第十四回：小宴庆功道天龙，财粮寸断玛蒂出怪谋
Sunrays had just started to break through the clouds when the chariots rolled into the city; Daju was already waiting for us outside the teahouse. Gripping a paper parasol with both hands, she loosens up once she glimpses familiar chariots from afar. Our chariots roll up to the 【taisho's】side, Neko-chan the first to step off,
"【taisho】, the mission is complete; casualty report: none, but---"
Neko-chan's fatigued, but measured report is stopped short as Daju drops her parasol to pull our Neko-tachi into her tight two-handed embrace.
"Sorry, I've asked another unreasonable request of you."
"I-it's not anything, not anything at---"
Flustered by this sudden hug, our Neko-tachi stiffly waves her straightened arms with red-faced helplessness, trying her best to stoically finish, and failing.
"Thank you, truly. All three of you. Especially you, cousin."
"T-there something you should know---"
"We saw a dragon! A REALLY big yellow one!"
Madi-san, ever the brute, interrupts this tender moment for the sake of advancing the plot; she leans over from the carriage seat, her ginormous chest hanging off the side, severely under-indicating the size of the monstrous dragon we saw by holding out her hands like she were in possession of an oversized trout that she was extremely fond of.
"Not here, sister Madison."
She motions for the teahouse stairs; Madi-san must have realized something too, and covers her mouth with both her palms while nodding in agreement.
The teahouse is sparsely occupied, breakfast service must have just ended. Even then, the diners here are all NPCs... right? Who could possibly be listening in? Is there someone that I have forgotten about? The four of us trudge up the stairs, Daju having given instructions for the NPC riders to go their way for now.
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In the familiar private room, we are soon served up a king's bounty of piping hot dishes, but Daju only touches the bowl of half-cold porridge that must have been sitting there in anxious wait for some time. Over brunch, Neko-chan summarizes our exploits at the iron mine, up until she is interrupted---
"So! Dragons!"
Madi-san is first to pipe up, as usual. I do have to applaud this woman's single track mind, but do the words 'chill, biichii' ring true to you? Some of us are suffering from a personal 『You Wa Shokku』 moment right now! Can't you see that even Neko-chan is a little at loss for words too?
"I heard it here as well." Daju had picked up a chopstick of 【choy sum】 and was holding it to Neko-chan's mouth, who tactfully pushed it back towards Daju. Unlike a certain someone at the table who has grabbed an entire drumstick and is gnawing on the crispy seared specialty with both hands .
"Heard it?! We SAW it! It even yapped to us, something about stability!"
Neko-chan tries to push a small bowl of fried rice over to Daju, who lightly offers it back to her. Neko-chan makes a second attempt at putting the bowl before Daju. Wanting to create a distraction so the bowl stays there,
"The talking bit's merely minor, [Exposer]..." Neko-chan points her chopsticks to Madi-san, "That thing's magickal power is obscene."
"... I must apologize.
It was not my intention to keep you in the dark.
I didn't think that a 【tien'ryuu】 of the 【Celestián Palace】 would appear."
Neko-chan blinks, not understanding Daju's new terms. Seeing that neither catgirl had interest in the bowl of fried rice, Madi-san casually reaches over to put a hand on it, only to be met with Neko-chan shielding it and moving it just out of Madi-san's reach.
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As if reading my mind even before the words had formed, Daju continues,
"I said before you all set off that the ryuu were the pillars of this world."
"Each kingdom claims a 【Mandate】 from the ryuu, whose backing and Dao they derive from."
"For the lands of 【Dusi Kuodo】, the 【Cyan Ryuu】." Clipping a piece of duck, she puts it in my empty bowl with a smile, having noticed that I have not eaten anything, merely listening in half-stunned silence.
"Then for the lands of 【Rei Ditu】, the forests up north, the 【Saffron Ryuu】." Daju offers a mix of steamed cabbage, celery and braised meat to Madi-san, who shamelessly puts out her bowl of rice to receive her deserved reward.
"Finally, for the inaccessible lands of 【Tui Tie】, the 【Mauve Ryuu】is their source of power." Daju hesitates, chopsticks hovering in midair a bit, takes a ladle to some sauce, dipping lightly, then pouring it over Neko-chan's fried rice.
Things are finally starting to click for me. Although there is something odd about this explanation. Three kingdoms, three dragons, three sources of Dao. Where does the yellow ryuu we saw come from, then? There isn't a fourth Nation X waiting in the wings, waiting to swoop in on all of us is there? If this were a mystery, this would be a horribly unfair mystery since there isn't any foreshadowing in the first few chapters...
