Myriad Rivers to the Sea

With the eradication of the hidden assassin faction, an undeniable shift occurred within the caravan.

The suffocating tension that had gripped the guards since the first ambush in the ash plains evaporated entirely. It was replaced by a light and almost festive atmosphere as they continued their circuit through the outer rings of Sovereign Ignis’s territory. Vane and the other mercenaries didn't know the exact details of what had transpired in Zephyr’s Maw but they were told that whoever was hunting them no longer existed.

For Lana, the removal of the threat and the acceptance of her father's protection brought about a visible change in her demeanor. She no longer spent her evenings rigidly pouring over ledgers or standing tense guard near her alchemy cauldron. Instead, she actively utilized the vast wealth Malos had secured for her.

During the long stretches of travel between cities, the arrays on her lead carriage hummed with constant activity. She was absorbing the high grade spirit stones and refining the rare herbs from the assassins' storage rings. She was pushing her Core Formation foundation at a steady pace..

Li Yu watched this progression from his spot on the wagon with quiet approval. She was pragmatic. She understood that in this realm, a father’s protection was a blessing but personal strength was a necessity.

A few days after departing the floating pumice islands of Zephyr’s Maw, the terrain shifted dramatically. The jagged ironstone and deep ravines gave way to a sprawling expanse of smooth and reflective black stone. They had arrived at Obsidian Falls.

It was a city that looked less like a settlement and more like a massive, frozen waterfall of midnight glass. The city was carved directly into a cascading cliff face of obsidian. It was formed millennia ago by a massive and rapid cooling of a super volcano. The architecture was entirely built around the natural, flowing shapes of the dark glass.

"Watch your step on the outer terraces!" Vane shouted to the caravan workers as the Ash Rhinos carefully navigated the roads leading into the city.

Obsidian Falls was renowned throughout the continent for its glass weavers. As Li Yu, Malos and Lana walked through the tiered streets, Li Yu marveled at the artisans. Master cultivators sat near controlled vents of extreme heat and were using their Qi to pull impossibly thin, glowing threads of molten obsidian directly from the earth.

They wove these molten threads on massive iron looms. They were creating armor, tapestries and defensive arrays that possessed the hardness of metals but with the lightweight flexibility of silk. It was a unique process that this city had developed throughout the years and they had become famous for it. The material that they were able to create from it was valued for its characteristics.

"Incredible!" Malos boomed while holding up a black glass tunic at one of the stalls. He turned to Li Yu and was holding the armor against his chest. "What do you think, my friend? Does it complement the crimson cloak? Or is it too ostentatious?"

"You are wearing a cloak the color of fresh blood, carrying a Soul Formation sword that you proudly display to everyone who makes eye contact and you are currently attempting to buy a shirt made of glass," Li Yu pointed out deadpan. "I think 'ostentatious' is a line we crossed several cities ago."

Lana laughed at their conversation. It was a bright and unburdened sound that echoed off the polished black walls of the market. "He's right, Father. Besides, obsidian weave is notoriously difficult to maintain if you aren't actively channeling earth attribute Qi to keep it flexible. It will shatter the moment you sit down too fast. It is extremely powerful in the right hands though."

"A tragic flaw in an otherwise magnificent garment," Malos sighed while setting the armor down. Instead, he haggled fiercely for ten minutes to purchase a completely useless, but beautifully crafted, obsidian sculpture of a magma toad.

That evening, the three of them rented a high terrace pavilion that overlooked the cascading glass cliffs. The sunset reflected off the entire city. It turned the black obsidian into a magnificent sea of liquid gold and deep crimson.

Li Yu took over the courtyard’s fire array. He was utilizing the Gale Hawk meat they had purchased in Zephyr’s Maw. He paired the lean, wind infused meat with the bitter Ash Truffles Lana had advised him on days prior. This created a rich, sweet and savory glaze that perfectly balanced the metallic profile of the fungus.

As they ate, the conversation flowed naturally.

