At some point Ku Wei stopped laughing along side Lin Liqin. With a dark expression he asked, “When we face off against the Empire's Pillars how will we determine the winner?”
Tomo knew what Ku Wei was worried about. In a soft tone he reassured the boy, “I know you aren't on the best of terms with your father, but I'd never ask you to kill Ku Fu. This actually brings me to my next topic, my agreement with the Emperor. It's more of a bet really. We win if the Pillars admit defeat. While death would count, surrender, capture, or recruiting to our side also work. However, we lose if we're defeated or they capture a foreign capital. Hence the fifteen year grace period to make things somewhat fair.”
Tomo was happy to see Ku Wei's mood lighten as Lin Liqiu interjected, “You said bet. What was the wager?”
“Sharp as always and getting straight to the point,” Tomo praised. “As you all know, my wife wants to see the world descend into never ending war. I, on the other hand, think your future should be for you to decide. As such, we've agreed to let our champions decide the wager. The Empire's Pillars would most likely decide to continue the war if they win. But if we win you five will get to decide this world's fate. Whatever is decided, Charlatte and I will do everything in our power to make it a reality. Then, when all is said and done, her and I will quietly leave your world and try to find our way home.”
“A bet with a wager someone else decides? What an interesting idea,” Tsubame giggled.
Tomo couldn't help but chuckle too, “Charlatte said something similar. Under different circumstances you two would have probably made fast friends.”
“So, we'll be rushing down an experimental cultivation path, that we will be making up on the fly, at a pace that rivals The Academic's. All while raising an army and preparing for a war that will determine the fate of the world. What could go wrong?” Lin Liqin asked snidely.
“Plenty, I'm sure. But, when my mother was teaching me Siege she used to say that the game wouldn't be any fun if you went into it knowing how everything would play out,” answered Ming Jia Ying. Hearing her honest answer to his rhetorical question made Lin Liqin blush, which he attempted to distract from by ruffling her hair, causing the young girl to pout.
The youngsters' energy was infectious. It had been centuries since Tomo was surrounded with so much joy, but the feeling was bittersweet as he lamented the hardships they would have to endure in the coming years. “I think that's enough for tonight, go rest. In the morning I'll have your new assignments and we can begin your individualized cultivation training.”
As his disciples made their way to their rooms Tomo unrolled the rest of the map, revealing the rest of the world. Schrodinger hopped up on the table with a few paper weights that landed in the corners to hold the map in place. Tomo lightly scratched behind the cat's ears. “Thank you,” he whispered.
After receiving his thanks Schrodinger moved off to the side and laid down. The cat twitched slightly as he watched Tomo's pen glide across the map. Tomo worked late into the early morning marking out territories and leaving notes.
The intoxicating aroma of coffee finally broke Tomo's concentration. As he looked up from the map he saw a young man carrying a tray with several cups and a steaming pot. He set the tray on a neighboring table before filling two cups with the pot's contents. As the boy offered him one of the cups Tomo gave his thanks, “This was very thoughtful Grandson. I see you're taking yours black as well now.”
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Ku Wei just shrugged, “What can I say? The flavor has grown on me. So, what have you been working on?”
“As you may have guessed, this a map from my world. It has a more detailed depiction of the world's land masses than anything that's been plotted here. I spent the night updating the borders to reflect the current state of the world. Feel free to inspect it yourself, I'll go into more detail when the others arrive.”
“They should be here soon. I could feel them waking up earlier.”
Tomo's eye's gleamed with curiosity. “Interesting! Has your skill in sensing chi already progressed that far? As the master of this pocket dimension I can sense that they have just left their rooms, but can you feel their conditions from here?” he inquired.
Ku Wei laughed off the suggestion, “I'm not as skilled in detection as Cousin Jia Ying. I can't feel them from here, but as I was leaving my room I sensed their chi stirring. Well, all except Tsubame, I still can't get a firm read on her chi.”
“Even when she's practicing?” Tomo asked with mild surprise.
“When others practice it's as if they were shouting what they are about to do, but with her it's more akin to a whisper. I can hear it if I focus, however it's difficult to pick up in a crowd.”
The first to arrive was Ming Jia Ying, still wrapped in a blanket from her bed, she sat in a chair nearby looking like she would fall back asleep at any moment. Next were Lin Liqin and Tsubame. The latter was giggling as she got a piggy back ride from the former. Lin Liqin carefully balanced carrying her as he approached the coffee pot and started making two cups for them, being sure to add plenty of sugar to Tsubame's. Lin Liqiu was the last to arrive, but she had obviously stopped by the kitchen first as she was carrying a large bowl of dumplings with a bottle of plum wine tucked under her arm.
The smell of the dumplings seemed to have woken up Ming Jia Ying. She snitched one from Lin Liqiu as the four approached the table with the map. Tomo was sipping his coffee and petting Schrodinger, who was lazily stretching across his lap. Ku Wei on the other hand was busy inspecting the map in an attempt to memorize all the new details.
Tomo introduced the revised map, “As you can see, I've redrawn the borders. The Gaian Empire occupies most of Eurasia with the exception of the northern tundra. They also control Morocco, Tunisia, and the north edge of Algeria, but have failed to push any further south or east due to the Sahara Desert and the Egyptian Empire respectively.”
Seeing how small the Duihaiguo island was on the map, Lin Liqin couldn't help but marvel, “I never realized how big the world was.”
“It is indeed quite large, even for someone with my means it is still difficult to stay up to date on the current state of affairs in each region,” Tomo agreed. “As I stated, one of our lose conditions is the Gaian forces claiming an enemy capital. Charlatte was kind enough to define 'a capital' as the seat of power of a rival empire. So we don't have to worry about them conquering some small country while our backs are turned, but that doesn't mean we can lower our guard. The most obvious targets would be Egypt or Japan. I don't think the Druids' home of Devland[1] would qualify as an empire, but we should safe guard it regardless. Not only would they make good allies, but it is a strategic location to launch our own counter offensives against the Gaian Empire.”
Tomo took a moment to have another sip of coffee before continuing, “What has me worried though is that Charlatte is quite crafty. I'm sure you've heard The Contender is a difficult opponent in any game and make no mistake this is a 'game' to her. With that said, let me draw your attention to the Americas. In North America we have the Anishinaabeg[2]. They are a relatively new 'empire' formed in the last few hundred years. They united all the tribes under one banner to fight off their more violent neighbors to the south. Their 'capital' would be located near the great lakes and could be a potential target. The 'neighbors' I mentioned could be another target. The Mayaztec Empire[3] was born before I even arrived in this world, birthed from the joining of two Central American power houses. They spread throughout Southern America and have turned their sights north in the last few centuries.”
With a slight sigh Tomo prepared to finish his explanation, “Fortunately for us, if Charlatte attacks either of these expecting an easy victory she may be in for a rude awakening. Shortly after we went our separate ways I began my research into The Braided Path. I wanted to observe how a culture incorporates and adapts cultivation to their needs, so I spread the basic knowledge around the Americas. I was pleasantly surprised with the rate at which they developed.”
Author's Notes:
[1] Devland is this world's name for England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
[2] Anishinaabeg are a group of indigenous peoples in North America, based in the Great Lakes area
[3] The Mayaztec Empire is the result of the Mayans and the Aztecs coming together as one people