Chapter 332: + 333

Chapter 332: + 333

Thoroughly enjoying my time in the spotlight, I ride towards the docks with head held high and chest puffed out, playing my part as Number One Talent in the North to perfection. All of Nan Ping is watching me make my way over to present my gift to the Legate, but Im neither nervous nor afraid. Well, thats not entirely true, but Im mostly invigorated and excited, ready to do my thing and accept my accolades. Its just one of many changes Ive noted since my post-Awakened revelation, an underlying arrogance which has always been there but I mostly siphoned off to Baledagh. This new, amalgamated Falling Rain will take some getting used to, but with time at a premium, Ive no choice but to dive in headfirst and let the current of emotions carry me away.

So long as I dont get too carried away...

Upon reaching the docks, I find three of my peers standing there with their retinues. Taking a cue from the Marshals I suppose, waiting for everyone to arrive before greeting the Legate together in a show of solidarity and friendship. Having done my research, I recognize them as the three male members of the Hwarang, Centrals flower knights, but rather than stand around in awkward silence for a show of insincere harmony and falsified solidarity, I treat them with cool disdain and pretend they dont exist, riding past them and onto the floating stage. My fellow northerners cheer and applaud while the other spectators jeer and grumble, and I soak it all in. Solidarity is nice and all, but as the only Northern representative out of the nine youths called up, Im a little outnumbered and a prime target for bullying. I wanted Mila, Song, Fung, Huu, BoShui, and Zian to temporarily join my retinue and come on stage with me, but they all refused and my plan to bully my outer-provincial rivals with numbers fell through. Now its just me and Dastan against the world up here, which means I need to show the five youths from Central and three from the South that Im not intimidated by their numbers or reputation.

Besides, this is so much fun. The look on their faces once they realized what I was doing... priceless.

Calling a halt at a hundred paces from the dais, I stand at attention and wait for permission to approach, permission which never comes. Casually glancing to the side, the Legate appears to be discussing matters with his seneschal, but in reality, hes delaying until my peers take the stage. A small reprimand for jumping the line perhaps, telling me he values the illusion of unity above all else, but its not a big deal. The important thing is fortune favours the bold, the Legate favours the Divine Turtle, and Ping Ping favours me, so all those kids back there can suck it.

With nothing better to do, I make sure my soldiers are in place and behaving appropriately while we wait, which takes all of a second. They know whats at stake and every last one of them looks excited to be here. Even Guan Suos Protectorate dressed up for the occasion, wearing their least tattered outfits and combing their beards, though the big grumpy grandpa is nowhere to be seen. Likewise, the monk is also conspicuously absent, but Im sure theyre both nearby. There arent many tells for Concealed Experts out here on this massive, mostly empty raft, though Im surprised its holding so well under Ping Pings weight, not to mention the fifteen-hundred plus soldiers now standing on board, with at least six hundred more when Central and Souths finest arrive.

All that is neither here nor there. Im pleased to have such a large audience here to see me present my gifts. There are people in every window and on every rooftop, out in the streets and lined up along the shore, as if every man, woman, and child in Nan Ping was here to take part in this historic occasion. If I look closely, I can almost see Baatar, Sarnai, Akanai, and Husolt sitting on their manor balconies, and I know Lin and Mila are somewhere on the beach. Theyre probably snuggled up with Song and my fur-babies and cheering me on with all their hearts. There are millions of people watching my every movement, tracking me as I smile and wave, their faces lighting up as they wave back. Its an incredible feeling standing here on stage and Im grateful for the opportunity. This gift-giving business is mostly bullshit, but it serves my purposes well enough. With the entire city and the majority of Martial Warriors from the outer provinces as my witnesses, itll be all but impossible to figuratively bury my gift in the dirt.

Making one last effort to get Blackjack off of my banner, I pray the baby hare doesnt poop on anyone and turn my attention back to the Legate, studying his armour with professional interest. And greed. So much greed, but mostly, professional interest. You know, in case I have to take him hostage to make my escape or something. Seated beneath his silken canopy, surrounded by the four ever-present bodyguards, and attended to by his seneschal, the Legates youthful good looks are on full display for Nan Ping to adore. Hes a good looking man, Ill give him that, but I think it works against him here. The citizens of the Empire want someone to depend on or look up to, someone who they feel will protect and guide them, but at maybe thirty years old, the Legate is far too young to fit the bill.

