a nearby field and Bit by bit they learned how to farm she described with evident gratitude how the

governor had supported Ed them monetarily the governor guoku guoku was not evil in guoku Yu's eye he simply believed he was always right always just that was why they didn't get along she favored by guoin contravened his justice of this she was well aware he was the eldest son by gookin's official wife if he looked down on a girl born later to a concubine well that was hard unique to I See Province most men in lie would have done the same no what bothered joku you was how guoku you denigrated her appearance not her face

as such this wasn't about whether she was beautiful or ugly instead he belittled her red hair her green eyes he was a Merchant's son the one who was supposed to help the Western Capital flourish as a Nexus of trade in the future not the best vocation for aeno gookin's policy was in general to be a good neighbor to Foreigners guoku didn't understand how gyoku you could respect their father so much while turning his back on one of his most important teachings this was the man yaken so deeply admired some years before she hadd been forced

to sell herself on account of a bad Harvest selling a daughter was hardly unheard of women were just another commodity in poor household she'd begun to work as a prostitute this was the situation from which guoku you had plucked yakin Adopting her as his daughter a beautiful story kyoku thought she chose not to say what was behind it she would not tell yaken the truth of the matter she believed it was part of her strength that she did not undermine the girl I certainly think we can expect to hear something from the Western Capital soon

I'll tell you the moment I learn anything Yoki you said then she pulled a hair stick from yakin's hair feeling her head get lighter yakin let out a breath Now get changed and let's start on our studies learning that's the most important thing you can do to be of help to my honored brother yes ma'am yakin was obedient a good girl she respected YuYu and worried even for the family who had sold her even though they had no doubt received more than enough silver to live on from joku Yu to keep their mouths shut as

yakin left the room to go change Haku HED holding a crumpled piece of paper lady guoku she said she gave Guoku the paper which had been folded and twisted so it could travel by pigeon this particular missive seemed to have been treated even more roughly than usual guoku looked at the bird wondering if it was the one the moon Prince normally used but no this message had had come from someone other than his Majesty's younger brother is this yes ma'am Haku had read it already it seemed the message contained word that the Western capital in

fact all of I Province was beset by a plague of insects the messy handwriting bespoke the urgency with which it had been written giok clenched her jaw hakuu I have one message prepared to go by land and another by sea we have one messenger bird left if you wish to use it the Western capital is still in confusion however and I question whether it would arrive safely even so it would be far faster than sending word by human hand the bird please Joker you said then she Took out a piece of particularly sturdy paper on

it she wrote only a single sentence as you will then she tucked the letter in some oil paper attached it to the leg of the pigeon hauu had brought and released the bird the white creature looked perfect against the bright blue sky the sky was so blue here in the central region in fact that it was almost hard to imagine that far to the West it was being blotted out by insects the bugs ravaging the crop and Supply Those who couldn't imagine it might sneer to themselves what a bunch of crybabies those westerners oh the

bugs are going to to get me booh hoooo Dooku let out a great sigh why had she entered the rear Palace for what why had her father seen fit to send her here to the country's central region would Yoku Yu's father continue to love her long into the future all right guoku almost gave herself a slap on the cheek for energy but Haku stopped her your Inner tomboy is showing m'am not on the face please yes yeah and try to sound like you mean it when you answer hakuu her friend from childhood looked at her

sternly Yoku took out a new sheet of paper and began writing down what she could do for the western region her fight was just beginning editors notes the Apothecary Diaries diaries Vault 10 the Thousand diversion of Sasha mlin hey everyone how did you like volume 10 it felt like it had everything didn't it Politics romance action intrig ducks ducks oh but I forgot to introduce myself I'm Sasha mcglinn the editor for the Apothecary Diaries I've had the pleasure of working with a translator Kevin steinar for over seven years now in that time we forged ourselves

into a fine tuned machine he turns Japanese text into English and I give it the old spit and shine I'm the yin to his Yang the X to his eye the gun to his gingi you get the idea Kevin did a great job Last volume discussing the overall editing process so I'd like to take some time to go a bit fur further into the details of what I do let you in on something you don't see in the final product so follow along won't you and watch your step there are rabbit holes everywhere as Kevin

said last volume once he's finished translating a part of a novel he passes the file to me he's already made notes that will help with my editing and has flagged any passages That may need discussion when editing there are multiple mini tasks I'm handling as I go these include checking for spelling are all the words spelled correctly following our house dictionary the J novel Club style guide and the series glossery grammar and punctuation are the words in the right order is there subject verb agreement is the verb tense correct throughout voice each character tends to

speak a certain way and use or not use certain vocabulary For example when nanzen is telling the story about his past Kevin wrote people began to agree that it was as she said we were the cause of This Disaster for having vitiated the ritual observant I flag viated and commented that nanzen with his lowly background was not likely to use this kind of word choice we changed it to interrupted in the final version people began to agree that it was as she said we were the cause of This Disaster for having interrupted the Ritual observance

