Chương 37: Hero Helsing

Rowan Beyond the gates, farther than the neatly lined up members of Rowan's sect, was the sea of people who lived in and around Righteous Mountain City. A waist-high wooden platform on large wagon wheels sat a little bit off the main road, painted in the bright vermillion of the Dao Court. A thin man with beady eyes stood on top of it, waving at the adoring crowd. That was the magistrate. An easily displeased man with thick fingers stood next to him. Florimond was suddenly in Rowan's ear.

"Looks like Magistrate Cyrille dragged the exchequer along with him to this one. They're going to try to get you to stand with them on that wooden… thing. It's going to be pushed by servants. Don't agree to it. The elders have your back." Rowan nodded.

"A cultivator of Righteous Mountain is supposed to represent the people and stands level with them," he said, quoting his patriarch. Sure, he replaced "member of House Helsing" with "cultivator of Righteous Mountain" but the sentiment remained.

"Wise," said Florimond.

"The two of us are going to be walking in front of the magistrate's… column? Board?" He rolled his eyes.

"He wanted to put a chair on it, but Elder Patino reminded him that there is a very small list of people who are allowed to sit during an official parade." Rowan stared at the milling officials on the wheeled platforms. The one person he had been expecting to see was missing.

"Where's the official who jumped into the lair with you and Mister Fross?"

"A win for the Court is a win for the magistrate," Florimond said, sighing.

"He's been reassigned to Crow County, to the south."

"But no one lives there."

"Well, regardless of the circumstances, since that particular official is indisposed, the magistrate has graciously taken his spot in the parade." Elder Schell seemed to have heard him, so he waved them over.

"Rowan, Flor." The man's voice was naturally loud, booming across the crowd.

"I have a long list of things to say to you, and not much time to say it, so listen carefully." Curiously, Elder Schell and Elder Patino wore the same colors as outer disciples. Normally, the elders wore robes of solid black with enchantments and formations woven into their seams. They contrasted heavily with the fancy silks that the magistrate wore on a normal day. But for this parade, they donned the robes of the outer disciples to project an image that was even more down to earth.

Elder Patino, who was standing next to Elder Schell, scoffed.

"All you do is talk, Schell."

"Don't mind the old man," said Schell.

"He was convinced that this parade should stop by every single manor in the First Families District. I doubt most front yards could fit even a hundred disciples. Ridiculous." Patino glared.

"They need to remember that they're part of the city, and the city is part of the sect."

"For the fifth time," Schell muttered.

"They. Know." A little bubble of air had appeared around the four of them. It was clear the elders didn't want what they said to Rowan and Florimond to be overheard. A dull pressure settled on Rowan between the eyes as the noise of the crowd slowly faded out, replaced with a dull metallic whine that echoed deep in his ear. Metallic? Rowan could almost taste it on the tip of his tongue. This bubble had been created with Metal qi in some way. Interesting.

Now that they couldn't be easily heard, Schell lost all semblance of volume control and began to shout.

"Every single House. Every single damn family. Aspires. To send their children here. Aspires. You were an aspiration. I was an aspiration. And our young heroes here were aspirational children as well. The Helsings and the Sutters. From the day the banners were raised, the forefathers-""You don't have to give me, or either of these two children from our noble families, the boilerplate propaganda," Patino roared back, stamping the grass with a heavy footprint.

"They've heard centuries worth of that from a young age." Patino stared over the heads of the disciples, past the gate, at the magistrate, whose smile looked a bit more strained now.

"Nevermind that. The Dao Court is getting impatient." Rowan was feeling a bit of whiplash from Elder Patino's sudden shift in attitude towards him. He remembered, only a short while ago, when the elder asked Old Hesser if an outer disciple like Rowan could be trusted. Now, he was treating Rowan like a confidant.

"They will wait," said Schell.

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"I could get fired," said Florimond. Both the elders ignored him.

"They will wait," Patino agreed.

"But I'm getting impatient. If we were going to do what you wanted, and pass through every single impoverished slum in the city-"" Every?" The word fell out of Rowan's mouth. Patino folded his arms triumphantly.