"The integration of the supply lines is going to be an absolute nightmare for the local guilds," Lana noted as she was taking a delicate bite of the roasted hawk. "With Sovereign Ignis marrying Sovereign Morven, the aquatic trade routes of the Violet Deep are going to flood the volcanic markets. The price of fire resistant materials is going to skyrocket as the abyssal merchants try to establish outposts here."

"A sharp observation," Malos nodded proudly as he was pouring himself a cup of tea. "The political shift will be monumental. Ignis will gain access to the deep sea healing arts and the leviathan transport fleets. Morven gains the defensive line of the Ash Guards and the star metal foundries. Together, their combined territory will be the most economically and militarily dominant force on the continent."

"It isn't just a union of two people. It is the forging of an empire. Every Demon Lord, Beast King and supreme sect master in the realm will be watching to see if there are any cracks in the foundation." Li Yu added quietly.

"Let them watch," Malos smiled. He was patting the hilt of his son’s sword at his waist. "They will find that Fire and Tide are remarkably difficult to break when they are fighting for the same goal."

After three profitable days in Obsidian Falls, the caravan packed up and moved toward their final destination before circling back to the capital. The journey took them deep into a sunken valley that seemed entirely out of place in the harsh landscape. As they descended into the basin, the choking ash gave way to a humid mist.

They had arrived at The Crimson Oasis. It was a geological miracle. A massive, subterranean river of spiritual water had breached the surface here and was colliding with a shallow magma chamber. The result was a sprawling network of boiling, mineral rich geothermal hot springs.

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The constant humidity and the unique blend of water and fire Qi had created a localized, tropical biome. Massive and towering mushrooms with bright red caps dominated the skyline while thick, orange leafed ferns covered the ground.

The air smelled of damp earth and blooming lotus flowers.

"The medicinal properties of the soil here are unparalleled," Lana explained and was practically vibrating with excitement as the caravan secured a perimeter near the edge of the largest spring. "The thermal waters pull foundational minerals from the earth while the river introduces life force. The herbs that grow in this valley are practically half refined pills already."

While Lana immediately set out with a team of workers to harvest specific mosses and thermal roots, Li Yu and Malos took the opportunity to relax. It would take her away because she had to go register and pay for the ability to harvest them.

They rented a private and naturally enclosed hot spring at the edge of the settlement. The water was a milky, iridescent blue and it was bubbling gently as the geothermal heat warmed it to a perfect temperature.

Li Yu sank into the water to relax. He was letting the warm water wash away the fatigues of travel.

Malos was reclining on a water carved stone on the opposite side of the pool. His eyes were closed in relaxation as well. He had placed his folded crimson cloak, his obsidian toad, the bag of healing pills and Tuwark’s sword on a dry rock right next to him. He had to have his prized possessions within arm's reach at all times.

"This," Malos groaned happily as the tension of the past few weeks melting out of his shoulders, "is one of the greatest luxuries the realms have to offer. No politics. No prophecies. Just hot water and silence. I could see myself settling in a place like this."

"It is indeed a great place. It has also been a productive trip," Li Yu agreed. "Your daughter is safe, her cultivation is rising and you’ve managed to rebuild a bridge that was burned centuries ago. Fate was kind to you."

Malos opened one eye and was looking across the steaming water at Li Yu.

"Fate had nothing to do with the bridge being rebuilt, Li Yu," Malos said softly. "Fate is just the road. The choices we make while walking it are our own. Lana chose to forgive me. Tuwark chose to welcome me. And you chose to stand beside us when the road turned violent. For a man who claims to be an ordinary wanderer, you have a remarkable habit of shifting the world around you… for the better I’d say."

Li Yu smiled faintly and was looking up at the mist shrouded canopy of the giant red mushrooms. He didn't feel like a world shifter. He felt like a man who was trying to survive, eat well and protect the few people he had come to respect or cared for. It was hard enough to do that already. Changing the world seemed impossible.

The caravan spent many days in The Crimson Oasis. This allowed Lana to harvest a staggering amount of rare alchemy ingredients and allowed the guards to fully recover their strength in the healing waters.

But as the evening approached, the reality of their timeline finally caught up with them. The three weeks were over. The month-long deadline was rapidly approaching its end.

