Just a month ago, at this time of day, Kazi would be eating and laughing heartily with his friends. Not today. Maybe not again for a long time. Sun-young was gone. She officially left the team yesterday. William was in a coma and Marta was not in a state to be dining or doing much of anything. He wasn't totally alone, luckily. Sitting across from Kazi was his spectacled friend, David Tremblay. As always, the owner and waitress of the Nulgupjisin Grill House, Ming, brought out glasses of lemonade for them. Secret recipe, she said, winking. That left the two to talk amongst themselves. The smoke of barbeque chicken rose up from David’s side.

“Jack the Ripper…I still can’t believe he’s alive. I mean, how does it make sense?” David asked. “He reincarnated during the 1940s Heavenly Games and lived through…what? Eighty years? What the hell was he doing that whole time? Living a normal life? I sincerely doubt that. There’s no way he dropped his soul.”

“Dropped his soul?” Kazi questioned.

“See, when you make it to the top twenty, you have the option of Total Reincarnation and something called Soul Drop.” David flipped over the chicken cooking on his grill. “Essentially, you can either choose to go back to your old body or totally reincarnate as someone new. This is just my gut instinct but I don’t think he reincarnated into a baby.”

“Hm.” Kazi sipped on his lemonade. “Agreed. I talked to Jack very briefly too so I think have a basic grasp on who he is and why he does what he does."

“Oh?”

“He seemed obsessed with finding people that were worthy. That’s how he does his killings: he does it based on his judgement and that judgement seems to be for the sake of a better world. I don’t think he would waste ten years being a child. I just don’t see him doing that. I think it’s likely that he brought with him a mythical item that granted immortality.”

“Oh, I get it, like the Holy Grail.” David stopped before putting a piece of chicken in his mouth. “Wait, if that’s the case, then…how did he die? Entry into the Heavenly Games is luck-based, right? If he died, there’s a chance he’d go to hell.”

Kazi crossed his arms. “I know, it’s weird. His arrival makes little sense to me. If he died of simple old age, then the question is what mythical item did he choose for his victory? If he was immortal and died, then how did an immortal die?”

The conversation lulled into a thoughtful silence. Kazi finished his glass of lemonade and Ming immediately appeared to refill the glass. “Thank you,” Kazi said. “Say, Ming, what do you think of Jack?”

“Me?” The waitress pointed at herself. Kazi nodded. “I read the news. Jack definitely sounds like a problem.”

“Was there anyone like him in your time?” Kazi asked.

Ming stared down at Kazi, blinking. “Honestly? My era was pretty weak. It’s mostly known for Master Li Xuanming’s victory. After so many tries, he finally won. Other than that though, not much happened.”

“Don’t downplay yourself,” Kazi said. “You ranked number four. That’s huge.”

“Aw, thank you, I appreciate that but alas the truth is the truth.”

David checked his watch. “Ah, crud. We have an hour left, man.”

“Oh?” Ming perked up. “Do you have an appointment?”

“We’re meeting up with the Minister of Revenue of the Imperial Sect,” David explained, to the waitress’ surprise. “I believe he’s the third son—”

“Thirteenth son,” Ming corrected. “Seriously? How did you manage that?”

“We booked this appointment like a month and a half ago,” Kazi said. “David and I have been writing blueprints for a new type of factory. We believe he would be interested since the Imperial Sect heavily invests in labour factories.”

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Ming shook her head. “That’s an understatement. Their hold on manufacturing is absurd. You don’t notice it in everyday life but it’s there.”

“Yep, it’s nuts. Aluminium and refined zinc are their biggest money bags,” David said. “I talked to the guys at my factory and the sheer scale of the Imperials’ operations are much greater than what we have.”

“Oh, where do you work?” Ming asked.

“I’m a floor supervisor at a steel factory for the Unorthodox Sect.”

“Don’t they abuse their workers or something?”

“Uh, I mean…it’s definitely tough work, I won’t deny that. Actually, technically, our factory is multi-purpose but…anyway, it’s not that bad.”

