Ethan, or rather, Chun Hyang’s, eyes opened to a bedroom. It was clearly the modest chambers of the equivalent of a studio apartment. He lay in a bed with light brown sheets that didn’t seem like they’d been washed in several days. The covers over him were similar, plain brown. His pillow wasn’t brown at least; more so a cream color. The bed itself was just large enough to house him, despite him being slightly below average in stature.
The room itself was rather bland. His bed sat in the middle of the room against a wall, its foot facing the only door in the room. Against the side wall was a rather large rectangular chest that held most of Chun’s belongings. On the wall opposite the chest was what Chun imagined was a dresser. As he took it in, though, his hazy memory filled in, assuring him it was exactly that. Hooked to the ceiling of the room was a large yellow lanturn, though its light had been extinguished. Directly behind the headboard of the bed was a shuddered window that let in golden rays of the morning sun.
As he looked around the room, Chun’s mind became flooded with memories. It was like an entire lifetime of living in this world up to that point was thrust upon him. In fact, as he sifted through the memories, he realized that’s exactly what it was.
Chun Hyang- or who he was before Ethan ‘spawned’ into his body- was 25, slightly younger than Ethan had been before submitting his consciousness into this world. While the early parts of his life were still fuzzy to him, he knew he lacked a father or mother. Not to say he was literally created from nothing; he had parents. But he didn’t remember them. The ‘Ethan’ side of Chun’s mind deduced they were likely dead, though he couldn’t say why. Given the backgrounds he’d chosen for himself, for Chun, they were likely distant descendants of a Wild-Kin, Spirit-Kin, and some sort of demon in the lineage somewhere. Being parentless in his early life, Chun made his living as a young man helping out the local apothecary within his home village. However, around the age of 15, a Beast Tide came to the village and tore into its citizens. While many fled and survived, the apothecary Chun had studied under was killed. Chun, however, escaped by stealing a spear from a dead guard and killing eight wolf-like beasts before breaking towards the forest. This memory in particular was engraved in pre-Ethan Chun’s mind. Afterwards, he stumbled across a dirt road and began to follow it. Injuries he’d gotten during the fight healed unnaturally fast. Pre-Ethan Chun had thought it was due to the awakening of his internal energy, which he hadn’t known at the time that he had an immense amount of. He’d followed the path for four days before coming across a caravan that took him in. A member of which was a marital artist who took Chun under his wing. His name had been forgotten by Chun over time, but they had taught the boy how to properly strategize in a fight as well as many various martial arts, as he could think of. All of which Chun became accustomed to very quickly. He had followed the caravan for two years, stopping by several towns and multiple points. But they eventually split when Chun decided to make way towards the capital of the Eastern Port region. But the world was vast, and over the next decade, Chun had only made it two-thirds the way there. In that time, he had learnt alchemy from a tome he had bought. Though he had lost it many years ago. The past two years, however, he had settled down in a large city whose port encompassed one of the ‘great lakes’ within the Eastern Port regions. The town was named for the great lake, it rested alongside. The Sapphire Port.
In that time, Chun had looked for work. While his memory was hazy on the specifics, he had ultimately come to work at a brothel named The Studded Pearl. It was a middle-class establishment. It was decently sized, albeit not quite as large as the surrounding buildings. Most of their clients were women, and their prostitutes were men. Though the opposite of those genders wasn’t much less common. There were still plenty of females trying to milk- take that phrase as you will- imperial coins out of men who came by for a show. Chun, however, was no such prostitute. Instead, due to his beginner's knowledge in medicine, he was effectively the apothecary of the building. Primarily, he did check-ups on the prostitutes whose clients got rougher than they should.
Then a thought struck the present Chun in the face like someone had slapped him. “I’m late!” He shouted and shot up from his bed. In a single leap, he went from his bed to the chest and flipped it open the chest.
He quickly put on his uniform, only realizing then that he was naked. Had he started the night naked? There wasn’t time to dwell on the thought; he was late for work. He put on his uniform, a cream-colored robe with a purple trim at the wrists and sides. Under it was a simple tunic. His pants were also cream colored and rather baggy. On his feet, he slipped on a set of wooden sandals. Finally, he grabbed a brown satchel that had general first-aid supplies in it. Before closing the chest, however, a memory struck him. The chest had a false bottom, under which was a considerable amount of imperial coin- the standard currency of Dai’Gyo. Such an amount that Chun had never bothered to count it all. Regardless of his wealth, if he remembered correctly, he’d found underneath the foundation of a tavern within a straw backpack, he had continued working at the Studded Pearl. This was in part due to how well he was treated by his coworkers. They were all generally nice to him, and he was paid rather modestly.
Though as Chun closed the chest and exited his room, the Ethan-half of his brain had imagined the reason behind pre-Ethan Chen not leaving the Studded Pearl was the simulation's intentions.
