Elena discovered the problem with owning half of an experimental communication artifact the following morning.
Mara wanted to borrow it.
“No.” Mara looked up from her tea.
Ciel looked between them.
Elena placed one hand protectively over the green-and-blue earring hanging from her left ear.
“No?” “No.” “Why?” “Because it’s mine.” Mara took another sip.
“Half of it is yours.” “Exactly.” “And the other half is hanging from Ciel’s ear.” “Also exactly.” Mara set her cup down.
“Then the ownership structure is unusually simple.” Elena narrowed her eyes.
“What ownership structure?” “The one in which both owners are about to lend their artifacts to Voss Appraisals for field testing.” Ciel slowly raised one hand.
“I don’t remember agreeing to that.” Mara looked at her.
“You live in my house.” Ciel lowered her hand.
Elena pointed at herself.
“I don’t.” “Excellent.
Your objection has legal standing.” Elena looked briefly victorious.
Mara continued.
“So I’ll pay you.” That stopped her.
Ciel sighed.
“You were waiting for that.” “Of course.” Mara folded her hands.
“We know the earrings work across Blue Port.” “We know ordinary buildings cause some interference.” “We know active formations can distort the resonance.” “We know neither of you has gone deaf.” Elena touched her ear.
“An important achievement.” “But we do not know how they behave outside the city.” Ciel nodded.
That part bothered her too.
Their longest serious test had been between Voss Appraisals and Green Trail’s hall.
Useful.
Impressive.
But still inside Blue Port.
Mara pointed toward Elena.
“Green Trail sends people outside the walls almost every day.” “You want me to take it on an expedition.” “Yes.” “And Ciel stays here.” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because if both experimental artifacts wander into the wilderness together, we learn very little about long-distance communication.” Annoyingly logical.
Mara pointed toward Ciel.
“She records signal behavior from a fixed point.” Then at Elena.
“You walk.” Elena’s face fell.
Ciel smiled.
Elena noticed.
“Don’t.” “I’m not saying anything.” “Your face is.” Mara continued.
“If something genuinely unusual occurs, you may also consult me through the pair.” Elena paused.
“Divination?” “Yes.” “For free?” “One ordinary consultation during the test.” Elena sat straighter.
“Only one?” Mara stared at her.
“Do you think Heaven answers questions for free?” Ciel looked over.
“The turtle shell doesn’t have much metaphysical backlash.” “No.” Mara tapped her own abdomen.
“My Qi reserve does.” That was different.
Mara’s first secret technique was crude by the standards of true Divination.
Coins.
A turtle shell.
Trigrams.
Lunar movements.
It read shallow tendencies.
It did not pry deeply into Heaven’s secrets.
That made it relatively safe.
Not cheap.
At Third Layer, someone could perform the technique once and nearly empty their entire reserve.
At Fourth Layer, perhaps twice.
Fifth, four times.
Mara, at Sixth Layer, could manage roughly eight ordinary readings from full Qi before becoming dry.
Ciel had found that number astonishing when she first learned it.
Mara had found Ciel’s reaction insulting.
“You can recover Qi from spirit stones,” Ciel said.
Mara’s eyes narrowed.
“So can you recover warmth by burning gold.” Elena nodded solemnly.
“Technically true.” Mara ignored her.
“One low-grade spirit stone would give me enough Qi for perhaps three additional ordinary readings.” She held up one finger.
“One.” “Spirit.” “Stone.” Ciel understood.
No respectable cultivator casually burned cultivation currency merely because they were tired.
Not unless something mattered more than money.
Combat.
Escape.
A formation that could not be allowed to collapse.
A life.
Mara leaned back.
“So yes.
One consultation is free.” Elena smiled.
“Generous.” “I am extremely generous.” Ciel coughed.
Mara ignored her.
“Green Trail was already sending a group toward West Reed Hills tomorrow,” Elena said.
“Distance?” “Several hours on foot.” Mara nodded.
“Good.” Elena sighed.
“I knew you would say that.” The Green Trail group arrived shortly after sunrise.
Four people.
Ciel already knew three of them by sight.
Owen Pike entered first, carrying a short spear and enough rope to make Ciel wonder exactly what he expected to meet.
Selene Hart followed with two herb cases strapped across her back.
Daren Holt came next.
Somewhere in his thirties.
Broad-shouldered.