I have to admit, he does look striking sitting up there in his fancy armour and sitting on his comfy, cushioned throne. He blends in so well with his Royal Guardians, youd think they were wearing identical outfits, gold-plated armour over red silk robes. Upon closer inspection, I discover that like a hare and a rabbit, the differences are subtle, but significant. Where the Royal Guardians have interlocking scale armour and simple robes, the Legate wears sturdy plate and an embroidered robe that almost shimmers with power. Their helmets are different too, with the Royal Guardians wearing plain and rounded hats while the Legates helmet has winged sides and a long, red plait of hair sprouting from the top. Then theres the decorations, with the Royal Guardians sporting lions emblazoned on their spaulders and belts, while the Legate has dragons and barely perceptible inscriptions etched across the metal surface of his armour. Id bet every copper I own that the Legate is dressed from head to toe in Runic gear, meaning his helmet, robes, breastplate, spaulders, gloves, boots, greaves, and probably codpiece too. Hell, I wouldnt be surprised if the open-mouthed dragon on his belt was another Runic item, shooting concentrated beams of love to turn his enemies into friends.

Or turn them into a pile of unrecognizable goop. Probably the latter, but one can dream.

So extravagant. If I were a proper MC with plot armour, Id have transmigrated into an Imperial Scion and risen to glory, but no. Im playing on hard mode with the slave start, so boo-urns to that. Its vexing how the Imperial Clan hoards their secrets instead of spreading the wealth, but I can understand why. Knowledge is power, and the Imperials have built an Empire on hidden power. All this has made me revise my opinion of Shen Zhenwu, the Divine True Warrior. Whether hes worthy of such a haughty name or not, hes no paper tiger. It takes an advanced Martial Warrior with above average Chi reserves to power so many Runic items at once, and even wearing them requires some effort to sustain. Without Chi, his Runic armour would be as useful as the metal its made from, which means the Legate is either an Expert or an idiot showing off his wealth. For now, Im inclined to think the former, because Id rather not believe the Emperor sent an idiot to oversee the defence of the outer provinces.

The most convincing evidence of the Legates prowess was the rousing speech he gave, going on about valiant soldiers defending the borders and what not. Dont get me wrong, it was a pretty speech and the Legate delivered it well, but almost all of it was trite garbage. As his speech went on, I noticed most people around me were drawn in by his voice, his words holding their attention in an almost supernatural manner. Their eyes burned with reverence and worship, as if ready to fall to their knees and prostrate before Imperial Authority. Mila and Li Song, Jochi and Argat, even Ravil and Jorani had a look of respect in their eyes, which is how I knew something was wrong.

Not everyone was affected though. Dastan, Sahb, Ulfsaar, Neera, and Wang Bao were all unaffected, though I didnt see how others reacted, like Taduk, Lin, Guard Leader, and a few other notable Experts. The five from my retinue who werent affected were also, at one point, almost Defiled, but there were many others who were almost Defiled and also affected by the Legates speech, so that cant be why were immune. The only other reason I can think of is maybe its a combination of having almost been Defiled and being in possession of a Natal Palace. We dont really have anything else in common, not that I can think of anyways.

The Legates Oration skill, as Im calling it, has me more than a little shook up, my first true glimpse at the power wielded by the Imperial Clan. It could be the Legates Talent and why he was sent here, or it could be a super secret Imperial skill, but either way, Im starting to suspect the Emperor intends to leave the outer provinces to face the Defiled hordes on our own. Maybe they want to see which way the wind blows before committing their forces, or maybe they dont care about what happens to any of us as long as the Defiled dont bother them. Whatever their reasons, Yuzhen was right to gift much-needed resources for the war effort and appease the Legate with a worthless painting, and I wish Id followed in her footsteps.

At least ten minutes pass before the other young talents take the stage, marching side by side in an empty spectacle of unity and cooperation. Unfortunately for them, I planted my retinue directly in front of the Legate, which means theyre forced to split up and stand on either side of my five-hundred plus soldiers. Even better, the three Southerners insist on standing to my left so their people can see them from shore, forcing the eight young talents and all their soldiers to awkwardly shuffle about to get into place.

Not bothering to hide my glee, I stand and grin while imagining what it wouldve been like if my friends had come along with me. Not only would we have eight top-tier talents to match their combined eight, wed also have a thousand soldiers to their measly six-hundred, since two of the Hwarang lack an official rank. With three-hundred soldiers on either side, it gives the impression of strength in the north, having not only brought the most troops, but only needing one person to represent them.

What can I say? This is my fault, Im just too awesome, shining so brightly my peers in the north cant measure up.

