After bidding the peasant woman farewell, Kyoshi and her companions continued on the road to Gaoling, now accompanied by their serendipitous new friend, the Spirit Companion Kyoshi named "Ami" meaning "friendship."

As they walked, the creature zipped happily back and forth between members of the group, pausing occasionally to nuzzle Kyoshi's cheek or preen Rangi's hair, much to her annoyance.

"I swear it's like having an overeager child tag along, begging for treats and getting underfoot," Rangi grumbled at one point after nearly tripping over the exuberant fluffball. Still, Ami's antics brought smiles all around—even from dour Lao Ge.

By midday, when the forest thinned into farmland, the city outskirts became visible ahead. Rangi turned to Kyoshi, eyebrows knitted. "So what's our plan here anyway? This silk guild dispute is under the jurisdiction of the Earth Kingdom. Why call the Avatar rather than sort it out internally?"

Kyoshi chewed her lip thoughtfully as Ami's bushy tail shifted to turquoise. "An excellent point...Governor Yunju knows requesting my direct intervention reflects poorly on local leadership." Her eyes narrowed. "Either he lacks the political backing within Gaoling to resolve this alone, or there's more lurking beneath the surface here."

"My coin falls with the latter," Lao Ge grunted. "Best we investigate matters firsthand before deciding on action."

The companions soon reached the city gates, where a nervous delegate awaited them. "Avatar Kyoshi! Thank the spirits you've arrived with...such promptness." The man peered curiously at her ragtag company.

"Indeed, we came with due haste," Kyoshi replied evenly. "Now then, please advise the exact nature of tensions between the guilds so that I may determine appropriate measures for resolution."

The delegate blinked rapidly, sweat beading his brow. "Ah, well...I'm afraid Governor Yunju can explain the situation best. He awaits your audience." The man bowed, gesturing toward the waiting palanquin.

Kyoshi cast a wary glance back at her friends. Whatever the full gambit here, the governor clearly intended to explain on his own terms. With no choice but to play along for now, she steeled herself and climbed inside. What fresh political machinations would await them now?

******

As the palanquin bearers hoisted their burden, Kyoshi extended a hand to help Rangi climb in beside her. But the delegate cleared his throat loudly.

"My apologies, maid. The governor requested only the Avatar attend this sensitive first meeting." His lip curled slightly as he raked disdainful eyes over Rangi's battle-worn armor. In a flash, Rangi grabbed the man by his robes, flaming his palm inches from his face. "Who are you calling a maid, you pompous-"

"Rangi please," Kyoshi interrupted, gently pushing her hand down with an imploring look. To the delegate she replied sternly, "Where I go, my party goes. Inform Governor Yunju he will need to make do with all of us."

The now profusely sweating man bowed awkwardly in Rangi's grip. "Y-yes of course!" Straightening his rumpled tunic, he glanced around furtively before whispering. "We've had strange events since this land feud began. Odd creatures spotted, townspeople acting peculiar...I'm not one to spread rumors, but something uncanny is afoot!" With that ominous word, he scurried off.

Kirima watched him go. "Well that was suitably ominous. So...think the governor called us about some territory quarrel or to handle their supernatural pest problem?"

Wong crossed his arms. "I wager a bit of both. This has Lao Ge written all over it." They turned to the old man, but he simply gazed skyward absently.

Kyoshi furrowed her brow as their conveyance jostled down cluttered streets. She considered the delegate's cryptic words alongside Lao Ge's unrelenting certainty. Trouble brewed here. Her instincts screamed that larger machinations lurked beneath this guild conflict's veneer.

Come what may, they would unravel the shroud of secrecy enswathing Gaoling together. Even if something far more perilous than politics awaited them.

When the palanquin finally halted, Kyoshi swept back the embroidered curtains. Her eyes widened at the sprawling mansion before them, with elegant translucent silks draping its carved rooftops. Clearly the regional governor occupied fine digs.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

As an attendant ushered the group inside, Rangi leaned over surreptitiously. "Think this guy overtaxes his people for some gaudy castle renovations? I'd have rolled out a red carpet if I were him."

Kyoshi had to agree. The entryway alone put modest royal palaces to shame, bedecked in gold filigree and intricately tiled mosaics across the floors and walls. Still, appearances meant little if the governor's heart proved noble.

They soon reached a towering set of doors, which swung slowly outward. As they passed inside an opulent receiving room, a booming voice greeted them. "Avatar Kyoshi! You honor my humble abode."

