-[Volume I: Investiture of Paradise: On the Flowerbed of Lotus]-
-[An far-off Tale From the People of Delta]-
-[Third Record]-
The Court of the Azure Dragon.
Records Archived on; January 2nd 209, 18 B.A.R
By Ciel.
As unfortunate as it was, Sleepless Nights was not anything new for Ciel.
Countless of times had she stayed wide awake when she should be deep in her slumber, depriving herself of a brief moment of respite that a quick rest could potentially offer to her, remaining restless as her mind continued to be plagued by the feeling of uncertainty about the faint future for both her and her comrades back in the Resistance's daily life full of struggles and hardship, preventing her from fully closing her eyelids and let the exhaustion take her as her train of thought always rerouted toward tomorrow, a road full of obscurity, where there always existed the possibility that it will be their last day on the ruined earth. Whenever this occurred, the Blonde would usually occupy herself with something to do to distract her mind from going down that particular line of thoughts until her brain become too drained to even think coherently anymore, either by working on her research for a new source of energy or going through the hacked security surveillance system to monitored possible Neo Arcadia's activities against their base of operation.
It would stretch throughout the entire night until her overwhelming fatigue finally caught up to her racing mind and forcefully dragged her into the land of dream, usually kicking and screaming in the process, or when she ran out of coffee, a rather addictive substance in her opinion, to fuel the motor of her brain from functioning properly, only then would she able to fall into her long-awaited slumber, which always happened either on the floor or by the monitor, where Alouette would always be the one to caught her in that sort of position, waking her up and subsequently scolded her for staying up all night again, telling her that she keeps on like this, it is going to be the death of hers, an sentiment shared by everyone in the ragtag of an organization. For a good long while, this self-destructive tendency of hers has generally been rectified ever since the war on Neo Arcadia reached its conclusion, The hope that a certain Red Devil has given them to become a kindle that illuminates their dark path toward a brighter tomorrow, allowing her to be able to rest easy for a time, knowing that there are a better days ahead waiting for her, making her almost eager to sleep and see that someday.
But it would seem that even after all these years have passed, that aspect of her life has never truly gone, only retreated to the deepest crevice of her head, where it has been biding its time and gathered its strength to make its dreaded return, and now, it has chosen this moment reared its ugly head once more, causing her to unable to just lays down on the bed and let the sleep take hold of her, instead, her cobalt blue eyes snapped wide open, staring down onto a collection of items set down on the table, the sealed document that verifies her newfound status as a Cyber Faeries Programmer of the Dragon Imperial Court of Emperor Ruogang among them. These are the absolute essentials she has prepared with the help of the Ren Family to take with her when she goes to Qinglong, The capital city of the Blue Dragon County, where the Palace she will soon work under is located. Some are expected, things like newly purchased clothes that were tailored to match her exact measurements, her Cyber Elves twin put in stasis within their containers, the Scroll the Azure Emperor has entrusted to her that will be her method to enter the Palace, a small sum of the local currency they called Renminbi, which takes the form of a solid cards shaped objects she has learned to been forged from refined Energy Crystal of all things, courtesy of the generous Patriarch of the Family, something she planned to return the favor when she started earning money from her new job. You know, the basic necessities.
Though beyond that, there are a few rather nifty additions that will prove useful to her in the long run as well, such as the Universal-Lexicon, the name of the same bamboo Scroll Device that Ning has used to initially communicate with her, which is capable of transcribed any languages carved on its surprisingly malleable surface on it into Chinese and vice versa. This will certainly come in handy, as while she can read and speak the native tongue of the nation well enough, the same could not be said about actually writing them, the intricate symbols of the language are quite difficult to write down, not help that she frequently forgot which character is which, so she will most definitely make use of this helpful device, especially when she needed a reference to write down. Another item among these assortments of objects that will undoubtedly be of assistance to her is a handheld gadget known simply as a Phone. A piece of equipment developed by a Company goes by the name of Cosmos Incorporated, a household name that was founded by the Constella Family, the largest suppliers of all things technological in the Neo Arcadian Empire that has their influence over all four corners of the world. She was planning to know more about them on a future date, but as for the Phone itself, one of the most popular products of the Company with your average citizen, it is a thing of technological wonder for Ciel.
Initially thinking it was some type of communicator, Ciel was left in complete awe when she discovered that the device was capable of more than just a simple medium for long-range conversation, as, despite its relatively small size that fit right into her palm, the features built into this contraption shows that this small package is the proof of scientific advancement of this world. It is capable of nearly everything, both practical and entertainment purposes, but the best of all is hands down its ability to access the wonderful website that is the internet, allowing Ciel to sate her hunger for knowledge at any time. Why oh why has her world never come up with something like this? Imagined how much it would have benefited from having something like this!
This marvelous piece of technology was granted to her by the Matriarch of the Family, Lanfen, who has told her that it is an old model she once employed during her time back in the days when she was still a Member of the Hapenito Clan, which she no longer has any use for now that she has the latest version, so she decided that she at least give the Phone to Ciel, who was more than delighted to accept the offer so that they keep in touch with each other when she departed for the Azure Dragon County's capital City, even more so when she discovered that she can wire transfer Money directly into the Ren Family's bank account with this phenomenal device. With this, she can repay everything they have done for her, with that in mind, Ciel planned to set up an account once she had the time to figure out the specifics of making one. Though the most important thing she should do is to get some sleep first, for when the sun rises, it will mark the end of her long stay with the Ren Family and the beginning to her new role in the neighboring Region…The trouble is, the mere thoughts of it all are exactly what is keeping her from getting said sleep.
Even when she had come to terms with it during the night of the Red Moon Festival a day ago, it did little to placate her the nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Ciel has next to no idea what will be expected from her when she arrives at the Azure Capital, or what will await for her the moment she step foot into the Palace. Anxiety dominated her mind as doubts began to fester inside her heart, thinking of all the ways that could possibly go wrong while under employment of Ruogang. What if she is not up to the task? What if she fails? What if she displeased the Emperor if she messed up? What would he do if she could not live up to his expectations? What will she do when that happens? Were among the troubling thoughts that tormented her, making her toss and turn on her bed, keeping her from sealing her eyes shut. This led to her checking her belongings once more, anything to keep herself distracted from them, bringing Ciel to the present time, where she was going over them for the eighteenth time in a row. Was she really that desperate to repeat the mind-numbingly monotonous action just to keep herself from thinking about all of that? Yes. Yes, she truly was.
"Toothbrush…Checked…Wallet…Checked…Potentielle and Illimite…Yawn…Checked. Alright, time for bed." With that, she finished her thirtieth and final inspection of her equipment, about time too, as the feeling of exhaustion began to creeped in at long last. Capitalizing on her drowsy state, Ciel staggered toward her bed with all her remaining might, which was not a lot considering that she was barely able to keep her balance the entire time, before utterly collapsing on its soft mattress that embraced her with open arms, letting her sink deeper into her dream…
… A blissful Respite that lasted for a grand total of thirty minutes, not enough to even call it a nap before she was shot back up to reality. "Ughhh…" as Once that amount of time had passed, the Sun had already begun to rise between the cracks of the mountains, ascending past the reach of the hills, letting its blinding light seep through the window and hit Ciel directly in the face, causing her to groan in anguish as she was forced to wake up, for even if she was able to ignore the blinding radiance, the same cannot be said for the living clock that was the Roosters, whose deafening screech to announced the beginning of a new day would literally murder her ears and rattled her skull the moment the sky was painted blue. Knowing better than that, The Blonde scientist begrudgingly latched onto her consciousness, reluctantly parted ways with the warm blanket, then trudged toward the bathroom as fast as her legs could carry her because she knew she would have to spend the next few hours to make herself look presentable, first impression and all that, which included straightening her currently unruly hair, so it is for the best that she wastes no time on it, the last thing she wanted is to look like a broom in front of Ruogang's Court.
Successfully combing her unstable stream of hair, as per the most painfully slow part of her daily routine, the rest of the morning preparation went fairly smoothly for the most part, ending with Ciel emerging from the bathroom a few moments later, looking like her usual self, though with far less energy than she would like to, but there is no point complaining about it when she has no one else to blame but herself for it. With that out of the way, she made her return to the guest room in order to pack up the belongings that she had spent the whole night sorting through, though not before unsealed Potentielle and Illimite from their respective containers, They definitely wouldn't want to spend the rest of the day being stuffed in there. Though she somewhat regretted the decision as when they flew out of their chamber, the very first thing they noticed on their creator's visage is the faint bags beneath her eyes, a telltale sign of sleep deprivation, which led to them deduced that she must have not slept last night, not too far from the truth, leading to them lightly smacked her on her cheeks for her negligence on taking care of herself again, reminding her of her little sister doing the same when similar situation happened. She honestly missed those days.
"Sorry…I'll make sure I'll get some sleep soon." Or at least, she hoped she could, there is no telling if there would be an opportunity to get some quick rest before she reached Qinglong after all. Let's just hope there will be. Once she managed to appease her Cyber Elves, who merely huffed in annoyance at their response, Ciel began to move across the hall, stopping when she arrived at the dining area, where she planned to have one last meal with the Family that had so kindly taken her in when she first arrived in this World, lost and all on her own, having done so much for her without ever asking or expecting anything in return from her, a Foreigner with practically nothing to her name to pay them back for all they have given her, just helping her out of the kindness from their heart, making her all the more motivated to one day do the same to them in kind. As far as she is concerned, they earned as much, just as they have earned her gratitude, "Hmmm…Maybe I should try my hands in making breakfast…"
Such was the idea that hatched inside her mind. After several weeks of watching Lanfen making the Family's meals on a daily basis, Ciel was confident that she could recreate the process and make some basic dishes. She did build the near-perfect replica of a certain Blue Reploid in the past just by observing how the scientists did it in her youth after all, as little pride as that achievement has brought her, and that talent of hers is still as sharp as ever, so she should be able to make something for the Ren, they have already done so much for her, she should at least try to return the favor in any ways she could, and making their morning meals will be a start to it. Now with a purpose, the Blonde placed down her luggage onto the ground to remove the hindrance to her mobility, a determined glint in her eyes as she moved onto the kitchen, with the dish she planned to make being a fairly simple one; Rice Porridge.
To start this off, she gathered the necessary ingredients for the dish, being Rice, obviously, several cups of chicken stocks that Lanfen had stored in the fridge, some salts for flavor, as the last thing she wanted was for the Porridge to taste literally nothing, and from what she has seen the Matriarch of the Family using when she made the dish before, a piece of ginger, finely diced. With all the components at the ready, Ciel began by rinsing the Rice until the grains absorbed some of the moisture, Once it did, she set it aside for later as she moved to make the broth created from the combination of the chicken-flavored brine, salts, the chopped Gingers from earlier before adding the Rice, which she boiled at medium heat and let its simmered, giving the mixture some stirs as Lanfen does, something about preventing the Grains from sticking to each other and form a clump or sink to the bottom of the pot. The Blonde continued to stir the pot every now and again, only stopping when she saw that the Porridge become thicker in texture, likely the result of the starch getting released from the Rice.
Sampling her culinary creation, Ciel nodded in approval when she found it to be suitable to her palate, which was satisfied with the flavor and consistency of the Porridge, tasting just like how Lanfen would make it. Extinguished the fire with a dial, she lifted the pot from the stove and gingerly placed the finishing product on the table, where she poured an equal portion into each bowl for every Member of the Ren Family, making sure to garnish each bowl with chopped scallion save for little Lei's. The young lad seems to never like the taste of scallion in any of his meals under any circumstances regardless of what context, even on his favorite. With that, breakfast is served. Ciel looked on with pride in her expression, quite proud of the result. Not too shabby for her first attempt at cooking if she does say so herself. Her Cyber Elves seem to think so too, with them clapping their tiny little palms upon witnessing their creator's success in her first time in the kitchen, deciding to keep it to themselves about the fact that they were half-expecting it to turn into a complete disaster.
"Mom, I told you to leave the cooking duty to me-" Hearing the voice of Lanfen called out, Ciel snapped toward the entrance to the dining hall, where she saw the astonishment in her expression, likely did not anticipate the fact that the Family's guest has just prepared everyone their morning meal if the ladle resting in the blonde's hand were anything to go by, and sentiment that Ciel could understand the reason behind. She never showed any aptitude for the Culinary art before today throughout her stay with the family, so to suddenly see her making something, as basic as it may be, was worthy of surprise indeed, "Wha- Xia?! Did you cook all of this?!" Following the gesture, the girl could see that she was motioning toward the Rice Porridge, which she had to double-check to make sure she was seeing things correctly. At first, when she detected the smell of the dish in the air as she approached the kitchen, she thought that her Mother-in-law was the one that was taking charge of the kitchen again, taking advantage of the fact that the green-haired Matriarch was not present at the moment, which would usually be the case, it is always a fight to see who would cook for everyone else with that woman, but it would appeared that today was different, where their blonde-haired guest was the one that took the initiative and make everyone's breakfast.
