Mara stared at the cracked Green Feather Courier core for almost a full minute.
Ciel waited.
Elena waited.
Nora passed behind them carrying a stack of receipts, noticed all three women staring at a small green stone, and continued walking.
“Should I be worried?” Nora asked.
“Probably,” Elena said.
Ciel frowned.
“We haven’t done anything yet.” “That’s why I’m only slightly worried.” Mara ignored both of them.
The monster core rested inside its blackwood box on the workshop table.
In daylight, it looked even more like jade.
Pale green.
Cloudy near the fracture.
Smooth everywhere else.
A faint current of Wind Qi continuously circulated inside it, so weak that Ciel could only sense it when she concentrated.
Yet it was there.
A remnant of whatever living structure had once allowed a Green Feather Courier to bend air around its wings and cross Blue Port faster than a horse could gallop.
Ciel leaned closer.
“We cut it in half.” Mara looked at her.
“No.” Ciel blinked.
“But that’s the idea.” “The idea is to obtain two spiritually matched components.” “Yes.” “And your solution is to take the rare component we spent five spirit stones and Dorian Rook’s vanity obtaining…” Elena raised one finger.
“Technically, the wine cost five spirit stones.” Mara looked at her.
Elena lowered her finger.
Mara returned her attention to Ciel.
“…and break it.” “Carefully.” “Ah.” Mara nodded.
“Carefully.” “That changes everything.” Ciel crossed her arms.
“Master.” Mara picked up the core with a pair of wooden tongs.
“Monster cores are not ordinary minerals.” “I know.” “No.” Mara placed it on a padded tray.
“You know the sentence.” “That is different.” Ciel became quiet.
Mara tapped the cracked surface.
“A core is formed through years of Qi circulation inside a living creature.” “Patterns develop.” “Channels.” “Elemental tendencies.” “Resonance.” “Internal stress.” “Cut through the wrong point and you don’t get two smaller cores.” “You get spiritually expensive gravel.” Elena’s face changed.
“How expensive?” Mara looked at her.
“Five spirit stones.” Elena immediately moved farther from Ciel.
Ciel stared.
“I wasn’t going to cut it myself.” “You were.” “I was going to ask.” “You were going to ask while holding a knife.” Ciel decided not to argue with that.
Mara sat.
“First, we inspect.” She activated Aura Sight.
Silver entered her eyes.
Ciel watched silently as Mara rotated the core beneath the light.
Minutes passed.
Then Mara took conductive ink and drew a rough oval on paper.
Inside it she sketched several curved paths.
“This is not exact,” she said.
“Monster-core structure is not an array.” “But it behaves similarly enough that you can think about it this way.” She pointed.
“Wind Qi circulates around the outer shell.” “Here.” “Here.” “And here.” Her finger stopped along the existing fracture.
“This crack is fortunate.” Ciel leaned closer.
“Why?” “It already follows a weak boundary between two sections of the core.” Elena immediately looked relieved.
“So it can be split?” “Possibly.” “Possibly?” Mara glanced at her.
“You paid for an experiment.” Elena sighed.
“I know.” Ciel smiled.
“You said it yourself.” “Do not use my optimism against me.” They did not cut the core that day.
That offended Ciel deeply.
Instead, Mara made her spend the afternoon practicing on ordinary spirit-bearing stones.
Not monster cores.
Not even particularly valuable stones.
Old fragments from the workshop.
Some had absorbed Earth Qi.
Others traces of Water Qi.
The objective was simple.
Divide them without destroying their internal spiritual pattern.
Ciel failed seven times.
The eighth fragment split correctly.
Mara examined both pieces.
“Bad.” Ciel stared.
“They’re intact.” “Physically.” She pushed one half toward Ciel.
“Probe it.” Ciel sent in a thread of Qi.
The energy entered.
Then dispersed chaotically.
“Oh.” “Again.” By sunset, Ciel’s fingers hurt and Mara had accumulated a small pile of formerly useful materials.
