Chapter 13: Different World, Different Species

Yuan Feng slowly dropped his hands and tried to think.

Communication could take place without language. He had done it before with merchants from very distant places whose dialects were so heavy that they could be considered a separate language altogether.

He needed gestures, body language, lots of patience, and perhaps a willingness to look slightly ridiculous in public.

Yuan Feng pointed to himself and spoke clearly. "Yuan Feng." Then he pointed to his chest again, and repeated the name. "Yuan Feng."

The foreigner nodded once. Understanding probably. The gesture was universal.

Yuan Feng pointed to the stranger and raised his eyebrows in question - asking for a name in return.

The man pointed to himself. "Arthur."

Arthur was a foreign name; the way it sounded was strange. It sounded like a sneeze that had given up halfway through.

Yuan Feng had never heard anything like it. However, it was a name, which meant that they had successfully established basic communication. Progress.

He pointed to himself again. "Yuan Feng." Then to Arthur. "Arthur" Then he bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement.

Arthur reciprocated with a slight nod. Polite. Under control. Arthur obviously understood the minimum rules of respect even if he didn't speak the same language.

Yuan Feng tried to figure out what to do next. He had come to the inn to make a good impression, to create a positive relationship with a visiting cultivator who held a lot of power. The fact that there was a language barrier made this more challenging, but not impossible. The problem was what Arthur wanted or needed.

Most cultivators going into unfamiliar territory wanted the same things.

Food, lodging, supplies, information, and usually an ego massage.

Arthur's needs for food and lodging had already been satisfied. Supplies would be much more difficult to evaluate without asking questions. As for the ego massage, this one seemed refreshingly low-maintenance. Information, however, was universal. Everyone wanted to learn about the area they were visiting.

Yuan Feng made a sweeping motion towards the window at the end of the hall, and then wiggling his fingers as if walking. He pointed at Arthur, then at himself, then repeated the finger-walking motion again. An invitation. Was Arthur interested in a tour of the city?

Arthur's expression didn't change, but Yuan Feng could tell he was hesitant from his posture.

The cultivator looked back into his room, then at Yuan Feng, then back at the window. Thinking. Deciding if the invitation was worth his time.

Yuan Feng waited. He couldn't force it. Cultivators didn't react well to pressure. You extended invitations and let them decide. If Arthur declined, Yuan Feng would withdraw graciously and try again tomorrow.

Arthur looked at Yuan Feng for a long time. Those tired eyes examined him, evaluated him, and calculated things Yuan Feng couldn't understand. Then he nodded once and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Relief washed over Yuan Feng. The foreigner accepted. That was a good sign. That indicated he was at least open to interaction — which was better than having him dismiss Yuan Feng outright.

***

Arthur followed the City Lord down the stairs and out of the inn. His Dissonance levels were at approximately 200 points, but safely within his limits. Arthur could operate normally if needed (though extensive techniques may not be advisable).

Arthur's initial impulse had been to decline the invitation, go back to his room, and get a full 12-hour rest with another 12 hours of meditation to repair the damage to his Cadence.

However, the logical part of his brain had overridden that impulse. This was an opportunity.

The City Lord, Yuan Feng, represented the authority and power of the local government. By accompanying him, Arthur would be able to learn about the city's layout, see how locals behaved, and get information about the social hierarchy and power dynamics. All of that was useful data he would need if he planned to survive in this world for any length of time.

And Arthur definitely had plans to survive in this world.

So, he chose to accept the invitation to accompany the City Lord, even though he was extremely fatigued.

Knowledge came before rest.

Arthur followed the City Lord as he went through the large public square and gestured at several buildings as they walked. He made sure to nod at appropriate times and maintain the appearance of polite interest while taking note of everything he was seeing.

The plaza itself was made of stone, clean and well-kept. There was a central fountain, and the water flowed from a carved dragon's mouth into a basin below. The dragon was stylized and snake-like; unlike any dragon Arthur had read about in his studies.

Stores and shops ringed the perimeter of the plaza.

Their signs were written in characters that Arthur's Resonant Comprehension translated instantly.

"Wu's Medicinal Herbs"

"Golden Thread Tailoring"

"Five Treasures General Store"

The City Lord stopped at the fountain and gestured broadly at the plaza. Then he pointed at the largest building on the east side, which was three floors high and had impressive architectural details. He said something and Arthur's Resonant Comprehension immediately translated it.

"This is the administrative building. Where I work. City records, tax collection, legal proceedings, all managed from there."

Arthur showed no sign of understanding the words, but the City Lord did not appear to care; he had apparently decided to talk rather than walk in complete silence. Most people felt uncomfortable with awkward silences, a trait that was now benefiting Arthur.

