Chapter 135 - Price to Pay

Aside from the ballroom and the hallways directly connecting it, there were plenty of areas away from the party that were open for guests to visit at their leisure.

These included attractions such as the gardens, sitting rooms, small galleries of artwork and sculptures. In addition a number of rooms in the east wing of the manor were allocated as dressing rooms.

These rooms were small but well furnished, offering a private place for the important guests attending that evening.

At this time, four girls in extravagant dresses made their way down a hallway.

The leader of the group was Victoria Shum wearing a shimmering dark blue dress layered with dozens of sparkling white crystals. She had a fierce, aggravated look on her face as she led the way several paces in front of the other girls.

Behind her followed Diana Mercier, tall and angular in a purple dress, still moody from her embarrassment earlier that evening. Next came Mia Shu, short and blond, in a cream coloured dress, snacking on a plate piled with desserts. Finally Ella Wong took up the rear in a lime green dress. Her eyes, shaded by black bangs, carried a worried look as she trailed several paces back.

“Wh-where are we headed, Vicky?” Ella asked cautiously.

“Mia’s room.” Victoria replied.

“Do you think the rocks changed at all? I wonder if they’re a different colour again!” Mia asked, her eyes shining. “It’s too bad we couldn’t find Char Char.”

“Maybe she’ll still come… If that Yuzu girl talked to her.” Ella replied.

Hearing Yuzu’s name, Victoria suddenly stopped as her body tensed up, “You know what, I thought about it and we don’t need Char Char or her stupid friend’s help. It’s not like we were relying on them in the first place.”

“Right, we were doing them a favour.” Diana huffed, “Well, now they get to miss out on our discovery.”

“Exactly!” Victoria nodded towards Diana, “Not only that, but we’re definitely going to get back at Yuzu for embarrassing you in front of everyone.”

“Ugh! Don’t remind me!” Diana moaned as she covered her face, “My mother made such a big deal after, saying that she’d shame the seamstress out of the city. Now everyone will think I’m a clutz who can’t even walk in a dress.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll ask my dad to find out who Yuzu’s parents are.” Victoria proclaimed, “Let’s see if she’ll be able to show her face in town after I’m done with her.”

In this manner the posse made their way to a locked door at the far end of the wing. Mia withdrew a key and opened the door, letting the group inside.

“Where did you put them?” Victoria turned to Mia.

“In the chest over there. I had the servants bring it inside.” Mia pointed to a rather eloquent looking wooden chest in the corner. It was quite sizable for a portable chest, requiring two big men to carry it in, but Mia had insisted that it be brought to the room. Her parents didn’t object, in fact they didn’t even ask what was inside.

“Open it up.” Victoria nodded.

The girls gathered around the chest as Mia popped open the lid. She pulled out a few dresses that had been neatly folded up. Even before she removed the last layer, the girls could see a slight glow emitting from the bottom of the chest.

“It’s green now!” Ella gasped upon seeing the lime green light, “They didn’t even have any colour earlier this morning.”

At the bottom of the chest, about a dozen misshapen rocks sat on a cushion of fabric. They were roughly the size of a cantaloupe and had a smooth dark grey surface that resembled slate. They were different shapes, some of them prismatic with sharp and jagged edges, while others were more ovular. If not for the glowing they would look like random rocks that one would find everywhere in the mountains.

However, it was this glowing quality that first attracted the girls’ interest.

“Take them out onto the table.” Victoria said anxiously, wanting to examine them further.

The other girls quickly obliged, and soon the table in the center of the room had eleven glowing rocks sitting on it.

“This one is actually quite warm!” Diana said, holding up one of the rocks. The glowing green light that was emanating from the center of the rock pulsed softly, reflecting off of her irises.

“You’re right.” Victoria said, as the three girls touched the stone curiously, “I wonder what kind of rock this is.”

“I asked my brother if he heard of glowing rocks before and he said no.” Mia said, “But also he said that there were actually a lot of strange things coming out of the forest lately.”

“Too bad we couldn’t find Char-” Ella cut herself off mid-thought as she saw the other girls scowl at Char Char’s name, “I mean, someone who might know more about the rocks…”

“Hmph.” Victoria’s face darkened as she flicked her hair with disdain, “After thinking about it some more, I changed my mind. She probably wouldn’t know anything anyways.”

“Yeah, she’s just a weirdo. She’s always talking about weird things like ghosts and spirits, but I bet she’s never even seen anything like this before.” Diana echoed, looking at Ella, “I don’t even know why you suggested asking her in the first place.”

Ella flushed red as she averted her gaze as she mumbled some excuses, “I just thought- since we didn’t know anything about the rocks... that is, she always had a reputation about being interested in those kinds of things, and since we were all going to the ball tonight here...”