"Even our youngest outer disciple can hear how ridiculous that sounds. Young Schell wanted the parade to go from sunrise to sunrise, through every single neighborhood of Righteous Mountain, so"---he sneered—"the common people could be inspired to cultivate. If you say the Noble Houses, the merchant clans, beg for entry to the sect, don't you think every commoner wishes to cultivate already? We are-""What's decided is decided," said Schell, clearly irritated.

"Rowan Helsing, Florimond Sutter. The two of you," he said, then looked at Rowan.

"Especially Rowan," he said, pointedly. A slight tinge of pink reached Florimond's cheeks.

"Have done the sect a great service. This is a sleepy little city in a faraway place, where nothing ever happens. But even in somewhere like Righteous Mountain, there is unending potential for human suffering, and unending clashes with demonic forces. You've won a battle against those who prey on the weak." Rowan nodded uncomfortably.

"But why do we need"--he gestured around—"this entire-""Cloris asked the same," admitted Schell. Patino looked away, staring into the distance.

"He said that our actions should speak for us. He has always understood the Dao best amongst us." Patino snorted.

"We agreed to a parade with the Dao Court because, as you're well aware, there will soon be many, many visitors to Righteous Mountain. Some of them are, reportedly, less than a week away. Which means that their spies are already in the city." Excitement sparked in Rowan's stomach.

"They're already on their way?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. He realized, after a moment, that he was the only one who didn't look worried. Schell sighed again.

"You must understand, Rowan, that while Righteous Mountain is a great place with a noble history, we are lacking in many respects." Rowan knew the score. The very fact that Righteous Mountain Sect lacked a Foundation Establishment Sect Master meant that their sect was, and had been for decades, ruled by committee. Though, even a Sect Master in Foundation Establishment would hardly protect them now. Tournaments were deadly affairs.

With so many sects in one place, the tournaments were always full of plots and schemes, and no one escaped unscathed. Even when they were held at the most powerful of sects.

"It would not be a surprise, or much of a disappointment," said Patino, "if our performance at the tournament was as poor as usual. But we hope it won't be." Rowan disagreed. He definitely intended to win a few bouts.

"And," said Schell, "this will mean less coming from us - while other sects might seem attractive for different reasons, disciples who are poached are never treated as well as they hope they will be." Schell was worried that Rowan would get an offer to join another sect and abandon his home? Rowan shook his head.

"I'm Rowan Helsing," he reminded them.

"I won't leave." That seemed to satisfy both his elders.

"And I, Florimond Sutter, would never betray-""You are an inner disciple! You've taken vows, you better not be thinking of such a thing!" said Patino.

"Right, right," said Florimond.

"The two of you will be walking at the front of the parade. Remember to smile and wave. The path of the parade will go from the Eastern Gate all the way to the First Families District. We will loop past the Helsing Compound, across Poplar Avenue until we're in front of the Maulkin Estate, turn left down Firmament Road until we reach Sutter Manor, and then turn left until we reach the Main Road again. By the time we're in front of the Western Gate, we'll have disbanded."

Rowan traced over the path of the parade in his mind. It usually took almost three hours, walking very briskly, for Rowan to get from the Eastern Gate to the Helsing Compound on the Main Road. The Main Road was the central artery of Righteous Mountain, passing through nearly ten different neighborhoods, built at different times in the city's long, long history.

"This parade…" Rowan trailed off.

"Is an obligation that must be endured," said Patino.

"And do not get on the magistrate's little cart."

"How many people are out there?" asked Rowan numbly.

"I imagine we'll be passing every able-bodied citizen on the way to the Western Gate," said Schell.

"Five hours of walking with Inner Disciple Sutter here will be a fitting punishment for your heroic deeds." Patino chortled. The four of them were the last sect members who hadn't passed through the Eastern Gate yet, and by now, the magistrate had noticed them. He was pointing at the elders, at Rowan, at Florimond, and spitting angrily at an inner disciple who nodded along fearfully. Patino drew himself up to full height and strode out past the little privacy bubble he'd created.