Elena had fallen asleep in a chair.
Nora entered with tea.
She looked at the debris.
“Should I add ‘broken rocks’ to expenses?” “Training materials,” Mara replied.
Nora wrote something.
Ciel narrowed her eyes.
“Did you actually write broken rocks?” “No.” Nora closed the ledger.
That meant yes.
On the third day, Mara finally allowed the Green Feather core onto the workbench.
Elena arrived before sunrise.
“You didn’t have to come this early.” Elena looked at Ciel.
“I have five reasons to be here.” “Five?” “Spirit stones.” Ciel smiled.
Mara pointed at both of them.
“Silence.” The workshop fell quiet.
The core sat inside a small stabilizing array.
Four low-grade spirit-stone fragments powered it.
Not full stones.
Fragments.
Mara had emphasized this distinction several times.
“Do not breathe on it.” Ciel stared.
“That isn’t a real concern.” “It became one when you leaned forward.” Ciel leaned back.
Mara took out an extremely thin cutting wire.
It was not metal.
At least, Ciel did not think it was.
The strand shimmered faintly beneath Qi.
“What is that?” “Something you cannot afford.” Ciel immediately stopped asking.
Mara infused Qi.
The wire tightened.
The stabilizing array lit.
The crack in the Green Feather core began to glow.
Wind Qi escaped in thin threads.
Ciel’s own Qi stirred in response.
Mara guided the wire along the existing fracture.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The green core resisted.
Then— tik.
Two pieces separated.
No explosion.
No scream.
No pile of spiritually expensive gravel.
Ciel forgot to breathe.
Mara did not celebrate.
She immediately sealed each half beneath a stabilizing talisman.
“Don’t touch.” Ciel’s hand stopped halfway.
“I wasn’t.” “You were.” Elena whispered: “She was.” Traitor.
Mara waited until the escaping Wind Qi settled.
Then removed the talismans.
Two green halves rested on the cloth.
Each retained the original curved outer surface.
Their cut faces were strangely smooth.
Not perfectly flat.
Not yet.
But the internal material was beautiful.
Translucent green.
Fine currents seemed trapped inside it.
Ciel picked one up only after Mara nodded.
It was cool.
Light.
Alive with faint Wind Qi.
She looked at the second half.
The two pieces were almost identical.
“Probe one.” Ciel sent a tiny pulse of Qi into the piece in her hand.
The fragment warmed.
Across the table— the second fragment trembled.
All three women froze.
Elena pointed.
“It moved.” Ciel sent another pulse.
The fragment on the table trembled again.
Very slightly.
But unmistakably.
Ciel’s eyes widened.
“Mara.” “I saw.” “They’re still connected.” “Do not say connected yet.” “Resonating.” “Better.” Ciel picked up both pieces.
Her smile grew.
“It works.” Mara raised one eyebrow.
“You have transmitted a tremble across one table.” “It works.” “You haven’t transmitted sound.” “It works.” “You haven’t transmitted anything useful.” “It works.” Elena sided with Ciel.
“It moved.” Mara closed her eyes.
“Wonderful.” “I am surrounded by scholars.” The shape came later.
Ciel originally imagined round earrings.
Mara rejected them because the array needed more room.
Then Ciel drew squares.
Elena rejected them because they were ugly.
Ciel drew larger squares.
Elena stared at her.
“That made it worse.” “Function matters.” “You expect me to wear it.” “You said you wanted one.” “I want communication.” “I also have ears.” Ciel sighed.
“What shape?” Elena picked up one half of the Green Feather core.
Now that Mara had carefully ground and polished the fractured surface, each half had become a smooth green oval.
Not a perfect gem.
Better.
The material itself looked naturally polished.
Almost like fine jadeite.
Elena held it beside her ear.
“This part is beautiful.” Ciel looked.
It was.
The green stood out against Elena’s hair.
“What about the formation?” Mara pushed a small strip of blue metal across the table.
Ciel stopped.
