Vol. 2: House of the Rising Sun

Vol. 2 [House of the Rising Sun · House of the Rising Sun]

Holding the steel rings in his hand, Jiang Xueming felt at a loss.

Aside from some cryptic ceremonial prayers, there was no other information.

How was he supposed to use these rings?

They were supposed to be life-saving charms, so why didn't they even come with an instruction manual?

He tried on the two rings.

His thumb was too thick.

The knuckle of his index finger was far too cramped.

He could just about squeeze one onto his middle finger, but wearing it for long would surely put pressure on the skin around the joint.

His pinky was too thin.

Jiang Xueming thought about it for a very long time.

After eliminating all the wrong answers, he finally slipped a ring onto his ring finger.

It fit perfectly.

Xue Ming took the rings off again. He remembered the manager saying to keep them safe and not show them off in public.

The two rings were identical in size, like a pair of twins. No matter how carefully he examined them, he couldn't tell them apart.

He remembered the strange Old Lingweng saying that the rings were very heavy, weighing 168 grams, and required two people to use.

He handed one of the rings to the attendant.

Was he really supposed to do this?

His eyes fell on the inscription at the foot of the monument.

[—φαιστο]

He remembered that this name belonged to the god of craftsmanship in ancient Greek mythology.

He bent down and wiped the dust from the inscription at the foot of the monument. The exposed lettering definitely identified the god of craftsmanship—not some matchmaker deity or god of love.

"Um, although I don't know what you mean," Jiang Xueming said to the statue, "I appreciate your kindness. I'll give the ring to my attendant."

The Old Lingweng statue suddenly sprang into motion—

It quickly and eerily gave Jiang Xueming a thumbs-up, its brows raised and its smile radiant.

Then it instantly returned to its original form, once more solemn and dignified. The billowing dust and falling chips of stone were the only proof that it had moved—and even struck a playful pose.

"..." Jiang Xueming felt that something was off, but he couldn't say what.

When the mythical beings celebrated in history books and works of art came before him, they had already kept pace with the times and learned plenty of new ways to sweet-talk people.

Especially when Lingweng displayed his divine power, his overblown and lengthy ceremonial rites were a far cry from the staid impression traditional deities gave people.

Jiang Xueming mused—

Toss the little old man into a senior dance troupe, and he wouldn't look out of place shaking his hips under the disco lights at some rich women's club. It would even feel strangely harmonious.

He couldn't let the matter go. He quietly jotted it down in his notebook.

"When I first met Lingweng, I thought he had become a mythical being adapted to the new era."

"Perhaps he had long followed the passage of time and history, hiding among humans to enjoy himself, silently watching the masses and secretly pulling strings."

"He speaks modern Chinese and is a funny, good-humored old man. Like a good old hero, he often boasts of his past valor and regales strangers he's just met with tales of his youthful exploits."

"He likes playing matchmaker and had the rings made to fit the ring finger. He's no honest, down-to-earth sort."

He quietly recorded all this in his notebook.

Jiang Xueming left the courtyard.

When he returned to the entrance hall of the Radiant Road, the lobby manager had already been waiting for quite some time.

"Looks like you got the stone."

"Yes." Jiang Xueming didn't see A Xing, so he asked, "The person who came with me..."

"He's still in the restroom." The manager's tone had become respectful as well. "I've already explained all the details of the Stone Bestowal Ceremony to Mr. Bu Liuxing. There's no need to waste any more time here. Please come with me. We're going to the House of the Rising Sun to get your second safeguard."

"We're leaving first? Is that really all right?" Jiang Xueming felt uneasy.

The lobby manager replied casually, "Don't worry. Lingweng is a friendly, easygoing old man. He won't pick a fight with Mr. Bu Liuxing."

Jiang Xueming murmured, "I'm just worried that..."

Before Xue Ming could finish, a trace of impatience surfaced on the manager's face. To be honest, his work today had been extremely frustrating.

It was rare for a new passenger to spend more than ten minutes vomiting in the restroom without stopping.

"The Council of Five Kings is the safest place in the station, Mr. Jiang Xueming. Just put your mind at ease! It's not as though Old Lingweng is going to drag Mr. Bu Liuxing to a bar to pick up women, then gamble, brawl, and fight with people, is he?"

