Arknights story · Here A People Sows
HS-5 Weave the Silk
Zuo Le taps into power borrowed from Dusk to seal Ji inside a painting scroll, hoping to force the main suspect to submit. At the same time, the contamination within Dahuang has reached a tipping point, threatening to spiral out of control.
2 scenes, 296 lines
1. Before Operation
143 lines
You're leaving again?
You're not going to try to talk me out of it this time?
When have you ever listened?
I'll feel empty inside if you don't at least nag a little bit.
I can still walk, and my limbs remain sturdy. The spring wind is still chilly, so it's not like I can sunbathe in my chair.
You know how dangerous it is up north.
But, Shu... You also know we have no choice...
It took us decades just to carve out this little plot of land. But, it's still not enough.
We're always short on food and land... If we go a bit further north, we might just find some special crops that can grow in Originium-tainted soil.
Then, we'd be able to cultivate the entire continent, and nobody would go hungry ever again.
Even more reason for you to stay.
If we can't find a crop like that, we'll just cultivate slowly. It might take ten generations, or a hundred, but eventually–
Does it look like I can wait that long?
...
Besides, if the others heard things like 'crops that can be grown in Originium-tainted soil' or 'cultivating the entire continent,' they'd think I lost my mind.
There's no arguing with you.
Wisdom is one of the perks that comes with age.
The woman extends her hand, her fingers tightly clenched.
Oh, Shu... Would you mind reading my palm again? See if this old lady still has the luck to realize her dreams this late in life?
I already told you, I'm not doing that anymore.
...
The woman smiles and unclasps her hand, revealing a small white flower in the middle of her palm. She pins the flower to the hair bun of the girl in front of her.
I found this in the fields today. I do believe it's the first flower to bloom this year, and that's surely a good omen.
Maybe I'll make it back in time for this year's harvest.
You just keep track of the days, and have some short-rib soup ready for me.
Oh, Shu...
Hm?
You've always been able to see that future, haven't you?
...
In the end, you'll...
No... Don't tell me. I don't want to know when I'll die.
I just want to ask...
Will our dream of The Ten Thousand Qing of Fertile Fields come true?
...
Tianshi...
Shu?
What?
You've been loitering around here all morning. You don't wanna give up on this piece of land, do you?
Right...
The mountains are lush, the water is clear, and the food's good too... I like it here a lot.
Tianshi Shu, you were transferred to Dahuang not too long ago, right? You look very young.
I've been here since I was born. Sixty-seven now... In all my years, I never thought I'd see the day when I had to leave.
It's said that more than a thousand years have passed since Shennong reclaimed this land. How could we just...
Just as crops are planted in spring and harvested in autumn, one cannot hope to evade the elements forever. It is the way of the world for things to go wrong, and we can only let nature run its course.
When you move to a nomadic city, everyone will have something to do. Trust that the proper arrangements have been made.
We just don't understand... We thought our harvest has been weak the past two years because of the weather. It's nothing we can't overcome with a bit of hard work.
But now, you're telling us there's something wrong with the land itself... Shu, you Tianshis are wiser than us. Can't you please think of a way to save this land?
Just tell us what we have to do. It doesn't matter how hard we have to work, even if it means tilling every last clump of soil–
...
It rained just two days ago, so how come this land is...?
The farmer standing at the edge of the field suddenly goes wide-eyed.
All the water stored in the fields drains away at a speed discernable to the naked eye, as if there is a bottomless abyss hidden beneath the land. In a flash, all the water is gone, and along with it, the life of the land.
The moist paddy fields turn to hardened salt flats in an instant, countless parched fissures stretching outward.
Stop right there.
Lord Zuo.
Where do you think you're going?
I've delivered what I needed to deliver, and seen the people I needed to see. And so, it's time for me to leave— Why, have you come to see me off, Lord Zuo?
You can't leave yet. Not until you've given me an explanation.
First, the Sui Regulator tells me to go, then it tells me that I have to stay... You'll have to forgive me for not being able to keep my orders straight.
What's your involvement with the demonic taint that's appeared in the middle of Dahuang, and what plans do you have for the devices in the core city?
What's more... A hundred years ago, a particular convict escaped from the capital, and in just a few months, his pawns were all across Great Yan. What have you been doing in that time?!
I can't fathom what you're trying to say.
Then, I'll simply have to escort you to a place where I can make things clear to you.
...
The fact that you came here alone shows great bravery, Lord Zuo. If not for the fact that I'm short on time, I'd be more than glad to stay and chat with such a promising young man.