“It’s fine. It was a good idea Ella. We all agreed together to ask her, after all.” Victoria smiled supportively, “But since we couldn’t find her it’s no big loss anyways.”

“Do you think they’re valuable?” Diana turned her attention back to the rock in her hands as she stroked it, “I wonder if there’s a crystal or something inside, or if it’s actually the rock itself that’s glowing… If it’s a crystal, maybe we could crack it open. I bet it would make amazing jewelry.”

“I like this one.” Mia picked up a particular one and held it up, “It’s round and cute.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t eat it.” Ella smiled.

“What? Of course I can’t, it’s a rock!”

“I know you were thinking about it.”

“Hahhh- only for a moment!”

~

Elsewhere in the manor, the tall, sagely Abbott Deacon Glass was standing alone on the second floor exterior balcony. Long rows of tall, elegantly framed windows spilled warm light into the night, softly illuminating the stone tiles and railings that looked out onto the darkened estate grounds.

In the distance, the shadowy peaks of the Yonge mountains loomed over an endless black forest. A thin crescent moon shone a thin light down from above, while myriad stars glittered in the background.

The Abbott appeared to be idly looking out onto the gardens below, where a number of guests mingled underneath shaded lanterns, but his eyes were actually on the windows of a separate wing of the manor.

After a few moments a wide nosed servant appeared in one of the windows, looking somewhat distraught. He paced back and forth with an empty bottle tray stuck under his armpit, unaware of the Abbott who was watching from afar.

The Abbott’s eyes narrowed as he muttered softly, “The bottle has gone missing... How?”

He thought carefully over his observations for the evening. For the most part everything had gone as predicted. There wasn’t any indication that the plan had been discovered.

It was close to the time for Sansen Zhao’s speech. The servant had been influenced to stand in front of that specific window in the servant’s wing with the wine bottle prior to bringing it to the banquet hall. At this moment, the bottle was missing, but the command in his subconscious still drove him to stand in front of the window.

The Abbott closed his eyes, entering a brief meditative state.

In the midst of his subconscious a dark, shapeless pressure emerged.

“It is as you suspect.” A voice spoke inside his mind, confirming his thoughts. “The maiden is here in the manor. I also suspect that she has taken a corporeal form to avoid detection.”

“If the Maiden is interfering here, she must be allied with Noga.” The Abbott contemplated. “Otherwise, why would she go to the trouble of saving a simple business man?”

“From her actions thus far, it is clear that she seeks peace and stability in the region. However I doubt that she has a direct alliance with Lord Noga, or I would have heard of it.” The voice replied, “No... At present she is a rogue actor. A recently awakened immortal that is becoming aware of the current political climate.”

“If that is true, then we may have a chance to turn her to our side.” The Abbott mused, “If she knew what Lord Noga was up to... Perhaps she would not be so quick to support him.”

“Indeed.” The voice replied.

“I have left her shrine alone per your orders. Perhaps it’s time to visit it?” The Abbott said.

“My main persona will worry about that.” The voice replied, chuckling deeply, “A minor disruption like this is still well within my calculations. We still have another contingency in place.”

“What contingency?” The Abbott’s brows furrowed in concern, having been previously unaware of this arrangement.

“Head down to the first floor in ten minutes, where the guest dressing rooms are. That is all you need to know for now.”

The shapeless form in the Abbott’s mind slowly sank back into the depths of his subconscious.

The Abbott broke his meditation, opening his eyes with a frown. He glanced across the garden to the windows in the servant’s wing. The wide nosed servant had disappeared from sight.

“Ah! Abbott, there you are.” The jovial voice of Earl Shum announced his arrival onto the balcony. “Finding some seclusion from the party, I see.”

“The fresh air is rejuvenating.” The Abbott nodded, turning casually to face the approaching politician. Standing beside him were several older men that the Abbott recognized as ministers and businessmen.

“I’ve given some thought to your proposal earlier. Why, I’m quite excited about it, but my colleagues have some concerns.” The Earl said eagerly. “I was hoping you could explain your grand vision to us once more.”

“Yes. You wanted to hold a Cloud Peak ceremony in the city, is that right, Abbott?” One of the ministers stroked his beard, “Citing that the path to the monastery is dangerous, with the recent events in the forest.”

At the word ‘dangerous’, Earl Shum looked sharply at the minister, “A serious claim, certainly! But I believe one without merit. The city and its surrounding lands are quite safe, thanks to the hard work of our police force.”