Quiet.
Four condensed layers of Qi surrounded his body.
Beside Ciel’s recently stabilized Second Layer, his presence was difficult to ignore.
Elena entered last.
Her earring chimed softly as she walked.
Ting…
Daren looked at it.
“So that’s the famous artifact.” Elena covered it immediately.
“Don’t.” “I wasn’t touching it.” “You were looking at it.” “Looking is still free.” From behind the counter Mara said: “Give me time.” Daren laughed.
Then his expression became more serious.
“Elena explained what we’re doing.” Ciel unrolled a sheet of paper.
“I want you to contact us regularly.” “At the western gate.” “At the river crossing.” “Then whenever the terrain or local Qi changes substantially.” Owen looked at the page.
“How far does it work?” Ciel hesitated.
“We don’t know.” “You built it.” “Yes.” “And you don’t know?” “That’s why you’re walking.” Owen looked at Elena.
Elena pointed at Ciel.
“I’ve been asking similar questions for days.” Ciel continued.
“If the voice weakens, don’t immediately feed it more Qi.” “Too much makes the resonance unstable.” Elena recited along with her.
“More Qi does not mean more range.” Ciel frowned.
“I was explaining.” “You’ve explained it nine times.” “Eight.” “Nine.” Mara emerged from the rear room carrying her turtle shell.
The mood changed slightly.
Daren clasped his hands.
“Senior Voss.” Mara nodded.
“If something looks wrong, do not investigate first and ask me afterward.” Owen raised one hand.
“What qualifies as wrong?” “Anything that makes you think you should ask that question.” Owen slowly lowered his hand.
Mara looked at Elena.
“And if anyone offers to buy the earring?” “It’s not for sale.” “If anyone asks who made it?” “Prototype.” “How much?” Elena opened her mouth.
Mara answered for her.
“Not for sale.” Daren glanced at the artifact.
“How valuable is it?” Ciel looked toward Mara.
That question had become complicated.
The wine had cost five low-grade spirit stones.
Dorian’s cracked old Courier core had been given in return partly because its stored Qi was mostly depleted and partly because Dorian had refused to look cheap in front of juniors after accepting good Spirit Wine.
But that did not mean another usable core could simply be purchased for five stones.
The original had retained exactly what they needed.
Wind nature.
Internal resonance.
A fracture that could be divided without destroying the spiritual structure.
And most importantly— they had actually found one.
Mara answered: “If you lose the pair, replacing it may cost twenty or twenty-five low-grade spirit stones.” She paused.
“Assuming we can find the right core at all.” Owen’s expression changed.
Daren looked at Elena’s ear again.
Much more carefully this time.
Elena covered it with both hands.
“I liked it better when nobody knew.” “For the expedition,” Mara continued, “the security deposit is five low-grade spirit stones.” Daren frowned.
“Five?” “The artifact is worth far more.” “Then why only five?” “Because if I demanded its full replacement value, you would not rent it.” Daren considered that.
Fair.
“And if we lose it?” “Then we discuss why.” Owen looked nervous.
“What if a monster eats Elena?” Elena turned.
“Why specifically me?” “The earring is on you.” Mara answered calmly.
“If a monster eats Elena, recovering the artifact becomes a separate expense.” Owen lowered his hand.
Ciel stared at Mara.
“You’ve thought about this.” “I own a shop.” Ciel accompanied them to Blue Port’s western gate.
Morning traffic already flowed through it.
Farmers.
Porters.
A merchant cart.
Two cultivators leading something that looked suspiciously like an angry goat with scales.
Elena wore the earring openly.
It was difficult not to.
Inactive, it was already beautiful.
A slim rectangle of deep-blue Orion framed the polished green half of the Wind core.
Three delicate golden chains hung below.
At the end of each, a tiny drop-shaped charm moved with every step.
Ting…
ting…
Ciel touched her own earring.
“Ready?” Elena nodded.
Both infused a thread of Qi.
The Orion awakened.
A miniature aurora moved across the blue surface.
Green.
Violet.
Gold.
The Wind cores glowed softly from within.
Several people near the gate looked over.
Elena noticed.
Ciel noticed Elena noticing.
“You like that.” “No.” “You do.” “I like that my extremely expensive prototype isn’t ugly.” “Fair.” Daren checked the group’s packs.
Water.
Medicine.
Rope.
