Three steps to the left, turn, three steps back, then a bow.
Although Chatra Huemac was just a small official from the rural and uncultured east, his etiquette seemed well-practiced. At least for now, it was good enough to satisfy one of the most powerful men in the Immortal City, second only to the emperor.
“The Ignorant greet Great Scholar and Prime Minister Zyaton.”
Prime Minister Zyaton examined the young man's posture for a few seconds, before he hinted at a satisfied nod. Though of course, Huemac couldn't see the nod, so the gesture was pointless. Even now, the young lord kept his head lowered. His body stayed bent down to face the ground as the Great Scholar sauntered over to his favorite chair.
Without concern for his guest, the master of the house took a seat on the expensive piece of furniture. Made from onyx and lined with countless layers of silk for comfort, it had been a present for his seventieth birthday not too long ago. The inlaid gemstones shimmered in the low-hanging sun that shone in through the narrow windows. Zyaton really liked his chair.
After he had settled down, the prime minister looked at the young lord again, and saw that he had still retained his posture. Satisfied with the level of submission on show, Zyaton decided to acknowledge his guest's existence.
“Chutwa Milintica Huemac. You have traveled far to come here. This scholar wishes to welcome you in his home. Please raise your head.”
The lord did as asked. More than any other, Zyaton really liked this part of his work. Most days, the non-scholars who still held on to official positions in the empire would deride the more learned like himself. They claimed that the country would be troubled without what they considered 'strength', and what Zyaton considered 'barbarity'. Yet as soon as they needed him, all these brutish officials would become as submissive as his grandsons.
“Now then, young Chatra,” he continued in a friendly tone. “What is it this old man can help you with? What is the purpose of your visit?”
“Nothing, Great Scholar.” Huemac bowed again, his feet glued to the same spot. “This ignorant only wished to be in the presence of the great scholar, in hopes that he may learn from his wisdom.”
Out of view of his guest, the old man sneered. Who would believe that some young martial artist would travel away from his seat of power and halfway across the entire world, just to meet him? This young master was only a small, local official. A Chatra might be considered a great lord over in the eastern rural lands, but in the Immortal City, he was no better than a pauper. How would he even dare meet with Zyaton over such a trivial matter? How would someone so lowly ever get the chance for a meeting with the prime minister?
Yet despite all that, Huemac had somehow managed to bribe himself all the way here. From what Zyaton had been told by his servants, the young Lord Huemac had started his lavish spree of 'gifts' with the official in charge of the southern harbor's admission as soon as he had stepped off his boat. From there, he had worked his way up the chain of eunuchs and scholars bit by bit, all the way to the prime minister. Whatever he wanted, it would be important enough for him to gift away most of his life savings in a few short days.
Of course, while the bribes might have seemed huge to Huemac, they wouldn't even be enough to pay for the various paintings Zyaton had collected in this single room. In fact, even just his chair may prove too expensive. Still, this request was important enough to Huemac to risk his entire fortune, so Zyaton was at least mildly intrigued. Though before he asked the young man for details, he would collect the payment he deserved for his services.
“Great Scholar Zyaton, this official humbly wishes to show his appreciation for a true master, and has thus brought a few presents. Please accept them.”
Although the servant behind Huemac stepped forward with an ornate box of bronze in his arms, the prime minister motioned for him to halt.
“That is not necessary,” the prime minister said. “How could a true scholar ask for something mundane like gold or silver in exchange for his knowledge?”
“Oh no, I insist. The gifts are truly not to exchange for anything. This official simply wishes to present these gifts to great scholar.”
Despite the young official's incessant fawning, Zyaton made a troubled face and pretended to think hard.
“However...”
“Please master, you would do this Unlearned a great honor if you were to accept his gifts. Please do this Unlearned a favor, and take the present.”
At this point, the lord fell on his knees in front of the prime minister. Satisfied with the performance, Zyaton sighed.
“If it means so much to Official, this Scholar will reluctantly accept. Please feel relieved and deliver the gift.”
