One, two, three, four,

Mursa knocking at your door.

Five, six, seven, eight,

If he's selling you're too late.

— Part of a children's rhyme. Popular in the Empire of the Sun and the Free Cities.

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ZhiXia City, Mursa Shang's Caravan

"Would you like some tea before we sit down?" Mursa Shang asked as he led Molam and Kalle to a large tent in the middle of the caravan. "I also have a box of fresh pastries from the bakery around the corner. The only one still in operation, given the circumstances of the past… week."

"Not for me, thank you," Molam shook his head. He knew that bakery, and who had previously owned it. He couldn't bear to eat the reminders. Then, It's only been a week? he realized with surprise as he counted in his head. The Festival of the Hero had started… eight days ago. So the Empire had attacked five days ago, the Whale had been arrested four days ago, and the Eclipse had chased Kalle here just yesterday? "Tea would be nice. Do you have tieguanyin?"

"And you, Kalle?"

"Do you have any liquor?" The alchemist asked eagerly.

"We'll see what we have." The Mursa signaled to Jyuni, "A pot of tieguanyin, and see if we have anything from the Isles or Oasis." His apprentice nodded and disappeared behind one of the caravans. "You have expensive tastes, Molam."

"If you think so, then I hope I'm not served the leftover leaves," Molam replied. He was still thinking, distracted by the thought of how much everything had changed. Eight days. Eight short days since he’d come back down the Stairs. So much had happened. To think he had spent over ten days in the Castle… reading.

"Well then, gentlemen," the Mursa gestured to a small table. "Have a seat. Oh, yes, Kalle, the bigger chair must be for you. Jyuni is always very on top of things; she must have added it the moment she saw you coming in."

Molam sat on his chair, the one facing Mursa Shang directly. The table had already been laid out with parchment, ink, and a brush — the customary setup for the mursashu whenever deals were brokered.

Something creaked, then snapped behind him. Molam turned to see Kalle getting up from his chair, kneeling down to inspect it.

"Ah. Jyuni must have forgotten to check if it was in perfect working condition," Mursa Shang stood up, reaching for the tent flap. "I'll have one of my people get another —"

"It's fine, I can fix it," Kalle had already pulled out a thin, long rod from his clothes. He twisted the end and what looked like a toolhead popped out. "You can treat it as a bit of free service. Molam, the light?"

Molam almost laughed at how Kalle thought offering to fix the chair he had broken would give them an edge in negotiations, then gave Mursa Shang an apologetic look as he brought the lantern over to Kalle, who was peering under the chair. "Kalle enjoys fixing things, so don't mind him."

The Mursa took it in stride. "We all have hobbies, I suppose. Ah, Jyuni — just in time."

The black-haired woman walked in with a large tray bearing a teapot, two small cups, a jug, and a larger cup. She set the teapot and small cups on the table for the two of them, then set the jug and cup on a smaller table near Kalle’s seat.

"Please take care not to knock these over," she warned Kalle in a firm voice, then walked over to stand behind the Mursa. Molam stifled the urge to smile; if she was confused by Kalle kneeling on the floor inspecting his chair by lantern-light, she did not show it.

"I hope you don't mind that my apprentice joins us for our little discussion," Mursa Shang said as he poured. The soothing scent of tieguanyin filled the room. "I think she'll learn much from watching you extract what you can from my poor caravan."

"That's high praise, coming from you," Molam accepted the cup. "Far be it from me to tell you how to teach your apprentice, but I didn't know you made it a habit of showing your successor how you bully others into a sale."

"How sharp your accusation! Do you mean to wound me already?" Mursa Shang moved on to pouring the second cup, presumably for himself. "We never bully customers."

"Am I a customer?" Molam raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression we had an alliance."

The Mursa smiled over his cup. "We have a pact of neutrality, not necessarily an alliance. And I understand you owe me favorable terms for trade and commerce, no?"

He remembered, Molam thought, but he had expected that. "I agreed to give favorable terms for trade and commerce with regards to matters reserved for how the Dao would run any Cities it controls. The Dao has no Cities right now."

