Oh this is contemporary? We'll be gaining a prospective astronomer setting up either in the lands of the White Sky or at a station near to the diplomatic grounds? Interesting. I'm sure our Bai friend will be quite interested in the celestial happenings.
Which, I suppose, gives him an Emerald Seas Elder to learn from.
Meizhen's Father himself will be onsite assisting the maintenance of this diplomatic venture's Intrigue needs. I wonder which other adult elders will be present, who may offer wisdom or guidance to this group of young nobles. Very interesting indeed.
The thing is, the setting is running on enough weird physics that the geocentric model might be the closer to reality. IIRC, according to creation myth, the sun and moon are great spirits that came after the firmament was created.
I'm not really sure why you couldn't just define the sun as being at the center and rely on Newtonian relativity to make it all work. Even if this results in a wobbling sphere of stars (because said sphere is centered on the Earth) it should be perfectly coherent.
Edit: In the real world Tycho Brahe did something like this to support geocentrism despite Copernicus's math working out better.
Considering how higher realm arrays are based on the Ways of the individual craftsman and can only partially be maintained after their passing, am I correct in assuming that this is less an issue of "modern is more advanced" and more an issue of "We're lucky to live in a time when we have access to the works of crafters X, Y, and Z who had Ways that lent themselves well to making stuff we could use"?
Also, I'm rather willing to take their word on this world not being heliocentric, just given the sheer level of magical bullshit high cultivation can pump out as tools.
Some permanent advancements do exist.
Like better metallurgy and such, atleast partially enforced by crafter cultivators ascending to great spirits and their personal works just being how it is.
"I would like to know more of the Meng," Ling Qi said. "I have made my contacts, and maybe even made an ally, but they are just too opaque to me."
"Unsurprising, they are an old clan by any measure save for that of the Bai," Hou Zhuang said humorlessly.
"Naturally," Ling Qi agreed.
The older man hummed to himself. "One key to hold too with the Meng clan is that even those you might perceive as open to change and progress do not accept the imperial way of things. You will find no significant support for the Imperial Cult, nor its philosophers there. Even the Luo holds a significant faction which wishes to modernize in the Imperial way, the Meng do not. What their more open members wish is to push revival and improvement of old practices on their own terms."
"You believe this is the group that contacted me," Ling Qi said.
"It is most likely, this faction is the one most engaged with the court and outsiders. Most of the Meng fear your Duchess terribly, but these view her as an opportunity, the Emerald Seas are in flux, the shape of its new order not yet set, and this to them is a chance to reassert primacy of their practices, rather than hiding away and preserving them," Hou Zhuang said, his words were calm and the diction clear, like an Elder lecturer.
"Which their more conservative cousins no doubt see as a foolish risk," Ling Qi mused. Their support for her made sense then. The arguments she had used to support her endeavor fit with their narrative of past informing present.
"Just so," Hou Zhuang said. "I've added the dossier to your ring. Time is up, perceptions of time may only be stretched so far."
And like that the color returned to the world, the noise in the stadium once again filled her ears, along with the voices of her companions.
"You have grown quiet, Baroness," Meizhen said, glancing her way.
"Just lost in thought," Ling Qi said. "I was simply contemplating how the matches might be arranged."
Her vision flickered, a wisp hidden in her hair glancing back. Hou Zhuang was still there, his eyes half lidded, the picture of an exhausted man in a light doze.
"Hm, it is not good to wander so, you nearly missed the actual announcements," Meizhen said.
"Apologies, Lady Bai," Ling Qi said with a hint of amusement. She looked down over the field where the sixteen preliminary winners now stood. Above the air flickered with illusion, the characters of the contestants names spelled out in flashing silver. She blinked as she looked over the names and realized something.
"Hm, I hadn't recognized Chu Song," Ling Qi said.
