Bonding with a weapon, and vice versa, that's just like the other weapons in their regiment, provides a good basis for sublimating your individuality behind a group.
... which means I'm not sure "sublimation" is the best term for whatever's going on with the synchronicity thing. Undoubtedly there's some effect on individuality, if only on how it gets displayed, but...
Happily doesn't fit here it's either »Fortunately, she seemed willing« or »She seemed happily willing to let Ling Qi handle« or »She seemed happy to let Ling Qi handle«
"Are you certain Miss Bai, that you are not inconvenienced by this?"
"Well, please follow me then, and I will show you the lay of the land," Ling Qi said cheerfully, clapping her hands. She paused for a second. "Should I refer to you by rank, or would you prefer a civilian honorific?"
Xia Lin tilted her head to the side a little. Her tone was polite, without the clipped edge that the Elder Xia had. "Protocol is a little unclear is it not? You may call me Miss Xia. Do you require your rank to be stated, Baroness?"
"No, no, Miss Ling will be fine," Ling Qi said, before glancing over to Meizhen.
"Miss Bai will be fine for me as well," she said, inclining her head. "I have no great status in the clan after all."
"So humble, Miss Bai's modesty is impressive," Xia Lin said with a touch of a smile.
The three of them set off from the area outside of town where the White Plume's had arrived, entering the town where traffic was still low due to the presence of so many powerful cultivators.
"So, what do you already know of our mission, Miss Xia," Ling Qi asked casually as they passed down the main street.
"We are to open talks and secure a ceasefire with an unknown foreign grouping," Xia Lin replied crisply, she walked tall and straight with her hands at her side. There was a faint hint of confident swagger in her steps, but nothing untoward. "Opening further diplomatic channels is the secondary priority."
"That seems mostly accurate," Ling Qi replied, watching her closely.
"Hm, sorry Ling Qi, not getting much from her," Sixiang whispered in her head. "Feels like I'm staring at a wall."
"Am I missing some part in my summary?" Xia Lin asked politely.
"No, not really, only that we are attempting to establish understanding via shared ancestral connection," Ling Qi said.
"Yes, Miss Ling's mentor," Xia Lin said. "I am sorry. I did not think the pretext was relevant to the strategic assessment."
Ling Qi did not frown as she mulled over the words. She wasn't quite sure how she should take that but…
"The method used to establish rapport is important," Meizhen said, walking with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Miss Bai is correct," Xia Lin said, lowering her eyes briefly. "The rhetoric a diplomat chooses is as important as a warrior's choice of arms and armor. I am not a diplomat however, my role is to ensure that the Young Mistress and Miss Ling reach their destination safely. My assessment was based upon my role in the group."
"That's fair," Ling Qi said lightly. "In any case, I was curious, is General Xia your mother? I'm afraid I haven't had the time to study all of the province's lineages yet."
Xia Lin's lips twitched, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth. It almost looked like she was going to laugh. "No, the General is not my mother, by blood she is my great aunt."
"You seemed to find the question amusing," Bai Meizhen said, raising an eyebrow as they strolled past the town gates, starting on the winding road into the Sect lands.
"It is a little absurd to imagine the General as a mother," Xia Ren replied, her formal diction breaking a little.
"Really?" Ling Qi asked, tilting her head to the side. "Even her grace had children, it doesn't seem too absurd to me."
"You are unfamiliar with the General. Her grace is much more suited to motherhood than the General," Xia Lin said, conviction strong in her voice.
Ling Qi had to stop herself from staring. She remembered the pressure of the Duchess' attention, and the pitiless scouring radiance of her eyes. She really wanted to object to those words, but the certainty in Xia Lin's eyes stopped her.
"Well, my apologies for the rude question," Ling Qi replied instead.
"No, it is a valid concern. Nepotism is a significant issue still," Xia Lin said, seeming honestly unoffended. She was also misinterpreting Ling Qi's intent. "The General does not favor her kin. I am the only member of the Xia's youngest generation to meet her expectations thus far."
"I have no reason to believe you are unqualified, at least no more than I am," Ling Qi said easily.
"Miss Ling is humble as well I see," Xia Lin said in amusement.
"I try," Ling Qi said with a shrug.
"She really does," Meizhen said dryly.
"Hm, I think I'm starting to figure out how this works," Sixiang muttered. "If you look closer it's not quite as uniform as it appears."
