- Location
- Florida
Mmm perhaps, still like the murder mystery more and we never quite saw its manifestation if it had any so I'm still gonna refer to the house as ghost kid.
It's just odd we never questioned it and left it at that.
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
It's just odd we never questioned it and left it at that.
TimEd
Meteor maker
vote was closed so you just missed it.
- Location
- CA
Oh no
Ah well, really hoping all the people thinking this vote is about excising from Ling Qi her tastes in activities because they aren't optimal for a quest setting are wrong. 🧂
As one of the people voting for "fixing"-related reasons: if this results in a failure and, as a result, Ling Qi eventually decides, "no, I like the parts of me that caused this problem," then I'll count it as a success. My goal isn't to sandpaper her into a neatly-stackable cube, my goal is to sandpaper off the inside-pointing parts to the greatest possible degree. I'd rather not have her default into anything this important, and that's what tends to happen when you let your discomforts rule you--so if Ling Qi makes a decision, rather than simply flinching away from the problem, then she'll have made tangible progress.
And that doesn't even entail changing, is the important part. She can end up right back in the same practical place and I'll be perfectly happy.
- Location
- Florida
Eh I just wanted her to acknowledge people more, like that day with her family she was hiding in plain sight of the mortals.
It felt like falling back into the same routine if we went with the spar and not think people who may or may not want to talk is just replaced with a furniture cabinet in her mind like the servants.
It felt like falling back into the same routine if we went with the spar and not think people who may or may not want to talk is just replaced with a furniture cabinet in her mind like the servants.
TimEd
Meteor maker
thats more because if she doesnt do that, she would cause massive distruptions to everyone, like how any (really) famous person tries to at the least make their presence not obvious when they're just going about their daily lives (except MORE because Immortal).
Su Ling can get away with it because she has 'saved' the town before, and her down to earthness neutralizes some of the Immortals vibe.
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Might be you're remembering things as murder-y because our mission was to pour the new owner's blood on some core part of the house.
- Location
- Florida
Was thinking the same, but you know what they say its always the quiet ones.
- Location
- Florida
All very good points....
But we all know she's the shy child afraid to meet new people in this family
I can see her sister bullying her when she grows up and hears this!
Hi everyone! Finally caught up to the quest, new to the forum. Thank you @yrsillar for an excellent story. Shout out to the math cabal for the critical number crunching. It's nice to meet everybody!
I was interested in discussing LQ's build, and how that impacts Arts training and our upcoming visit to the archive.
LQ's Build
To my understanding, LQ's core build revolves around mobility, offense (including cc/aoe), and social skills. Her support includes divination and 'spirit social'. We have some misc skills to shore up defenses too. With that framework, we can figure out how to plot her growth.
What's on the Right Track
Mobility-wise, I think we've got a clear path. We've maxed SCC as our cornerstone mobility technique, and we have LFWT lined up to build upon that cornerstone. ENM complements mobility/stealth nicely as well. No issues here.
For social arts, we have PMR for LQ's personal relationships (family/friends/building genuine connections), and MSS lined up for political/diplomatic purposes to help LQ serve CRX and navigate nobility. While I'm somewhat iffy about HDW for group social perception, social defense, and some buffs (this art feels scattered and weak), I think we're generally in good shape on social arts.
We have RME for divination (clairvoyance focus, awesome) and MoSS for 'spirit social' (this fits well with SSC which is our 'nascent…path' and rewards "dealings with the spirits of the world"). So the support arts look great.
Concerns
So I'm excited about the upcoming 'darkness turn' which develops LFWT, ENM and MSS. But I'm worried about our offense and misc arts.
Offense-wise, our current main 2 arts are FSS and PLR. FSS seems mostly 1v1. PLR seems to be cc/aoe-ish and narratively relevant due to the Sixiang stuff. In the 'darkness turn' plan, I saw a heavy interest in UGM and BKSD. BKSD seems pretty similar to PLR in being more focused in dealing with large numbers of weaker enemies. UGM seems like it may be focused on one enemy..? I just wonder, where would these two arts fit into our offense, and would they complement or substitute our current offensive arts? Would a substitution add value worthy of the AP investment? My biggest concern with our offense is 1v1 capabilities. We need to be able to fight enemies who are at higher cultivation levels than us, empowering LQ to 'punch up'.
In terms of misc skills, we have TRF for defense/vitality and SES to resist dispels and debuffs. With regards to TRF/defense, I was surprised to see the 'darkness' turn invest 4AP on SNR as a new armor to replace TRF. This may be a serious mistake. Our core build relates to dodge, do we want to invest 4AP on armor, when we already have one? I'm not sure it's worth it. Furthermore, when Zhengui is on the field, he can tank and help with our vitality. I hope the 4AP isn't being spent on SNR in the excitement of the darkness bonus from pills – we could find better use for those 4AP. For example, AP could be funneled to more MSS and the upcoming new archive art if it's a darkness art, allowing us to retain that darkness bonus.
With respect to the archive visit, I saw that the original purpose was to replace SES with a better defense against dispel. I've got to admit, I'm not feeling knowledgeable on this – is our dispel defense still pretty bad against CRX (and Bai Meizhen)? I trust the folks here to make that judgment. Is it worth considering looking for a strong 1v1 offensive art at the archive instead, perhaps?
TL;DR
In developing our build, we've got a good plan on mobility, social, divination, and spirit stuff.
We need to seriously examine our offense.
SNR armor focus may not enhance or add good value to our core build.
We need to make our archive visit count.
@naths @Black Noise @EternalObserver @Diomedon – I'm curious about your perspectives, and of course anyone who would like to discuss
I was interested in discussing LQ's build, and how that impacts Arts training and our upcoming visit to the archive.
LQ's Build
To my understanding, LQ's core build revolves around mobility, offense (including cc/aoe), and social skills. Her support includes divination and 'spirit social'. We have some misc skills to shore up defenses too. With that framework, we can figure out how to plot her growth.