As Ethan, or Chun, or however he considered himself now, ran into the streets of the Sapphire Port, the two ‘halves’ of his memory began to meld together. It didn’t take long for his mind to fuse the two entities known as ‘Ethan’ and ‘Chun’ into his psyche. Chun, as he decided he would refer to himself, still kept the memories of his prior life of a world beyond Dai’Gyo, but his subconscious told him those memories weren’t important. He would focus his consciousness on this world. But now he had insight into the world’s workings. The ‘modifiers’ that had been applied to the world and himself. He realized that his life leading up to that point could have been predetermined, or it could not have existed at all, and everything could have started as a fabrication of the simulation the W.O.T.M had created. Once again, however, his subconscious pushed those thoughts from his mind. He was going to live in the here and now, regardless of what his new memories told him.
Chun ran down the street, seamlessly weaving through the crowds of passersby. Though a moment later, he drew upon his well of internal energy and leapt into the air. While he was somewhat athletic, he couldn’t jump very high or far. Not compared to most martial artists, at least. However, one of the arts his former master had taught him- or one his former self had chosen for him, it didn’t matter really- allowed him to reach new heights. Literally. His body defied the natural pull of the earth as he glided upward. He began a slow descent soon after, only to land atop the clay tiles of a nearby building’s roof. Without stopping to admire the act he’d done a hundred times, he continued running. Most people would get winded after running for a few minutes, but his stamina was considerably greater than that of others.
He looked into the horizon at the city before him. Kissing the horizon line was the start of the great Sapphire Lake. It was technically the ‘smallest’ of the Great Lakes, but it held the title as a Great Lake for a reason. He didn’t know its exact size, but it was comparable to a section of his prior world’s ocean called the Gulf of Mexico.
He could barely make out the large trade ships coming in and out of the port. They were little more than dots on the horizon, but held so much significance to the region that Chun had always wondered what it would be like to be aboard one and sail from one Great Lake to the next through the World River, a series of large streams that flowed through each of the Great Lakes at various points and ultimately spilled into the greater ocean.
Nearly a decade ago, a new set of ships had appeared over the horizon. They simply called themselves ‘Westerners’ and brought with them all manner of new technology and materials to the Eastern Ports. They had rooted themselves rather nicely into the Eastern Port’s culture, despite a minority of them causing trouble by raiding trade ships and destroying a few lesser towns on the fringes of the Port’s territory. Most considered this minority no more than a particularly large group of bandits.
The Westerners would have likely continued moving west towards the Celestial Empire, but most didn’t due to the growing unrest and minor rebellion within the region. Though thinking on the empire, Chun couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about the Celestial Empire’s situation, as his past self had technically caused it. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it now.
As Chun ran along the rooftops, he looked down at an opening in the grid of buildings to see that an area had been set up for that day’s criminals. They were tied up in various positions and open to the public. Some were blindfolded, but most glanced at passersby as they met eyes. The criminals were set into the area at sunrise and given breaks between their ‘displays’ as was their right to not starve or fall unconscious from their various positions. Chun’s past self may have seen the situation as a bit odd; people being so humiliatingly publicly displayed as punishments for crimes, but to Chun, it was simply a fact of life. And a reason not to openly commit a crime.
His running slowed ever so slightly as he passed, however. He saw a new criminal who hadn’t been there yesterday. She was forced to kneel on the ground with her hands bound behind her back. She wore the simple, dull prisoner's garb, which was partially cut along the middle to allow the cleavage from her massive breasts to be open to onlookers. Her hair was a fiery red, and she kept a defiant look in her eye as she stared down those around her. Chun had slowed slightly to stare at the woman’s breasts. They were well above average, even for most women in this world. They were all more well-endowed on average compared to women of his past life, as well as being slightly taller, equal to or taller than the average man in most cases.
Chun looked away from the eye-candy of the woman and kept running. He could stare at the woman all day. He worked at a damn brothel for heaven’s sake. Nonetheless, he always found himself staring. But he had always been good at controlling his urges.
After several more minutes, Chun stopped and slid off the roof he was on and landed softly on the street once again. He apologized to a man he’d nearly landed on top of as he jogged across the street- waiting only for an ox-drawn cart to pass- and entered the front door of the Studded Pearl to start his day.
Entering the building, the smell of sex and various perfumes surrounded Chun’s senses. He bypassed the check-in counter with a wave to the one behind the counter. An elderly woman smoking a pipe named Val. She gave a nod to Chun as he passed.
Beyond the counter and a set of curtains, Chun came to a large lobby that was similar to a bar. A dozen round tables were scattered around a dimly lit floor. In the center of the room was a slightly raised platform with a man and a woman dancing atop it. The platform was hardly large enough for the two of them to stand on at once, but they danced so close, often sliding against each other’s skin, that the space each took up wasn’t an issue.