"Who?" Xia Anxi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"My first opponent from last year," Ling Qi said absently scanning those present, they fell on the muscular girl she had noticed before, and realized that it was Chu Song. She had changed though, her hair was cropped short and she wore heavy flanged armor rather than the lighter sort she had used last year. She'd picked up a few scars as well. "I hadn't realized she was participating."
"Ah, that girl," Bai Meizhen said with distaste. "I hope she has learned to control her tongue, for her own sake at least."
Xia Anxi glanced at them with mild interest, but the names in the air were moving to arrange themselves into brackets.
The first match would be Gun Jun facing down a young man Ling Qi did not recognize, the second Lu Feng facing the one of the three second realms who had squeaked through. The third match held Gan Guangli, facing another of them. The fourth was Chu Song and another new face she didn't recognize.
Han Jian was the first in the fifth match, facing another of the yellows. An apology for his hard match the year before? Ling Qi frowned. Shen Hu's face briefly came to her mind. She gave her head a tiny shake as she continued to scan the brackets Ma Jun was in the next one, she would be facing Fan Yu. Seventh match was Xiao Fen and some poor unfortunate, the Eighth held Han Fang and the boy with the boar spirit she'd noticed.
It seemed, even more than last year that most of the first round of matches were going to be fairly one sided. She suspected that one way or another the Sect would be quietly promoting many older disciples after this year, now that the Duchess' tests were done. They would need to, if they wanted the Outer Sect to maintain any kind of equilibrium.
"Hm, many easy matches there," Lao Keung said.
"True, though it is more even than last year," Ling Qi said. "Most are at least third realm."
"The Baroness has high standards," Xia Anxi chuckled. "Not a bad thing."
Ling Qi coughed into her hand, realizing that she had forgotten how things usually were for these things. She was right though, even those whose names she didn't know were still talents by any measure, people who had attained the right to a barony by their cultivation it was just… They were facing terrible competition this year.
She would at least keep an ear out for the results of Ma Jun's match though, Ling Qi thought she had the advantage, but Xiulan had shown her what someone desperate enough with only a partial breakthrough could do.
...She had trouble picturing Fan Yu with such passion fueling him though.
"A good showing for the Argent Peak Sect and the Emerald Seas as a whole," the voice of the Bai ambassador quieted them as she spoke up, beyond quiet conversation with Cai renxiang for the first time since they had arrived. "The youth of this province will carry your people well in the future."
"You are most generous, Ambassador," Cai Renxiang replied. "I am proud to know that we have impressed the eyes of the mighty Bai clan, if only a little."
She listened to their back and forth as she and the others rose from their seats, trading the proper pleasantries, all reinforcements of the notion that the Bai and the Cai were dedicated to their support of one another, soon it wound down and she and the others followed Cai Renxiang and the adults down the stairs that lead back to the ground floor. As such she found herself walking a step behind Meizhen, eyes half lidded as she turned her perceptions inward to the contents of her storage ring. She would have quite a lot of study to do after the parties and gatherings of the evening.
Now they were heading down to collect their winners. The plan was to speak with the Bai a bit longer and then go their separate ways until the Duchess' arrival in the evening, leaving them with the afternoon free to take care of their own business.
In Ling Qi's case, she had promised Wang Chao that she would meet him at the crafters tournament to introduce him to Xuan Shi, and vice versa.
They soon reached the bottom of the stairwell and exited the stadium, given a wide berth by the other guests, who no doubt wished to avoid offending such a party. Outside, they came to a stop overlooking the now fully erected sea of guest pavilions. She and Cai Renxiang stood opposite the Bai delegation there and everyone.
"It has been interesting meeting you Lady Cai, Baroness, I look forward to working with you in the future," Xia Anxi said lightly. "Hopefully the next time we meet there will time for less martial subjects."
"It has been good to see something of what your command is like," Lao Keung said in his turn. "I have confidence in our cooperation."
"I am honored by your trust," Ling Qi said. In these sort of exchanges it was important to speak in the proper turn, subordinates first with leaders receiving the last word. "I am most pleased to have taken your acquaintance."
