Chapter 201 - Majority Vote

Li Ru’s sunken eyes were calm as he carefully measured his words before speaking. He sat with his hands cupped at his navel in a relaxed meditative posture.

“There are many paths that can read a person’s mind or see into the future. It isn’t difficult to create the illusion of fate. Fate being the rare and elusive pathway that it is, there are many charlatans throughout history that have assumed the guise of prophets and seers to gain favour. Though your performance outside the gate was impressive, it was not beyond the power of other domains.”

“Such a ploy might work against others, but I am an Angel of Death, the strength of your soul is clear to me, and it is far below the level of power that the White Maiden is purported to have.”

“To say I was disappointed by your claim to be the White Maiden would be an understatement. I was insulted. The gall of a mortal, to claim such a thing in front of me, playing tricks to appear more knowledgeable and powerful than you actually were.”

“But then, as I moved to cast you out, I felt it. The inextricable pull of destiny, that invisible thread that guides us all towards our destiny. That feeling of the inevitable that one can fight and resist to their graves and in the end realize that despite the toil and struggle, destiny still arrives all the same.”

He paused, looking wistfully at Yuzu, “Do you know my poem, ‘Along Weathered Peaks’?”

Yuzu nodded. This was one of Li Ru’s classics, a short poem that expressed the complexities of situations that people get themselves into. The poem was studied as part of the regular school curriculum. Yuzu recalled being forced to write an essay on one of the metaphors in the poem around a seed growing into a twisted tree.

So this guy is the person who wrote that poem. Yuzu thought, not without an air of resentment. Does he realize how many hundreds of boring assignments his poems are responsible for?

“When I wrote ‘Along Weathered Peaks’, I was at a difficult part in my life.” Li Ru said, unaware of Yuzu’s mild contempt, “My sworn brother and I had been fighting for a cause and had just been betrayed. We escaped, barely holding on to our lives. After some investigation we realized that we were being used to fulfill the goals of others.”

“We were but pawns on a chess board.” He sighed, shaking his head. The edge of his lip curled up slightly in a bitter grin, “At that time, danger lurked around every corner. We didn’t even have time to lick our wounds.”

“But then, seemingly by chance, we encountered fate herself… At least, that is what it seemed like to us at the time. We soon learned that her name was Ezra. One of the last angels of Akahi, the previous era’s Goddess of Fate…”

”She is the leader of the Kismet Order.” Li Ru’s eyebrows knitted together in thought as he brought a hand up to stroke his mustache, “You said you were aware of them, yet you haven’t met them yet?”

“I haven’t met any others from the Fate domain.” Yuzu said, “Although, I have been warned that some Exalted from the Kismet Order are looking for me…”

“Warned? Are you not interested in meeting them?”

Yuzu frowned, considering her response carefully before simply replying, “It feels like it’s dangerous.”

“It is wise to trust your spiritual intuition. The intuition of those attuned to Fate is especially sharp.” Li Ru replied slowly, “And what does your intuition tell you about me?”

“That you can help me.” Yuzu said.

“What is it that you need my help for?” Li Ru asked.

“If I were to put it in words…” Yuzu hesitated as she tried to find a way to express her gut feelings, “Survival.”

Li Ru stroked his mustache, looking over Yuzu for a minute as he contemplated Yuzu’s response. After some thought he said,

“Tell me about how you came to be an Exalted of Fate.”

~

In the Chenmai Forest, at the White Maiden’s shrine, Char Char and Finn reluctantly left the half-constructed temple after waiting inside for an hour.

“I’m sure they will be fine.” Char Char said, “The White Maiden is protecting them.”

“It’s not whether they’ll be fine or not.” Finn muttered, but after a moment he added, “However we are glad to assist the White Maiden as needed.”

They were still in the White Maiden’s shrine, after all. No doubt his actions were still being observed. Now that Minnie had disobeyed his orders and acted on her own there was nothing he could do except accept the situation.

They walked across the field, taking a wide route to avoid walking through the sacred space around the shrine as they headed back toward the pavilions.

“Are you going to wait until they get back?” Char Char asked, purposefully remaining neutral.

She had spent a good deal of the hour grilling Finn for details about his encounter with Yuzu and ensuring that it really was Yuzu who he had met. Inwardly she was ecstatic. Her faith in the White Maiden had been restored after the White Maiden’s response to her prayers, and learning about her best friend only served to revitalize her enthusiasm in supporting the White Maiden’s agenda.

However she was hyper aware of Finn’s attitude toward the entire situation. From his subtle body language and his choice of words she already gathered the crux of what had happened - Finn had tried to resist the White Maiden’s request and not provide Yuzu with assistance. However the White Maiden had arranged things in the background and Finn’s plans were foiled.

Char Char didn’t see this as a loss for Finn, nor was it the White Maiden purposefully antagonizing the officer. In her mind it was only reasonable that events turned out in the maiden’s favour. This was the power of Fate.

“For now, there’s not much else I can do. Once Minnie returns we’ll be able to head back to the city.” Finn said, “Apologies, I told you I’d bring you home after this visit. It seems that things did not turn out as straightforward as I’d intended.”

