The entrance to the Solaris Museum wasn’t as crowded as Aziz expected it to be, but on second thought, the recent unrest meant that few were in the mood to walk around the city. Aziz and Marie had walked over after getting something called an onigiri, and on the way, they had spotted a few people getting accosted by groups of people holding placards.

Some of them were supporting the Thousand Flowers faction, while the others were agitating in favour of the Humanity Front, but there was one thing in common both sides shared — they were a bunch of pushy people. More than once, these hot-blooded youths had attempted to press their targets through physical means of intimidation…

But as it turned out, anyone living in Seireiden had to have backing. Most of their targets were people who were Squires, who immediately used their own cultivation to force these unruly youths back. In fact, the two had observed a moment in which one of those roving protest groups attempted to accost a Knight, only to be forced onto their knees with qi alone. The Knight probably had an Engine — it looked like an Ability or something — and the group remained on their knees until the Knight turned a corner.

Marie had passed down more orders to prevent Thunderbolt from taking sides. Under no circumstances would Thunderbolt be allowed to engage those activists in conversation, and upon being approached, they were to leave the conversation peacefully without any engagement either. The company commanders would ensure that her orders would be carried out, without fail.

After walking for a few more minutes, a rather large mansion-like building appeared. On it was a handwritten title — ‘The Museum of Solaris: In memoriam of Champion Solaris’. A neat little flourish at the Champion’s name gave the name an odd, inexplicable touch of life. A smaller sign at the side of the entrance read ‘Discounted entry: ten gold’.

“Looks like business is down,” said Marie, passing a bunch of gold coins over to the person manning the entrance.

“Riots, protests and then martial law…” A woman, dressed in a crisp black shirt, shook her head in response. “The Plenum has gone mad, I think. Fortunately, the zaibatsus are holding the fort, but…”

“But?”

“It’s nothing,” said the woman. “Enjoy your tour! Since you’re our first visitors for the day, you can have your own tour guide to bring you guys around. They’re well trained and exceedingly professional.”

“How knowledgeable are they?” Marie asked.

“We have quite a few who used to explore legacy sites the Cardinal Champions left behind. Our museum invited them to take on this job when they retired from their searching and exploring, so you can be sure that they are quite the expert,” said the woman.

“Let’s go with that, then,” said Marie. “Any extra fees?”

“You’re the first customer today, so no.” The woman smiled and clapped her hands. “Bokensha! Customers!”

An old man, with a set of thick-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, ambled out. “Good morning, esteemed guests from afar.”

The man smiled and winked. “I’m Bokensha, a former explorer of the Champions’ legacies and legends. I’ll be your guide for this trip.”

“Enjoy!” The woman gestured at the entrance. “Have a good time!”

“Come,” said Bokensha, “let’s go.”

Marie and Aziz followed the old man into the building. There was a small dark passage that they had to walk through, and when they next emerged, the two found themselves in an incredible place. They were in what looked like…a street of sorts. All around them were people dressed in a dapper outfit, much like the suits that Aziz had seen once or twice in the Republic’s high society.

Giant buildings that dwarfed even the pagodas of Mi-Zu and Feng-Lang were everywhere, blocking out even the sky.

“Wow,” said Aziz. “How many years must have passed for Solaris’ world to be like this?”

“Regretfully,” said the old man, “his nation used a different dating style, compared to the other Champions. To complicate things, we aren’t even sure if the four Champions were selected from the same time, but anyone versed in history can tell you that much. At least, however, we can be sure that this illusory landscape was created through Solaris’ memory, in a year he called Showa Forty-two.”

Marie nodded. “Records of the lifestyle differences between the Champions continue to exist. We can be sure that Lunaris and Octantis were chosen from the same time period, but the same cannot be said for the others.”

“You’re quite knowledgeable, young lady. Were you a scholar previously?” Bokensha asked.

“Wanted to,” Marie replied. “But wars and plans don’t co-exist.”

“You’re…part of them, right? Those who came from afar to help us in a time of need,” said the old man. “Thank you, marshal.”

“That was fast,” Aziz replied dryly. “Bokensha, are we that obvious?”

“Do not underestimate the elders, colonel.” The old man let out a toothy grin. “We know about you guys. Rest assured. You and your troops will be protected from the flames of politics and power by those who truly matter.”

Aziz and Marie glanced at each other, and then inclined their heads to the old man, who laughed.

“This old set of bones can’t do much, but to think I can help you in history…” He laughed again. “I will tell you all I know about Solaris-kyou, the progenitor of the Eastern Territories.”

It felt nice to be appreciated, and Aziz basked in this warmth while Marie thanked the old man again, who brushed it off airily. After a few more minutes of pleasantries, Bokensha returned to his role as a tour guide.

“So…Champion Solaris,” said the tour guide. “You two look learned enough for me to skip The Basic History of Orb, so I shall get into the…more interesting stuff. We have a lot of illusory realities here that can ease you guys into his life.”

“Ten gold for the entrance fee, and that’s with a discount,” said Aziz. “I see why now.”

“We need to buy special gems to maintain them, after all. One of them can power our exhibits for half a year, but the price of these things has shot up recently,” said the old man. “If business continues to fall…”

“That’s quite the pity,” said Marie.

“Well, enough about us,” said Bokensha. “Now, time for you to see a miracle!”