most of these tasks are fairly superficial I'm making changes to sentences and paragraphs so the text follows specific rules and the reader isn't taken out of the story by grammatical errors or out of character vocabulary choices checking spelling and grammar are the absolute minimum an editor does to get the job done adjusting the voice of the text is a further step that allows the readers to immerse themselves more deeply into a Story as I make my way through the manuscript during the general edits I mentioned above I occasionally come across one of my favorite parts

of editing fact checking the Apothecary Diaries is based on the real world and therefore follows real world science and logic when the story presents an idea I am not confident in I Venture forth and research the topic to ensure that we're using the right words to describe it and that the information we are providing in The translation is accurate Natsu Huga the author excels at adding flavor to the world of the Apothecary Diaries so my research may be as easy as looking at Beauty websites for makeup terminology or as in depth as learning about treatments

for complications during pregnancy for me putting the pieces together to understand the right language or approach is a bit like solving a mystery of my own for a few minutes I get to be in mayam Mayo's Shoes while what I discover may not make it directly onto the final page learning more about what the author has written allows us to more easily describe it for English language readers I've fallen into a rabbit hole and I can't get out occasionally though when doing my research I dig deep perhaps too deep and sometimes what I look into

is nothing but a quick aside in the text that will ultimately have no impact on the story at lot these are the trips down rabbit Holes looking up the meaning of a strange term may lead to learning a bit of weird trivia which leads to another which reminds me of that slightly related thing I was thinking about a few weeks ago for example one time I looked up pictures of Tang Dynasty kitchens and cooking utensils and ended up selecting color palettes for my walls before I forced myself back to the manuscript in honor of all

those rabbit holes I'd like to share some fun facts and Search terms I've lost myself in while working on the Apothecary diary perhaps you'll recognize where in the series I must have lost myself others can only be explained by my Twisted sense of curiosity regardless they make for great stories and who knows maybe we'll be able to use what I learned in later volumes trivia trivia datura stramonium known as Thorn Apple in the Apothecary Diaries is also called the zombie cucumber moving the left arm and the Left leg at the same time or the right

arm and the right leg is called ipsilateral movement most calico cats are female with only a small percentage being male calicos are viewed as Lucky in multiple cultures both eastern and western autopsy and necropsy are terms used to describe cutting open a body to find the cause of death autopsy is the term for humans necropsy is used for other animals dissection is the act of opening a body human or otherwise to Study its Anatomy least die at temperatures over 130° F search engine rabbit holes have included paper Pulp and Paper making alternatives to catnip cultures

where women have face tattoos natural die fixatives for plant fiber V's protein based fibers types of parasitic fungus The Last of Us concept art symptoms of shock how affects hydranges human hair underwear crochet Underwear patterns vocabulary for different kinds of feces types of poisonous seaweed glow in the dark mushrooms history of high heat when did Barber's first start also been surgeon lazy ironing techniques Chinese Apothecary cabinets Chinese Apothecary cabinets for sale near me affordable Chinese Apothecary cabinets for sale near me thy Chinese Apothecary cabinet instructions dollhouse Chinese Apothecary cabinets for sale near me Letter sealing

techniques anatomy of wheat an anomy of sweet potatoes decaying process of severed limbs how to prepare a grasshopper to eat grasshopper recipe photographs of grasshopper dissections bleeding in corpses in various stages of death signs of arsenic poisoning the history of lace the proper way to drink tea with milk fun science experiments for kids closets things babies shouldn't eat Tang Dynasty metal work egg laying behaviors of the duck Foods that increase a woman's chest size foods that prevent erections I could keep going but that might be a good place to stop for now I hope this

very incomplete tour has given you a Peak at just how wide ranging an editor's job can really be it's part of what makes it such a satisfying profession until next time have fun read widely and don't be afraid of those rabbit holes you never know where they might lead sign up for our mailing list at J novel Club to hear About new releases newsletter and you can read the latest chapters like V 11 of this series by becoming a j novel Club member J novel club membership copyright the Apothecary Diaries volume 10 by Natsu hiuga

illustrations by tuko Shino translated by Kevin Steinbach edited by Sasha mcglinn this book is a work of fiction names characters places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously any resemblance to actual Events locals or persons living or dead is coincidental Kya no hoto copyright Natsu hauga 2021 All Rights Reserved originally published in Japan by shuun Tomo infos Company Limited through shuun Tomo Company Limited this English edition is published by arrangement with shuu Nomo Company Limited Tokyo English translation 2024 J novel Club LC all right reserved in accordance with the

US Copyright Act of 1976 the scanning Uploading and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property J novel Club C J novel Club the publisher is not responsible for websites or their content that are not owned by the publisher ebook Edition one zero January 2024 premium ebook for Anna darkwin