"Taxation is a burden we can shoulder. It's an anticipated part of commerce. Even the lottery, as grating as it may be, can be endured," Naas Zhi, the merchant lord, mused, his gaze sweeping over the bustling market district from the grandeur of his window. "It's a choice unless you're born into the Lou family. That was a stipulation hammered out with the ruling dynasty ages ago."
He pivoted and sauntered back to his desk. The office of Naas Zhi was a testament to opulence, yet it bore a modern touch. Instead of the traditional low tables meant for kneeling, it housed chairs, a table, a substantial desk, and cabinets with drawers, all designed for the meticulous organization of documents, all hewn from the same rich cherry wood.
The office was a study in utilitarian elegance, its only ornamentation a wall adorned with a collection of wine bottles, their colors as varied as precious gems. Kai stood by an inner window that opened to the lower echelons of the Lotus Pavilion. The faint strains of a string instrument wafted up to him; a gifted musician was performing somewhere in the depths.
Kai's morning had been a whirlwind of activity. He had chosen three primal gems and nurtured them to the solid stage. He now possessed seven solid cores. From the apex of his head, they radiated colors of royal purple, lush green, azure, prismatic gold, pure white, abyssal black, and ruby red.
The symbols etched into most of the primal gems were so abstract they were indecipherable. The black gem's symbol was a solid circle. The green gem's symbol was a rectangle. The blue symbol was an anomaly. It was the only symbol Kai recognized. Carved into the heart of the blue core, a book hovered.
One certainty Kai held was that these elementary concepts could not embody complex ideas like madness, evil, corruption, or malevolence. Each of those notions relied on a myriad of other ideas to underpin them. The nasal voice of Nass Zhi punctured his thoughts.
"And if they had respected the essence of that agreement, we wouldn't be engaged in this discussion, even now, with the lotteries becoming increasingly frequent." He grumbled, his plump, aged face a canvas of fatigue from overwork and the relentless pursuit of ambition.
Earlier in the day, Kai had made his way to the Lotus Pavilion, only to find the financial offices closed. So he fulfilled his promise to Phin Orlas, immersing himself in the basics and copying the books offered. Once his negotiated education was complete, Kai employed his microns to reinforce the man's custom decorative robe with threads of celesium. He had done it privately, and the tailor was pleased with the outcome.
Now, he found himself standing in the offices of the merchant lord of Arcadia, having listened to an unexpected narrative of sacrifice and avarice.
"So, they game the system," Kai deduced. "They participate in the lottery but never get chosen."
"Never," Zhi affirmed. "Not once in over eight hundred years. And we are clueless as to how they pull it off." The lottery was a public event held in the town square under the watchful eyes of all. But the ruling family were cultivators, while many of the merchants and citizens of Arcadia were merely on the fringes of cultivation.
Most merchants only managed to achieve basic core formation. That was sufficient to extend a person's lifespan by two hundred years. They were pragmatic individuals, not consumed by the elusive pursuit of immortality. Their focus was on constructing prosperous trade empires.
Kai reflected on the tale he'd heard. As Naas Zhi expounded, the city of Arcadia was established two millennia ago by the patriarch of the Lou family, who sacrificed himself in a glorious battle against a legendary winged serpent.
The battle was so awe-inspiring that it moved the ancient serpent. In honor of the fallen patriarch, the winged serpent agreed to protect the Lou family in his place; thus, the legend of Azurewing was born. The protection of Azurewing allowed the city to prosper and flourish as an independent entity.
Since then, numerous clans and sects have tried to claim Arcadia. All of them fell before the might of Arcadia's protector. They say time alters all things, and so it was with Azurewing.
After eight centuries of safeguarding the city, the legendary winged serpent, Azurewing, expressed his desire to depart. Fearing that Arcadia would crumble without their guardian, the leader of the Lou family entered negotiations with the beast to reach a mutually agreeable arrangement. Azurewing would continue to shield the city, but only if a pure cultivator was offered in return.
Azurewing would scrutinize the cultivator and extend his service to the city based on his assessment. A tribute might have secured twenty or thirty additional years of service in the early years.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Thus, the grand Arcadia lottery was established. Any family with young cultivators could enter their child hoping to secure a fortune that would alter their lives. The child would be presented to Azurewing, and the family would retain the winnings.
