“What can I do for you today?” Ling Dong asked. His words were polite, but he was wary. His eyes shone with jade light, and he didn’t like what he was seeing. Deep ochre coloring surrounded the Haijing noble. The man was a devil, and a strong one at that.
“I won’t take much of your time,” the marshal said. “You can call me Marshal Ye, and I’ve just been appointed along with three other marshals by the authority of the new grand marshal. We’ve been given a strict mandate to improve the fighting capabilities of our armed forces. I’ve heard from my men that you’re a renowned demonic smith, able to improve the ability of our mounts and tamed aquatic demons.”
“I’ve been doing piecemeal work here and there,” Ling Dong admitted. “I usually work with individuals who seek me out. The Guard has never approached me directly for weapon smithing, only demon taming.”
“Then it’s your lucky day,” Marshal Ye said, grinning. “I’m here to offer you a lucrative army contract. Anything you’ll make for us, we’ll buy, with price commensurate to quality. You’ve struck it rich, my friend.”
Ling Dong hesitated, carefully measuring his words. “Your offer is definitely tempting, but I prefer to deal with my clients on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “I like to get to know them and their mount’s special needs. As an artist, it’s vital to find special inspiration in every case.”
Marshal Ye’s eyes flickered. “I see. Then it just so happens that I have a special commission I’d like to request, if you could follow me.” He walked over to the door.
Ling Dong ignored the pounding in his heart as he followed. His smithy was in a small bubble near the outskirts of the city, a convenient place for soldiers to bring their demonic mounts.
Just like before, guards swam around the area as they inspected and patrolled while off-duty guards relaxed. There was a certain edge in their behavior, however. They were uncomfortable, and for good reason. Just outside the bubble, a massive fiendish shark was swimming around. The fiendish shark had somehow been tamed and restrained, yet it still emanated a frightening and evil pressure.
“I’d like you to build armor for my new mount,” Marshal Ye said. “I trust that won’t be an issue?”
Ling Dong chuckled, then shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”
“Is there a special reason that you’re turning me down?” Marshal Ye asked.
Ling Dong hesitated, for he knew the marshal would already know his code of conduct. It didn’t matter if he said it or not. “The creature’s nature is incompatible with my own. I can’t in good conscience craft anything for it.”
“I see,” Marshal Ye said, shaking his head in disappointment. “That’s regrettable. I take it my nature is also incompatible with yours?”
Ling Dong didn’t need to reply. The man simply walked off. Ling Dong turned to return to his forge, but before he could reach the door, a few dozen City Guardsmen had entered the bubble. He sighed.
“The charges?” he asked, turning toward them. They held shackles that inhibited both qi and body cultivation, as well as a collar usually reserved for beasts. The marshal had clearly done his homework.
“Unlawful refusal to engage in commerce with the City Guard,” the leader of the guards said. “The City Guard has offered you a legitimate business opportunity with very reasonable compensation, and you have rejected it. Marshal Ye has concluded that your actions are politically motivated and that you likely oppose the new emperor’s ascent. You will be held while the case is investigated and released if your innocence is proven.”
“And my forge?” Ling Dong asked.
“Confiscated until your innocence or guilt is confirmed,” the guard captain said. “Please come along peacefully, and you will not be harmed.”
Ling Dong’s instincts told him to fight, but he knew resistance was futile. While he lost no small amount of honor by surrendering, survival was paramount. “Lead the way,” he said, holding out his hands. The shackles cut off his qi, his strength, and his resplendent force, while the collar they fastened around his neck cut off the demonic essence floating in the sea around him. He felt blind and powerless.
He looked around as they escorted him toward the city. Many of the guardsmen he’d worked for and befriended looked at him with conflicted expressions. He knew they wanted to help him but were powerless to do so. Such was life. He looked toward the clock tower his master had entered three months ago as they led him to the city..
When would Cha Ming return? He’d need a miracle to get out of this situation, but fortunately, his master was an expert at creating them.
Interlude: Tides of War
Just let it stop, Feng Ming thought, holding his hands to his head as others argued around him. The deceptively large room he sat in was filled with a few dozen chairs placed around a circular table. An important political figure sat in every chair, each one posing as an equal to the others. Some spoke softly, others loudly. But they all had something in common: none of them listened.
Regardless of how loud they spoke, they were arguing instead of working together. Such was the nature of the Northern Alliance. Despite the very dire news they’d received, the assembled kingdoms still couldn’t come to a decision.
You’d think a few hundred war vessels mobilizing from a harbor in Southern waters would snap some sense into them, he thought. He knew it was wishful thinking.