What's on the Right Track
Mobility-wise, I think we've got a clear path. We've maxed SCC as our cornerstone mobility technique, and we have LFWT lined up to build upon that cornerstone. ENM complements mobility/stealth nicely as well. No issues here.
For social arts, we have PMR for LQ's personal relationships (family/friends/building genuine connections), and MSS lined up for political/diplomatic purposes to help LQ serve CRX and navigate nobility. While I'm somewhat iffy about HDW for group social perception, social defense, and some buffs (this art feels scattered and weak), I think we're generally in good shape on social arts.
We have RME for divination (clairvoyance focus, awesome) and MoSS for 'spirit social' (this fits well with SSC which is our 'nascent…path' and rewards "dealings with the spirits of the world"). So the support arts look great.
Concerns
So I'm excited about the upcoming 'darkness turn' which develops LFWT, ENM and MSS. But I'm worried about our offense and misc arts.
Offense-wise, our current main 2 arts are FSS and PLR. FSS seems mostly 1v1. PLR seems to be cc/aoe-ish and narratively relevant due to the Sixiang stuff. In the 'darkness turn' plan, I saw a heavy interest in UGM and BKSD. BKSD seems pretty similar to PLR in being more focused in dealing with large numbers of weaker enemies. UGM seems like it may be focused on one enemy..? I just wonder, where would these two arts fit into our offense, and would they complement or substitute our current offensive arts? Would a substitution add value worthy of the AP investment? My biggest concern with our offense is 1v1 capabilities. We need to be able to fight enemies who are at higher cultivation levels than us, empowering LQ to 'punch up'.
In terms of misc skills, we have TRF for defense/vitality and SES to resist dispels and debuffs. With regards to TRF/defense, I was surprised to see the 'darkness' turn invest 4AP on SNR as a new armor to replace TRF. This may be a serious mistake. Our core build relates to dodge, do we want to invest 4AP on armor, when we already have one? I'm not sure it's worth it. Furthermore, when Zhengui is on the field, he can tank and help with our vitality. I hope the 4AP isn't being spent on SNR in the excitement of the darkness bonus from pills – we could find better use for those 4AP. For example, AP could be funneled to more MSS and the upcoming new archive art if it's a darkness art, allowing us to retain that darkness bonus.
With respect to the archive visit, I saw that the original purpose was to replace SES with a better defense against dispel. I've got to admit, I'm not feeling knowledgeable on this – is our dispel defense still pretty bad against CRX (and Bai Meizhen)? I trust the folks here to make that judgment. Is it worth considering looking for a strong 1v1 offensive art at the archive instead, perhaps?
TL;DR
In developing our build, we've got a good plan on mobility, social, divination, and spirit stuff.
We need to seriously examine our offense.
SNR armor focus may not enhance or add good value to our core build.
We need to make our archive visit count.
@naths @Black Noise @EternalObserver @Diomedon – I'm curious about your perspectives, and of course anyone who would like to discuss
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TimEd
Meteor maker
Huh. Did the thread just gain a new prospect for the Spreadsheet Sect? Or does @krapos just want to cultivate their Social Arts? Guess we'll find out next episode in Dragon Ball, I mean next chapter in Threads of Destiny
By the by, does the strikethough now need specific cc instead of convenient buttons? Its too anoying in mobile.
By the by, does the strikethough now need specific cc instead of convenient buttons? Its too anoying in mobile.
- Location
- Florida
More people active on discord mainly but ill answer some of this.
BKSD was picked for bringing high value enemies closer to Zengui so he can turn em into a pancake.
We are a squishy musician and the knife attack from the assassin is still fresh on our minds so yea new TRF+ that grows more powerful than that is a welcome addition.
And yea SES SUCKS it does not do anything big for us and will not grow into anything great thats why were going to the archive for something more juicy, the potency simply isn't there for anything worthwhile as is.
Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think what you're missing in the picture is potency. TRF is a good physical armor art...but it capped out in Green 2. It's going to get weaker and weaker against our peers as our cultivation continues to go up, so it will need to be replaced with something. SNR is both physical and spiritual armor, so it's a straight upgrade in that respect. It's also already in our possession, and likely higher quality than anything we could scrounge from the archive. It's also a good aesthetic match to Ling Qi, and doesn't have the weird thematic difficulty of dodge tank using an art about being a rooted tree for armor. A void isn't really thematically related to movement or lack of movement.
In terms of offense, both UGM and BKSD add more things to the tool kit. We're only seeing the beginning of both, but BKSD has a lot of promise in variety in that it's going to have a nice heap of different techs inspired by each beast god. UGM has nice synergy with FSS in that FSS boosts it via Echoes of Absolute Winter, and looks like an absolute pain to deal with.
As for SES, its just kinda clunky narratively (I'm going to prevent you from stopping my song by stopping my song to play SES!) and spends a lot of effort on things we just don't need. Resist is absolutely vital to our build, since we rely on field effects. If you dispel the field, all the techs we have built on top of the base technique would collapse, and which would leave us in a pretty vulnerable position and out a lot of spent Qi. So we need a resist art, but the hope is for one that provides more valuable secondary attributes than the weird spiritual counter thing it has going on. It's also having the potency thing going on, as it'll cap in green 3.
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Hi, thanks for responding. The discord is for patreon peeps right? Guess I'll look into it.
Honestly, I think the knife attack isn't a good indicator for where our defense stands - we're dodge oriented but decided to take a knife attack by...defending with our neck. It seems reactive and may pull us away from adding depth into our core build.
I'm happy to concede on the SES front if it's that terrible.
Hi, appreciate the response.
On the issue of potency, won't there kinda always be a more potent art we can find as our cultivation levels up? So there's going deeper into our core build (which I think are mobility+offense+social) and there's shoring up our defenses. I think the majority of our APs should focus on the core build, and shoring our defenses should do just that: make sure it's not a glaring weakness.