But... What if I choose not to play along?
The man takes out a jade weaver's shuttle. Aside from its extra-delicate appearance, nothing about it seems out of the ordinary.
Zuo Le takes notice of the gossamer threads wrapped faintly around it.
Stop right there––!
Hmm...?
The shock is only momentary.
Before the man can lift the shuttle in his hand, the Candleholder's blade is already at his neck.
I'm just an ordinary man. I don't have the power to fight against you proxies...
But within this scroll, there is no difference between the two of us.
This scroll... is one of my sister's...
How could a mortal dare to harness this power?
Perhaps you underestimated the extent to which the Feranmutologists have researched you... The Sui Regulator is fully aware of each and every one of your abilities.
I never expected Dusk to have such a low opinion of me, that she'd rather team up with a Candleholder to make my life difficult...
But, is it not a crime for a Candleholder to come into private contact with a proxy? As guilty as you already are, Lord Zuo, have you not considered the consequences of such an outrageous act?
The most important thing is for me to stop you right here... and bring you into custody.
You drew the demonic taint into Dahuang in order to destroy the Twelve Pagodas and Five Cities?
Was this entire incident orchestrated by that particular convict?
And if I were to say yes, what then?
?!
What are you going to do about it, Lord Zuo?
Kill me right here and now, granting the Sui beneath the capital city even greater consciousness? Is Yan really prepared to march to war?
If that's what it takes to stop you, then so be it. Even now, the bestial Sui may not stand as a shield for the misdeeds of your kind.
Nevertheless, it is still a trade whose value must be weighed.
The man smiles, ignoring the long blade pointed at his neck. He dusts off his robe and finds a stone step to sit on.
I'm serious––
Why so jittery? Now that I've been sealed within this painting, I am a simple tailor without the ability to so much as capture a fowlbeast. What, are you worried I'll fly away?
We rarely get such opportunities, so let's chat.
The only thing you'll be doing is answering my questions.
Are you not at all curious about the files in the library that you don't have the authorization to access?
Such a great opportunity is sitting right here. Surely, those questions are of much more interest to you?
Don't try to talk your way out of this...
Then, let's settle the account.
Between Great Yan, and the Feranmuts.
...The trail's gone cold?
If these demon-tainted seeds floated over from that river, then why do the traces of contamination get fainter the closer we go to the edge of the city...?
Could it be...?
She scoops up a handful of sand and twirls it carefully within her palm, her brow knitting together.
The newly-built nomadic city in the distance undulates as it sends faint vibrations through the earth, like a continuous mountain range or the bulging back of a gargantuan beast.
Steel and concrete prop up soil that is thousands of years old, the massive structure seemingly erecting a bridge that spans the ages. But, who knows of the vestiges left upon this land across its myriad epochs?
Was this your doing?
All these years, you've been silently suppressing this demonic presence... What are you after?
How could there be any Xian like you...?
Lord Zuo, have you ever seen a silkworm? Or perhaps, heard the idiom: 'to wrap yourself in your own cocoon'?
What are you getting at?
I'm quite familiar with these things.
For these creatures to grow, they must endure a calamity. Those that survive will break out of their cocoons; those that do not will have their lives quietly snuffed out in the darkness.
Who are you implying is the silkworm here?
You and I, and all things in existence.
Say what you will, but we have no interest in comparing ourselves to insects.
You people are so proud of the civilization you've built, but are there no records of the very beginning in the Sui Regulator's files? Of how the True Lung was able to end the Hundred Clan Rebellion?
Of course we're aware. We understand full well that it was nothing more than a bout of folly brought about by the bestial Sui's arrogance, not a gift of any sort. Why, are you that keen for Yan to sing the praises of your kind?
Besides, you no longer have that kind of power.
No living being can escape the cycle of destruction and rebirth. Summer insects sing not of sleet or ice. Everything we see, hear, and think is enclosed in a silken cocoon, and we must never forget our humility.
What are you getting at?
Since the end of that great battle and the appearance of our kind, the Sui Regulator has also accumulated a thousand years of history.
Have you ever considered why Yan never moved to banish the Sui, until now?
A hundred years ago, the convict incited great chaos, resulting in the death of a proxy. Now that the awakening of the bestial Sui is an inevitability, banishment has become a clear imperative.
The bestial Sui is awakening? Which Feranmutologist came up with that conclusion?
...
Who stands to benefit when Yan goes to war? In whose interest would it be to banish the Sui?