Orion.
The color was unmistakable.
Deep blue with faint iridescent traces beneath the surface.
Home.
She picked it up.
“Where did you get this?” “Your town sells metal.” “I know that.” “I am an appraiser.” “People sell me things.” Ciel turned the strip over.
It was scrap.
Too small for a weapon.
Too narrow for most structural artifacts.
Perfect for jewelry.
Mara tapped it.
“Orion isn’t the best conductor we could use.” Ciel looked at her.
“But?” “But you need very little material.” “And it accepts fine engraving reasonably well.” “And?” Mara knew her too well.
Ciel traced the blue surface.
“And I want Orion.” Mara shrugged.
“Then use Orion.” Elena smiled.
Ciel pretended not to notice.
The first proper design emerged that evening.
A thin rectangular piece of Orion metal.
Longer than it was wide.
Light enough to hang from an ear.
The green oval of monster core sat embedded near its center.
Fine formation lines covered the Orion.
Receive.
Guide.
Resonate.
Stabilize.
Release.
There was not enough space for large runes.
Everything had to be compressed.
Mara engraved the most delicate parts.
Ciel handled the broader circuits under supervision.
Above the rectangle, a small hole held a gold ear wire.
Below it— Elena added chains.
Ciel stared.
“Why?” “Because it’s ugly.” “It’s less ugly now.” “It’s still a blue rectangle with a green rock in it.” “Core.” “Green rock.” Mara was examining a formation line.
Neither looked at her.
Elena took three extremely fine gold chains.
Gold was expensive to mortals.
Compared with spiritual materials, it was almost convenient.
She attached them to the bottom of the Orion plate.
At the end of each hung a tiny drop-shaped charm.
When Elena moved the unfinished earring— ting.
A soft chime.
Then another.
ting…
ting.
Ciel looked up.
Elena smiled.
“Better.” Ciel took the earring.
The three tiny golden drops brushed together.
A delicate bell-like sound followed.
“Pretty.” “I know.” Mara finally looked.
Her eyes narrowed.
Ciel recognized that expression.
“What?” “Move it again.” Ciel did.
The charms chimed.
Mara reached out.
She touched one of the chains.
“Interesting.” Elena blinked.
“What?” “The chains are responding to vibration.” Ciel immediately leaned forward.
“Could they help?” “Possibly.” Mara hated that word.
Ciel loved it.
“Gold is a poor spiritual material.” “But physically?” “Good enough.” The chains might act as tiny passive resonators.
Not necessary.
Not powerful.
But useful.
They could allow some residual vibration to disperse instead of echoing back into the Wind core.
Ciel looked at Elena.
“You accidentally improved the artifact.” Elena straightened.
“Naturally.” Mara looked at both girls.
“Everyone is becoming unbearable.” The first test did not go well.
They did not put the earrings on.
Mara had forbidden that.
Instead, each prototype rested on a wooden stand several paces apart.
Ciel stood beside the first.
Elena stood beside the second.
Mara waited between them.
“Ready?” Elena asked.
Ciel nodded.
She touched the activation point.
Infused a thread of Qi.
The Orion strip glowed.
At first only blue.
Then the metal’s natural spiritual property awakened.
Faint colors moved across its surface.
Green.
Violet.
Blue.
Gold.
A tiny aurora flowed over the Orion.
The Green Feather core lit from within.
The gold chains reflected the colors.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Elena looked at the prototype.
“Oh.” Ciel smiled.
“It’s beautiful.” Mara sighed.
“Speak.” “Right.” Ciel leaned toward it.
“Elena.” Nothing happened.
Elena looked at her prototype.
Nothing.
Ciel increased Qi.
“Elena?” Still nothing.
More Qi.
Mara’s expression changed.
“Ciel—” The second prototype screamed.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE— Elena jumped backward.
Mara slapped a finger onto the stabilizing rune.
The sound died.
Silence.
Elena stared at Ciel.
Ciel stared at the artifact.