SNR having spiritual defense is definitely an upgrade, happy to concede on that. However, I question the aesthetics/thematic argument against TRF. Firstly, wood for defense kinda makes sense, since wood is vitality-oriented. Secondly, wasn't there a problem with going to deep into a particular theme, like with Xiulan's aggressive personality with too many fire arts? I figured wood was a nice little balance to our moon/dark/cold focus. Overall, I just think the 4AP investment in defense worries me when it isn't our core build. As long as we commit to focusing most of our APs on the core moving forward, I guess SNR might be good. Hope we don't have to replace it all over again afterwards.
(edit: speaking of going too deep into a theme, doesn't that get underscored with all those scenes where Sixiang says we're super brooding and gloomy all the time? It's no wonder, when we've got so many moon/darkness/cold/yin arts. I'm not saying we have to go the Argent way and be super balanced about everything. But I don't see having one art being thematically different as a necessarily bad thing; it may actually be good for LQ.)
If SES is actually getting super weak, then we can replace it. Should we wait until archive level 4 or 5 access first, so we get even better stuff, or can we not afford to wait that long?
And on the issue of potency in general, are we anticipating that we'll be swapping out techniques repeatedly over time? I worry that we'll be spending so much time training new skills that we'll never max a majority of the skills we equip - so we keep losing depth/efficacy in our skills. Or does that kinda stop after green?
If there's a good plan for BKSD and UGM (pending how they develop), I'm down for them. Do we see PLR maybe getting replaced by BKSD? I think that may be good, once PLR is no longer narratively significant. I worry about using our meridians efficiently, especially as the difficulty rapidly grows past the 54th meridian.
Speaking of offense, do we see 1v1 offense as an area for improvement? When it comes down to it, the plot will sometimes need LQ to defeat the head villain of the scene.
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Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
We're always going to be replacing our arts with more potent arts, yes. Like, not doing so with part of our build is how you get a glaring weakness. We're currently in the middle of upgrading our suite from what we started ToD with to our Green 3-5 (ish) suite. There's going to be another art suite roll over around Green 5/6 (though this one will have a lot more self-made successor arts.)
As for wood being good for defense, sure! But as explored at the end of FoD, the specific wood art we have, TRF, and its flavor and themes grind a little against our mobility themes. A vitality based wood armor art is certainly viable. We just don't have one on hand, any such art we go looking for will cost us more AP (archive dive at minimum, likely trains slower) and will be lower quality than SNR.
Ling Qi has a lot of other elements than darkness and darkness adjacent ones. Wind, Water, Music, and Wood are all elements Ling Qi will continue to have and are unrelated to darkness. It's not like we don't have anything else going on.
We're replacing SES with an archive 3 art because the archives are (roughly) ranked by when the arts start. We want a replacement for Green 3-5 or so, that means an Archive 4, or 5 art is too late.
And don't worry, we're keeping a close eye on the meridians. I think looking at BN's one spreadsheet (available on the discord. You can join the public portion without being a patreon member. The spreadsheet is pinned in the number-quarantine zone) that has the visible representation of our expected AP expenditure through the intersect competition would be helpful. We're expecting to max most of our arts out around that time.
I thought BKSD was picked for being ridiculously bonkers broken since you're upgrading Ling Qi from anti-army to anti-elite army? With our manifested domain active, you could upgrade its base D damage to C damage and that's on Turn 1 of the fight. On the discord the idea that joyous toast could make it hit B-rank damage indefinitely was tossed around which seems absurd to me, but, welp, that's a high-rank attack every round of combat. Even assuming they don't stack, C-rank damage is the bread and butter of average green soldiers and we just spam that as an AOE around us to far range forever.
At B-rank damage it's effectively equivalent to Zhengui's Paradise Forge where everything became a game of The floor is lava' except made of musical muscle.
At B-rank damage it's effectively equivalent to Zhengui's Paradise Forge where everything became a game of The floor is lava' except made of musical muscle.
- Location
- Florida
Was hitting reply when POOF post gone.
So for the knife attack the context is important, we were protecting Xiulan cause if we dodged instead then we wouldn't have been able to protect her with TRF when he could have gone after her when he missed us.
It was a gamble on our part and were both just very squishy so a full on hit with that knife without TRF on would have most likely been fatal to anyone.
As for your skepticism on SNR thematically, well were a bloody wraith not a dryad so yea turning into a shadow that eats everything aimed at it like a black hole would fit thematically and core build wise since were a shadow and they move FAST.
So for the knife attack the context is important, we were protecting Xiulan cause if we dodged instead then we wouldn't have been able to protect her with TRF when he could have gone after her when he missed us.
It was a gamble on our part and were both just very squishy so a full on hit with that knife without TRF on would have most likely been fatal to anyone.
As for your skepticism on SNR thematically, well were a bloody wraith not a dryad so yea turning into a shadow that eats everything aimed at it like a black hole would fit thematically and core build wise since were a shadow and they move FAST.
Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
So you're sort of missing several pieces of the puzzle. As @Diomedon mentions, potency matters a lot and we're looking for combat arts that scale to G5 (or at most G4) potency for the inter-sect tournament.
Besides that, you're more or less correct on social/auxillary support arts but our combat strengths and role is somewhat off:
- Defensively, LQ is strong because we stacked multiple defensive layers providing Stealth, Dodge and Armor, provided by SCS and TRF and the debuffing portion of our offense mostly. We also picked up ENM largely to facilitate stealth and cover our lack of spiritual dodge, and we're still somewhat lacking in spiritual armor.
Going forward our defense strategy is to replace TRF with SNR, a high quality art (Bai archive, defense focus) with a similar focus (area/group defense) with decently fitting themes, and the added advantage of SNR covering spirit armor and not just the physical part. The Unbroken Will advanced skill covering both armor types helps too.
