What time is it? IT'S MONKE TIME!

You know how this goes, read review, moo, yodelayheehoo.

Huge thanks to Ridtom and TrajectoryAgreement for beta reading!

Now we must tell you that the Great Sage, after all, was a monkey monster; in truth, he had no knowledge of his title or rank, nor did he care for the size of his salary. He did nothing but place his name on the Register. At his official residence he was cared for night and day by the attending officials of the two departments. His sole concern was to eat three meals a day and to sleep soundly at night. Having neither duties nor worries, he was free and content to tour the mansions and meet friends, to make new acquaintances and form new alliances at his leisure. When he met the Three Pure Ones, he addressed them as "Your Reverence"; and when he ran into the Four Thearchs, he would say, "Your Majesty." As for the Nine Luminaries, the Generals of the Five Quarters, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Four Devarājas, the Twelve Horary Branches, the Five Elders of the Five Regions, the Star Spirits of the entire Heaven, and the numerous gods of the Milky Way, he called them all brother and treated them in a fraternal manner. Today he toured the east, and tomorrow he wandered west. Going and coming on the clouds, he had no specific itinerary.

-Journey to the West, chapter 5

The warehouse stank to high heaven, but this was often the case when it came to spare hideouts. They needed to be discreet and, in this particular case, spacious. Comfort was rarely a priority.

'Nevertheless,' thought Kaiser as he stared at his assembled forces. 'An air freshener would do marvels. At least the sweat and sewage would be replaced by something a little more bearable.'

Such as the odour of sweat emanating from the quivering subordinate in front of his throne of blades, who avoided all eye contact with either him or his lieutenants. Othala stood at his right side while Krieg and Alabaster were further down left. The rest of the assembled men were minor enforcers and gang members, with some wielding machetes and bats, all standing on catwalks and the warehouse floor. Anxiety emanated from them like a mass fog machine, tinged with confusion and a small measure of eagerness. A small portion of their forces, and one that he wouldn't normally summon. He would be content with addressing only the lieutenants. Recent events, however, prompted a more direct display.

"So…let me get this straight," he stated, looking directly at the trembling gangster. "You and your fellow brothers got into an altercation with the ABB over some insult, attempted to 'defend the Empire's honor', and someone opened fire?"

"Y-yeah," the peon replied. "We were going at it real tough, and Hookwolf said to rough up any chink who got in our way."

Yes…that did sound like Hookwolf or his way of phrasing the command Kaiser gave him. The orders he gave were specific enough, but his bestial cape always found ways to turn them bloody. At times, it was a useful trait, though not so much now. "Which then led to a proper retaliation?"

The peon nodded, though he still averted his eyes. "Hal was beating the crap out of one of the chinks and was about to cave in his sorry head. Then I- I- we don't know. There was a-a car, yeah, I'm guessin' it saw us and wanted to bail. We heard a loud crash a-and -" he swallowed. "The monkey was right there."

Kaiser raised an eyebrow at the emphasis but immediately understood what, or rather who, the underling was referring to. "The monkey…you mean this Sun Wukong?"

"Y-yeah, I think that's his name."

The head of the Empire 88 tightened his steepled fingers and his metallic throne creaked beneath him. Alabaster's eyes narrowed, his pale skin wrinkling around his lips before they returned to their pristine state. Krieg's jaw tensed, even as his eyes remained obscured by the simple domino mask. The twins glanced at Kaiser, but said nothing.

"...continue," he said, his biting voice colder than ice. "Did he attack?"

"Uh-ah, no. He said we were scarin' the locals and told us to scram." The man's perspiration glinted against the dim light of the warehouse. "And…we kinda…did?"

"You ran away," said Kaiser. "From the monkey." There was no hint of accusation in his voice. It was a simple statement, equivalent to 'fire was hot'.

The peon meekly nodded and clutched his jacket. "W-what else could we do!? That's the monkey who trashed Lung!"

Alabaster scoffed and crossed his arms, and even Kaiser felt the corner of his lips twitch. The sheer incredulity of that statement would've prompted a swift termination were it any other situation, even in a world of capes.

"I take it Hookwolf was absent during this incident?" the Empire leader asked.

"Y-yeah. He split us up into groups and took only one with him. I think he wanted to fight another cape."

