Chapter 438

Chapter 438

On account of our early return from patrol, there wasnt enough room for us in the nice, cozy fort, but I actually prefer camping out on the exposed plains. The hot Central summer is winding down and autumn looms around the corner, but the temperatures are still higher than what Im used to, so its much more comfortable out here than it would be crammed into a sweltering, dirt-walled room next to a hundred more just like it. Large as Fort Sinuji might be, it was built with defence in mind rather than comfort, so yurt life is almost luxurious in comparison, especially if youre not an officer. Sleeping four soldiers to a yurt is far better than twelve to a room, packed in shoulder to shoulder like a tin of sardines.

Ooh... Tins. Food preservation. I should write a letter to Diyako, the sooner we get tastier food on the front lines, the better. No wait, glass jars would be easier than tin cans. We havent figured out how to make the clear glass needed for telescopes and eyeglasses, but clouded glass will work fine for jarring.

While grinding the ink, I ponder over the significance of my arrival in this world for the umpteenth time. Most days, I prefer not to think about it because it reminds me of all the modern amenities Im missing out on, like indoor plumbing and air conditioning, not to mention the existential horror it dredges up. Was I brought here for a reason? Am I bound by fate to carry out a purpose? Am I a piece in some cosmic game of four-dimensional chess? Were my memories intentionally preserved or is all this a freak accident?

Will I ever know the answers to any of these questions?

Most recently, Ive started worrying about the unintended and unforeseen consequences of my actions, which is silly, because by definition, theres nothing I could have done to stop them from happening. Still, I wonder if my ideas are upsetting the natural order of things. Will there be consequences if I break the status quo and enact radical change and progress? This wasnt a problem before because no one cared about my ideas, but since introducing my book and being crowned Number One Talent in the Empire a mere four months ago, Ive noticed a myriad of issues cropping up in its wake.

Take paper for example. Although the material now sees more widespread use and the value of literacy has risen, Ive yet to hear of anyone opening schools or offering cheap reading lessons, so the divide between the rich and the poor will only grow instead of shrink. Paper walls are no longer a luxury for the wealthy and are now trending with the poor, and coloured paper decorations have taken the cities by storm. Forgery is on the rise, with enterprising thieves using replica seals on false orders to steal from illiterate guards and warehouse workers, and while woodblock printing presses have yet to appear, Ive seen plenty of lewd and elaborate woodblock carvings used to stamp pictures which are then sold for a few coppers apiece. Though not as detailed as the painted fapping materials favoured by the nobility, its a huge step up for commoners who previously only had their imagination to work with.

So I guess I am making the world a happier place, just not a better one...

The worst fallout from my efforts is how the military wants everything in triplicate because paper is so cheap. Not only do I need to send a copy of my written orders and requests to my superior in Sinuji and high command in SuiHua, I also need to keep a copy to cover my ass. My once spacious yurt is now cluttered with chests filled with stacks of reports, orders, and correspondences, though most are written by Rustram and Silva, as my writing is barely legible and I have a tendency to ramble. Im much neater if I use a pen, but Luo-Luo doesnt approve. Though she likes the concept of using pens, she thinks the resulting calligraphy is too prosaic and soulless, which isnt entirely wrong, but is totally stupid. I mean, who cares if my written characters are uninspired or lack elegance? At least theyre legible, unlike what comes out when I use a proper brush. Itd be easy to ignore Luo-Luo if she tried to browbeat me into using a brush, but the alluring temptress has long since learned to get her way through guilt. Ive developed an immunity to fake tears and tantrums, but when she quietly sighs and slumps down like a defeated dog, it makes my insides twist with guilt as if I were a complete monster for using a pen.

Luckily, Luo-Luo is in SuiHua and this letter will go straight to Diyako who doesnt care if my writing is elegant. Keeping it short and sweet, I detail my thoughts as they come without caring for structure or reason, as I find my ideas are more comprehensible when I dont think too much, else I get hung up on the details I dont understand. Like for starters, I dont know how glass jars keep food preserved, but I know a sealed container helps. A metal lid which screws on is probably too much to ask for, but an unbroken wax seal will probably work just as well. Oh, coloured glass candle holders would probably be popular with the nobility, though I supposed this is more Luo-Luos wheelhouse than Diyakos. Fuck, guess Ill break out the brush and write her a letter too, especially since shes due one and I need cattle armour. At least I wont have to find a trustworthy courier to deliver the letters, as Tenjin and Jochis escort can bring it with them when they set off for SuiHua in the morning. I was horrified when Mila mentioned all our letters had probably been intercepted and copied, but mostly because Im ashamed of my calligraphy. Even Tate has better writing than I do, but I cant get the hang of using a stupid brush.

It doesnt make any sense. Brushes are for painting, not writing. Get it right!

After penning letters to Diyako, Luo-Luo, Lin, and Mila, I write one to Mom and Dad asking how they are and telling them about my recent run in with Gulong and everything which preceded it, including Ji Yeon and Ji Jing. I also mention Colonel Hongjis advice, though I leave his name out just to be safe. Better if he has plausible deniability so he can safely cut ties, especially if my suspicions are correct. Regardless of whos helping the Situ Clan in secret, the whole thing is so far above my head I wouldnt even have noticed if it wasnt for the good Colonel, so I leave it up to my parents to decide my next move.