"That's certainly one way to look at it," Mursa Shang sipped at his tea, then leaned back and winked at Jyuni. "I told you he would wiggle his way out of that one."

Jyuni nodded her head once. "Very astute, Mursa."

A small bang, followed by a hissed "Eshhhhhhhhh-!" as Kalle clambered to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. Molam gave the Mursa another apologetic look as Kalle touched the injured area, muttering incomprehensibly under his breath.

"This is why we don't design things with sharp edges!" Kalle grunted, pouring himself a large amount of what was in the jug and downing the cup in one gulp. "Ahhhhh, moon wine?"

"Our last casket," Jyuni nodded.

"Our last one?" Mursa Shang asked, almost alarmed. "Then why — oh, nevermind."

Kalle refilled his cup, now sitting comfortably. It did not creak. He smiled proudly at Molam, shifting himself around several times to demonstrate its sturdiness. "Fixed," he declared.

"Well done. Now enjoy your wine," Molam replied, picking up the lantern and placing it back on the table. "And be careful you don't injure your head again, or we'll have to fix that too."

"I'm going to assume that's not an insult," the alchemist replied lightly, winking at Molam.

"Insults only matter if you believe them to be true," Mursa Shang commented. "The two of you have a wonderful friendship."

Molam blinked as Kalle's hand clapped his shoulder. "Friendship?" the alchemist teased. "What sort of friend romps off to another City without you and leaves you with all the administrative and clerical work? And without pay too!"

"Oh, I've had similar experiences with the other two Mursa, believe me." Mursa Shang shook his head, giving Jyuni a knowing look. "Mursa Khan's actions always leave work for me. I don't think he fully realizes that most people see all of us mursashu as one people. Mursa Allyce, on the other hand…" he shrugged, "is another matter entirely. But in the end, we're all Mursa, which gives us a bond far more than kinship."

"Right, right?" added Kalle, nodding in agreement. "I think I've saved Molam's life at least twice now. In fact, after the Liberation of JiangXi, he had an injury where he couldn't —"

Molam flicked the rim of Kalle's cup, sending a light ping throughout the tent. "Kalle," he spoke gently, turning around to give the alchemist a hard stare that the two mursashu couldn't see. "The proper way to enjoy moon wine is by contemplating the moon."

Kalle frowned, "But it's just the evening, and I think today is a moonless night? I —" He noticed Molam's glare, then swallowed. "I believe it's important to practice imagining the moon too."

It was such a poor excuse for a tangent on Kalle's part that Molam laughed. Remembering where he was, he choked his laughter into a light cough and an understanding wink so Kalle wouldn't feel too bad about the gaffe. Anything was better than Kalle speaking of things the Mursa did not need to know. Molam had no doubt it was unintentional, but it had been dangerously close.

Instead, he turned and offered a smile of apology to the Mursa, "I apologize for my… friend." The word felt strange coming from him, but it would pay to agree with the Mursa on matters of little consequence. "Kalle tends to babble on about alchemy matters when drinking. It’s incoherent to the rest of us at the best of times even without having just suffered a small head injury. I wouldn't want to cause undue confusion before we actually discuss…" Molam paused, meeting Mursa Shang's gaze, "what we came here to discuss: passage to Oasis."

The Mursa peered back at him, deep in contemplation, before picking up the teapot and refilling their cups. Setting down the pot, he turned to Jyuni and said, "You would do well to learn from what he just did, Jyuni. The smooth way he took control of the conversation and brought it back towards his own goal; you normally wouldn't even think to look for it." He looked back at Molam, a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm impressed. I would not have thought to utilize the head injury so soon. No wonder you take your turns so quickly in dragon chess."

Molam sipped from his cup. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

The Mursa turned to Jyuni again, pointing at Molam. "And that, the follow up. Even when you inherit my Sight, it's just ambiguous enough that his aura doesn't ripple with lies. Take note — his own aura is covered by the Oracle’s white, but the imprinted aura reflects its bearer's state of mind just the same. This is why I had you join me; there's always more to learn, Jyuni."

Molam said nothing, only wondering if he could ask the Oracle to make the aura she lent him not mimic the telltale signs of lying. It would be extremely useful.