The barrier popped, and the wall of sound fell on them in a crushing wave. Rowan winced. It was really, really, really loud - and the loudest sound was unabashed cheering. Mortal denizens, as far as the eye could see, crowded all along the sidewalks and intersections of the Main Road, dressed in bright colors. Musicians played on the rooftops of restaurants across from pretty girls who danced on balconies of pleasure houses. Fireworks burst from the Lothesby Auction House in intermittent bangs.

A sect banner as tall as the Eastern Gate had been planted atop the spire of Decatour Tea House - no, not planted. It was being held aloft by Lord Desmond Decatour himself, who was stoically perched on the steep incline. When Rowan passed through the gate, Lord Decatour turned to him, nodded heavily and waved the sect banner like a flag, then stilled again. Rowan, despite himself, felt an overwhelming warmth in his chest. He couldn't believe all these people were here for him.

Just a few days ago, it seemed like he was despairing about not having formed his Qi Sea yet. That all his classmates had disregarded him as a peer, a fellow future cultivator. Now they looked at him with pride and envy. Even the elders now spoke to him so personably - something they reserved for core disciples. He waved at the crowd and the cheers exploded in volume.

"Rowan! Rowan! Rowan!" they chanted.

"Young Hero Helsing!" The tips of his ears went red and he smiled wider, turning to wave at everyone. As Rowan passed the neatly arrayed sect disciples, arranged shoulder to shoulder and organized by rank, the magistrate's platform rolled up alongside Rowan and the sect elders.

"Young Master Helsing," said Magistrate Cyrille, as the platform's wheels screeched to a stop.

"I would be delighted if we were to join hands on my-""All marriage proposals will be handed through his household, we do not have the authority," shot Patino, as fast as he could. The magistrate looked confused for a moment, then a violent shade of purple made its way up his neck and through his face as his fists clenched.

"Rowan and Florimond will be leading the procession," Patino boomed, addressing the army of gathered disciples.

"Behind them, on behalf of the heroic Investigator Guin, Magistrate Cyrille and the officials of the Dao Court will be levitating," he said with a sneer, "on the Grand Dao Platform." He pointed at the painted wooden monstrosity. The magistrate opened his mouth, then thought better than to interrupt him.

"We will be following behind them. If any of you make trouble…" warned Patino. He didn't finish his threat. They walked past the outer disciples, and then the inner disciples, and then the elders took their place in front of the core disciples. Rowan spotted Senior Sister Nila, who was speaking a mile a minute into the ear of a man with a long, white plait loosely hanging over his shoulder. The man was staring listlessly at the horizon. Beside them was Senior Sister Verrine, reading a newspaper half her height.

Her jade pipe peeked over the top of the paper once in a while. She looked less like a cultivator than a paper house with legs. There were three or four more core disciples that Rowan didn't recognize to Verrine's right. They saluted at the elders. Verrine peered over the edge of the paper, pipe in mouth, and smiled lazily at Rowan. Florimond bowed deeply at her.

"Senior Sister, I have long admired-" The newspaper rose and she disappeared behind it. Rowan dragged Florimond by the elbow before he could make a fool of himself in front of thousands of people. The wheels on the magistrate's platform squeaked as it rode into the space behind them. The cheering grew louder.

"Citizens of Righteous Mountain City," squawked Magistrate Cyrille through an artifact that carried his voice so loudly it echoed off the side of buildings.

"Descendants of the First State of Kyrr. Sons of the Twin Dragon Empire!" he shouted. The artifact screeched in protest. It was such a sharp noise even most of the core disciples covered their ears. The magistrate doubled over, clamping his hands over his ears.

"Just talk normally into it," shouted Patino from behind the magistrate's back, throwing his hands up in disgust.

"We apologize for the technical difficulties," shouted Elder Schell into the crowd.

"Citizens of Righteous Mountain City," the magistrate tried again, at a normal volume. Florimond shook his head and turned around, dipping his chin as he addressed the man.

"Your Honor, your thumb needs to be on the-""Don't tell me how to do my job, Sutter," the magistrate spat, with his thumb on the wooden block, broadcasting it to the entire road.

"I wouldn't dare," said Florimond, turning back around.

"Sutter!" the crowd echoed, delighted. This was going to be a long, long, day, Rowan realized.