“We’ll do our best to speed up the development process,” Director Yong said. “Pai Xiao, is there anything we can do for you that would speed up development?”
Cha Ming, surprised by their straightforwardness, tapped his fingers on his chin. He took a sip of tea from a cup that had been poured for him earlier by Tian Zhi, who was nervously fidgeting. Obviously their lack of progress was viewed as completely his fault. “I know it might not be proper,” Cha Ming said slowly, “but I currently don’t know what materials we have access to. Further, if inspiration hits me, I want to be able to rummage through our stock to try different things.”
“You want access to our vault?” Director Yong asked, frowning. “That’s a bit much to ask for.”
“Not unsupervised, of course,” Cha Ming said. “It would be fine if someone else was there with me.”
“Hmm…” Director Yong said, fingering his blond beard. “I don’t know about this. We have procedures and requisitions for a reason. Only a select few people are allowed inside the vault.”
“The timeline for this project is of utmost important,” Prince Shen said. “Besides, doesn’t he have confidentiality clauses in his contract, as well as enforced punishments for theft?”
“He does,” Director Yong said dryly. “But you of all people should know that contracts can sometimes be circumvented.”
Prince Shen sighed. “Do what you can. All I know is that, as my father’s heir, even I will not be able to escape the grand vizier’s fury alive. You should know what to do.”
Director Yong hesitated, then nodded. “All right. We’ll get him access. Supervised access.”
“Good enough,” Prince Shen said. “Since that’s settled, I won’t be keeping you.” He looked to Cha Ming. “Work hard. Our fate, the fate of the entire South, rests on your shoulders.”
“I’ll do my best,” Cha Ming said.
The prince left, leaving him with Tian Zhi and Director Yong.
“We’ll be off as well,” Director Yong said. “Is there anything else you need from us? Anything at all?”
“I don’t suppose coffee can be delivered to the research and development area?” Cha Ming asked.
“I’ll see what we can do,” Tian Zhi muttered. “Spirits know everyone else has been asking the same thing.”
Cha Ming smiled. Despite differences in geography and ideology, some things never changed.
Chapter 28: The Vault
“Please wait here while I retrieve the quartermaster,” an attendant said, motioning for Tian Zhi and Cha Ming to sit on a black velvet sofa in a plain waiting room. Tian Zhi grunted and took a seat. He didn’t grab any of the refreshments but sipped on his coffee like Cha Ming did. A few minutes trickled by on the clock affixed to the gray wall in an otherwise sterile building.
A tall, thin man soon entered the room. He wore black robes with silver trim, common colors in the Blackthorn Conglomerate’s headquarters. His blond hair was tied back in a tight braid, and he wore small circular spectacles. They weren’t there for mundane purposes like improving basic eyesight, however. Within their clear glass lenses, Cha Ming saw churning runes and a torrent of information. They must enhance his observation and analytical skills, he thought. He’s probably evaluating me as we speak.
“Are you sure you would like to give this man access to the vault?” the man said to Tian Zhi. He looked at Cha Ming with narrow eyes filled with suspicion. Cha Ming could practically feel the disguise named Pai Xiao peeling off him.
“He has the proper clearances,” Tian Zhi said. “And orders from Director Yong. Moreover, he’s contractually obligated to sign everything out and will be punished severely via contract should he try to steal anything. Ideally, however, I’ll be coming along with him, mostly to reassure you more than anything else. I know how much you prize your precious vault’s contents, Wang Bo.”
“My precious vault,” Wang Bo said stiffly, pushing his glasses up his nose, “is the culmination of our Wang family’s work in these parts. I will lay my life down before I let it be pilfered via negligent oversight.”
“Don’t worry,” Tian Zhi said. “If anything happens, it won’t be your head that rolls; it will be mine and the director’s.”
“Both worth a paltry sum,” Wang Bo said flatly. He shook his head and waved Cha Ming over. “Come. We’ll need to get you registered in the system.”
They walked through a rune-covered metal door. It slid open for them with a wave of Wang Bo’s hand, letting them into a long corridor. They walked a few doors down before taking the fifth door to the right, which opened in much the same way. They entered an office, complete with a desk, chairs, and a bookshelf.
“We have no custodians guarding the Ji Kingdom’s vault,” Wang Bo said, “so we need to rely on more mundane means. Give me your hand.”
Cha Ming obliged and proffered the arm that bore his contract mark. He’d been surprised by the durability of the mark—it had even regrown when he’d gotten his skin blasted off during an experiment. Wang Bo touched the mark and moved his finger farther down the wrist. He then took out a paintbrush, which glowed with jade ink.
The ink felt cold and tingly as it landed on Cha Ming’s skin. It fused with it and the image of Pai Xiao’s body in his mind. The mark was that of three jade bamboo branches, thin and hollow, but strong enough to bear much weight if required. “You get tier three clearance. Good enough for any raw materials, but you’ll need a requisition for them. Cash equivalents like liquified elemental