The conversation had gone the way he had expected, yet when Huemac's servant came over with the bronze box and Zyaton opened it, he was shocked by its contents. Glittering and in unusual colors, the prime minister stared down at his bribes.
Laid inside the large box were a total of three objects, each more fantastical than the last. The first was a shiny, plain surface which looked clearer than the most polished silver, held by a frame of pure gold with a golden handle at the bottom. The second was a small vial of crystal as clear as a mountain stream, filled with a clear liquid. Finally, there was another vial, or rather a bottle, of the same clear crystal, filled to the brim with a purple powder as vibrant as the feathers of the splendid sunbird.
“Ooh, what treasures.” Although he tried to appear insincere in his praise, Zyaton's excitement managed to break through in his tone. “Does young Chatra wish to introduce the items?”
While he was eager to learn about the nature of the objects, he couldn't be seen as less knowledgeable than some country bumpkin, not even in the privacy of his own home. To his good fortune, the Chatra didn't try to make things difficult for the master, and promptly began to explain the objects under the guise of a prideful boast.
“This official will be glad to do so. The first object is a mirror, as Great Scholar would be well aware. However, this one is made from a strange, clear glass of the far east and comparable in clarity to even the greatest bronze and silver mirrors of the Immortal Capital.”
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“Glass, yes. Though it does appear to be polished silver,” the prime minister mumbled. In truth, he was shocked. Although Huemac tried to be diplomatic with his words and retained some face for the empire, there was not a single mirror of such clarity even within the Immortal Palace.
“How could these foreign barbarians have enough wealth for a mirror of pure silver?” Huemac replied. “No, the object is mere glass, prepared in a special way of their people. That is the reason it appears so exceptionally clean.”
Zyaton's excitement was now well-hidden again, but inside he grew even more restless. Since the mirror was made of simple materials, it would be even cheaper to produce than a normal one made of bronze. Yet at the same time, it would fetch a much, much higher price among the high society of the Immortal Capital. As soon as these objects appeared on the city's market, its owner would become one of the richest men in the city over night. But for now, he needed to remain calm, and listen to the rest of the young man's presentation. No matter what, he would miss no detail, and he would not let this Chatra Huemac leave before he had gained control over the source of these objects.
“Continue,” the prime minister said in a flat tone.
“The second and third objects inside this box are glass vials made of the same clear glass materials as the mirror. However, what makes them even more special are their contents. The first contains a form of rosewater that is especially long-lasting, far more than the waters used in the capital these days. Although it smells no more forward than any others, these waters retain their scent for an entire day after they have been applied.”
“How unusual,” the prime minister mused. While he opened the vial and smelled its subdued lavender scent, he hid his real thoughts even deeper.
Another treasure.
These days, scented waters had become very popular among the city's upper class. Any improvements on existing versions would get the trader in the good steads of almost any important man or woman in the city. Not to mention that the clear glass itself held great value.
“This Scholar wonders how this sort of scented water would be produced.”
“This Official is unsure of the details, as these treasures were not created within this official's assigned county. Rather, they were brought by outsiders.”
Although Huemac hinted at the true purpose of his visit once more, Zyaton didn't bite. After all, there was still one treasure to unearth.
“What is unique about this product then?” the prime minister asked with great anticipation. By now, only the large glass bottle with the purple substance was left. “How have these grains been colored in such a vibrant purple?”
“The contents are not colored, Great Scholar. They are the dye itself.”
“All of this?” Zyaton was so shocked that he forgot to pretend complete knowledge for a moment, and allowed for a real question in his words. His excitement was no wonder, since the bottle was the size of a small jug of rice wine, filled to the brim. Such an amount of purple dye would be enough to buy a small property within the Immortal City, yet this lowly official before him was giving it away for free. Although it took Zyaton a while, he managed to hide his heavy breath and reign in his greedy thoughts. He had to find out more details, so it was time to ask the young noble about the purpose of his visit.
“In that case, this scholar wonders where such a treasure may hail from. This scholar assumes it was also not produced inside Chatra's administration.”