Honestly, this is almost as bad as the alternative. Im a grown-ass man running to mommy and daddy when things go wrong. Its disgraceful, but at least this way theyll have fair warning of the dagger hanging over our heads.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Finished just before it grows too dark to read without candles, I hand the bundle of sealed letters to a Death Corps soldier and ask him to pass them to Tursinai. She wasnt too happy about being put in charge of the group going to SuiHui, but I could tell Tenjin was grateful. Tursinai is far more liable to take risks when he isnt around and I know he wouldnt sleep easily knowing she was out here with no one to watch her back. I figured I owed him as much, considering this is the second time hes been injured while serving in my retinue, and even though Orgaal is right about it not being my fault, I still feel liable. Truth is, if we broke things down to absolute numbers, Tenjin is far more valuable a warrior than I am, what with being a twenty-nine year old Awakened Expert whos so much stronger than his peers it boggles the mind.

Then theres Tursinai, two years younger and lacking an Awakening, but that doesnt stop her from beating Tenjin with one hand tied behind her back. Hell, Ive seen her give Gerel a run for his money, and hes supposedly the top dog amongst his generation, though I dont see why. Alsantset and Charok are almost his equal, so baldy doesnt really stand out from the crowd, but no one denies it. Still, it says something about his personality when the Bekhai treat him like a social outcast despite his strength, which makes me feel a little better about my almost exile.

No one likes me because Im weird and shy, but they hate Gerel because hes a jerk. Granted, we both almost turned Defiled, but they disliked him before that came to light, whereas I was at least tolerated.

No more of this mystic mumbo jumbo. Forget good and evil, there is only creation and destruction with no morality to muddy the waters. Heavenly Energy is an enigmatic force of nature, but people have been taking advantage of nature since the dawn of humanity. Whether it be working with fire or harnessing the wind, taming a horse or cracking the atom, humans have always bent nature to their will, so I will do the same. Instead of treating it like an ineffable power, I will uncover its secrets and use it to my benefit and the benefit of humanity. Energy is energy, regardless if its electric, kinetic, potential, Heavenly, or otherwise. The only difference is how to use it, but the first step to using energy, is to control it.

What I do now while gathering Chi can hardly be called control. I struggle, I endure, and I survive, so things must change, but how? I cant control Heavenly Energy, but if Chi is Heavenly Energy in a different form, then it stands to reason what works for one will work for the other. I know how to control Chi. I may not understand it, but that doesnt matter so long as it works. For awhile, I wondered which was better, Intent or Visualization, but the answer doesnt matter when you can use both.

The Energy of the Heavens rages and coerces, abuses and nurtures, but I remain undaunted and bend it to my will by Visualizing my Intent.

No surrender and no embrace, I will not go with the flow, nor will I resist.

I contain and control.

I am the dam which stops the river, and I am the wall which blocks the wind.

I am the forge which contains the flame, and I am the drill which pierces the mountain.

Faced with my oppressive demands and unyielding resolve, the Energy of the Heavens seethes and intensifies, but I persevere as time passes. Seconds, minutes, hours, I dont know how long it takes, but I keep at it until the Heavenly Energy turns docile and... impartial, is the best word I can come up with, filled with no whispered promises or tempting demands as it submits and transforms into Chi. Where I once offered invitation and Heavenly Energy flowed into my Core to fill a vacuum, I now draw it in much like I Devour Spectres, by opening the void to the world and (sigh) sucking it in to become mine. Faced with this information, an epiphany strikes, and I realize something I shouldve figured out a long time ago. The void is my Core. Thats why Martial Warriors have access to near infinite Chi inside their Natal Palace, because it sits inside the Core! Its a closed system, and since energy cannot be created or destroyed, anything you do using Chi inside the Natal Palace will eventually revert back to Chi. Zero net loss.

Yeah! Science, bitch!

...Honestly, seriously surprised it worked, and it raises a whole host of new questions. Not bad work though. I fixed a flaw Ive lived with for more than two years now and also stumbled across a mundane insight into the mechanics behind Chi, but theres still more to be done.

Yesterday, I wouldve had to hold Balance and meditate to gather Chi, but now I merely have to think and it appears, surging into my Core as if I were demonstrating Purity. Freed from the need to concentrate, I let the Chi gathering continue in the background and turn my attention to Spectres, but only now do I notice theyve fallen silent and still. Suspended in the void, they watch in what I can only describe as abject horror, remaining frozen even as my Spiritual Water washes out and consumes a few hundred of their peers. Usually, this is when Id call it a night, but unsettled by their unusual behaviour, I convert Chi into Water Chi and Water Chi into Spiritual Water, a process which is slow going and requires all my focus to sustain. Though it takes hours to cleanse the Spectres, I continue until every last one of the them has been turned into Heavenly Energy and deposited into the goblet, unable to rest easy with an audience of frozen spirits sitting within the void.

Thats not a good sign... but lets be fair: if what I did horrified the Spectres, then it cant be all bad.

...

Right?

Chapter Meme