As they exited the plaza and walked through residential areas, he could see how houses were built close together with shared walls, and were designed for efficiency, not for beauty.

Families lived here; Arthur could hear children laughing inside windows, smell cooked meals wafting from kitchens, and see clothing drying on clotheslines strung between houses.

A working-class neighborhood; neither rich nor poor; just ordinary people living ordinary lives.

The City Lord gestured at these houses and said something else. "The eastern district… Mostly craftsmen and their families… blacksmiths, carpenters, weavers…. good people… hard workers."

Arthur responded with an acknowledging sound, a generic grunt that could mean "I see," "fascinating," or "I am hungry,” while his mind was processing what he was seeing.

The social organization of this world appeared to be similar to that of feudal systems of his own world's history. A ruling class of cultivators, a merchant class, a working class of skilled tradespeople, and presumably a lower class of unskilled workers and farmers.

The City Lord was representative of the ruling class, and was empowered by some higher authority to govern this town.

As they turned the corner and headed towards a larger building with a distinctly different style, Arthur recognized that it was a fortified structure, with heavy stone construction, thick walls, and narrow windows.

The entrance was guarded by two heavily armed men in armor. Clearly, this was a military facility. When the guards saw the City Lord approaching, they stood upright, saluting and clenching their fists to their chests.

The City Lord returned their salute somewhat indifferently and proceeded to walk forward.

Arthur noted that the guards' eyes followed him, obviously curious about the foreign cultivator being personally escorted by the City Lord. The guards would certainly be discussing this for days.

"The garrison," the City Lord said, gesturing at the military building. "We have four hundred guards stationed here. We patrol the entire city and surrounding lands constantly due to the threat of spirit beast attacks."

Spirit beast attacks were a frequent occurrence. Arthur logged that piece of information.

In his world, Harmonic Creatures existed but were relatively rare. Salamanders, Sylphs, Golems. They appeared in areas of strong Harmonic concentration and usually avoided human settlements. Dangerous if provoked but not aggressive by nature.

In this world, however, spirit beasts were a direct threat to human settlements, required military forces for defense, and indicated a more antagonistic relationship between humans and those creatures that weaponised Dissonance.

They continued walking. The City Lord provided a steady stream of information and explanations about the various locations they were passing. He was providing information about the purpose of the buildings, the people who worked in them, and how they functioned.

Arthur received all of this information via Resonant Comprehension, and presented himself as if he didn't understand the words.

"The market district is ahead. Busiest during morning hours. Farmers bring produce from surrounding villages. Merchants sell goods imported from other regions. The city takes a small tax on all transactions, which funds infrastructure maintenance and guard salaries."

Economics. Administrative details. The City Lord was not just showing Arthur around. He was demonstrating competence. Showing that Rising Stone Town was well-managed, organized, capable. This was a pitch, Arthur realized. The City Lord was trying to make a good impression, possibly hoping to recruit Arthur for something or at least ensure he did not cause problems during his stay.

They reached the market district. Even though it was late at night, there were still a few vendors packing up their stalls, securing their goods, and cleaning their stalls. Arthur could easily see the organization of the market. Areas for specific types of products were clearly defined. Fruits and vegetables here, fabrics there, metalwork over there. A logical design that made navigating easy for shoppers.

Arthur also noticed that there were guards in the market area. Guards were located at intervals to provide security. Although the number of guards appeared excessive for crowd control alone, the City Lord seemed to pick up on Arthur's observation.

"Security is important," the City Lord explained. "The market is attractive to all kinds of people. Humans, beastfolk traders, even sometimes demon merchants from the northern territories. Each species has its own customs. Sometimes people get into fights. The guards help prevent them."

Beastfolk. Demon merchants. Other species.

Arthur's attention intensified. That was significant new information. This world did not consist of only humans and spirit beasts. There were additional intelligent species, and other civilizations. The City Lord had mentioned them casually, as if their presence was completely normal.

In Arthur's world, humans were the only sapient species. Harmonic Creatures were not intelligent in the manner that humans were. Through proper Resonance techniques, Harmonic Creatures could communicate, and could even be bargained with in certain ways. However, they were fundamentally non-human in their thought processes.

The City Lord directed them past the market and toward the city walls. Arthur could now see the walls clearly. Twenty feet tall, constructed from solid stone, and walkways along the top of the walls that were guarded by soldiers with spears and bows. The walls had defensive towers spaced at regular intervals. This was serious military architecture designed to protect the city from extended sieges.