Kaiser tapped a finger on the throne. Once again, Hookwolf's bloodlust was proving…annoying. Still, he had done as instructed and was currently leading some men to ensure some of their territory didn't get any bright ideas.

"So he's interfering in our operations?" asked Krieg. "We should send a strike force. This is a prime opportunity to spread our turf and take out the competition." He turned to Kaiser with a hint of eagerness. "I'll need Othala and Hookwolf for this, and I can have my men ready in-"

A raised hand froze the man, and no words further left his mouth. "Your dedication is admirable, Krieg, but we must take stock of the situation first. Regardless of what you think of Sun Wukong's appearance, the fact of the matter is that he still took out our strongest competitor for the Bay. We cannot underestimate him, and I'm sure the PRT is increasing their efforts to approach him if they haven't already. But first…" Kaiser addressed the peon once again. "Three days have passed since that incident, and I'm only hearing about it now. Why is that?"

The bald man silently stammered as his fellows looked at him with tensed feet.

"Your esteemed leader is addressing you," Alabaster said airily. "Speak." The consequences should he remain silent were clear to all.

"W-we wanted to finish Hookwolf's orders!" the man squeaked and shrunk into himself. "T-then the cops came and we had to lie low, we really wanted to tell, but Nick got the idea of going radio silent until everything cleared out-"

"Spare me your rambling," Kaiser interjected, his voice tightening even further. He flexed his fingers and the blades on his throne rattled, the sound of steel echoing throughout the warehouse. The soldiers stared at him in fear, while the peon looked a moment away from soiling himself.

Eventually, he sat upright and gave his verdict. "Such pertinent information is never to be delayed in any manner. Hookwolf may give you orders, but you - all of you - heed my words. I would normally consider your presence here a failure of your mission."

Dread painted the gangbanger's visage, with his sweat rolling off him like a waterfall.

"However…" he froze. "The fog of war is a treacherous hazard, and you had no hope in engaging a cape without the firepower of a lieutenant. I'd be inclined to let you rot in jail or dispose of you had you acted like fools and tried to attack a foe beyond your caliber. For that, you have my mercy."

A collective sigh came from the audience, and the peon's knees quaked as he almost collapsed to the floor. Thankfully, he had enough willpower to nod and salute before retreating into the ranks.

"What is our current status?"

Krieg stepped up. "We've claimed areas south of the boardwalk and lower Uptown, with plenty of businesses ripe for the taking. The foot soldiers have tagged areas west of the Docks, and if we maintain our momentum with a layer of stealth, we should recoup the losses of our safe house after Lee's attack."

Kaiser nodded. "Ah yes, Oni Lee. Has he been sighted since Lung's little romp?"

"No signs on the streets, and the PRT issued another call for his arrest."

"My eyes in the Trainyard haven't reported anything," said Alabaster, the barest hint of frustration seeping into his casual tone. "We'll keep an eye out, get some police scanners. If Lee makes a move, we will know."

"I think he hightailed it out of the city," snickered Krieg. "A coward beneath all of his fire and bluster, and his men are much the same."

Othala smirked at his right-hand's remark, and Kaiser waved a hand. "As delightful as the thought might be, we've forgotten one important fact: Lung is simply missing, neither captured nor dead. Else, the news would have spread across the city days ago. If I have learned one trait from Lung after these years, it is that he never forgives an insult. He will try and reclaim what is his, especially after such a humiliating defeat. The question is whether or not Oni Lee is aware of this. What is the state of the ABB right now?"

"They are scattered and desperate…but there are signs of them retreating into their burrows," replied Othala as she took out her phone and scrolled with her thumb. "Fewer riots or sudden robberies than expected, and one of the storehouses we claimed from them was cleared out recently."

"Hmm, so Lee could be directing the group from a safe location, or more likely, relaying Lung's orders." Kaiser tilted his helmeted head upwards and stared at the steel-clad roof in rumination. "Not too dissimilar from his previous style of rule, but remarkably more cautious."

"Maybe Lee decided to take over?" she asked, shifting in her skin-tight suit. Kaiser shook his head in response.

