Chapter 29 - King Ba Sing Se
The phrase "the most protected city in the world" was today called into question more than ever before in history. Ba Sing Se was on the brink of collapse, and every inhabitant of the city saw it with their own eyes or heard it with their own ears.
The huge gaping hole in the lower ring was a shock to all the merchants and those who feared for their lives, and the ruined buildings left an indelible mark on every inhabitant of the city. A crowd of discontented people began to gather either in the poor district or in the commercial quarter to discuss events that could not be ignored. A huge trench stretching across the fields, dug up and destroyed by giant boulders, led straight to the shattered outer wall. There was a breach in the city's "barrier" four hundred metres long. The city guards looking at it could not even imagine how much power it would take to display SUCH a level of magic.
But someone had stopped this giant. Someone had fought him there, in the field, where the consequences of the destruction were no less striking - the destruction of the wall evoked a stronger emotional response than the consequences of the battle in the once agricultural area stretching for many kilometres, even though the results there were much more terrifying. This someone even stopped a huge drill, which was undoubtedly the lesser of the two problems, but even that should not be dismissed. The warriors of Kioshi ordered that this selfless hero be found and brought to the palace, but they did not stop there.
Despite all of Dai Li's attempts to hush up the matter and stop the rumours from spreading, the voices of Kioshi's soldiers were louder and more eloquent. They had prepared in advance to spread the truth as widely as possible, and at the right moment, they set their plan in motion.
And the hero himself arrived just in time, well ahead of a potential coup, right before possible problems with the so-called guards. He walked calmly into the palace, accompanied by eleven girls in white makeup.
The nobles and fat cats celebrating in the main square stood in neat rows on either side, clearing the way for the one who bore the title of Sand Mage. He walked towards the palace towering above the other buildings, and no one present deigned to look at him. Only a pile of rubble in the centre of all this celebration, which somehow did not fit in with the expensive apartments, made him stop for a second.
Few people were paying attention to his entourage at that moment, but among the crowd of magnificent ladies was one whose sly, and to some extent even malicious, smile was highly alarming. She was closest to the exalted figure of the Sand Mage, and she was squinting at the surrounding treasures — if, of course, by treasures you mean the city palace.
"Your plan worked," she said to her acquaintance.
"What about you? Do you want to continue what your father started?
"No, you've already done everything to gain power here, and I don't mind as long as it's fun and I can continue to hone my magic.
Even though there was no talk of power at the moment, they all understood perfectly well, as well as the reason why a group of girls led by a familiar, warrior-like female warrior had come out of the palace to meet them.
"Mr. Dagoth... I am the captain of the Kioshi squad," they exchanged glances. The girl's plump lips, painted with red lipstick, curved slightly into a smile. "King Kuei is waiting for you in his throne room."
The leaders of entire cities who were watching were shocked. No one had any idea that this was all part of a carefully thought-out strategy to prevent all those watching Dai Li from taking any action. They had very little room to manoeuvre, and besides, Kioshi's warriors were already tying the last knots on this large gallows.
Passing through the gold-encrusted corridors and the exquisite garden, which contained flowers from all corners of the kingdom — some of which, such as the White Dragon flower and the White Jade growing next to it, I quickly spotted — I came to the throne. If Dai Li wanted to, they could poison the King, or anyone else they didn't like, as they had all the ingredients at their disposal. They had thoroughly prepared their escape routes and ways out of any situation, which made it all the more amusing to watch as a pair of Kioshi warriors approached and chopped the poisonous flowers at the root. It was as if they were marking the destruction of a threat.
However, as soon as we entered the throne room, Dai Li himself became visible. The hall was divided into two zones by an invisible line: on the right stood girls in elegant clothes with serious faces, while on the left were men in black and green robes. In the centre, separating the two sides, sat the King on a golden throne. Behind him stood Nikudshka Kuei, his chief advisor, a half-bald eccentric with a thin moustache.
As we approached, the Kioshi soldiers accompanying me bowed. Following them, Azula bowed with a slightly ironic expression.
"The hero who stopped the spirit's attack, the Sand Mage Dagoth, has arrived," announced Suyuki.
"What do you mean, 'stopped the spirit'? " the advisor exclaimed, not even letting the King finish. "How can you claim that one man defeated a creature that caused such destruction? The consequences of his rampage can be seen even from the palace. It sounds ridiculous." I think it's obvious who did everything to slow him down and prevent casualties among the peaceful population. Lady Suyuki, your warriors saw it too, didn't they?
He turned arrogantly to several ladies who, in his opinion, should have sided with Dai Li. But then they looked at each other strangely, at the King, and then a young girl with a pretty face came forward, took out a letter and handed it to the King.