“I dunno, I’ve heard crazy stuff about it.” Ming shrugged. “But you do you. Oh, uh, since you guys are new, I suppose I should tell you something useful. Let’s see, let’s see…the wives of the Caliph and the Kangxi Emperor negotiate often. There’s a whole section in the Times newspaper that discusses any of their meetings. So if you want to convince the thirteenth son, maybe say some stuff about his mother.”

“Do you dabble in politics?” Kazi asked.

“Not in my life,” Ming replied.

“Figured. No offence, but mentioning his mother is the worst way to go about it,” Kazi said. “Our potential partner, Yuzin, is the son of a consort of a nameless family. Typically, the Emperor chooses women from clans that work under him like the Tong or Elibun clans. But regardless of status, the Kangxi Emperor invests heavily into his children's’ education. He was promoted to junwang—” Prince of the Second Rank— “and Minster of Revenue from his sheer ability. He won’t be easy to butter up.”

“Ah, but what if Yuzin is a mama’s boy because his mother is a nobody?”

Kazi blinked. “Is that true?”

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

Kazi and David exchanged looks. If there was a weakness to be exploited, then why not go for it?

***

The Ministry of Revenue was not far off from the primary entrance of the Baishi Mall. Like the entrance, it was a pagoda, except it was shorter and wider. Rather than red with gold, it was white with black accents. The pagoda rose several stories high, its tiered roof adorned with sweeping eaves that curved upwards towards the sky. Flanking the entrance were two stone lion statues.

Kazi and David were intercepted by two guards in yellow fancy gis. No doubt, it was the Imperial Sect. This property belonged to them.

“State your purpose.”

David showed a white parchment with black text: a Geas of Service, stamped from forty days ago. “I hope this suffices.”

The two guards nodded and gave way to them. “Enter. Prince Yuzin will be waiting at the top floor.”

So they walked and walked and walked. Apparently, there were only stairs in this building, forcing them to witness the chaos of every floor. Lots of desks, lots of people, and lots of Dove Pigeons swooping in and out. Surprisingly, the place was quiet. Dasha surmised this place functioned as a support center for owners and workers of the Baishi Mall, which housed over two thousand stores.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the seventh and final floor. The staircase went in a spiral at the edges of the interior. There was no resistance as they made their way up to the office of Prince Yuzin. Lavish furnishings and opulent decorations befitting the stature of a Prince of the Second Rank came into sight. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with ancient scrolls and volumes of historical texts.

The prince stood on top of a desk of carved lacquer. His posture was impeccable, his back straight and his legs crossed in a traditional lotus position. He was as still as the four stacks of paper surrounding him. His face was framed by a neatly trimmed moustache. “You’re here,” he stated. “You are…?

“David Tremblay and my friend, Kazi.”

Prince Yuzin opened his eyes. “What do you need? Piping issues, perhaps?”

“Oh, no, we’re here regarding a business proposal,” David said, stepping forward. The two dark wooden chairs in front of him were thick and heavy and with a symbol at the back. Kazi didn’t waste down and plopped down.

“Cultivating, eh? This is my first time seeing a master at it.”

“A master, no. I have been struggling toward Core Formation for years.” Prince Yuzin opened his eyes. “Now, be quick with your proposal. I will be quick in my response.”

“We won’t take up your time,” Kazi said. He waved David over who hesitantly took a seat. The awkwardness of facing a minister that was sitting on his own desk was not lost on anyone save the minister himself.

“Do you know what an integrated circuit is, Prince?” Kazi said.

“Enlighten me.”

David immediately brought out a small stack of papers. However, not knowing where to put them, he put it on his lap and left Kazi explain.

“An integrated circuit is a miniature electronic device consisting of interconnected electronic components such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, fabricated onto a single piece of semiconductor material. These components are etched onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer. This little circuit can then be mass produced and used for advanced inventions on Earth.”

Prince Yuzin listened intently, eyes half-open and half invested in his meditation. “And what is the purpose of this… integrated circuit?”

“I’ll get straight to the point: everything. Think of something, an integrated circuit will have usage.”

“...cameras.”

“You can turn the four kilos camera into half that weight.”

“Integrated circuits, eh?” Prince Yuzin breathed in and out. “I have heard of that term. The technology has not made any headway, so why should I believe you?”