Threads 210-Opening Day 8

“What was it you were saying about convergent development?” Ling Qi redirected the conversation. “I’m not very familiar with the more advanced fields of formations.”

“Fortress formations are a different school from vehicle formations,” Xuan Shi explained, turning his gaze away from the Jin disciple.

“They’ve got some common points,” Wang Chao said, nodding sagely. “Both are assembled from smaller discrete parts, which must be arranged in the proper patterns to function as a whole.”

“… Yes,” Xuan Shi agreed. “A parallel not often explored. Your clan has solved the issue of the Tribulation of Earth’s Law on land vehicles?”

“The what now?” Wang Chao asked. “Oh, I don’t rightly know. It’s just something I’ve heard talked about.”

Ling Qi saw Xuan Shi frowning behind his collar. She interjected, “I admit, I’m not familiar either, but even if the higher theory is beyond us, talking about what might be done with such projects is interesting. You said you were working off inspiration. What was it?”

Xuan Shi didn’t reply right away, drumming his fingers on his armrest. “The point at which crew enhancing and hull enhancing arrays meet. Both are complex and require processing of information far beyond the usual. It was my thought then that it might be possible to build a hull around a man and achieve higher performance.”

“Crew enhancing arrays?” Wang Chao inquired.”Like a foreman’s arts?”

“Of a kind,” Xuan Shi replied. “These are of a more mechanical nature.”

“How might this work? A laborer or a sailor would lack the qi and meridians to take advantage of such things. They would be trapped in their ‘hull,’” Wang Chao said with a frown.

“As this one said, a work in progress.” Xuan Shi shrugged. “The people of the Savage Seas are not prolific, and our lands are not spacious. We must find measures to maintain parity as others grow.”

“Never enough people to do all the work,” Wang Chao commiserated. “Yes, this is a problem for the Wang as well. Many have tried to sell us on construct workforces, but the cost is too high. A useful work puppet drinks stones like water.”

“It is this one’s hope to enhance the individual rather than replace them, that two men of the early realms might do the work of three, or even mortals made useful in the lowest of cultivator labors,” Xuan Shi elaborated, looking back to the tests. “With such conditions, even this one might be able to attain a crew and commission.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but if you manage, I’d bet the elders would be happy to purchase as many as you could make!” Wang Chao laughed, only to shrink into his seat as a number of older cultivators shot them stern looks.

Xuan Shi chuckled. “Sir Wang is too generous. The fancies sketched in a crafter’s workshop are only that.”

Ling Qi listened with half an ear as the two of them continued to talk. It looked like things were going as she’d hoped. She’d worried that if Xuan Shi saw Wang Chao’s lack of technical understanding, he would think himself merely humored. Instead, the initial awkwardness was past, and now, they were talking comfortably, even if Wang Chao occasionally had to pause and scrunch up his face in thought to decipher some turn of phrase by Xuan Shi.

She turned a portion of her attention to the tests themselves. She watched the disciples mixing ingredients, etching arrays, and inscribing characters. It was admirable to see such dedication. It made her feel bad for her own lackadaisical approach to the art.

<Not your thing,> Sixiang thought. <Besides, I don’t think you’d have landed where you are without being a little freeform.>

She supposed so. She was looking forward to studying the compass and the ring gates more closely, now that she had some more experience with liminal interfaces.

Ling Qi scanned the workstations, pausing as her eyes fell on a face she recognized. In the back was Liu Xin, Xiao Fen’s friend from the Outer Sect. She glanced over his work. His elixir was simmering, and the paper ward tags drying. Right now, he was squinting down at a dagger blade with an inscribing tool. It looked to her like he was in line to finish the projects in the time limit.

“Miss Ling, what do you think?” Wang Chao asked.

Ling Qi paused a moment, letting Sixiang pull up the memory of the last few seconds in her mind to remind her of what had been said. “If my schedule allows, I wouldn’t be against it. Something of a break from formality would be welcome.”

Wang Chao had suggested an informal get-together outside the tournament grounds to have a small spar.

“I have no particular duties beyond attending the Duchess’ appearances,” Xuan Shi mused.

“Her Grace intends a gathering tonight and on the evening before the finals,” Ling Qi said. “I can manage a few hours tomorrow afternoon.”

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“Great,” Wang Chao enthused, looking pleased with himself. “But let’s see how our juniors are doing. I don’t want to be too rude.”

Ling Qi struggled for just a moment to keep a straight face as they turned their attention back to the testing.

<Mm, it’s a bit dull watching other people work,> Sixiang thought. <What do you think of this little project here? Mr. Boulder’s got his foot in the door. He’s sincere enough.>

Ling Qi thought that this was the end of her direct role. Introducing the two of them and smoothing over an initial misunderstanding was one thing, but she remembered what Xuan Shi had said before as well. She was, in the end, just his friend, not a parent or a caretaker. It would be insulting to meddle too much.

<Ah, look at you being boring and sensible,> Sixiang huffed. <Gotta watch for funny business though.>