"The walls were constructed three hundred years ago," the City Lord proudly stated. "Following the Great Incursion when beast folk clans advanced southward from the Scattered Peaks. Three cities were taken before the human kingdoms organized effective resistance. Rising Stone Town remained intact due to the walls. Many settlements did not."

The Great Incursion. Beast folk clans. Human kingdoms formed to organize resistance. Additional background, additional information. This world had a history of conflict between intelligent species. Wars over territorial disputes, wars for resources, the kinds of major conflicts that shaped civilizations.

Arthur maintained a neutral expression while he reflected upon this.

In Arthur's world, human civilization was generally peaceful. Yes, wars occurred, but they were rare, and usually fought between human nations over resources and/or disagreements over government. The basic structure of society was not being challenged by external factors.

Here, humans were not the dominant species.

They were one of several species, and were building walls to keep others out, maintaining armies to defend against frequent attacks. It must be extremely stressful for everyone living within this city to know that they might be attacked at any time.

Sounded stressful.

Arthur preferred his existential threats to be theoretical and confined to laboratory conditions.

They ascended the stairs built into the wall, to the walkway at the top. Arthur followed slowly behind the City Lord, who seemed to notice Arthur's difficulties, and therefore moved at a slower pace.

From atop the walls, Arthur could see beyond the limits of the city walls. Dark and dense forest stretched out in all directions. The Moon was almost full, casting enough light for Arthur to clearly view the tree lines. Somewhere in that forest were spirit beasts. Beast folk clans. Demon territories.

All of the threats that the City Lord had mentioned.

The City Lord pointed out into the darkness. "Five human cities in this region. Rising Stone Town is the most western. To our east is Copper Bell City, much larger than Rising Stone Town, and more prosperous. Beyond Copper Bell City lay the Provincial Capital. To our north lays the Scattered Peaks where beast folk clans call home. To our south lays the demon territories that no human has been able to map. And to our west…" the City Lord paused, "is the Untamed Wilds. No permanent human settlements or otherwise. Only endless forest, and the creatures that inhabit it."

The geography was good information. Arthur was creating a mental map. Five human cities existed in this region, with Rising Stone Town situated on the border of civilization and the untamed wilds. That explained the heavily fortified walls. This city was literally at the edge of human controlled lands.

The City Lord spoke further, pointing to different locations on the horizon. "Attacks vary depending upon the season. Spring and Summer are the worst seasons. During these months, spirit beasts give birth to young, and become aggressive to protect their territories. We might experience smaller scale attacks every few weeks. Greater coordinated attacks occur 2-3 times per year."

Arthur responded with a small nod.

"And then, there are the beast folk raids," the City Lord continued, speaking with greater seriousness. "These are different. Beast folk are intelligent, and are organized into clans and tribes. They attack human settlements to obtain resources, take slaves, or gain territory. Sometimes we enter into negotiations. Other times, war is unavoidable."

The City Lord paused, looking out across the dark forest. "Our cultivation methods are efficient. We can train our cultivators faster than beast folk can. We can create higher level warriors. We have formations, arrays, and defensive enchantments in place in our cities, that other species can not easily duplicate. We also work together. The five cities in this region mutually assist each other. When one is attacked, the others send reinforcements." The City Lord paused once more. "It is not perfect. But we manage to survive."

So, this was really a civilization in a state of survival....

"We should head back," the City Lord stated, turning away from the wall, and gesturing toward the location of the inn to get his point across. "You need rest. And I have taken up too much of your time already."

Arthur nodded and followed the man down the stairs. They traveled through the city once again, on a different route that took them through quieter residential districts. Less people, less activity. Occasionally a pedestrian, or a patrol guard could be seen.

Arthur's Dissonance had dropped to around 180 points during the tour. The consistent use of Resonant Comprehension had slowed Arthur's Cadence recovery; he couldn’t wait to stop using the technique to allow his Cadence time to fully heal.

They were maybe halfway back to the Jade Phoenix Inn when Arthur’s Cadence detected something.

Immediately, he froze, focusing his attention outward.

He stopped walking, and brought his attention to the exterior environment. His passive Attunement sensed disruptions in the ambient Harmonics. Several, possibly dozens, of these disruptions, were moving toward the north.

Not Harmonics, Arthur corrected himself. This world's internal cultivation energy. What the locals called qi. He was sensing the spiritual presence of dozens of cultivators. All moving in a coordinated fashion.

And they were not humans.

Arthur could distinguish the differences in the energy signatures. Human cultivation had a particular pattern, a rhythmic quality that corresponded to human biology, and consciousness. These signatures were similar, yet different. Similar energy type, but produced by different body types, different minds, different species…

This must be the beastfolk that the City Lord had warned him about.

And right now, dozens of them were heading toward Rising Stone Town from the north.