"Lee never struck me as much of a leader and he'd never follow someone who isn't a cape. No, the likely scenario is that Lung is alive yet battered and is directing his gang from the shadows while he recovers, no doubt to reclaim his turf and defeat the upstart who usurped him." He lowered his head and steepled his fingers. "Lower the intensity of our excursions. Stick to simple intimidation and tagging; that should give us enough breathing room to strengthen the hold on our new territories while leaving us room to expand should the chance arise. Hookwolf and Cricket will double down on those, and I'll have proper assignments for the lieutenants based on how the situation develops."

His three capes nodded, and then Alabaster spoke up. "What about the monkey?"

Ah yes, the monkey. The most intriguing aspect of these past few days. "He hasn't made any public appearances since his victory, correct? The encounter with our brothers notwithstanding."

"There's been a sighting of him playing with some local children in the Asian district," replied Othala. "The video's been uploaded to PHO and is receiving a lot of attention."

"Possible leverage then. Has he fought other criminals or even heroes?"

She shook her head. "So far nothing. He didn't even respond to our incursion into the western Docks."

"That doesn't correspond with the word on the street," Krieg said and tilted his head. "I've heard rumors on the street he's looking to take over their operations."

"Unsubstantiated rumors do not provide a good base of intelligence, moreso with what we know of this cape. He was mainly sighted in the Asian district itself, correct?"

At Othala's nod, he continued. "Then his lair or hideout is within that area. We have residents in the district who owe us debts and favors. If we are fortunate, they might be able to narrow down a more specific location of his haunts."

Othala blinked with her uncovered eye and turned to him. "But isn't that breaking the unwritten rules?"

"Only if we attack him in his home. Besides…" he smirked, even though no one could see it. "With a face like his, any civilian identity would be…pointless."

Snickers and mocking laughter arose from the crowd. A good jab at the men's perception of subhumans always invigorated their limited minds. Their levity ground to a halt when Kaiser rose from his throne, and the whole room seemed to stand at attention.

"You have your assignments, and those who don't will receive them from their superiors. Krieg has spoken a valuable truth; this opportunity will not come to us easily again. The ABB has suffered a devastating blow, and if we play our cards right, we could deepen their wound to the point where they will never regain their former strength, even with capes. Spread the word and our influence everywhere you can. If territory cannot be taken over, ensure they know who their new neighbors are. It's only polite to introduce ourselves, no?"

His lieutenants and his men nodded. They had a plan of action, and the rest was semantics that could be dealt with later. Kaiser moved to dismiss them, but Alabaster chimed in.

"What about Sun Wukong? If he's not taking over, then what do you think is his angle?"

Kaiser's eyes flickered to his pale lieutenant and held his arms behind his back. "His idiosyncrasies aside, he likes to play hero, so engineering a situation where we could force him to act would help in gaining insight into his abilities, but he is an unknown factor. A man who could take down Lung is not to be trifled with, and his jokester persona might be a mask to hide his intelligence. Mouse Protector is one such example with her destruction of many a cape's dignity. I have some contacts in the Gesellschaft who might deliver us some clues as to his whereabouts before his debut here, but until then, maintain a respectable distance and gather what intel you can."

An unlikely scenario, considering their limited means of ferreting out information from the Far East or related circles, but it would be remiss not to investigate a little.

"If he interferes, I'll respond accordingly. Hookwolf wouldn't be averse to bolster his reputation."

He raised his hand in salute. "You have your orders. Dismissed! Sieg heil!"

"Sieg heil!" They replied, all obedient and fervorous. So useful. If only it didn't make his eye twitch.

Even as the underlings dispersed, Kaiser's mind lingered on Alabster's question.

'Should I deal with him as if he were another meddlesome hero?' thought Kaiser, 'From that video on PHO, he was no bullhead. There was tactical thought in his actions, like Armsmaster with a sense of humor. Pushing his enemy's buttons seems to be one of them.'

The throne receded behind him as he left the warehouse, his lieutenants following his footsteps.

'There is also his fight with Glory Girl. Was that a test of the local cape scene? Once he felt he could take her out, taking out potential competition wouldn't be off the table. I'll have to prepare contingency plans, maybe even a direct head-to-head, just to establish boundaries. The question remains…how will he act? Contentment with the docks like his draconic predecessor? Or expansion? He's avoided the PRT's efforts to communicate with him, per Victor's word, but that doesn't invalidate the possibility of an alliance with them. Eliminating him right now isn't feasible, but he has shown handles we can exploit.'