Mara stared at both.
Finally Elena spoke.
“You wanted to put that in my ear?” “Eventually.” “You nearly killed me from across the table.” “It wasn’t that loud.” “It frightened three birds outside.” As if summoned, something crashed into a window.
Ciel looked away.
Mara rubbed her forehead.
“Too much amplification.” Ciel nodded.
“Yes.” “Do not sound pleased.” “We know what’s wrong.” “We know one thing that’s wrong.” “Progress.” Elena pointed toward the prototype.
“That word means something different to you.” The second prototype transmitted something recognizable.
Unfortunately, it should not have.
Ciel activated her side.
The Orion shimmered.
The green core glowed.
She spoke carefully.
“Elena.” The second earring vibrated.
Then produced: “Eeeeehh…
naaAAAAAaaaaa…” Elena stared.
Ciel stared.
From behind them, Mara said: “Technically, voice arrived.” Elena slowly turned toward her.
“That was not a voice.” “It contained characteristics of one.” “It sounded like someone dying in a well.” Mara nodded.
“A human voice, then.” Ciel covered her mouth.
Elena glared.
Ciel failed.
She laughed.
They tried again.
And again.
And again.
For six days.
Sometimes the receiving earring produced nothing.
Sometimes it hummed.
Sometimes the sound arrived distorted.
Once, Elena said: “Can you hear me?” And Ciel’s prototype answered with something that sounded like: “Kill your family.” The room became silent.
Elena stared.
“I did not say that.” “I know.” “Good.” Mara adjusted the formation.
“Do not test that version outside.” They did not.
Another attempt transmitted Ciel’s voice with surprising clarity— for half a second.
Then the core overheated.
Another worked perfectly until Elena moved her head.
Another only functioned when both earrings faced north.
Mara considered that interesting.
Ciel considered it useless.
Elena considered everything increasingly suspicious.
“You owe me five spirit stones.” “I know.” “With interest.” “I know.” “Just reminding you.” The problem was power.
Then amplification.
Then interference.
Then power again.
Ciel spent an entire afternoon staring at the design.
At sunset, she took one earring from the stand.
She held it beside her ear.
Did not put it on.
Just held it there.
Mara looked up.
“What?” “We’re still doing it wrong.” “Specific.” Ciel moved the earring away.
Then close.
“Every test assumes the receiver has to make enough sound for someone standing nearby to hear it.” Mara frowned.
“So?” “It doesn’t.” Ciel touched her ear.
“It only needs to make enough sound for me to hear it from here.” She held the earring less than a finger’s width away.
Elena became attentive.
Ciel continued.
“If we reduce amplification…” “Less Qi,” Mara said.
“Less distortion.” “Less vibration returning into the core.” “Less interference.” Mara stood.
Ciel smiled.
That meant she had something.
“We don’t need to make a voice fill the room.” “No.” “We only need to make it reach an ear.” Mara took the prototype.
“Reduce Amplify.” Ciel was already reaching for the engraving tools.
The seventh prototype was the first one Mara allowed them to wear.
“Before either of you complains later,” Mara said, “I objected.” Elena looked at Ciel.
“I want that formally recorded.” Nora, passing the workshop door with a ledger, raised it.
“I can arrange that.” “No.” Ciel and Mara spoke simultaneously.
Nora continued walking.
Elena examined her earring.
The finished shape had become surprisingly elegant.
A slim rectangle of blue Orion hung from a fine gold hook through her earlobe.
The polished green oval of the split Wind core was embedded in its center.
Three delicate gold chains hung beneath the rectangle.
Each ended in a tiny golden drop.
When Elena turned her head— ting…
The drops touched.
A faint chime.
Ciel stared.
“What?” Elena asked.
“Nothing.” “What?” “It looks good.” Elena smiled.
“I know.” Ciel put on the matching earring.
It was light.
Lighter than she expected.
The gold chains brushed her neck when she moved.
Mara looked between them.