"All right. You're the boss." Jiang Xueming shrugged and followed the manager out.

As they passed through the outer entrance hall of the Radiant Road, the strange passengers swarmed toward them again. At first, when their Inspiration flared up, they had cowered as though afraid to meet Jiang Xueming's gaze.

But when they saw the lobby manager escorting the new passenger out alone, they perked up again—

And began shouting enthusiastically.

"Hey, newbie! You got your stone, right? What color is it?"

"Is it gold? Or green? Join our school, come work with our labor association!"

"What type of life-saving charm did he get, manager? Can you tell us? Is it a necklace or a ring? What talent does he have?"

"Our business school always welcomes passengers with blue stones. We'll find you a job!"

"I'll be waiting for you at the Rare People Mansion if you're heading north! Remember to call this number! I'll be at Mimir Hot Spring Market, too!"

"Manager! Manager! Give me a chance! Let me feel his stone! Just once! I lost my life-saving charm. Let me have one more look at these rare treasures. Please!"

"Newbie! What's your name? If you're red and want to make money, I can teach you how to cook some seriously explosive food!"

This time, the lobby manager didn't chase the pitchmen away.

Jiang Xueming stayed silent the whole way and didn't respond to anyone.

To him, these were strangers and strange things he'd never encountered before. They reminded him instead of the human traffickers he'd come across when he was young.

He didn't want to get caught up in any unnecessary trouble. As he left the entrance hall, he could still hear the crowd's disappointed boos.

The two of them crossed the Council of Five Kings and got into an elevator.

In the relatively private space of the elevator,

Jiang Xueming finally spoke up.

"Those people just now—were they trying to recruit new passengers?"

The manager looked straight ahead, unconcerned.

"Yes. The underground world is short on people everywhere these days. It's like America's westward expansion. People use their stones to identify one another's traits and temperaments, then form factions and start new businesses together."

Jiang Xueming asked, "Does the BOSS not do anything about it?"

The manager continued, "No. Just operating the station and building new ones has already drained the BOSS's mental energy. Wherever a station is built, passengers flock there to try their luck. If there's a large mineral deposit, they'll even build a new town. Given enough time, it'll become a city."

"I also heard someone asking to touch our stones. Did that person lose his life-saving charm?"

"Yes. I hope you won't end up like that poor fellow."

"Why did he go a little crazy after losing his life-saving charm?"

"According to station regulations, passengers who lose their life-saving charms can't go to many places. Unless someone's willing to help them find their treasures or make them new life-saving charms, they can't go home—even if they've already started a family deep in the underground world. Perhaps that man has something he can't bear to leave behind down there, which is why he's acting so strangely."

"Hmm..."

"Mr. Jiang Xueming, what are you thinking about? Do you feel sorry for the fellow who asked you for jewelry? Don't let your guard down. That man has lost three stones for various reasons already. That's the limit the station will tolerate. We even suspected he did it on purpose. If we find evidence that he's been reselling spirit stones, the criminal will end up in prison."

"So, if I accidentally lose my life-saving charm, I can only get a replacement twice at most?"

"You could put it that way, but you'd better not do that." The manager heard something increasingly troubling in his questions and turned to look at Xue Ming. Then he explained, "The replacements you get later on can never measure up to your first piece of jewelry. Every stone is precious, a unique gift Lingweng carefully prepared for each passenger. Besides, you'll have to complete the corresponding investigation mission, and the replacement process is very complicated. It's not a free gift for you to trade in for spirit stone coins."

Jiang Xueming wrote the information down in his notebook.

"I understand."

The elevator stopped on the twenty-sixth floor, where the observatory was.

The steel-and-plastic bridge lay to the east. To the west was a broad corridor that stretched deeper into the distance, its destination unknown.

Beside the corridor stood a small sentry post called the House of the Rising Sun.

A large pile of goods was stacked beside the post: cotton and wool, leather goods, textiles, and plenty of ready-made clothes.

"Is this the second safeguard passengers are supposed to receive? These clothes?" Jiang Xueming crouched beside the stack of fabric and looked up to ask. "They look a lot like the big coat I received when I first arrived at the station."

"Quiet, Mr. Jiang Xueming. We're meeting a very distinguished tailor." The lobby manager knocked three times on the sentry post's door.

Then he hurried over to Jiang Xueming and gestured for him to stand up.