Kaiser recalled both the grainy video on PHO and the news report. This monkey cape was strong, no doubt about it, but there was a key piece missing in the puzzle of his character. He'd observed many capes over the years and learned to get a general feel of their disposition; at times, it was a survival tool. Then what could be different about this one?

'What could be going through your head, Sun Wukong? What is your goal?'

"So what controls these lights?"

The woman blinked at Wukong's query and looked above her. "I…think there's a control tower somewhere?"

"A 'control tower'?" Wukong stroked his furry chin. "Does it control every light in the city? How? There must be a great many eyes in this tower to monitor this multitude of lights. Your city is rather fond of them. Is the tower in one of those glass spires over yonder?"

"Uh…" the hapless woman scratched her cheek. "I actually don't know. Maybe there's a computer…wait, don't tell me you've never seen a traffic light before?"

"Never even once! Signal lanterns and signs were not unheard of on the roads or in times of war, but nothing of this scale and complexity! When I first saw these, I thought you dipped fireflies in dye and prodded them whenever you wished for them to bloom!"

The 'traffic light' changed from red to green and cars rolled down the black road, while the cars in the intersecting lane rumbled in place. Wukong clapped his fingers and giggled raspily. "Under the moonlight, the chariots dance!"

The woman gave him the same look Xiwangmu's maidens gave him when they caught him…enjoying the fruits of his labor, a cross between jaw-dropping disbelief and the feeling of fecal matter running down their garments. "What rock did you crawl out from?"

"I was born from a rock, thank you very much. An egg from a rock, but I sometimes forget."

She stammered, then threw her hands up and left, muttering "capes" under her breath.

'How rude! This Old Sun was asking a simple question? Is curiosity not rewarded here?'

Wukong snorted as he crossed the road, admiring the painted white lines. He'd taken to walking the odd street instead of leaping from roof to roof. The locals gave him a wide berth, only greeting him when he waved and occasionally pointing their phones at him, but he always darted around a corner or leaped up a building before they could. He had considered entertaining their nosiness - he even had a little jig prepared - but Peizhi-xiansheng croaked out the funny strangled noise when news of his playtime with the children leaked. Considering how fast the news of his triumph over the false long spread, Wukong felt that he should alleviate a portion of his poor host's worries.

'I don't understand the reason for his anxiety. The circle will hold up against any threat these mortals can conjure, strange sorcery included. Perhaps a more practical demonstration would ease his mind? Hmm, no, that could draw even more attention to his shop. I might need to ask him directly, though it would shame me as a guest. He looked amused when I told him of the children's reaction though so…bah, trifles and troubles, Old Sun! You will overcome them in due time.'

Two days had passed since then and he'd gone through the same routine of walking through the streets or flying through the farther districts as a bird. One would think he would have searched the whole city by now, and it was well within his abilities, but Wukon took his time to admire the shapes and lives of the common folk around him, bizarre as they might seem. He didn't even turn on his Golden Eyes, for he had no desire to tangle with the heroes of ruffians just now. It might have delayed his efforts at investigating the apparitions, but he felt a short break would help refresh his eyes.

Also, the seeds of an idea were planted in his head, stemming from his enjoyable time with the mortal cubs. Alas, they required nourishment before they could bloom, and these strolls would help the clouds of his doubt shower them with raindrops of knowledge. And such precious water came from none else than the very people he wished to interact with, despite their oddness.

'The youths here are quite fond of piercing their ears, like the wild folk of the north. What fashion lies in metal stuck in your ear? The Buddha's ears are long for he hears all suffering and has gained wisdom from them, not because of metal rings and jeweled nibs!'

A group of young people approached his direction as they chatted with each other - one had rope dangling from her ears! - when they saw Wukong walking toward them. The Monkey King smiled and inclined his head to them, and the youths' faces blanched as they did the same. Before he had a chance to enquire about the rope, they swiftly turned around and scurried off, leaving Wukong open-mouthed. He closed his jaw and tilted his head, baffled by the sudden rush.

'Have I caused some offense?' he pondered. 'The people in the first village I visited when I left my mountain reacted similarly, but I was naked and had no notion of proper clothes.' His red eyes widened and he snapped his fingers.