"Of course, Mursa." The woman bowed her head. "I'll do my best to pay attention this time. I can already tell it won't be like last night, when you had me watch you flirt with Madam Scarlette."

"That was not flirting," the Mursa protested. "She's also a master of conversation."

"I see," Jyuni replied, then she looked at Molam. "Please do not lead my Mursa on; his heart breaks easily."

"Oh Jyuni," Mursa Shang sighed with exasperation. "I hope your own successor gives you half as much lip."

"You were the one who asked me to express myself more, Mursa," Jyuni replied with wide, innocent eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Mursa Shang shook his head, giving Molam a glance of resignation. "Sometimes you get what you want but not in the way you wanted it, hm?"

"'Such is the daunting process of negotiating with life,'" Molam quoted.

The Mursa's eyebrows rose. "I see you've read Mursa Diyah's journal."

"Mursa Khan had a copy. I borrowed it from him when I traveled with him to Oasis."

"I'm surprised he hasn't lost it," the Mursa replied thoughtfully. Then, "And how much did he charge you for passage to Oasis?"

Molam raised an eyebrow. The Mursa had asked in such a straightforward and offhand manner, despite it being an obvious play for important information. "I don't think I'm at liberty to say without damaging our mutual goodwill. It may embarrass him."

The Mursa appraised Molam silently, then refilled his cup. He offered to refill Molam's, but Molam shook his head. Shrugging, the Mursa set down the teapot, studied Molam once more, then began, "There's a problem in front of me, Molam. You see… while I understand when Oasians pay me a handsome sum to bring them out of the Endless Sands, I've never had someone ask me to bring them in."

"There's a first time for everything," said Molam. "And I'm quite certain you found a way to profit."

"Oh, quite certainly. But that means the value of what you want is relatively… undetermined." The Mursa tapped the side of his cup as though deep in thought, then added, "But then, the rules of supply and demand come to mind, do they not? You want something, and you're here because I'm the only one who can provide it. Somewhat similar to our meeting in JiangXi, except the tables have turned, hm?"

So that's his game. "Don't be hasty. I seem to recall you being very confident at the beginning of that conversation as well," Molam warned, but his heart sank. The Mursa's confidence was too brazen and the direction of this conversation seemed too far in his favor. What was he missing? Did the Mursa know too much already? But how? "I'm just here to know the price."

"Is that so?" asked the Mursa, "Then I suppose I should know a few things first. How many people are you bringing to Oasis?"

"What is the maximum you can bring?" Molam asked in return.

Mursa Shang tapped a finger against the table, then replied, "Three, including you."

He didn't ask me how many I can pay for, observed Molam. "Why only three?"

"Three, at most," Mursa Shang said firmly. "Because I have no other space."

Three people. That severely limited things. Or, the Mursa wanted to limit how much help Molam could bring. Molam gave the Mursa a knowing look, "I thought it was standard practice for a Mursa to consider the value of replacing wagon space. Is there a price for the space you would sell at?"

"You learned much during your time with Mursa Khan's caravan," the Mursa smiled wanly. "That's true — but the value of that space has gone up. As a matter of fact, I am not selling you those three spaces I am willing to part with. I am proposing… a trade."

Molam paused, taking an extra moment to understand what he’d just heard. The Oracle had promised him her backing, but Sanctuary's funds would prove meaningless if the mursashu wanted something else. "And… why is coin not enough?"

"Because of two things," Mursa Shang held up two fingers. "One," he wagged his index finger, "Is that the wagon space is for critical inventory that I need to bring to Oasis. So it is not a matter of price, but of opportunity cost. Unless you have a way of creating more space for what I intend to bring, you will not get more space out of me. And two," he wagged his middle finger, "Is that the only way I will give you passage to Oasis is if you help me cleanse and restore Mur."

"Restore Mur?"

"Yes."

"Now you have me all confused," Molam pondered aloud, gazing at his tea. Restore Mur? What did that even entail? "Revealing what you want is a dangerous position to be in, then you ask for something that even Mursa Diyah could not do. This is worth far more than a place for three guests in your caravan."

