Chapter Text
When the first invitation from freshly rebuilt - reborn, really - Amphoreus comes, Jing Yuan considers carefully, turning the scroll in his hands. For some reason, he is almost completely convinced this is a trap. There is nothing that should set his internal alarm off, not yet. The scroll was delivered to him through official means of the IPC, already working on tangling the new realm together into their own empire, and the sender is signed as Imperator Cerydra, whom he easily identifies from As I’ve Written. The text has nothing beyond hopeful diplomacy, and the idea of strengthening the tentative alliance from where they all almost perished. A typical official mail, if Jing Yuan is concerned. And yet, it is a trap, and Jing Yuan has already let go of his potentially troublesome trip to Planarcadia before on behalf of Madam Yao, so now something itches under his skin, making him restless. Maybe it is not that he wants to get in trouble on purpose, he tells himself. Maybe it is just to ensure that the Trailblazer’s precious friends are properly welcomed into the World. Yes, that is definitely it.
He walks to the Divination Commission, the missive strapped to his belt, and stops on the way to purchase bribes: sweets for everyone working near the central Abacus system, and tart snacks especially for Fu Xuan, who would never admit missing home, but secretly pine after the slightly salty and sour candied plums. They go through the steps of slightly hostile hospitality, before finally settling at an observation deck, away from the commotion of daily work, Fu Xuan glaring at him with suspicion as Jing Yuan hums, resisting the urge to lean against the railing and people-watch.
“General, you would let me know if you were planning to do something stupid,” she finally breaks the silence, a statement willing things into reality as she is stepping just a little closer and he cannot resist a small, easy smile.
“I do think it would be a dishonor to give you a forewarning, Master Diviner. After all, if you deal with calculating our future, it would be as if I did not trust your abilities at all, hm?”
Predictably, the answer sets Fu Xuan off.
“Just because I can foresee a misfortune, do you need to add to it with secrecy and stupidity? We are all busy as is, we do not need an extra workload of looking behind our backs at the same time,” she fumes even more as he chuckles. “What are you doing here? Are you finally letting me take over?” She pauses the tirade as he slides the invitation over to her, focusing on reading through it, her brows drawing together. “Unexpected, but not truly out of the norm. Do you plan on accepting?”
Jing Yuan hums, folding his arms. “It would be impolite not to. Do you mind calculating this course of action for me, Master Diviner?” A gust of wind swishes around them - a programmed current sweeping through Luofu’s artificial atmosphere, bringing to them the breeze from the sea. The hour is growing late, then, as Fu Xuan nods.
The Matrix of Prescience clicks to life with the soft sound of jade clips falling into place, like a sea of stars around Jing Yuan as Fu Xuan sets the parameters of the question. This part of the Divination is open to the fake sky, starskiffs drifting overhead as Jing Yuan’s mind wanders. He was told, before, that focusing on the question helped, but he finds his mind drifting either way. It is a pleasant evening, with the golden remnants of the sun illuminating the shadows of the buildings behind them, a perfect moment to sit at the edge of one of the Alchemy Commission rooftops, and drink plum wine. He wishes…
The Jade Abacus rings once, sharp and true, calculations complete, and Jing Yuan looks back, meeting Fu Xuan’s eyes, curious about the result—
Ah. That cannot be good news, then. Not with how Fu Xuan pulls herself together visibly, hiding the shake of her hands with a fierce look.
“Go,” she says, hoarse, her lips thinned into a line. “Go, Jing Yuan.”
He smiles, in a manner he hopes to be reassuring. “I will.” He has already decided, after all.
He considers leaving the scroll for Lightning-Wielding Thunder-Clapping Spirit-Squashing Lord behind for his successor, then decides to be selfish, for once. If the Reignbow Arbiter decides to mind afterwards, Jing Yuan is sure THEY will find a way to let him know THEY are displeased. Instead, he spends a lazy afternoon napping in his garden, amongst the flowers he has sown, the cat curled up in his lap. They should really name it by now, it was getting ridiculous, but there was something too final about that, and both Yanqing and Jing Yuan always hesitated before committing. “Keep him safe for me, hm?” he requests quietly, scratching behind the cat’s ear as its purring intensifies.
But when he tells Yanqing about the trip, the little Lieutenant beams up at him, looking vaguely shrewd, just the same as when he asks for extra money to spend it on swords instead of food.
“This seems like a great opportunity, General!” Yanqing says, and Jing Yuan cannot help but be amused with how he tries, and fails, to play him. “You will need official guards as this is an official visit-”
“If you want to come along, you can just say so,” Jing Yuan cuts him off, even more amused now that Yanqing starts to flail. “There should be no danger on Amphoreus. It will be good training for you. I have, however, one request.”
“Yes, General!”
“You will eat at least three meals with me every day while in Amphoreus. It is impolite otherwise.” Yanqing froze, like a bird caught in a trap. “We would not want to cause a diplomatic incident, after all.”
The little Lieutenant visibly deflated.