'Of course! They think I'm a vagrant, come to beg them for alms!' He looked down at his robes and huffed. 'With all due respect to generosity for all beings, I do wish seamstress Xiuying would finish her craft soon. These robes are beginning to itch, and Meiguo garments look ridiculous! The shirts are adequate, especially with their strange pictures, but the pants! My poor tail moans in agony!'

He'd tried one of Peizhi-xiansheng's shirts when the man was absent, and to his surprise, it was quite comfortable. It would never beat a good robe, but he could see their usefulness. Hmm, perhaps he should've cleaned out all of the hairs before he left…

The scent of wood pulled him from his fashion-induced musings. Wukong blinked at the sight of a small shop, tucked within the confines of the stain-rock building and under a dark-striped cloth awning, upon which was painted the faded image of…

'What in the six paths could that be?'

Under the image was an image of an open scroll with the words "Used Books" written upon them in English.

"Books?" he muttered. The word…didn't translate fluidly in his mind. Story? Register? The mantra did a splendid job of translating so far, but some words didn't process as well when he converted them into his mother tongue.

'Color me intrigued. Time for another discovery!'

With those words, he marched into the store. The woody scent, along with that of paper, struck his nostrils as he gazed into rows of dark shelves. Dust motes danced under the faint rays of sunlight streaming through the windows, settling on the exposed shelf edges and wooden planks of the floor, and a plush leather chair sat next to a spiraling staircase. A covered lamp hung from the ceiling, faintly illuminating the shadowed corners of the store. A counter lay sequestered in the far corner of the shop, despite it being empty. Shuffling came from behind a closed door, no doubt belonging to the shopkeeper. What intrigued Wukong were the peculiar objects that filled every shelf around him. Curved, almost leather-like objects with words written along their length. The woody scent wafted mainly from them, and he would later find it was no surprise why.

He plucked one of the objects from the shelves. The inside was filled with sheets of paper, all of equal size and bound together by string and, what he suspected, glue. Lines upon lines of words were inscribed upon each and every page, both front and back, arranged in a neat, methodical manner. Pictures and illustrations were placed along every few pages, with smaller lines describing them.

He stared at the object long and hard, feeling the texture of the binding - which was more parchment than leather, though he had spotted visibly harder bindings on the shelves before it finally hit him.

'This is a scroll,' he thought in wonderment as he closed the…book…and stared at the cover, showing a boat with white sails, coming into the port of a green and lush land, filled with all manner of trees. At the top of the cover, in big red letters, was written: A Short History of the United States.

'Instead of being written in one length of parchment or etched in stone or wood, the paper is cut and bound in a single collection. No need for strewing out and cumbersome rolling,' thought Wukong as he opened the book and gently gripped a page. 'And this describes the history of this land! Oh, joy of joys!'

Wukong hopped into the empty seat in the corner and felt the leather rub against his backside. Taking a moment to enjoy the softness, he opened the book to the first page and began to read. The horizontal direction of the words didn't bother him, not after he had seen many examples of both Hànyǔ and English on the street signs. For a few minutes, he dived into the origins of the land he found himself in, detailing how mortals crossed over the Eastern ocean from the far northern lands, when the world was frozen and a great bridge had formed. How they dispersed and settled every region they could, from mountains to deserts to the lush forests on the cover. Every time he turned a page, he giggled. The convenience of it…woe unto Heaven for not discovering this method!

And this wasn't some scholar's or nobleman's private collection to be hoarded, gathering dust and attracting rats! This was a shop for the public, free to pursue knowledge!

'Unthinkable, they would never stand for it, for knowledge to be traded with petty coin… I should begin tallying points!'

The sound of the door opening almost broke his concentration, but Wukong kept on reading. He would have continued, if it wasn't for the sight of a little girl with wavy amber hair, darker than Glory Girl's, entering the store. She looked about Mei and Bǎihé's age, wearing a green shirt. Her gaze, which wandered around the shop, landed on him before her eyes widened and her little jaw dropped. He'd thought she would scream, but instead, she swallowed and whispered, "H-hi!"

Wukong gently smiled back and closed the book, placing it in his lap. "Hello, little one. Are you alright?"

"Er, I'm fine, thanks. Just…" she glanced at the shelves. "Looking for a good book."

"Well, don't let me keep you! To have all this knowledge at your fingertips, there surely is a treasure!"