Once everyone finds their place, the Legate gives a short speech about us heroes of tomorrow before inviting the Southern young warriors to present their gifts. Having done my research, its nice to finally put faces to the names, though for the South, theres only one name that matters. Quyen Dienne, the dour, ruddy-cheeked son of Southern Marshal Quyen Huong, leads the other two representatives to greet the Legate and present his gifts. While they exchange pleasantries, I take a measure of the dark-skinned, thin moustached southerners and find them... lacking. Dressed in colourful orange, red, and blue lamellar armour, all three men carry the same weapon over their shoulder, a long-handled scimitar with a thin, curved blade which almost touches the floor. Dienne is the only one who speaks because the other two are his Oath-sworn bodyguards, chosen from among hundreds of youths vying for the honour. Pompous, conceited, and full of disdain for anyone beneath him, theres nothing about Dienne that tells me he deserves the honour of number one talent in the South. I suspect hes only up here because his daddy pulled the right strings and murdered the right people, making him nothing more than the paper tiger of the South.

Disgraceful. I should make an example of him, show the Empire he doesnt deserve to stand beside me...

After dismissing Dienne and his bodyguards, the Legate shoots me a disapproving glare before summoning the Hwarang forward, silently signalling I shouldnt make a fuss about being last to present. It seems Im doing a terrible job at waiting patiently, but Im just so excited to be up here. This is my chance to make a difference and nobody has to die for it. Maybe its a mistake, or maybe nothing comes of it, but with my familys support, Im committed to this path.

For better or for worse.

Unlike Dienne and his cronies, every member of the Hwarang deserve to be here and they individually present their gifts in no particular order. First up is Mitsue Hideo, great nephew and Disciple of the Obsidian Shadow Mitsue Juichi, a celebrated Central Expert like Du Min Gyu. At twenty-four years old, the handsome and heroic Mitsue Hideo is rumoured to have comprehended the essence of his Mentors Talent, the Mountain Collapsing Stomp. Supposedly a combination of Resonance, Amplification, Honing, and Stability, for Hideo to not only use all four skills in tandem and project it from his body is a testament to his talent and dedication. A formidable opponent especially on this floating stage, where he could easily destroy multiple sections of the platform with a single step. Wielding twin maces which look more like batons, his style of attack is not unlike my own, closing the gap in an instant to crush his opponent in the first blow.

His fancy tricks wont matter if you beat him down fast. Counter charge and trade blows. If he hesitates, hes done for. If he stays the course, stab beats swing any day of the week. Easy Victory.

Next up is Wu Gam, Disciple to the Eccentric also known as Gam. The fifth to bear the name, Wu Gam literally means Gam Five, a name bestowed upon him by the Eccentric, a strange and peculiar demi-human obsessed with raising a flawless Disciple to carry on his legacy. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, the Eccentric is rumoured to have personally killed Gams two through four for failing to live up to expectations, with Wu Gam being his latest, and possibly last chance to raise a successor. Luckily for him, the Eccentric learned from his mistakes and Wu Gam is his strongest disciple yet, a twenty-three year old Awakened Expert of the Empire whose slender build belies his prodigious strength. Wielding a stone staff and dressed in plain, brown robes, his two furry silver-fox ears poke out of his close cropped hair, a demi-human lineage shared by all five Gams. His yellow-gold eyes hold a muted, deadened look, not something you usually see on the face of accomplished Expert Blessed by Earth, especially one supposedly highly proficient in its usage.

His Blessing of Earth makes him both strong and sturdy. You cant match him in raw power, so dont. Stay light on your feet, make him come to you, and when he slips up, strike a decisive blow. All the power in the world doesnt matter if he cant connect, so move like a butterfly and sting like a rampaging Ping Ping.

How so?

This is going much better than expected. At least he seems interested and is taking part in the conversation. Literacy is the foundation upon which all learning is built, and education intrinsically tied to economy. With cheap and affordable paper, the cost to learn reading, writing, and basic arithmetic drops to almost negligible levels, which will have far reaching effects throughout the Empire. Well-educated workers can perform tasks more efficiently, find new ways to improve profits, and become a new market for literary pursuits such as poetry or pleasure reading. Unable to hide my excitement, I continue speaking, my voice faster and louder than before. A higher literacy rate also lets us tap into a vast, untouched resource, the collective knowledge of the Empires working class. Generation after generation, knowledge is passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, but thats where it ends. Who knows how much knowledge we've lost to time and tragedy? With improved literacy, it opens up the possibility for an exchange of ideas and theories, discourses on techniques and stratagem. While it might not seem like much to you or I, a farmer learning how to improve his yield of crops or a fisherman how to predict the weather could massively change their lives for the better. Losing tens of thousands of gold in profit to improve the lives of commoners across the Empire for generations to come, this one sees it as a small price to pay.