"Y-Yes, Today will be the last day I'll be here, so I thought I'd make it extra special." It was not exactly a lie, Ciel is scheduled to leave for the next train ride out of town to the capital city of Qinglong later today, and she has done the mental math to have a rough estimation that it will arrive by the time she finished breakfast with the Rens. Seeing that she won't be able to be with them soon enough, the Blonde does want to make this day as memorable as possible for both her and the Family, "I hope you like them." She smiled, taking a seat, beckoning the Matriarch to join her at the table to have a taste of the meal she had made for her family. an offer that Lanfen wholeheartedly accepted, eager to try out the culinary creation of the Blonde Girl, assuming to chair directly next to Ciel, examining the bowl of Rice porridge presented to her. She discovered that it was a fairly simple recipe, the typical chicken-flavored dish that he usually made for breakfast, even tasting the same when she actually dug in, finding the flavor to be incredibly similar to how she would cooked this dish., if she did not know any better, she'd say that Ciel has copied her cooking process or something, not knowing how close she was to the truth.
"It tastes great, Xia." The Green-haired woman offered a grin of approval to the blonde along with a thumbs up, clearly enjoying the dish greatly, in turn growing a bright smile that bloomed on Ciel's visage, delighted to hear that her creation was a success. Soon after that, the rest of the Rens Family began to pour out of the opening of the dining hall, having caught the scent of freshly cooked Porridge in the atmosphere when they made their way toward the room and were equally as surprised as the Matriarch when she revealed that it was not her that cooked it, but rather their guest, Ciel that did, even more so when the dish has the same consistency as the one Lanfen would make every day for the household, making them questioned if Ciel did actually made these, to which the Blonde could only respond with an amused and firm 'Yes'. She is not upset that they doubted she has made the dish, since all she did was replicate, albeit perfectly, the cooking method of the Matriarch, so the fact that it would end up tasting the exact same as to how Lanfen would make them is somewhat understandable, she just glad it turned out well enough that the rest of the Family praised it, especially Lanfen, while her Husband teased as an underhanded compliment to herself.
She responded by wordlessly stabbing his foot using her heel all with a serene smile on her face that masked a silent rage beneath its gentle surface, bringing out a yelp of pain on his part as it dug further and further, to the confusion of everybody.
Once the breakfast session of the Family reached its conclusion, so did another aspect of the Ren household's daily life that they had grown accustomed to over the past month, one they were woefully unprepared for even after that fateful day when Emperor Ruogang passed by their isolated town, Ciel's departure to the Azure Dragon County as part of her brand new employment under the Man. Even though they have plenty of time to come to terms with it, in the end, not a single one of them was able to hold back a single drop of tear unleashed by overwhelming sorrow as they followed Ciel to the Train Station along with the rest of the townsfolk, where it would be the last time they will see her as they send her off. Lei did not take this development well in the slightest, busting into a crying mess that marred his face with a salty stream of tears as he clung onto the Blonde, begging her not to go, having grown to see her as his Surrogate Sister, become so attached to her that he cannot imagine his life being the same without her being around, eating, studying and playing with him any longer, showing her just how much of an impact she has left on the boy during her stay with the family.
And he was not the only one either, for the children populations were just as devastated as Lei was when they learned their 'Big Sis Xia', whom they had become just as close to her as the son of Ning and Lanfen has, is about to depart from town soon when the train arrives, resulting in them swarming The Blonde in a combined effort to prevent her from leaving them, forcing their parents to personally removed them and apologies profusely to the scientist for the misbehavior of their children, which she honestly does not mind, because in truth, it pained her as much as it does for the rest of the town to see her go, wishing she could stay with them, but she felt as though she have overstayed her welcome long enough, she cannot continue to take advantages of these people's charitable nature forever without giving some in return for their generosity. Not to mention, There is her mission as well, the reason why she is in this world in the first place. If she wanted to go home, to her family, she had to do part ways with this one, no matter how regretful she would felt this decision would be.
"Thank you, all of you so much for everything you have done for me." Came a bow of utmost gratitude and respect from Ciel toward the people of Xiangjiang, who has so kindly helped her out in her most desperate time of needs, when she has nowhere else to go in this alien world, from Ning saving her life from the jaw of the Bā-Shé, to Lanfen tutoring her in their native Tongue, all the way to even young Lei, who taught her the joy in having fun for the first time in years since her birth in the cold confine of a laboratory devoid of any childhood's pleasure, all out of the kindness of their hearts. The memories she has made here will gain a place in her heart as among the ones she treasured the most, never forgetting this gift they have bestowed to her. When the day comes where she finds a way to have the divided country to reunited as one again, liberating the people from the feeling of unrest once and for all, and restoring the harmony of this nation, it will be her way of repaying the debt she has owe to these folks, for there can no more fitting way to return the favor in her opinion, "I hope we will be able to see each other again someday."
"So do we, Xia. So do we." Ning nodded in agreement. In the short time he has known of the Blonde, he has grown to view her as a member of the Family, regardless of her status as a foreigner, a secret he and his wife will take with them to the grave if they must. Right now, it felt as though he was about to send his daughter to college, a moment he hoped to experience with his son when the boy came to that particular age. Although he was slightly worried for her well-being when she had to go to the capital all on her own like that, traveling to one of the most populated areas in all of China, which will no doubt be confusing and overwhelming for her, as even he has a hard time navigating through the Principle City of the White Tiger County, he took solace to the fact that Ciel is someone personally appointed by the Azure Emperor himself, which means it is almost certain that the Man would make the arrangement to have some kind of specialized party to come and escort Ciel to the Palace, one of the most secured locations in the world, "Take care of yourself while you are there, alright?"
"Yes! Never neglect on your personal wellbeing, make sure you get your daily 8 hours of sleep by tonight, is that clear?!" In the time Lanfen has spent teaching their guest in their language, the Green-haired woman has caught onto her habit of sneaking into the library in the dead of night, spending the time where she should be resting on her endless pursuit of knowledge, whether it is something important or completely trivial, going through countless tomes that piled up into mountains worth of information, this usually resulted in her barely able to focus in the lessons in the following morning, leading to her failed to get any works done, even sometimes falling asleep half-way through, then by the time night rolls around, she becomes incapable of falling asleep, having already done so in the afternoon, and so she tries to kill time by going to the library, repeating the process all over again. Lanfen refused to let the same occur in Ciel's new occupation, The Court is an unforgiving place, with no patience for people who could not endure the burden of responsibility that comes with the position, so the Blonde needed to reconfigure her sleep schedule in order to keep a level head and not have it clouded by exhaustion. "If you don't, I'll go with you to make sure you do, you hear me?!"
"I know, I know." To the vehement insistence from the Matriarch of the Ren Family, the only appropriate response Ciel could throw together was a nervous, sheepish laughter, opted to keep silent about the fact that she stayed up all night again. The way Lanfen worded it came across to all nearby onlookers as a worried Mother scolding her neglectful daughter, which is technically the case, even more so when Ciel regarded the Woman as something of a Parental figure to her, what with her educating Ciel like how she would with Young Lei every time the two go to the library for a study session spearheaded by the Matriarch, where she would show them why she was once a teacher the faculty respected and students feared, "Ah, the train is here." There's her escape route from the passionate Lanfen, manifested in the form of a speeding vehicle ripping through the air, effortlessly bypassing the sound barrier thanks its streamlined structure, ramming through it like a discharged bullet breaching the atmosphere, which began to gradually slow down as it closing onto the station, before stopping entirely when it came into contact with its next stop, releasing an ear-piercing hiss as it did so, followed by the door sliding open, letting those where on it to leave the vessel and allowing new passengers to take their place.
"Right, it's time for me to go. Once again, thank you all for everything. I'll make sure to call you when I arrive." And so, after exchanging one final farewell with the people of Xiangjiang, Ciel, alongside the Cyber Elves' twin Potentielle and Illimite sent a wave towards their direction, with the Ren and the townsfolk returning in kind as they watched the Blonde and her faeries companions slowly disappeared into the sea of Passengers that flooded inside the train in a hasty attempt to not missed their ride before closed the doors off as soon as the counter suspended on the ceiling of the station finished its countdown. The Bullet Train unleashed a resounding chime that echoed across the now empty station, signaling the departure of the vessel, which it immediately does without a second of delay, marching along the railway towards its next destination; The Capital of the Azure Dragon County, Qinglong, the City where the Sapphire Palace of its Ruler resided.
As this was happening, in another location…
"Annnnd…Another hour has gone by…"
There are two things in life that Maomao, Member of the Illustrious Azure Dragon Court, Esteemed Cyber Faeries Programmer of the Nation, and one of the finest apothecaries in the country that could possibly bring a genuine smile to her perpetually frowning, freckled visage when nothing else could; The company of the small Artificial Life Form that her role entails, whose pure innocence and unfailingly earnest nature, while can make them a little difficult at times, as well as one of her main source of frustration in her daily routine with their impressionable personality in the others, is an pleasant change from the plastic smile and false sense of responsibility she was so used of seeing every single day on the faces of the members of the court and incompetent Assistants that stepped into her chamber and make her job harder than ease the weight of the burden placed squarely on her shoulder as the only Programmer in the Court.
The other things that could inspire the emotions of joy in her were Medication and, to the horror of most folks who know her, Poisons, the rarer, the deadlier, the better. Ever since she was young, Maomao was never one that is interested in things that a girl her age would typically enjoy, it might have something to do with her upbringing, growing up under the care of a famous Pharmacist, but she has always been fascinated by herbs and the substances created from them. The idea of a usually ordinary plant life that could hold such potential to both heal and harm when undergoing specific processes to draw out the innate properties hidden within them, turning these normally unremarkable flora into something that worth actual gold in value, or a powerful toxin that can claim the life of even the strongest Megaman. It was utterly intriguing and coupled that with childhood curiosity, that led to her performing a variety of makeshift experiments with anything she could get her hands on, which she would frequently test on herself to get a better grasp of their effect, leading to her being labeled as a 'Mad Scientist' by the neighboring kids and subsequently never have much friends in her youth all the way to adulthood.
Not that she minded about it all that much, because if she was being honest, she much preferred the companionship the Cyber Faeries offered her over anything a normal Human would give. Such a miniature life form that embodied vast possibilities, not all that dissimilar to herbs from which medicine is derived, it was the main reason why she decided to pursue the path of a Cyber Faeries Programmer, an occupation that required skills, patience, and devotion, something that she has no lacks of, and it all paid off, as when she graduated as the top of her class, she gains the distinct honor of being personally appointed by Emperor Ruogang as his Primary Cyber Faeries Constructor of his court, where she have stayed ever since. It was quite a shame that all the other Programmers he has ever employed turned out to be utterly useless.
So what if she has a high standard for what a Programmer should be? It's not her fault that all of her previous assistants lacked the dedication necessary for their position, all she did was point out their faults in the hope that they would improve, only for them to call it quits when they could not handle a single criticism. Oh, Sure Jinshi, the only other official in the court that she could at least tolerate the presence of, has told her that she sounds, as he put it so politely, insufferable when she did so, to that, she says 'screw them', one of the two things she hated the most was the fact that people being so inept yet unable to heeds any advice to improve, blaming others for their shortcomings.
The second was getting roped into doing something that is outside of her usual line of work, which is exactly what she was unfortunately forced to do as a direct decree from her Emperor, Ruogang, who tasked her with going to the City's Train station in order to retrieve a Girl by the name of 'Xia', who he described as a highly talented Cyber Faeries Programmer who is in the company of two that she supposedly created herself and a Foreigner in Origin, which he has asked her to keep it a secret, lest the information leak to the rest of the Palace. Now she couldn't care less about the fact that she is someone from another Plane of Existence, Unlike most people, she knows that not all Foreigners is associated with the Invaders from a few months ago, and she definitely knows that His Majesty Ruogang is aware of that himself, with him having reopened the border the day he returned from his trip to the white Tiger County and get rid of the people that were responsible for it in the first place. But what piqued her attention the most was that she had two Faeries, both of whom she claimed to have created herself, and those two confirmed it themselves.
Now that is something else, how many people can claim they have developed a Cyber Faeries on their own, much less two that do not qualify in any known Cyber Faeries Category? Not a lot that's for sure, and the most interesting part of it all, was that the Emperor had personally chosen this girl to be her, Maomao's newest assistant when he made a detour around Xiangjiang, just like he had to her all those years ago, which meant this girl, whoever she was, had managed to impressed him enough that she has personally managed to earn the favor from one of the most powerful Men in the Nation.
So while she was a little upset that she had to go through the trouble of traveling through the packed street in order to reach the train station, it was somewhat tempered by the prospect of finally getting a reliable assistant at long last. It would make her life so much easier with such a person by her side. So there she was, sitting at one of the many benches at the elevated stations, bored out of her mind while counting the timer on the roof to see when the train would be arriving. An hour from now according to it, She could wait until then, but her stomach, with a low growl, would not put up with it.