She flickered back to the shelves before taking a deep breath. "You're that monkey from the news, right? The one who took down Lung? Son Wukong?"

"Sun Wukong, actually, but that is my name, yes." He scrunched his brow. "Hm, should I add 'Champion over false yaoguai' to my titles?" he asked himself before shaking his head. "Needs better phrasing."

The girl looked at him strangely. "What are you doing here?"

He held the book up by the spine. "Reading!"

She blinked and looked at the floor, red splashing her cheeks. "Oh, right."

"And what might be the young lady's name?"

She hesitated momentarily but nevertheless answered. "I'm Missy."

"A fine day to you, Missy," Wukong said and bowed his head. He opened the book and started to read again. He had gone halfway through a page when the girl cleared her throat.

"Um…was it scary, fighting Lung?"

"Scary?" Wukong asked. "Hmm…no, I had nothing to fear! His flames were…passable at best, but he was naught but a lantern, floating on his own hot air. He denied it until the end, but the truth, like the sun and moon, will always reveal itself."

"Oh…okay…" she looked briefly over to the counter before returning to him. "What are you reading?"

"The history of your land. I must say, I've never seen a history this blunt! No poems or flowery language, waxing on the nature of the world and the lineages. One would reason that such a manner of presentation is dull, and I enjoy a good poem, but it is…refreshing to view history in such a blunt manner."

Missy peered closer. "A history book? Not really my thing. But don't they have history books in…wherever you're from?"

Wukong shrugged. "Flower-Fruit Mountain, for all its treasures, wasn't a bastion of literature and knowledge. And, I admit, I was not the most ardent of scholars after I parted ways with my first master."

He lightly rapped on the book with a knuckle. "Had these books existed, I would have hollowed out a cave just for a collection of them!"

"Hollowed out…?" she whispered and shook her head. "Well, what's it like in…Flower-Fruit Mountain?"

Wukong leaned back, and a soft sigh escaped his fanged mouth. "Oh, it is a beautiful mountain, unlike any in the world!"

He began to hum, words of ancient times flowing from his mouth, passed down from his monkey friends in his youth. When he was a newborn learning the ways of the world before he leapt through the Water Curtain and was crowned their king:

"Its majesty commands the wide ocean;

Its splendor rules the jasper sea;

When, like silver mountains, the tide sweeps fishes into caves;

Its splendor rules the jasper sea.

When snowlike billows send forth serpents from the deep.

On the southwest side pile up tall plateaus;

From the Eastern Sea arise soaring peaks.

There are crimson ridges and portentous rocks,

Precipitous cliffs and prodigious peaks.

Atop the crimson ridges, phoenixes sing in pairs:

Before precipitous cliffs, the kirin singly rests.

At the summit is heard the cry of golden pheasants;

In and out of stony caves are seen the strides of dragons:

In the forest are long-lived deer and immortal foxes.

On the trees are divine fowls and black cranes.

Strange grass and flowers never wither:

Green pines and cypresses always keep their spring.

Immortal peaches are ever fruit-bearing;

Lofty bamboos often detain the clouds.

Within a single gorge the creeping vines are dense;

The grass color of meadows all around is fresh.

This is indeed the pillar of Heaven, where a hundred rivers meet— The Earth's great axis, in ten thousand kalpas unchanged!"

He lowered his head and met Missy's dumbfounded stare. "That is Flower-Fruit Mountain, my dear. If the splendour of heaven could exist upon the earth, it would be there!"

Missy stared at him for a minute before she managed to formulate an answer. "Okayyyy…" she replied, her skepticism thick. "Dragons? Phoenixes?"

"Yes, noble creatures, all of them. Not like the imitation that had so rudely threatened the mortals here." He snorted. "If they could hear this Lung's claims, they would strike him down with one fell blow!"

She tilted her head and leaned against a shelf. "How did you end up here then? Brockton Bay isn't the most inviting of cities."

This time it was Wukong's turn to pause. How should he explain this, when he didn't quite know himself? Much less to a child.

"I have always been a traveler, and I long desired to leave my mountain to explore new lands. I ended up sleeping on the boat and the next thing I knew, I awoke in your fair city!"

"Well, you've got a whole lot more options than just Brockton. I think that book will tell you that," Missy said as she gestured to the book. "There's gotta be more exciting places than this dump of a city."