"I have no qualms revealing this to you at all," Mursa Khan waved a careless hand. The various gemstones embedded in his rings glittered in the lamplight. "The three Mursa have determined it is time to restore our ancestral home, and that is why the cargo space is critical. Our three caravans will bring as much as possible to rebuild our Lost City after it's been cleansed. As you can imagine, this endeavor will realistically prevent most of us from taking another trade route for some time."

That makes sense. Molam thought, but he saw the flaw. "And you require my help. Otherwise, you wouldn't be taking anyone with you."

The Mursa stroked his trimmed beard. "As sharp as I expected. And now you understand why I am limiting you to three spots while refusing to take coin."

My help. Molam bit the inside of his cheek; how could he help? It must be related to what the Oracle had told the Mursa — but what had she told him? He resisted the urge to sigh about his oversight; why hadn't he thought about asking the Oracle before he came here? That would have been useful information. The issue with the mursashu had completely gone over his head, given the events of the past week.

"You were willing to risk that I wouldn't agree?"

The Mursa raised an eyebrow. "Opportunity is found in times of need," he said, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table. "And I have full confidence you need those spots."

Molam didn't flinch at the stare. "What makes you think I'm forced to buy?"

"You want to go to Oasis," the Mursa replied. His stare relaxed into a small smile, then a lazy blink of the eyes. "A place where the residents pay me passage to leave. So why would you go? Simple: you need something there. But what's in Oasis that you'd be interested in? While their moon wine is certainly divine and their silkweaving splendid, you can easily put in a purchase order with me instead of going yourself."

"Jade, of course, was the most obvious thought here. But even if it's jade, we have the previous problem: you could have made a special request. And yet… I had a nagging feeling that it had to do with jade." The Mursa shrugged, "After lots of thinking, I realized I was thinking about it in the wrong way. It had nothing to do with getting what you wanted, but the amount you wanted it in."

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He sipped at his tea, then gave Molam a satisfied look before stating his conclusion. "You need a large amount of jade. More than what my people trade in a given year. Enough that you — or Sanctuary — needs to speak with the Lord of Sands himself."

"That's a good theory," Molam replied impassively. "Even if it were true, what makes you think I can't just purchase it from all three Mursa and stockpile until I have enough?"

"That's such a poor deflection, Molam. Do you really think so little of me? Isn't the next question why you need so much jade? The Empire asked Oasis to limit the amount of jade allocated for export; enough to sell to those rich fogeys that want to extend their lifespans, but not enough to pose any actual problem to a Titled One. This narrowed down the reasons you would want so much jade: you're still young, so you don't seem to be trying to extend your lifespan. Zaem doesn't require much jade. So I assume," he paused to pour himself more tea, "the Prince will wake up soon? You seem to be in a hurry, after all."

Molam contemplated deflecting again, but it seemed clear to him that the Mursa was — correctly — confident in his guess. He watched Mursa Shang set down the teapot, then looked past the Mursa's shoulder, towards Jyuni. "Your Mursa certainly wasn't just flirting with Madam Scarlette, then, if he knows this much."

Jyuni kept a straight face while her Mursa turned with a look of exasperation.

"You spoke too much," he chided.

"My apologies, Mursa."

"Don't blame her," Molam tapped the table with a finger. "It was an educated guess."

"She did praise you for being very good at this game," Mursa Shang turned back to Molam. "Regardless, you are here because I have something you must have. I have told you the 'price' I'm willing to sell at; now it's up to you."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mursa Shang," Molam said over his teacup. "This reminds me of our first meeting. I admit that this time, I didn't expect you to be this… well-prepared."

The man allowed himself a slow grin. "I underestimated you back in JiangXi. And I do learn from my mistakes."

Molam smiled back. "Yes, I can see that. But you're wrong about one thing. You see… the Prince is not waking soon." He waited for the question.

The Mursa peered at him. "Oh? Then when does he wake up?"

So it's confirmed. The Mursa didn't know the exact details. If the Mursa thought he knew everything, then Molam would lose all negotiation leverage. Molam thought briefly about withholding the information, but decided against it. Mursa Shang had been confident in his assessment; now was the best time to throw his thoughts off balance.