"…I could really go for some skewers right now…" Maybe this girl would not mind if Maomao go out for some Chuan'r, She did pass through a cart offering some on her way here, which looked quite pleasing to the eyes, besides, it would be an entire hour until the Train arrived, more than enough time for her to go get something to eat. She cannot skip breakfast, after all, the most important meal of the day and all that.
With Ciel…
[…And in further news, After months of inactivity, His Imperial Majesty, Qin Ruogang of the Azure Dragon County has come with the announcement to reopen the Border of his frontier, reestablishing the checkpoints since the initial lockdown. 'It is a risky move, I will admit, considering the tension in our beloved country, but the only way for us to overcome this hardship is to face it heads on, by moving on from the past and shed our hatred, for our great nation is not built on the foundation of hatred.' Came an open statement from His Majesty regarding the decision to abolish the Isolation Act of 208 at the beginning of a new chapter in our history, to no small amount of controversy. While most endorsed the annulment, there are those that argued against it, with the majority of the complaints coming from the now former Members of the Azure Dragon Court.]
For the past hours or so on the relatively smooth train ride, which Ciel found to be surprisingly soothing that, when coupled with the soft cushion of the comfortable seat she found herself sitting upon, has knocked her out like the light at first when the ride begins, her now rejuvenated eyes after waking up from a much-needed nap has been glued to the television screen suspended on the top of the roof, taking in the information that the news reports are showing to the passengers with interest, including herself, even more so when it is in regards to the Place she was going to soon. From what she has managed to gather since the Blonde has risen from her brief slumber, it would appear that the Emperor has finally discussed about the reopening of the Azure Dragon County's Border that had happened yesterday at the end of the Red Moon Festival. Many a person, especially for the Ren, who threw a celebration when the development came to the Channel of their household, knowing that they were now able to access the Region without suffering from any legal repercussions from doing so.
It came as a piece of reassuring news for Ning, who was worried about the Family's finances which were slowly depleting as a result of the Border being shut down, causing him to lose access to rarer Imaginary Phantasms that dwelled in that specific part of the country, which funds most of the economy of the isolated town. However, now that the Decree that sealed off the Region has been terminated, leading to the Border being accessible to common folks, they have been able to narrowly avoid a crisis before it has the chance to spread its roots. As for Ciel, she too was happy to hear about the reopening, not for herself, since the documents granted to her by Ruogang would allow her to enter the County regardless of whether or not the Border was open, but rather, that joy was for the Ren. The Blonde could not help but feel guilty for contributing to drying up the limited finances of the household during their tough time throughout her stay there, Worst of all, they kept telling her to not mind it, only further strengthening the guilt in her heart. Now though, with both her gone and the Border open, it felt as though a good deal of weight had been lifted from her chest, allowing her to focus more clearly, and she used this newfound concentration towards watching the interface.
[In response to the statement made by the Azure Emperor, Empress Mei Feng, who has been silent in the matter up until now, has shown to openly support the decision of the Man, likely the result of the peace discussion that took a month prior. 'Qin and I have had talks about this for a long while, and both of us agree that a healthy relationship between all County is necessary for our nation to prosper.' Said the White Empress in her rare appearance in public, while the President of the Black Tortoise continued to maintain his neutral stance on the matter, distributing supplies to all three Counties to strengthen their relation as a neutral trader. On the contrary, the Vermillion Emperor Jun Aiguo has yet to make a response regarding the re-establishment of the Border of his neighboring County, sparking various debates both online and on the streets regarding the current state of affairs in the Vermillion Bird County. Interviews with him have been put on hold until further notice.]
From what she has learned about the Vermillion Emperor, Formerly Prince, Jun Aiguo, was that he is the Red Megaman of China, who led a mighty army that drove back the foreign invaders when they attempted to lay siege on the Nation, crushing their attempt at conquering the nation in one fell swoop. His overwhelming victory was what led to his Predecessor to appoint him as the next one to inherit the Crimson Throne, a decision that is authorized by Kyra Zeranaki, Head of the Red Clan that the Vermillion Court answers to, with the reasonings being that Aiguo has the potential to be a great Ruler after not only successfully lead the charge against the Enemy Force, but even personally slew the Commander of the opposing Army.
However, due to him being a Prince and a General for such a long time, he has grown content with his role as a Military Leader, as such, the Man never expected himself to be appointed for such a position and subsequently lacked the experiences needed to lead his Region, as he is more proficient in combat and than he was at politics, leaving most of the governing Duty to his Court, who Lanfen has described as 'Incompetence Incarnate', and that the decision of entrusting them to maintain order in the County is going to cost Aiguo everything if he does not step up and take the reign personally like the Previous Vermillion Emperor did, having advised the current one to do so as much as Lanfen has the last time she met the Red Megaman of China.
Upon learning about it and hearing more regarding the current circumstances on the television, Ciel feels a little concerned, Sure, you can argue that it might have something to do with the fact that Aiguo is a Member of the Zeranaki, the Megamen Clan whose Biometal is Model Z, so it is entirely possible that she was being biased, but that is neither here nor there, what's important is that the indecision from the Vermillion Emperor needed to be rectified as soon as possible if she wanted to restore the relationship of the County with the rest of the Nation, so she added that to her mental note. If she builds enough influence, then she should be able to get ahold of Aiguo and hopefully convince him to take his position more seriously. She is still not confident about the persuasion part of the plan, since she doesn't exactly have a silver tongue, but at least she now has a general roadmap to know what is her next steps should be.
-[Attention all Passengers, we will be arriving to the City of Qinglong in an estimated One Hour from now.]-
Hmm, an entire hour huh? There is still plenty of time left then…Maybe she should go back to sleep then, She did abruptly wake up at the sounds of the Television after all, one more hour of rest shouldn't hurt, she is going to need as much energy as she could when she do arrived to the capital. With that decided, Ciel rested her head against the cushion behind her, letting the sleep to take hold of her, which came far more easier with such a pleasant environment, making her care naught but the comforts here, even towards the outside of the train, where beyond from what the eyes could see, was a group of purple-colored droid mobilizing atop of the mountain in the distance, overlooking the bridge that held the train tracks together.
Upon the Hill, far away from the railway…
Calvert was not a Happy Man.
Really, how can he be when he is stuck with these barely functioning Galleons as his sole company? Couldn't Master Thomas, with his vast resources, at least assigned someone, anyone at all to watch his back other than the Mechaniloids who doesn't have much in the way of conversation beyond reminding him what his Duty is, which is to, as they constantly repeating themselves, destroying the bridge and caused the incoming Train to plummet straight down to the chasm below, endangered countless lives on that vehicle in order to fueled the flame of conflict between them, who they have branded as the 'Foreign Invaders' and the People in this Country, the Nation of China in this different world they manages to stumbled upon after the expedition that the Guardian, an Organization Independent from the Legion was reported near the remains of the Ouroboros, an massive Machine of some kind, Calvert was not sure what that snake looking thing was himself, where is some kind of distortion was discovered that is connected to this place that, through the knowledge that the recon squad has manages to obtained before they were captured by the law enforcer of this world, were vastly different from their own.
Apparently, this world holds some kind of secret, What kind of secret? He was not sure himself, Master Thomas does not elaborate on that front. Still, it has something to do with this world's seemingly endless resources that granted their Power that has allowed them to last for over eighteen billion years, the number of which Calvert still has a hard time believing a civilization could have lasted that long, which was enough to motivate the Sage on trying to conquer this Plane of existence, throwing together the largest Army the world has ever seen since the Maverick War comprised of Countless Galleons, Mercenaries, and even his Four Megamen he has at his disposal that he appointed to lead the Army to ensure they will be able to accomplish their goal, launching their attack to two countries of this world, with the Army lead by the Megamen goes to a place known as Greece, and another one to this one, China while sending some agents to infiltrate the governments. The result was a complete and total massacre…On their side, that is. Even with that many Soldiers, even with that many resources, even with having four different Megamen as part of their Army, they were swiftly, systematically and brutally wiped out within a single day by the respective forces of these two Countries, and the spy was caught in no time.
In the report he received from the Greece Expedition, nearly 2/3 of their Battalion, comprised of millions of different airships that housed thousands of Galleons, was instantly eliminated by a torrent of concentrated Energy fired from the sky the second they emerged through the gateway, severely crippled their Numbers from the get go and forcing the rest to go into hiding across various island in the Atlantic sea, while the four Megamen went Missing In Action afterward, striking a massive blow to the Troops' Morale. Just when he thought it could not get any worse from there, Calvert was proven wrong. The Army he was assigned to, with numbers reaching over Millions of Soldiers had to contend with 500 Soldiers of the enemy.
With such a massive gap in between them and the enemy, surely victory was theirs, right? Ahahaha! Wrong. While it's true that the enemy's Squadron only has up to roughly 500 in terms of soldiers, those numbers mean nothing when all of them were Megamen. Every. Single. Last one of them. It turned how exactly one would expected. A total Slaughter, where Calvert saw his comrades being ruthlessly butchered by the enemy's force, who shredded through them like they were merely paper, before the Red Megaman that led this Monster of an Army decapitated their Commander with one swift swing from his Jade saber, raising his severed mechanical head for all to see as the battle concluded in less than an hour, with the majority of their force being reduced to mangled scraps and mutilated bodies, while the enemy suffered literally no casualties. The victor of that 'battle', if one could even call it that, was clear.
He and a few others were lucky to be able to escape with their head still on their shoulder from that carnage, with the enemy never going after them, must have been thinking they were not worth the effort. For once, he was glad his life was spared because of that, even though it was humiliating to recall that moment when he was screaming and crying his lungs and eyes out, desperately running away from the Red Devil and the Army of Demons that had slaughtered everyone like they were cattle. However, his luck did not last, as even when he tried to go home, he could not, The distortion was beyond his reach at the current moment, blocked by multiple patrols that would no doubt eliminate him if he so much as approached them, seemingly able to tell that he is a Foreigner, like last time when he tries to enter a city, only to be driven out by the locals, and Master Thomas refused to let any survivors go back until they succeed in their mission somehow, through some ways, which required a miracle to accomplish. Not to mention, he was sure that Thomas knew they would not succeed in an all-out assault in the first place. The Damn bastard.
So now, the remaining enclave of the Army that was sent to China continued their hopeless campaign against the Nation in the shadow, resorting to underhanded tactics such as assassination, sabotage, and sacking towns for supplies, no different from the Raiders. And just like the Raiders, none of their plan ever come to fruition, being thwarted every single time by the Megamen Clan, at this rate, they will soon be wiped out down the line. That's why Calvert could not afford to fail this mission to destroy the bridge, where the train, which housed an important official on the train, if he is able to kill her, then it would no doubt enraged the Azure Emperor, allowing the Spies in the Court to take the window of the opportunity and steals intelligence from the Grand Archive. With that in hand, surely Thomas would be pleased enough to send someone to rescue them. He Must. Calvert will go home by any means necessary.
There it is, the Train, speeding blindly forward like a bullet towards its target that is the capital city of Qinglong, a target that they shall not reach, for he will destroy its trajectory with a press of a button of a remote will detonate the explosives he has been painstakingly strapped into the bridge's supports for days now, putting up with the constant reminder from the Galleons assigned to him, all for this moment, with this, they can all go home. That's right…move closer…Just that spot…Annnnd…Now! Once the Vehicle aligned with the rigged column, the switch was immediately pressed, sending the signal to the explosives, which combust…Just not in the place Calvert last expected it would.
For it was not the column that got blown up sky high, as the explosion occurred closer to him, specifically, around where the Galleons were standing, sending their smoldering fragments everywhere, "What the-?!" Calvert could not finish his words as he saw the blast of flame engulf each and every one of the Mechaniloids, reducing them into bits and pieces, until all that was left were burned-out grass and cinders in the place of what was once the Galleons, sizzling silently as the Man, who was rendered completely speechless at the sight of the burning remains of the makeshift base. How did this happen?! He was sure there were no explosives planted here?! Not to mention, how is the Column still standing?! It should have been it to went off! Unless…The bombs were somehow removed from their spot and snuck into here? But how?! Who did this?!
His array of questions in his mind was eventually answered by the sound of the now burned grass being crushed beneath the foot of a resounding step, taken by an individual with a stream of ebony flowing down from his head, reaching his waist, where their rest a belt full of odd trinkets strapped onto it, his glaring eyes of deadly Amber pierced straight into the heart of Calvert, whose instinct is screaming at him to get away from this…This Thing for its presence cannot be described as Human. It may appear the part, but his guts know that it couldn't be a Person, merely a monster wearing a mantle, like a wolf wearing sheep's clothing, "I got to admit, your plan may be simple, but it would have been effective have you had enough explosives to denote the entire bridge, unfortunately for you, however, not only will you fail even if I had not interfere, but you have earn the ire of my Master, who is not one bit pleased about your goal of assassinating Her." The Humanoid Being sneered, brushing its hair with its right hand, which Calvert noticed only had four fingers, lacking the Thumb, but that was not as important as what this thing just said.
