Lǐzhèng leads the two of them up the city wall to a connected inner chamber.
Yenisei cannot shake the notion that her next step will land on thin air, until they at last enter the room, and she can let go.
From the city gate to the room, the scenery is completely different from outside the city. Though it's a short distance, she is very impressed.
Yenisei: Emm ...
Lizheng: Have a seat.
Bessmert: Thank you.
Yenisei: Here, Madam.
Bessmert: I don't feel any chairs around me. How am I going to ...
Yenisei: It seems the people here sit on their heels. Here, cushion.
Lizheng: Just make yourself comfortable.
The two of them hobble onward, imitating the old man's unfamiliar posture as he kneels down beside a low table.
Lizheng: You ladies look better now. What were you going to ask?
There are many fears and doubts in their hearts that beg expression. However, the first to break the silence is nothing more than an odd query.
Yenisei: Your walls ... Won't they collapse?
Lizheng: Hmm? Why do you think that?
Yenisei: Because they seem to be made of only earth and stone. I don't think these materials can stand the weathering ...
Yenisei: Not to mention the wooden pavilion on the walls.
Lizheng: Haha. You draw the conclusion only by its appearance. In fact, the stakes are deeply driven into the ground and stand firmly. No need to worry about the peeling bricks and clay. It's just the sign of the city's longevity.
Yenisei: The city's longevity. So how old is this city?
Lizheng: As I recall, hundreds of years. Its annals take up most of the library. Each volume records a decade. Considering the large quantity, "hundreds" may not be the best quantifier.
Lizheng: There are many historical sites in the city. You may take your mother for a sight tour.
Yenisei: Madam Bessmert is not my mother.
Lizheng: Ms. Be- ... Oh, I apologize. I forgot about her sight ...
Between his words, Lǐzhèng instinctively casts an apologetic glance in Bessmert's direction.
Though she cannot see, she seems to feel something and turns her head towards his voice.
Bessmert: That's alright. People often mistake me for having good eyesight because I walk around freely like others.
Lizheng: The silver lining is, we have a caring policy in this regard. We're here to help, whether you need assistance or not.
Bessmert: You keep talking about my eyesight. May I ask why?
Lizheng: The government is obliged to provide help to people with severe impairments, including those who have lost their sights in both eyes. Isn't it the same with the Northerners?
Lizheng: Oh, if my question is offensive ...
Bessmert: No. That's fine. More than fine, actually ...
Bessmert: In the North, I have to do more to be treated like an ordinary person.
Lizheng: I see. I've heard that people in the North idolize the strong and pay little attention to the weak. Little did I know the disabled enjoy no privilege.
Lizheng: But now you're here with us in Pèi City. Please rest at ease.
Lizheng: Moreover, you speak fluent Hanese. I'm sure your stay here will go swimmingly.
Yenisei: ...! You mean we are speaking the "Hanese" right now?
Yenisei feels her hand being pressed lightly by Bessmert's own.
Lizheng: Are you not? It's interesting you ask. According to the records of the hub, most of the foreign merchants with fluent Hanese have lived a long time in the Central Plains. *Central Plains: the name given to China by the ancient Chinese.
Lizheng: While you are obviously not one of them, neither have you paid frequent visits here, otherwise ...
Lizheng: You wouldn't have forgotten a proper Pass.
This somewhat insightful witticism surprises Bessmert.
Bessmert: You're a man of sharp wit, I have to say.
Bessmert: Back where we are from, merchants come and go, including those who speak your tongue. We've dealt with them a lot throughout the years.
Bessmert: If it weren't for their advice, we wouldn't have made it this far on our first journey as a new caravan.
Lizheng: I see. Foreign merchants are well-informed and welcomed by the citizens in Pèi City. Oh, there are other foreign merchants in the hub. If you have no place to stay, the caravanserai there might be a good choice ...
As he speaks, Lǐzhèng takes out a sheet of paper from a large stack.
Lizheng: Take this with you. It is the Pass to verify your identities.
Lizheng: You can enjoy your stay here with it, or you might end up being expelled.
Bessmert: Thank you. Then how are we going to ...
Lizheng: Please show me the documents you have now.
Bessmert: Certainly. Let me just ...
Yenisei: I have them. I always have them with me, Madam.
Bessmert: Oh. Thank you. You are reliable as always, child.
They hand over a document in a brown paper envelope.
Lizheng: Thank you. I will take a look.
Lizheng: Hold on a second.
Lizheng: ...
On this "document," besides a drawn red seal that roughly illustrates its purpose, the remaining descriptive handwriting looks like scrawled symbols, with the beginnings and ends of sentences connected hastily without leaving any gaps.
The embarrassment between reader and writer grows like a bubble waiting to pop.
Lizheng: Er ...
Lizheng: Looks like it's written in Turkic. Is it Turkic?
Yenisei: What? No ...
Bessmert makes a move before Yenisei finishes speaking. She pats the girl's back and gestures for her to allow her to explain.
Despite her doubts, the girl habitually follows her lead.
Bessmert: Yes, a variation of it. This is the written language in the North.
Yenisei: ...
Bessmert: Yeni, this is the written language in your hometown, also known as Yeniseic, isn't it?
Yenisei is almost certain that her companion is winking at her, despite her eyes being covered.
Or perhaps it is just her own intuition prompting her. She realizes then, in a moment of enlightenment, that in their precarious situation, she may well need to learn how to quickly accommodate these occasional lies.
Yenisei: Oh, yes. That's right.
Bessmert: My apologies. I should have known that our language is a rare kind in the Central Plains.