"The Oracle said two Sorrows." Just a small dose of truth, timed to cause confusion and self-doubt. "I commend you for coming to this table prepared; I do need jade, and for exactly what you think I need it for. But you were wrong about the Prince waking soon." Reinforcing the truth in the Mursa’s glowing eyes, Molam continued, "And now that I know what you want and your own timeline, you're the one that needs to convince me to agree to this trade. What do the mursashu call this again? Waiting for better market conditions?"

The Mursa sipped at his tea again, clearly buying time to think. Molam leaned back in his seat; saying any more would be dangerous. All depended on what the Mursa's next tactic was.

"Two Sorrows," the Mursa muttered, glancing at Molam. "You can't afford to wait that long."

"And what makes you think that?" Molam replied.

"You're here. Why else would you have come to me?"

"I was hoping to get this done earlier," Molam spoke truthfully again. "But I don't appreciate being gouged on price." He leaned over the table. "Revealing what you wanted from me was a mistake, Mursa Shang. You said you need my help to restore Mur, fully expecting I would agree to your timeline. You need my help – more than I need yours."

"We could push the restoration back," Mursa Shang pointed out. "Our people have been away for more than four centuries — what's another year? This time next year, you'll be up against the Prince waking up. And by then, my price may be even higher."

"That's true," Molam admitted, "But you're assuming I live that long."

The Mursa blinked. "What?"

Yes, that's the right reaction, thought Molam. You thought you could safely reveal what you wanted because I had no other choice, but now you've attached value to my life.

"I have two places to go: Oasis and the Northern Plains. Since you plan on gouging me, I'll simply change the order. As for why the Northern Plains…" Molam paused, tapping an unhurried finger on the table, pretending he was making Mursa Shang wait for what could be critical information. After four breaths, he shrugged. "...well, it doesn't hurt to tell you. The Dao intends to free the Frozen Saint. I'm sure you can imagine the Empire may have violent objections to that."

Silence. Molam gave the Mursa a relaxed look, then picked up the teapot and refilled their respective cups. The last bit of tea dribbled out, and Molam frowned — his cup was only half full. "It seems we're out of tea."

"Jyuni, be a dear." The Mursa's voice was equally relaxed, but his eyes were staring down at the cup Molam had just handed back to him — a focused look that spoke of intense deliberation.

Jyuni stepped forward, picking up the pot and carrying it out. The sound of liquid leaving a bottle came from behind Molam; it appeared that Kalle was also refilling his wine.

Molam remained silent, refusing to give Mursa Shang anything more to work with. The Mursa had been right the entire time; it was only through the barest of unknown information that Molam could plant a seed of doubt. But it was all he needed; Molam hadn't lied about wanting to free the Frozen Saint, but he had no idea if it was even possible. Even if not, he recalled from Shurra's conversation with the OutCast that the Frozen Saint could carry a conversation — and who better to talk to than the last person who had fought the Prince equally?

But going to the Northern Plains first wasn't ideal. The matter of securing jade was nonnegotiable; Molam was gambling on the Mursa deciding he could be more flexible in his demands if it meant getting Molam to travel with him first. But there were too many unknowns on his end too: what exactly did the Mursa think Molam could do to restore Mur? Again, he berated himself for not asking the Oracle before coming here. If he’d known what it was, he could have leveraged it as well.

Jyuni returned with a fresh pot, gesturing towards Molam’s cup. Molam downed his remaining tea, then pushed the cup towards her with a nod of thanks. Jyuni picked it up, then paused as she looked towards her Mursa, whose hand was on her arm. He reached for the teapot. Jyuni passed it over to him and retreated to her spot.

"You're still here because you hope to go to Oasis first,'' the Mursa spoke slowly as he poured. He set down the teapot and pushed Molam’s cup towards him, meeting Molam’s gaze. "Which means there's room for flexibility."

"Or perhaps I simply enjoy the tea. Tieguanyin is expensive, not something I'd normally spare the coin for."

"Very coy," Mursa Shang replied, but the relaxed air of confidence was gone. "What is it you want?"