Between uncapped Dex which current plan has us make use of (reaching dex SS by tournament), Wind Thief, PLR's EDD and our domain effect we have dodge and mobility more than covered with top quality arts, and the current hope is that ENM at G3 potency+wind thief + domain stuff is enough to keep stealth a relevant defense layer.
- Offensively, our strength was always in area control; stacking the deck for our allies and for our enemies providing multiple overlapping deathfields, with FSS covering our ability to deal damage directly with its very powerful spiritual poison and End-themed finisher. (plus Echoes as a hybrid offense/defense super-mode).
Going forward, the plan so far was for BKSD to take over the more "fuck all enemies on the battlefield" part of our area control kit, something even more true now that FVM moved to Domain and Dissonance can enhance the base recurring damage of the field by a rank.
PLR is still relevant and powerful for offense and defense, and continues heading in a more CC/sustain direction with added ally buffs.
The odd one out would be UGM, but that's there for good reasons:- UGM is a spine/arm art, which means self-buffs and DPS. The self-buff aspect has strong synergy with our current offense and likely options to complement it; first tech is an upkeep offense buff that gives us a free on-hit dispel against damage negating techs (like Deepwood Vitality) which should work on all our field effects and AoE's.
- DPS-wise, it's reasonable single-target at level 1 but it should grow to be something quite strong considering it's part of the Cai package. Especially since it cold/music/spiritual damage, something widely supported by existing passives and PLR. The CC element (knockback) can get pretty ridiculous once you consider it together with BKSD and PLR's free teleportation in the area. Basically lets us shepard opponents toward Zhengui/Hanyi if we want.
- Current mid-term plans include creating FSS+ as our first personal successor art (a requirement for reaching G6, it's a strong thing to do and it'll hopefully help Hanyi), but even if we rush it'll take like 5-6 months until that's functional so having some level-appropriate DPS would be nice. And ideally, UGM and FSS+ will synergize at least as well as current FSS and UGM1 seem to (echoes is fully applicable to UGM, and UGM's upkeep tech is applicable to FSS's techs).
More things to consider:
- Dispel resist is an extremely integral core build aspect because for our build concept to work our field effect must be uncontestable. This is why we're going for an archive dive this turn, planning on looking for a replacement Resist art for SES. (hopefully with team sustain secondary focus instead of sp.armor since that's covered by SNR or counters which are redundant with our offense strategy)[1]
- We are planning on getting the social art trio of PMR/MSS/MoSS but we won't have them all on at once due to meridian constraints. PMR/MSS will likely be for social situations only. Still a battlefield important to have covered though, hence the investment. And 2 arts because we only have archive-quality to work with and social is an aspect more important than usual to get a mix that reflects the character well and allows the breadth of options we want.
- Don't worry too much about CRX and to a lesser extent Meizhen being good against our build, her whole build is centered around impossibly strong Dispels so it's more of a type disadvantage. As for Meizhen, we're not very well suited to deal with bullshit exotic Bai counters that can hit us through our field effects if we can't dodge; but a) wind thief may as well let us dodge those and b) anything short of main-branch Bai counter arts laced with venom won't be nearly as effective.
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Thanks for taking the time to explain! In this case, I'm completely on board with SNR, BKSD and UGM then. Will we have the meridians to incorporate these three new arts, plus LFWT and MSS (which are both of course a must), and our currently equipped arts?
Speaking of social arts, I'm 100% in agreement about PMR/MSS/MoSS. If we can't have them all on at once, does our QM allow loadout changes for our arts according to different situations within a turn? I think keeping MoSS active is important for potential spirit encounters, which are important both to SSC and interesting plot/lore stuff.
Also curious, if we're worried about potency, what's the reasoning behind selecting FSS for our personal successor art when it has G2 potency? It definitely is currently one of our main offense avenues and the singing aspect is relevant to our Hanyi/Zeqing relationship.
Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
Meridian issues are carefully tracked and taken into account when planning and considering options.
Loadouts are changeable between scenes but it's generally fixed per scene (IC it takes a few hours to meditate and reattune the elements of the relevant meridians). We're currently planning on a single "social" loadout and a single "combat/explore". Maybe after the tournament we'll have time to compress meridians and go back to 1 loadout, maybe whatever meridian realignment is that unlocks in G4 gives us more options. The future will tell.
Creating a successor is an involved and expensive process in its own narrative arc that turns a currently mastered art in a new art with more levels and a higher cap potency, the rules are either on the front page or in one of the updates. Ideally FSS+ will start at G3 and scale up to G5 or G6. Also we'll probably have more than a little say on how FSS+ is different from FSS, what it emphasizes and so on.
- Location
- United States of America
So, while I've seen others address the mechanics of why BKSD is a very good progression to our skill set, I'm going to talk about why I want BKSD more than any other art in the Cai package. And it has to deal with the Weilu.
BKSD, perhaps even more so than Curious Diviner's Eyes, centers on the ancient Weilu and what they did. It's an epic song about the final attack of the Beast Kings against Tsu the Diviner and each tech that we've seen so far weaves for us a story about the Beast King's preparations for the final confrontation. Of the War Call that pulled the hordes of spirit beasts and of the quickness of the Eagle God as it started the fight.
As to why I find this fascinating and compelling? I find the Weilu, out of all the old Dukes, to be the most utterly fascinating ones and I would love it if Ling Qi can tap into their traditions and ancient practices. The Bai, Zheng, and Xuan are still around. The Jing sailed off to who knows where, and the Luo got scorched by killing the Twilight King. But the Weilu, the Weilu simply disappeared. We don't know where they went, we don't know why (or if they even had a choice) they left, but we do know that their absence has meant that the Emerald Seas has suffered more changes in leadership than any other province.
We know of the civil war that wrecked Weilu society and caused them to tear down their fortresses of stone and become even more isolationist than before. We experienced that civil war, or at least a small part of it and the horror that happened there. We have seen a grave they left for, presumably, a more honored member of their society, and we have an inkling that the Weilu burial practices run directly counter to everything the Empire does in terms of burial. The Weilu did not burn their dead, but entombed them in a labyrinth and protected the corpse in a cage of fractured time. And we've then used the riches from that tomb to propel our cultivation forward.
