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1.32% Skyfire Avenue / Chapter 12: The Clairvoyant

章節 12: The Clairvoyant

編輯: AtlasStudios

It was a building of the late baroque period, it’s exterior displaying an array of elegant and distinctive arches, each one unique. The entire structure resembled a giant, open conch shell.

Following the line of the building’s crest, a sign hung. A sun, with the words COFFEE scrawled beside it.

The sun represents the day, so it was only natural that this very special structure full with the scent of eighteenth century French art, was called… Daybucks Coffee.

The interior was furnished with delicate-looking and attractive furniture which employed a curious asymmetrical technique. The theme was one which involved conch shells, hillstones, whirlpools and S-shaped arches. Rolling grass and unfurling flowers, lingering and intersecting, creating an organic whole. The ceiling and cambered walls join seamlessly, the rounded edges bearing a mural.

In order to imitate a natural style, the building was also constructed using mismatching materials which resulted in a multitude of inconsistencies. The walls were painted in vivid shades of lime green, pink and rose red. The architraves are mostly painted gold. The interior paneling was made up of delicate wooden lattice, surrounded by lace with a light colored Oriental brocade at it’s heart.

There sat the Coffee Master, clad in a white shirt and brown overalls with a cup clutched in his hand. Tenderly he took a sip.

Thrummm!

The sound of thunder rang out, and the coffee in the Master’s cup trembled, nearly spilling free. A shocked expression on his face, he hurried to the window and looked towards the skies.

“A cloudless thunderstorm, with lightning from an undarkened sky. What overwhelming ability! Is this his power? I had no idea he commanded a force such as this. I fear to know what he encountered to make him lose control in such a fashion.”

ζ

This was a room without any unnecessary furnishings, of a size perhaps half that of what could be found in Zeus’ Jewelry Store. If it weren’t for the wooden door facing Skyfire Avenue, it was unlikely people would believe it was of a caliber to match the other shops along the street.

The shop wasn’t available for public use, instead intended for guests only. Within the room was a single long table of simple construction, square with four straight legs and a disconnected surface, and around it ten seats made of tree stumps.

Whether table or chairs, all shared the same texture, each carved out of a thousand year old preserved wood. If one were to look carefully at the grain, they would see either a multitude of strange faces, or a dense collection of spots akin to leopard skin. Thick, thin, ordered, messy, straight or crooked, all were present. Black lines were in the majority, but chocolate brown and red stripes were also visible. Scented Rosewood, from Previous Era Hai’nan.

The table top, however, was over five thousand years old. The Wine Master once said he would be willing to trade everything he owned – with the exception of what was in his Wine Vault – for that table, but the offer was refused.

Beside the table, by the window, the Gourmet stood looking up at the sky. The incessant bolts of light played across his craggy features. He chewed absently on a soda cracker, his eyes narrowing during a lull in the blasts.

ζ

The Old Gothic Winery.

The Wine Master also stood by the window, Eva dutifully standing at his side. He looked out over the sky, then looked across Skyfire Avenue towards the shop marked with a lightning bolt. He gently shook his head.

“Master, i-is that…” Eva asked in a timid voice.

He lifted his hand, cutting her off. A dull silver light shone, and all sense of foreboding melted away. Eva, too, no longer felt anything strange, walking towards the window and thoughtfully looking towards Zeus’ Jewelry Shop.

A streak of lightning raced across the sky over Skyfire Avenue, and the skyscrapers around Skyfire Avenue reflected a dull golden light.

ζ

A palatial building in the baroque style loomed, it’s exterior bathed in gold leaf. Schematically it was shaped like an olive, with an emphasis on it’s decorative domed ceiling. It’s façade exhibited a separated pediment, the entablature curved, and the walls alternatively concave and convex. It’s adornments were ample, lending to an intense shadowy effect. It was the largest building on Skyfire Avenue.

The building bore no sign, but anyone with a Skyfire Emblem knew it to be Skyfire Museum. Inside was housed many treasures, available to view for a fee to anyone with an Emblem. However, it was only open to visitors from sunrise to sunset.

Within, an old man quietly stood. He was tall with rugged features, his true age difficult to discern. His eyes were blue, deep, and clear as though capable of reflecting the universe itself.