Herb cases.
A small hunting bow.
No cart.
Nothing obviously valuable.
Nothing that screamed treasure.
Ciel remembered the murdered miner and his vanished Spirit Jade.
Daren looked at her.
“Test?” Ciel touched the activation point.
“Elena?” Her answer arrived immediately.
“…I can hear you.” Almost no static.
Ciel wrote it down.
“Walk through the gate.” Elena did.
Ten paces.
Twenty.
Fifty.
Nothing changed.
Owen leaned close to Elena.
“Can she hear me too?” “Yes,” Ciel replied.
Owen jumped.
Elena laughed.
“Good,” Daren said.
Then the group turned onto the western road.
Ciel remained beneath the gate.
Soon carts and travelers swallowed them.
She touched the earring again.
“Elena?” “…Still here.” “Any heat?” “…No.” “Pressure?” “…No.” “Distortion?” “…No.” “Qi consumption?” “…Ciel.” “Testing.” A long sigh traveled flawlessly through the artifact.
Ciel smiled and wrote it down.
Mara, standing beside her, looked toward the western road.
“Back to the shop.” Ciel glanced at the gate.
“What if the distance changes something suddenly?” “Then Elena will call.” “What if it fails?” “Then she won’t.” Ciel frowned.
Mara started walking.
“Failure is still information.” Ciel hurried after her.
“You’ve been saying that a lot.” “Because you’ve broken a great many things recently.” The first surprise came at the old stone bridge.
Not because the connection failed.
Because almost nothing happened.
Ciel was seated at the rear table of Voss Appraisals when Elena contacted her.
“…We’re at the bridge.” Ciel straightened.
“How clear am I?” “…Annoyingly.” Ciel ignored that.
“Go beneath the arch.” Footsteps.
Voices.
The sound of moving water faintly carried through the earring.
Then Elena spoke again.
“…Still here.” Ciel frowned.
Heavy stone had caused distortion during some city tests.
She had expected more.
“Walk farther underneath.” “…I’m almost standing in the river.” “Signal?” “…Perfect.” Ciel looked toward Mara.
Mara had stopped examining an antique bronze bowl.
“Interesting.” Elena continued.
“…Actually, you’re clearer than you were near the gate.” Ciel blinked.
“Closer to the water?” “…Yes?” Mara crossed the room.
“How broad is the river?” Ciel stared at her.
“A river.” “Ask.” Ciel touched the earring.
“How wide?” There was a pause.
“…Ciel.” “Please.” “…Twenty-five, maybe thirty paces.” “Flow?” “…Strong enough.” “Anything unusual?” “…Water.” Mara’s mouth twitched.
Ciel looked at her notes again.
City.
Moderate interference.
Gate.
Clear.
River.
Clearer.
That did not fit a simple distance model.
She circled the result.
At the second road marker, the connection remained excellent.
At the third, excellent.
At the fourth, excellent.
Ciel began to suspect something was wrong with her assumptions.
Elena had been walking away from Blue Port for hours.
Yet her voice sounded barely different.
Owen had apparently begun exploiting this.
“…Senior Voss.” Mara looked up.
Ciel sighed.
“It’s Owen.” Mara took one step away from the table.
“…Senior Voss, theoretically, if a person had bet three silver that a certain woman would—” “Disconnect.” Ciel did.
Mara returned to her chair.
A minute later the earring glowed again.
Ciel answered.
Elena’s voice came through.
“…I hit him.” “Thank you.” From farther away: “That’s abuse of the communication artifact!” Ciel smiled.
“Still perfectly clear.” Mara nodded.
“We aren’t measuring its range yet.” Ciel stared at the map.
“They’re already much farther than Green Trail.” “Yes.” “And the signal is better.” “Yes.” “Why?” Mara tapped one finger against the table.
“That is becoming the useful question.” The answer appeared early in the afternoon.
West Reed Hills were not mountains.
Long green ridges.
Streams.
Old woodland.
Exposed gray stone.
Elena’s group entered from the east.
The signal remained clear.
Then, abruptly— static.
Ciel jerked upright.
“…Cie—” “Elena?” Crackling.
“…hea—?” Ciel adjusted the Qi entering her earring.
Nothing.
“Mara.” Her master was already beside her.
“Don’t force it.” “I’m not.” The Orion still glowed.
The core remained active.
Resonance existed.
