So it really was her... Xialuote let out a breath of relief in her heart, then lifted the hem of her housedress and curtsied to the lady who had come out of the mirror or out of the shadows—she could not tell which.
"Lady Hengli'aite, if not for your help, I would probably have had no chance of returning home today."
This elusive Extraordinary wore an aqua-blue coat and long dress, like a lady just back from the hunt. At Xialuote's solemn thanks she seemed rather ill at ease instead, adjusted the lace at her cuff and, with that motion, waved a hand.
"I came in the first place because your cousin entrusted me with it. The matter still isn't entirely finished, so of course I have to make sure you're safe."
As she spoke, she went straight to the dressing mirror just as she had the last time she appeared, took the round stool padded with a cushion, and went on:
"Lately there have often been people from the Church watching you in secret, so I didn't show myself rashly. Only during today's hunt did those Extraordinary have too many things to attend to, and I got the chance to follow along. I hadn't expected to run straight into that Mystery Pryer who had lost control."
So the Church really was still watching me. I just don't know whether it was for my safety, or because they don't trust me enough... And it wasn't only official Extraordinary in the shadows. There was Hengli as well. She must also know that I've drunk a potion, and which pathway... Thinking of all the attempts she had made these past days in her bedroom and on the balcony, Xialuote's expression stiffened a little. She hurriedly opened her mouth to ask in return:
"So you saw the whole fight?"
"Most of it, I suppose. I watched you and that young man called Luosaier walk into the woods one after the other. I'd meant to find a chance to show myself and talk with you, but I spent a little time trying to see what motives the other guests who slipped into the woods might have. When the gunshot rang out, I hurried to the stream, but the fight had already begun..."
Hengli answered with a faint smile. Clearly, what the other noble couples had been doing had also broadened this lady's horizons.
"To keep the official Extraordinary from suspecting me afterward, I could only use intangible threads to deflect that Mystery Pryer's head, so you would avoid a fatal injury. Of course, your battle instinct and your reactions in the moment were quite good as well. To judge where its ability came from under those circumstances, and then seize the chance to close in and strike back, was already far better than I'd expected."
At the praise, a thread of irrepressible delight rose in Xialuote's heart, but she soon had her feelings in hand again and said:
"This time I was only lucky. Without Luosaier's help and yours, and without the Purifier squad arriving in time, neither he nor I could have left the stream alive."
She paused a moment, then went on in a serious tone:
"So I want to know how I can raise my strength as soon as possible."
Hengli'aite seemed to have expected the question. She lifted her right foot onto her left knee, her posture so natural it might have been her own room. After weighing her words for a moment, she answered:
"The most direct way is of course to advance to the next Sequence. Even if Sequence 8 doesn't necessarily give you a powerful extraordinary ability, every advancement still strengthens the abilities the earlier Sequences already possess, as well as one's physique and spirituality. But this sort of thing can't be rushed. You've only just drunk the potion, and you haven't truly grasped even the power of Sequence 9."
"Truly grasped? To what degree?"
Xialuote pressed at once.
"That can only be judged by you yourself." Hengli's tone was a little elusive. "You ought to think about what sort of conduct would make you more like a true Arbiter, rather than simply treating it as an extraordinary ability the potion provides."
Xialuote looked at her, thoughtful.
This sounded like some knack that Weiyefu had never stated outright, and that the Church had never taught—perhaps the key to safely grasping a potion's power. But Hengli'aite clearly had no intention of telling her the answer directly.
Is she trying to see whether I can reason it out myself, and thereby judge whether I'm worth her continuing to help? Or is she bound by some contract or oath and can't say it plainly? Why do these Extraordinary all like leaving half of what they mean unsaid... She muttered to herself, then nodded earnestly to show she had remembered.
Hengli gave her a satisfied glance and went on:
"Another way is to strengthen your fighting power through other objects and weapons. They often possess power akin to extraordinary abilities, and can also make up for a pathway's shortcomings. The Church generally calls such objects Sealed Artifacts. Some Extraordinary call them 'mystical items.'
"But this kind of power usually comes with negative effects. Some need to be kept in a special way. Some affect the user as well when they're used. And they're few in number and expensive. Their owners won't readily bring them out to trade."
A Sealed Artifact could be used directly as a weapon... Xialuote immediately thought of the dagger that had undergone a strange change after it killed Aidian, and of the holy canon Weiyefu had used to test whether she was lying. She said with regret:
"It's a pity that dagger was handed over to the Church. I don't know what special ability it might have."
"A Sealed Artifact formed under natural conditions is often related to the Sequence of the Extraordinary it has come into contact with. That dagger shouldn't be too powerful. It might not be controllable, and it might not suit your way of fighting." Hengli'aite answered thoughtfully. "Fine mystical items with mild side effects usually come from the hands of Extraordinary craftsmen. Those a step below are weapons they produce in batches from materials that possess extraordinary properties. The power of these weapons doesn't last very long, but they have no obvious side effects."
At that, she showed a faint but deeply meaningful smile.
"The Church of the God of Craftsmen has always had a great advantage in this regard, because they truly have a great many craftsmen."
Xialuote understood at once that the "craftsmen" the other meant were not technical workers in the ordinary sense, but Extraordinary of a certain potion pathway.