He was clad in a magnificent robe of white silk. It was covered in silver embroidery, threaded with precious gems. On his head was worn a peaked cap, and his right hand bore a large ruby ring.

A silvery light crept over him, and suddenly another stood beside the old man; the Wine Master in noble regalia.

“You’re nervous,” the old man said with a smile, his eyes never straying from the window.

The Wine Master nodded his head slightly. “I’m afraid he’ll change everything. Three years ago when he arrived, he almost immediately became one of us. He certainly displayed enough taste and ability. In these three years he’s blended well, but his power… it’s… “

Calmly the old man interceded. “Too strong, yes?”

The Wine Master silently nodded.

The old man turned to face the Wine Master, his sky blue eyes bright and sagely. “He is one of us. When we sanctioned his appointment to the Skyfire Council, he became an inseparable part of us. Regardless of what hardships he faces, we are his family.”

“Can you see his future,” the Wine Master asked.

The old man shook his head. “No. But I can sense the Thunderbolt’s integrity.”

The Wine Master continued, “With his disposition, so clearly infuriated, I’m afraid we might encounter some problems. Should we help him?”

The old man chuckled. “There’s no need. If he were originally someone who habitually brought trouble upon others, we would not have taken him in. Let nature take it’s course.”

Finally, a smile crept upon the Wine Master’s face. “Being a little bit of a troublemaker isn’t such a bad thing, I suppose. At least now he won’t come and drink all of my cherished possessions.”

The old man laughed. “Next time call on me. Although I can’t drink much, the taste reminds me of those olden days. Unfortunately I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to help you find where another bottle is kept.”

A light shone in the Wine Master’s eyes, but soon he asked with helpless tones, “Is it truly alright to use divination to find wine, Master Clairvoyant?”

With a small smile, the Clairvoyant looked at him. “How could it not?”


章節 13: The Beautiful Bride

編輯: AtlasStudios

Tianshan Mountain, situated fifty kilometers outside of Skyfire City, the highest peak of Western Skyfire.

The territory of Skyfire was situated by class and affluence. To the East lived the rich, with the noble class situated on the West. The poor lay to the South, and the ghettoes to the North. As a result the inhabitants of the Western section were Skyfire City’s – and in fact all of Planet Skyfire’s – political elite.

Tianshan Mountain was said to be the ‘highest’ peak of the West, but in reality it rose no higher than eight hundred meters. The reason for it’s fame was the more than sixty ridgepole villas dotting it’s surface, the abodes of Skyfire’s most illustrious elite. Here, the higher you lived, the higher your status.

From base to peak there was only one road, it’s other face a sheer cliff. Today appeared to be a special day, for the entire length of the twenty-meter wide street had been made pink.

The color was due to the fact that the entire stretch of road had been covered in butterfly orchid petals several inches thick. Stretching for hundreds of meters, the fragrance was intoxicating.

The trees lining the road had been decorated with… wedding dresses. Yes, wedding dresses, not white gauze. Each tree had been fitted with a custom-made dress, white as the driven snow, and wonderfully elegant with luxurious white pearls. They were meant to symbolize flawlessness.

The area three kilometers around the mountain had already been cordoned off. Clearly it wasn’t wealth alone that could achieve this, but significant political clout.

Thousands of robo-cleaners had already swept the area the night before, so that not a single mote of dirt sullied the premises.

Some ten-odd Climate-Control aircraft flew overhead dispersing clouds, making the skies as transparent as a sapphire so that the rising sun could shine it’s brilliance upon the mountain top.

On the other side of the cordon line a scattered number of people had begun to gather. Half peered toward the mountain, the other half whispered amongst themselves.

“Has it started yet? This wedding has been hailed as the grandest cross-alliance wedding. It’s as massive as expected! Look up there, Climate-Control ships dispersing clouds and all!

“Yeah! It’s an important day, and I heard that later there will be a joint military parade, with mechs from both our militaries. They’re going to hold the wedding here first, then have another in the Western Alliance.”

“Ugh… lucky westerner. I heard the wedding is between the Chief of the Eastern Alliance’s daughter and the Western Prime Minister’s son. That’s why it’s such a grand wedding.”

“How could this be at all regrettable? A political union through marriage, nothing more than posturing. No one’s even seen what the Chief’s daughter is like, they just don’t know. I might even look better!”