"Lady Cai keeps good company," Meizhen said, her voice almost warm. "It will please me to see you again this evening."
Ling Qi caught both of the new young Bai's gazes sliding toward her friend, they seemed a little discomfited. It really hadn't sunk in, what it meant when Bai Suzhen had called Bai Meizhen 'kind' last year.
"I have been glad to show you hospitality in my Mother's absence," Cai Renxiang said politely. "Ladies Bai, you have honored me and the Emerald Seas with your attendance."
"It is not an undeserved honor," said the Ambassador Xilai, with a small tilt of her head. "Please excuse us then, until this evening."
Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi both bowed and the Bai delegation began to take their leave, the Ambassador gesturing for Meizhen to walk beside her, with the others trailing behind. Ling Qi was surprised though, to see Xia Lushen remaining behind, his menacing shadow a step or two behind.
"Sir Xia?" Cai Renxiang asked.
"I am sorry, Lady Cai, but there was a question I had for your subordinate," the scholarly man said kindly. "If I may?"
"Of course," Cai Renxiang said immediately.
Ling Qi straightened up attentively.
"It is known to me that you possess a fairly potent relic of these… underground people. While goods will surely flow from the tribute your Duchess has established, I am a man who enjoys remaining ahead," Xia Lushen said, his smile and half lidded eyes lending him a pleasant air. "I would like to purchase it from you."
Ling Qi's mind raced, back to her clash with the shishigui assassin who had almost opened her throat, to the faintly glowing dagger of green stone still lying in her house. "Ah, I am not necessarily opposed Sir Xia..."
"Yes, I do not want to rush you," he said. "Please consider it and get back to me by the end of this gathering. I may be able to offer more than simple stones."
With that he took his leave, taking the nerve wracking presence that trailed him along, and Ling Qi let out a breath.
Cai Renxiang gave her a sidelong look. "You acquitted yourself well."
"Thank you for saying so," Ling Qi said, turning along with her liege to look over the pavilions. "I am glad Gan Guangli succeeded."
"Yes," Renxiang agreed.
"Will you join him now?" Ling Qi said.
"Not now, this is the time for his own subordinates. My presence would be unhelpful," she replied.
Ling Qi didn't know about that. Her doubt may have colored her words. "I see."
Renxiang let out a breath through her nose. "I have made the time to give him my encouragement before Mother's arrival. Duty must come first."
"That is fine," Ling Qi said. As long as her liege was taking care of herself.
"The fact that you're the one giving that advice really says a lot about that girl," Sixiang sighed.
Maybe so, but she was the one who was here, Ling Qi thought wryly. "Tonight then, my lady?"
"Tonight," Renxiang agreed, and there they parted ways.
Lao Keung Bond set to 1
Xia Anxi bond set to 0
Hou Zhuang Bond set to 2
Bai Clan Reputation set to 2
Insight into Bai Clan divisions gained
Bai Progressives: 3
Bai Isolationists: ??
Bai Reactionaries: ??
[/spoilers]
The first match would be Gun Jun facing down a young man Ling Qi did not recognize, the second Lu Feng facing the one of the three second realms who had squeaked through. The third match held Gan Guangli, facing another of them. The fourth were another pair she didn't recognize.
Han Jian was the first in the fifth match, facing another of the yellows. An apology for his hard match the year before? Ling Qi frowned. Shen Hu's face briefly came to her mind. She gave her head a tiny shake as she continued to scan the brackets Ma Jun was in the next one, she would be facing Fan Yu. Seventh match was Xiao Fen and some poor unfortunate, the Eighth held Han Fang and the boy with the boar spirit she'd noticed.
"One key to hold too with the Meng clan is that even those you might perceive as open to change and progress do not accept the imperial way of things. You will find no significant support for the Imperial Cult, nor its philosophers there. Even the Luo holds a significant faction which wishes to modernize in the Imperial way, the Meng do not. What their more open members wish is to push revival and improvement of old practices on their own terms."