But Elena’s words were barely intelligible.
Ciel leaned closer.
“Elena, move back.” Static.
Then: “…what?” “Backward.” Several seconds passed.
The voice became clearer.
“…better?” “Yes.” Ciel stared at the artifact.
“Forward again.” “…You’re enjoying this.” “Please.” Elena moved.
Static returned.
Back.
Clear.
Forward.
Static.
Ciel looked at Mara.
“That’s not distance.” “No.” “Something is there.” Mara pointed toward the map.
“What?” Ciel didn’t know.
She touched the earring.
“Elena, describe the area.” “…Ridge.” “Trees?” “…Less than before.” “Water?” “…Small stream downhill.” “Rock?” “…Gray.” “Anything else?” Daren’s voice appeared beside Elena.
“…Old workings.” Ciel frowned.
“What?” “…Mine.” Mara became still.
“What kind?” Daren answered.
“…Iron, I think.” Ciel looked at Mara.
Mara looked at the glowing green core.
For several breaths neither spoke.
Then Mara said: “Continue past it.” “Why?” “Because I want to be wrong.” They were not wrong.
As Elena approached the abandoned iron workings, communication degraded sharply.
Not gradually.
Sharply.
A few hundred additional paces should have been meaningless after hours of successful transmission.
Yet Ciel could barely understand her.
Then the group crossed the ridge.
The mine fell behind them.
Trees thickened.
A stream appeared.
The voice returned.
“…Ciel?” Clear.
Ciel stood.
“Mara.” “I know.” “The river before.” “I know.” “The forest.” “I know.” “The iron mine.” Mara pulled a blank sheet toward herself.
She drew a circle.
Then five characters around it.
Water.
Wood.
Fire.
Earth.
Metal.
Ciel recognized the relationships immediately.
Every cultivator learned the Five Elements.
Mara drew the generating cycle.
Water nourishes Wood.
Wood feeds Fire.
Fire creates Earth.
Earth births Metal.
Metal enriches Water.
Then the controlling cycle.
Her finger stopped.
Metal controls Wood.
Ciel looked at the Wind core.
“Wind.” “Derived from Wood.” Ciel turned toward the western wall as if she could see through it.
“The river wasn’t merely not interfering.” Mara nodded slowly.
“It may have been feeding the resonance.” “The forest too.” “Likely.” “And the Metal Qi around the mine…” “Suppressed it.” Ciel stared at her measurements.
Hours of walking.
Almost no degradation.
One old iron mine— near collapse.
She sat.
“We’ve been measuring the wrong thing.” “Not entirely.” “Distance still matters.” “Eventually.” Ciel looked toward the harbor.
Blue Port.
A coastal city.
The ocean beyond.
Water Qi everywhere.
Her eyes widened.
“We built a Wood-aspected artifact beside the sea.” Mara’s mouth curved.
“It appears you chose a very forgiving place to test it.” Ciel stared at the prototype.
That felt less impressive for approximately one breath.
Then much more interesting.
“If Water nourishes Wood…” “Yes.” “Could it work farther along a river than across dry land?” “Probably.” “Across the ocean?” “Perhaps.” “How far?” Mara looked at her.
“That is now worth finding out.” Ciel smiled.
Then Mara added: “Elena cannot walk across the ocean.” Ciel’s smile disappeared.
“We need a boat.” “Later.” They continued testing.
The pattern became increasingly difficult to dismiss.
Open green country— strong.
Streams— stronger.
Damp woodland— exceptionally clear.
Near exposed ore-bearing stone— static.
Not every rock.
Not every patch of soil.
There needed to be enough elemental influence to matter.
Daren eventually asked: “…So what exactly did you build?” Ciel answered carefully.
“A communication artifact.” “…That dislikes mines.” “For now.” “…And likes rivers.” “For now.” Owen’s voice appeared.
“…Can an artifact have preferences?” Mara answered from across the room.
“Everything has preferences.” Owen became silent.
Ciel looked at her master.
“That sounded profound.” “It wasn’t.” The expedition reached its gathering grounds late in the afternoon.
Silverleaf Moss.
Red-Tip Reed.
And, if fortunate, immature Silver Vein Orchids.
Nothing worth courting death.
The call came unexpectedly.
Not at a scheduled test.
Ciel immediately knew something was wrong.
“Ciel.” Elena sounded different.