“Hmph! The Chief’s daughter might be a mystery, but the Western Prime Minister’s son is always on the Interstellar Network channel. A young hero of his generation. For a political unification there can’t be too big a disparity between the image of either party.”

“Enough, don’t bother looking for me tonight!”

“………”

Unbelievably, on the peak of the mountain nearing the misty skies, rose a palatial structure of layered architecture. It’s style was a mixture of East and West, not at all lofty. It was white, in conjunction with the dominant hue of the day, and threads of splendid alabaster muslin were visible everywhere as though the building itself were clad in a wedding gown.

The building took up an area of seven hectares, it’s interior facilities absolutely extravagant. An outdoor pool rippled with faint blue water, it’s end tumbling in to a waterfall which flowed ceaselessly in to the palace’s lower level. Within the giant pool swam one hundred and eight silver arowana.

On the lawn adjacent to the pool, among an array of pure white flowers, milled guests who’d already arrived. A procession of high-end luxury verti-cars docked on the nearby helipad, and a queue of people in formal attire made their way inside the building. Among them were no lack of recognizable faces. Politicians, celebrities, business moguls…

Finely attired attendants shuffled between the guests bearing beverages, alcoholic drinks and delicacies.

In accordance with the traditions of the Eastern Alliance, the wedding must be held in the morning. As one of this century’s greatest weddings, it would also be held in the morning without exception.

Within the palace, two stylists nervously worked in an extravagant room. Two maids stood beside to assist them.

In the middle of all of them sat a woman.

The female stylist busied herself with placing make-up on the woman’s delicate features, while the man stood behind her. He held her jet-black shimmering hair in his hands, and thought deeply.

“Hehn…” The man held a Pink Finger’s Orchid between his fingers, speaking effeminately. “Sweety, you’re being impossible! If you wont let me put your hair in a bun, what am I supposed to do with it? With hair this long a bride absolutely needs a bun.”

The young woman shook her head. “No, no bun. If you can’t figure it out, then don’t. Let it hang naturally.”

“This…” the man began bitterly. “If you’re gunna be like this I simply can’t talk to you. How can you suddenly reject the bun? Today is your big day!”

The female stylist hummed. “What’s so strange about it. Miss Qianlin was born so beautiful, the most gorgeous I’ve encountered. Not an ounce of styling and you’d still be stunning.”

The man grumbled in agitation. “Hey! What are you talking about, a good stylist can make the beautiful sublime. Fine, fine.. let me think of something. The dual coiling dragon technique will work.”

The young girl smiled, like a hundred blooming flowers. “Thanks!”

ζ

Half an hour later.

The female stylist carefully placed the diamond-studded tiara atop the young woman’s hair, then clapping her hands together said, “There! Sweety, you are absolutely the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. Stand up and take a look.”

The young woman stood slowly, her hair already woven up, the two sides coiled layer on layer to hang down her back. An array of colorful gemstones twinkled in their midst.

The most important aspect of the dual coiling dragon style was to make the hair beautiful while leaving it’s length unchanged.

The lily-white dress shone like the Milky Way, twinkling with resplendent light, each diamond on it custom fit by Van Cleef & Arpels. Each diamond was flawless, larger than a karat each. The dress bore one thousand and one of them. The largest was set in the center of the chest, and cut in to the shape of a heart. The fifty-karat diamond was surrounded by a circle of small pigeon’s blood rubies.

Standing, her body tall and lithe, her wedding dress fitting to her like a glove, there was no flaw or blemish. The arc of her voluptuous chest swept downward, her waistline slender, the ridge of her backside enticing. Moving further down, her dress narrowed until she looked like a mermaid, her tail moving delicately.

The dress had no crinoline, instead setting off her flawless figure, flowing down past her lower legs to spread out in a bloom of white muslin.

The diadem upon her head was made of platinum, inset with diamonds and sapphires. If it were just like this, it wouldn’t be sufficiently grand for the occasion, but looking closer it was revealed that each exceedingly hard diamond and sapphire had been carved in to flowers using a special technique.

Peering upon herself in the mirror, Qianlin’s beautiful blue eyes began to mist. Her brow furrowed, bearing an echo of worry in her expression.

Her delicate lips parted. “Am I beautiful?”


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