Liberi Reader

Well, that was an unfruitful day...

I never had such headaches back at the agency in Lungmen.

Because Mr. Liang left you no leads to follow?

No, it's actually because... I have a lot of friends in Lungmen.

And aside from Mr. Liang the shut-in, the only friend I have in Shangshu is you, Master Shen.

*Sigh*...

There's a crowd at his door, isn't there?

Doesn't look like they're trying to be discreet.

Hey, the Lungmenite's here too. Right... Don't be rash. Just don't let them get away.

Keep an eye on them.

Eh, I don't suppose we walked into their trap?

Weird... It doesn't matter how glorious they were in the old days, they're just a bunch of restaurateurs now. Do they really have this much influence?

There's no one else around—W-Wait!

M-Master Shang.

......

I'm here.

......

H-Have a seat. Would you like some tea?

I asked around.

There are a few spots that fit the description. Very few visitors, but there are some pavilions that have been around for a while. I marked them on the map.

As for your wine shops, wherever there's a settlement, it's practically guaranteed that there's one. These places fit the bill.

Hmm...

There's one at Qujiang Peak?

I have no idea myself, but Old Qian insisted that there is.

These are all out-of-the-way trails. No normal sightseers would go there. Be careful.

I see. Thank you, Master Shang.

I will take my leave, then...

Master Shang, do you know those men outside the door...?

—!

Don't know them.

Goodbye.

What's going on...?

(Tell the innkeeper... Master Shang and the Lungmenite have dealings with each other!)

(Should we still block the way out here?)

(What the hell are you even trying to block? Let's go! We're out of here!)

You're back.

That trip was a complete waste. Please don't ask.

I'm just worried about bandits coming after you.

As long as you're looking out for me, they won't make trouble.

What's more, our hot little goblet isn't in my possession anymore. You should be careful yourself.

No need.

We found out who ambushed you. It's all a misunderstanding. They thought you were a smuggler pillaging artifacts.

Well, it sounds like Shangshu's chivalric code is alive and well. That was quite the brawl for a minor 'misunderstanding.'

Don't blame them.

Master Shen, Lee isn't a local. I'm afraid I'll need you to take care of him for the next couple of days.

Of course, it's not big deal.

I know things are hectic at the docks lately. I'll pay you double your wage for your time.

Don't worry about it, Mr. Liang. We never talk money.

I can't do wrong by my citizens.

You've been a great help, and I might need more of your help in the future.

Fine, then... If that's how you feel, then I won't push it.

I'll stick with our boy Lee for as long as he's here. Those of us who make a living on the mountain trails and rivers know the Three Mounts and Seventeen Peaks like the backs of our hands.

Thank you.

—Liang Xun.

What's the matter?

We'll talk inside.

I remember telling you that as long as you aren't hiding anything from me, this will be nothing complicated.

Tell me, what exactly is the story behind the cup and its master?

......

You can't tell me?

No.

I ran into those guys again in the mountains today.

What...?

So that little 'misunderstanding' of yours isn't actually very convincing.

......

How high are the stakes?

As high as heaven.

*Sigh*...

You should've told me sooner.

I was afraid you'd get dragged into the mess if you knew too much.

So you still think I'm not part of the mess?

Forgive me.

You should get some rest. If our friend proves too difficult to locate... then you don't have to worry about it.

We've come this far. You can't suddenly have second thoughts about this, can you?

I appreciate the feeling, but if I really call it quits here, that's the end of the good life for you. I know that much.

So what's on the table? You can at least tell me that, can't you?

Both the people and the country.

Well, the stakes do sound high, and it's such a tall tale, I'm finding that kind of hard to believe.

I would never joke about such a serious matter.

Of course I know you wouldn't.

Let me change the subject, then. You wouldn't be entertaining a lovely lady this evening, would you?

—*Cough*.

There is nothing between me and Miss Ning.

I never said there's anything between you two.

Your eyes said enough.

Really? Everyone always ridicules you for how unsociable you are, but even Huai Tianpei's girl is all grown up now. You have to have scored a home run at least once or twice?

......

You have your reasons, huh?

......

How about a drink?

It's high time we had a drink together.

Right... We're long overdue.

You truly are a swift one, Miss Kroos. The innkeeper wasn't kidding.

Where is the man with the fan?

We couldn't risk a complete wipeout in case you had any traps set up here, can we?

How peculiar... I thought you would send him, while you hide in the shadows.

As the saying goes, one should sacrifice a pawn to save one's queen. Not only are you the 'queen,' you're a crossbowman and an escape artist.

Even so, you came personally.

Well, my mate Nothing isn't a regular operator yet. I can't just have him fly into the face of danger.

And yet you still have a mind for danger, especially when you have to go it alone, don't you?

If you're the kind of bloke who goes all 'I can see right through you' just to seem smart, I'd rather go home and have a sleep.