“Activate.” Ciel touched the tiny inscription near the bottom of the Orion strip.
A thread of Qi entered.
The metal came alive.
A miniature aurora flowed across its blue surface.
Green and violet light moved through the Orion.
The oval Wind core glowed softly.
The light reflected through the fine gold chains.
The tiny pendants caught it.
Gold flashed warmly beside Ciel’s face.
Elena stared.
“Do mine.” Ciel looked at her.
“Activate it.” Elena infused Qi.
Her Orion plate awakened.
Aurora.
Green core.
Gold.
For a few breaths, Ciel forgot they had built communication artifacts.
They looked like jewelry from some noble cultivator’s collection.
When Elena moved, the golden drops chimed and scattered tiny reflections across her neck.
Nora appeared in the doorway.
She stared.
“Those are prototypes?” “Yes,” Ciel said.
“They’re prettier than everything we sell.” Mara looked offended.
“The warming blankets are extremely practical.” Nora left.
Mara sent Elena downstairs.
Not across the street.
Not across Blue Port.
Downstairs.
“We begin with walls.” Elena disappeared.
Ciel waited in the workshop.
Her heart beat far too quickly for a test covering one floor.
She touched the activation point.
Qi entered.
The Orion brightened.
The green core glowed.
Ciel spoke.
“Elena?” Static.
A faint hum.
Then— “…Ciel?” Ciel froze.
The voice had been quiet.
Distorted.
Barely more than a whisper inside the earring.
But it was Elena.
Ciel looked at Mara.
Mara was already staring at the artifact.
Ciel touched it again.
“Say something.” A pause.
Then: “…You owe me five spirit stones.” Ciel laughed.
She heard Elena laughing through the earring too.
Not clearly.
Not perfectly.
But unmistakably.
Ciel ran toward the stairs.
Mara caught the back of her robe.
“Where are you going?” “Downstairs.” “Why?” “It worked!” “You are currently speaking to her.” Ciel stopped.
That was true.
A moment later Elena came running upstairs anyway.
They met in the doorway.
“It worked!” “It worked!” Mara remained beside the table.
“You successfully communicated across one floor.” Ciel turned.
“We successfully communicated across one floor!” “That is what I said.” Elena touched the earring.
“Again.” By the end of the day, they had reached the courtyard.
The following morning, the end of the street.
Then two streets.
Buildings weakened the signal.
Certain active formations disrupted it badly.
Heavy stone walls introduced distortion.
Rain made almost no difference.
Wind did.
Strangely, strong natural wind sometimes improved the connection and sometimes made it almost unusable.
Ciel filled pages.
Mara filled more.
Elena mostly walked.
“This invention requires far too much exercise.” “You wanted the earring.” “I wanted to speak to you without walking.” “Once we finish testing, you can.” “I have already walked farther testing it than I would have walked for the next month.” Ciel considered.
“Investment.” Elena looked disgusted.
“You’ve been spending too much time with Mara.” Their first serious distance test came four days later.
Ciel remained at Voss Appraisals.
Elena returned to Green Trail’s meeting hall.
The distance was far greater than anything they had tried.
Several streets.
Buildings.
People.
Other formations.
Ciel sat behind the Voss counter.
Nora pretended not to watch.
Mara did not pretend.
The earring rested against Ciel’s neck.
Inactive, the Orion was simply blue metal.
The green oval looked like fine jade.
The gold drops hung quietly beneath it.
Ciel touched the activation rune.
Qi entered.
The Orion shimmered.
A tiny aurora bloomed beside her face.
The Green Feather core lit.
The golden drops caught the light.
She waited.
Then spoke.
“Elena?” Static.
Ciel’s smile faded.
“Elena?” Nothing.
Mara remained silent.
Ciel adjusted the Qi input.
Less.
Not more.
The core had worked better when she stopped forcing it.
She touched the rune again.
“Elena?” Static.
A crackle.
Then— “…Ciel?” Ciel stopped breathing.