"Y-You…How do you know?! Who are you?! Who is your Master?!" There is a possible explanation to that, and one he is found to be the most likely, This 'Man', whoever he possibly be, is a member of the Megamen Clan, he has to be, how else would he know about his Plan, about his target? Chances are, he is someone that was sent to protect that Girl the Azure Emperor has favored, there is no possible explanation for that. However, none of them was the case, for the 'Man' standing before him is a Nobody to the Masses of China, for he knows no one here, and neither does anyone know of him in this World. The Azure Emperor does not know he even exists, as neither does anyone in the Megaman Clan as the Foreigner has assumed. He is a Stranger to this world as much as Calvert was to it.
"Well, as per the tradition of Neo Arcadia, we are supposed to do that before we do battle. I am Taisui Xingjun. The Martial Megaman, Chosen one of My Master, The Right Thumbs of the Master's Velvet's Hands." The now names Taisui Xingjun declared, pride clear in his voice, aiming not toward him in particular, but rather whenever he mentioned his Master, it was with a tone akin to worship and admiration, as though he is revering a God, and indeed, to Taisui Xingjun, his Master was very much one, for he was the one that granted him everything he ever wanted in exchange for eternal servitude both in life and in death thereafter, which the Humanoid Being accepted without hesitation, just like his fellow 'Velvets Hands', pledging themselves to their singular lord and savior, who brought them salvation when no one else does, becoming in his willing peons, his servants, his Hands, "As his Hands in the World, I shall smite you down for the crime of endangering his person of interest. Rejoice, for you your life shall be claimed by me." His dreaded announcement was accompanied by a flash of light, manifesting around Taisui Xingjun's musclebound frame, with the data of light condensed into the form of a dazzling armor with ornamental patterns that clasped around his body, doing little to obstruct his heavy build.
Eventually, the light faded, unveiling the true form of Taisui Xingjun, a pair of bulky gauntlets in the shape of the fearsome jaw, reminiscing to that of an oriental Dragon, strapped onto his equally robust arms connected to his bare chest, where there lay the tattoos of various beasts imprinted on the otherwise pristine Skin. The face of the Martial Megaman now reflected what he truly is, for the mask, no…His true face was that of a metallic snarling Drake, eager to reduce the bones of its prey into a fine powder, seeing his broken form lying in a pool of blood. The Megaman began to approach its target, his Dragon gauntlets glimmered with an ethereal glow, almost supernaturally so.
"No…I will go home…I won't let you stop me from going home! M.E.G.A-MOPRH!" Before the Mercenaries were employed by Master Thomas, he had them all going through some kind of experimentation, implanting various auxiliary parts into their body, which he has told them would grant them immense power should they yell one a certain voice activation code, which he has ordered them to only use in the event that they exhausted everything and have no means of protecting themselves. Now, refusing to be at the mercy of this so-called Megaman, just like he and his comrades were during that disastrous battle where their Commander perished so they may escape, Calvert decided to use his last ace up his sleeves.
Which he soon comes to regret, for Master Thomas neglected to mentions about the cost. But by then, it was already too late for him when he uttered those words.
As his voice became inhumane, so did his body, with it breaking down into pieces, to the immense agony of Calvert, who saw his body literally shut down before his very eyes that soon failed him, as his vision was overtaken by absolute darkness that engulfed him, all the while his body continued to disassemble itself, causing him great pain and suffering, repeating the process over and over again until his voice and body no longer resembled something a Person, Which by then, the body began to piece together, into a different shape than before, resembling that of a Humanoid abomination, with its bend legs, unnaturally disproportionate arms, and torso that exposed the circuitry within, with its head embedded into the center of its chest, which now resembled that a bull, if the bull has six horns with two of said horns sticking of the sockets. "HOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A true Monster in every sense of the word, both in appearance, and now in Mind.
"What a fearsome war cry." Came a less-than-amused snort from Taisui Xingjun as he leaped back, creating a distance between himself and the biomechanical monstrosity. To say that the Martial Megaman was disgusted would not be enough to convey the emotions he felt upon seeing this thing, you can hardly even tell that it was once a normal man at first glance, there is not even a single trace of Humanity in that Abomination any longer, "Interesting, so that lion bastard really did manage to replicate the effect of the Mega System in his pseudo-Biometal implants." His Master has informed him of this prior to sending him from the Boundary here to protect that girl, about the secret Project that the mastermind behind the invasion, one Thomas of the Sage Trinity has been developing behind the scenes in an effort to create the ultimate weapon that can rival the Pseudodroid in capabilities. While that is certainly an advancement of science and technology for the people of that world, and explained the level of destruction these foreigners managed to inflict during their assault on China…There is a reason why they could not succeed in their conquest, "Come, I'll show you why you failed despite having all of this power."
The Monster that was once Calvert let out yet another inhume roar, its eyeless, twisted face locked onto its Foe, rushing forward with its arms outstretched, intended to grab hold of the martial Megaman and tear him from limbs to limbs, which he was not foolish enough to just stand there and allowed it to do that, effortlessly step to the side and dodge the swipe, rewarding the Monster with a strike from his plated foot to the abdomen for its trouble, an attack that crushed several internal circuitries of the hulking Monstrosity. Staggering the creatures, Taisui Xingjun took advantage of the opportunity and delivered three consecutive blows on Calvert's distorted visage with his energy-infused palm, shattering all of its horns with relative ease, to the continued agony of the mutated Monster.
Going for The Martial Megaman again, it managed to succeed this time, but before it could do anything further, its target erupted with light, which engulfed the entire arms of Calvert, incinerated it into a pile of dust, enabling Taisui Xingjun to escape from its grasp and inflicted a direct hit into his chest, punching a hole through it. The pain of losing an arm and having a hole ripped through its body was too much for the Mutated Calvert, causing its instinct to guide it to safety, attempting to beat a hasty retreat. It would appear that even with the loss of its sanity, it still retains some basic knowledge and recognizes who is the prey and predator in this situation, and what to do about it. The only course of action it could take right now was to withdraw into safety, but its relentless predator would not let it get away, not when it already set its sights on it.
"Chakra: Manipura!" At his vocal command, his armor was wreathed in a golden ray of light flowing from his abdomen, coursing across the surface of his plating, before directing into his dragon Gauntlets, which let out a roar as they felt the power being infused into their being. Leveling his hands toward the retreating form of Calvert, locking on it, before an explosion was unleashed that ripped through the air with its resounding burst, and a golden drake made from pure concentrated energy emerged from the cloud of smoke from the discharge, roaring as its jaw was brought down onto the Monstrosity, and slammed shut. Its burning fangs dug into the flesh, boiling the blood of its prey that was being set ablaze, muffling its cry of anguish. While it was busy trying to pry off the maw of the Flame Dragon, the Martial Megaman had already closed the distance between him and Calvert, who was too distracted by the pain and the Drake to notice the approaching form of its true target, who in that moment, unleash a fatal blow on the Monstrosity in the form of a Punch that pierced through its flash and shattered its skull into numerous tiny fragments.
And it was done in less than a minute.
There was a period of silence that descended onto the hill in that moment, lasting for the longest second for Taisui Xingjun, before the light began to shine through the cracks that Calvert sustained, signaling the Martial Megaman to extract his arms out and back away, before an explosion engulfed the form of the Monster that was once a Man, unleashing a flash of blinding light that overtook the forest. With that, the Monstrosity was out of its misery, and Calvert could go home at least, to his family in the afterlife, waiting for him. When the light subsided, there was not a single trace of the remains of the creature was left, it was completely and utterly annihilated in the Blast, no doubt as a contingency designed by that Sage Scum to prevent anyone from discovering the true nature of his Biometal Implants.
"Mission Complete." With an announcement of a job well done, Taisui Xingjun dismissed his Armor, returning back to his Human form, then walking toward the top of the hill, where he took the time to sit down on the peak and took out his gourd, filled to the brim with Liquor, taking a deep sip as he watches the train passed through the bridge.
"Kaaaahahahaha! Baijiu after a battle is the best!" The Martial Megaman exhaled in delight, feeling quite pleased with himself for his success with his mission to eliminate more of the Foreign Force. Other than his Martial Art, the other thing that Taisui Xingjun is quite proud of is his ability to brew the finest Baijiu amongst the Velvet's Hands Members, not that they ever try, the fermentation process is quite a hassle, and he is the only one that actually drinks it, but still, it is an achievement he took a great deal of pride in, "Oh right, got to report back." Shoot, he nearly forgot about it, better inform his Master of his success before he gets himself absolutely plastered, for all of the power granted to him by his Master, alcohol resistance is not one of them. Reaching out for a communicator attached on his belt, he pressed the single button on it before pressing it against his earplate "Master Velvet, I've done it. The person of Interest's safety is secured."
[…Excellent work, Taisui.] Came forth the pleased voice of his Master from the other line on the phone that seeped through the constant bombardment of sounds on the other side. If Taisui Xingjun has to guess what that source is, it's likely just the hubbub of civilians going about their day that is mixed with the sounds of cars running on the busy street. His Master does have a habit of blending in with Mortals after all. He supposed it was just his way of taking a break from maintaining countless Sphere that made up existence as a whole, not that he blamed his Master for it, considering the recent development that has inflicted a wound in reality when that collection of model Ws imploded all at once, having a moment of respite from trying to fix it is certainly warranted, [How is the situation in Greece by the way? Has Tlaloc and Vulcan reported back?]
"Vulcan is assisting the other group of interest you have mentioned earlier, while Tlaloc is protecting those four as we speak." Or so he had heard through Morgan, the Mage Megaman and the Left Thumb of their Master, who usually act as the go-between for each Member of the Velvet's Hand when an ordinary communicator would not cut it. The situation in Greece is not any better than here in China, with Atlantis currently in disarray, trying to track down and root out the remnants of the Foreign Invader from countless islands scattered there, "Forgive me for my impudence my Lord, but why do you have Tlaloc keep them around? The Guardian Group I could understand, since they are not really associated with Thomas' Force, but those four Megaman definitely were, so why? It would just make us the enemy of Neo Arcadia if that is the case, and I'm not confident that I could take on any of the Megaman Clan on my own."
[Fair question. I do not want to risk waging war with them either, not yet at least, The time is not right yet, but those four are important to me, and above all, they are merely victims of circumstances, That is all I'm going to say.]
"…I understand, my Lord. I'll report back to you when the person of interest reaches Qinglong." With nothing else to say, Taisui severed the connection on the communicator, and stored it away, before going back to drinking from his Gourd. Victims of Circumstances huh? Then they must be similar to their version of this world before the Divergence occurred. Well, it's not for him to dwell on it, all his role entailed here in China to watch over the girl that his Master practically worshiped and make sure she succeeded in the Mission his Master had given her, no more, no less, "Time to go." With the last swing of his Baijiu, the Martial Megaman began to descend from the mountainside, a feat he somehow was able to accomplish with next to no difficulty despite being currently intoxicated, "Chakra: Vishuddha."
Back to Ciel…
-[Attention all Passengers, We have arrived in Qinglong, the Capital City of the Azure Dragon County, Please make sure you have all of your luggage before departing. Next destination: Bai Laohu, Capital City of the White Tiger County.]-
Long awakened from her hour-long power nap, Ciel shot up from her seat, full of energy, all up and ready to go, a sentiment shared by her Cyber Elves who thanks to their small stature, were able to navigate through the crowd and passed through the small opening of the entry with relative ease, leaving behind their creator, who has to push through the sea of people to do the same, much to her frustration of being sandwiched between countless people who are trying to reach for the exit themselves. She should have waited until the car became nearly empty before trying to walk out, but there is no turning back now, not when she is stuck both ways. So enduring through her cramped position, the Blonde did manage to eventually escape the social trap and stepped out to the train station, where she stepped aside for new Passenger to get in on the vehicle themselves, all the while ignoring the giggling sounds of her Miniature Companion were making.
Once the train continued on with its journey to the next capital city on the map, everyone at the elevated station began to move for the stairs to their destination below, which is what Ciel really wanted to do, but after that uncomfortable experience on the train, it might be for the best to wait out until the path is clear for her to proceed to avoid committing the same mistake. "All right, let's go, Potentielle, Illimite-" When the path finally opened up, Ciel was just about to check up on her Cyber Elves to make sure they were with her before they moved on, which, unfortunately, was not the case at all, as the two Artificial Life forms were nowhere to be seen! Oh no, she has been fearing about such a possibility for a while now. Those two must have gotten bored waiting for her that they had gone ahead when she was not paying attention!
"Shoot!" This is quite literally the worst possible place for those two to act like an impatient children, with the vast labyrinth of stone and concrete that is the capital city, which will no doubt be crawling with people if the number of people pushing through the train prior was anything to go by, tracking down those problematic Cyber Elves would not be an easy task, especially with their small size that made it difficult to pin point them. "Potentielle! Illimite! Where are you?!" The Blonde tried to call for her miniature companions, like a worried mother looking for her lost children, heedless to the countless gazes directed at her, wondering what the commotions were all about as Ciel rushed toward the entrance, where she assumed the Cyber Elves has gone to, taking the first step into the City of Qinglong.