We're a moonlit maiden, tapping into Grinning, Hidden, and Dreaming. The Weilu also tapped into the Great Moon spirits, and apparently they (or their descendants) had a fondness for the Dreaming Moon given the shrines built into Xiangmen. We're progressing with an art that was developed, albeit also likely diluted, from what Tsu the Diviner did in his day. Weilu had ancient pacts with the spirits of the Emerald Seas, and our cultivation art seems to be pointing in a similar direction. I see BKSD as another step along the path of tapping into the what remains of the Weilu, for with BKSD we'll be cultivating a sense of how the Weilu wrestled the Emerald Seas away from the Beast Kings, and of the power that still echoes within the forests from that terrible march.
So outside of the mechanical benefits that BKSD will bring to the table, I am more intrigued by the story it presents, and seeing what else we can glean from it regarding the Ancient Weilu.
Turn 8: Arc 3-3
Ling Qi almost, almost blurted out a denial and a change of subject. "That sounds fine," she managed instead. "Did you have a place in mind"
It happened so fast that she could have imagined it, but she thought she saw Bao Qian do a double take. "Hrm, nothing ostentatious. Perhaps the Silver Orchid?"
That was… a teahouse and eatery in the central part of the village. It mostly served traveling cultivators and Sect Disciples with loose income. That didn't sound so bad, it was an open floor kind of place. "That sounds fine," she replied mechanically.
"You sure about this Ling Qi? You've been doing good, but you don't have to force yourself," Sixiang murmured.
Bao Qian too, was eyeing her stiff expression with a critical eye. "Miss Ling, if you are busy just say so. I am not attempting to call in a favor or anything of the sort."
Ling Qi gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry if it seemed that way," she said. "I really don't mind."
"I see," he said dubiously. "Well I obviously won't retract my invitation. I will meet you there in one hour?"
Ling Qi gave a shallow bow. "I will see you there," she said politely before turning away.
What had she gotten herself into?
So again, the first thing you need to do is relax," Sixiang admonished. "You're just eating dinner and chatting, it doesn't have to be anything more than that. Treat it like you did the little trip with Suyin and the other guy."
"I know that," ling Qi hissed under her breath as she approached the gate of the town. She had settled Zhengui and Hanyi in for the night and now there was no more ready delays.
She knew she was being irrational. She wasn't being coerced into going to some seedy bar. Bao Qian was not, despite his ready compliments, particularly interested in her physically. Even if she somehow was in danger, she was strong. She had defeated whole bands of bandits and driven off barbarians by the score. They would be sitting in the open at a restaurant run and staffed by retired disciples of the Sect she was a member of and she was a retainer to the Duchess' heir. Her best friend was Bai Meizhen.
There was nothing to be scared of. She had power, she had control. She was not selling herself. It was just a friendly dinner. It was fine.
"Not quite the pep talk I would have gone with, but whatever works for you," Sixiang muttered awkwardly. "But you're gonna be late if you dawdle anymore."
"Right," Ling Qi muttered smoothing away wrinkles in her gown as she stepped through the village gates. No more dithering, she could do this.
She found Bao Qian waiting outside the establishment, his arms clasped behind his back. He had changed into a different robe since she had seen him last. It was a thing of dark greens and blacks with an only mildly ostentatious gold sash wrapped around his waist. It seemed a little more casual than his usual wear being more open and flowing. It hung partially open at the top displaying a slice of his broad chest. She kept her expression even. It wasn't suspicious. It wasn't something to worry about.
"Greetings Miss Ling, I admit I was growing a little concerned that you had changed your mind," the older boy said cheerfully as she approached.
"My apologies, Zhengui was still a little energetic," she replied. It wasn't really a lie.
"Partially my fault I suppose then," he chuckled. "I know business negotiations can be a little dull for children. Shall we go in? I sent ahead to reserve us a table."
"I suppose,"Ling Qi replied, glancing inside to the brightly lit interior. Paper lanterns hung from the awning and inside faintly glowing lik lamps hung from the walls casting the interior in warm colors. "Go ahead and lead on."
Bao Qian nodded affably, leading her inside. Thankfully he made no move to take her hand or arm. The inside of the Silver orchid was… nice, the floor was richly carpeted and the furniture well polished and made, the scent of the kitchens was enticing enough too. Ling Qi distracted herself focusing on these little details as a server lead them to their table set against the rear wall of the room.
"I admit, I'm a little surprised that places like this that only cater to cultivators exist," Ling Qi said a touch nervously as she sat down across from Bao Qian. "It's not like we need to eat."
"Ah but there are many things that we do not fundamentally need that we want. If needs were all that mattered we would hardly need empires or cities," Bao Qian replied, taking his own seat as the server gave them a quiet bow and stepped away.
"I suppose you're right, but it still feels a little wasteful," Ling Qi said, glancing around at the ostentatious meals being eaten by people who needed little more than a bit of bread and water every month or so.
"If it makes you feel better most ingredients used in cultivator cooking come from spiritually rich material," Bao Qian replied dryly. "Hardly palatable for mortal bellies."
"Is that so?" Ling Qi asked, perking up. "Are there any cultivation benefits?"
"Of course you would ask that," Sixiang sighed.
Bao Qian chuckled. "Not to the fare in a place like this. Culinary cultivators do in fact exist, but it is considered a branch of pill and elixir craft. My Great Aunt Qiao is one such and I must tell you such meals are an experience."
Ling Qi raised her eyebrows a little at the emphasis he put on the last word. "I think I might like to try that sometime," she said before she could catch herself. Spirits that was such an obvious opening…
"Not too difficult I think. While I must be filial, lesser culinary cultivators are not too rare. You simply need go to a proper city."