Did you fail to consider these questions, Lord Zuo, or are you simply pretending that they don't exist?
Why should I take anything you say at face value...?
Naturally, you don't have to believe me. Let us settle another account.
Setting aside the fact that I am a lowly peddler, my brothers and sisters have for centuries kept a great many dangers from Great Yan.
Even when it comes to my 'unemployed' little sister, Yan cannot even fathom the amount of effort it would've taken to build its nomadic cities without her.
Of course, there's also the sister who has been standing guard here all this time.
When it comes to the symbiotic history of the Feranmuts and Yan, from beginning to end, my brothers and sisters have done nothing to harm you. All they've wanted is to live like ordinary people.
But now, they are about to lose their lives over some undeserved disaster... Tell me, Lord Zuo, how are we to settle this account?
...
Indeed, a number of you have made invaluable contributions to Yan, which the nation has never forgotten.
Yet now, there are some of you who choose to stand against Great Yan, threatening the lives of countless people.
Ah, were you not suggesting just now that your Xians had taken good care of Yan? Why then, at the first sign of hardship, do you turn against the Xians?
Where even are these Xians? From beginning to end, there have only been ordinary people.
Why not take a look at the ground beneath your own feet?
Didn't we already dispose of the contaminated crops...?
No, no... This is the grain that was harvested normally before. How did it become like this...?
The granary is filled with the rice that was harvested only a few days ago.
What should have been a golden mound of grain has now turned into a red-and-black mass.
2. After Operation
153 linesIt was just like a dream.
She traversed a great, long journey, crossing mountains and ridges in the ice and snow, reaching an endless field of rice at the end of the road.
The rich stalks glimmered like gold. She did not know who had planted them here, or why they grew so prosperously.
How wonderful.
'Then, stay here.'
She hears a voice calling out to her.
No... No.
She remembers her unfinished business, and the place she must return to.
She picks up a stalk of rice.
A vague figure waves a hoe around, burying seeds in a plot.
You're back?! Thank goodness, everyone was waiting for you!
You were gone so long. Did the trip go smoothly? Did you find the crops you were searching for?
Laoshi... Are you alright? You look a bit...
Wh-What is this?!
Help! Someone!
Xiaohe? You're still here?
I found it...
The contamination... It didn't come with the flood. The source must be underground.
If we gather the Tianshi Bureaus, it might not be too late to start researching now!
There's no need to bother with that.
We've already decided to abandon these lands...
It won't take that much time! Give me maybe two or three days, and I should be able to pinpoint the source of the contamination! There must be a solution!
Every bit of land here in Dahuang was hard-won. We haven't put in anywhere near that much effort yet, so how could we just give up—
It's not just a few plots of land. It's the entire city.
What...?
Everyone is to move into the core city and follow it east, leaving behind all the other fields here by tomorrow.
The other Tianshis are getting everyone together to prepare for the move. This is what matters most right now... You should go help them.
Whose... idea was this?
Who else could order the entire city relocated?
Why...?
All these experimental fields, and these newly-planted crops...
This has already been a famine year. If we give up on these crops, how many more people are going to go hungry?
It'll be just like it used to be...
We've tried our best.
Evacuate the people as soon as possible. Establish post-disaster countermeasures in advance. You are a Tianshi, so have your priorities straight at a time like this—
Is the legend true...?
What nonsense are you spouting now...?
What's hidden in the permafrost on the north bank of the river? It's those things that contaminated our land, isn't it?
Just treat it like any other Catastrophe.
There've been so many things we couldn't protect over the years...
The people aren't just going to leave.
This is our land. Nobody's going to leave until we figure out exactly what's going on.
If Shennong could keep these enemies from our homes, then so can we.
...
Is it an illusion?
The vast fields in front of him instantly turn empty and barren.
No, it's not that the fields have turned barren. Rather, Heaven and earth are being invaded by a foreign space. It warps beyond the recognition of any soul.
What's going on over there?!
It's too late...
Shu, what in tarnation was that...?
Laoshi... is she sick? How did she become like this?
The thin, emaciated body falls to the cold, hard ground, a small pack of seeds tucked in the pocket of her flimsy shirt.
Are these the seeds she brought back? Did she manage to find the legendary seeds?
Our harvests have been terrible the last couple of years. Maybe with this packet of seeds, there's some hope after all.
Let's take it back...
How'd the demonic contamination end up underground?
Isn't the Chamber of Heaven's Designs standing guard outside? How did the contaminants get past the old one and make their way inside?