Theres so much more too, but sadly, my enthusiasm doesnt seem to be catching on. The crowd sits silently while the Legate flips through my book. What of the rest of it? There are several other items inside the chest and much more detailed in the book.

Paper is but one part of the gift. Gesturing for Sahb to step forward, I point at the buckle on his backpack. This is a strap buckle which can be tightened and loosened with one hand. Sahb helpfully demonstrates a few times while I scrounge through the bag and pull out a few miscellaneous items. This is a caliper, you use it to quickly measure the distance between two points on a flat surface, which among other things allows for fast and accurate map making. This is scented soap made primarily from vegetable oil, not as harsh on the skin and leaves laundry smelling fresh. This is an ingot of cast iron, which is cheaper to produce than traditionally smelted iron, needing no refining or hammering, but at the cost of being more brittle and inflexible. I also have a crossbow on the wagon which is easy to build and can fire ten bolts per minute with minimal practice, perfect for hunting wild game or weak Defiled. The book contains step by step instructions to create all of these items and more, while the wagons hold examples of our work for the Legate to inspect. This one hopes the Empire can make use of them, improve on them, create new inventions and usher in a new age of prosperity for all.

Leaving the items in Sahbs hands, I eyeball the Crier until the Legate waves him to silence. Leaning forward, I keep my voice low and whisper, As for personal profits, theres extra pages at the back of Imperial Legates copy which will not be shared with anyone else. Look them over and Im sure youll find it of interest, especially the sections detailing paper money and money lending, both extremely lucrative concepts.

Boom. That got his attention. He doesnt care about cradle-scythes that let you reap and lay out the grains for easy collection, a water-powered clock so villagers can tell time, or even a counter-weight catapult to launch death from afar. All hes interested in is how these inventions will benefit the Imperial Clan, not the Empire as a whole. To that end, paper currency reads like a hegemonys wet dream, allowing the Emperor to collect gold and silver in exchange for pieces of paper, with the eventual goal of switching over to paper currency with no inherent value besides that which the Emperor gives it.

While paper currency will put more power into the hands of the Imperial Clan, Im hoping itll blind them to the possibilities of everything else in my book. Maybe its arrogance speaking, but I want to believe theres a reason Im here in this world with my scattered memories. My first guess was so I could draw a bunch of silly captioned pictures for shits and giggles, but then I actually put some thought into it and decided to try and leave the world a little better than I found it. Alone, I cant do much, but I can get the ball rolling in the right direction. Education is a powerful weapon, one which can change the world for the better. Its not just about learning characters and numbers, but about laying the groundwork for each successive generation to discover and create new and wondrous things. Reducing poverty, improving the standard of living, passing on values, and preventing needless deaths from treatable illnesses, theyre all worthy causes, but basic human rights cant exist while there is such a gross imbalance of power.

My end game is this: once most people are no longer barely scraping by, theyll be free to explore other options, like trying their hand at the Martial Path.

Take the Behkai and other people of the Saints Tribulation Mountains for example. They dont have a higher incidence of Martial Warriors because theyre naturally talented or harder working, but because every child is given a chance to learn and those who show promise are nurtured. If more peasants around the Empire grow to become Martial Warriors and take power, eventually there will be more soldiers from humble backgrounds than noble ones. Bloodless revolution is a childs dream, because without a credible threat from their own people, the Imperial Clan will never consider any matters aside from their own self-interest. Add in a sprinkling of crossbows, catapults, Spiritual Guns, and other new, deadly weapons into the mix, and bloody conflict to right the balance of power is all but inevitable.

Sometimes, things have to get a little worse before they can get a lot better, but thankfully, Ill be dead and gone by the time any of this takes place. Maybe Im wrong and things work out for the better, or you know, the Defiled kill everyone and nothing I do matters. Whatever happens, happens. In the meantime, Ill do what I think is right.

Feigning indifference, the Legate hands the book to his seneschal and gestures for his guards to take everything away. Is that all? he asks, sounding ever so slightly disappointed. Hes putting on a show, trying to make it look like hes upset because Ive presented him nothing which will benefit him.