“...yes, General…”
“And if you succeed, Dan Heng mentioned to me a place in their capital city that we should visit, with genuinely extraordinary craftsmanship…”
If nothing else, bribery always worked on children.
He swirls the wine in his cup, uncaring of rudeness, as his guest stretches out with a content sigh, Feixiao’s hologram unable to sit still for even a moment. Recently, Yaoqing has been travelling at Luofu’s side more often than not, especially so with Celenova’s unexpected retreat, but even Feixiao was not completely free to run around as she wished, so they begrudgingly settled on meeting this way. He could still hear vague noises behind her as they talked, and wondered absentmindedly when this became the routine.
“I think it s a great idea,” she nods along to his plan, “first Phantylia, then Hoolay, then Iron Tomb and all of the negotiations after - I am all for you going on holidays so that some of the others can also take the spotlight, Jing Yuan.” She chuckles, careful not to spill even a drop of wine. “We almost had to bind you so that you did not follow the kids last time.”
“An exaggeration. I followed the plan without a hitch.”
Feixiao gives him a look, humming lightly in what he knows is completely unconvinced judgement.
“Either way, no need to worry about Luofu, I will be in touch with your navigator to make sure we plot the way forward together while little Fu Xuan takes over. It will be good practice for her before moving back home.” She pins him with her gaze. “Now, did you discuss this with the Marshall?”
Jing Yuan blinks at her, pausing in the process of feeding sunflower seeds to one of the finches. “Discuss what? Meeting with the Amphoreus envoy?”
That earns him an eyeroll and a click of her tongue, which makes it impossible to resist a smile. “That’s a no. Fine. Leave us to clean up your mess as always.”
“It is a great blessing to have friends such as yourself-”
“Yeah, yeah! A simple thank you is enough, you know! I can understand why Yao-jie cannot stomach you. Now, let’s drink to the recent and future victories!” Her laugh carries over his living quarters as Jing Yuan closes his eyes, just for a second, willing to carve this moment into his memories.
Yukong stands straight and tall as he talks to her right before departure, brows pinched in worry. “I do understand the point of this visit, General, but I cannot help but worry. Is it truly verified that the threat is completely removed? If feels… odd, for them to insist on meeting with you specifically.” She shifts slightly, from one foot to the other. “Perhaps we could make a counter-offer?”
Jing Yuan folds his hands behind his back, amused. “One would think half the ship thinks this old General to be completely inadequate, if he cannot be released into one diplomatic meeting.”
Yukong’s cheeks brighten immediately, as she falls for his bait. “N-no, not at all!”
“I jest,” he calms her, “and there should really be no danger, Helm Master. After all, I am taking the Lieutenant with me.”
“Entangling the Luofu in your personal business seems to be a favorite pastime, General,” comes a scathing comment from Lingsha this time as she stops at their side, supportive but still needing to scratch at them a little like a disgruntled cat. “Did you pack the remedies I recommended?” Jing Yuan’s lips twitch as she glares at him. “For your own benefit, I also recommend keeping that comment you have to yourself,” Lingsha shoots him down, unimpressed, giving him a distinct impression that saying that *yes, mom* would have earned him a broken nose. “It would be well to remember not to cause trouble,” Lingsha tells him instead, implying just how hopeless he is. “The Dragon Lady sends her regards, you should visit her more when you return.”
“Thank you, Cauldron Master.”
Fu Xuan, Yukong, Lingsha, Feixiao, Yaoguang, Bailu, Tingyun… Even Hua and Huaiyan. Jing Yuan cannot wrap his mind around it, and just settles on feeling grateful instead as he sends off the last message on his jade abacus. Yanqing, glued to the window of the starskiff, waves excitedly.
“General! I can see the light of it, just there, ahead! We are here!”
And so they are.
The bright lights of the galaxy spun in twain fill their field of vision, bright and cheerful like a new dawn. Jing Yuan takes a deep breath, his heart speeding up: a rush of seeing a new world with his own eyes never having left him, even after all these years. Along the edges of the new world, a speckle of IPC stations drift through space, a sluice of sorts, he suspects. Even after being brought back, Amphoreus is more made from memoria than actual matter after all, and profit is profit.
After docking, they make a quick way through the station to the gate, and Jing Yuan chuckles to himself as he watches Yanqing subtly try to convince the interface to make him just a few inches taller within the sea of memoria. It does not work, but the Lieutenant hardly has the time to sulk as they are ushered inside - under the star-studded sky. The empty room echoes with each of their steps, breathtaking as they step closer to the light, to the constellations shining bright overhead. Two people wait for them by the fountain in the center: what looks like a girl with hair bright like poppies, and a warrior, frowning as he watches them approach. The water in the central basin bubbles, like rough waters of the sea, echoes of words spoken like a whisper of the tide, and Jing Yuan finds himself distracted by the familiar cadence, his attention stolen until they stand right before their hosts and he needs to focus.
