Chapter 174 - History Quiz

A blessed? A look of mild confusion appeared on Char Char’s face as she faced the foreign woman wearing white robes.

The term blessed was not part of Char Char’s regular vocabulary, but she was familiar with it. It was a term reserved for individuals like high priests who had a special connection with a divine being. Those individuals were ‘blessed’, receiving special boons, powers and favours. They also typically performed special roles, carrying out the wishes of their deity.

“Not that I know of…” Char Char said cautiously, “Who are you?”

“A humble follower of the White Maiden.” The woman said. “I don’t have any specific reason to believe this, but when I saw you praying at the shrine I had the inexplicable feeling that you and I were meant to help each other.”

The phrasing of the woman’s words caught Char Char’s attention. Meant to help each other… was she sent by the White Maiden to help us find Hakuya?

The hesitation in Char Char’s expression softened as she nodded, warming up to the stranger.

“My name is Char Char.” The young kumin girl bowed her head politely.

“Lyssa.” The woman replied.

“May the White Maiden bless our meeting, Lyssa.” Char Char smiled as she replied with an appropriate formal response.

She’s lying. Char Char noted quietly, although perhaps she has reasons for hiding her real name. Something about her saying she was a follower of the Maiden also feels fishy… but to be honest, I also feel like there’s a special connection binding us here.

Could this be the Maiden’s answers to my prayers for guidance?

“I’m looking for a person.” Char Char said, “He disappeared into the forest a few days ago.”

‘Lyssa’ paused momentarily before asking, “What can you tell me about him?”

“His name is Hakuya. He’s a monk from Huan. He was making a cure for the Devileyes but something went wrong.” Char Char said, “The last person who saw him said he was in a very bad condition.”

“How bad?”

“As in… not human.” Char Char said softly. They exchanged a meaningful glance as they confirmed wordlessly that they were both part of the Exalted world.

Lyssa raised her hand, covering her mouth in thought as something triggered in her memory. Her eyes flickered away, then back to Char Char as something dawned on her. “He disappeared a few days ago, you say? Where was he last seen?”

“I’m not sure exactly. But probably near the south east side of the city.”

Char Char quietly observed Lyssa’s eyes as the robed woman took a moment to think. At the right timing Char Char spoke up, “Do you know the person I’m talking about?”

“No…” Lyssa said, drawing out her response as she continued to think, “But I do know about a disturbance in the forest around that area.”

Char Char stood up immediately, “Take me there.”

“Okay.” Lyssa nodded, looking Char Char up and down, “Just be aware… It’s likely going to be dangerous.”

~

In the white world Yuzu watched as the black and silver strings of Medusa, Char Char and Reid left the vicinity of the shrine. She stood at the edge of the cliff, a frown on her lips as the three ribbons snaked away and disappeared into the distance.

With the Hunter and Medusa looking after Char Char, Yuzu felt that the journey was far safer to let her friend undertake. Yuzu had no doubt that Medusa’s control over the forest would give them a massive advantage if any fight broke out, and Reid had already saved Char Char once from death…

The area that they were traveling toward was well out of range of Yuzu’s powers, so she had no way of telling how the encounter would go. If she were able to stay close to Char Char she could definitely make a big impact on any troubles, but she didn’t have the option of going with the group. After all, ‘Yuzu’ was just an ordinary girl to the rest of the world.

“Hakuya…” Yuzu muttered as Char Char’s black thread disappeared out of sight.

There was one further benefit of allowing the group to investigate the Disciple monk’s condition. This was the fact that the monk still had an unfulfilled requirement to return to the shop and retrieve his chest.

If Yuzu didn’t find a way to deal with Hakuya and he simply was allowed to wander around until the end of the month, would he return as a monster to retrieve the chest? And if he lost control before that point and turned into a monster, would he remember that promise and immediately return to the shop, bringing tragedy to everyone he encountered…

Yuzu shuddered as she remembered the vision of his transformation. A dozen sickly black tentacles bursting out of his back with the terrible sound of tearing flesh. The glisten of blood and rain off of his wooden face that was frozen in an expression of agony.

“This is… fine… This is being proactive. Taking control of the situation.”Yuzu muttered quietly as she consoled herself. “If he’s already a monster, then he’ll be put out of his misery. And if there’s somehow a way to save him… Well… I really don’t think there is… but if there was, somehow I feel like Char Char would be able to do it.”

Staring off into the forest of white trees, Yuzu crossed her arms in front of her, holding herself tight.

Her hands felt cold.

~

Medusa, who was currently going under the name Lyssa, led the way through the trees. She kept a focused but unhurried pace, and though she didn’t know the two strangers that were accompanying her, she was filled with a feeling of elation.

Without a doubt, these people were sent by the White Maiden to assist her and Prince Deka. The Maiden must have been satisfied with her contribution and the information she provided on Markus Gantt, and thus decided to provide her support.