His manner was so solemn and courteous that he seemed afraid of disturbing the person inside.

Jiang Xueming fell silent, too.

The door of the House of the Rising Sun slowly opened—

First, a slender, fair hand reached out from inside, holding a measuring tape.

Then a woman emerged. She looked haggard and seemed to be in her mid- to late twenties.

Her steps were unsteady, her cheeks gaunt, and her face pale, as though she hadn't had a proper rest in a very, very long time.

She said nothing. She wore a black, high-slit robe reminiscent of the Republican era, with her hair arranged in a gentle, respectable updo.

Her eyes were large, but the corners drooped, giving her the woeful look of someone about to cry at any moment.

The woman—or perhaps one should call her a well-bred lady—

Slowly approached the lobby manager and nodded.

Then she went to Jiang Xueming, took his arm, and measured him with the tape.

Afterward, she said, "Turn around."

Jiang Xueming followed her instructions and turned around once in place.

"All right, I know your measurements now. Thank you for your effort." The lady bowed to Xue Ming, very politely, then slowly returned inside.

Jiang Xueming heard rustling sounds coming from the room.

A little while later, the lady came out carrying a finished garment and handed it to Jiang Xueming.

"If it gets damaged or dirty, give it to your girl. She'll come to me for a new one." After saying this, the lady slowly walked back inside and slowly closed the door.

He had his clothes, and the second safeguard procedure had gone smoothly.

The lobby manager tugged at Jiang Xueming's sleeve, urging him to leave.

The two of them returned to the elevator—

Only then did Jiang Xueming come out of his daze at the strange silence. He asked curiously,

"Who was that tailor in the room?"

"I'm not sure, either. The BOSS never lets us exchange so much as a casual word with that woman. We're only told to come and collect the clothes. Why not make your own guess? She's your fellow countrywoman, and your homeland's history may mention her."

Jiang Xueming pondered this carefully, then soon took out his notebook and wrote down his guess.

"Beside the observatory on the twenty-sixth floor, a transparent Hanging Bridge leads to Moon Lane."

"Beside it stands the House of the Rising Sun. A beautiful tailor with a sorrowful expression lives inside."

"The little house's doors and windows always face Moon Lane, toward the human world, as though it's forever waiting for passengers to return to the station."

"Perhaps the lady tailor is waiting for someone to come back, too. The starlight overhead can cast dreamlike shadows across the transparent steel-and-plastic bridge, turning it the color of the Milky Way, into a heavenly bridge without magpies."

"The manager told me that the lady tailor and I are fellow countrymen."

"I don't dare think too deeply about it. If it's true, then she must be waiting for her husband, waiting for her child."

"The Weaver Girl is waiting for her Cowherd."

Closing the journal—

Jiang Xueming searched through the clothes in his hands and found a certificate of conformity.

[The Nine Realms Station's External Procurement Standards · General Certificate of Conformity]

[Yi · Wenjing]

[Spirit Clothes · Jiji · Fenxing]

[Properties: A long robe, black inside and yellow outside, with sleeves reaching to the knees. Cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread serve other purposes.]

[Garment Category: Anti-spirit]

[Description: This product is used to defend against and pacify spirit-type creatures.]

[Versatility: The garment continuously maintains the passenger's body at a temperature of 24 degrees and can adapt to changes in temperature across most environments. Contact your attendant when it needs cleaning.]

[Garment Notes: Based on Hexagram Sixty-Three of the Book of Changes, the meaning of "Water and Fire Already Fording." Dark within and yellow without. Good beginnings, disorder at the end.]

[Instructions for Use: Keep away from open flames. In a Spirit Calamity environment, it can resist some mental damage, but it will also disrupt your spiritual perception. Use with caution.]

[Manufacturer: CGC (State-Owned Clothing Enterprise Co., Ltd.) / Tiantong]

[Note: Passenger, your journey is about to begin.]

[Note II: Thanks to the all-powerful staff in the station's procurement department. No idea what godforsaken place they found this thing in, but it sure comes in handy during a Spirit Calamity.]

[Note III: Thanks to Ms. Fenxing for her embroidered enchantments.]

[Note IV: The stars distinguish the lands of the Nine Provinces; each fief has its own star, by which good and ill fortune may be observed—Book of Han, Treatise on Geography]