Haha... so temperamental. Forget I said anything, then.

I'll get to the point. We've looked into Rhodes Island a little. With so little time, we didn't dig up a lot of information.

I don't claim to fully know you, but at least know you can be trusted.

Can I? Not only did I butt my head into this affair, I'm an Infected, you know?

You must put the right people to the right job. Oripathy is a misfortune that all Infected face. What does that have to do with their responsibilities or skills?

......

I would like Rhodes Island to do us a favor.

No, in fact, if you don't help us, then I'm afraid you'd be making an enemy of us.

You want Mr. Lee's goblet.

When I chased the thief that night, right away, the tracks split into two. It was dark out, and you moved quick, but I never took my eyes off the one who'd actually left the Liang estate.

I lost them not long thereafter, though. And then a certain someone showed up, just like it was a planned diversion—

The innkeeper drew my attention. Was he drawing it away from you?

No wonder he thinks so highly of you.

Bingo, eh?

What does the cup have to do with ‘Sui?'

You know of 'Sui?'

Oh... Looks like you're not lying, though you know only half the story.

Hm, is that so?

Considering you see Nian and Dusk as friends... and that she told you about this much, they must see Rhodes Island as a lifeline of sorts.

In years past, so long as they stayed in line and broke no rules, the Sui Regulator would turn a blind eye to whatever they did.

But nowadays, things are different.

Not only are the times changing, you are on friendly terms with Nian, and you even brought Dusk off her mountain. That put you on the Sui Regulator's wrong side.

We were just...

I know you meant no ill will, but what comes next?

How is Great Yan meant to know that they are not planning anything when they are all in one place?

'Great Yan...'

I'm not trying to exaggerate.

Nian and Dusk disappeared not long after they reached Shangshu, and it just so happens that a goblet associated with them made its way here around the same time. Furthermore, the man of the hour is on Rhodes Island's side.

This is a tremendous coincidence. Wouldn't you say so, Miss Kroos?

......

And I'm not one to believe in coincidences.

Oof!

I forgot to hang the clothes to dry. Oh no, oh no... If I don't get to that now, there won't be anything to wear tomorrow.

Shang Zhong, huh? You shouldn't have come.

......

Now get lost. I'll pretend I didn't see you.

There was a young man who asked me to look for a pavilion in the mountains.

We all know things were complicated when you left, but not only did you leave us without an explanation, you even set the innkeeper up. Going by the rules, that makes you a traitor.

Then your men surrounded him.

Please, traitor, Brother Shang, I'm begging you. If anyone sees us, things will get hairy. Let's put a stop to this.

Who is that man?

Brother Shang!

I'm asking you, who is that man?

The Lungmenite...?

Yes.

It's all business. It's got nothing to do with outsiders, and I have nothing to tell you.

It'll be ten full years at the end of this one. I've been thinking of giving the Association an explanation soon.

I'll give all of you an explanation.

I'll settle the score with Zheng Qingyue.

I still can't tell you, Brother Shang!

Liu! Who pulled you out of the fire all those years ago?!

I can't say.

It has to do with the goblet, doesn't it? The cup from ten years ago?

You—

Bingo, then...

So that's the 'goblet' the kids have been talking about...

Hey, you didn't interrogate any of the young disciples, did you—

This must be fate...

—Hey, Shang Zhong! Don't just leave after you got that answer from me! Our years of friendship mean nothing to you, huh?! Hey!

Hah, looks like you're a better drinker than you used to be.

The Liang Xun of the good old days would probably be curling up into a ball under the table right about now.

I drink by myself every now and then.

Well, that's our Magistrate Liang. You find the time to drink even as a government official—Hold on, you drink by yourself every now and then. That doesn't mean what I think it means, does it?

I drown my sorrows. It's human nature.

They say that it takes a personality change to build your tolerance for alcohol. Wise words, don't you think?

It's a fair point.

*Sigh*... When we drown our sorrows, it's a whole myriad of relationship we're trying to drown.

To tell you the truth, I was actually pretty surprised when I saw you again.

Hm? Why is that?

The Liang Xun I know is a methodical, taciturn fellow.

I remember that time in school, outside the Chamber of Teachers Emeriti, when you said you were going to bless all under heaven. You said the world's a harsh, cold place, so you'd build a fire to warm everyone up, and they would never know darkness again.

I was just spouting words. We were young. Perhaps those were the exact words that led me to reflect on myself now.

It was years ago.

Many years ago.

You aren't the refined young master you used to be either.

Time flies, and I frittered all mine away.

It's been a long time since you left home. Have you spoken to your family?

It hasn't been that long since I left home.

You're saying that detective agency in Lungmen is your home now?

Of course.

What about back in Jiangdong?

Jiangdong, or Kong Tung as we call it, is just a place with a house, some lanterns, and a few old friends.

