Just one day on a steel boat called a frigate was enough to change the familiar routine of travelling around the local world beyond recognition, making my head spin. And no, it wasn't a positive connotation — having put people on the ships, I already understood that there wouldn't be many sailors among the locals, and besides, the iron ship was definitely more complex in its design and control than the little boat on which I had arrived at the island of Kioshi. No sails, only engines, propellers and an internal crew that had to be able to operate all of this. I carefully selected the latter myself before sending the package with the mummies on its journey, so as not to be left high and dry when it came time to cast off from the shore. To ensure that no one lied about their skills — and there were many liars, because the soldiers quickly realised that I needed engineers, mechanics, preferably a cook, and someone who knew their way around the difficult equipment at the helm — I had to delve deeper into my magic. Unlike the simple warriors of Kioshi, who could have simply recruited glib-tongued people, I listened to my sixth sense and was forced to learn a new and amazing skill: lie detection.
On paper, the process was simple: listen to the heartbeat and try to detect the slightest fluctuations, but I could hardly even tell how a heart should beat in a normal state. Putting your hand on your chest is one thing, but hearing the vibrations it emits with your whole being, understanding its tone and activity, is something else entirely. To do this, I had to at least learn what a normal heart sounds like — not just mine, which is usually in a calm state. After talking to the prisoners in their cells, the peaceful residents who were afraid of me, and the suspicious Kioshi warriors, I studied the many states of our flesh-and-blood friend and, starting from the opposite, began to notice distortions whenever someone lied or tried to say something without finishing their sentence. The most important thing, as it seemed to me, was that I could try to find out if a person was angry or upset, even if they had a poker face.
Did that solve all my problems? Oh no, that was just the beginning, from which I gained at least one very useful skill. I didn't even want to talk about the mechanics, who sincerely considered themselves better than their neighbour, who used to be paid a large salary simply because of his good looks or his parents' connections, even if it was their personal delusion, arrogance, and everything else inherent in the people of fire, it didn't matter. The hardest part was assigning them to their places and making sure no one sabotaged the mission. Seriously, everyone knows that the "invaders" don't know how to navigate a ship, but they demand to be taken on a route that is currently unknown and will take more than one day. What are the chances that you will be taken prisoner upon arrival, and that help will turn into a cage, God forbid? I had to threaten them; I couldn't lie to them.
Gathering everyone in one place, I promised that I would turn anyone who dared to get in the way into a mummy, which was worse than some kind of imprisonment, and for some even death. My fearsome appearance worked perfectly, especially since even more terrifying rumours about me were circulating among the people of fire than about Omash. A living disciple of the air nomads who promised to avenge the extermination of an entire people; a man who devoured souls; an evil spirit of vengeance sent by the kingdom of the earth, and many, many more. But that didn't mean that the cook wouldn't poison the food or that the mechanic wouldn't blow up the ship filled with dynamite — yes, yes, there was still a lot of it in the warehouses. Therefore, guards — the Warriors of Kioshi — were assigned to different groups. And even that didn't make life any easier. What the hell was the cook for, if the ordinary inhabitants of Kioshi Island could cook? But when they saw unfamiliar foods, meat from unknown animals native to the kingdom of fire, and the methods of storing all this in REFRIGERATORS and cans, they were ready to just scratch their heads and throw up their hands. And they had to cook a lot, three times a day, so the residents started watching and learning.
In cases of conflict and misunderstanding, the Kioshi people would come to me personally and ask me to resolve the issues — not to Suyuki, but to me, as if I myself understood something about the local coal engines — and they used them here, shovelling coal with a shovel or asking if the captain had changed course. As you can imagine, asking Afka to bring books on the subject so that I could gain a deeper understanding of coal engines or navigation was pointless; she didn't like sailing. And there weren't many books on these subjects in the library anyway.
"A wasted day," I leaned against the rail and stared at the restless sea, which couldn't care less about the iron horse, and didn't immediately notice that a female figure had approached me from behind.
"I see you're tired today," I turned my head slightly and saw Suyuki, only in a slightly unusual form. For the first time, she was without makeup, though still in her uniform and holding a fan in her hands, which she used to gently fan her face. My gaze easily caught her plump lips, neat nose, and blue eyes, unspoiled by any "intimidating" makeup. "Is there something on my face?"
The girl smiled, came closer, and handed me a glass with some kind of drink.
"No, there's nothing there. What is it?" I stared suspiciously at the glass, my voice taking on a harsh tone for a second. Suyuki immediately raised an eyebrow, and I remembered that I no longer watched to make sure no one slipped anything into my food. Exhaling, I took a sip, which turned out to be orange juice. "Sorry, I don't trust anyone today. Thank you very much.
It was like returning to my past life. Maybe that's why I was so good at becoming a local interrogator. Although, people only viewed me with caution and fear.
"No, I understand everything, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. You've motivated my friends and the residents, they can't sleep, thinking about what their new life will be like. And at the same time, you've taken on a great responsibility for our safety... heh, some people are already calling you a motivational wizard.
