The debate wasn’t immediately over following the mayor's verbal agreement to the Union’s proposal. The next hour or so was spent in hard-fought negotiations between the mayor’s subordinates and the muftis over the specific terms included in the agreement.
When everything was finally settled, the newly drafted contract was placed before the mayor. He glowered over the unfavorable contract and refused to touch the pen placed beside the piece of paper. The pen was a relic of the surface world that someone had managed to smuggle in here when the British Armed Forces imprisoned them under the mountain. There wasn't much use for pens down here as desk jobs were not needed in the face of overwhelming scarcity. Most of them were used ceremonially for the signing of important documents; not that that happened very often either.
“Datuk Wei?” prodded Mufti Sayid after a full minute of silence and inaction from the mayor.
The mayor heaved and started muttering under his breath, much to the muftis' disapproval. Chairs creaked as several of their members sprang to their feet in a panic. The mayor was casting a spell.
Mufti Sayid raised a hand and motioned for his fellow muftis to sit down. The mayor had completed his incantation in a matter of seconds. A branch grew out of the wooden table and was shaped into a fibrous material, which was then encased in a wooden shaft, turning it into a brush. A pillar of stone rose from the earth and turned into an inkstone by his side. Black streaks coursed through the stone pillar, congregating as a slab of graphite upon the inkstone.
Finally, a ball of water appeared out of thin air and dropped onto the inkstone, dampening the graphite inside. Calmly, the mayor picked up the graphite and ground it against the inkstone until there was enough ink to write with. Then, slowly, he picked up his magically conjured brush, dipped it in the ink and scrawled his signature messily onto the contract.
“There,” said the mayor, before reciting another spell and sending the paper flying straight into Mufti Sayid’s hands.
The mufti caught the paper graciously and smiled at the mayor, despite the mayor's flagrant violation of the no-magic rule they had agreed upon for any diplomatic meetings. The Union had gotten what they wanted.
“I suppose we're done here,” said the mayor as he hastily rose from his seat. However, before he could get up, Mufti Sayid spoke again, “If you don't mind, Datuk Wei, we still have a few questions regarding the incident.”
“What is it?” asked the mayor impatiently.
“I have gone through the files for this incident several times and I've noticed a few missing gaps. Very important information that I would hope the enforcers would have. Who exactly is Wong Kar Wai? Where did he learn forbidden magic like that? And what did he want?”
The mayor raised and eyebrow and said, “I don't see what good that information is to you.”
“I am concerned about the security of our city. It is not unreasonable to demand a little transparency in our enforcers’ investigations, is it?”
The mayor’s eyes flitted over to Captain Yue, who immediately answered the mufti’s questions, "My men are currently looking into Wong Kar Wai's background. So far, we know that he came down here with his parents six years ago during the second wave of arrests. They were caught organizing religious meetings in their village, but are not magic practitioners themselves. His parents died four years ago during the Darktide and he has been alone since. Neighbors describe him as quiet and reserved. Two years ago, he took on an apprenticeship with the coroner. There has been no evidence of him knowing magic prior to this. Records show that he worked briefly in the mines for six months, which could have been a point of contact with dark magic. We are investigating all of his acquaintances during that time for any suspects.”
“So you believe this dark magic to have come from outside forces?” Mufti Aziz suddenly interrupted in a cynical tone.
“What are you trying to imply, Mufti Aziz?”
“It couldn't have been a source from the inside, could it? Perhaps a hidden experiment gone wrong—”
“Preposterous! Watch what kind of accusations you hurling out, Mufti Aziz. Even my patience has a limit,” the mayor got up from his seat and shouted across the table.
Mufti Sayid threw a glance at the younger mufti, who promptly shut up.
“I apologise for Aziz’s impudence. While we would like if the mayor's office was more forthright with all your projects and operations, we wouldn’t deign to accuse you of meddling with dark magic,” he said.
“I wouldn’t ever put the lives of my people at risk, Sayid,” the mayor hissed in reply.
“Good. So, based on what you just said, Captain Yue, it’s likely that this man picked up magic approximately two to three years ago, prior to his employment at the coroner's office, correct?” Mufti Sayid continued his line of questioning.
“Yes, sir.”
“How is it that neither the coroner nor multiple high-ranking individuals of the mayor's office were able to discover a criminal element like himself in two years then?”