"I don't know what Mr. Long Feng is talking about, but it was Dagoth who asked us to convey a message to the soldiers in the lower district about the need for evacuation. They also report that he was the only one who participated in the battle and saved the lives of dozens of soldiers on the outer wall. We invited them here to report on what happened.
My Tai Li smiled broadly as everyone whom the city owed its lives to slowly entered the hall. They did an absolutely fantastic job of saving the people from the lower district, while Dai Li did literally nothing. There were captains and leaders who had just survived the attack - their eyes showed no fear, as if they had been through a war. A practical military council was convened, at which Kui looked at everything with a serious and extremely grim expression, realising how much had been hidden from him. However, despite all this, his face showed complete indignation and ignorance of how to solve the problem at hand.
"When the wall came under attack, this man picked up everyone who was nearby and allowed them to land safely. The injured were quickly sent to the medics.
"I report that it was not only the spirit that was established. Strange technology from the country of fire arrived from the north, but it was dismantled before it reached the wall. It is difficult to say what would have happened if it had managed to get closer. Perhaps the wall would have been breached, just like a couple of years ago.
Kuei raised his head sharply, causing Long Feng, who was standing behind him, to wince.
"What do you mean, broken through the wall, just like a couple of years ago? - he finally spoke. The King's voice was like a small sand dune - that's how we in the desert referred to inexperienced young men who were laughed at.
"Didn't anyone report this to you?" Tai Li asked in surprise. "The world has been at war for a hundred years. Only recently, thanks to the successes of Lord Dagoth, have most of the conflicts been quelled.
That was the ultimatum. After that, the chief advisor had no way out, and the girls did everything they could to make him feel bad. I added fuel to the fire by explaining the situation in the world and saying that King Omashu had not been able to meet with him for a long time, and there was much to discuss. And so, my unknown face in this city became a respected figure in just one day, one that everyone was happy to see. As for the advisor, Kioshi exposed him for using Dai Li for his own purposes, providing the words of Dai Li himself as evidence.
A couple of sergeants from their squads knelt directly in front of the King's throne, surrendering their leader to a stronger player, while I watched this whole Santa Barbara drama with interest, trying to understand where my girls' chess moves were and where they were just improvising.
"I'm so glad to see you," and at that moment, Tai Lee contacted me through our spiritual connection. She looked at me with a gentle gaze, filled with joy at seeing me, "As you can see, this game is as much for the King as it is for Dai Li. We discredited the advisor so that they would no longer obey that bald catfish — we managed to win everyone over to our side with promises and intentions to spare their lives."
Yeah, right. The King's biggest mistake in the canon was that he just kept Dai Li by his side, forgetting that they were all accomplices to the same crime — after all, none of them had their heads screwed on straight. And the foolish Avatar didn't realise that they could and would continue to obey a strong leader and hold more power than they should.
"If that's how you feel... I surrender until the details are sorted out and a trial is held," that's why Long Feng behaved calmly, his steady gaze staring insolently into my face.
"No. I finally see what you were trying to do," the king clenched his fists in dissatisfaction. "Seize him and strip him of his powers."
Tai Li immediately stepped closer and literally pulled his hands towards her, which could have been the last thing he ever saw.
A sharp jerk of the arm, apparently from the agitated man, tried to strike Tai Li and knock her out with his own stone glove. The magic of the secret police leader was exactly like Yuna's, and therefore dangerous. But a reaction that could only be described as snake-like allowed the girl to dodge him. She struck Long Feng on the arm, spun around and knocked the man to the floor.
Three strong and painful blows to the spine made him scream in agony. He was not knocked unconscious, but given a full taste of the consequences of his power grab. It was a lesson from the secret police themselves, a message that this was what would happen to anyone who messed with the warriors of Kyoshi.
A new, powerful and very influential person was needed to replace him. Obviously, they would appoint either Suyuki or Tai Li, but it was not difficult to guess who would really rule Dai Li. However, I would not have the same power as the former leader. Kwei took off his rose-coloured glasses and would now support my plans himself. And I will guide him to make sure that nothing goes wrong.
When the meeting ended, Long Feng was taken into custody, the girls quickly knocked him unconscious and numbed his senses by striking the necessary qi points, and we were left alone with the Emperor. There he was, confused and worried about the news that had just hit him, looking at me like I was a lifeline. He glanced at Suyuki standing nearby and said to her,
"Can you... can you find out who was trying to contact me all this time while I was being led around? I would at least like to know what duties I failed to perform," Kui fidgeted nervously with his fingers, and when the girl left with a slight nod, the King turned his attention to me. My silent, unblinking gaze made the man sweat and feel uncomfortable, not knowing what to do with himself. "You are a hero of the Earth Kingdom, am I correct? It's still hard to believe that so much is happening in the world, and I don't understand any of it. But I've known Long Feng since childhood...