Molam made the Mursa wait for him to finish sipping before answering, "And why should I make the same mistake you did?"

"Now, now, I'll admit I was wrong to think you were going to be a swift buyer. But our little friendly pact should give us some leeway for negotiations, no?"

"You mean our nonaggression pact?" Molam responded. "You've had multiple opportunities to be 'friendly,' Mursa Shang. The Empire's two attacks — you couldn't have been unaware of them. And yet you didn't lift a finger. In fact, if memory serves," he added, "you were there with Madam Scarlette at the Martial Arena when the Empire attacked. Madam Scarlette came down. You fled."

Mursa Shang raised his head, looking down his nose at Molam. "I'm sure you understand my position well, Molam."

"I do. You chose the safest options for your people; I don't fault you for that. But to turn around and expect me to give you any preferential treatment as a result?" Molam leaned forward, meeting the Mursa's defiant gaze with his own. "I'm not that easy to bully into a sale. How about you make a compelling offer?"

They stared at each other without flinching. Molam broke the tension with a relaxed smile. "Or, I could leave right now. It's not yet Summer's Warmth, but I have no doubt I'll need to prepare adequately for a trip to the Northern Plains." You're going to keep me or you won't, but you can't risk me finding an alternative, can you? He had no intention of allowing the Mursa to regain his earlier confidence.

"The matter of seats cannot be changed," the Mursa spoke with a tone of finality. "Other things can be discussed."

"That's not an offer. If you don't budge, this will go nowhere and I should be elsewhere."

Pressing his lips together, the Mursa added, "I'll also provide transport for the return trip in addition to any jade you secure in Oasis."

"I said a compelling offer," Molam waved a dismissive hand. "And now I know you didn't intend to provide a return trip in the first place. Were you perhaps hoping to gouge me again for that?"

"I was in the middle of making a list," Mursa Shang continued grudgingly. "On top of both legs of the trip, I will provide food and water to your group of three for the entire duration of your time in the Endless Sands. Additionally," he noted, raising a finger upon seeing Molam's raised eyebrow, "You will have access to my caravan's resources for the purposes of both restoring Mur and aiding you to secure your jade. I assume the amount of money you've set aside for purchasing jade must have eaten into what money you do have, even with Sanctuary's backing."

Molam waited for more, but the Mursa leaned back with crossed arms, seemingly done with his offer.

"What exactly does that entail?" Molam asked, inflecting his tone so that the Mursa would assume he was interested. "Does it include… your people?"

Mursa Shang sipped at his tea before answering. "Same as how I had Cholani work for you back in JiangXi. So long as they're not doing anything critical for me, I have no issue lending them to you."

"Interesting." Molam already knew what he wanted, but did not want to seem too eager. Let the Mursa think Molam still wasn't convinced, that it wasn't enough. "Is that your best offer?"

The Mursa held out his hands disarmingly. "What more could you want? People pay an incredible amount to leave Oasis. I assume you know the value of getting back out."

"That value decreases once Mur is restored," Molam countered. "In fact, once Mur is restored, the mursashu no longer have a monopoly over travel to Oasis, since I could have Sanctuary's messengers help me transport the jade. Your offer makes little sense for me in the long run."

But the Mursa held up a hand in disagreement. "And my offer depends on whether you can actually help me restore Mur. I want to confirm whether you even deserve an offer," he put his hand down onto the table and leaned forward, his eyes flashing golden. "The Oracle said I would need to borrow the strength of a great spirit to restore Mur — can you actually use spirits?"

The air became heavy, and his skin tingled. Molam forced himself to stay calm, looking for answers. "Aren't you talking to me because you already think I can?"

"That's not an answer," the Mursa demanded, his glowing eyes narrowing. "Diyah's memories suggest that the other aura lingering about you belongs to a spirit, but I need hard proof. No dodging this one, Molam. You will give me an answer: have you met a spirit?"

Molam held back his surprise at the Mursa's forceful questioning. "Yes."

"And can you borrow their strength?"

"Yes." So the way to restore Mur is through a spirit's strength. But how? He would need to ask the Oracle what exactly a spirit could do to cleanse the Lost City of DuskWing's curse.

