The knock on the door drew their attention away from the tapestry. They glanced at each other, reading puzzlement in each other’s faces. Dahe walked to the door, and opened it slowly. Standing on his doorstep was the Vice-Sect Leader. “Hello, Vice-Sect Leader” Dahe said, using the term he had heard others use. “Hello Dahe, I have heard you have made a new tapestry, is this so?” Dahe said yes and invited her in. She walked inside and saw Zao, who had followed Dahe from the work room. Dahe saw Wuming Er Lingxiu notice Zao. “I asked Zao to give me his impression of my latest work.”

Wuming looked at Zao and then back to Dahe. “Oh? Is it of Zao? Or a Martial Arts scene?” Dahe suddenly realized Wuming thought he had asked Zao’s opinion based on his expertise. “No, it’s a nature scene. I happened to meet Zao and decided to ask him for his opinion. Please, Vice-Sect Leader, come this way.” With a slight bow, he walked to his work room. While walking he heard Zao address the Vice-Sect Leader. “Ah, I have some students coming by about this time. I had better be there to receive them.” Then the sound of the door closing. He supposed he didn’t blame Zao, most people didn’t want to be in a position where they were under the eye of the people in charge.

“I was walking along in the forest and saw this scene, and so, I decided to weave it.” Dahe held the door to the work room open for Wuming. She walked in and paused. Giving her a moment to look at the tapestry he stepped inside the room, and stood to the side. “Hmm.” she finally said. “It’s interesting, perhaps not as good as your previous work, but quite good. I don’t know that we have anyone that would wish to buy it, however, we can help you to sell it. We have contacts among many of the distant cities in this portion of the continent. We would ask for a portion of the final price, in return.”

Dahe had no qualms about this. After all, he didn’t feel as if he had done any real work, having been in his mental palace the whole time. So he agreed and took the tapestry down for the Vice-Sect Leader to take away.

From then on, Dahe immersed himself in his routine. Learning from Fusang, weaving, and absorbing himself in the entertainment available in his mental palace. While he did so, his tapestry made its way on merchant wagons to the nearest large city to the Flowing River Sect. Once there, it was unpacked and studied. A weaving expert who was already conversant with Dahe’s work, studied it and suggested a minimum price. He then sent a description of the tapestry and the suggested price to all the large towns and cities within reach of wagon trains. Dahe continued to study, and think about his next tapestry.

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A unicorn? Someone might think it was real and hunt for it. Dahe was trying to decide what his new project should be. There were animals similar to unicorns, but not close enough. How about a castle in the sky? A floating palace? He wasn’t aware of the possibility of such a thing existing. Does it exist? Another question to ask. Perhaps he could simply make a tapestry of something real and say the next one will be imaginary.

Wait. Dahe paused, focusing on his sudden inspiration. He had books and movies from another world. He had access to the imagination of hundreds, of thousands of people. What could he use? Predator? Too out there. Little Nemo? Might also be a bit strange. What could the people of this world understand, while also understanding that it wasn’t actually real? The Thing? No. Don’t scare people.

Dahe decided not to think about it. Thinking about it too much doesn’t help. So instead he decided to make a miniature tapestry. He didn’t have to tell anyone. Westley? Westley and Buttercup? A series based on the Princess Bride? Ok. Dahe began planning out his Princess Bride series, and only after he had been thinking for a while, did he realize that this counted as ‘made up’.

He resumed planning, the scenes, the sizes, and how many there would be. He wound up retreating to his mental palace and started designing the layouts in the air. He even rewatched the Princess Bride as a refresher.

Wuming sat at her desk reading a letter. Apparently the strange tapestry that Dahe Feng Ji had made, had found a buyer. He was offering a respectable amount above the minimum price. The information she had was that he was a fanatic, and spent his life focused on studying the scaled creatures of the world. This man, Xi Yang Yang Shan, poor man, had wanted to meet the weaver. Well, that was unlikely. She could put it before Dahe and let him make the choice, should he ever be near that Town. She penned a message relaying the information she had just received, and directed her clerk to have someone deliver it to Dahe Feng Ji.

A nameless novice who had not been officially admitted into the sect, knocked on the Weaver’s door. It was an honor to meet him face to face. Dahe’s system alerted him that someone was at the door so he paused his work, exited his mental palace, and answered the door. Standing there was a stranger he had never seen before. “Yes?” the young man bowed, “great Weaver, I have a message from the Vice-Sect Leader.” he held the folded paper out with both hands. Dahe plucked it from his hands, thanked him, and closed the door. The messenger stood there for a moment longer. The solemnity and nobility of the Weaver were easy for all to see. He bowed once more and left to report the completion of his task.

Inside, Dahe had opened the paper and scanned through it. “Well, well, well.” Dahe whistled as well, for effect. “Seems someone liked my tapestry and wants to buy it. If I give the sect ten percent, I’ll be left with 252 gold ducks. Wow, I think I’m rich.”