"You believe this is the group that contacted me," Ling Qi said.
"It is most likely, this faction is the one most engaged with the court and outsiders. Most of the Meng fear your Duchess terribly, but these view her as an opportunity, the Emerald Seas are in flux, the shape of its new order not yet set, and this to them is a chance to reassert primacy of their practices, rather than hiding away and preserving them,
No significant doesn't mean any; there should be a minor Imperial aligned faction, even if just among their vassals, among the Meng clan. The Luo get their Imperial factions from their military interests converting in the face of the superior Imperial Army, I suppose.
Anyways, the dossier was about learning the internal faction cleavages, and the Meng are divided into two: those who want to engage with and influence Cai Shenhua's nationalism and those who want to stagnate. Which, I suppose, is why the Moon is meddling so hard via Ling Qi and Meng Dan -- everything has to change, and those who actively refuse to do so will be set up for ruin.
The Meng radicals faction is probably also the ones Ling Qi might want to engage with re: her Spirit Ken activities. With the dossier Hou Zhuang gave Ling Qi, there should probably be some names that she could reach out to for more of Hanyi's concerts, as well as for tutoring Zhengui with his Geomancy inclinations. With their focus on modernizing the native Emerald Seas spiritualism, they'll probably like to set things up such that an important piece of the Cai will spread their practices throughout her holdings, and therefore influence the Cai as a whole into adopting their practices.
The first match would be Gun Jun facing down a young man Ling Qi did not recognize, the second Lu Feng facing the one of the three second realms who had squeaked through. The third match held Gan Guangli, facing another of them. The fourth were another pair she didn't recognize.
Han Jian was the first in the fifth match, facing another of the yellows. An apology for his hard match the year before? Ling Qi frowned. Shen Hu's face briefly came to her mind. She gave her head a tiny shake as she continued to scan the brackets Ma Jun was in the next one, she would be facing Fan Yu. Seventh match was Xiao Fen and some poor unfortunate, the Eighth held Han Fang and the boy with the boar spirit she'd noticed.
No Chu Song? She should either be in the 4th match, where she probably passes, or facing up against Gun Jun or Xiao Fen for that Cai faction rematch.
Gun Jun v. Unknown
Lu Feng v. 2nd Realm
Gan Guangli v. 2nd Realm
Unknown v. Unknown
Han Jian v. 2nd Realm
Ma Jun v. Fan Yu
Xiao Fen v. Unknown
Han Fang v. Hei Boqin
Similar to the previous years, the highest ranked/connected disciples got byes while everyone else got maybe hard, maybe easy matches. Of the maybe matches, only Han Fang v. Hei Boqin is really in doubt: everyone else got matched up against partial Third Realms, but those two are full, I believe. Which, I wonder why the Sect values Ma Jun, for example, over Han Fang? Are they trying to give Fan Yu some face/a chance, by pitting him, a Count scion, against a newly-risen commoner?
Which, I wonder why the Sect values Ma Jun, for example, over Han Fang? Are they trying to give Fan Yu some face/a chance, by pitting him, a Count scion, against a newly-risen commoner?
Probably because Ma Jun is still an unaffiliated third realm who may yet be incentivized to stay in the sect, whereas Han Fang and Fan Yu are already known quantites who will not.
Yeah, so looking like the brackets are going to wind up something like this:
Arrangement is interesting - it looks like they're trying for a less drama-filled tournament that downplays conflict here. Thus they resolve GG/LF in the semis, and then Han Jian is in the finals. Also don't take the opportunity for a HF/LF revenge match to then set up a HJ/LF match. Probably a good idea given the current situation.
Matches to watch... probably the Ma Jun and Han Fang matches are the most uncertain here, though yrs has sort of thrown cold water on things a bit. Also not sure who will win in Xiao Fen v Han Fang. Probably Xiao Fen because HJ v HF is less interesting, but still a bit up in the air.