Char Char shook her head, “Mm, that’s okay. I think it turned out for the best. In the meantime, you can help out here. The Maiden asked me to help keep the people here safe. There are a few officers and guards who came with the caravans, but they need all the help they can get.”

“That’s right, there should be some officers from the police force here as well.” Finn nodded thoughtfully, finding himself agreeing with Char Char, “Let’s head to the pavilion and see what needs to be done.”

~

The morning sun rose over the mountains to the east, heralding the coming of a new day. Noga City woke to an uneasy bustle of activity as its citizens discussed the strange paranormal events of the previous night.

The portly police chief Luan sat at a long table in a decorated meeting room in the Central Noga Police Station. This Chief of the Missing Persons department adjusted his glasses as he looked down at the report in his hands with a grim look on his face. Across from him sat the young, stalwart Chief West of the Homicide department with a tired look on his face.

A grandfather clock ticked by itself at the far wall on the room, making the room feel particularly empty as neither man spoke for a while.

“Who are we still waiting for?” Chief Luan asked at length.

“Chief Vox… and Chief Gwynn.” Chief West said.

A solemn silence fell upon the pair as they realized how much their group had diminished over the past few days. Chief Yun had died in the failed secret operation that marked the start of all the troubles. Chief Bear had been killed the night before by Chief Fang.

“Chief Fang is still in detention…” Chief Luan mumbled softly, “How I wish he could be here.”

Chief West was about to reply when the door opened, and in walked Chief Vox. The thin, pale man with sunken cheekbones and spectacles looked sternly at Chief Luan, “Though it pains me to keep Chief Fang detained, we are still investigating the circumstances around Chief Bear’s death.”

“I understand, however these are dire times. We need the people. If only-” Chief Luan sighed, “What I mean to say is, perhaps a special exception can be made.”

“Bryant Chaser has been called to aid Lord Noga in foreign matters. The Chief council has been given full authority over the security of the city in the interim.” Chief West said, “This means that with a majority vote we could pass a temporary pardon for Chief Fang, so he can assist with the crisis in the city.”

The two Chiefs shared a meaningful glance as they brought up the topic that they had discussed in private before. Despite Chief Fang’s seemingly rogue behaviour, both Chiefs shared a special history with Chief Fang. Though the country’s laws clearly outlined that Chief Fang needed to be held for trial for his crime, given the special circumstances they’d found a loophole.

With their two votes against Chief Vox, they could create a special ruling to free Chief Fang and enlist his help. As for the newly appointed Chief Gwynn, they’d heard that she knew Chief Fang personally through her military position. Furthermore, as a recent emergency-appointed Chief unaware of the current situation, she was likely to side with the majority in this situation.

This meant the vote would be 3-1 in favour of Chief Fang’s release.

“I highly object to this course of action.” Chief Vox frowned, “Chief Fang is a danger to the council and a rogue actor. We do not know why he sought to kill Chief Bear. The city is in an incredibly delicate state, we can’t afford to take such a risk.”

“You make a good argument.” Chief Luan said, “Let us put the matter to a majority council vote.”

“I vote for Chief Fang’s temporary release.” Chief West declared.

“Even if we’re allowed to do so, we need to uphold the law and justice.” Chief Vox gritted his teeth.

“You are against, then. And I vote for the motion.” Chief Luan said. “We have a majority to release Jintang. You can’t argue with this, right? Hand over the keys to Jintang’s cell, so we can enlist his help and bring the city back to order.”

“If you’re speaking about the law, the Chief council has the lawful authority to make this decision.” Chief West said. “Or would you go against the majority vote?”

“No.” Chief Vox muttered through gritted teeth, “You are correct. The majority vote is valid.”

He was about to concede when the door suddenly opened and in walked Chief Gwynn. The short haired officer with tanned skin had a bag of nuts in her hand as she casually walked over to an empty seat on the table without acknowledging the others in the room.

“Chief Gwynn, you made it.” Chief Luan said, “We were just voting on an issue. Due to the emergency situation in Noga, we have decided as a Chief Council to temporarily release Chief Fang to provide assistance.”

“Chief Fang committed treason, killing Chief Bear and crippling his team.” Chief Vox countered, though he already knew he had lost the vote, “I strongly oppose this decision.”

“Given his long history and seniority in the force, we believe this would be the best option for the stability of the city.” Chief Luan said. “The vote is currently passed at 2-1. Your formal approval, of course, would be appreciated.”

“Oh?” Chief Gwynn asked, “And if I disapproved?”

Chief Luan paused, surprised by Chief Gwynn’s question, “Then- as a Chief of the Council you would tie the vote.”

“And this would stop it from passing, yes?” Chief Gwynn asked, calmly surveying the men in the room.

“Yes, but like I said, it’s in our best interests to free Chief Fang and get his assistance.” Chief West argued.

“It’s no good.” Chief Gwynn shook her head, “I refuse to pass this.”

“Wh-what?” The three men stammered.

“I read the report. The circumstances around Chief Bear’s death are too suspicious.” Chief Gwynn had an expression of utmost seriousness on her face as she leaned forward on the table, “More investigation needs to be done before I can accept any argument to release Chief Fang.”

“The four of us will have to deal with the security of the city ourselves.”