The three of them were sitting around a modest campfire near the edge of the caravan camp. The humid air of the oasis kept the night comfortably warm. Lana was carefully cataloging the day's harvest in her ledger, while Li Yu was tending to a pot of spiced tea.

Malos sat quietly by the fire. He was looking back and forth between the dancing flames of the fire and his daughter. The boisterous merchant was unusually subdued.

"We begin the march back to the inner rings tomorrow morning," Lana noted without looking up from her ledger. "With the Ash Rhinos fully rested, we should make excellent time. We will reach the outskirts of The Eternal Crucible in four days. Vane will handle the final distribution of the goods there."

Malos nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it and then took a deep, steadying breath. It was a rare sight to see the Lord of Foresight nervous about the immediate future.

"Lana," Malos began but his voice unusually hesitant. She paused her writing, looking up at him. "Yes, Father?"

"The... the wedding between Sovereign Ignis and Sovereign Morven," Malos said carefully and was choosing his words with the utmost precision. "It will take place in six days. It will be the grandest event this continent has seen in a long time. I... I would very much like it if you would accompany me. As my guest. And my daughter but that will have to be kept a secret."

He braced himself. In the past, extending an invitation would have been met with immediate rejection. Lana despised the suffocating and highly scrutinized environments. It represented everything she had run away from.

Lana looked at her father. She saw the nervous tension in his shoulders, the desperate hope in his black eyes. She looked down at her ledger, then at the storage ring on her finger. The wealth he had secured for her with his own two hands to ensure her safety and growth. She slowly closed the ledger and set her brush aside.

"A grand Sovereign wedding," Lana mused with a knowing smile. "The concentration of wealth, influence and rare resources in the capital will be unprecedented. It would be a monumental networking opportunity for a rising merchant guild."

Malos’s face fell slightly, thinking she was deflecting the personal invitation for business.

"But," Lana continued as her eyes softened entirely. She reached across the space to rest her hand on his knee. "I would be honored to attend with you, Father. Not for the business. But because I would like to spend more time with you."

Malos stared at her. The breath rushed out of his lungs in a sudden exhale. He had prepared an entire speech. He didn't need any of it. She had just said yes.

"Truly?" Malos whispered as a radiant smile broke across his face.

"Truly," Lana laughed and squeezed his knee. "Though I expect you to introduce me to Sovereign Morven. I hear his deep sea materials are the finest in the realm and I want a trade there at some point."

"I will introduce you to the heavens themselves if you wish for it!" Malos cheered, his boisterous energy returning in a tidal wave of sheer joy. Li Yu poured the finished tea into three cups and smiled at the exchange. He handed a cup to Lana, then to Malos.

"You know," Li Yu said casually. "If we are going to attend the grandest wedding in a long time as a family unit, it seems a bit hollow to leave the second best blacksmith in Ember Fall out of the festivities."

"Tuwark," Malos murmured. He shook his head slowly. "He is incredibly dedicated to his forge, Li Yu. He has massive orders to fill for the city guard. The journey from Ember Fall to the capital would take days. I doubt he would leave his anvil, even for this."

"You didn't think Lana would accept, either," Li Yu pointed out. "People surprise you, Malos. Send him a message. The worst he can do is say no."

Lana nodded in agreement. "Li Yu is right. Tuwark works too hard. He needs a break and he would love to see you formally wearing that sword in front of the other Sovereigns."

Malos looked between the two of them. The unshakeable confidence he usually possessed was entirely absent and was replaced by the fragile hope of a father. He reached into his robes with a trembling hand, retrieving a communication talisman.

He infused it with his Qi, inviting his son to join them in The Eternal Crucible for the wedding. A message quickly came back.

“I’ll tell the city guard their ironstone plating can wait a week. The forge is cold, Father. I’ll meet you at the capital in five days.”

Malos sat frozen for a long, quiet moment.

"He's coming," Malos whispered. His voice cracked with unfiltered elation. He leaped to his feet and threw his arms wide toward the starry sky visible through the giant red mushrooms. "My son is coming to the wedding! My daughter is coming to the wedding!"

Li Yu chuckled while raising his teacup in a silent toast to the ecstatic Demon Lord.