Bare-chested men holding platters hovered about the tables, refilling glasses and flirting with the woman. Customers of all sexes had their eyes drawn to the revealing outfits of most of the workers. Chun, who didn’t interact with customers much, such as the chefs in the kitchen and the management, was an exception to this. That didn’t mean that a few women’s heads didn’t turn when Chun walked by. One in particular made Chun’s face grow red and forced a shy grin onto his face.
Her black hair was tied back in a bun. Her lips were a cherry-red from makeup, and her cheeks were a faint pink, though Chun didn’t know if it was from cosmetics, the fact that she may be drunk, or it was natural. Regardless, his gaze was drawn to the open kimono she wore. Despite it generally being common, she wore no undershirt beneath the robes. And despite it being generally uncommon, she also wore nothing over her chest as the silk of the red robes drifted across her boobs.
Chun paused just long enough for the woman to lean over the table she was sitting at, pressing her boobs up and causing her nipples to press against the fabric of her robes. “Hey, cutie, you're late.” She said with a smirk in his direction. “I started to think you finally left. But who could resist being around such a beautiful woman?”
“Couldn’t agree more, Ms. Kanta,” Chun replied.
Ms. Kanta was a regular at the Studded Pearl, but never seemed to pay for the services of the other men. Most employees didn’t know why, but Chun did. He could always tell. He could practically see the lust aimed at the woman surrounding her. That was not to say she had no eyes for any of the men, but most simply weren't her type. They were thin and taller than average.
Chun, on the other hand, only then noticed that he was. He was an inch or two smaller than most other men, and his build was somewhat athletic. Though one couldn’t tell due to his robes. Ms. Kanta had only known of his physique due to his disrobing his top on a particularly hot summer day and lifting his undershirt to whip his brown. The woman had gotten considerably more chatty with him after that.
Chun was about to continue the conversation, partially just to get a few more glances at the woman’s cleavage, when an arm grabbed his shoulder and began to pull him. The man yelped in surprise and almost stumbled as he was pulled along. However, he turned and hopped on the tip of his foot to propel himself in the direction he was being pulled, preventing the stumble.
The person who now gripped his robes and led him through the lobby was a tall man, halfway between 6 and 7 feet. He had large forearms that pressed against his uniform, a black and purple suit that helped him blend into the dim lighting of the building. His knuckles were well-conditioned from fighting, and Chun knew the man was relatively skilled in combat. Though Chun knew he could beat the man if they were to fight. The man in question was the sole guard of the establishment, Baek Choel.
“Nearly an hour late, today of all days.” He grumbled under his breath. “Mr. Heiyin arrived today.” He said as he saw Chun raise a brow behind him. He also let go of the man’s shoulder now that he was following him.
Mr. Heiyin was a rather… aggressive regular of the Studded Pearl. While he didn’t harm those he paid for every time he entered the establishment, it was a common enough occurrence that the prostitutes were wary of getting near him out of fear he’d ask for their services. The only silver lining was that he generally paid more than most customers due to his status. While technically a middle-class citizen within the Sapphire Port, it was an open secret that he was mingled rather deeply into a criminal gang in the city.
Before today, Chun had thought this was a small matter, simply a man who’d gotten wealth from crime and abused the power it gave him. But now he had the knowledge of his past life and how he’d made the world as it is. So now he knew that the roots that Mr. Heiyin likely had within the underworld spanned far wider than just a section of the port, even if he was only a small part of a greater whole.
Baek guided Chun to his ‘clinic’ though it was little more than a room off to the side of the private rooms with a desk, a few cabinets, and a chair in the middle for him to examine his injured coworkers. Normally, only Chun and one, rarely two, others were ever in the room at a given time. But when they entered, three of his coworkers were in the room, totaling five once he and Baek entered.
In the central chair was a woman with black hair falling down her shoulders and over part of the front of her face. Chun recognized her immediately as Mei, or as the customers knew her, Petal. She was completely naked except for a pair of black panties. But the thought of admiring the woman’s admittedly beautiful form didn’t even cross Chun’s mind as he noticed she was clutching her wrist. The wrist on her right hand was swollen and had taken on a purple hue; her hand seemed dislodged from the joint as well. Her head lifted from her injury as Chun and Baek entered. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were moist with tears.
The other two surrounding her turned, also noticing their entry.
The one to Mei’s left was a man of average height, roughly 5’8, holding what Chun assumed to be ice wrapped in a rag to the side of his face. He had short brown hair and a mildly built physique, similar to Chun. He didn’t wear a shirt, but rather tight purple pants; Wong.
The one to Mei’s left wasn’t injured. Rather, they were the owner of the establishment. Ms. Pairu. She wore a fine purple kimono with several cream-colored spheres on it. She was the only one in the room to be wearing jewelry. Her deep violet hair was tied in a bun and kept together with a hairpin tipped with a small pearl. Around one of her wrists was a silver bracelet that Chen could tell was a weak treasure to some degree. She also had a single gold ring topped with an amethyst on her left ring finger. She was the first to speak of the three. “Hyang, you’re finally here. We have a bit of a problem.”