Which she was completely unprepared for the splendor of it.
As if serving as a stark contrast to the peaceful Town of Xiangjiang, The City of Qinglong was a bustling place, befitting its status as the Capital of the Azure Dragon County, the most prosperous Frontier compared to its compatriots, where there are at least ten different people in every square inch, and twice the amount of merchants dotting those space alongside countless towering building that truly looks like they are scraping the sky, reaching to an unprecedented height that is comparable to the Yggdrasil of the Ancient first Neo Arcadia City, demonstrating the sheer wealth of this metropolis she found herself in, just like the folks that walk down the massive street, wearing luxurious, almost ostentatious robes and garbs similar to the kind the Azure Emperor favored that even Ciel could recognize the quality of, and she was never one for fashion.
Suffice it to say, it was utterly overwhelming for the blonde, barely stepping a foot into the street and she already found herself being bombarded with the extravagance of this place. The architecture, the Atmosphere, and the People, all of which were vastly different from the environment of Xiangjiang that she has gotten used to over the month since she was sent to this world. She felt like she was a country bumpkin that has arrived in a more developed area for the first time in her life, and in a sense, it was the case, not even Neo Arcadia from her memories could compare to this place. Ciel has expected it to be large, as expected from the capital and all, but she has vastly underestimated the sheer size of a single street compared to the entirety of the humble town she has been residing in up until now, and this fact made her situation even worse than before, with how large this city is, she has a better chance at finding the Palace than locating her two Cyber Elves. What to do, What to do…Wait, if she remembers correctly, Cyber Elves are a rare sight in a populated area, and this place is positively crowded with people, Surely at least one person would have spotted Potentielle and Illimite, two glowing balls of lights passing through here, it hard to miss something like that.
"Here goes nothing…" Mentally preparing herself, Ciel began to approach the open street, glancing around her surroundings, and questioned the nearby pedestrians whether or not they had seen two Cyber Elves in the area while they were going about their business. Some politely express their regrets that they have not. Others offered her their sympathy and wished her luck. With few actually did spot the Faeries that matched Ciel's description, directing her to the last place they saw them, leading her on an endless pursuit of her Elusive Artificial Life Forms. So far, not much progress was made on that end, even with the assistance from the helpful locals here, but she refused to give up now, as without her, who knows what sorts of trouble those two would gotten into when she was away. And so she continued to approach random people, asking them a few questions, hoping they give her some pointers, before continuing onward.
Although the next person that she planned to approach seemed to do it first, "Excuse me, but I've heard that you are the Zeranaki Member that is looking for two Cyber Faeries, is that right?" came a question that should be her asking, his Amber eyes focused on her as he awaited for a response from a surprised Ciel. It would seem that her questioning of various people has gotten around through the grapevine, of a Blonde-haired girl that looked like she belonged in the Red Megaman Clan searching for the two Cyber Faeries that she presumably owned. That sort of topic tend to spread, she mused, but that is neither here nor there, What is important was that this black-haired Man seemed to know where Potentielle and Illimite is. So the answer she gave him was a vigorous nod, too mentally exhausted to give him a proper answer as well as correcting him about his assumption that she was a Clan Member, but he didn't seem to mind all that much, "Well I saw two Glowing Faeries of Gold and White color just now, at that Chuan'r cart over there, maybe they were attracted by the smell. Perhaps those are your Cyber Faeries."
Gold and White? Then that is Potentielle and Illimite! "They are! Thank you, sir!" She offered a bow of gratitude, finally having a lead on her two Miniature Companion. If she remembers correctly, Chuan'r is a roasted meat dish on a skewer, usually cooked over a charcoal grill for that distinct flavor. Now that she thinks about it, that does make some sense why her Cyber Elves, or more specifically Potentielle, would be attracted to the smell of the dish, They seem to enjoy it during the Red Moon Festival, so they likely would want to eat them again now that there is an cart selling them. She just hoped that they hadn't tried to eat before she paid for them. They would get some into some serious trouble either way once she caught up to them.
"Please, just call me Taisui. Good luck on finding those Faeries." With that, the Man named Taisui turned around and walked into the sea of people, disappearing into them while Ciel headed toward the direction that he had kindly provided to her, going as fast as her legs could carry her.
A Few Minutes Earlier…
Taking a large bite of her third skewer of the day, Maomao hummed in delight as she felt the juice secreted from the meat when she embedded her teeth between them, releasing the energy crystal-infused broth onto her tongue. The distinct charcoal burnt flavor of the Chuan'r was as satisfying as always, Enough to bring a smile to her face as she sat upon the stone right next to the food cart she had purchased these skewers from, blissfully oblivious to how much time had passed since she has came here as she moved onto her fourth portion. Call her a glutton if you will, but she just couldn't help herself from buying these in mass, They always got sold out by the time she reached the cart any every other Occasion, so she is not going to take chances this one, and decided to acquired at ten of them, with five to eat on the spot while the rest that she planned to bring back to the Palace.
…
…Speaking of the Palace, wasn't there something she was supposed to do? Something about Cyber Faeries?…Oh right! She was supposed to go pick up that Foreigner Girl! Checking on the built clock system in her cybernetic implants, she saw that it was well past noon! Damn it! For her to be this tardy! Curse you Chuan'r skewers! You and your savory, delicious, filling grilled meat on a stick! Quickly finishing the fourth and the final skewers on her hand, The Petite Girl shot up from her seat and planned to rush toward the station, but before she could do that, two speeding bullets of Golden and White smack dab in the middle of her forehead, causing to stumble backward at the force of these mysterious collisions, "Oof!" Was the only thing she managed to utter out as she nearly fell onto her rear, but quickly regained her footing before it could happen, all the while nursing the sore spot on her visage, "What was that?!"
"…Oh, Hello little one." Looking for the source of the impact, Maomao's flame of anger was immediately extinguished when her eyes rested upon the form of what appeared to be Cyber Faeries, but in the color she had never seen before, gleaming golden and quartz white, making up their wings and the brilliance that radiating from them. They were unlike anything the Cyber Faeries Programmer had ever seen, only the Mother Faeries, of whom she had managed to laid eyes upon during her youth as the Matron of the Fae continued her endless pilgrimage across the globe could possess these colors. Yet here before her, was two unfamiliar Life forms of such tone that resembled the Cyber Faeries, even with the attitude of one judging from the innocent and curious expression on their tiny faces, glancing at her with utter fascination, just like how most faeries would be around her, something her father has described as an innate connection to the Fae when she was blessed by the Mother Faeries after managed to catch a glimpse of her while she is on a journey.
Hmm, hold on, two Cyber Faeries, of gold and white coloration, both of whom do not seem to belong in any categories? Could this be…The Faeries companion of Xia? Then that girl must be close by! Perfect! Then that means she would not have to go through the hassle of traveling all the way to the train station to pick up this girl! However her inner celebration comes to an abrupt end when the golden Faeries begin to shift toward the metal container where the Chuan'r she has acquired is resting inside, seemingly knowing what is inside going by its sense of yearning on is feature, "Hmm? Did you want some? Alright, I guessed I could spare one." As much as it pained her, since she planning to share them with her own faeries back in the Palace, she could not find it in herself to deny the unspoken request of the Artificial life form, so with a sigh of defeat, Maomao began to retrieved one of the skewers and hold it out in front of the gold Faeries, much to its delight as it began to nibble the snack, while the white faeries seem to trying, and failing, to scolds its sibling. In all honesty, it was sort of amusing to watch the small Being pulling apart the piece of meat and stuffing it inside its cheeks like a squirrel. Maybe it was worth one skewer after all.
"Potentielle! Illimite! There you are!" A voice called out toward their direction, and Maomao saw a girl with vibrant Blonde hair, not at all dissimilar to the coloration of the Zeranaki Clan's Members, heading this way. When she got closer, it allowed Maomao to get a better look at this girl, whose cobalt eyes locked onto the two faeries, who froze on their spot as if they were caught red-handed, as a furious expression descended upon her visage. Huh, if she knows these cyber Elf, then this means… "You two are in so much trouble." The girl mumbled in what sounded like English to Maomao, causing the color to drain from the two Cyber Faeries' visage, before turning her attention to the petite woman, who was around the same height as her, Maomao internally noted, and offered a bow of apology, "I'm so sorry miss! These two just doesn't know when to sit still!" she could speak Chinese? Well, at least that means she could communicate with the Blonde without having to use a Universal-Lexicon then.
Quite polite, she observed, if overly so, judging from her excessive apologies over the assumption that the Cyber Faeries were bothering her, Maomao just hoped that this girl would not be a spineless doormat who apologized for everything she did and never think for herself, she had enough of those before in her line of work, "Aah, There no need for that, they did not bother me in the slightest." The petite woman just waved off the concern, and a small smile bloomed on her face, "You seem to be the Companion of these little ones here. Might I ask, is your name presumably Xia?" At the question, the girl perked up in recognition of the name. There it is, the confirmation she needed.
"Y-Yes, that's me, how do you know?" Was the Woman before in some way related to the Azure Emperor? Last she checked, her name was not exactly an open secret, with the closest thing to her being known was when Ruogang held an interview following his return from his travel across his country, mentioning that he had decided to appoint her as the latest member of his court, but did not disclose her name nor her status as a foreigner, likely as a way to protect her identity from the public, she could only assume that was the case, knowing how the people of this country feel about Foreigners, especially as of late, so the fact that the woman in front of her know of her, albeit false, name, then she must be part of the Azure Court.
Came a slight bow with folded hands, a gesture that Lanfen has told her to be a sign of respect, "My name is Maomao, a Cyber Faeries Programmer and an herbalist under the employment of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Qin Ruogang, who has tasked me with retrieving you and escort you back to the Palace." A brief and concise introduction to both herself, her occupation, and her intention, the basics of a Neo Arcadian traditional greeting, "If you please follow me, I can show you the way to the Palace entrance." Twisting the heel of her shoes, the newly christened Maomao began to walk toward a direction, making a point to glance back every now and again to make sure that the Blonde and the Cyber Faeries were following her, which they were, though not before Ciel scolded her miniature companions for going off on their own without her supervision, showing as much concern and she is angry at them. A responsible type of person then, definitely an aspect Maomao could approve of. Maybe this girl would not be too shabby for an assistant.
Following Maomao, Ciel tries to not stare too much, feeling that it would be rather rude to do so, but she does steal the occasional glance, unsure of how to feel about this Woman. If her memories have no fault, Maomao is the name of the Cyber Elves, or Faeries as they are known here, Programmer, whom the Azure Emperor has employed her specifically to be the assistant of on that day. In other words, this person right here would be her the one she will be working under for the foreseeable future in the Azure Court. Again, while Ciel is not sure how to feel about Maomao at the current moment, which is expected considering that they just met and thus know next to nothing about each other barring from the basics, considering that her Cyber Elves seem to be fond of her, in fact, they appeared to enjoy her presence that they continuously flying around the petite Woman, much to her amusement, and while Ciel would never admit it, a slight jealousy on her part. Maomao appeared to be of a decent character. She hoped that it would translate to their work relationship as well.
Back to reality, a few minutes walk was all they needed to reach the Palace, surrounded by an imposing Cerulean Blue wall that confined numerous buildings of majestic architecture that Ciel could see from here, as well as the tallest structure, the Palace itself from within in this wall separate from the outside by a stream of water, making it only accessible through the main drawbridge. According to the information Pages she had read as part of her research for her future employment here, the Palace is not just one large building, it is comprised of a multitude of Complex, divided into outer and inner sections. The outer district is where most workers and servants can be found, as the residential area is located within this part of the district, while the Inner district is reserved for high-ranking officials or any senior workers who get promoted into positions through years of hard work and dedication, with the innermost section housed the Palace, the Temple and the Private Garden, where the Emperor spends most of his time in.
If the information were to be believed, then as a result of her newfound position as a Cyber Faeries Programmer, a high-ranking worker class that is quite valued in the Hierarchy of the Place, Ciel would be residing in the inner section of the Palace ground, which will be served as her new home and work environment. The thought does make Ciel a tad bit nervous if she is being honest with herself. She, a girl whose only talent was science which just so happened to include cyber elves' creation, suddenly found herself standing in the same league as some of the most powerful Men and Women in China, The thought alone was enough to make her legs felt weak, but even still, her legs remain as steadfast as possible, she needed them to function properly if she was to follow Maomao, who guided her and her Miniature companions toward the singular entrance to the Inner Palace.
