It seemed that, whenever Stain found himself gaining a solid foothold, a certain someone would appear and sweep everything away. It was rather troubling that the person in question was a monarch, while he was merely a disowned noble whose family hated him. When he was coming into his own as a thiefāsuddenly, there was a huge man putting a blade to his throat at Argraveās direction. When he was coming into his own as the steward of House Parbon, a Bat swooped down from the sky and picked him up at Argraveās direction. It was all rather unfair.
āYouāre going to be a puppet for us,ā Elenore had explained. āOne made of flesh. Youāre going to dance on our strings, go to where we tell you, and then youāre going to say precisely the things I want you to this person. Argraveāll be doing druidic magic, and Iāll be connected to him through Vasquer. Weāll hear and see all you do. You need to talk to someone.ā
āThis person Iāve been investigatingāGovernor Zen?ā Stain asked.
āPuppets donāt ask,ā Elenore had told him. āWe need to get connected. Come here.ā
And so, catching on quickly, Stain hadnāt asked what a connection was. But now, he could talk to someone with his mind alone. The gods surely were crazyā¦
āRight, Iām, uhhā¦ā Stain said in his head to the person on the other side. āIām stepping on a canoeā¦ thing. In the canal. Itās got a roof. Iām crouching into it.ā
āWeāre watching your every move. I donāt need an active narration,ā Elenoreās voice pierced his mind, sharp as ever.
Stain nodded, feeling a little bit of fear as he joined a bunch of people in a cabin. A man of the Great Chu stopped him before he sat, holding out his hand and asking for his fare. Stain produced a few paper notes that gleamed silver and held them out. It was a fair bit easier to steal paper than gold, he found. But then, petty thief, businessmanāhe couldnāt do either, really, so long as Argrave was peering from on high.
Stain sat down besides several others from this Great Chu. He looked no different from any of them, and returned smiles where he was given them without saying a word. A few moments after he took his seat, the man whoād taken his fare slid shut wooden doors, and the strange roofed canoe started to move incredibly quickly. Stain grabbed the seat beneath him for a moment, then peered out the side through the barred wooden windows.
The countryside of the Great Chu passed by faster than any horse or carriage had ever taken him. Things were a blur if he didnāt actively focus on them as they went by. The ride was smoothāincredibly smooth, even, and the faint mist passing through the windows made it somewhat cool and pleasant. They travelled along a canal, and as they did, other boats passed by close enough to make Stain flinch slightly.
The rugged hills of cold disappeared behind him, and soon were replaced by a towering yet flat highlands. Beyond that, a verdant valley, and miles and miles of terraces of some crop Stain couldnāt recognize. This place was like a whole different landāa whole better land. There was so much opportunity hereā¦ these silver notes, gold notesāone man, alone, could steal hundreds of thousands of them. And who was Stain, if not someone extremely well-suited for such a place?
āGet off here,ā Elenoreās voice came as command.
The words were cold water to his sleeping mind. Stain couldnāt begin again. If he decided to, someday Argrave would show up, hold another weapon to his throat by way of ensuring compliance, and demand something of him. There were sayings about fools and the quantity, and Stain did not care to be fooled thrice. So, begrudgingly, comply Stain did. He rose and exited. All around was one of the most beautiful cities that heād ever seen. The buildings, the gardensā¦freewe(b)novel.com
āYouāre not a tourist. You live here, flesh puppet. Act like it. Take the right pathway until the first left.ā
Stain, whipped into shape, walked down the pathways of the city. He took turns when designated, walked across bridges over canals when bid, and hopped aboard transport vessels when it was necessary. By the end of it all, he stood before a neighborhood of grandiose estates. It was gated off, and he paused near the gate while trying not to attract the attention of the guards standing all around the gates.
āHello? Puppeteer? My strings are a little quiet,ā he called out in his head.
Elenore was silent for a long time before she said, āWait around.ā
Flabbergasted, he managed, āWhat if loiteringās illegal?ā
āYouāre good at breaking laws.ā
Stain nodded, fed up. He muttered to himself, āRight. Breaking laws. Just great at it. Foreign land, no friendsā¦ why am I here? What did I agree to?ā
After a while, Elenore told him, āGo buy a drink in that building with the red dragon hanging above the doorway.ā
āAā¦ drink?ā
āPuppets donāt think.ā
Without any room for argument, Stain looked around until he spotted the building sheād mentioned. He entered inside, where the people chatted boisterously. It was drastically different from places in Vasquer. The men sat on pillows before low-lying tables, drinking out of wide-brimmed cups filled with some clear liquid.
Without further direction from Elenore, Stain sat at a table, trying his best to imitate the posture of some others present. He saw a bird at the windowsāhis guideābut obsequious staff shooed the bird away.
A woman in a strange ceremonial dress came up to him and kneeled in a strange manner. Looking about, they were all doing this. She bowed and said, āWelcome, good master. What may I serve you today?ā
āJust, uhhā¦ something to drink.ā He put all his notes on the tableāhe didnāt know how much a drink cost, so he figured all would suffice. The woman looked at the notes, and then him, strangely.
āAt once, good master.ā
Stain was rather impressed with the servitude, despite himself. Elenoreās voice cut in, saying, āThereās a man in blue garb with a white flower pattern near his belt. Find him.ā
Stainās eyes searched the room, searching for the man sheād described. As he did, he locked eyes with a man. The man half-rolled away from his table before he sat near Stain.
The man looked at his notes. āThis is a nice establishment,ā he said.
āIām, uhhā¦ happy to try it out,ā Stain smiled genially, looking around.
āWe donāt take kindly to the rude. The ill-mannered,ā the man continued.