"So you're an anima?"

"No."

"That doesn't add up," said the Mursa, furrowing his brow. "Only certain anima like the Frost Saint have ever spoken to, much less contracted with spirits."

"You have much to learn about spirits, then," Molam replied, keenly aware of Jyuni and Kalle's gazes on him. "The HearthKeepers of the Northern Tribes are all capable of speaking to spirits without necessarily being anima."

"Interesting. I have never had a chance to interact with a HearthKeeper at length, but that makes sense," the Mursa pondered, then asked, "Have you interacted with spirits for long?"

"I grew up with many, interacting with them on an almost daily basis," Molam answered, hearing Kalle inhale sharply in surprise. The Mursa's eyes widened; no doubt he had confirmed the veracity of Molam's words. Even Jyuni's normally expressionless face changed to one of curiosity. "Are you done with your interrogation, Mursa Shang?"

"I prefer calling it verification," the Mursa leaned back in his chair, the golden glow fading from his eyes. "This is not a matter that can be done without verifying each step of the process. I'm sure you understand."

"Don't mischaracterize that as anything but you demanding something from me that I had every right to keep to myself," Molam said forcefully, sensing it was his moment to pounce while Mursa Shang was still processing what he had just learned. "I played your game — and now you play mine. You questioned me about my private matters under the Sight and confirmed that I can use spirits. I want to confirm you can give me what I want in exchange for helping you with Mur." He leaned forward to stare the Mursa in the eyes, speaking in a serious tone. "All three caravans, Mursa Shang. Including all three Mursa."

The Mursa's eyes darkened, clasping his hands together. "I will admit it was heavy-handed of me to question you with the Sight, but we are long past time for jokes, Molam."

"Oh, but I'm quite serious, Mursa Shang," Molam refilled their cups from the teapot, focusing on the cups to get away from Mursa Shang's questing look. "You think to soften the limitation on who I can bring by offering me your people. Though your given reason is understandable, the result is me being separated from those I can trust. Moreover, you'll get nothing out of me if I can't do what I need to do in Oasis. And so," he looked back up to the Mursa, "I want all three caravans and the Mursa to answer to me for the duration of our trip, so long as I haven't left the Endless Sands."

"You ask for something I cannot give," the Mursa snapped back.

"That's because I didn't expect you to say yes immediately. You have a way of contacting both Mursa Allyce and Mursa Khan, no? Considering this matter involves Mur, I'm certain they'll be willing to hear the terms," Molam downed his tea and stood up, careful to not bump his chair into Kalle. "I take it you'll need time to think about it," he added to the Mursa.

"And to think you accused me of bullying people into a sale." The Mursa said nothing, then waved a hand. "Jyuni, see them out."

So. Not a rejection. "Thank you, but we can find our way back," Molam replied, "Come, Kalle. We've imposed on the Mursa's hospitality long enough."

Kalle gulped the last of his wine, looking forlornly at the rest in the jug, then set down his cup and stood up. "Thank you for the wine," he said, bowing his head towards Jyuni.

The woman bowed back, then held open the tent flap for them. Kalle ducked out first, then Molam. "You did not disappoint," she murmured to Molam as he passed by.

"You think too highly of me." He gave her a curt nod as he left. He could see why Mursa Shang had chosen her to inherit his Title; something about her eyes and movements spoke of a keen, deliberate mind.

Molam and Kalle stayed silent until they had long left the Mursa's caravan circle. The Sun had set, and ZhiXia City's builders were retiring for the evening. Several construction sites were well underway. The Sharks were contributing a lot of labor to the cause now that they no longer needed to handle the Whale's trial.

"Did…" Kalle asked hesitantly, "Did that go as planned? I might not have understood all of that, but I understood why we went — and I don't think you have passage to Oasis yet?"

"None of that went as planned, Kalle," Molam answered, frustrated, then bit his lip and softened his tone. Kalle wasn't to blame. "Mursa Shang was more prepared than I thought possible, even though I had just decided to go speak with him. I never expected that conversation to go the way it went and had to make the best of it. This is a matter I intend to settle with Madam Scarlette." He took a breath, trying to calm down. "Also, it's we. You're coming."