The Imperial Clan must have its tribute, after all.

Shrinking back in mock fear, I shake my head and frantically gesture for Dastan and Sahb, who both run back to the retinue and collect four leather-wrapped items carried by four separate guards. Yuzhens suggestion to better sell the lie and make it look like a last minute gift and make my book seem less... threatening. Certainly not, I say, hiding my grimace as the Crier echoes my words. This one would never dream of presenting Imperial Legate with so poor a gift. On cue, Dastan and Sahb reveal the last second gift, once again causing Nan Pings inhabitants to audibly gasp as one. Four round, metal shields shimmer in the morning light, their surfaces engraved in flowing, disorderly inscriptions, both disorienting and pleasing to the eye. This one presents Imperial Legate with these four Runic shields, crafted by one who would prefer to remain anonymous.

My Teacher Taduk, Medical Saint, Loving Daddy, all around great guy, and now, Runic Craftsman.

He makes everything look so easy, crafting twelve Runic shields before running out of inscription materials. Resupply is kind of an issue, and even Yuzhens new friends from Central are having trouble procuring what we need. Now that the Empire knows we have a Runic Craftsman, there should be plenty of powerful factions willing to supply the needed materials in exchange for shields of their own, but Id much rather keep those in house. It hurts enough giving away four shields to the Legate, but Yuzhen said a princely ransom would buy me plenty of goodwill from the Legate. More importantly, such a large gift (presumably) obligates the Legate to protect me and mine, lest he lose face and earn a reputation as an ingrate. Make no mistake, I will need his protection. Many will wonder what goodies Ive kept for myself and the Bekhai, but with the Legates (publicly obligated) support, most will think twice before acting against us in the open. Even if the Legate doesnt want to help us, hell have to at least pretend to be on our side, which should be enough to dissuade all but the greediest and well-connected of factions. This is exactly why Akanai forbade me from sharing knowledge of Panacea, because it is far too tempting a prize, even for the Imperial Clan.

Heh. Im starting to get the hang of this politics thing. Yuzhen only had to explain it three times before I got it.

In the end, even though Taduk said all twelve shields were mine to do with as I pleased, I set four aside for this gift, gave six to Akanai and Baatar to hand out, and only kept two for myself. After much deliberation, I gave them to Dastan and Sahb because not only are they strong and important enough to warrant them, their fighting styles already incorporates a shield.

Plus... theyre kinda Oath-sworn to defend me with their lives and with Runic shields, theyre much better equipped to do so. I may be new and improved, but I still have a healthy respect for danger.

My lavish and practical gift is a stunning success and the Legate takes a minute to extol my virtues and thank the Bekhai and their mysterious Runic Craftsmen, words met with hearty cheers and thunderous applause. Flooded with relief at a job well done, I fall in line with my retinue and smirk at the other young talents, basking in the satisfaction of beating my rivals with my wallet and ingenuity. Everyone thinks the Runic shields are my most valuable gifts, but little do they know the knowledge bomb Ive dropped in their midst. The people of this world arent stupid, they just lack proper motivation. Once companies see the value in research and development, theyll begin investing in education and the rest will fall into place.

Everything went perfectly as planned and now all I have to do is sit back and wait for someone to figure out indoor plumbing. No more pooping in pots and ditches, thats the world I want to live in.

With this, the North has won twice in a row now and my fellow northerners are in high spirits, clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and chanting my name on the shores of Nan Ping Bay. After long minutes, the Legate stands up and holds his hands up for silence. Addressing the now silent crowd, he Speaks. These nine exceptional young warriors are the future of the Empire. Standing at the forefront of their peers, they have each risen to prominence in their respective provinces. Grinning as he makes eye contact with us one at at time, he adds, However, I, and many others, have but one question on our minds: which of you is strong enough to claim the title of undisputed number one talent in the Empire?

Nan Ping erupts into ground-shaking applause once more, startling Blackjack into seeking shelter in Ping Pings shell. Already I can see the other eight young talents eyeing me with predatory gazes, hungry for the reputation which would come from defeating Falling Rain. Even Yan has the same idea, biting her cherry-pink lips as she wonders just how much stronger Ive become. Chuckling beneath my breath, I study my would-be challengers one by one, strapping on Tranquility while the Crier lays out the ground rules. Too bad Mila isnt here, I was hoping to see her beat everyone to a pulp and claim her rightful place as number one talent in the Empire.

No big deal. Ill just have to take the title and hold it until shes ready.

Now... whos first?

Chapter Meme