Ling Qi glanced toward Xia Lin at Sixiang's words. The steel aura that shrouded her seemed to have for lack of a better word, joinings, little gaps through which flickers of feeling showed through. Was it an art then? It felt more intrinsic than that, but it was good to know that her first impression had been at least a little in error.
"So, Miss Xia, is there anything in particular which would interest you on the Sect grounds?" Ling Qi asked, best to see where her interests lay.
***
Granting Xia Lin the lead in steering their 'tour' took them away from the Sect peaks themselves, to inspect the terrain and climate and fauna of the surroundings outside the carefully controlled skies above the peaks. Xia Lin seemed to know a surprising amount of wilderness lore, given the more urban nature of the White Plume force and the initial impression. She questioned Ling Qi on every detail of the terrain, climate and ecology of the lands she had encountered thus far, absorbing information at a ferocious rate.
Where it broke down a bit was when they crossed ways with spirits that could not simply be waved away. It wasn't easy to read, but Ling Qi didn't miss the way that her hand twitched toward the haft of the halberd on her back whenever they had such an encounter. Fortunately, she seemed willing to let Ling Qi handle the encounters with words, even if violent intent shone through her eyes.
…Well maybe it was a little unfair to judge her for that, it wasn't like Meizhen's method of exuding primal predatory threat was much friendlier.
"Are you certain, Miss Bai, that you are not inconvenienced by this?" Xia Lin asked as they passed one by one over a stream in their path. Ling Qi had simply appeared on the other side, Xia Lin had simply hopped across, and Meizhen strode across as if it were solid ground.
That was another thing she had noticed. Xia Lin seemed more interested in Meizhen than her. She wasn't rude obviously, and she engaged with Ling Qi whenever she spoke, but after the third time it happened, Ling Qi couldn't help but notice that Xia Lin was taking every opportunity to draw her taciturn friend into the conversation.
"No, this is somewhat refreshing," Bai Meizhen replied, scanning their surroundings with a relaxed air. "I have not had occasion for an outdoors stroll in some time. My cultivation schedule does not allow it."
"I would bet Cui has been getting restless," Ling Qi said idly.
"She has been somewhat petulant of late. Cui is at that age unfortunately," Meizhen sighed. "She is growing bored with hunting alone."
"Hm, I could speak to Zhengui, he would be happy to accompany her, I think," she wasn't unaware of how her little brother seemed to feel toward Cui, it was kind of cute.
"That might be helpful, my cousin's pride would never allow her to ask," Meizhen said, smiling.
"I wonder where she gets that from," Ling Qi said dryly.
Letting a low hanging branch pass through her dematerialized shoulder, Ling Qi glanced toward Xia Lin, who was observing them with a small frown. She winced internally. She had been forgetting herself a little, being more familiar with Meizhen than was strictly proper, but in her defense, Meizhen was going along with it.
"I think you might be worrying a little too much. Last year you were a nobody. You're still not a big name, but you're a proven retainer, it's not totally weird for you two to be friendly."
"It is perfectly normal for a young Lady to hold herself aloof of suitors," Meizhen sniffed. "Do you not agree, Miss Xia?"
"I have no relevant experience in the matter," Xia Lin replied, Ling Qi thought she seemed a little evasive. "You speak of a cousin, but I was not aware of any other Bai present in the Sect aside from the Xiao?"
"I speak of Bai Cui, my cousin who accompanied me," Meizhen replied, casting a cool look toward Xia Lin.
"…I understand," Xia Lin said, stepping around some brush. "Bai traditions include spirit beasts among your clan rolls, yes?"
"Kin is kin, whatever flesh they wear," Meizhen replied.
"That is an admirable thing, I think," Xia Lin said quietly.
"It certainly is," Ling Qi agreed; she hardly needed Sixiang's prod to notice the little flash of melancholy there. "Do you have any bound spirits, Miss Xia."
"My halberd," Xia Lin replied instantly. "Though she has not yet earned her name."
Ling Qi glanced up to the golden head of the weapon on the girl's back. Made by Shenhua herself, of course, that was not too surprising. "Is that why you do not use a storage ring? I had wondered at that."
"Storage formations do not function well with our armaments," Xia Lin said. "Her Grace's work does not take well to being concealed."
"True masterworks often have issue with common storage formations. It–No, she you said? She is certainly beautiful work," Meizhen said.
The gleaming blade seemed to hum a little bit, vibrating in the cool autumn air.
"Hm, wait a second, that's what's happening," Sixiang said in realization. "Weapon and wielder as one, fitting together like a puzzlebox. 'S why she looks all metal at a glance."
