Chapter 8
“Grain? Very good. You may leave it here. No need to haggle with the merchants. On behalf of the city council, I shall take full custody of your cargo,” declared a haughty-looking figure dressed in overly gaudy hanfu robes with a certain amount of relish.
The man oozed pomp and self-importance while the half-dozen soldiers accompanying him were giving the caravanners cool, appraising glances. Alex was sorely tempted to give the presumptuous bureaucrat a piece of his mind.
The city official stiffened. Yet much to Alex’s surprise, the man’s scowl somehow became a begrudging nod. “You have the right of it, Lady…”
“Lin Lin is fine,” Sunlay said with a smile, before solemnly nodding and clasping the caravan owner’s hand.
“Here is where we part, honored caravan master. For I have absolutely no doubt that the esteemed representative of the council before us will make sure you’re recompensed in full for all your noble efforts to feed our beleaguered city in its hungriest hour, and the profit you bring home will encourage all your fellows to do the same.
” She turned to beam once more at the pompous-looking bureaucrat. “Is that not right, officer?”
The man’s lips were pinched tight, but he didn’t stint from pulling out a bag clinking with denominations of both silver and gold as the soldiers smoothly closed ranks from any prying eyes while the dozen or so city-employed laborers got to work unloading the caravans in surprisingly short order.
“I take it a full two silver per hundredweight will suffice?”
The merchant’s eyes widened, his features lightening with a pleased smile.
“Indeed it will, honored officer of the council! I shall make sure that my fellow caravanners know of the rich bounties to be had making the trip to the fair city of Wanshi. Now, if you would be so kind as to direct us to the nearest healers…”
Sunlay gave the caravan master a friendly wave farewell as she and the rest of their party broke off from the caravanners and made their way into the heart of the city. Alex couldn’t help but grin with a certain amount of excitement for a new city to explore.
He refused to let his sense of adventure and the sheer joy of exploring a new city, be spoiled by the tension he felt for the game of intrigue that was just getting started.
If anything, it just added to the thrill of the moment.
The adventure of his life that he was now determined to enjoy to the utmost.
Though the streets were wide and airy, much like Liushi, the two- and three-story buildings composed of the same stone that made up the caldera appeared to be carved and worked from a different tradition.
There was an emphasis on curves and arches, for all that the rooftops were perfectly flat, save for the slatted wind catchers allowing for cross-ventilation and passive cooling, such that any breeze would effectively cool the entire home, just like in Liushi.
Yet unlike in Liushi, most of the rooftops had been further renovated with light frames of bamboo or wood, allowing one to work on the rooftop and enjoy the view of the city and the desert far beyond, much like a rooftop gazebo.
In some cases, thin plank walls had been added, effectively building an additional story to the buildings of much lighter construction than the caldera stone that served as its foundation.
It was a feature that appeared quite common and went hand in hand with the greater population density of Wanshi versus Liushi.
Though Alex didn’t envy how hot those rooms would be during the day, without the benefits of the wind catchers cooling the stone buildings they were attached to, which made the wall-free gazebos the more prudent choice, in Alex’s opinion.
But to be fair, he wasn’t the one living in those homes.
Even if the wide boulevards were still a common theme, Alex saw a multitude of lighter wooden huts, no doubt made of reeds or softwood grown in the caldera valley below, adjoining the more permanent brownstone buildings.
He noted as well that most of the wood seemed quite dry, even brittle, and it certainly made sense if shrinking water supply and wood as a resource meant that there was little material to repair or replace those houses.
Still, Alex couldn’t help but frown even if the fronds of massive date palms rustling in the gentle desert breeze were just as common here as they were in Liushi, making it clear that at least people weren’t desperate enough to cut down such important sources of shade, comfort, and sustenance.
Still, when cities grew too crowded without proper plumbing or sanitation…
He turned to Sunlay after exchanging smiles and greetings with the ever-polite desert people who were so much more cheerful than the pinch-faced true-bloods of Yidushi.
“Wanshi truly is an impressive city. The population looks to be considerably bigger than even Liushi.”
Sunlay beamed with pride. “My family has always done its utmost to lead our people to prosperity as best we can, Alex. And you’ll note that the date trees are still intact, even in these trying times.”
Alex nodded. “It’s true. Though the date palms are stripped bare, snack sellers are at a minimum, and the prices I heard shouted were… exorbitant. And everyone I see seems to be a bit on the thin side.”
This earned a snort from Nili. “And are you at all surprised?”
Alex sighed, slowly shaking his head. “Not in the least. Though I do wonder about all the, um… additions to the buildings.”
Sunlay turned her gaze to the many bamboo and wooden huts sprouting from the brownstone buildings and claiming a good fourth of what was still an impressively wide boulevard.
She gave a measured nod. “I know. Our city, against all odds, has been enjoying a significant population boon. And the pressure of so much life has made the caldera basin so fertile that farmers are now among the most revered professions, not even cultivators stinting from the honor of working the fields… and having first pick of the choicest fruits and freshest vegetables, of course. We still have enough produce to feed everyone at least one meal per day, and our edicts are quite clear. No one who isn’t a member of a given clan, which means having full access to the main domicile’s sewers and water supply, is permitted to build any huts adjoining other people’s property.
And throwing waste of any sort into the street, or anywhere save in the carefully maintained sewers, is absolutely forbidden.
Finally, no more than a fourth of the boulevard is to be sacrificed for domestic use.
It’s a compromise that has stood us in good stead for as long as I’ve been alive. ”
Alex gave a thoughtful nod. “Everyone we greet is still smiling. No one looks sick or miserable, so the city’s rulers are clearly doing a good job during trying times.”
Sunlay grinned, her twinkling eyes making it clear she appreciated his indirect compliment, even if no one listening in would think her anything more than a well-to-do traveler seeking accommodations in a nicer part of the city.
Her eyes brightened as the road took on a slight incline, and for all that they could have hired a rickshaw, their casual pace was faster than the handful of rickshaws they passed…
and pretty much everyone else who wasn’t at least a Bronze-tier cultivator.
Which perhaps explained the reflexive smiles being sent their way as much as anything else.
Besides warmth and welcome being the cultural norm here, it always paid to be on the good side of powerful people, especially during perilous times.
Even more so, if there was a Ruidian or two amongst them, as their daring the rift might mean the difference between stability and starvation, should the absolute worst happen and the city’s water source run dry.
Alex also noted a change in architectural quality that occurred a bit more sharply here than in Liushi as they ascended the gentle caldera slope.
Sturdy brownstone-constructed buildings were replaced with those faced with brilliant shimmering marble, the very stone that had so caught his eye with their sparkle during their original approach, giving the entire quarter of the city they now walked through a rich, pearlescent sheen, sparkling so prettily in the final shafts of the waning sunset.
Perhaps the most significant contrast was that there were no more huts or bamboo extensions of the main brownstone homes as had become almost commonplace in the quarter just passed, even if what amounted to rooftop open-air pavilions were just as common here.
“Come on. Our destination is just ahead!”
Alex couldn’t help but smile at seeing the twinkle in Sunlay’s eyes.
She was so clearly excited to be among familiar buildings in the city she had called home for most of her life.
No doubt she was more than eager to reunite with her family, even if she agreed with Nili’s insistence that they feel things out very cautiously before presenting themselves before the court once more.
And considering the prize they now held that could change the fate of the entire city, Alex certainly understood the need for caution, and for decisive action, once they had a feel for the lay of the land, lest hesitation cost them as dearly as doing nothing at all.