So other Churches can only collect and seize Sealed Artifacts, and a few mystical items whose side effects aren't severe, while the Craftsman Church can custom-make and mass-produce equipment? Xialuote suddenly felt that if Luosaier really did go to the Machinery Heart, it might not be entirely a bad thing.
She reined in her thoughts and followed the earlier thread:
"And you? Which pathway do you belong to?"
Hengli'aite did not answer at once. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the skirt where her knee lifted it, as if judging whether she ought to reveal this.
A moment later, she said slowly:
"I am an 'Assassin.' Of course, at higher Sequences, some people call us 'Witches.'"
Assassin... Isn't that one of the extraordinary pathways Weiyefu had me choose among? But she said that a woman choosing "Assassin" would draw the hostility of some secret organization. Does Hengli have the confidence to escape those people's pursuit, or else... is she herself a member of that organization?
Xialuote's thoughts raced. In an instant she thought of several possibilities, but she did not let her suspicion show. She only asked, quite naturally:
"So an 'Assassin,' upon reaching the middle sequences, can turn invisible, and can also use those intangible threads?"
"That's right. Some abilities are advancements of what one has at a low Sequence. An Assassin at Sequence 9, for instance, can hide within the shadows and is hard to discover. Upon reaching Sequence 7, that becomes true invisibility. The rest include divination and anti-divination, curses, a mirror substitute, and some special abilities that aren't used for fighting... You needn't envy them too much. Every pathway has its own character and advantages."
But I really do envy them. After all, invisibility, curses, intangible threads, and a mirror substitute sound far stronger than an "Arbiter," who relies on intimidating dogs with presence and fighting at close quarters... Could the mirror substitute be that sound of breaking glass I heard while fighting the Extraordinary who had lost control... The more Xialuote listened, the more her heart was stirred. Then she remembered Weiyefu's warning about "female Assassins," and could only sigh inwardly. Right after that, she thought of a question that had troubled her for a long time.
"Lady Hengli'aite, since you're skilled at curses and divination, can you tell whether the misfortunes our family has suffered these past years were caused by a curse?"
Hengli was clearly somewhat surprised by the question. She was silent for a long while, and only spoke once Xialuote's brow had creased slightly:
"While I was observing your household during this period, I didn't notice any problem. At least there is no such trace on you, and there is nothing in this residence that makes me feel there is danger.
"Besides, the main Suolun family is not short of high-Sequence Extraordinary. They may not concern themselves much with the safety of the branch families, but they are not the sort to sit unmoved when someone bullies them to their faces. If anyone were secretly harming you through a curse, they ought to have sensed it."
The same as Father said... Xialuote's heart sank.
"Of course, my divination isn't all-powerful," Hengli'aite went on to explain. "There are many means of anti-divination. The most direct is suppression by Sequence. A Saint's whereabouts, in the great majority of cases, can only be discovered by a being of the same level."
A Saint—that is, a high-Sequence Extraordinary... For a moment Xialuote did not know whether she should be glad that Hengli had found nothing, or worried about that still more terrifying possibility.
Of course, even the high-ranking beings of the Suolun family and the archbishop of Telier had failed to discover the strangeness in the household. She knew well enough that worrying now would do no good, so she changed the subject and asked:
"Will you go on staying in Suxite after this?"
Hengli'aite gave a light laugh.
"Don't always count on my help from the shadows. A notion like that will get you killed sooner or later."
I really only wanted to talk with you a little more like this, and pick up some information along the way... But she didn't deny it outright, which means she won't be leaving anytime soon... Xialuote could not help nodding, to show she understood.
The other did not go on lecturing her. Instead she turned the conversation:
"Still, while I was wandering the city recently, I found an underground exchange. It convenes at irregular times, and the place changes as well, but now and then some interesting materials, charms, weapons, or news turn up. If you're interested, you can go have a look."
"An underground exchange?"
Xialuote immediately recalled the warnings in Weiyefu's booklet about wild Extraordinary, materials of unknown origin, and dangerous rituals.
"Remember to report it to the Church," Hengli'aite reminded her. "I suspect the Purifiers and the Machinery Heart discovered them long ago, and simply haven't moved to stop them."
With that, she took a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Xialuote. The latter took it and glanced at it. Written on it were an address in the Dock District and a time: next Thursday evening, at eight.
There's a chance I could go and see. Weiyefu has also hinted that I'll likely have to obtain the potions that follow on my own. And I could use the pretext of monitoring a gathering of wild Extraordinary... Thinking this over, she carefully put the slip away. As she looked up, she said:
"Thank you..."
There was already no one before her.
This way of entering and leaving is far too fantastical. If I'd known, I really should have chosen Assassin... Xialuote muttered inwardly. The heavy mood brought on by the end of the Extraordinary who had lost control finally eased a good deal.
————
Before a gray-white building beside the Suxite High Court, a four-wheeled carriage bearing the crest of the Baron Suolun family slowly came to a stop.
With a maid's help, Xialuote stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the facade held up by columns and an arched roof.
A moment later she entered the foyer through the door left ajar, searched along the public corridor for her destination, and then knocked on an old wooden door that looked as if it had several decades of history:
"Excuse me, is Lawyer Moerwan Dulang in?"
Chapter 30