Doing so alerted the nearby imperial guard, clad in a dark blue uniform with the symbol of the dragon imprinted across its surface that signifies their status as the royal retainers of the Azure Dragon County, to their approaching presence. Initially intended to intercept them, it was ultimately never done when they recognized the petite Woman among the two, bringing forth a joyful expression on their features, "Ah! Lady Maomao, you've returned!" He greeted the Cyber Faeries programmer with the same gesture of respect Ciel has seen Maomao doing, "If you are here, then I assumed that is…" Shifting his focus to her company, the Guard makes a slight gesture toward Ciel. Since the entire Palace was informed of the new addition to the Azure Court, as well as the duty Maomao was entrusted with when she left the Palace for, something that is quite rare in of itself, he could only assume this here is the person of interest his Emperor has spoke of.
"You would be correct." His assumption was confirmed with a firm nod from the Petite Woman, beckoning Ciel to stop taking cover behind her, not that it would do her any good considering that Maomao is not the tallest person out there and stepped forward, which she did after a brief moment of hesitation, trying not to flinch under the gazes of the imperial Guard boring down at her. Why oh why must she feel uneasy now of all time? "You have the Scroll with you, yes? Just present it to him, and then we can get inside." Seeing that they would not get anywhere if Ciel just remained silent, it took Maomao to prompt the girl to do something with her uneasiness and instruct her on what to do next. Too nervous for her own good, that is a bad sign. This girl will definitely need to be whipped up to shape soon.
"O-Oh right! Here, sir." Rummaging through her belongings in the backpack, it took a while but the Blonde did manage to retrieve the sealed Scroll, which fortunately was not damaged in any way, before handing it to the man who nodded in appreciation as he removed the seals and began going through its content, which lasts for several minutes as he turned the document up and down, around and about. When he was finished, he nodded once more, this time in acknowledgment as he handed back the scrolls to the Scientist, who gingerly reclaimed the important documents and stored it back to where she had previously put them, hoping that nothing had gone wrong with the inspection.
"Everything seems to be in order. Go on ahead." With the examination procedure all up and done, the Imperial guard stepped aside, returning to his post, allowing the two to pass through the drawbridge, where once again Maomao beckoned the Blonde to follow her lead with a silent gesture, going after her through the entryway, and into the inner Palace. Just like with the capital, there is nothing Ciel could have done to prepare her for what will be awaiting for her on the inside. The first sight that greeted her was a massive Peachtree, with the ripe fruit boring on each branch, towering even over some of the buildings, but definitely got dwarfed by the distant Palace, offering a cooling shade on this bright, sunny day, but no one has time to rest beneath the evergreen, for all are hard at work, transporting goods and delivering articles of item to their respective locations, shouting at each other in their native tongue as they did so. The Palace was as bustling as the outside, if not even more with servants and workers running around with a purpose, wasting no time or movement on rest as they continued to pour all of their energy into their task.
"Welcome to the Azure Dragon Palace, Xia." Maomao could not fight back the amused smirk spreading across her face when she saw Ciel's astonished expression that shifted between the gigantic tree, which she did not doubt could surpass the sea of trees back in the forest near Xiangjiang in terms of size, and the lively courtyard fills with myriads of people running around, enthralled in their duty to heed the presence of anyone else, "Never seen something Like this before I take?" Of course she hadn't, Maomao thought to herself when the question left her lips, She did not have the slightest idea as to what kind of world this foreign girl came from, but if she had to guess, it was a place where this sort of thing are not all that common. She has always enjoyed the look of foreigners when they witnessed the Palace and the people who worked there, it is quite amusing in her opinion.
"Well, nothing of this scale." Was all Ciel could muster, a sheepish laugh. The last time she saw something similar was during her time in her world's version of Neo Arcadia, where all the scientist constantly tripped over each other trying to get some work done, maintaining the stability of the city the best of their ability when their Leader vanished without a trace. Back then, pitying the adults for having to work so hard trying to do the impossible, Ciel thought she could help by at least constructing the closest recreation of the Blue Angel to take the place of the original. What a grave mistake that turned out to be, "Everyone seems to be so hard at work."
"Of course they are, there is much work to be done every day, especially as of late." Maomao nodded in agreement, watching her fellow workers going about their duty. The fallout of the short-lived war between the foreign invaders and China has made a number of changes to the policy in the court as a response to the aftermath of their victory, and this usually doubled the workload of everyone, leaving them more busy than usual. Fortunately, Emperor Ruogang are aware of this and was willing to increase the salary of the workforce, he has always been a generous man, stemming from his time as a Prince who mingled with the servants back then on a daily basis, thus understood their struggles and know how to rectify them, "Now if you follow me, I'll show you where you'll be working-"
"Heeeey, Maomao~"
"Geh-!" She recognized that sickeningly sweet voice like honey mixed with syrup anywhere. Slowly turning her head, letting out an audible creek like a rusty machine that has not been oiled for years, an action mirrored by a much more well-caliberated one from Ciel, they both saw what could only described as the epitome of androgynous beauty. With flowing hair of violet and jeweled eyes of the same shade, shining brighter in the sunlight that further exemplified his peerless feature, his visage that captured the hearts of anyone, be them men or maiden, boasted an amused expression on it as he approached the two in an unflinching pace. For Ciel, even though her heart belonged to someone else already, she could not help but become flustered by his unmatched beauty that could make Models green with envy. The same could not be said about Maomao though, whose expression is what one would have when they spotted an insect, forcing her to forced her disgust down to put up a pretense of respect, "Hello…Lord Jinshi…"
Anyone with a half-working eye could see that the courtesy in Maomao's words toward Jinshi was far from genuine, and to everyone who knows about their 'relationship', it's not anything new. Out of all the officials that reside in the Inner Palace, Yinying Jinshi, a Member of the Infamous Phatonaga's Branch known as the Yinying in China, was notorious for three things, his unparalleled Look has caused no small amount of trouble for everyone, his frivolous nature in his line of work that cause just as much of a problem for the court, and his may-or-may-not romantic interests in the only Cyber Faeries programmer in the Palace, Maomao, which bothered the petite Woman to no end, who regarded him to be incredibly annoying for those exact three things, finding him to the source of her migraine most days. Yet at the same time, as most people have taken notice, he was the only one that Maomao was willing to tolerate the presence, due to him being the only one that was willing to engage in a conversation with the normally anti-social Programmer and herbalist on a daily basis, giving her a begrudgingly welcoming addition to her usually solitude line of work, not that it made him any less irritating in her eyes.
Though the Purple-haired Man does not seem to be deterred by her cold greetings in the slightest, merely laughing it off like it was a joke, having grown used to this sort of treatment from the Programmer, "I see that you have returned, then that means you've found your newest assistant then. Let's hope this one lasts longer than the last." He laughed once more, recalling all the previous assistants before Ciel who gave up when they found themselves unable to put up with the tactless attitude of Maomao, who then complained any time one quits to Jinshi, the only one who was willing to be her conversation partner besides the Cyber Faeries. Though he sincerely hoped that this latest one would be an improvement if His Majesty himself appointed her.
"Must you bring that up?" She grumbled, already feeling aggravated by the purple-haired Man's grating laughter. Oh how much she was to kick him in the shin to shut him up, too bad he is of higher status than herself, doing so will only spell trouble for her, so she has to resist that urge, no matter how tempting it might be. If anyone were to blame for all of her assistants giving up within the span of a week, it would be them and their mediocre skills, all she did was point out what they did wrong with their subpar educations regarding the field, they are the one that choose to not listen and leave before they could do anything worthy of note. She can only hope that Ciel is not the same as those bumbling buffoons, and from what can tell from the girl thus far, there is some potential. A little socially inept, sure, but that is fine by her, Cyber Faeries programming does not require much in the way of conversation besides talking to the Fae. "Well as much as I wanted to continue this conversation." That's a lie and they both know it, "I have places to be, so please step aside."
"Very well, your wish is my command." With one last chuckle, Jinshi folded his arms and marched passed the two women, though not before kneeling down to reach the mechanical ear of the petite Woman, "By the way, that Chuan'r are delicious, you have great sense of taste as usual." Before she could question the implication of his words, the man had already vanished without leaving a single trace behind, to the disbelief of Ciel and the frustration of Maomao. Must have used his Power as a Shadow Megaman to make his quick getaway. Wait…that means…Checking the metal heat-retaining box Maomao has carried to store the skewer she purchased in a moment of panic, where much to her horror, the four Chaun'r sticks within have been reduced to merely three. Now what Jinshi has said has finally clicked into place. Not only has he abused the ability that comes with his designated biometal to steal her food without her noticing, but used it to escape before she caught on as well.
"That cheeky Bastard…" Letting out a low, furious growl beneath her breath, Maomao slammed shut the container, violently so, enough to make the girl behind her to flinch at the sudden burst of sounds, but the programmer was too seething to care, her emerald eyes glint with anger, swearing to make Jinshi pay for this unforgivable transgression. To think he was supposed to be a highly respected member of the court, that loathsome lowlife, using his power to do whatever he pleased. Oh, Ruogang will hear about this for sure. "Hope they would be fine with just three…" But more importantly, how will she explain to her Faeries about the lack of the promised Chaun'r? Just thinking about it made her let out a heavy sigh, Hopefully, they would understand, and maybe come to hate Jinshi if she told them that he was responsible for the reduction of the amount, which was partially true. It was a tempting idea to say the least.
"Uh…Where did he…?" Trying to reroute the Herbalist's attention back to reality, Ciel began, wondering just how did the purple-haired Man managed to instantaneously disappear within a blink of an eye. The one person she knew who could do the same was a certain Phantom of the Four Guardians, someone who was once a close friend of hers, just like the rest of his siblings before she was 'manipulated into helping the maverick' or so they put it. Those times were the few positive memories she had of those four prior to her defecting and escaping from their false utopia. Thinking about it brings her a sense of nostalgia, a feeling she experienced when in the presence of this Jinshi person.
"Don't worry about it, probably just retreat into the shadow like the cockroach that he is. The Yinying always do that to avoid a conversation." Yinying…That is the name of the Phatonaga's branch in China, was it not? So Jinshi is a member of the Shadow Clan here in this Nation. That would explain his purple-colored hair, most likely gained through usage from the clan's designated biometal just like Lanfen, who gained her green hair from her time in the Wind Clan. strange, she was sure that altering one's physical traits was not a feature when she designed the device. Perhaps just like this world, her biometal has changed as well, developing new abilities as time goes on. For what purpose does changing the colors of eyes and hair for though, she cannot say that she have the answer to, "Anyhow, we wasted enough time as it is. Come on, follow me, I'll be showing you your workplace and Quarter. Then we can go meet up with his Majesty, He has been expecting you. Best not keeping him waiting."
Well that's certainly good to hear for her confidence.
Resuming with the makeshift tour across the Palace, they ended up passing through various open hallways, leading to all sorts of rooms from the kitchen all the way to a place called the Grand Archive, which Maomao had told her that it housed a measureless amount of information, many of which are confidential that only allowed to be accessed by the like of the Emperor, thus open to no one but those with similar power in status, until they stopped at a decorative double door leading to a room that is labeled as the 'Workshop' as written on the golden plaque suspended on the top of the door, "Here we are, the place where you and I will get better acquainted." Opening the door, Ciel was greeted by yet another awe-inspiring sight, this time, she knew how to feel about it; a Sense of mounting excitement.
"This…This…This is Amazing!" The Blonde gasped, so awestruck by the workshop that she slipped back to her native tongue, not that the petite Woman could blame her for that, because if there is one word that can perfectly describe this place, it would be 'Paradise' for someone like Ciel. Filled to the brim at every corner were all kinds of advanced pieces of equipment, technologies the like of which she never could have imagined even in her wildest dream, mere glances at the various marvelous objects alone made her scientific mind work at full force, examining them up and down, inspecting every single last one of them with undivided attention, sparing none from her curious gazes, much to the amusement of Maomao as she watched the Blonde going over the state-of-the-art pieces of technology that the Palace provided, even she herself once did the same when she was appointed for the position by the Emperor, this place has everything a Programmers and scientists could ever want. It would appear that this girl recognized this as well, showing how much of a difference between her and all the other assistants before her, who could not understand just how blessed they were to have such a high-quality work environment.
"Hehe, I know, Right?" Maomao nodded in agreement with a knowing smirk on her face. To this day, she still considers herself lucky to be able to work with cutting-edge equipment like these, "Cosmos Corp's products are a league above your usual tech." So the Cosmos Incorporated was the one that developed these wonderful tools? Just like the Phone Ciel currently has on her person? Now that she got a closer look, she could see the Logo of the company, a Crescent Moon that represents the starting letter of the Corporation, imprinted on the surface of every piece of technology here, the same as the one engraved on the back of her newly-acquired phone. This discovery just further fueled her utter fascination regarding the company that has created these marvels of technological advancement! She'll definitely learn more about them tonight!
'Make sure you get your daily 8 hours of sleep by tonight, is that clear?!'
…While making sure she goes to bed at a reasonable time of course.
Lanfen would not let her hear the end of it if she somehow caught wind of Ciel staying up all night again.
