"A delicate balancing act. If one clan was to turn rogue, the Emperor would have the political power to summon an alliance to fold it back into the ranks. If the Emperor was to turn rogue, the clans would eventually unite and depose him through superior military power. But if a single faction has bo...

"I work with them regularly, but I don't have their full training and experience. I'm more of a jack-of-all-trades that give a hand where he can. At the moment the priority is training a full generation of civil servants to meet the need of an empire expanding at the speed of a racing horse, so this...

"No one but the Kami themselves know how long they can live, if they even age at all. We'll try to do as much as we can until our last breath, but it's likely we'll only live to see the very beginning of a plan spanning over many generations." Ayumu cast an eye over the darkest part of the garden. T...

"Jiyo Ayumu, born of the Isawa, nowadays serving Shiba as an itinerant teacher. I might be able to help you even if your request is not related to learning the letters and the numbers though I will need to hear first to make sure of that."

"So things like defining that the smallest military unit is a group of 12 persons, that four groups make a company, that kind of things? Why not. Such a seemingly simple yet needed petition has its chances to pass without a hassle, and could be a gateway for other well needed standardization... Like...

"It did, but nothing that couldn't be appeased with some diplomacy and an Imperial official acting as mediator. I'm not surprised that your experience is different from hearsay. The empire is young and still experimenting a lot with its own functioning... And news about what went wrong always travel...

Ayumu had overheard some servants betting about today's court. Would anyone ridicule themselves by blatantly forgetting about Yuzuru's blindness, like waving a document before his eyes to support their claim, and if so, of which faction would be the fool? This kind of event had happened in the past,...

Ayumu raised his eyes from his work to find himself staring at an image from a picture book about pirates. The surprised passed, he realized his brain had played a trick on him and this was simply a guest with a sailor tan, a sailor gait, sailor hands, a sailor pastime and an eyepatch. He did a half...

"That's indeed a long trip. If I may ask, what was the reason behind it and why did you have to abort it? Also, out of professional curiosity, did you have administrative issues while undergoing it? I've heard some of the clans are tiptoeing with the idea of watching more closely who passes through ...

Ayumu raised the sleeveless shirt high above his head so he could examine it thoroughly at the natural light of dawn. So so. Not bad in absolute, but to his trained eye, the many small imperfections of the cutting and the stitching were glaring. It could have been worst for sure, and he acknowledged...

Hantei Kinsen wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:21 pm

snip

Some confusion might have happened but Ayumu just rolled with it:

"What about the Crane and the Scorpion? They also adjoin that huge track of lawless land, and they don't have other borders that I know of that would require use of their troops. So I suppose they help with the policing too?"

"People tend to agree on the idea that standardization is a good thing... But not on what standard to follow. I think we have ten different models of spears through the empire, each with a different length and shape of the metallic bit at the end, and as many factions clamoring the one they're used ...

"For such a dangerous expedition, a lot of clans returned with more members that they left with. This strangeness is easily explained though: Almost half our numbers were made of free tribespeople who chose to align themselves with one Kami or the other through the course of this journey. Ongaku for...

"Strange ones. Fifteen years ago, Saruko decided to join the expedition into the unknown to save her husband's brother. This was not met without some opposition, as she was not a warrior nor blessed by the spirits in a way that could be weaponized. But she hold steady, got her way, and eventually tu...

The story is told matter-of-factly, with little apparent embellishment or stylistic flourishes. So much so, in fact, that one might not guess Kogi has cleaned up the uglier details a little, and given Katsuro a more dignified final monologue than he managed in life--the man had already been unconsc...

snip Not so much a spouse for your son as a mother to your grandchildren. He jumped at the opportunity to swift the conversation away from the complicated wedding-to-be, commenting quietly on the last announcement to Kinsen: "I'm not sure we will need it but extra help is always welcome. Any idea h...

"War-focused logistics? An interesting skill, the need of which I can understand. To get the best one needs to be prepared for the worst. Still, a war at the new scale that represents the clans would be such a terrible thing, I hope you will never have to put this theoretical knowledge into practice...

Ayumu listened quietly at the explanation. The fact the girl kept referring to her own mother as Lady Makime was particulary eloquent about the pressure upon her shoulders. "So, you came to the palace exclusively for the purpose of the wedding? Even if the Lion lands border the Imperial ones, I'm su...

"Not in the sense I guess you were hinting at. I've painted walls, carts, statues... With a large brush, in a single color, to protect them from rain and vermin. Regarding more artistic forms of painting, I am but a novice. A lucky one, as I have been able to witness expert painters at work, among w...