"It is known to me that you possess a fairly potent relic of these… underground people. While goods will surely flow from the tribute your Duchess has established, I am a man who enjoys remaining ahead," Xia Lushen said, his smile and half lidded eyes lending him a pleasant air. "I would like to purchase it from you."
Ling Qi's mind raced, back to her clash with the shishigui assassin who had almost opened her throat, to the faintly glowing dagger of green stone still lying in her house. "Ah, I am not necessarily opposed Sir Xia..."
"Yes, I do not want to rush you," he said. "Please consider it and get back to me by the end of this gathering. I may be able to offer more than simple stones."
Finally a perfect use for the dagger! Our soon-to-be uncle is really coming in clutch! Getting something useful from one of the premiere Bai crafters for a knife we will never use? Yes please!
What would something useful look like? The Bai have already, through the favor to Cai I think, provided most of the technique library we have for our house. Is there any chance of getting something that synchronizes with them?
Or maybe something to reinforce our formation craft?
I could see a world he is so pissed at us that he tailored his skillset to beat someone like us. Ma Jun could lose, which would suck for the Ma. Still, maybe the Ma will get their writ for having two greens this young. Like was said, the Sect is going to need to up many older Outer sect disciples into the military-path to Inner just to balance out the average harvest.
I understand leaving Han Jian for the last as well. The Han are supposed to be similar to Ducal strength and neither of their scions succeeded last year.
I think the storyline for having Han Jian vs Han Fang is to show off the offscreen development of their relationship to be less Master and Servant to Brothers in Truth, not just in name. Han Jian's lazy-cat energy was somewhat enabled by his servant Han Fang last year, and even still Han Fang was given the opportunity to bond with his own Han Tiger.
As we see from the old XiaoBai, our role with Renxiang, and to some extent the Xuan Wu bonding ceremony based on earning the respect of the Xuan Wu the young Xuan wishes to bond with, there is much healthy growth to be found in contrasting or contesting ideas which challenge the assumptions and habits of both parties. In this, Han Jian would be better served by a True Brother rather than a brother-in-name who is still a servant beyond how we serve. We serve because we respect and have gained loyalty to our liege (and Meizhen) through their actions, and they keep our loyalty by being the liege most worthy of that loyalty. Being as amazing as we know them to be.
I said it at the time, and I hope this is the public demonstration of how that arc has gone. For better or worse. Han Jian deserves to be adjacent to the Ducal Bullshit tier, and if GG beats him I want it to be because GG is bullshit too not because Han Jian wasn't trying hard enough. Also if GG loses I want to make sure it's to a talented motivated Ducal-tier scion with a fire in his belly rather than a lazy cat
Which, I wonder why the Sect values Ma Jun, for example, over Han Fang? Are they trying to give Fan Yu some face/a chance, by pitting him, a Count scion, against a newly-risen commoner?
I assume giving Fan Yu the best shot he's gonna get that isn't humiliating him and themselves by putting him up against a yellow is part of it, but they also straight up just can't make Fan Yu be humiliated by the adopted servant boy of the Han family.
So if Fan Yu can't be fed to the heavy weights or third years, can't be put up against Han Fang and can't be fed one of the yellows, all that leaves is one of the other second years that hit green this year, which Ma Jun is one of.
It's probably realistic that the Sect would set it up to have all the really talented Greens pass uncontested, they need the new blood for the war effort. In hindsight it shouldn't be surprising, actually. They care much more about the war and beating the barbs than this competition.
I don't think he is pissed at us, more like.. resigned? He accepted that we were more motivated/disciplined/talented than him, and he also has a bit of self deprication going on iirc. I don't think he would tailor his art suit just to counter a cultivator who has a similar build to us.
They should be getting the writ regardless since the criteria is be Green before 17 and Ma Jun should be the same age as us, so 16~. Also Ma Lei is still Yellow.
