The group arrived at a small inn near a branch of The Jade and Dice, where they were scheduled to meet a liaison of The Heaven's Fracture. The inn was shabby, the wood rotting in places, and the walls so thin that even a whispered word seemed to pass through.
After checking them into a room, Ho Lam Uyen excused herself, saying she had to deliver the sealed letter. She explained that the delivery had to be carried out in fragments, passed to different hands and places, so that anyone who tried to trace the source would find only confusion. Then, with a faint smile, she left.
Left alone, Vy and Khanh sat quietly in their room, but Vy's sharp ears caught the low murmur of voices from the chamber next door. She motioned for Khanh to follow, pulling him close to the thin wall. Pressing their ears against the wood, they began to make out the conversation.
The sound was clear enough to follow, two men speaking in hushed yet urgent tones:
---
Mysterious Official:
"The taxes gathered from the people—enough grain and coin to feed three cities—have already been diverted. Trinh Van Long will sell them quietly. The buyers from Bac Tu are prepared to pay in weapons, not in gold."
Voice of The Jade and Dice Member:
"Hmph, the northern merchants are ruthless, but reliable. Still, moving weapons into this land risks drawing attention. Do you not fear the wrath of the court?"
Official:
"The court? They are blind. As long as the gold flows, no one asks questions. And if anyone does, well… the Shadowed Sin Collective knows how to silence loose tongues. What matters is power. With weapons, Trinh Van Long secures his position."
Jade and Dice Member:
"Then it is settled. I will prepare the transport route. But remember—if your lord betrays us, neither I nor my brothers will hesitate to turn his blood into fuel for the Primordial Demons."
Official:
"…So be it."
---
As the words settled into their ears, Vy's face hardened. Her hands trembled, not with fear but with rage. She remembered the old woman's desperate wails in the village, crying for her son who had been taken away. Now the truth unfolded—those "disappearances" were nothing but sacrifices, bodies turned into offerings for power, fuel for corrupted rituals.
Khanh felt Vy's body tense beside him, her breath sharp and uneven. For a moment, he feared she would burst into the next room. He placed a hand on her shoulder, but her eyes burned with hatred, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Suddenly, the door beside them creaked open. Both Khanh and Vy jolted back, weapons half-drawn, hearts pounding as if caught in the act. But instead of the men they dreaded, it was Ho Lam Uyen, returning with calm eyes and the faintest trace of amusement at their stances.
"You two look like frightened rabbits," she said lightly, then glanced at their pale faces. "But I see you've overheard something you weren't meant to."
They didn't answer. Silence hung heavy until Lam Uyen sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from them. For once, the playful air she often carried dimmed, replaced by a rare openness.
"My family, the Ho clan," she began, her tone steady, "once controlled vast flows of wealth. Trade, coin, arms—we had hands in all of it. I could have inherited that influence, lived in luxury, dictating the lives of thousands." She smiled bitterly. "But I left. I couldn't stand feeding injustice with my own hands."
Her gaze sharpened, settling on both of them. "Tell me… if either of you were given the strength of the Primordial Gods or the Primordial Demons, what would you do with it?"
Khanh hesitated. His lips parted, then closed again. At last he lowered his eyes. "Right now… I only want to understand who I am. Power feels too distant." His voice carried honesty but also the uncertainty of a boy yet to find his path.
Vy, however, raised her head. Her eyes, still red from unshed fury, gleamed with an unshakable resolve. "If I had that power, I would destroy the Shadowed Sin Collective. Tear them apart so they could never use another life as fuel again."
For a moment, silence stretched. Then, slowly, Lam Uyen's lips curved into a small, knowing smile.
"That's good," she murmured. "Resolve is necessary. But know this—what we face now is only the surface. The letter you delivered? This was just the beginning. Ahead lie enemies far greater: the nobles, the royal family, and forces far darker than you can yet imagine."
The air in the small room seemed to grow heavier. Vy clenched her fists tighter. Khanh's brows furrowed, his mind racing with questions he dared not yet ask. And Lam Uyen, with her half-smile, half-shadowed expression, leaned back as though watching the sparks of fate catch fire before her eyes.