A mountain of a man rose from an onyx throne, arms raised magnanimously. Ropes of jewelry clinked around his bullish neck. "Please, enjoy the hospitality of my home while we discuss urgent matters." He ushered them toward a low table laden with delicacies that could feed villages, then noticed Kyoshi's company trailing hesitantly behind her.

"Oh splendid, you brought..." The governor raised one bushy eyebrow. "Guests?" Though his tone remained welcoming, Kyoshi detected the faintest edge. Clearly he preferred backchannel political dealings rather than airing dirty linen for all to see, allies of the Avatar or not.

"Apologies, Governor Yunju," Kyoshi began carefully. "I presumed any negotiations between the guilds requiring my mediation should occur transparently."

The governor guffawed, gut shaking. "Still as virtuously steadfast as rumors say! Very well." He smiled, though it didn't reach his shrewd eyes. "The people may observe then while we discuss this land ownership quarrel."

He clapped twice, and the doors opened again. Attendants ushered a large group inside—stern-faced individuals clad respectively in either miners uniforms or embroidered silks. Representatives of the dissenting unions.

Yunju raised his palms entreatingly toward the delegation. "Please good people, our revered Avatar Kyoshi will broker a compromise!" Then under his breath, so only she could hear, "Do take their side in the matter."

Kyoshi blinked at Yunju, startled by his discreet expectation that she arbitrarily support one faction. Before she could respond, the head delegate from the Silk Weavers Guild stepped forward, her chest puffed up officiously.

"Esteemed Avatar, we come before you desperate and aggrieved! These brute miners," he jabbed an accusatory finger, "have seized land contractually guaranteed for our mulberry orchards. Our very livelihoods hang in the balance without assured access for silk cultivation."

The stocky spokeswoman for the Miners Union shoved forward, nostrils flaring. "That's a bald-faced lie! Surveyors confirmed vein deposits spanning acres under those tracts, which legally must be accessible for mineral extraction vital to Gaoling's economy." She crossed her burly arms. "The silkworm pamperers just want special treatment from authorities too meek-willed to stand for workers' rights."

The guild head stamped his foot. "How dare you! Unlike grubby excavators despoiling our hills, silk garment artisans uplift Gaoling's cultural legacy!" He appealed frantically to Kyoshi. "Avatar, I implore you, do not allow these gorillas to sabotage generations of craft at its finest for shallow personal gain!"

As bickering erupted, Kyoshi stood immobilized—an impartial mediator expected to pronounce judgement upon a complex quarrel between parties presently more interested in slandering than reconciling. She felt wholly unprepared to arbitrate such a multifaceted dispute with political undertones during one brief, tense hearing.

Seeking a lifeline, her gaze darted unconsciously to where her companions observed silently. Rangi offered an encouraging nod, which buoyed her nerve. Very well then. She must tackle this as coherently as possible, despite her doubts.

Steeling herself, Kyoshi stepped between the sparring delegates, raising placating hands. "Please, let us speak civilly to understand every perspective before reaching conclusions." She faced the guild head. "Now, you allege historical claims to acreage that miners now occupy for resource access essential to Gaoling, denying you land for silk cultivation."

Over the next hour, Kyoshi moderated heated discussion between the two factions, gaining a fuller comprehension of the conflict's complexity. Historic land use rights are intertwined with supply chain economics, labor policy, and political cronyism on both sides.

Meanwhile Governor Yunju observed silently, offering no concrete accountability for supposed administrative failures, allowing the dispute to balloon unchecked. The sheer scope of malfeasance and entangled interests gave Kyoshi a migraine.

As afternoon waned into evening, weary delegates seemed no nearer consensus despite her patient mediation. With frustration mounting, Kyoshi intervened more forcefully at last.

"Enough endless squabbling today. You each make fair claims, but also seem blind to reasonable compromise." She fixed the opposing groups with a firm look. "I shall review territorial policies and procedures overnight to render an informed verdict on land access tomorrow."

The governor's eyes bugged slightly at her abrupt halt to talk, but he quickly composed himself. "Of course Avatar! We defer to your wisdom." He gestured to the waiting attendants. "Now please enjoy a well-deserved respite from these tiresome debates in your guest quarters."

As they followed staff upstairs, Kyoshi caught the governor taking the flustered delegates aside, likely to critique her arbitration tactics. She exhaled heavily, feeling in over her head. As they reached their rooms, she turned to her friends anxiously. "I need to properly untangle this more overnight. But for now I just need quiet contempla-"

"SURPRISE!!" came a roar from behind the door as it burst open to reveal the grand suite decorated lavishly for festivity, tables groaning under feasts awaiting them. Her companions blinked in dismay at the waiting celebration meant to honor their arrival. So much for any inkling of peace...

This would be a long night.