“That is correct, Great Scholar. Great Scholar's wisdom knows no bounds,” Huemac flattered with a small, self-satisfied smile. “All of these treasures were in fact gifts this official received from far-off travelers, men who hail from a small kingdom in the far east, called the Kingdom of Britain.”
“And over there, they have special methods for the production of such a high-quality dye?” Zyaton's eyes narrowed.
“As far as they told this lowly official, it appears there exists a special type of stone near their home which contains this color. They only need grind it into a powder to achieve such an effect.”
“How peculiar. And where would such a mystical land lie?”
“Far, far in the east, far beyond even the Verduic Sea. In truth, this Unlearned does not know the details, so they may as well have come from the end of the world.”
“Hmmm... and these strange men managed to find themselves all the way in Chutwa? What a peculiar coincidence.”
“It appears that even as far away as their home, all mouths spread tales of Chutwa's greatness. Entranced by Chutwa's majesty, they loaded their ships and went in search for it, to pay their respects to the Immortal Emperor and see the wonders of his prosperous empire. However, on their way here they were troubled by many hardships. Worst of all were the pirates which plague the eastern shores. Some pirates spotted the lone foreign vessel and deemed it easy prey.”
“How dare they!” Zyaton's fist hit his expensive chair, which showed his real anger. The pirates had been a problem in the east for a long time. While he wouldn't care much about such trivialities otherwise, this time they ha interfered with the prime minister's next great source of wealth. Maybe it was time to clean up the Verduic Sea, he thought.
“Indeed, they are unruly and disrespectful,” Huemac agreed. “As luck would have it, they were spotted by one of this administrator's own vessels and were thus saved, so they still made it onto our shores without harm. This servant has come to the Immortal Capital in their name, to plead their case. They hold the sincere wish to show their appreciation for the Immortal Emperor, and they wish for nothing more than the honor to beg for the status as one of Chutwa's great tributary nations.”
“If they are so intent on worship, why did they not come themselves?”
“After their arrival, we informed them of the proper etiquette expected of guests, as any good official would. No foreigner is allowed onto Empire lands without express permission, that is the law. Even as an Unlearned, this official would always keep the laws in mind. Thus, they are left stranded aboard their ship even now, anchored in Huetalan's harbor.”
“And they have brought more of these treasures with them, I assume.” Zyaton leaned forward.
“Indeed they have. They intend to trade them with the empire, in return for access to some of Chutwa's great goods, and in exchange for the exalted status they oh so crave.”
“Hmmm... I understand why you have come, but I cannot make you any promises. The Immortal Emperor is too busy in his attempts to understand the true nature of the world. He cannot be bothered by trivial issues like a few curious outsiders, no matter how rich they may be,” the scholar said, and then leaned back in his seat again. Silence spread between the two men, while Zyaton hoped that the uneducated rural administrator would understand his meaning. He hated the dull, and he hated lack of subtlety even more. To his good fortune, even the slow-witted Huemac managed to follow along with his thoughts.
“Ah, please do not misunderstand, Great Scholar,” he said. “This Unlearned has not come to ask for an audience with the great Emperor himself, he would never dare. Instead, this Unlearned has been worried about the best way to distribute these trade goods throughout the empire, so that all of Chutwa's officials and scholars may partake in their uniqueness. Such distribution would need to start from the Immortal Capital, the center of the empire. Yet this Official is friendless and unlearned, and thus incapable of handling such work by himself. Thus, this Unlearned wondered if great scholar would lend his support, and handle the distribution in his stead.”
Finally satisfied by the offer, Zyaton's stern face turned into the smile of a wise, benevolent teacher. Now that he received his cut of the profits, there was no more reason to make things difficult for his guest.
“How could this scholar reject such a sincere request? As for the matters of the emperor, this official will attempt to inform the Immortal One of this issue if he finds the time. After all, guests are always welcome in front of the courts, even more so if they understand their place in the world, within the warm embrace of the empire.”