Based on current observations, the contamination here likely existed long before the Chamber of Heaven's Designs did.
The underground area here is already highly contaminated.
But, the demonic influence here hasn't spread in all these years. Was it because of her?
But, why now of all times...? Could she have...?
The Chamber has likely already determined the source of this calamity. But, the top priority remains dealing with the crisis at hand.
The impact of this demonic catastrophe is unprecedented, and well beyond the scope of any of the Chamber's plans.
That's clear from the fact that you Chamber Tianshis actually called me up... So, what options do we still have?
Have all the Chamber's forces on the north bank withdraw, and at the same time, have the demon defense line pull back fifty kilometers to the south.
Abandon all plots, and evacuate to the core city. After that, we'll need your help activating the core city's defenses, and re-establishing a defensive line using the core city as a barrier.
This plan doesn't tally up how many people are going to be sacrificed.
Demonic taint is not like any ordinary calamity. It must be nipped in the bud.
I've never seen Yan make such a rough call before. Who ordered it?
Was it your big boss, the great and unknowable Old Tianshi?
Just do as you're told, and don't ask too many questions.
...
What are you looking at?
Why would she do this?
She probably doesn't want to leave though...
If the demons had already contaminated the land all the way back then... She's been single-handedly suppressing it all this time.
A thousand years... What would it feel like to have your consciousness gnawed by demons for a thousand years...?
Shu... Good grief...
There's no other way?
There's nothing we can do. You can't whisk everyone away inside a painting, and I can't build a castle out of thin air to carry everyone off either.
Then, what about her?
What do you mean...?
Surely she would've known that this day would eventually come?
The question is... where is she now?
...
Crying.
The cries came from far away. Babies wailing, old people sobbing. Even the crops in the field are mourning.
Just like the scene from forty years ago.
That was another famine year.
You're Shu?
You're... from the Sui Regulator?
Your orders are to farm Dahuang. Catastrophes have been frequent in recent years, and harvests have failed year after year. As a proxy, you clearly have the ability to save these crops, yet you've chosen to stand by and do nothing?
...
The people can't do what I can.
If I save them, the people will only think about how to make this 'miracle' happen again.
But, I can't save them every time... One day, I will be gone.
And when that time comes, the power I wield now... will become nothing more than the 'root of evil' that harms others.
Is there nothing you can do?
There really isn't much that I can do... other than write down my experiences and pass them down to future generations.
Once the hard years are over, there will be bountiful years to follow. People have always had to rely on themselves to survive.
But how am I to believe that by remaining here, you're doing something good for Yan and its people?
...Until this time next year.
Wait for this year's harvest. You'll see.
By the way, have you ever worked the land before?
It's planting season now, and everyone has their hands full. Would you mind lending me a hand?
I vaguely remember that the crops grew particularly well that year.
The plowed rice piled up into little hills, and the farmers said they wouldn't need to worry about Catastrophe for the next few years.
You're smiling?
...I'm really glad.
Are you still going to write me up in your report to the Sui Regulator?
Are you going to stay here forever? Stay here and help us...
With you here, everyone feels safe.
...
Now, there truly is no other way.
Just once... I'm begging you just this one time.
Can you please save the people here, only once?
You promised me that you'd stay here forever...
Shu...
The room is empty.
A warm bowl of soup still sits on the table.
I see... You've already...
The rain starts to fall.
It's raining?
The farmer looks up to see a thin cloud covering the crescent moon in the sky. Shortly thereafter, a few drops of cold rain fall.
Who is that...?
In the distance, someone walks deeper into the fields.
She walks across the barren fields, and wherever her feet fall, small verdant patches follow.
'Wei, where are you going?'
She does not respond, and simply continues to walk forward.
She walks further and further, until her figure disappears altogether with a thunderclap.
Unlike the heavy rain from just a few days earlier, the rain right now is so tender and fine.
As the rain falls, all the cracks in the land fade away.
And thus, a soul trapped for a thousand years dissipates.
All things will come to grow.
Laoshi?
It's raining?
As I thought...
Like ink stains blending and blurring with water, the painting sealing this section of space gradually dissipates without a trace.
What just happened?!
You were so close...
Why you—
Lord Zuo, I have no intention of becoming your enemy. However, I do hope you take what I said to heart.
The days ahead of us are long, and there shall come a time when we meet again.
In the end, this is how it turned out. Just like I said.
My dear sister... These humans can't do anything without you.
May you rest well now.
When you next awaken, everything will be better.