daozhangs | ic inbox, ryslig.

[ Well. Shit. That's worse than he thought. ]

You couldn't know. You didn't expect that.

Nobody ever expects the things that happen to Bavan.

[ It's got to be the single unluckiest city he's ever seen. No idea why anybody lives there. ]

It seems not.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going back out.

( which doesn't mean the conversation has to be over - just that he'll be late in replying yet again. )

Be careful. The people in Bavan have been more hostile towards monsters than usually lately. For good reason but still.

I suppose I'm lucky I have yet to become one.

( because such a thing wouldn't stop him, regardless.

and off he goes. )

[ So much for anyone ever listening to him.

Later, that evening, there is another message. ]

Did you die yet?

( ah. he has heard tell, in the most vague and unhelpful possible sense, that some individuals come from one another's past or future - or perhaps that they remember more or less than others from their home. it's one of a handful of things lined up neatly awaiting a meditative moment to work through them in his mind. but that one has, it seems, been pulled from file, drawn to the forefront.

a long beat of silence, stretching a number of seconds. then, )

I did.

( that sits in the air for nearly as long a silence before it occurs to him that jiang wanyin was likely referring to the meteors.

xingchen lets out a slow breath through his nose, loud in the silence of his hotel room. )

Forgive me, I misunderstood. I am unharmed. Do meteors fall where you travel as well?

[ Well.

This is officially awkward.

He did mean the meteor shower. ]

I'm sorry.

[ But now he has an answer to his question except... that opens up so many more considering neither Wei Wuxian nor Xue Yang could bring him back (maybe the Fog God is better at bringing people back than Wei Wuxian, after all.) ]

We are safe. There is no reason to worry for us. Most tragedies hit Bavan worst.

No need.

( those are questions that burn at xingchen too, believe me. it shouldn't be possible, that he be here alive and intact. perhaps an incomplete repair of his soul is why such things as meditation and regulation come with more difficulty than they once did. )

I'm relieved to hear that - both that you are safe and that this does not plague all of Ryslig.

I never did ask why it is that you've taken to traveling.

( it didn't sound like they were traveling to anywhere, just... around. )

[ He may circle back around to it but for now he is happy for the topic change. There is just nothing he wants to ask that wouldn't be far too personal. ]

We are exploring. I had been wanting to do that since I first arrived. I hope that having a better understanding of the geography will eventually help me find places which will teach me more about the Fog God and how to defeat her.

It's also easier for me when there are less people.

I admit, Bavan is somewhat disorienting in scope, and far more populous than I'm accustomed to. I'd consider seeking out somewhere more quiet to settle, but if this city is where disaster tends to strike, it may be precisely where a cultivator is needed.

You believe that she can be defeated?

( genuine question. xingchen has never been particularly religious, let alone encountered a god with such direct impact on the world he or she presides over. for all he knows, gods can be defeated, however distant and unattainable that image strikes him. )

I don’t believe she is a god, just very powerful. Not like our gods. A human was able to steal part of her power to "make" a new god, the Fourth. She was weakened by this. The followers of this Fourth have caused her damage before.

She is more powerful than what we fight at home but I believe that is because we cultivators are there to prevent any malicious being from becoming quite so powerful unhindered.

I'd like to help.

Good.

The Fog God is more powerful than anything I've ever heard cultivators fight outside of myths and folk tales. But we have to try. I'm afraid what will happen if her influence keeps growing. I'm afraid of her real purpose to bring people from other worlds here.

You say that only followers of this Fourth god have been able to damage her? How did they manage to do so?

I'm not sure. I only heard about it from a Fog God follower. The Fourth followers destroyed an obelisk important to her. They have been given powers by their god, too.

The Fourth either has very few followers or they are secretive. I have only seen one person on the network out themselves as a Fourth priest so far. I couldn't blame them for being cautious. I doubt the Fog worshippers are kinder to their enemies than to the humans.

And those who worship the Fog are those who embrace their monstrosity? Or do the groups simply overlap?

I think there is overlap, many people embrace violence though they have no interest in worshipping the Fog God but I'm not sure how you can follow the Fog without embracing it.

The Fog worshippers believe that we were chosen to become something greater than we were before. The Fog God stands for chaos, for might makes right. There are different factions within the cult which disagree on the beliefs, they seem to hate another.

I'm not sure what the Fourth followers believe. If there's more to the Fourth than wishing to destroy the Fog then I don't know it. From what I heard, he is a child who was given powers stolen from the Fog, turned into a god himself. But he is still a child, just a very powerful child now.

A child leads the only ones who can wound the Fog God.

( he hadn't... necessarily meant to send that part, he was mostly just repeating it out loud in mild disbelief. )

I can understand embracing those changes which are forced upon us, but calling it 'greater'...

Have we figured out any means by which to stop those who embrace the violence, even if not the Fog God herself? If enough of us push back, if there's a consequence for such a thing, would it not make a difference?

Not really, no. Or if someone has found a way, they aren't talking about it.

The one in charge of upholding the law and running the prison, Inspector Javert, cares nothing for human lives or laws and sees the Fog as the supreme authority he follows. As far as I know, he doesn't support the chaos or lawlessness that comes with indiscriminate murder but I wouldn't trust him to do anything about it either.

Executing them is the obvious choice, but the Fog has ensured death is no escape. Supposedly, it only makes the problem worse by robbing people of their memories so they become ever more mindless monsters.

It's very discouraging.

It may be possible to act without the Fourth God's help. Majima Goro mentioned that a man named Marco managed to build a portal to take people back to their own worlds. I believe the Fourth once managed to bring people here, too, but that was years ago? I'm not sure if these two incidents are related. If they are not, it might be possible for us to bring people here ourselves. To bring fighters who still have their power.

Edited 2020-08-15 13:43 (UTC)

( the one who upholds the law cares nothing for it, how terribly familiar that is. one more echo from their world which seems to have followed them here - or perhaps such a thing is just the way of any given world, no matter what else may be different.

he processes all of this for a minute, half-forms a few replies but ultimately xingchen recognizes that he has far too little perspective just yet to properly weigh in on any of what he's hearing.

instead, )

You mentioned you were afraid of the Fog God's real purpose.

( is such a thing known? does jiang wanyin have a theory? he leaves the probing statement without a proper question, a clear request for whichever elaboration feels most pertinent. )

[ He hadn't expected much insight of his own yet, honestly, a lot of this is simply Jiang Cheng being grateful to ramble at someone and share his thoughts, especially someone from his own world. ]

I don't think it's as easy as sadistic amusement. Her power already extends to other worlds enough to snatch people from there, what if it grows further? This could become our problem at home if we don't find a way to solve it here.

( and xingchen, of all the people he might have encountered, is likely one of the better cultivators to ramble at. how fortunate. )

Perhaps this is a silly question, but have we disconfirmed any ties between the Fog God and the Yin Iron?

We have not. And it's not a silly question. It's just one I have tried not to think about.

I have no answer. But we should investigate it.

I agree. By my understanding, we have no true knowledge of the Yin Iron's origin. Evidence of such a thing in this world would speak of a deeper influence of the Fog God on our own world than we previously understood.

It would. There are some similiarities but I can't even begin to guess whether these are coincidences or not.

I hear it is possible to speak to the gods. Maybe I will try to meet the Fog God.

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, XIAO.XINGCHEN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 * XIAO.XINGCHEN has joined 018.07.154.55 <XIAO.XINGCHEN> You have reached Xiao Xingchen. <XIAO.XINGCHEN>** I am often away from my laptop, but I will do my best to answer as soon as I'm able.

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