Nora’s head snapped toward her.
Mara’s expression changed.
Ciel touched the earring.
“I can hear you.” More static.
Then Elena’s voice.
“…I can hear you too.” Ciel’s eyes widened.
“How clear?” “…You sound like you’re speaking through a bucket.” Ciel laughed.
“You sound worse.” “…Good.” “Good?” “…Means yours isn’t better.” Ciel heard distant voices behind Elena.
Green Trail members.
Someone asked Elena who she was speaking to.
Elena replied away from the earring.
The sound became almost unintelligible.
Directional.
Interesting.
Ciel grabbed her notebook.
“Say something while facing away.” “…What?” “Face away.” “…Ciel.” “Please.” A sigh reached her.
Then a distant: “…this is ridiculous…” Very weak.
Ciel wrote.
“Again.” Elena faced the earring.
“…If you make me repeat another sentence, I’m charging interest twice.” Much clearer.
Ciel wrote faster.
Then Mara asked: “How stable is it?” Ciel looked up.
“Stable enough.” “Keep talking.” Ciel obeyed.
“Elena, walk toward the back of the hall.” A pause.
“…Why?” “Testing.” “…Of course.” Footsteps came through faintly.
The signal weakened.
Static increased.
Then strengthened again.
Ciel noted it.
Mara watched the Orion carefully.
“Qi consumption?” “Still low.” “Any discomfort?” “No.” Mara nodded.
“Ask Elena.” Ciel did.
“…Nothing.” “Heat?” “…Barely.” “Pressure in the ear?” “…No.” Mara looked toward the window.
“How long have you been connected?” Ciel checked the small sand timer they had started.
“Almost a quarter hour.” “And no meaningful increase in consumption.” “No.” Mara became quiet.
That silence was different.
Not confusion.
Calculation.
Ciel recognized it.
“You’re thinking about money.” “I’m thinking about applications.” “Which means money.” “Frequently.” Nora nodded from behind her ledger.
Mara pointed at her.
“See?” Nora looked down.
“I wasn’t agreeing.” Ciel touched the earring.
“Elena, come back.” “…Finally.” The connection ended.
Mara was still staring at the divination counter.
Ciel followed her gaze.
The turtle shell.
The reversed coins.
The Spirit Wood rods.
Her master’s eyes narrowed.
“We need to test it outside the city.” Ciel blinked.
“Outside?” “Yes.” “That’s a much larger distance.” “Obviously.” “Terrain could interfere.” “Exactly.” “Other formations.” “Yes.” “Monster Qi.” “Possibly.” Mara turned toward her.
“Those are the questions we don’t know.” Ciel understood.
“You want range.” “I want useful range.” Mara walked to the divination table.
She picked up the turtle shell.
“Right now, if a hunting group encounters something they don’t understand, what do they do?” “Return.” “Or send someone back.” “Or guess.” “Or die badly.” Ciel winced.
Mara shrugged.
“An occupational hazard.” She put the shell down.
“If one of them carries one earring…” Her finger tapped the other.
“…and I keep its pair here…” Elena’s voice came from the doorway.
“You could perform Divination for them from the shop.” They turned.
Elena had returned sooner than expected.
Mara smiled.
“Exactly.” Ciel looked at the earrings.
Then at the turtle shell.
“From outside Blue Port.” “If the range allows it.” “We don’t know that.” “Then we test it.” Ciel stared at her master.
Mara had already moved on.
“Rental deposit.” “Consultation fee.” “Damage fee.” “Loss fee.” “If they die with it…” Elena frowned.
“That’s just a loss fee.” “Incorrect.” Mara looked offended.
“Retrieval costs money.” Ciel stared.
“You already planned the fees.” “I own a shop.” “We don’t even know if it works beyond the walls.” “Then tomorrow we find out.” Ciel looked at Elena.
Elena sighed.
“I suppose I’m walking again.” Mara nodded.
“Farther this time.” Elena pointed at Ciel.
