The beauty of the girls themselves is proof that the warriors of Kioshi are not barbarians who treat any intruder with cruelty, nor are they witches obsessed with protecting their property, capable of killing anyone who is "not like the rest." It sounded strange — as if a person's appearance could somehow reflect their values, worldview, and attitude towards strangers — but it was all down to good genes, which could only be obtained through interaction with the outside world. Even in the world of magicians, history knows many examples of when a private society was gradually forced to integrate into the wider community: One example is the people with lion-turtle heads who moved to the continent; the men of the nearly extinct Southern Water Tribe set out on a journey to find their soulmates; and in the end, even the royal family of the Fire Lord, though not entirely isolated and not a perfect example, with their "difficult" character, they establish relationships with people from outside.
Overall, I wanted to say that an isolated society cannot survive for long, so when I went out to the people and negotiated with the Kioshi warriors surrounding me, I was already at least partially confident that they would at least listen to me, and then perhaps they would become interested and try to make contact. After all, the conditions for this were bound to exist. They weren't going to grab me, rape me with a mob, and then throw me into the sea to Unagi, were they? No, as I walked accompanied by soldiers, I observed a quite civilised attitude towards everything around me.
Five girls, squinting at me, accompanied me, literally surrounding me on all sides, holding their fans at the ready, but not daring to disobey the orders of their leader, who was questioning me about the purpose of my arrival and the means by which I had managed to reach this isolated island. Others whispered and glanced sideways at my hands, which were tied behind my back.
"Didn't you see Unagi as you approached our territory? How could he let the ship of these peasants come to our island? - the girl's voice was filled with indignation.
"Of course I saw him, but we didn't get along very well. I had to fight him off.
"He has strange rings on his hands. Why do they shine so brightly in the sun?
"Do you like them?" Turning halfway towards the whispering, suspicious ladies, I took out one of the rings and quickly placed it in one of their hands. "You don't seem to wear jewellery here, so here's a little gift from abroad."
"You said you were fighting off Unagi? At that moment, some of them just blinked.
Obviously, I couldn't lie, so I spoke from the heart, trying to smooth things over with an attitude they could understand. The girls of this island must possess wisdom, courage, justice and moderation, these are the main pillars of their so-called way of life, so I boldly displayed the first, respectfully discussing everything, and the rest... there's still time. Besides, they were still wary. After walking about a hundred metres from the village, we found ourselves in front of a stone bridge, where the locals were running back and forth, announcing the arrival of a stranger. I was led across the bridge like some kind of exhibit, while girls standing in neat rows, frowning or looking interested, studied my appearance. The summer standing in the courtyard adorned the surroundings with green leaves, and a strong wind ruffled the hair of the girls, who were still studying the principles and origins of their people.
As soon as we found ourselves at the base, which consisted of a couple of houses and a dojo, we were led into a large wooden room and placed before the leader of their fantasy squad.
"Well, philosopher Dagoth, who somehow managed to fight Unagi, perhaps you could first tell us about the teachings of Kioshi, since you talk so much and are trying to force friendship upon us. Keep in mind that we can see right through lies, and we'll quickly realise if you're just trying to pull the wool over our eyes," she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously, just like the warriors behind her. But she was already ready to listen to me, which meant that everything I had made up was true. They could be defeated with simple knowledge of history.
"Heh," I lowered my head slightly and carefully examined the ladies. Each one tried to stand firmly in place and not look away. "Like the legendary Kioshi, you maintain inner calm and learn to be completely in control of yourselves regardless of external conditions. Wisdom allows you to know the laws, your history, and not forget the past; courage gives you the ability to look into the eyes of cruel beasts that can tear you apart with their mere presence.
My tone grew heavier with every word I spoke, as did my gaze, which was fixed solely on the leader, testing her courage. I didn't even have to pretend to be a beast. She swallowed quietly, but did not back down.
"Justice gives the right to act according to circumstances in order to fulfil one's duty, regardless of the situation, and does not allow the killing of unarmed people. And moderation... forces one to keep one's desires in check so as not to break any of the rules. Imperturbability and moral virtues now compel me to evaluate my words according to some internal palette... respectably. But there is also a reason why you have not yet gone out into the world, and I no longer agree with it. The fundamental principle of stoicism is the understanding that there are things you can control — everything within your island — and things you cannot — the world outside and the war going on there. The hope that it will never affect you is the fundamental orientation of all your views. And even if it does... you think you can survive. Well, you're unlikely to be that lucky.
The girls were already unable to contain their emotions, and naturally everyone, including their leader, began to blink rapidly. To be honest, I didn't know how they themselves viewed their principles and how they formulated them; it was even possible that I had conveyed these principles more clearly than they were written in their textbooks — the latter had long since run off to look for Afka. I wouldn't even have been surprised by such an outcome; all gurus love to veil their words, but I am the only one who writes books that decipher it all.
That's why I was the only one who could change their minds.
"I see you really know us well," the squad leader said, lowering his hands. "But what makes you think we won't survive this war? A hundred years have passed, do you think they couldn't have captured us in that time?
"That's your problem — believing in an unchanging future and accepting fate. Over the past hundred years, the war has been gaining momentum, and the day when it reaches its hottest stage is not far off," the girls tensed up, unable to refute or prove these words, because they live in isolation! - Guru Shoken grew up at the same time as Laghima, and he wasn't as popular. He preached the idea that one shouldn't be burdened by morality or social beliefs. It's worth mentioning that he wasn't the kindest person, and Kiyoshi rejected his principles outright because they were downright aggressive. I agree with her, but there is still something worth extracting from his works and seriously considering. You have to take your fate into your own hands and understand that it is pointless to uphold the beliefs of a society based on moral restrictions. I adhere to something in between the views of Laghima and Shoken — I reject the framework of society, which is why I perceive the world as a single whole and defend that very world.
This was exactly the view that Lotus held, but which they could not fully articulate. There was a whole list of details on this topic, but I only recounted a small excerpt from the book I was writing. Fortunately for me, the intelligent girls began to ponder this idea, savouring every word, and the room fell silent. They looked like young students interested in philosophical trends and ready to consider a new path.
It's funny, but Laghima's teachings were so popular compared to Shoken's that after his death, four nations were formed, whose leaders must have all known his teachings. When someone said that gurus were simple spiritual mentors, it was enough to look at history and understand that one man had changed the world's views so much that entire nations were formed, and he became the precursor to all the events known at the time. Even more amusing is that Laghima preached his stoicism so fervently that he learned to fly thanks to his air magic — that's how much he connected with the world.
"Is war and truth coming our way?" the head of the local militia finally spoke up, clutching her fan tightly.
"Given my luck, I wouldn't be surprised if it soon comes knocking on the village gates, and you have to fight off an entire fleet alongside your Unagi. If you have even the slightest understanding of what that means... I suggest we join forces against this common enemy," I said lightly, but with hope. However, in the canon of the story, that is exactly what they did, albeit under the guise of helping the Avatar. As a human, the only way I could earn respect and leadership was through such a deep understanding of the subject.
"...We need to study this carefully and understand what we can count on. In the meantime... welcome to our home, philosopher and mage of the earth, Dagoth. My name is Suyuki, nice to meet you," she finally put her fan away, came closer and did not hesitate to shake my hand firmly. This did not make us friends, but it did establish a connection. I was allowed to settle right inside their settlement, where I began to build trust by talking about world problems and teaching them the principles of the Lotus.
All for one purpose: to finally learn their ill-fated style.
***
You can read the full story at:
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