"Hmm, the Faeries is not here right now. Must be out in the courtyard." Placing down the metal container that the Chaun'r are resting within onto her personal desk, Maomao surveyed through the workshop to see if any of the Court's faeries she has created over the course of her career are present at the moment, a little disappointed none turned up save for Potentielle and Illimite, who joined their creator in marveling their brand new environment. Pity, she was looking forward to introducing Ciel to them. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Speaking of the foreign girl, the petite woman have to personally go and give a gentle but firm knock across the head of the blonde to break her out of her enthralled state, sending her back to the real world, "Look, I understand that you are excited. So was I when I first came here, but it's time to go, there is still your quarter that I needed to show you, then we have to go meet the Emperor."
"Right! Of course!" Ciel nodded in understanding, feeling a little embarrassed for her momentary distraction, she just could not help herself from these amazing equipments, though thankfully, her soon-to-be Boss seemed to sympathize with her. Ciel felt like this might be a start to a kinship between the two. Though that is neither here nor there, she needed to catch up to Maomao, lest she end up getting lost in this intricate maze of a Palace. Following the petite Woman closely behind, they did not have to spend nearly as much time walking to reach what Ciel presumed to be her quarter, a modest-size room with every necessity one would need, a bed, sets of table and chairs, build-in bathroom, so on and so forth. It is not that much different from the guest Ciel has been residing in the Ren Household for the past month. Although it did not have a monitor like her previous residence, the Phone she now has is a suitable substitute for it, so the Blonde did not mind it all that much.
"This is where you'll be staying in. We have to make sure to arrange it close to the workshop." Came an explanation from Maomao, gesturing across the open space. This room was once just one of many abandoned quarters in the Palace, and it shows with its lack of furniture or interior decorations, having been quickly renovated under the direct order from the Emperor when he returned to the Palace after the trip to the White Dragon County. But with how close it is to Ciel's new workplace, she would not have to worry about memorizing the layout of the hallway, considering that the workshop is a few minutes' worth of walking distance away from her quarter, "Make yourself at home. Now then, let's go meet His Majesty, we wasted enough time as it is."
So the time has come for her to meet her Azure Emperor and the officials that govern this Frontier, well, what was left of it if the newly-reformed of Ruogang reestablishing his Court was of any indications. Steeling her legs and her mental mind to make sure they stopped trembling from nervousness, and with a deep breath to fill the entirety of her lungs' capacity, Ciel decided that it would be for best to stand right next to Maomao rather than snuck behind her. She felt like hiding behind the petite Woman would give her the best impression to neither the Emperor or his court. The action seems to gain her the Approval of the Cyber Faeries programmer, as when she decided to step up right next to Maomao, the Woman offered her a slight nod as a gesture of commendation that was accompanied by a wide grin and a thumbs up, wholeheartedly approved of the decision to stands tall right beside her than shrunk meekly behind, in turn giving birth to a smile on Ciel's end at the unspoken praise.
Passing through the three gates that separate the three sections of the Palace from one another, they have finally made it to their destination, the Actual Palace itself. Casing an expansive looming shadow to the earth below, the building towered above all else in the Palace's ground, demonstrating its status as the most important structure to the most important man in the Region, making Ciel swallow loudly, suddenly feel so insignificant in the face of the imposing building before her. Like a mere Ant before a Dragon. Even so, she held her ground, despite her nerves telling her to back down, continuing to step forward upon being prompted to by Maomao, who could only offer her a look of reassurance. While all they needed to do is to greet the Man, she cannot say the fear was not unwarranted, as a Crown Blue Megaman and the Azure Emperor of the Nation, it comes as no surprise that people will hesitate to be in the presence of the Man, even now, Maomao could not claim that she is used to the pressure exuded from Ruogang despite having worked under him for centuries now, especially when he sat upon the throne, where his usual levity died, leaving behind a Man whose wills is of the heaven itself. But the two must stay strong even when facing the Azure Dragon, for if they could not even handle being in the same space as Ruogang, the man who is responsible for their place in the world, then they would deserve no place in his Court, in which only those worthy could hope to survive and even thrive if one played their card correctly.
In other words, they will have to be smart about the hands dealt to them, lest they suffer from unforeseen consequences from displeasing their Emperor with their display. Through the heavily guarded entrances protected by a variable amount of bulky, armor-clad guards wielding what appeared to be a halbert of some sort that they holstered behind their back, an far cry from the uniformed gatekeeper from earlier, who only have a standard straight swords strapped onto their waist as their primary weapon compared to the highly armed Palace's Guards, demonstrating the level of security in this part of the Palace's ground, the two Women stepped foot inside upon showing them the appropriate documents that verified the identity of the newcomer, with what greeted them on the other side was a sprawling space, where there countless decorative pillars supporting the structure above them, while retaining enough room for the officials of varying status used the large open hall to gathered upon an elevated platform, gazing down those beneath them, but none could ever reach the same height of influence in this court like the Azure Emperor, who sat upon his Gilded Dragon Throne stood at the very peak amongst all in this onlooking gallery as the most powerful one out of everyone here, in both strength as a Megaman and Authority as a Governor.
But being Emperor comes with obligations and responsibility of the station to offset the privileges it bestowed, as Ruogang currently could not spare the new arrival with so much as an amicable greeting, for the court is in session, with him occupied with dealing with the matter at hand, which is the one who now stands trial before him, an Spy of the Foreign Force that has somehow has managed to assassinated a member of his committee, whose remains has been discovered and restored to the living world, and masqueraded as his victim, the Official Han Suyin, to manipulate the court from within, controlling them through the uses of threats and promises.
Unfortunately for this Spy, the Emperor has managed to see through their deception after all this time, and now he is bound, bloodied, and beaten after the Interrogation Department extracted as much information from them as possible, on their knees before hundreds of the Official alongside the Azure Emperor and the Real Han Suyin, having been recently resurrected and to her body being mostly intact, who pierced the Mole with a look of loathing on her face, not an unreasonable emotion considered that not only did the Man before her has killed her, sending her in a state of limbo until everyone found her corpse to reconstruct, but he has to gall to steal her identity for this purpose. Such atrocities deserved nothing less than a death sentence, Ruogang has decided, and his Court had to come to an agreement, for there could be no more fitting punishment.
"For your Crime of Murder, Identity Theft, Unauthorized access of the Grand Archive, tempering with the properties of Neo Arcadia's government, blackmailing, and Court Manipulation, Foreign Spy of the Legion, Orson, as per the request of Han Suyin, your victim, you shall be executed by tomorrow's morning before the People of Qinglong to served as an example for any remaining spy out there who is foolish enough to continue their crime against the fine people of China." There was no objection to his verdict, only silent agreement. Even if there were, his tone, cold and cruel like a blizzard that made Ciel shuddered, froze any voice of disagreement that dare rise up against the Azure Emperor, promising those that aligned themselves with the foreign force will be subjected to the same sentence, "Guards, send this scum back to his Cell." Now having nothing more to say about the Revolting Rat in his garden, soon came the Armored Men came at the command of their Emperor, roughly pulling the horrified Orson, intended to bring him back to the Prison, though not without some resistance first.
"NO! PLEASE! LET ME GO! I DIDN'T WANNA DO IT! I JUST WANNA GO HOME! PLEASE! YOU PEOPLE CAN RESURRECT OTHERS RIGHT?! IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL!i IT WAS THOMAS! IT WAS MASTER THOMAS THAT-"
"I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH! I CARE NOT FOR WHO IS TO BLAME, YOU MURDERED SOMEONE IN MY COURT! THE BLOOD YOU SPILLED WILL BE PAID WITH YOURS! GUARDS! SILENCE HIM AT ONCE!" Not wanting to hear any more excuses, Orson was quickly quieted by a strike across his head, delivered by the Guard, the collision knocked him out like a light, setting their sight back to their current objective, that is dragging away the motionless body of the Spy, passing through Maomao and Ciel on the way, which was how the Emperor finally noticed the presence of, leading to what is perhaps the fastest mood shift the Court has ever seen from Ruogang, the usual frowning expression curled upward into a smile when his eyes rest upon Ciel's form, and much more welcoming sight compare to what happened a moment ago, "Ah! You have made it! Everyone, allow me to introduce to you the latest addition to our newly reformed court, Xia!" Becoming the center of attention, Ciel could feel hundreds of gazes boring into her being, would have made the Blonde squirm from having so many eyes leveled at her had it not been for what just occurred before Ciel, witnessing the brief exchange in dialogue between the Spy and the Emperor.
She would not be ashamed to admit that the the voice of Ruogang at the outburst of the criminal that caused her to flinch, not because of the volume, oh no, she is used to it by now, it was the sheer amount of Rage in his tone that unnerved her the most, as although it was not directed at her, just hearing it made her trembled in terror that paralyzed her on the spot, barely able to move forward to face the Court. Even still, another part of her mind has noted, that just goes to show how much he valued his Men, expressing such raw, unadulterated hatred toward the one that took the life of one of his officials, Who have apparently been…resurrected? That particular word stuck out to her the most. What does that Man mean by resurrection? Is that even possible? Well, now that she thinks about it, she is currently in a world where there are monsters of giant proportion and people using Biometals that numbered by a million running amok, sent here by a God of all people, so maybe the idea of resurrection being possible is not too far-fetched, at least not anymore when taken her situation into account.
Best to think about it at some other time though, since this is not exactly the place to do that, not when she is in the presence of the Emperor and his hundreds of officials who is currently looking at her with evaluating eyes, all look as though they are waiting for her to say something, and if she has learned anything about proper etiquette, is that she should not stay silent when that happened, or it might come across as disrespectful, and that is the last thing anyone would wanted to do in front of someone like Ruogang. So performing a bow that is accompanied by folded hands on top of each other just like she has seen Maomao doing to properly express her respect, Ciel turns to meet eyes with the Azure Emperor, "Greeting, your Imperial Majesty, I have arrived as you have commanded. My most humble apologies for making you wait all this time, to which I am still thankful for." The Blonde felt like she both owed him an apology and gratitude for his generosity of accepting his request on that fateful day, when circumstances led to these two crossed paths or perhaps it was Fate planned by Velvet. She was not sure which, but nonetheless, she is grateful that they met, just as she is for him allowing her to be with the Ren during the Festival and creating a truly precious memory alongside them.
"Ahaha, No need to mention it. It would be unbecoming of me to force people into working for me. I'm just glad that you accept my offer at all." In return, the Emperor chuckled in amusement, more than pleased with her presence here, brightening the space up a little after that little charade with the Foreign Spy. He certainly welcomed this change in mood, "I trust that you have become acquainted with Maomao here?" Soon it was followed by a slight gesture at the senior Cyber Faeries Programmer, who he is sincerely hoping that she have yet to subject her newest assistant to any of her signature brands of verbal barbs, or else the girl might feel discouraged and quit just like all the others before any works can be done.
"We have." It was Maomao who chose this opportunity to answer in her stead, crossing her arms as she diverted her attention to the blonde, her eyes more critical than ever, "She has potential, but a little too meek for my liking as she is now. If she doesn't improve on that, everyone will treat her like a pushover to walk all over the place." Ouch, she really doesn't mince any words, does she? oh well, at least Ciel could appreciate the honest if a little harsh assessment, that way she could have a good grasp on how to improve instead of beating around the bush trying to find the source of the problem, "But again, she has potential, unlike all the previous ones, if properly taught in the way of our Cyber Faeries Programming, it might be possible for her to surpass me."
"Oh? Quite a high praise, coming from you." Come a sentence that echoes everyone's thoughts from none other than Jinshi, who arrived as suddenly as he disappeared a moment ago. Other than a few self-assured youngsters who recently graduated from their field and are confident in their skill, Not many would be able to claim they could match Maomao in her job, and not without a reason, the petite Woman was among the most ingenious minds that China has ever produced, to such the extent that she could be considered the rival to another prodigy, the middle sister of Kyra Zeranaki that reside in Neo Arcadia when it come to Programming, with just as much achievements and awards as that certain someone, so for her to personally claimed that there is someone with the possibility of eventually become even better than her if tempers correctly show the faith she has towards this Girl.
"Oh, it's you, Lord Jinshi…" Seeing that hideously beautiful face again put a damper on Maomao's mood, which had gone from fairly excited to downright abysmally foul, having been reminded of the stunt the Phatonaga's Member had pulled on her. Of course he just has to show up and completely ruin everything for her, as he always did. If only she could go up there and give that gorgeous face a not-so-gorgeous makeover involving a slight stinging bruise across the cheeks and perhaps even a black eye, but unfortunately, the law was the one thing that blocked her from going through with something like that, so as regretful as she was, she has to swallow that urge for the sake of the Emperor.
"Still upset I see. What a shame, that smile suited you much more."…He is not making it any easier for her. At all.