Ling Qi focused her spiritual senses, following Sixiang's internal nudging. Studying very carefully she could see it, 'the joinings' were where one spirit met the other. Despite how mechanical it felt, Ling Qi's impression was closer to that of two young trees which had grown together, branch and bough fusing.
A piece of Xia Lin was within the weapon, and a piece of the weapon was within Xia Lin.
"She cannot speak yet, but she enjoys the compliment," Xia Lin said, reaching back to brush her fingers along the haft.
"She certainly looks well cared for," Ling Qi said, not letting her conclusions show on her face. "What of your mount?"
"Zaofu is a good fellow," Xia Lin said with a touch of cheer. "If very vain. I have not yet fully earned his trust I think, after he lost his last rider to a night parade in the eastern wilderness zone. We do not bond our mounts however."
Night Parade, the colloquial term for when sufficient spiritual malice gathered in one place to cause whole swarms of spirits to go mad. Such things had been mere stories as child, and not much more in the Sect.
"I'm sure you'll manage in time," Ling Qi said, earning herself a nod. "Hm, that is an idea. My own spirits are going to be a significant part of the expedition. Do you want to meet them after we complete this circuit?"
"That seems sensible. Miss Bai, do you object?" Xia Lin asked.
"No, that seems a fine enough finishing point for our walk," Meizhen agreed.
***
"Ugh, Zhengui you doofus! I can't believe you!" Hanyi's voice echoed from the top of the hill, carrying the edge of cold autumn breeze.
"It was foolish Hanyi who messed up, do not blame I, the wise Zhen," her little brother retorted.
Smoke and thick clinging mist was rising from the top of the hill. Something had obviously exploded. Ling Qi closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
"Perhaps we should return later?" Meizhen said carefully.
"No, please just give me a moment," Ling Qi replied. "My apologies, Miss Xia."
"It is no trouble," she replied, eyeing the top of the hill and the looming shadow of Zhengui at the top.
Ling Qi appeared between her spirits, startling them from their quarrel. Hanyi had dirt on her gown and bits of mulch in her hair. Gui's snout was covered in frost and looked to have suffered ice burns. They were already visibly healing but still. Between them lay a patch of frozen ground and what looked like scattered chunks of hard blue ice, from which the fog was rising.
The grass was also on fire, but that was normal.
"What happened?" Ling Qi asked simply, fixing them both with a look. They both started to respond at once, and she held up a hand, then pointed to Zhengui. Hanyi pouted.
"Hanyi saw someone in the sect with weird ice that made fog, and she wanted to make some," Gui said. "Then she wanted to see what other kinds of ice she could make, so she came to Gui to help bring up the weird airs inside the hill to freeze."
"Hanyi could not do the freezing right, and the ice exploded," Zhen hissed. "I Zhen, was stung many times!"
Ling Qi looked to Hanyi who huffed and planted her hands on her hips. "So that's true, but it was his fault. I told him not to bring up so much stinky air at once, and one of his sparks set it off."
Ling Qi had a feeling that there was some fault on both sides. "Both of you should be more careful when trying new things like this," Ling Qi admonished. "But since you're both okay, we'll leave that aside. I brought someone here to meet you."
Hanyi blinked, and started frantically brushing off her dress. Gui merely cocked his head curiously. "Who does Big Sister want us to meet?"
"One of the people who is going to be accompanying us on our trip, and Bai Meizhen," Ling Qi explained.
Zhen hissed in alarm, and started using Gui's shell to rub the frost off his scales.
"Please get ready," Ling Qi admonished, before flickering back down to Xia Lin and Meizhen.
"No real problem, just some combination technique experimentation," Ling Qi said lightly, clapping her hands. She probably should have planned ahead a little more.
Xia Lin was giving her a measuring look. "Hm, initiative is a positive trait. I think I understand Miss Ling's methods better now."
"Miss Ling's initiative has certainly been passed on to her companions," Meizhen agreed. It was only her familiarity with the girl that let her notice the touch of amused sarcasm.
Ling Qi laughed a little self consciously. They ascended the hill.
Her spirits waited for them. Zhengui stood atop the patch of broken earth and weird ice. Hanyi sat on the edge of his shell, smiling beatifically and kicking her bare feet.
"Hello! My name is Hanyi, it's an honor to meet you!" She said hopping down and giving a bow.
"We are Zhengui," her little brother rumbled in two voices. "It is good to meet Big Sister's friends."