The connection carried some static.
Ciel sat straighter.
“What happened?” “…Need Senior Voss.” Mara was beside her before Ciel turned.
Ciel removed the earring.
“May I?” She nodded.
Mara placed it against her own ear.
The blue Orion plate looked faintly ridiculous beneath her gray hair.
Nobody laughed.
“I am listening.” Daren answered.
“…We found three dead Marsh Antelopes.” “Fresh?” “…One perhaps yesterday.” “…Two newer.” “Visible injuries?” A pause.
“…Not much.” “…Blood around the mouths.” “…One has a crushed chest.” Mara’s expression hardened.
“What else?” Selene spoke.
“…Silver Vein Orchids.” “How many?” “…Three mature.” Owen added: “…Maybe four.” “Three,” Daren corrected.
Ciel knew enough to understand the temptation.
Several spirit stones.
Perhaps more if the herbs were especially healthy.
Mara asked: “Where?” “…Outside a cave.” Of course.
“How far?” “…Twenty paces.” “Tracks?” “…Yes.” “Species?” Silence.
Then: “…Large.” Mara closed her eyes.
“That is not a species.” “…Something dragged an antelope.” “Better.” The signal cracked.
Mara frowned.
“Move toward the stream.” Daren hesitated.
“…Away from the cave?” “That too.” “But your signal is deteriorating.” Elena answered.
“…Dark gray rock around us.” Daren added: “…Rust-colored veins.” Ciel and Mara looked at each other.
Metal again.
“Move,” Mara repeated.
Owen protested faintly.
“…The orchids—” Daren cut him off.
“We’re moving.” Five minutes later, the connection improved.
Not perfect.
Enough.
Mara placed the turtle shell on the table.
The old shell was engraved with trigrams.
Two spirit-metal coins followed.
Danger / Safety.
Yes / No.
Or at least that was what Mara had intended when she engraved them.
Ciel had long since learned not to trust the writing.
Mara rolled her shoulders once.
Ciel noticed the subtle preparation.
The divination would consume real Qi.
Not enough to endanger her.
But enough to matter.
“What exactly do you want to know?” Mara asked.
Daren answered: “…Whether entering the cave is safe.” “Too vague.” Silence.
“…Whether there’s a dangerous beast inside.” “Define dangerous.” Owen spoke.
“…Something capable of eating us.” Mara rubbed her forehead.
Ciel covered her mouth.
“Ask whether entering that cave within the next hour carries a strong immediate danger to your group.” Daren repeated the question exactly.
Mara’s fingers moved.
Qi entered the turtle shell.
The trigrams lit.
Silver-white lines spread across the old surface.
Ciel felt Mara’s aura diminish.
Not dramatically.
But noticeably.
The coins rose.
Spun.
The first fell.
SAFETY.
Ciel almost relaxed.
Then remembered.
Reversed.
The second coin continued spinning.
Then struck the edge of the shell.
It did not settle cleanly.
It leaned between two faces.
Mara frowned.
Ciel waited.
“Master?” “Poor reading.” “What does that mean?” “It means precisely that.” Mara looked toward the glowing earring.
“My technique reads shallow tendencies.” “It does not issue decrees.” Daren asked: “…Senior?” Mara studied the shell once more.
“The first sign leans strongly toward danger.” “The second is unstable.” “I cannot tell you that entering guarantees death.” She paused.
“But I would not enter.” Elena answered immediately.
“…Understood.” Owen did not.
“…Senior, there are three mature orchids.” “I heard.” “…That’s several spirit stones.” “Wonderful.” Silence.
Mara continued: “You may admire them while walking away.” Daren asked: “…Could we retrieve them without entering?” “Possibly.” “Can you divine it?” Mara looked at the shell.
Then at her remaining Qi.
“Yes.” Ciel looked at her.
She could.
Seven ordinary readings remained, approximately.
But that was not the same as seven free answers.
Mara asked: “Do you need another reading, or do you merely dislike the first?” Daren became silent.
Owen muttered something.
Selene apparently hit him.
Daren finally answered: “…We’ll leave.” “Good.” Mara began collecting the coins.
Ciel looked at her.
“So the result could be wrong.” “Of course.” “You sounded confident.” “I said I would not enter.” “That isn’t the same thing.” “Exactly.” Mara placed the coins into their pouch.