"Pardon me your Imperial Majesty, but I need to go and check up on the Cyber Faeries now, they should return to the workshop by this point. Please do excuse me." Not going to put up with any more of what he planned to utter out from that filthy mouth of his, the Cyber Faeries programmer decided to take her leave, which Ruogang consented with a brief motion with his hand to dismiss her, before quickly heading toward the entrance, shooting a dirty dagger glare at Jinshi's way the entire time while fuming silently, much to his amusement along with few others, while the rest of the court just let out an exasperated sigh and a sheepish smile on their face. There those two go again with their antics. Honestly, the day when Maomao would ever reciprocate all that flirting Jinshi made toward her is the day when all collective hell freezes over.
"Well, that aside, It would appear that Maomao there has quite a high opinion of you. I'm sure you two would get along famously." Back to the matter at hand, Ruogang nodded in approval, already seeing the start of what will no doubt be a great partnership between the Senior Programmer and her newly-acquired junior. This can be a rough life, but he is certain that the Blonde could manage.
Clearing his throat loudly to gathered attention to himself, the Emperor rises from his throne, staring down at the blonde before him, just like an entire month ago, with the same determination he saw that day burning in her eyes right now, "With the consent of Maomao of the La Family, I hereby formally appointing you, Xia, as the newest member of the Azure Dragon Court, does anyone here agreed with me?" A chorus of affirmation resounded across the hall, voicing their endorsement of the decision. They do not see any problem with this girl entering their rank, sure, she appeared to be a little young, but if she was acknowledged by the Cyber Faeries Programmer of the court, whose blunt disposition belies an eye for talents recognized the potential in her, then that just goes to show that with sufficient education in the intricacies of the Court, she will become a major asset to them, and in these turbulent time, more resources and manpower are always welcomed, "Then we are in an agreement; As we will it, so it shall be. Now, we have much work ahead. You may leave, Xia."
"Thank you, your Imperial Majesty." The Ceremony was a lot shorter than Ciel had expected, not that she would complain, since her legs would soon lose their strength, better to leave as soon as possible. So leave she did, backing toward the entrance, leaving behind the Court to go about their business. Before long she has made it to the center section of the Palace, where she promptly collapsed onto her knees, with the Cyber Elves companion checking to see if she was doing well, which to be honest, turned out a lot better than she could have ever anticipated. She did it, she has become part of the Azure Court at long last, with it, one more step toward her ultimate goal. From now on, she will make sure to work extra hard to help the Emperor in any way she can, while making sure to nudge the court in the right direction to ease the ongoing tension between them and the Vermillion Bird.
With that all said and done, the rest of the day was fairly uneventful for the most part, aside from Maomao, who upon regaining her composure, introduced her to the Cyber Faeries that inhabited the Palace, which as she suspected, was essentially the same as Cyber Elves, just with different terminology, though she could tell that the Faeries much, much more advanced than the kind found back home, once again showing the differences between the technological advancement of this world compare to hers. It was nice to see something being improved upon that is not a weapon of mass destruction. Mother Elf knows she has seen enough of those for one lifetime.
Soon night falls onto the Palace, the sunlight replaced by the dazzling Moon, shining through the patterned window to each room, including Ciel's, who currently going through some tomes she procured from the Palace's Library thanks to her newfound status among the Staff after she had her Dinner of large variety that filled her up and give her energy she needed to read through the pages of these books. Most of them were about Cyber Faeries programming as recommended by her Senior in the field, stating that they would be necessary to lay the groundwork so to speak, and Ciel was glad that she took up the advice, because as she soon discovered, the method in which she created Cyber Elves are vastly outdated compare to the modern method this world employed, requiring her to learn everything from scratch, though she has no problem with that, if anything, it's a refreshing experience learning something completely new, just like learning Chinese under Lanfen, which just like with the Green-haired Woman, Ciel was able to finish all the books detailing the basics of what one must know before getting into the Faeries Programming Field.
Having completed them within an hour, the Blonde decided to take a quick break and turned to two books she had acquired along the way while trying to find the guides, 'A Brief Summary of the History of the Constella Family, Pioneers of the Stars' and 'Implants; The key to Immortality'. Needless to say, her interest was captured by that, if only because these two Books just happened to hold the questions she had been having the entire day, about the titular Constella Family, which she has heard in passing that they have been around for as long as the Megamen's Clan, establishing themselves as an old and powerful household name across the globe, and the supposed 'Immortality', because she is well aware that people like Empress Mei Feng and more recently Ruogang has been the Ruler of their respective Region for a staggering two hundred years, a number no ordinary Human could achieve. Even a Reploid could not last that long, at least not without regular maintenance, and Ruogang was not a reploid by any means, and that is before mentioning about the 'resurrection' she has overheard in the court. Reploids can be rebuilt, most certainly, but they won't be the same individual as they were before.
Speaking of which, now that she thinks about it, she had not seen any Reploids ever since she arrived in this world, even though the term was mentioned several times in the history book she had read. All she had seen so far were Humanoid, or at least she assumed that is what they were, judging from the cybernetics, mostly the earplates that replace their organic ears. Maybe there is an explanation for that in one of these books, or in others. Until then, however, she should focus on sating her current curiosity before she gets to that other question, starting with the Pioneer of the Stars, the Constella Family.
Founded by Homer Constella in the wake of the third's Neo Arcadian Empire's collapse, his Family was the one that provided the necessary Technological Knowledge and equipment needed to stabilize and subdue the chaos that followed the death of Maxwell Xenuvier and the dismantlement of the first iteration of the Phatonaga Clan during the closing days of the ongoing War at the time, quickly cementing the family Name Constella's status as the suppliers of all things technologies for the next Neo Arcadian Empire and responsible for many reinvention of many concepts that was lost to time, such as Space Exploration, which was revived in the year 455, 2 B.A.R, paving the way for the colonization of the final frontier and earning them the title 'Pioneers of the Stars' for such praiseworthy achievement. Even now, the Family continues to make new groundbreaking discoveries in the potential of technology through the collaboration of numerous scientific institutions and the Government of Delta with each member the Family produced, which has been noted at various points in History to be as eccentric as they are talented.
The last part incited a hearty chuckle from Ciel, it sounds like the Constella have quite the interesting array of members going by the description of the book on the topic of the more famous member. But beyond that, it is truly impressive that the people of this world managed to restore space travel as a concept, whereas, in her reality, the closest thing to it was a certain Space Station that was designed with the explicit purpose of wiping out the last Natural Reserves before it was ultimately reduced to smoldering cinder when it crashed into the atmosphere layer, thanks to the effort of…Him. Shaking her head, not wanting to get onto that particular train of thought, Ciel set aside the Book and moved on to the last one of the pile, regarding the Cybernetics implants that is similar in nature to her own, yet at the same time, fundamentally different from it.
On where they are similar was in design, the illustration that the tome provided shows that they essentially served the same purpose as the implants she have on her body, grafted into the body and supplanting several parts for mechanical ones in order to heighten their capabilities as a Being to match that of the Reploid, even seemingly appearing identical in term of appearance according to the portrait, but that is where the similarity ends, for her augmentation does not come with one thing that is the key differences which set the two world apart; Immortality upon successfully installed the Implants into the body, suspending the aging process Permanently, leaving them to unable to age pass what is considered their Prime when they go through the Implantation Procedure, causing the elderly to be something of a rare sight unless deliberately choose to appear old. That is not all, on top of being unable to age, they are unable to be killed as well.
As long as the remains of someone who has the cybernetic implants is somewhat intact, or even a single surviving strand of hair, they could be restored to the living world so long as their will to live is sufficiently strong enough, enforcing their Mortality Chain that anchored them to the living world, rendering them virtually unkillable unless they are completely disintegrated, leaving behind nothing to recover, which is rarely ever the case. Astonishment was the only way to describe how Ciel felt when she read through that Paragraph. The people of this world discover a way to achieve immortality. The Holy Grail that Humanity sought after? it is almost impossible to believe, but…After what she has seen, what she has experienced, is it really that hard to believe anymore? What should she do with this information?
…
…
…
…She should go ask how old is Maomao after this.
In Another Location, far from the Blue Dragon County…
Red.
Red was the color of his Armor, glistering in the starless night sky where the moon was the only audience. Red was the color of the mask he donned on his face that covered his unfeeling visage, molded in the shape of an Oriental Bird, the last thought that crossed the mind of his enemy. Red was the color of the blood spilled from said enemy, as he brought down his Jade Saber upon them, cutting down all that stood in his way. The sounds of skin burning, Flesh ripping, and Bone shattering as they came into contact with the torrent of energy that sunk into them was absolutely sickening to his Mechanical ears, almost made him want to stop, but no matter how much he wanted to do otherwise, he persists still, continued to go through with his action of wiping his target out of the face of his beloved County even if he has grown weary of it, for this was his Duty, his Obligation, his Responsibility as the Emperor of the Vermillion Bird Region, Jun Aiguo of the Zeranaki.
So was the thought, the mantra that kept him going forward, swinging his Blade up and down, left and right with grace and precision, technique and discipline, mowing down hundreds upon thousands of Foreign Soldiers, futilely trying to fight back as the Red Megaman of China mowed them down as though they were mere grass, just like the kind he trampled on in this drenched marshland that he has lead his expedition force across his County to in order to exterminate more of the enemy camps, which they did so with hesitation, without delay and without mercy, having run dry of them after the attack on their Frontier. Thus leading to blood being spilled, painting the Vermillion Land a new shade of Red. It was another slaughter for the 500, who eagerly culled the number of their enemy, a sentiment that unfortunately their Emperor could not share the passion of. For he could not see what it is about the senseless butchering that his enemy goes through as his saber goes through them to be so enjoyable to his Men, how they so zealously presented the head of their kills to him, how they enthusiastically drank the blood of their foe, metaphorically of course, for that is quite unhygienic if they actually did it. All he can feel in all of this is pain, not from any wounds, because he does not have any. No, this pain was from his heart which has nothing but sympathy for these foreigners, for being the subject of hatred from his people while he joined in this pointless conflict to appease their hunger for vengeance.
"Your Majesty! I brought to you; the commander of these rats!" Called out one of these soldiers, a Firnaria Member who carrying the Limbless Leader of the Camp, a sight that made Aiguo's stomach turn in disgust. Moments like these is what made him glad that his Armor came with a mask that covered most of his features, or else he might be able to hide his repulsion at the sight of the mutilated, barely breathing form of the Man, even if he is the Commander of this camp. At least there is a silver lining in all of this, as when the announcement echoes across the blood-soaked field, the battle comes to an abrupt end when they see the sight of the Commander, stripped of his arms and legs, causing them to become demoralized, dropping their weapons in surrender as a result. No more Fighting each other. Aiguo allowed himself to have a sigh of relief.
Only for his moment of respite from all this violence comes to a momentary halt when the Commander, all of a sudden, lets out a scream that cannot belong to a Human, "M.E.G.A-MORPH!" "What the-?!" "Tsk! Throw him away! NOW!" In a rapid succession of actions and words, the Red Megaman of China immediately realizes what is happening, ordering the Firnaria Member to let go of the man, which he did without a second wasted, backing away from the Man who is wreathed in a blinding light, followed by a resounding eruption that would have sent any lesser men flying, but Aiguo managed to stand his ground, his sword once again ignited to live with a loud roar when he saw that emerging from the smoke, was one of those Mutated Monster brought into existence using the body of what was once a normal person, twisted beyond recognition. Unlike last time, where he fought a Reptile beast, this one resembled that of an arachnid. Wonderful, just what he needed right now, here he was hoping to avoid any more death tonight.
"I hate Spiders…" The Vermillion Emperor let off an exhausted sigh and assumed his battle Stance as the Monstrosity rushed toward him at full speed, its multitude of legs gouged the earth, its fangs dripping with venom as its collection of eyes zeroed in on Aiguo. Nothing else mattered to it, for all it desired was seeing the Leader of the 500 lies dead before it, which it intended to do by pinning him down like a frog, then cutting him open and dissecting his organs, before finally subjecting him to the most deadly venom it could possibly produce. Unfortunately, it will never get the chance to enact these fantasies, as a single swing, a simple slash from his Jade Blade was all it took, cleaving the spider and the very land beneath it asunder. It was over in just a moment. Divided, the Spider crumbled, no attempt to cling to life, no explosion, just silently faded into dust carried away by the winds, as unceremoniously disposed as it was eliminated.
"…HE DID IT! HIS MAJESTY HAS SLAIN THE ENEMY'S COMMANDER!" What followed was an eruption of celebration from his Men, once more showering him with Praises and admiration for his 'courage', 'strength', and 'Valor' in Combat, not like the 'coward' of the Azure Dragon County as the enemy forces fell onto their knees, seeing that it is over for them. And once more, Aiguo felt those kind words were unwarranted. There is nothing courageous about this, there is nothing admirable about this, there is nothing honorable about this. All he did was kill someone again. Such actions should be treated with disgust, hatred, and disdain. Yet here he is treated like a Hero, a hypocritical messiah, a false idol. Glancing at his palm, all he saw was…
Red.
[Record Terminated]
[Word Count: 24,014]