“It is impossible to know if an individual knows magic if they’ve never been seen practicing it. We had no reason to monitor Wong Kar Wai and therefore, no way to discover this secret of his. The coroner himself was a victim in this incident. What we thought was a chronic heart condition that has kept him bound to bed for the past six months turned out to be a parasitic infection caused by one of Wong Kar Wai’s insects. We have since removed the parasite from him, but the lack of oversight must have emboldened and enabled Wong Kar Wai’s actions, which explains the uptick in his victims in recent months. Unfortunately, the coroner’s convenient illness put him in a position to manipulate autopsy records while flying under the radar as no more than an assistant. The enforcers take full responsibility for not noticing this oddity earlier.”
Mufti Sayid asked again, “Very well. Still, one question remains unanswered. Why? Why did he do all this? Go through all this trouble to do what? Murder a couple of clueless workers?”
Captain Yue turned to look at Tian Yi. This was a question that Tian Yi had put forth immediately after the incident. Neither of them had been able to explain it, but something about Captain Yue’s silence told her that he knew more than he was letting on. He was always brooding when the topic was mentioned, as if he could conceive of a possible motive for Wong Kar Wai's actions. However, in the end, he would shake his head and shrug helplessly.
He turned back around and explained the most likely conjecture they had managed to come up with, "With the person in question dead, we have no information to go by. However, judging from the nature of the magic, the deliberation and planning put into the crimes and the suspicious death of Wong Kar Wai, we have good reason to suspect there is someone else behind all this. More likely than not, this is the work of…Fang Chen Yu.”
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The table fell silent for a moment when Fang Chen Yu's name was mentioned. The air was filled with dread and suspense. No ordinary man could have turned a ragtag group of rogues and criminals and turned them into a force capable of threatening the Undercity.
Captain Yue continued, "We do not know their exact motives, but considering the timing of the attacks, it probably has to do with the Darktide itself. Taking control of the workers would give them information on the location of our mines and factories, the general layout of the city and the defenses we have put up in preparation for the Darktide. Fortunately for us, the victims so far would not have been privy to any classified or vital information that would compromise the security of the city. Nevertheless, there is a need to prepare countermeasures for any hostile attacks.”
“No vital information was given away?”
“It is very unlikely. All of the higher-ups have been examined for parasites and everyone has been cleared, including the Union members, I've been told. Our positions of authority, as well as the magical protections we have must have made it incredibly difficult to infect us. Members of the city guard and the enforcers are undergoing similar inspections.”
Mufti Sayid stroked his beard and said, “Still, it is strange that the perpetrator never attempted to take control of a member of the city guard or the enforcers. Surely, an individual like that would have been more useful than a civilian worker. What information could he have gotten from the workers that he would not have been able to access through the enforcers? What could he be looking for?”
It was a good question. Everyone remained silent as they pondered the possibilities. Tian Yi could sense a strange atmosphere in the room; a sort of worry and uncertainty on everyone’s faces, particularly those on the mayor’s side of the table. Commander Singh was throwing furtive glances at the mayor, Lin Zheng Yao was tapping his fingers impatiently, Peng Li Yan was biting his nails, while Captain Yue had closed his eyes and remained as stoic as he could be. The mayor himself had a dark expression on his face, even darker than when he signed the Union’s agreement.
There was an unspoken tension in the air, something more than just anxiety over an enemy spy. The muftis were slowly picking up on the unusual behavior of the mayor's subordinates as well. Mufti Sayid raised and eyebrow and opened his mouth as if to comment on it.
However, Lin Zheng Yao, the chief administrator interjected before he could speak, “Perhaps Wong Kar Wai was simply an incompetent pawn. We should not be spending so much time wondering about the thoughts of a dead man. The more important question is what we do now. The mayor, the city guard and the enforcers have already agreed on an action plan. The number of patrols around the mines and the Undercity's entrances will be increased two-fold until the Darktide. All prior positions and garrisons occupied by the city guard will be scrambled, except for a few key locations. Modifications will be made to the defense plans drawn up before this incident. Whatever information might have leaked as a result of this incident will be worthless by the time it ends up in Fang Chen Yu’s hands.
Does that sufficiently answer your questions, Mufti Sayid?”
There was unconcealed irritation in his voice. Tian Yi didn't find it hard to understand why. As the chief administrator of the Undercity, the bulk of the administrative work created by the Union’s agreement fell on his shoulders. The Union’s actions today were only adding to the tremendous workload of managing the limited resources and manpower of the Undercity. However, it was clear that Lin Zheng Yao's true intention was to end the conversation right here and now.
