Chapter 10: Second Translation
Ladybug was eager to question Mayor Bourgeois. It seemed certain that he had poisoned Tomoe, but why? Some grudge related to the movie; or perhaps a love triangle involving him, Tomoe, and Audrey?
There was something she had to do first that morning: the unveiling of the statue honoring Ladybug and Chat Noir as protectors of the city.
Chat Noir was there, acting quiet and respectful. (Chat had been subdued and flirted less on their patrols lately). The ceremony went off smoothly, though the sculptor acted a little flirty as he asked her to autograph the photo which had been the inspiration for her sculpture. She gave him the autograph.
The Mayor was there, and Ladybug took the chance to ask him quietly, "Mayor Bourgeois, I need to speak with you about something important. May I make an appointment to see you?"
"Certainly, Ladybug. Let me consult my secretary," said the Mayor.
After a quick call he said, "I have a time slot between 16:30 and 16:45 today."
"That will work," said Ladybug. "I'll see you then."
After it ended, Chat asked Ladybug to meet him at their usual rooftop for a quick word.
"M'lady, I need to tell you something. Marinette Dupain-Cheng started an investigation into a crime that happened many years ago, and I think it's leading in a direction you need to know about."
"What is it?" asked Ladybug.
She pretended ignorance as Chat described what he knew about the case.
Chat said, "We found something written in Japanese on the back of the movie script belonging to Tomoe Tsurugi. I showed it to Plagg and he translated it for me."
He pulled a paper out of his pocket and showed it to her.
It read: "The temple in Tibet that helped my namesake ancestor of the Miraculous to fight battles has been found. They are planning to do something I would not dare, but I vow to rear a perfect daughter to marry their perfect son and share the power of the Prodigious."
"Are you sure of this translation?" asked Ladybug.
"Plagg says the order of clauses in Japanese can be tricky to get right, but he's pretty sure," said Chat.
"The word 'Prodigious' is used as a noun, just like 'Miraculous'. We know what a Miraculous is, but what's a Prodigious?"
"Plagg told me it's another ancient magic item, one that people created first before they made the Miraculouses. It's hidden somewhere in China."
Ladybug remembered that Anarka said the group talked about magic artifacts in Tibet and China.
"I wonder if Tikki would know more," said Ladybug.
"Plagg said he's looser about the rules than your kwami, She might think she shouldn't talk about it."
Ladybug wondered if Tikki's translation was deliberately obscure. "I see."
"I want to ask you what you think," said Chat. "This is getting into superhero business. Maybe it would be better to ask Marinette to stay out of it and let us take over the investigation. It could be dangerous for her."
"That makes sense," said Ladybug. "I'll tell her. I'll get whatever leads she has and follow them up."
With a little stretching of when the interviews happened, she would be able to share all she knew with Chat soon.
Marinette confronted Tikki at home.
"You don't trust me?" she asked angrily. "Why didn't you give me a good translation? That writing reveals a conspiracy between Hawk Moth and others that could lead to catching them!"
"It was a good translation," said Tikki. "It's just ambiguous how to read some of the phrases."
"But you knew the context, that the word for 'prodigious' could be a noun."
"You are still very new as my holder," said Tikki, "There are secrets we are forbidden to speak about. Plagg broke the rules to tell Chat Noir about the Prodigious."
"Now that I know, I want you to tell me more. I'm not going to go to China and try to steal the thing, you know."
Tikki sighed, "Very well. In ancient times, Chinese sorcerers discovered the cousins of the kwamis, called Renlings. They represent human virtues, rather than abstract concepts as we do. They are: the dragon of Justice, the eagle of Confidence, the snake of Courage, the mantis of Patience, the bear of Calmness, the monkey of Compassion, the horse of Honor, and the tiger of Discipline. All were tied to one magic artifact, the Prodigious, which allows the holder, the Renren, to transform into the different animals as long as the Renren has the associated virtues. There are other powers too, making the Prodigious at least as powerful as eight Miraculous. That prototype was too powerful, so the objects made after that have just one kwami per Miraculous."
"So this could relate to the perfect son and daughter they were talking about. They could be the Prodigious holders." said Marinette.
"It may be so, though how they could be sure of the character of a person in advance is a mystery," said Tikki. "And how could they be sure of controlling him or her once they got the power?"
"It would also take a long time, compared to just finding someone like that," said Marinette.
"They would have time, because the hiding place of the Prodigious can only be opened during a special lunar eclipse that only happens every decade and a half or so," said Tikki.
"Do you know when it's next due?" asked Marinette.
"I don't," said Tikki. "But if the plotters missed the eclipse window they might start preparing for the next time. That would give them time to raise a child to be the Renren."
"The Mayor must know more," said Marinette. "I'll try to get it out of him this afternoon,"
"Be careful," said Tikki. "It's going to get dangerous as we get closer to the truth about Hawk Moth."