"People are easy to use as long as they don't suspect anything. The world is not in the best state right now; it needs your military support. The mountains in the northwest of your country are home to many hermits and entire cities that have established holy places; the great watershed contains tribes that are lagging behind in development and beg the spirits for food. I don't even want to talk about the strongholds of resistance and ignorance that are forming around and within the Shivong Desert. They must all be deprived of the opportunity to offer sacrifices to the spirits, but none of them should be killed.
"That is your plan. But how... you are waging war without taking lives?
"Not a war. We strike terror into the hearts of our enemies, demanding that they renounce their old traditions, and those who resist and do not listen... well, their fate is to rest in prison as enemies of humanity. Perhaps sooner or later this will clear their clouded minds. And if not, the keeper of knowledge, Wang Shi Tong, will read them a sermon.
"I will do everything I can once I understand the situation better. I need to understand what is oppressing my people and how to become a good ruler who will not be deceived so easily. But first, tell me, Mr. Dagoth, was that creature that attacked my city the only one?
"No.
"So it could happen again?!
"Yes.
The king leaned back in his chair and began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his long sleeve. His inability to cope with stressful situations made him look at me again with hope.
"Can you stop it?
***
Once again, I had to assess the palace for its suitability for living and all possible amenities. My next stop was not much bigger than Oza's palace, at least from the outside. This small oasis of calm, built in the heart of a densely populated metropolis, was actually better! For example, instead of building a courtyard with a lake and ducks right inside the palace, as the Fire Lords had done, it was moved outside the building, and it was truly huge, a picturesque oasis from which one could sketch magnificent landscapes. Inside, the style was more pleasing to the eye, a kind of borrowing from the Chinese architecture of my world, that is, there were none of those gloomy tones, just gold-decorated stone and decorated precious woods. There were several halls for audiences and receptions, banquet and dining rooms, an office for the Tsar to work in, and other rooms, all on two floors, plus one underground.
I would even like to stay here and live.The residence of the Earth's viceroy was protected not only by soldiers, but also by a rare brown bear, although it was more of a curiosity here. Several private rooms had been set up for it, and it even had its own quarters. It so happened that chimeras are indeed rare in this world, so even the most common breed of brown bear is highly prized here.
Among other things... this was truly a place from which one could rule the entire world. There were more soldiers in Ba Sing Se than in Omashu, and they could be used to hold back the Fire Nation's troops if they tried to cause trouble. But before settling down here, I followed Tai Li, who was walking somewhere, and stopped with her right in the corridor. The girl didn't give me a chance to react, her movements were sharp, her feet, in turn, sharply lifted off the ground so that I couldn't read her movements. She jumped on me and hugged me tightly!
"I haven't seen you in so long!" I smiled pleasantly and hugged her back.
"I'm surprised you haven't started a fire here with your friends yet," she froze abruptly, stepped back and blushed.
"Don't remind me of my days at the academy...
She would have remained standing there if she hadn't noticed the girl accompanying me, who was wearing what appeared to be concealing makeup but had a familiar face. Tai Li narrowed her eyes, looked somewhat disheartened, and squeezed my shoulders tighter.
"Hello," Azula said without much interest. She looked around the palace, stared at her nails, and pretended that it was all more interesting than the presence of an old friend.
"Know this, Azula, every step you take here is being watched.
"I know.
She replied in a sharp tone and continued to stare at the ceiling. Yes, realising how little she cared about her old friends who had abandoned her, or the boys who were dating them, Azula had changed considerably. Gone were the sarcastic remarks and aggressive statements; even at moments like this, she took the time to think about the things she loved.
But I'll have to get used to living here for a while. Tai Lee showed me to my private quarters, a room with a magnificent view of the backyard with a beautiful lake and fountain, and stayed with me. She gave her lively, fiery friend to Kioshi to find her a place somewhere prominent.
"I don't think you should keep too close an eye on her.
"Since when did you start looking after Azula? - the girl sitting with me on the sofa narrowed her eyes in displeasure.
"She allowed the destruction of a giant drill that her nation planned to use to capture the city. Azula has long understood that the world of science I plan to build is more beneficial to her than simply supporting her father. And by the way, she has fallen in love.
Stunned by the blow to the head, Tai Li cleared her ears, hoping she had misheard.
"Who?
"Magic. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but her heart flutters at the thought of the future I will create and how it will affect magic. Believe me, she supports me.
"...Well, to live a life without loving anyone is to not live at all — I thought that was exactly what Azulu was like.
Realising that my words had some merit, she resigned herself and simply fell onto her back, burying herself in the soft, cool bed. She threw her equipment aside, then with a quick movement of her arm, pulled me down next to her... she was becoming bolder. However, she was interested in something else.
"When the world finally becomes normal, maybe we'll ask the Tsar to let us stay here? Her question, containing so much childlike simplicity, made me think.
"Yes... that's a good idea.