She didn’t know exactly what this missing person had to do with Prince Deka, or how Char Char and Reid were going to help her. There hadn’t been any explicit communication from the White Maiden, no visions or instructions. But she could feel without a doubt that the meeting between her and Char Char was arranged through Her divine will.

In addition, the sensation of being watched had completely vanished since she entered the shrine. Whoever had gone after her earlier had certainly been discouraged after seeing the Maiden offer her protection to her. Or perhaps even better yet, they could have been chased off directly.

Medusa closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, a soft smile on her face.

“You really know this forest well.” Char Char said, moving up to walk beside Medusa.

“Why do you say that?” Medusa responded curiously.

“As far as I can tell, you’re not taking us on any path through the forest, but despite that it’s been a very easy hike.” Char Char said, “I was thinking you must be at home in nature.”

“Yes, nature…” Medusa took another breath as she nodded, “The way this forest is right now is how nature should be. Vibrant. Full of life and vitality.”

“Is it like this where you’re from?” The Kumin girl’s eyes sparkled with a genuine curiousity.

“No, not at all.” Medusa shook her head. Her smile faded slightly as she looked around at the thick foliage and sighed, “Where I’m from… The land is barren and dead. Every year it seems like the life force in the earth fades further.”

“Why is that?” Char Char asked.

Medusa hesitated as a dark expression fell on her face. She observed Char Char closely. The young girl was distinctly Kumin. She looked naive, inexperienced, sheltered. Not the kind of person that would understand or care about her plight.

Char Char subtly picked up on these cues and said reassuringly, “The White Maiden brought us together… If there’s something you need, I’m here to help.”

This statement seemed to ease Medusa’s thoughts as she nodded, muttering quietly, “Praise the Maiden.”

“Praise the Maiden.” Char Char repeated.

“The reason that my homeland is dying… Would you believe me if I told you that it is because of your ruler, Lord Noga?” Medusa began cautiously, “The reason is entrenched in the myths and legends of my culture… Stories which seem to have been completely wiped away in this country.”

“That is, the War of the Five Kings.”

Char Char nodded, thoughtfully adding, “I know about it, we learn about it in our lessons. And there is also the festival that is coming up.”

“Tell me what you know.” Medusa said.

“Um- Well-“ Char Char stammered, not expecting the flash history quiz, “Lord Noga from Kumin, Lord Matsuhara from Huan, and also umm.. the lord from Banbajan, all fought together against the Ruler of Ying Chu and the Ruler of Fuha, who were invading our country… Lord Noga defeated the ruler of Ying Chu in battle and then had to race back here to valiantly defend this city against invasion in the south.”

“The city was about to fall, but Lord Noga- the direct ancestor of our Lord Noga today- arrived just in time and cinched victory by defeating the Lord from Fuha. After this, the three rulers declared themselves sworn brothers and formed the country of NianXing.”

“Is that really what they teach you here in this country? They make it sound like your Lords were heroes, defending their people against warlords.” Medusa sighed softly, shaking her head.

“But that’s how it happened.” Char Char was puzzled.

“What reason do they teach you that Ying Chu and Fuha had for invading?” Medusa asked.

“Um, it was for the riches and the fertile lands.” Char Char replied, “Because the lands to the south were barren, and several years of drought made them desperate.”

Medusa shook her head, scoffing softly, “What a ridiculous lie.”

“What part of it?” Char Char frowned.

“Back then, Fuha was a lush, vibrant land blessed by the God of Life. Her people were gifted with health and longevity. The culture of Fuha was a celebration of the wonders of life.” Medusa said with a nostalgic smile. “You see how green and bright this forest is right now? This is nothing compared to what Fuha used to be.”

“How do you know that?” Char Char asked, “I mean, if it was a thousand years ago…”

“Of course, I only know the stories that were passed down by my ancestors…” Medusa nodded, but a smile was on her face, “But I also have been blessed with visions from my God. Visions of what Fuha used to be.”

“Which is why your history makes no sense.” Medusa shook her head, “The true history is that Kumin wasn’t the target, it was Fuha. And it wasn’t our people that were the aggressors, but yours.”

Char Char frowned. She wanted to say something to counter it, but it would have been her word against Lyssa’s. She was also skeptical about the claims that Lyssa had received visions, although with her recent experiences she was significantly more open to the idea than she used to be.

“Kumin and Huan used to be empty lands. Small kingdoms that were used as the crossroads for the bigger empires around them.” Medusa said, “But after Lord Noga conquered Fuha, all the vital energy of the land was sucked dry. And I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard that Ying Chu too is now just a barren wasteland covered in ash.”

Char Char’s fists clenched as she an indignant fury rose inside her, hearing the name of her Lord and her people slandered so directly. She was about to speak up when the grizzled voice of Reid piped up behind them. Up to this point he’d followed behind quietly without interrupting, to the point that both Medusa and Char Char had almost forgotten he was there.

“It’s true.” Reid said with a chuckle, speaking for the first time, “On the other side of the sea, Ying Chu is now known as the ashlands. And everyone knows that Lord Noga rose to power by climbing up the bodies of his enemies.”