"But we saw a yellow one."
Thank you, Neko-chan! That was exactly what I was thinking!
"That HAS to be the [King of Dragons]! The final boss! The world-muncha! The reskinned Alxxxn that we gotta fight once we get to Soven---"
"Madi-san, would you please keep quiet...?!"
"No, sister Madison is right in a way." Daju now lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, nervousness gripping her as tightly as she is gripping the sides of this round table with all ten fingers right now.
"Above all, the golden ryuu are vested this world's stability. They are..."
There's that word again.
Stability.
Although...
I think I get it at this point.
Each 【Dao of Ryuu】 is powered by a gigantic lizard in the sky. We have a mega-lizard floating around in the sky too, that's the one we saw. Considering the rage-filled lightning show we witnessed up close and personal, I don't blame Daju for having the shakes right now.
"So how do we kill one?"
"[Exposer], you..."
"I don't know."
Ah?
"I honestly don't know. I am not brave, nor strong enough to stand up to stability by myself either."
A pensive look comes over Daju's face; but only for a second, for her thoughts are quickly and masterfully masked by her delicate tea-pouring for each of us.
"If there is to be clue, I have come to realize...
... the ryuu hate what they cannot predict."
Madi-san seems to have gotten an epiphany out of this one, since she slams the table with both hands while shooting up straight, like she had just caught hold of an important witness testimony in a courthouse drama visual novel.
"Then it's settled!
We'll just have to wreak chaos everywhere!
Until the save file gets corrupted at around level thirty!
That oughta glitch out the AI enough so it falls from the sky, or something...!"
I wish that Madi-san doesn't put it like that. She makes it sound like we are the bad guys here! Plunge the land into chaos indeed, can't you see that Neko-chan's eyes are making a funny shape at you now? Only Daju is smiling now, I think she's just smiling and politely telling you to just keep quiet, Madi-san! Why are you looking at me with those smug, narrowed eyes like I've got it all wrong, Madi-san? Clearly, (You) are the wrong one this time!
"You have my full support, sister Madison." Daju offers her clay cup to Madi-san, who happily clinks clay on clay, downing the tea in one shot.
The 'heh' face from this purple-haired trouble-maker has enough 『kusogaki』[1] energy to pierce through a television screen showing a familiar spy drama right about now.
"Unfortunately..."
"「Zannen」?? [2]" Madi-san tilts her head with her arms crossed.
"This city is flat out broke."
Immediately, I fall to the ground from my round chair. Camera still shaking a little from the sudden bombshell, I crawl back up while clutching the side of the table. Compared to the dragon, this was the more shocking announcement!
"W-what are you talking about, Daju...? Then, what's all this?"
The orange catgirl spoons the last of her cold porridge, replying with calm,
"These are all my personal provisions. I can't let our big heroes go hungry, can I?"
No, Madi-san would definitely have a fit if she found out there was no feast at the end of the arc! I had a creeping sense something was off, since Daju never touched any of the dishes...!
"Without money, I cannot hire more NPCs.
Production thus slows, and businesses suffer.
I have Cousin and Ou Nygai , but even so,
it is difficult to reward those who help the city."
"I never needed a big reward, just..." Neko-chan tilts her soup bowl towards her mouth, making sure to not let Daju's generosity go to waste."
"... yes cousin. I keep my promises, the 【Forward Scouts】will send word back soon. I ask for your patience." Daju puts a hand on Neko-chan's hand, which causes her black tail to jolt upwards in shy-faced embarrassment.
"Nanada? Its just a money problem!
I have an easy solution to this!
Listen!!
... ... .... ..."
Madi-san lays out an outrageous plan to us.
A plan so outrageous,
it left Daju's eyes twinkling in rapt interest.
Neko-chan crinkling the ends of her mouth,
and (me) holding the sides of my head.
Madi-san, you can't do this...!
/Conspiracy/ Girls is a PG-13---!
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NEXT: We Are Discussing Bunnygirls Would You Like To Join, Flower Arrangement Is Not A Metaphor This Isn't Your Smalltown Village!
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Terminology
[1] 『kusogaki』 - A brat who is of a young age. Usually makes a mocking face towards their elders and more intellectually superior.
[2] 「Zannen」 - Literally 'unfortunately'. Wait a second... Why did Madi-san get this one right?!