The merchant lords of the era negotiated a condition that the Lou main and branch families were obligated to participate. The system functioned effectively. Arcadia was safeguarded. Children were mourned, but their families ascended to wealth. Arcadia flourished. The citizens of Arcadia began to have more children to improve their odds, leading to a population boom.
Basic cultivation methods were made accessible to all, and resources for embarking on the cultivation path were made affordable. For a considerable period, it went unnoticed that the Lou family was never chosen. The people of Arcadia were more than content to trade their children for wealth.
As the city prospered and wealth accumulated, the lottery came to be viewed as a desperate gambit for the impoverished. To counter this perception, the reward was increased. This cycle continued, and resentment began to simmer. Tributes began to secure fewer additional years of service, ten years, then seven, and most recently, only one.
As the demand for tributes became more frequent, taxes were raised to support the increasingly regular lottery. With profits dwindling, long-suppressed resentments surfaced, and whispers of rebellion began to echo among the families of Arcadia.
"Are you not worried about losing the city's protector?" Kai asked, recalling Zhi's revelation that the families of Arcadia had resorted to poisoning their children for the last three tributes.
"At this juncture, we're shouldering more taxes than any sect would demand,” he retorted icily. Kai could see the gears turning in the man’s eyes.
"I see," Kai turned to search for the source of the music. "So, this is essentially about money then."
"Yes." Naas Zhi didn’t dodge the implication. "The families would have never consented had it not been for the unfairness of the lottery, but the reality is that the cost of Azurewing’s protection has exceeded its value. The city lord and his family would never agree to negotiate with other powers; this is our only strategy."
Failing to locate the musician, Kai turned and purposefully strode across the office to gaze down at the bustling merchant district.
"And if Azurewing were to recover from his ailment," Kai pondered aloud.
"That would be most unfortunate," Zhi responded. "Unless."
"Unless the oppressive taxes were also abolished," Kai sighed.
"Quite so."
Kai fell into a prolonged silence. He watched a large family walk arm-in-arm through the street; five daughters and two sons. Now that he was aware, he could see children everywhere.
"If such a thing was possible, we would be most grateful." Zhi’s nasal voice caused Kai to grimace.
"How grateful?" Kai asked, a smile playing on his lips.
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Kai knelt on the stone floor of the rented cultivation chamber, blue book in hand. Warm spirit lamps illuminated the wide room. As he waited for the others to arrive, he’d been trying to figure out the spirit weapon of his azure core.
Rich blue leather, stunning gold-leaf pages, and an embossed cover featuring the image of a scroll, the spirit weapon hovered in front of him. At first, the blue tome seemed straightforward; upon opening, Kai was presented with things he knew.
It had details from his past life, the combination of his locker in Paxover Academy, and the date of his promotion as a station commander. It recorded insignificant information like how many eggs were in his breakfast on a specific day and how many eggs he ate.
There was so much pointless information that Kai couldn’t understand how it could all be contained in the pages. He opened the book in the middle and was greeted with a language he didn’t know. He skimmed it, only to discover most of the book was filled with this alien text.
Kai shut the book, his gaze falling upon the back cover. It was embellished with the relief of an old-fashioned quill. His fingers traced its contours, his mind awash with intrigue. Something felt off. The alignment of the quill seemed incorrect. He rotated the book, positioning the quill to point downward, its nib resting on the imaginary parchment beneath.
With the book reoriented, he opened it again. It was devoid of any content. Each page was a blank slate. After a meticulous flip-through to confirm, he returned to the first page. There was a line inscribed at the top in an almost imperceptible script.
'Decrees inked here are subjects within this realm.'
The sound of footfalls and the murmur of conversation diverted Kai's attention, causing the book to vanish. Bao was the first to enter, with Relay perched on her shoulder.
Relay let out a small yip and descended.
“Master Ahja Kai,” Ai advanced through the others, kneeling opposite him. "Sects will inevitably marshal their power to exert control over you," she began, her gaze averted. "Resurrecting individuals, reforming their cultivation, soul forging others - myths and legends are made of such. We have discussed it and regrettably conclude that we are useless to you.”