“Low-level Divination is a tool.” “Not a god.” “What if there was a powerful cultivator hiding inside?” Mara glanced at her.
“Then I might read nothing useful at all.” “Or worse?” “Depending on how much stronger?” Mara shrugged.
“Perhaps merely nonsense.” “Perhaps backlash.” “If something vastly beyond my level actively concealed its Heavenly secrets…” She looked at Ciel.
“I would prefer not to knock.” Ciel thought of the sealed storage ring.
She said nothing.
The earring glowed again half an hour later.
The signal was excellent.
Elena had moved near running water.
“…We’re on the southern ridge.” Mara put the earring on again.
“Can you see the cave?” “…Yes.” “Anything changed?” A pause.
Daren answered.
“…Something came out.” Mara became still.
“What?” “…Serpent.” Ciel’s stomach tightened.
“…Large.” Mara sighed.
“Again, not a measurement.” “…Thicker than Owen.” A distant voice shouted: “Why am I the standard?” Selene replied: “Because you’re conveniently shaped.” Even Mara’s mouth twitched.
“Color?” “…Dark green.” “…Black along the spine.” “…Single horn.” Mara’s expression changed.
“Old Horned Mire Serpent.” Ciel had heard the name somewhere.
Barely.
“How strong?” “If the description is accurate?” Mara pointed toward Ciel.
“Strong enough that you should be grateful you are inside my shop.” Daren was Fourth Layer.
The rest were weaker.
A mature late Grade One spirit beast did not need Foundation cultivation to slaughter them.
Beasts possessed bodies humans did not.
Innate elemental affinity.
Instinctive techniques.
Natural weapons.
Elena spoke.
“…Senior Bao would be upset about the orchids.” Mara took the earring.
“Senior Bao is welcome to retrieve them himself.” That ended the discussion.
Ciel looked at the turtle shell.
The reading had not told them what lived in the cave.
It had not told them who would die.
It had not shown the future clearly.
It had merely leaned toward danger.
And that had been enough.
Sometimes, apparently, a poor answer asked at the right moment was more valuable than perfect information received too late.
The group returned by a different route.
They continued gathering far away from the cave.
Silverleaf Moss.
Red-Tip Reed.
A handful of ordinary medicinal plants.
No treasure.
No heroic battle.
No dead cultivators.
Owen apparently considered this disappointing.
Daren did not.
Ciel spent the afternoon comparing both routes.
The conclusions became stranger.
A farther group could sound clearer than a nearer one.
A stream could restore a connection degraded moments before.
Metal-rich terrain could nearly ruin it while barely changing distance.
By sunset, Mara had drawn the Five Elements diagram three times.
Ciel had covered nine pages.
Finally she dropped her brush.
“So how far does it work?” Mara looked at the pages.
“We still don’t know.” Ciel groaned.
“After all that?” “We learned something more important.” “What?” “Distance isn’t your first limitation.” Ciel looked at the green core.
Mara tapped the diagram.
“Element is.” Ciel studied the cycle again.
Water nourished Wood.
Wood fed Fire.
Fire created Earth.
Earth birthed Metal.
Metal nourished Water.
Then the controlling cycle.
Metal suppressed Wood.
Wood suppressed Earth.
Earth suppressed Water.
Water suppressed Fire.
Fire suppressed Metal.
Her artifact was Wind.
Wind belonged to Wood.
Blue Port sat beside an ocean.
Ciel slowly leaned back.
“If we had made one with another element…” Mara’s eyes sharpened.
Ciel continued.
“A Fire core wouldn’t behave the same way.” “No.” “Earth.” “No.” “Metal.” “No.” “Water.” “No.” Ciel’s eyes brightened.
“Then theoretically—” “Later.” Ciel looked offended.
“Why later?” “Because currently you possess exactly one working Wind pair.” Mara counted on her fingers.
“No Fire pair.” “No Earth pair.” “No Metal pair.” “No Water pair.” “And most importantly—” She pointed toward Elena’s empty chair.
“No second suitable core.” Ciel’s enthusiasm dimmed.
Mara smiled.
“Understanding that a road exists is not the same as owning the road.” Ciel wrote that down.
Mara noticed.
“Don’t.” “Too late.” Elena’s group returned shortly after dark.
Dusty.
Hungry.
Alive.
Elena walked into Voss Appraisals and collapsed into the nearest chair.