“You owe me more than five spirit stones now.” “Why?” “Labor.” The next problem was appearance.
Not because anything was wrong with it.
Quite the opposite.
Elena returned to Voss Appraisals still wearing the prototype openly.
Two customers turned to look.
Not because they knew what it did.
Because it was beautiful.
The polished green core caught the daylight.
Blue Orion framed it.
Fine gold chains swayed beneath.
Tiny drop-shaped pendants chimed as Elena walked.
One mortal woman waiting near the counter stared for several seconds.
“That’s lovely.” Elena touched it unconsciously.
“Thank you.” “Where did you buy it?” Elena looked toward Ciel.
Ciel looked toward Mara.
Mara looked immediately interested.
“Prototype,” Ciel said quickly.
The woman sighed.
“Pity.” She returned to waiting.
Mara watched her.
Then looked at the earring.
Then at Elena.
Then at Ciel.
Ciel knew that expression.
“No.” Mara blinked.
“I haven’t said anything.” “You’re thinking loudly.” Mara smiled.
Ciel immediately regretted teaching her that phrase.
After closing, they returned to the workshop.
Mara placed the earrings beside the paired jade tablets.
The comparison was almost insulting.
The tablets were useful.
Reliable.
Simple.
Ugly.
The earrings were something else.
Elena activated hers.
The Orion came alive.
A small aurora flowed through the blue metal.
The green Wind core glowed from within.
The fine golden chains caught the shifting colors.
Each tiny drop pendant reflected the light.
Against Elena’s hair and skin, the result was striking.
Ciel stared.
Elena turned toward the mirror.
Aurora shimmered beside her face.
The green core illuminated the gold.
Even the faintest movement made the chains sway and ring softly.
ting…
ting…
Elena touched one of them.
“You did this on purpose?” Ciel looked offended.
“No.” “Then I did.” “You added decoration.” “Decoration that improved resonance.” “Accidentally.” “Improved is improved.” Mara looked at Elena’s reflection.
Then at Ciel.
“She is right.” Elena smiled triumphantly.
Ciel groaned.
Mara picked up the paired jade tablet.
“People already buy artifacts that are less useful and uglier than this.” “That’s not reassuring.” “It should be.” “Why?” “Because now we know our competition.” That night, Ciel sat alone on the roof above Voss Appraisals.
Blue Port spread around her.
Lanterns.
Ships.
Distant formations.
The occasional cultivator crossing a rooftop.
Somewhere far away, a Green Feather Courier flew through the darkness carrying somebody’s letter.
Ciel touched the earring hanging from her left ear.
The little golden drops chimed softly.
She infused Qi.
The Orion awakened.
Aurora flowed across the blue metal.
The green core glowed.
She spoke quietly.
“Elena?” Static answered.
Then— “…I’m trying to sleep.” Ciel smiled.
“It still works.” A pause.
“…You called me to check if it still works?” “Yes.” Silence.
“…I spent five spirit stones on this.” “You mention that often.” “…Because I spent five spirit stones.” Ciel laughed.
Elena sighed through the earring.
Then her voice softened.
“…It is pretty, though.” Ciel touched one of the golden drops.
“So you like it?” “…I like my five-spirit-stone earring.” “It’s technically half of a five-spirit-stone investment.” “…Good night, Ciel.” “Good night.” The connection went quiet.
Ciel did not immediately deactivate the earring.
She looked across the enormous city.
Until that week, speaking to Elena meant finding her.
Walking to Green Trail.
Leaving a message.
Waiting.
Now Elena could be somewhere else entirely— and Ciel could still hear her voice.
The idea felt larger at night.
She touched the activation rune again.
The tiny aurora beside her face brightened.
Far below, someone laughed in the street.
Ciel looked toward the distant lights.
She had wanted to make it easier to speak to a friend.
That was all.
She had no idea what Blue Port would eventually decide the earrings meant.
For now, they meant something much simpler.
Distance had become a little smaller.