We've both changed.

I hope that when we clink our glasses together, it's not the sound of our past ambitions crumbling away that we hear.

No, no, no, that's not quite right. You're a mandarin of some standing and the magistrate responsible for a city. If the masses are happy with you, perhaps you've already achieved your dreams?

We still have a long road ahead of us. Shangshu has always been a bustling place. What I'm trying to accomplish is just gilding the lily.

I hope that you won't forget who we once were, then. Gon bui.

Gan bei.

Seems like Yan's research into occult mysticism is the greatest secret across this whole world.

You make it sound like we don't want to share.

They may take different forms, but all nations approach the same problem in their own way. Everyone faces this issue.

Though, because of certain... historical reasons, Great Yan's Sui Regulator happens to be at the forefront of 'Feranmutology.' Always has been. Always will be.

Kjerag still worships them as gods and Sami attempts to coexist with them, but the Sui Regulator's research has advanced to unparalleled heights.

So, the 'Sui' in Sui Regulator is the same 'Sui' that Nian talked about?

Did Nian tell you about those legends? The old emperor, the wild hunt, and what they uncovered?

(That's the stuff Lava talked about...)

In ancient times, the people thought of certain creatures as 'gods,' and with civilization's advancement, they gradually began to go into hiding.

The 'Sui' is one such creature.

'Certain creatures...?'

Whether they actually meet the definition of a living being is up for debate, and I don't suppose we need to go there.

All you need to know is that when at last they come to bring destruction to the world, Yan has the power to annihilate them. That's all.

Fair enough...

This is not exactly confidential Sui Regulator information, but it's not exactly common knowledge either.

I'm telling you all this not because I want a scholarly discussion.

......

Nian, Dusk, and the one who's in hiding somewhere in Shangshu. All of them are under the Sui Regulator's surveillance.

Normally, these things would not happen at such a pace. But then one day, the clouds all dissipated from that mountain. By the time the Sui Regulator Candleholders arrived, Dusk was nowhere to be found.

That happened just a few days ago.

It took only a few days for the Candleholders to brief the court on this matter too.

That's something... There's quite a bit of distance between Mount Hui-ch'i and the capital, isn't there?

Rhodes Island is getting itself involved without knowing the whole picture. The ignorant are blameless. On the contrary, it's unimaginable that you would work with those two without knowing anything.

And now, we would like Rhodes Island to follow the Sui Regulator's arrangement and persuade the Lungmenite to surrender the goblet himself.

I knew it... Liang Xun was under your thumb the whole time.

Correct.

He had Mr. Lee deliver the cup all the way from Lungmen to be stolen, and it's all a show, huh?

You call the magistrate by name, but gave the Lungmenite a courtesy title. That shows you are a good person.

Does being a good person mean anything else in Yan?

Please don't get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to beat around the bush. All I'm saying is that you aren't hiding your trust in the Lungmenite anymore. Is it because of his partnership with Rhodes Island?

It's actually more than that... He's a friend too.

There aren't many people we can truly call friends. It seems Nian and Dusk are your friends too.

It sounds like the Sui Regulator has some high standing in Yan. So why the ruse? Who are you trying to fool?

I'm afraid that's more than what Rhodes Island needs to know.

And you straight up admit that?

There's nothing to hide. It's just a more elegant way to go about this to save our mandarins some face.

Now that I've told Rhodes Island so much, can we set aside our differences and negotiate?

You want our help?

We'd like Mr. Lee's too.

What do you need help with?

The elimination of the Sui.

I'm not drunk. No need to hold me like this.

You're my guest.

I'm just a grunt you summoned from Lungmen.

I actually considered the possibility that the Messenger might not be able to find you in Lungmen.

And I actually registered my agency in Lungmen hoping that you would find me.

'Lee's Detective Agency.' Why did you choose to build your business in Lungmen, though?

It's the farthest away I could get from Yan.

Any farther than that... I have no place to go.

You could come back.

I don't want to.

Liang Xun.

Hm...

I know, actually.

You always knew.

Lungmen is not your home, yet you spent half your life holding out hope for Lungmen.

I thought, there, I could finally find what it was that I wanted to do.

Did you?

I did, but I also found that I could find it just about anywhere.

All those years ago, Huai Tianpei said he'd study kung fu and make a name for himself.

And all those years ago, Liang Xun wanted to do something for all people under heaven, to change the ways of the world such that they would no longer have to be afraid.

What about you?

I was just a finbeast in a river, and the moment I jumped a few chi out of the water, I felt I was at the top of the world.

......

Okay, I'm pooped. I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. You should get going.

Very well.

Take care.

There's no more wine...

*Sigh*.

Old friends, old friends...

Hmm...

—!

Hmm... It feels like I had quite the dream... Oh?

Stop right there!

That voice...