"So, the fifth type of magic is already taken by the fuckers, do you want to cast doubt on my many days of research? ... Although, yes, it's actually worth considering," Suyuki giggled amusedly and held a fan to the lower half of her face.
"I'm serious... I've never been so motivated to study hard and read books on leadership. And my friends never thought that in their free time, they would start studying new philosophical works and take a completely new look at the world. We want to become even better so that... so that we can become your partners," and at that moment her voice trailed off and she stared at her feet. "We were trained by Kiyoshi to carry out her most difficult tasks, but for generations we lived in isolation and trained ourselves to exhaustion, without even a chance to put all our experience to use. But you see this potential in us, and that's why we all hope that life will finally have meaning.
"You want to serve so badly? I even blinked in surprise, which made Suyuki blush.
"Not to serve, but to be useful to the world! Kiyoshi kept the world in balance, so we, her heirs, must also do something... Dagoth, you say that the four nations are an illusion, and that disunity and peace lead to nothing but stagnation - we saw that for ourselves today, walking around this monstrously huge ship, which isn't even the largest in the Fire Nation's fleet. Such innovations in the world are simply frightening. But your view is diametrically opposed to Kioshi's ideas, which means you want to make peace with the Fire Nation in the future?
The gaze of such a young, inexperienced, but already surprisingly intelligent girl demanded an answer to her question. A suspiciously oppressive atmosphere descended on the ship on that dark night.
"Yes," I nodded confidently.
"You don't think that peace with such people is impossible? It's not for me to explain history, even Kioshi knows how the enemy committed genocide against the air nomads. Do you really think the enemy will want to stop?"
"But you yourself mentioned the ship, which is the pinnacle of technological thought. Have you considered how much effort and perseverance went into its creation? How many people, possibly born on the mainland of the Earth Kingdom, studied for this? How many people consider the captured territories their home, where not one generation lived? By forcing everyone back into their stalls, you will unleash a storm of negativity and roll back years of expansion, raising a generation of even more embittered people, not to mention how this will affect ordinary citizens and the families of military commanders. This is the path to new, even more brutal conflicts.
"Why should I care about their lives after what they've done? - Suyuki frowned and even clenched her fists.
"You shouldn't. They are enemies to you, to me, and to the entire Earth Kingdom," my calm tone caused even more confusion. "I'm just saying that such a technological breakthrough, which allowed one people to separate themselves from the rest, could be torn apart even more if we joined forces. Did you see how shocked the residents looked at the refrigerator? Believe me, that's just a small part of what technology is capable of — new types of medicines to help with the most terrible diseases; even faster and more convenient transportation; and, ultimately, science that allows us to find new approaches to magic. All I want is for the benefits of development to be enjoyed by more than just one nation.
And most of my thoughts were focused on personal safety. After all, the further the world moves away from its backward state, the safer everyone can feel, and the average life expectancy will steadily increase. And let new dangers arise, but every person who lived in the twenty-first century will confidently declare that they would never want to live in the Middle Ages, where the mortality rate was many times higher. Yes, even when I was living in the desert, I longed to raise the level of medicine to at least an acceptable minimum, because all these ointments and herbs, let's face it, are only a half-measure against really serious ailments.
"Maybe I should think about it some more," Suyuki struggled to understand my thoughts and exhaled with a complicated expression on her face. "In any case, we're unlikely to say anything against it — the Kiyoshi understand perfectly well what stagnation is. But tell me, how are you going to be friends with the Fire Lord, about whom there are so many sinister rumours?
"Well... - turning to the fox, who had been sitting aside watching us all this time, I let her jump onto my arm. "They say negotiations go best during a solar eclipse. I also have a meeting with a retired general who will definitely want to hear my arguments.
"Hmm? - Suyuki raised her eyebrow expressively," - Well, you have connections. But I think you know what you're doing. Anyway, it's already evening, are you going to sleep or... can we practise?
Suyuki grinned, quickly came up behind me, grabbed both my arms, and whispered in my ear with a kind of pleasure, as if she had taken revenge. I heard a sweet "One/one."
"You know, I'm ready to practise with you for as long as you want," I said, taking a step forward and making Suyuki look at her hands, which were bound in jammons, in shock. "Cute handcuffs."
"Foo-foo-foo," Afka closed her paw, laughing maliciously.
"You... Let go of me! And why is that moustached bastard laughing at me?
"I don't think so. I've found a wonderful way to rescue a lady in distress.
"By getting her into this mess in the first place? - The damsel in distress felt an ominous crystal creeping up her arms.
"Spot on.
They still have a lot to learn, and I really hope that interacting with Boomi's soldiers will give them the experience of fighting against numerous enemies, as well as deepen their understanding of my philosophy. Although, there was still a question that even Lotus couldn't answer... Everyone wants to overthrow the Fire Lord without asking who could prevent such a powerful nation from becoming angry at the changes in the world. Young Zuko, who has never spent a day in his life governing a country or learning even the basics, or the evil Azula, who is not ready for change?
Looking up at the horizon, I whispered in a barely audible voice:
"Isn't this what you wanted to discuss with me, Lotus leader Airo?