Mei sighed; it was her second attempt to gain an audience in the Imperial Court, and she had been, once again, rejected. Her money had run out, her list of friends was shrinking, and her debts were rising...

Really, she couldn't afford to be eating at a restaurant as she was. But with her housing plans as dubious as they are, she wasn't exactly sure what else to do. She'd have to run off without paying her bill. That was okay—she would move out of the city soon regardless. Maybe westward; she'd heard tales of the people living near the sea: rich, exotic, scientific, rich....

She looked over to her left; there was a little commotion going on. A foreign looking man, young, with dark hair, was trying, and failing, to communicate to the waitress. She listened more attentively and perked up; it was the common tongue spoken in the far West. She had once studied under some Western priests, and knew the language fairly well. She stood up and walked over.

"Hello? Are you from the West?" she asked.

"Oh, yes! You can understand me?" he replied, visibly relieved.

She nodded. "I knew some priests of yours. What's the problem?"

He scratched his head. "I'm not really sure how to pay..."

"You don't have money?"

"No. I only brought liquidized goods. Can gold suffice?"

She turned towards the waitress and asked if he could pay in gold.

"She says that you may."

He pulled out a bag from inside his cloak and placed a rather large nugget of gold on the table, causing most of the onlookers to look at him with envy; of course, they didn't dare to do anything, not so close to the Imperial Palace.

"Will that be enough?" he asked, looking towards her to translate.

"That... that will be more than enough..." she answered, a little dazed.

"Oh, I'll pay for your meal as well, then. For thanks."

My luck finally turned around!

"Thank you very much, uh...?"

He looked up in thought for a minute. "Marc. With a 'c'. And what is your name?"

"Mei." she answered.

He motioned for her to sit down. "No last name?"

"No, well, uh, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why?"

"It's... Cuo."

He nodded. "Okay. What's wrong with that?"

She sighed. "It's a... pun. And a bad one."

"Really? In what way?"

"It means... wait, why am I telling you!?"

"Just curious."

"You haven't even told me your last name!"

"Oh, why, look at the time. I have to go," he said abruptly.

"Where?"

"The Imperial Palace. I had heard that the Empress likes to meet travelers, foreigners, and scholars, and thought I'd get an audience with her."

She looked down. "Don't get your hopes up. I... I was just there."

He looked down at her. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, I'll need a translator, and I think I have a pretty good chance at meeting her, which will let you do whatever you wanted to do."

She thought about it for a minute. It was true that she was desperate to talk to the Empress; she would definitely recognize her genius when she showed her the device she had made! It would revolutionize writing! The man, if nothing else, seemed to have a lot of gold. Perhaps he could bribe his way in... no, probably not, but it was worth a chance!

Finally, she nodded.

"Good, let's go," he said, smiling.

"What are you, anyways?"

"Me?" he asked, pointing at himself. "I'm a wandering magician."

Great red gates carved with intricate designs and covered with gold welcomed the two into the Imperial Palace. The Palace was located on a slight incline upwards and blocked by a moat, with walls over 10 meters high surrounding the insides. Hundreds of guards could be seen patrolling the area, with four holding the gates.

"Tell them I'm here for an audience and that I'm a magician from the West."

She sighed and transferred his message, feeling a little idiotic at the 'magician' part. "They want a demonstration."

He nodded and walked up to them.

Wasn't he going to bribe them!? Is he really trying to get in with a magic trick? This was a waste of time after all...

He snapped his fingers. At once, sparks of all colors ran out from his sleeves and into the air, accompanied by crackling noises. The guards flinched back, startled. Then, they nodded.

"They... grant you permission..." she said, a little stupefied. Was he actually a magician?

He only nodded, an annoying 'I-told-you-so' smile on his face.

Escorted by the guards, they entered the main hall of the palace. But right before, Marc took out a vial and poured it into his mouth. When Mei looked closely, she could see his cheeks bulge a bit, but she didn't mention it. Finally, the Empress came into view, her young daughter nearby. They were both dressed in flowering gowns of silk, probably worth more than everything Mei had ever owned in her life. She felt a little intimidated at the Imperial aura of the place; this was no place for a peasant like her.

The Empress spoke: "You come from the West, have you not?"

"You can speak our tongue?" he asked, a hint of bemusement in his voice.

"I can indeed. We have entertained merchants and other... eccentric travelers before. What have you come for? I have heard that you are a... magician?"

Marc walked up. "I am Douglas McAruthur, and I am a magician who has wandered the lands, all the way here. I can breathe fire—" He held his fist up and blew from his mouth, a wave of flame shooting across the room. "Or cause colors to erupt in the sky," he continued, opening his cloak, where the same sparks from before appeared in greater numbers, racing into the air.

The Empress giggled in a very dignified, imperial fashion. "That is a very good skill to have, Douglas McArthur."

"But," he interrupted, "what I have truly come here to do is—" He paused and reached down into his cloak, pulling out a strange, thin thing out. It looked like a metal stick bent into a 'U' with two circles appearing at one end. He walked over to the Empress' daughter, who had enjoyed the show so far.

Guards blocked his way, but the Empress waved them away, an amused look on her face.

He knelt by her and placed the device on her head. She blinked a few times and then said something to her mother in delight.

"You... have made the world clearer?" she asked, a hint of shock in her voice.

"I had heard that the Empress' daughter, while being beautiful and excelling in all arts and studies, had poor vision. My magic can correct that," he said bowing.

"You... you are truly interesting!" she said with a laugh. "Come, you do not have a place to stay this night, do you?"

"No, I do not. In fact, I have no place of lodging, being a wanderer."

"Then stay a while at the Royal Palace, would you please? Rooms will be prepared for you, and... your consort?"

"Me?" Mei said. "Oh, no, I wouldn't, not with him, uh, no, I, uh, no, uh—"

"She is my assistant and translator," Marc interrupted. "Please provide lodgings for her as well."

"It is done. Enjoy your stay. I do hope you will join us for dinner."

"Of course. I will retire, then. It has been a long journey here."

"As you wish."

As the guards brought them away, Mei began a series of inquiring whispers:

"Didn't you say your name was Marc?"

"Yes, it's Adolf Hitler. What about it?" he said offhandedly.

"Wasn't it McArthur something?"

"Stalin? Yes, I'm Joseph Stalin."

"Stalin? No, you said you were Hitler..."

"Winston Churchill, indeed, that is who you have."

"What? No, but... you know, I don't care anymore..." she said with a sigh. "In any case, whatever your name is, thank you for letting me in."

"What was your original intention anyway? Did you want to sputter in front of the Empress? Admiral goal," he said with an annoyingly wry smile.

"I had an invention," she said defensively, "it used blocks of inscribed wood and... wait, I can't tell you!"

"Oho? A device for printing letters?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you know!?"

"I know everything. In any case, I'd like you to show me later."

The guard directed him into his room.

He waved at her. "Well, I think I shall take a nap. See you at dinner," he said, entering his quarters.