Nora put food in front of her without being asked.
Elena immediately looked capable of forgiving almost anything.
Ciel leaned over.
“How was it?” Elena stared.
“I walked all day so you could ask me that?” “Yes.” “I hate research.” “You liked the earring.” “I liked it before you turned me into a moving array node.” Daren entered behind her.
Selene followed.
Owen came last.
He looked miserable.
“The orchids were beautiful.” Daren removed his pack.
“They were beside a predator’s den.” “Still beautiful.” Selene hit Owen with a rolled cloth.
He stopped talking.
Mara poured tea.
Daren clasped his hands.
“Senior Voss.” “Hm?” “Without your warning, I probably would have sent someone closer.” Owen pointed at himself.
“You.” Daren ignored him.
“Not into the cave.” “But close enough to inspect the herbs.” He paused.
“Thank you.” Mara nodded once.
“The reading was uncertain.” “Still useful.” “That is the correct attitude.” Ciel looked at the earring.
Divination had always been useful.
But previously, the person needing Mara’s judgment had to reach Mara.
Or send a courier.
Or come home.
Today they had asked while still standing beside the danger.
That difference mattered.
Daren glanced at Elena’s earring.
“Can Green Trail rent it again?” Elena immediately sat upright.
“My earring?” Daren reconsidered.
“Can Green Trail rent the pair again?” Mara smiled.
“Yes.” Ciel sighed.
Daren noticed.
“Terms?” “Five low-grade spirit stones as deposit.” Owen nearly choked.
“Five?” Mara looked at him.
“The pair is worth at least four or five times that as a prototype.” Owen stopped choking.
“The deposit is returned if the artifact returns intact.” Daren nodded slowly.
“Rental fee?” “We’ll establish one.” “Divination?” “Charged separately.” “Damage?” “Charged.” “Loss?” Mara smiled pleasantly.
“Discussed.” Owen raised one hand.
“What if we’re eaten?” Elena turned.
“Again?” “The question remains relevant.” Mara answered: “If all of you are eaten, payment becomes administratively difficult.” Owen considered that.
“Good.” “But I reserve the right to charge Green Trail.” Owen looked horrified.
Daren laughed.
“We’ll negotiate later.” “Good.” Then the front door opened.
A young man stumbled inside.
Everyone turned.
One sleeve was gone.
Blood soaked the bandage around his shoulder.
Another cultivator supported him.
Nora moved immediately.
“Sit.” The injured man collapsed into the nearest chair.
Three unstable Qi layers flickered around his body.
Mara stood.
“What happened?” The second man answered.
“West Reed Hills.” Daren’s expression changed.
“Where?” The injured cultivator swallowed.
“Southern ridge.” Ciel felt cold.
Daren asked: “Silver Vein Orchids?” The man looked up sharply.
“You saw them?” No one answered immediately.
The injured man continued.
“Three mature.” “Maybe four.” Owen no longer looked disappointed.
Daren’s voice became quiet.
“You approached the cave.” The man’s face twisted.
“We didn’t know there was a cave.” “How many of you?” “Three.” “Where are the others?” The man looked down.
Ciel knew.
“Dead.” Silence.
The injured cultivator’s good hand trembled.
“We thought we’d found a fortune.” “Then something came out.” “Serpent.” Daren closed his eyes.
The man looked between them.
“You knew?” Daren’s gaze moved toward Elena’s earring.
“We were there earlier.” The injured cultivator stared.
“And you left?” “Yes.” “Why?” Daren pointed toward Mara.
“We asked.” The man looked confused.
Mara Voss stood inside Blue Port.
Hours from West Reed Hills.
“Asked?” Elena touched the earring.
For the first time that evening, nobody commented on how beautiful it was.
The guards came shortly afterward.
So did a healer.
The injured cultivator survived.
His companions did not.
The Horned Mire Serpent remained in West Reed Hills.
The Silver Vein Orchids remained too.
At least until someone stronger decided otherwise.
Ciel stood outside Voss Appraisals after the guards left.
Blue Port smelled of salt.
The distant sea reflected moonlight between the buildings.
Elena joined her.
Neither spoke for a while.
Finally Ciel said: “They died for three herbs.” Elena leaned against the wall.
“People have died for less.” “Several spirit stones.” “Several spirit stones can mean months of cultivation.” “Medicine.” “A better weapon.” “A breakthrough.” Elena looked toward the dark street.
