The Old Woman's funeral was held half a month later.
As the final days of the Calamity Wind gradually ended, the remnants of the Sinking of the Four Seas were cleansed. The embers Zhi Fu Decision had won another sweeping victory, and after the cheers and celebrations, the whole world seemed to return to its normal course, everything operating as usual.
Celestial Pivot still towered amid the seas. Rather than departing, it had gone to great lengths to relocate here from its original position. In part, this was to monitor the pollution and rifts left by Deepdark, preventing another loss of control or resurgence. In part, it was to commemorate the sacrifices made in this struggle.
The losses were more devastating than any in the past two hundred years. Within just four days, seventeen Masters and one Grandmaster had died, one after another, securing the continuation of the orthodox tradition and the stability of the Present World.
And in Celestial Pivot Square, a stone monument had been erected, personally created by the Grandmaster known as the Plow Forging Artisan—in accordance with Lady Carrion Eater's will, it had been forged by fusing the foundations of Modern Alchemy she had established with the six hundred and forty-four distinct techniques and the secret arts of sixteen schools she had pioneered during her lifetime.
On one hand, it displayed her contributions to the Association. On the other, it perpetuated the radiance she had bestowed—any artisans who came on pilgrimage could, to varying degrees, appreciate and comprehend the exquisite transformations within the monument. If their talent was sufficient and their path aligned with hers, they might even use their own abilities to reproduce or continue the Grandmaster's legacy.
There were no tearful scenes or ceremonies at the funeral, only a brief speech by Gustav, followed