"...I hope I can find time to travel then," Ling Qi said carefully.
"Well, your liege will likely have to tour the province or even the empire at some point. I am sure you will have the opportunity for sightseeing then."
Ling Qi hadn't really considered that, she was so focused on the immediate term that she was forgetting about the more distant future. She did have a problem with that. "I'll have to ask Lady Cai about that," she demurred.
"Naturally, naturally," Bao Qian replied, leaning back in his seat.
For a few moments, a not quite awkward silence fell between them. "So…" Ling Qi trailed off toying with the tablecloth. "Why do you seem so interested in this music business. Is it just because your clan sent you to me?"
"It is part of the reason I took the opportunity," Bao Qian replied. "I enjoy music, but I have something of a tin ear, so I never followed that path myself."
Ling Qi regarded him suspiciously. "I doubt you would have any trouble listening to any musician you wanted too."
"You would be surprised," he chuckled. "No, I think the province could use more music, and there are so many musicians. I think there is something to be gained in an art being shared more widely. Of course, it is also because I think I could grow quite wealthy and famed for proliferating such a movement."
Now was he throwing in that last part as a self deprecating dig to make him look better or was he just being honest? That was the question, Ling Qi mused.
"Think it's a bit of both, he's not lying I think but he is also trying not to talk himself up too much, he knows it'll make you suspicious," Sixiang murmured.
"What about you Miss Ling, what ambitions do you nurse in your heart?" Bao Qian asked, seemingly taking no note of her deliberation.
Ling Qi didn't answer. Because she didn't have much did she? She wanted power of course and… maybe recognition, but there were few ways to word her lofty ambition that didn't sound…. Childish. "I suppose I want to establish a strong foundation for my family and support Lady Cai's efforts."
Bao Qian frowned. "It is fine if you do not want to reveal anything private, but surely you must have some ambition more personal than that? Something you want to do?"
Ling Qi huffed irritably. "Fine, I want to achieve the peak of cultivation. I want to rise to the Eighth realm on my own strength."
She expected polite laughter or perhaps a joke to break the awkward atmosphere. Instead, Bao regarded her curiously, as if waiting for her to continue. When she did not, he frowned. "But what do you want to achieve? Is there some matter of the spirits you wish to change? Some goal you wish to achieve that only the peak of temporal power can allow?"
Ling Qi shrugged uncomfortably. "...It's a private matter," she said, because she didn't have an answer.
Once again, awkward silence descended, and bao Qian coughed into his hand. "Yes, well then. Let me call the server over so we can make our order."
Ling Qi coughed into her hand. "Yes, lets."
Maybe her worst fears were silly, but she still felt like this was going to be a long evening. She remained silent over the next few minutes as speaking up only to indicate that she would have whatever Bao Qian was having. It wasn't like she had any preferences for a place like this.
"You know, I was half inclined to order the mapo tofu when you said that," Bao Qian grumbled good naturedly drumming his fingers on the table. He was still studying her, and it made her shift uncomfortably.
"Is that so," Ling Qi said vaguely. That wasn't a dish she was familiar with, it also surprised her that a place like this would serve such a dish. In Tonghou tofu was a poorer food in her experience, for people who could not afford meat. Maybe cultivator tofu was made from thousand year old blood drinking beans or something.
He shook his head in bemusement. "You had no idea what to order did you?"
She frowned at him. "I'm sure you've researched my history, why are you surprised?" She asked defensively.
Bao Qian leaned back in his chair looking mildly frustrated. "Indeed I did, but your first impression is a bit deceptive Miss Ling."
"My apologies," she replied coolly, and Sixiang sighed.
He frowned. "I mean only that you are surprisingly inexperienced in many things. You make a good show of having integrated with cultivator culture, but it seems that it's rather shallow. I have misjudged you, and I find my failing a little irritating."
She eyed him warily, but the recently learned lessons of the arts she had been studying stopped her knee jerk reaction to the seeming criticism. "I told you, didn't I. I want to keep climbing. I have to keep up with Cai Renxiang, and the Duchess' expectations if I'm going to keep getting the resources I need. Lady Cai does her best to nudge me into keeping up with other things but she's busy too." she didn't even remember the last time Renxiang had stopped for anything more than a cup of tea.
She remembered Cai Shenhua's ultimatum. She wouldn't let herself be discarded, both for herself and because she was genuinely worried that Cai Renxiang might crack under the weight if left alone.
Bao Qian's brows were drawn together in consternation. "Hmph, you are surprisingly difficult to categorize Miss Ling. My apologies, but in the future if you lack understanding in something I ask of you, simply tell me. They do have a menu for first time customers you know."
Ling Qi let out a breath she had been holding in. She knew she was still being a little absurd, and the knowledge that she could have asked for a menu left her feeling slightly sheepish. "...Right, do you mind if we start over a little, Sir Bao."
"Deal," he said with a weak chuckle. "Let us move on to lighter topics! So what sort of inspirations do you take for your compositions Miss Ling. From descriptions I have heard, you seem to follow Grandmistress Lei's style but that can hardly be the whole story. You mentioned that spirit girl's mother?"
She stared at him blankly, and his wide grin once again slipped a notch.
Ling Qi coughed into her hand. "Sir Bao, while I would be happy to talk about my mentor in the Sect, perhaps you could tell me a little about some famous styles of the Emerald Seas."
"Yes, that seems like a fine idea," Bao Qian replied rallying quickly.
[] Speak of Zeqing as a person, and the insights you gained from interacting with her. [More personal, may be difficult to articulate. More open, may prompt more personal responses in turn and unpack issues regarding Hanyi.]
[] Speak of Zeqing as a musician, and the way that your style and compositions changed from interacting with her. [More impersonal, easier to talk about. May offer some insights into music skills from introspection]
It happened so fast that she could have imagined it, but she thought she saw Bao Qian do a double take. "Hrm, nothing ostentatious. Perhaps the Silver Orchid?"