“Knowing something is dangerous doesn’t always stop people.” Ciel thought of the Spirit Jade miner.
Then of the bandit camp.
Resources changed how people behaved.
Sometimes very quickly.
“Would you have gone closer without the earring?” Elena took time to answer.
“Maybe.” Ciel looked at her.
Elena sighed.
“Daren wouldn’t have rushed inside.” “But we would’ve inspected the orchids.” “Checked the tracks.” “Maybe sent Owen.” From inside came a voice.
“I can hear you!” Elena raised hers.
“Good!” Then quieter: “Maybe nothing would’ve happened.” “Maybe one of us wouldn’t have come back.” Ciel touched her own earring.
It did not attack.
It did not defend.
It did not strengthen her body.
It did not increase her cultivation.
And yet— four cultivators had come home.
Ciel looked toward the sea.
Water.
Nourishing Wood.
Nourishing the Wind core beside her face.
Elena nudged her shoulder.
“Stop.” “What?” “You’re thinking again.” “I always think.” “Not like that.” “Like what?” “Like you’re about to make my next month difficult.” Ciel smiled.
“No promises.” Daren returned the following morning.
Alone.
He placed a cloth pouch on Mara’s counter.
Mara looked at it.
“What is that?” “Payment.” “For yesterday?” “You said the field test was free.” “It was.” Daren pushed the pouch forward.
“This isn’t for the test.” Mara opened it.
Ten gold coins.
Not spirit stones.
Still meaningful.
Daren nodded toward Ciel and Elena.
“For them.” Ciel looked up.
“Why?” “Because four people left Blue Port yesterday.” “Four returned.” His expression darkened.
“Another group didn’t.” Elena looked at the pouch.
Daren continued.
“If you make more of these, Green Trail will rent them.” Mara closed the pouch.
“Then yesterday’s price has already expired.” Ciel groaned.
“We didn’t have a price yesterday.” “Exactly.” Daren smiled.
“Five stones deposit?” “Five.” “Rental fee?” “Still calculating.” Ciel glanced at her.
Mara corrected herself.
“Professionally evaluating.” Elena whispered: “Money face.” Ciel nodded.
Mara ignored them.
Then she turned toward Ciel.
“We need another pair.” Ciel blinked.
“With what core?” Silence.
Everyone looked at Elena’s earring.
The green oval glimmered softly in the morning light.
One damaged Green Feather Courier core had produced exactly one pair.
Dorian had given them that core because of a very particular exchange.
Good Spirit Wine.
Face.
Curiosity.
Luck.
And an old Courier whose core happened to retain the qualities they needed.
They could not simply return with another five-stone jar and expect history to repeat itself.
Daren frowned.
“Can you buy another core?” Mara answered first.
“Eventually.” “At what price?” “That depends on what appears.” Ciel added: “And whether the resonance structure survived.” “And whether we can divide it.” “And whether someone else wants it.” Daren looked again at the prototype.
“So twenty-five stones may not even guarantee another pair.” “No,” Mara said.
Now he understood.
Mara tapped the counter.
“But before acquiring another core, we have a different problem.” Ciel looked at her.
“What?” “We still don’t know the range.” Ciel groaned.
Mara continued without mercy.
“Yesterday proved that hours of travel mean almost nothing under favorable elemental conditions.” “Water helped.” “Wood helped.” “Metal nearly destroyed the signal.” “So walking farther inland teaches us very little.” Ciel slowly looked toward the harbor.
Masts rose beyond the rooftops.
Merchant ships.
Fishing vessels.
Coastal traders.
And beyond them— the sea.
A ridiculous quantity of Water Qi.
Mara followed her gaze.
Ciel smiled.
“We need a boat.” Mara smiled back.
“No.” Ciel’s smile vanished.
“Why?” “We need someone who already owns a boat.” Ciel stared.
Mara folded her hands.
“We are cultivators.” She glanced toward the harbor.
“Not idiots.” Ciel looked toward the sea again.
Somewhere beyond Blue Port, ships traveled hundreds of li along the coast.
Yesterday they had discovered that several hours of distance barely mattered.
The world itself mattered more.
For the first time, Ciel wondered whether the question had never been— How far can a voice travel?
Perhaps it was— What kind of world will carry it?