Stray Soul | Chapter 1: A Strange Child (Part 5)

The lecture continued. Outside, Vazarl Nulu patiently stood and listened. The contents of this lesson are vaguely familiar, only in a different language and adapted to the culture of the Empire. If so, there must have been others with similar birth condition as me. There is a time and place for everything. Vazarl Nulu suppressed his curiosity and devoted attention to the task at hand—receiving an education.

After class for the following days, Vazarl Nulu wandered the marketplaces. Vendors sit at their stalls all day waiting for customers. Many sell the same products—basic household items, simple foods, low quality trinkets. The shops sell more expensive goods—bolts of fabric, accessories, home decorations, stationery, books, and many other items. Street food cannot compare to restaurants. Weaved baskets cannot compare to quality ceramics. Broadly, there are the same sectors and industries. Two realities. Similar, yet different.

On the surface, Vazarl Nulu acted a passive observer of the day-to-day lives of residents of Golden Moon Province. Strolling about, doing his best to not stand out. His mind always active. He tried to study the conditions for a feasible commercial venture in the future. There is very little retail. The man who sells fish first catches his fish. The butcher raises his own livestock. The grain merchant manages his own farms. Artisans sell their own wares. Without a credit market, only those wealthy enough can build proper houses, so the construction sector is practically nonexistent. Coal and textiles are the biggest imports. Then again, not a lot of goods are produced locally—mostly foodstuff. Most of the exports are cultivation related—mana beast parts and rare species of plants from the wilderness. My estimation may be rough, but population and personal household income are adequate. Higher-order goods and services are untapped. For growth, there needs to be a proper supply chain.

At home, he does not mention to his parents that he has been standing outside the classroom of Jaal Wenle listening to lectures. Each day, he would ask permission to play outside, no different from the past. His parents trust he would avoid trouble and never inquired too deeply.

“Mother, this son met a vendor kind enough to give me this flower,” Vazarl Nulu said presenting an herb. “This lavender has a calming effect. Mother has not been sleeping well. Tomorrow, this son will search for more.”

Foalin Ohga happily accepted the herb. “Do be careful and not wander too far from the compounds,” she reminded.

“Yes, mother,” he said smiling faintly. In this way, Vazarl Nulu received permission to explore the area adjacent to the wilderness. He won’t disclose how far he ventures.

Undomesticated mana beasts and other potentially hazardous species are the only requirements for an area to be called wilderness. The land-owning clans all send cultivators and other skilled fighters to patrol the immediate area outside of town to protect the farms and prevent mana beasts from approaching too close. This protection is also extended to wild game that the clans sometimes hunt for sport. The safe radius is five miles beyond the compounds.

Vazarl Nulu knows very well that he cannot venture too far outside of town. The urban area of Golden Moon Province is safe. The forests and woodlands still have boars and other dangerous animals that could eat him. There are also toxic animals and other species. Just because the five-mile radius is regularly patrolled does not mean every threat of nature has been eliminated.

Now that his education situation has been somewhat addressed, he needs to turn attention to learning more about his home province. In part, he needs to relate what he has learned. The contents of Jaal Wenle’s lectures are oriented towards bookish scholarly learning.

Eternal Moon Empire has a bureaucratic foundation. The political philosophy of the state is a blend of legalism than Confucianism. Empire above family and family above self. Strict laws are in place to discourage criminal activities, but there is still a trust that people will act justly. Scholars preach morality and virtuous living. “The good merchant serves the communal good.” When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Crenlan Nulu and Foalin Ohga have taken Vazarl Nulu to the forest behind the Nulu Clan Compound and the Nzhena Clan Compound many times. Their activities have been limited to selecting wood for Crenlan Nulu to make furniture and Foalin Ohga collecting edible vegetation and plants that could be used as soap and sachets. On these trips, Vazarl Nulu was unable to explore very far from his parents. Now that he could roam unsupervised and visit the farms within walking distance, he could better acquaint himself with wildlife to categorize what species he is and is not familiar with.

Soon, I need to make my own paper, ink and brush. The few words I can learn from signposts and notices throughout town may be limited, but I have to practice nonetheless. Guqin. Weiqi. Poetry. Painting. These are the four hobbies I have to develop.

Absorbing Immortal Energy is also a must. In these two years, I have seldom felt weak of body and never afflicted by illness. Mother takes care in preparation of our food. Drinking water is first boiled. Still, she and father occasionally fall ill with the seasons. I have also been ill in my early infant years. My healthy constitution these two years, I can only attribute to the Immortal Energy coursing in my body.

The intangible black void of the cultivation space is only how Immortal Energy is absorbed. Spreading it to the body requires conscious effort of willing the internal flow of that energy. Without the Golden Moon Mantra, I would not be able to illuminate the Immortal Energy within me, then channel it to flow out from the cultivation space.

Just passively reciting the Mantra allowed me to absorb Immortal Energy. How much more could be absorbed from eating the flesh of mana beasts and absorb mana cores? How much from the medicine produced by the Immortal Energy rich plants? Everyone has some Immortal Energy coursing within them. “Regular” people, like father, are not cultivators either because they cannot sense their cultivation space or are unable to channel Immortal Energy.

As for me. I must aim to be a scholar and merchant. Being a cultivator of the Nulu Clan does not interest me. Moreover, the Clan does not expect much of me until I turn fifteen. Forming a cultivation core too early may not be a good.