Chapter 33. Deprivation [FIXED]
By this time, I had mastered the techniques of the Yu Yan archers in a more complete form, thanks to finding their main base, located in the northwest of the Earth Kingdom at Pohai Fortress. Colonel Shinu was kind enough to let me study the records of their classified training for free—though he should have kept them in a more secure place.
In the animated series, Zuko, disguised as the Blue Spirit, managed to sneak in unnoticed. Now I wonder if he was an incredibly skilled ninja or if the archers had grown complacent over time. The fortress had three high walls with guard towers everywhere, constantly manned by archers. They could spot even the smallest insect, let alone a mouse.
Everything was meticulously planned, except for one thing that puzzled me: their complete inability to detect underground infiltration, despite their main enemies being earthbenders. Getting into the central pagoda took only fifteen minutes; finding the records I needed, stored in an iron safe, took longer. I'd love to see Colonel Shinu's reaction to the new hole in that safe.
What about the techniques themselves? Tree-running wasn't very interesting since I already had more advanced forms of movement, but leaping between trees with my hands tied behind my back, mimicking a shinobi, was fun. Apparently, this technique was used by Edo-era messengers, who often kept their weapons tucked under their arms, allowing for quicker access. Or maybe it just made the animation more dynamic and engaging—Western minds can't truly understand the East...
A more useful technique was "Eagle Vision," which sharply enhances sight, allowing an archer to spot a target from eight hundred meters away. Of course, it's not as good as a real eagle's vision, but it's more than enough. It's worth noting that their bows are made from materials impossible to find on Earth, crafted from bone and wood, and enhanced by constant exposure to chi. This makes their arrows fly faster and farther, though even here, accuracy beyond a hundred meters drops exponentially.
For a long time, I couldn't find this fortress, until unexpectedly, the Fire Nation's dragon hawks came to my aid. These birds, used for long-distance messaging, have calm temperaments and advanced intelligence, making them easy and quick to train. Their unique ability is delivering messages directly to the recipient's location, even if they've never been there before—much like the messenger hawks in the Fire Nation's system.
These swift messengers are used everywhere by the Fire Nation, and countless communication towers have been built across the ocean for them. Their main task is coordinating the Fire Navy's fleet, sending and receiving messages. These towers house various documents, where I could easily find the information I needed. However, the fortress's location I discovered wasn't useful in the end. During my visit to the tower, a new letter was being prepared for exactly the place I needed. All that was left was to hitch a ride on a dragon hawk's tail.
Ultimately, these techniques greatly benefited my tribe. From the entire population of the Northern Water Tribe, we managed to gather only one squad of archers capable of using these techniques, but each archer could take down several benders from a distance. My father is overjoyed with this acquisition. And the competition among the army's high-ranking officials to take these future "snipers" under their wing was fierce.
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