“The Five Kings Festival in Noga is the largest festival in the province, after all. We will have tourists from all over Kumin, Huan, and LingNan. The population of entire villages travel across the province to visit Noga during this time.” Another old man said, “The news of the strange events in the forest has certainly shocked the nation, but we cannot afford to let that affect people’s decisions to come.”

“Why yes. Shocking is a good word, but I have complete faith in our police to keep it under control.” The Earl nodded, looking around, “Has Police Chief Fang arrived yet? He can certainly back us up here.”

“No, Earl. It seems he has been held up by work and has been unable to make it.”

The Earl chuckled, “See, he is hard at work even now. There is nothing to worry about.”

The men around the Earl looked around at each other and nodded vigorously, murmuring their agreement that the lands around the city were safe.

The Abbott took the conversation in without revealing any emotion, and only after a period of silence he nodded wisely, “Of course. It is quite safe. I wouldn’t dare suggest otherwise. After all, the pilgrimage to Cloud Peak Monastery is one of the main attractions for visitors. They come to pray for guidance, safety, and prosperity in the coming year. It is in my utmost interest to maintain this tradition this year, in light of recent events it is perhaps even more vital.”

“Wise words, wise words indeed!” Earl Shum breathed a sigh of relief.

“However, my proposal doesn’t concern the ceremonies at the monastery.” The Abbott interjected, “Rather, I’m envisioning a performance to draw the people together, to entertain them while also strengthening their support for Lord Noga. I have had the idea for many years, I truly believe it could become a new tradition of the festival.”

“Why yes.” Earl Shum nodded, “When you described it to me before, it was quite grand and exciting.”

“Tell us your proposal once more.” One of the men said.

“The opening ceremony of the Five Kings Festival will take place in the morning and continue until dusk. We are all familiar with the usual performances, music and dances that take place throughout the city center. The climax of course being the theatre act recreating the final moments of the War of the Five Kings, in Tye-Ann Square.

“After the play, however, the main traditions are browsing the markets and eating dinner. Once the sun sets the main festivities end.” The Abbott continued, “Herein is my suggestion - After the play is done, we light up the inner city walls with giant bonfires, and continue the festivities with a grand martial arts performance in the square while people are still lingering.

“As you know, Cloud Peak Monastery had a key role in our country’s victory here in Kumin. While the main theatre act is entertaining, it is mostly a drama showing the previous Lord Noga’s wit, bravery and political skill. However if we are talking about entertainment, surely there’s no better act than a martial arts re-enactment of the final battle of the war.”

Earl Shum smiled brightly, looking around to his colleagues. However his smile quickly faded as he realized that the men around him did not look impressed.

“While that does seem interesting,” One man said, “After the theatre act that is usually when we allow the vendors onto the square to sell their wares. You spoke about traditions, well this open market is an important tradition as well. Furthermore, the vendors all have to pay large fees up front to rent their spots. These have long been arranged.”

“And what was that about bonfires on the city wall?” Another man asked, “What significance do they have?”

“The spectacle, for one. Imagine the night sky suddenly bursting with light.” The Abbott said, “But it is also a key part of the martial arts act, signifying the moment of Noga’s victory in the war. My monks have been preparing for this for months, I assure you it will be spectacular and be talked about for the rest of the year.”

“Yes, yes. But there are other times during the festival when this could take place, and other places. Could you not hold it at the monastery? That would certainly be more symbolic?”

“For such a grand event as I am imagining, the night of the opening ceremony would be the most impactful, with the largest audience.” The Abbott said.

The men murmured amongst themselves for a moment. Although they looked displeased and resistant, the Abbott wasn’t worried.

“We will consider your idea.” The Earl said hurriedly, seeing that the Abbott hadn’t been able to convince the men that he had brought. “However, please make plans to possibly hold these theatrics in the monastery, in the case that we can’t make arrangements in Tye-Ann Square.”

“Absolutely.” The Abbott nodded.

“Very well, we shall be off.” The Earl smiled nervously, turning to his colleagues who nodded and muttered polite nothings to the Abbott.

When the group of men had departed from the balcony, the Abbott’s pleasant expression relaxed into one of mild irritation. The horse and pony show of upper class politics always left a sour taste in his mouth. Yet it was an unavoidable part of his position as Abbott.

Despite the resistance in the conversation, the Earl would come around eventually. The preparations tonight would make sure of it. Sansen Zhao would die, and that would be the spark needed to get the support the Abbott needed.

The Abbott himself had nothing personal against the tycoon. He did not in fact want to kill anyone. But this was the necessary price to be paid.

For the changes that they were ushering in. For the repayment of grievances his ancestors had suffered over the centuries. For the divine punishment of Lord Noga’s sins.

For all this, the death of a single man was a small price to pay.