Stain finally found the man, hiding away in one corner of the room. He communicated to Elenore heād found the man while saying disarmingly, āI apologize for any offence I mightāve caused.ā
āIf youāre sorryā¦ā the man leaned in, and light fell upon his red nose. Just then, four other men came up to his seat, and Stain surveyed each of them for weapons. āHow about we all drink? Eh?!ā
All the ones near him cheered in tandem with this fellow, and soon enough heād a table full of red-nosed people. He waited for word from Elenore while he managed to extract pivotal information about this bizarre situationāa man only places on the table what heās willing to spend, at least in the Great Chu. And Stain had placed an exorbitant sum indeed.
āThe man in blueāheās a diplomat. When he leaves, ambush him, knock him unconscious. Steal his face, his clothes, and the wooden token he has in his pocket.āš§ššššøšš·šÆā“š·šš.šøā“š
The flesh-puppet dealt with the drunkards while keeping an eye on the blue-robed man. Soon enough Stain was involved in a drinking game. He was deft enough to avoid drinking, but he did attract a lot of attention. In time when the blue-robed man left, he had to contrive an excuse to get away. He only succeeded by leaving his silver notesābut on the way out, he nabbed some from another table.
It was difficult work tracking the diplomat through the city, especially as he tended to stick to crowded walkways. He followed him for a good twenty minutes, but the crowds were so dense it was impossible to get him isolated.
āYouāre taking too long,ā Elenore scolded.
Stain wracked his brain, then approached the man as they passed by a bridge. With his boot, he picked out the bridgeās railing. Then he bumped into the man, hard. The wooden railing cracked, and the man was sent tumbling off. Stain, then, rushed to the side of the canal, where he graciously helped him. The man was totally ignorant his assaulter and savior were one in the same.
āWhat damned luck! Whoeverā¦ damn it all, I have places to be!ā the man shouted, spewing complaints of similar caliber without an end.
āListen, Iā¦ maybe I can dry you off with a spell,ā Stain explained. āBut not out here. Someone might get hurt.ā
āYouāve not a drop of vital force,ā the man looked at him suspiciously.
āWellā¦ā Stain raised a hand, where rings shone. āIāve got rings for this sort of thing. Youāre a diplomat, right? For the court. I understand youāve got places to beājust donāt forget me.ā The man looked puzzled and was about to ask how Stain knew that, but then he held up the wooden token. āYou very nearly dropped this.ā
The diplomat snatched away the token. āFineā¦ fine, but Iām in a hurry. Quickly, now.ā
Stain led the man into an alley, saying, āYouāre sure you wonāt forget this? I mean, without me, you very nearly couldāveā¦ā
The man couldnāt look Stain in the eye, and begin to say, āListenā¦ Iām just a diplomat, I canāt exactly do the biggest of favā"
From there, a bit of expert blunt force to the back of his neck was enough to bring him down. He might not walk again, but that was the price of doing business. Stain hid him further, took his clothes, his possessions, his money, and lastlyā¦ Stain studied his face hard, examining his eyes, and then did his best to imitate it on the fly. With that done, he walked out.
āBack to that gated neighborhood,ā Elenoreās command came. āThe token should grant you entry.ā
āWasnāt that good?ā Stain asked, doing as she said.
āDogs get treats. Puppets get put back in a box with other puppets.ā
āI think Iād rather be a dog, then,ā Stain muttered.
Stain weaved back to the spot, showed the token to someone at the gate, and they let him pass.
Once inside, more directions. āThe house with the jade monkeys above the archway. Go to it.ā
With rapid steps, Stain made his way by countless guards that stood vigil over the affluent people abounding in this place. He did find the estate with the jade monkeys above its entry archway.
āTell the guards there you need to speak to Governor Zen about something in the far south. Flash the token again.ā
Stain walked up to the pike-wielding guards, looked at them, and repeated what sheād said more or less verbatim, flashing his pass. They nodded, and then one of the two led him into the mansion. The place was winding and complex, but soon enough he found himself in a grand courtyard with ponds filled by waterfalls, strange fish, and lily pads. At the center was a pavilion where a man sat.
āHere,ā the guard directed him.
Stain nodded at the man, then walked across the wooden bridge to make it to the pavilion. The man who sat-crossed legged before another low-lying table like the ones at the drinking place was so absorbed in his reading he didnāt even move at his approach. Stain cleared his throatānothing, still. Boldly, Stain decided to sit before him. Only then did Governor Zen lift his head, eyes made large by his glasses.
Stain set the token on the table by way of greeting.
āA diplomat?ā Stain set his book down. āI donāt know you. You sat at my table. Thatās rather rude. Have I offended someone? Who do you work for?ā
āYou said you wanted to help us,ā Elenore said, and Stain repeated it exactly as she instructed. āWeāve just come to hear about that.ā
āHelp? Whoās us?ā Governor Zen removed his glasses.
āI would think itād be difficult to forget firing a ballista at our fortress,ā Elenore said, and Stain acted as her mouthpiece again.
Governor Zen stared at Stain right in the eyes as he set his glasses down. āYouā¦ youāre from the south. Butā¦ā he smiled broadly. āA diplomat? Theyāve aā¦? Well, thatās something to consider. But Iāll let you explain. Am I to understand you represent the people that brought the Sea Dragon to the south shore? Who are you to them?ā
āIām their trusted messenger,ā Elenore said. āIām their mouth and ear, both.ā
āIām their flesh puppet,ā Stain said instead. āBut the puppeteerās listening.ā
There was silence as Elenore and Zen both digested that in abject silence. Elenore said, āYouāll be wearing strings by the time youāā
āFlesh puppet,ā Zen started talking, and Elenore went silent to listen as well. āI can work with that. Whoās pulling the strings?ā
āThat depends. Whoād you want to help?ā Stain said as Elenoreās mouthpiece.
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