The Northerner's face blanched. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me. One of the two will be you." Molam continued walking, Sanctuary's brightly lit pillars coming into sight. "I was hoping to bring as many as I can, but the Mursa was not budging. I'm still hoping that the limitation was a farce and he was gambling on me chasing for extra positions, but I didn't want to play that game at all."

"Oh. I didn't even think that was an option," Kalle replied, then sighed. "I've… never been to Oasis. The stories we heard around the HeartHomes did not paint it in a good light. Is it a nice place? I've heard it's the richest City in the world."

Molam pondered the question, then shrugged as they stepped up to Sanctuary. "I don't have fond memories from my time there with Mursa Khan's caravan two years ago. I certainly don't want to live there. It's the richest City in the world where too many dream of leaving."

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Mursa Shang's tent

Jyuni cleared the table and put the refreshments on a tray, handing it to a young man from Gyota's mursasho who was passing by the tent. The man seemed surprised — normally, Jyuni did not pass on chores to others — but accepted the tray and took it towards the kitchens. Jyuni herself went the opposite direction; she filled a bowl at the water wagon, then carried it back to the tent.

Inside, she saw her Mursa writing down notes of his talk with the Dao, muttering darkly to himself. Jyuni set the bowl on the table and pulled out the chair that Molam had sat in.

"You expected him to make it expensive for us," Jyuni reminded him while glancing at his notes. It was separated into four columns, two on one side being what Mursa Shang had offered and asked for; two on the other being what Molam had offered and asked for. A circle had been drawn around the words [command of all mursashu.] "And he did."

"Yes, but this goes beyond 'expensive,'" Mursa Shang replied. "I don't find Molam particularly greedy as an individual, but his demand in this trade was not something I’d ever considered in our calculations."

She tapped a finger on the bowl of water. "Do you plan on bringing it to the other Mursa?"

He leaned back in his chair, reviewing the four columns. "I thought we had him," he grumbled. "I knew what he wanted, and that coming to me meant the Whale of ZhiXia couldn’t help him get to Oasis. Normally, you'd think that would mean I could demand whatever price I wanted; who knew I was off about the timing and that he was willing to spite me with the value of his life?" He shook his head, pushing aside the notes and pulling over the bowl. "But none of that went as planned. Mursa Allyce would love his methods of negotiation."

"We could look for another spirit speaker in Oasis," Jyuni suggested.

"We could, but we run the risk of not finding one. Anima are rare enough, but even the ones that have spoken to a spirit have only ever spoken to just one. And yet Molam said he grew up with 'them.' That's something I never expected anyone to voluntarily reveal — I thought it was a trap, but his words didn't carry a single lie." Mursa Shang rolled up his sleeve, exposing the tattoo on his right arm. "I still think it's a trap, but I can't think of what he stood to gain from revealing that to me."

"Perhaps he wanted you to think this way?"

Mursa Shang gave her a look of reproach. "Don't put that idea in my head, or it'll give me a headache. The only thing I can think of is that Molam was implying he was the best option I have. The Oracle said that the great spirit we need is already in Oasis, and if Molam has spoken to multiple spirits before, it increases the chances he can speak to this one on our behalf."

The thought had never occurred to Jyuni. She nodded in understanding, "That seems… reasonable." She kept her surprise to a minimum, lest her Mursa get a big head.

"Now all that matters is conveying this to the other two and getting their permission," Mursa Shang grimaced, then dipped the tip of his index finger in the bowl. When the water stilled, the Mursa placed his wet finger on the rim and began tracing the lip. Tiny gold droplets dribbled from his finger into the water within. Upon completing a full circle, the water gleamed golden — a mirror reflecting the Mursa's face.

He looked into the mirror-like water and took a breath, then began his message.

"I discussed what we wanted with Molam from the Dao. Mursa Khan, regarding your suggestion to limit the amount of people he could bring with him… well, let's just say Molam didn't like playing that game. He knows what we want and is keenly aware of our timeline, and now he's turning that to his advantage." He paused, then added, "Neither of you will like what he's demanded."