Mufti Sayid rubbed his chin and said nothing. Finally, he smiled and said, “No.”
He rose to his feet and the smile dropped from his face as quickly as it had appeared, “But I don't believe I will get any more truthful answers here today. Think carefully about what the Union means to the Undercity, Datuk Wei. Perhaps you will choose to be more honest then.”
With that, he turned to leave and the rest of the muftis joined him. Mufti Asri was the only one that bothered to look back. He had a lost, doubtful expression on his face.
“Leave. All of you. Go do your work. I will discuss this matter individually with each of you later. No one is to make any assumptions until I've gotten to the bottom of this,” said the mayor as he stood up.
“Li Yan, come with me, please,” he said to his friend. The head of the Worker's Association, a mousy, stiff-looking man, sprang to his feet and quickly followed the mayor as they walked out of the hall.
The rest of the men left the hall, one by one, each leaving in a different direction once they exited the building. Tian Yi walked with her captain as they headed back to the enforcer's headquarters.
They said nothing for a good while, dead silence brewing between them. Captain Yue seemed to be deep in thought. Tian Yi herself was thinking about everything that had happened. At last, he spoke after several minutes, in a voice so solemn it nearly startled Tian Yi, "What are your thoughts?”
“My thoughts?”
“Yes. You were there for the whole meeting. Tell me what you saw and what you think.”
Tian Yi paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, before finally saying, “The Malay Union was well-prepared. They knew what the mayor’s bottom line was. They had an agreement drawn up. That wasn't a coincidence. Somebody told them what they needed to know.
It was you, isn’t it, Captain? You and Mufti Asri set this whole thing up. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other when they pulled out the agreement. Through Mufti Asri, you gave the Union information on the mayor and pushed them to pressure the mayor into giving concessions. What you didn't expect was how extreme they were with their demands. That’s why both you and Mufti Asri, who should have known about the agreement, looked surprised when you read the terms. It wasn't what you expected.”
Captain Yue nodded and said, “The enforcers were not supposed to be completely neutered within Union territory and the Union was not supposed to expand their military force. We only meant to push the mayor into allocating more resources to the Union and to force him to be more transparent with them. Mufti Sayid was one step ahead of us.”
“But why? Why willingly surrender power to them?” asked Tian Yi.
“Because there is no us and them, Tian Yi. There’s just us. All of us stuck in this hell known as Luo Shan. Neither the mayor nor Mufti Sayid understands that. The mayor has become increasingly…distrustful over the years. As resources dwindle, he started cutting out the Union more and more and the people suffer for it.
Asri and I saw an opportunity with this incident to try and wrest some power back from the mayor's hands, let him understand that the Union is still a key part of the Undercity. Now I'm afraid we've only introduced more division between them,” said the captain wistfully.
Tian Yi paused for a moment to digest all this information.
"And you are telling me all this because?”
“Because I can trust you. Song Teng sided with me and Asri on this issue. We've confronted the mayor several times, but he's been exceedingly stubborn.
Tell me, what else did you notice?”
Tian Yi raised an eyebrow and said, “All of you are keeping a secret. Something that the Union doesn't know about. Your reactions said as much. You all have a good guess on what Wong Kar Wai was actually after. What is it, Captain?”
Captain Yue folded his hands behind his back and said, “A big, terrible secret I cannot tell you. A secret that threatens the very existence of the Undercity and its people. You understand why everyone had that reaction in the meeting?”
“Because if Wong Kar Wai's actions are related to this big, terrible secret, it would mean that, quite possibly, someone in the mayor's inner circle is a mole.”
“And we wouldn't know who to trust,” said the captain with a nod.
“And you want me to find this mole?”
“Did I say that?”
“No, but you might as well have. Why me?”
“Because you are the only person I can truly trust. There’s a possibility that there are traitors amongst the enforcers as well. I cannot make any moves myself, not without startling the mayor and causing more trouble. The best thing for me to do is to stay put.”
“I’m just a housewife, Yue Ran.”
“You're the one that came to ask me for a job.”
The two of them said nothing more as they continued walking down the path, the orange glow of the lantern painting soft shadows across their faces.
"Besides, Song Teng used to tell me how he never won a game of weiqi against you."
The mist that obscured this case seemed to only get thicker with every new revelation. Tian Yi wondered if she was truly the right person for the job. Somehow, she felt no hesitation in her heart.