Lizheng: I understand. It's alright, but I'm afraid you have to write it down yourself, including where you came from.
Lizheng: Please take this file as a reference.
Yenisei: Thank you. I'll do it.
Yenisei: ...
Yenisei: Emm, sorry, but I don't think I can read it.
Lizheng: Hmm?
Lizheng: Oh, my mistake. I should have realized the paper work is much harder than oral communication.
Lizheng: But the servant is not here today ...
Lizheng: Alright, you can tell me, and I'll write it down. Like ... this one. What did you come to the city for?
Bessmert: For business.
Lizheng: How many of you are there in the team?
Bessmert: Seven, including us.
Yenisei: There WERE seven of us.
Lizheng: Were? Where are they now?
Bessmert: This is also what we are trying to find out.
Bessmert: On our way here, they were transformed into "horses" and taken away by a giant bird.
Lizheng: Transformed into horses? Um ... Then how come you didn't get transformed?
Yenisei: We have no idea. Perhaps because Madam Bessmert and I are arcanists, while the others are humans.
Lizheng: What do you mean?
Lizheng: Does the giant bird only attack humans? Then how does he identify them?
Lizheng: There is no huge difference between humans and arcanists, after all.
Yenisei: What? Emm ...
Bessmert: No huge difference?
This is an answer they had never considered before.
Or rather, it was a premise that seemed so distant to their own views that it defied being considered.
As if saying a diamond was no different from a clump of soil.
Lizheng: Is that a problem?
Bessmert: No, not at all.
Bessmert: Let's go back to the difference between humans and arcanists later.
Bessmert: My guess is, there might be something wrong with the water.
Bessmert: We found a river when crossing the steppe. Our teammates were too thirsty and drank the water in haste. Then we realized something was wrong.
Yenisei: Yes. It came from the northwest. Not a big one, but quite clean.
Lizheng: That might be the main river of Pèi City, called Pèilín River.
Lizheng: But it has been shrinking these past years. Also, there are no cases of people drinking it and turning into horses ... What were the features of that giant bird?
Yenisei: He has black or brown wings, red tail feathers, and a man's face.
Bessmert: Also, as I recall it, he has the voice of a young man.
Lizheng: A giant bird with a man's face. A feather man. Did he play a musical instrument?
Yenisei: He played a stick-like instrument. His music could lead the horses to where he went.
Lizheng: Was there a bone-like wand with him?
Yenisei: Could be, but I'm not sure. He was so far away from us.
Lizheng: I have a rough idea now.
Lizheng: ...
Lizheng: If that's what I think it is, even though he is not a Xiángruì, I have to say ... sighs
He seems to be overcome with regret.
Bessmert demurely adjusts her kneeling position, keenly sensing a new development.
Bessmert: Sounds like something happened when you last met.
Lizheng: The giant bird, or the feather man, as we say, was considered the Xiángruì by some citizens. It is because he looks like the legendary Gōumáng.
Bessmert: What is this Xiángruì? Is it some kind of guardian?
Lizheng: Not exactly. In most cases, Xiángruì is just Yāo, but in the good way. They are benevolent, using their power to help people and bless the area.
Lizheng: Before your report, there was someone else witnessing a feather man with a bone wand. He once brought some animals to the Zhící and claimed they were transformed from humans.
Bessmert: This ... this is exactly what happened to our teammates.
Lizheng: If these two are the same feather man, then he is very likely involved in these missing persons cases.
Yenisei: Oh, the cases you mentioned ... I see.
Lizheng: Too bad, that witness couldn't remember anything, even the slightest feature, for us to draw a picture. Since no one could provide other evidence, her word was considered nonsense.
Lizheng: The Fǎcáo thought she was "possessed" and suggested she take a break in her hometown during the holiday.
Bessmert: We want to pay her a visit. Will she come back?
Lǐzhèng waves his hand. There is little value to be gleamed from such a faulty clue.
Lizheng: I'm afraid not. She worked as the Zhílǐ in the Zhící. It's not a crucial position, but clearly not suitable for a possessed person. There is someone filling in for her now.
Yenisei grips the fabric on her knee. She is as persistent as a soldier when executing orders, and this time is no different.
Yenisei: What if ... What if I can offer a drawing of the feather man?
Yenisei: He was far away in mid-air at the time. I couldn't see the details, but I remember his outline and the color of his wings. Besides, I have experience in making sketches and maps.
Yenisei: I can totally make a drawing of him.
Lizheng: Sketch? Map? Hmm ... But we can only attach your drawing to the wanted poster for the moment. We can't put him in prison without solid evidence. Everything is yet to be confirmed by the court.
Lizheng: But a drawing is better than nothing. Please give it a try.
Lizheng: Here is the brush and the ink. Help yourself.
Yenisei approaches the table and picks up the brush that was used to write just moments ago.
Yenisei: This is the same long pen you just used?
Lizheng: That's right.
Yenisei: And this is ... the ink? But it won't adhere to the pen.
Lizheng: To get the liquid ink, you need to rub the ink stick on the ink stone first. It's fine. I'll rub it for you. You can focus on the drawing.
The old man rolls up his sleeves and deftly grinds out some ink for Yenisei to dip the brush in.
And the girl does not hesitate to write—
Yenisei: Huh? The lines it draws are really heavy ...
Yenisei: And do we only have the black ink?
Lizheng: ...
Lizheng: No, there are different colors.
Yenisei: May I have the red one?
Lizheng: Please hold on. I'll get it for you.
The slow and steady footsteps gradually move away.