“Your Majesty,” Jing Yuan greets, watching the scowl deepen at the address, “and Lady Tribbios.” He bows, hand to his chest, but not too low, and notices that Yanqing follows. “I’m Jing Yuan, of Xianzhou Luofu, and this is Yanqing, my ward. It is a pleasure to meet you, I believe we did not have a chance before. Thank you once more for standing at our side during the recent conflict.”
The water bubbles softly, echoing, “...*uan…*” Its surface moves, like boiling water, slowly climbing the shallow edges of the pool.
As Yanqing struggles with the sudden blush, the young king looks like he wants to scoff and Jing Yuan commiserates - he too had moments like this, when his days were filled with endless meetings full of politicking and useless chatter. While his greatest dream then was to sneak out to his garden, he has a feeling the Kremnoan warrior would prefer anything that would help him burn off the energy. But it was the little one who greets him back, standing on the tips of her toes.
“Dan Heng’s friend, welcome! We knew you would come!” When her gaze turned to Yanqing, she bounced on her feet, excited, “We have heard many stories about you both, and we will be the gatekeeper for you today, letting you traverse inside, Agy is already waiting for you!”
“I see you also want to underplay your position, there is no need for it.” Mydei notes, unable to let go, “indeed, we have heard much of what Xianzhou did and could do.” Vaguely threatening as it sounds, Jing Yuan cannot help but tease back:
“Ah, and I heard of your affinity with big cats as well. Perhaps we might be able to find common ground?” As Mydei splutters and Tribbie laughs, everyone is distracted - not noticing when the water finally bubbles over.
It is just a tendril, like a wisp of smoke curling around Jing Yuan’s ankle. It backtracks when he looks down, curiously, splashing the stone floor instead.
“General? Everything alright?”
“I think your fountain has just tried to pet me,” he says, bewildered, and bends down to touch the puddle. Just water. “Is this… typical for Amphoreus?”
“Ah,” Mydei says, no explanation offered, “we better get a move on, then.” But as Tribbie folds her hands together in a prayer, Jing Yuan still looks back, to the fountain bubbling in the background, wondering why it felt so familiar.
The Century Gate opens to the City of Okhema bathed in golden dusk, bleached walls looking like mother of pearl embellished with gold. Yanqing’s ponytail whips left to right as almost breaks his neck trying to see everything at once, but Jing Yuan’s gaze is drawn up, to the figure blocking the sky. It is a reassurance to have the city around envelop them in cheerful, busy noise. A hopeful note to see Amphoreus standing once more, after being brought to ruins millions of times.
“...De, perhaps we should avoid the baths, at least for now, let Big Sis Hysilens calm things a little… Oh, we know!” Tribbie turns to them, her smile bright, “You must be hungry! There is a place, not far out of our way, and maybe we can even grab Snowy on the way-”
Jing Yuan diplomatically does not press on just what exactly had their hosts so worried, and instead nods along. “It would certainly be appreciated. It was quite a journey, hm, Yanqing?”
Yanqing turns to him, slower than expected, and just nods along, giving Jing Yuan a suspicion that he did not hear a word. “Y-yes… Sure.”
The city runs with water, and Jing Yuan thinks fondly that it must have felt like home to Dan Heng, only brighter and warmer. To their despair, on the other hand, there is also an extraordinary amount of walking. It is funny, really, and Yanqing deflates more and more at his side as they walk and sightsee, and explore even more under the sun that shines brighter than the usual for them, ribbons of the rainbows wrapping around the buildings, the walls imbued with shining murals - ones of familiar faces, too. The day stretches on, with the quality of thick honey, sweet and golden. Yanqing’s mouth gapes as he sees one with the Nameless in a picture here and there, and Jing Yuan chuckles, accompanied by the waterfall to the side. But then - one step more and they enter the markets to a familiar voice arguing about antiques, and they are easily swept into a quarrel about the quality of a vase or something like this. Jing Yuan, truthfully, does not pay attention, choosing to observe Phainon instead. To Mydei’s quiet amusement, Yanqing makes a small sound, gluing himself to the railing to look at the forge below. “You can go and check it out,” Jing Yuan offers, quietly, “just do not get into trouble, hm?” He discreetly presses a small pouch of gold into Yanqing’s hands, standardized by weight instead of their familiar strale shape.
As Mydei and Tribbie step away after Yanqing, Jing Yuan smiles at Phainon’s surprised expression and cuts to the chase: “Apologies, master Phainon. I thought it best we speak without an audience. What do you need my assistance with?”
The waves quieten as Hysiliens plays, restlessness guided into slumber. Yet, ever since the last opening of the gates, something deep below churns, currents strengthening even against her will. It amuses her, this quiet rebellion. “A leviathan you are, and yet you tremble like a tiny pufferfish. Have patience, old dragon, and sleep. Leave this one to us. Give it time.” Her song pushes down, like a blanket, not a chain, but it is already at its limit, as claws rip through the enchantment’s threads.
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.
And so, reluctantly, Dan Feng sleeps.