"It pleases me to see you both in good health," Meizhen said with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
Xia Lin offered a very small bow of her head. "I am Sergeant Xia Lin of the White Plumes. It seems that we will be cooperating in the future."
"Oh wow, you look really strong, and your armor is so cool!" Hanyi said cheerfully, looking Xia Lin up and down.
"Gui is glad to meet more people who will fight with Big Sister," her little brother added.
Zhen appeared to be surreptitiously looking around Meizhen, as if looking for someone else.
"Hey now, don't forget about me," Sixiang said, appearing in miniature on Ling Qi's shoulder. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. Name's Sixiang."
The soldier girl blinked slowly glancing back and forth between Sixiang and Hanyi, she seemed a little off balance.
"I have quite a menagerie, as you can see," Ling Qi said.
"…Yes," Xia Lin agreed.
Hm, perhaps it would be better to focus the meeting a little. She met Meizhen's eyes over the girl's shoulder. Her friend tilted her head and nodded. She would help keep things running smoothly.
She would focus on familiarizing Xia Lin with…
[] Zhengui who shared some of her combat roles. (Increase group combat synergy)
This turn will be largely consumed by the mission. There will be several rolls involved with the proceeding. Choices in the proceeding arcs will provide bonuses to certain rolls
***
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So before editing the chapter I want to say that I've since read through the arguments (reading HPMoR is exhausting, so I have to take breaks) and would've voted to keep the two options close to each other though I finished after voting had already been closed.
Now that I'm done, looking at the length of the delta log makes me worry I might've insulted Yrs before because there's significantly less kinks in this update.
As far as the vote goes, I find it obvious to vote for the social bonus since it pertains directly to the objective of this mission. Though reducing risk of injury on the way to and fro is of course not bad. Also my timing is just *muh*, just *muh*; perfectly timed to the end of the moratorium :Ü™
Edit: After reading Yrs' posts stating that the actual meeting will be entirely narrative driven I retract my vote until I've read more arguments :Ü™
Mentioned most of this in the discord, but my take on Xia Lin and her interest in Meizhen, plus those complicated feelings regarding spirits on clan rolls basically amounts to this:
I suspect that when General Xia went knee deep into the Shenhua camp that involved dragging her clan by its hairs away from their tribal traditions and also probably the murder of any dissidents.
If the clan used to have spirits among their clan rolls, those were probably among said dissidents.
Furthermore, I suspect Xia Lin herself is actually rather curious about her own tribal heritage and effectively lost traditions and culture.
Part of the issue being that there's not much in terms of safe ways to express this cause it's both going against current clan policy and it's generally gonna get you looked down on by all the peakaboos around court.
Enter Meizhen, who comes from one of the few clans whose pre-imperial, non-peakaboo traditions and culture is not only alive and well and whose traditions you not only can't afford to offend because the Bai will fucking murder you, but who you are actively encouraged to make nice with by the current political situation.
Basically Meizhen is the perfect way to explore non-peakaboo interests in a safe and justifiable manner.
Xia Lin is from a Old Tribe that abandoned their heritage and embraced Imperial culture. Ling Qi's clan is as new as can be raised up by the design of late Emperor An which would normally slot her firmly as Imperial, but she is embracing Old Tribe culture. There's an interesting dynamic there that will probably be cool to explore, especially if Meng Din the Hidden Historian joins us.
Xia Lin expressed 'admiration' for Old Tribe sentiments against spirit beasts so maybe they have some things in common. Ling Qi believes in learning from the past, she has an interest in old things and their teachings from the Moon to Zeqing to the Old Weilu, but she also recognize the need to modernize and adapt while preserving the good parts of the past. Ling Qi might be the perfect person to help Xia Lin dip her toes in rediscovering her heritage.
Huh, that is interesting. Taking the spirit companion idea to the next level.
Although... isn't this a dangerous branch of research? This sounds a lot like messing around with the soul and that was heavily disincentivized after the debacle with the Twilight King for some goods reasons. Clearly the Duchess knows what she is doing given she has about 1,000 of these guys, but it still seems like it wouldn't take much to take the techniques used in creating this situation and apply them in more dangerous ways.
This isn't for the negotiation, its for the journey there. So we can potentially even stop a possible fight from a misunderstanding happening in the first place with diplomacy from socializing more since she's a bit trigger happy with spirit's.
We can also at the same time have her learn more about old tradition's at the same time which she has an interest in.