That was… a teahouse and eatery in the central part of the village. It mostly served traveling cultivators and Sect Disciples with loose income. That didn't sound so bad, it was an open floor kind of place. "That sounds fine," she replied mechanically.
"You sure about this Ling Qi? You've been doing good, but you don't have to force yourself," Sixiang murmured.
Bao Qian too, was eyeing her stiff expression with a critical eye. "Miss Ling, if you are busy just say so. I am not attempting to call in a favor or anything of the sort."
Ling Qi gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry if it seemed that way," she said. "I really don't mind."
"I see," he said dubiously. "Well I obviously won't retract my invitation. I will meet you there in one hour?"
Ling Qi gave a shallow bow. "I will see you there," she said politely before turning away.
What had she gotten herself into?
***
So again, the first thing you need to do is relax," Sixiang admonished. "You're just eating dinner and chatting, it doesn't have to be anything more than that. Treat it like you did the little trip with Suyin and the other guy."
"I know that," ling Qi hissed under her breath as she approached the gate of the town. She had settled Zhengui and Hanyi in for the night and now there was no more ready delays.
1d100+10(Sixiang) Target Number 60
59+10=69 1 degree success
59+10=69 1 degree success
She knew she was being irrational. She wasn't being coerced into going to some seedy bar. Bao Qian was not, despite his ready compliments, particularly interested in her physically. Even if she somehow was in danger, she was strong. She had defeated whole bands of bandits and driven off barbarians by the score. They would be sitting in the open at a restaurant run and staffed by retired disciples of the Sect she was a member of and she was a retainer to the Duchess' heir. Her best friend was Bai Meizhen.
There was nothing to be scared of. She had power, she had control. She was not selling herself. It was just a friendly dinner. It was fine.
"Not quite the pep talk I would have gone with, but whatever works for you," Sixiang muttered awkwardly. "But you're gonna be late if you dawdle anymore."
"Right," Ling Qi muttered smoothing away wrinkles in her gown as she stepped through the village gates. No more dithering, she could do this.
She found Bao Qian waiting outside the establishment, his arms clasped behind his back. He had changed into a different robe since she had seen him last. It was a thing of dark greens and blacks with an only mildly ostentatious gold sash wrapped around his waist. It seemed a little more casual than his usual wear being more open and flowing. It hung partially open at the top displaying a slice of his broad chest. She kept her expression even. It wasn't suspicious. It wasn't something to worry about.
"Greetings Miss Ling, I admit I was growing a little concerned that you had changed your mind," the older boy said cheerfully as she approached.
"My apologies, Zhengui was still a little energetic," she replied. It wasn't really a lie.
"Partially my fault I suppose then," he chuckled. "I know business negotiations can be a little dull for children. Shall we go in? I sent ahead to reserve us a table."
"I suppose,"Ling Qi replied, glancing inside to the brightly lit interior. Paper lanterns hung from the awning and inside faintly glowing lik lamps hung from the walls casting the interior in warm colors. "Go ahead and lead on."
Bao Qian nodded affably, leading her inside. Thankfully he made no move to take her hand or arm. The inside of the Silver orchid was… nice, the floor was richly carpeted and the furniture well polished and made, the scent of the kitchens was enticing enough too. Ling Qi distracted herself focusing on these little details as a server lead them to their table set against the rear wall of the room.
"I admit, I'm a little surprised that places like this that only cater to cultivators exist," Ling Qi said a touch nervously as she sat down across from Bao Qian. "It's not like we need to eat."
"Ah but there are many things that we do not fundamentally need that we want. If needs were all that mattered we would hardly need empires or cities," Bao Qian replied, taking his own seat as the server gave them a quiet bow and stepped away.
"I suppose you're right, but it still feels a little wasteful," Ling Qi said, glancing around at the ostentatious meals being eaten by people who needed little more than a bit of bread and water every month or so.
"If it makes you feel better most ingredients used in cultivator cooking come from spiritually rich material," Bao Qian replied dryly. "Hardly palatable for mortal bellies."
"Is that so?" Ling Qi asked, perking up. "Are there any cultivation benefits?"
"Of course you would ask that," Sixiang sighed.
Bao Qian chuckled. "Not to the fare in a place like this. Culinary cultivators do in fact exist, but it is considered a branch of pill and elixir craft. My Great Aunt Qiao is one such and I must tell you such meals are an experience."
Ling Qi raised her eyebrows a little at the emphasis he put on the last word. "I think I might like to try that sometime," she said before she could catch herself. Spirits that was such an obvious opening…
"Not too difficult I think. While I must be filial, lesser culinary cultivators are not too rare. You simply need go to a proper city."
"...I hope I can find time to travel then," Ling Qi said carefully.
"Well, your liege will likely have to tour the province or even the empire at some point. I am sure you will have the opportunity for sightseeing then."
Ling Qi hadn't really considered that, she was so focused on the immediate term that she was forgetting about the more distant future. She did have a problem with that. "I'll have to ask Lady Cai about that," she demurred.
"Naturally, naturally," Bao Qian replied, leaning back in his seat.
For a few moments, a not quite awkward silence fell between them. "So…" Ling Qi trailed off toying with the tablecloth. "Why do you seem so interested in this music business. Is it just because your clan sent you to me?"
"It is part of the reason I took the opportunity," Bao Qian replied. "I enjoy music, but I have something of a tin ear, so I never followed that path myself."
Ling Qi regarded him suspiciously. "I doubt you would have any trouble listening to any musician you wanted too."
"You would be surprised," he chuckled. "No, I think the province could use more music, and there are so many musicians. I think there is something to be gained in an art being shared more widely. Of course, it is also because I think I could grow quite wealthy and famed for proliferating such a movement."
Now was he throwing in that last part as a self deprecating dig to make him look better or was he just being honest? That was the question, Ling Qi mused.