"Now, now," Wukong replied, wagging his finger. "There is wonder to be found in every place you go! From the feeling of stone on your palm to the scent of exotic food cooking in a stall, every walk can be an adventure, every street an exciting valley! My mountain has not even half the marvels I've seen since coming here, and I relish every moment I explore! Inventions, people, even the heroes who safeguard your lives against the thugs who prowl the dark! I agree that your Meiguo is vast, and I will learn more about it, but that will come in due time. For now, I am content with this city, for its secrets have yet to be discovered."

He then chuckled. "Forgive this Old Sun's ramblings, but I have yet to let you speak, young Missy! What goes on in your life?"

Missy flinched at the question and pointed at herself. At Wukong's eager nod, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Well…not much. I go to school, I play games, I have friends I hang out with. One of them got a big assignment from the…teachers, yeah, and he wasn't able to hang out with us lately."

"Ah, studies never cease. Do you still consider him a friend?"

"Yeah!" she replied. "Of course, it's just…I dunno."

"Then rejoice in his success, and if he is a true friend, he shall always find time for you. Treasure your friends, Missy, for true friends are rarer than jade."

"Um…thanks," she mumbled. Her gaze returned to the shelves, and her little finger traced the spines of the books. "I like mystery novels, but I don't know which one to read next."

"Novel?" asked Wukong, and then his eyes widened as the word's meaning entered his mind. "Stories, of course! Why limit such a method to histories alone?" He leaped from the chair, closed his book, and placed it there. "I would like to read one. Would you recommend this Old Sun your favorite tale?"

"My favorite?" she asked and looked at the shelves, scrunching her brow. "I don't know if they have them here, but I could find some classics to get you started." She peeked through the shelves, eyeing the numerous books. "There's Agatha Christie, always a classic, Sherlock Holmes, wait, here's one…"

Wukong smiled as the amber-haired girl searched for books, the nervousness in her voice vanishing bit by bit. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the shopkeeper, a graybeard with a big red nose, staring at him warily, so he waved. The elder raised a wrinkled eyebrow but nodded curtly and rested on the countertop.

The Monkey King let his eyes wander the shelves, rifling through the various titles…and there, hidden between great blocks of paper and words, a title peeked through, with characters of Hànyǔ inscribed along its spine.

'Hoh, what is this?' He bent down and stared at the protruding book. The spine was blue, thick and leather-like, about three-quarters of a finger thick. He ran a thumb along the spine, feeling its texture, and tracing the three characters written in gold:

西遊記

'Xī Yóu Jì…

Why does this name send a tingle down my spine?'

He grasped the book and pulled it out -

Snap.

The room echoed with the sound of the break.

It didn't come from the store, from any shelf or chair. The break echoed through Wukong's head and soul, alerting him through the tether he had infused into the item. Through the link, the emotion rammed into him.

Sorrow. Despair. Anger.

"...and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo should do it. Maybe it's too much for a first time, right?" Missy peered over him while she held a stack of books. "You found something?"

He shot up and bowed to Missy. "I thank you for the recommendation and apologize a thousandfold for my rudeness, but I must depart for an urgent matter. I shall return and peruse through your tales, do not worry!"

Missy looked at him with surprise and took a step back. "Wait, what do you-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Wukong bolted from the store and jumped to the rooftops. Turning into a swallow, he flew to the south, past buildings and spires, straight to the source of the severing. He soared deeper into the city until he saw it: a two-story building with a dirty yard…and a great number of youths swarming in and out of its doors like flies.

'Why am I getting the sensation I have done this before in ages past?'

I'm back! Miss me?

We finally see the Empire, and seriously, screw Nazis.

Kaiser is a far more methodical villain than Lung. Yes, he knows that Wukong poses an active threat, but he won't rush to challenge him or do anything that might set him off. Beating Lung is no easy feat, and he knows to tread with caution. Study him, find weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and then act.

Back to Wukong, he discovers books! Or at least their modern forms, since codexes (the modern version of a book with spine-bound pages) didn't appear in China for a very long time, since they preferred scrolls. The Tang dynasty began to use folded pamphlets for shorter writings, but nothing to the level of a codex. He also gets a small reading list from a potential book buddy! Consider this my tribute to old bookstores, which sadly are scarecer than scarce in my country.

And what's this? Distress from a for? That can't be good.

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