"Think it's a bit of both, he's not lying I think but he is also trying not to talk himself up too much, he knows it'll make you suspicious," Sixiang murmured.
"What about you Miss Ling, what ambitions do you nurse in your heart?" Bao Qian asked, seemingly taking no note of her deliberation.
Ling Qi didn't answer. Because she didn't have much did she? She wanted power of course and… maybe recognition, but there were few ways to word her lofty ambition that didn't sound…. Childish. "I suppose I want to establish a strong foundation for my family and support Lady Cai's efforts."
Bao Qian frowned. "It is fine if you do not want to reveal anything private, but surely you must have some ambition more personal than that? Something you want to do?"
Ling Qi huffed irritably. "Fine, I want to achieve the peak of cultivation. I want to rise to the Eighth realm on my own strength."
She expected polite laughter or perhaps a joke to break the awkward atmosphere. Instead, Bao regarded her curiously, as if waiting for her to continue. When she did not, he frowned. "But what do you want to achieve? Is there some matter of the spirits you wish to change? Some goal you wish to achieve that only the peak of temporal power can allow?"
Ling Qi shrugged uncomfortably. "...It's a private matter," she said, because she didn't have an answer.
Once again, awkward silence descended, and bao Qian coughed into his hand. "Yes, well then. Let me call the server over so we can make our order."
Ling Qi coughed into her hand. "Yes, lets."
Maybe her worst fears were silly, but she still felt like this was going to be a long evening. She remained silent over the next few minutes as speaking up only to indicate that she would have whatever Bao Qian was having. It wasn't like she had any preferences for a place like this.
"You know, I was half inclined to order the mapo tofu when you said that," Bao Qian grumbled good naturedly drumming his fingers on the table. He was still studying her, and it made her shift uncomfortably.
"Is that so," Ling Qi said vaguely. That wasn't a dish she was familiar with, it also surprised her that a place like this would serve such a dish. In Tonghou tofu was a poorer food in her experience, for people who could not afford meat. Maybe cultivator tofu was made from thousand year old blood drinking beans or something.
He shook his head in bemusement. "You had no idea what to order did you?"
She frowned at him. "I'm sure you've researched my history, why are you surprised?" She asked defensively.
Bao Qian leaned back in his chair looking mildly frustrated. "Indeed I did, but your first impression is a bit deceptive Miss Ling."
"My apologies," she replied coolly, and Sixiang sighed.
He frowned. "I mean only that you are surprisingly inexperienced in many things. You make a good show of having integrated with cultivator culture, but it seems that it's rather shallow. I have misjudged you, and I find my failing a little irritating."
She eyed him warily, but the recently learned lessons of the arts she had been studying stopped her knee jerk reaction to the seeming criticism. "I told you, didn't I. I want to keep climbing. I have to keep up with Cai Renxiang, and the Duchess' expectations if I'm going to keep getting the resources I need. Lady Cai does her best to nudge me into keeping up with other things but she's busy too." she didn't even remember the last time Renxiang had stopped for anything more than a cup of tea.
She remembered Cai Shenhua's ultimatum. She wouldn't let herself be discarded, both for herself and because she was genuinely worried that Cai Renxiang might crack under the weight if left alone.
Bao Qian's brows were drawn together in consternation. "Hmph, you are surprisingly difficult to categorize Miss Ling. My apologies, but in the future if you lack understanding in something I ask of you, simply tell me. They do have a menu for first time customers you know."
Ling Qi let out a breath she had been holding in. She knew she was still being a little absurd, and the knowledge that she could have asked for a menu left her feeling slightly sheepish. "...Right, do you mind if we start over a little, Sir Bao."
"Deal," he said with a weak chuckle. "Let us move on to lighter topics! So what sort of inspirations do you take for your compositions Miss Ling. From descriptions I have heard, you seem to follow Grandmistress Lei's style but that can hardly be the whole story. You mentioned that spirit girl's mother?"
She stared at him blankly, and his wide grin once again slipped a notch.
Ling Qi coughed into her hand. "Sir Bao, while I would be happy to talk about my mentor in the Sect, perhaps you could tell me a little about some famous styles of the Emerald Seas."
"Yes, that seems like a fine idea," Bao Qian replied rallying quickly.
[] Speak of Zeqing as a person, and the insights you gained from interacting with her. [More personal, may be difficult to articulate. More open, may prompt more personal responses in turn and unpack issues regarding Hanyi.]
[] Speak of Zeqing as a musician, and the way that your style and compositions changed from interacting with her. [More impersonal, easier to talk about. May offer some insights into music skills from introspection]
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Also worth noting that Ling Qi has had aspirations to find lost and forgotten lore. Her reward from the moon quest was to read destroyed books and she showed interest in finding the philosophy scroll for Renxiang. With all the themes of the new growing out of the old in our friends and spirit beasts, turning Ling Qi into a new inheritor of the Weilu without the things the Bloody Moon showed us works perfectly.
globalwarmth
ruining the weather.
- Location
- Polar ice caps
thus the elf forest people from Not!Europe in this setting right?
[] Speak of Zeqing as a musician, and the way that your style and compositions changed from interacting with her. [More impersonal, easier to talk about. May offer some insights into music skills from introspection]
we are already out of our depth, lets keep to shallow waters
- Location
- Finland
Well, that was a close roll. Thank the Moon for Six being there to save our ass.
I think i would like to talk about Zeqing as a person, sure we can talk of her being a musician later, but if we're here might as well go for broke and i think having more people know about Zeqing would be nice.
also the unpack hings abou Hanyi sounds great.
[] Speak of Zeqing as a person, and the insights you gained from interacting with her
I think i would like to talk about Zeqing as a person, sure we can talk of her being a musician later, but if we're here might as well go for broke and i think having more people know about Zeqing would be nice.
also the unpack hings abou Hanyi sounds great.
[] Speak of Zeqing as a person, and the insights you gained from interacting with her