Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 3 Paradise

Chapter 37 Go

<Qingque, Day of the Execution>

Storm clouds loomed over the small island town. The reconstruction of said town had finished smoothly. The empress sent her finest carpenters and craftsmen. An entourage of capable warriors also made residence in the village, vowing to train a new protector. If no divine marks appeared in the next few years they'd leave one member behind to settle.

"Lightning, it's great we finished the canals before any serious storm hit."

"It's to be expected we're by the sea." The chief carpenter snorted.

A few craftsmen sat in a circle and enjoyed a filling meal of steaming hot rice and rich fish soup. Salt-preserved vegetables flavored their tongues. Flaky and fresh sea bream satiated their tastebuds. Despite being a remote island town, the food provided was phenomenal. Some even wanted to stay, mainly the younger craftsmen.

"It's not bad here."

"Speak for yourself."

"You speak for no one."

"Indeed, the little fox wants to eat soft rice. Pah with his looks?"

"He'd eat it till there's none left!"

"Let's wager then!" The young man balled a fist at his companions. Lightning struck and the group decided they needed something to pass the time. An old man spoke up, a greedy look flashed on his face.

"Let's count thunder then—seconds from after the flash. Ten wen goes to the winner."

Coins clinked but the young man hesitated. It wasn't a big sum of money per se. The wen was a bronze coin that could buy a meal of rice. Ten wen could feed one for a few days. There was plenty of lightning-striking tonight, if he wasn't careful he could lose hundreds of wen.

The system for the Empire's currency was centralized and simple. Wen was the lowest-value coin. Then came the silver tael that was worth a thousand Wen. After that, the gold tael was worth sixteen silver teals. Teals were metal ingots forged into a condensed boat shape and stamped with ancient writing. For craftsmen who worked under the Emperess, their yearly salary was roughly five silver taels. Comparatively, a farmer from the countryside would earn just over one silver tael a year.

"Let's play," The young man gave into his greed.

Lightning flashed and he immediately estimated the distance to be roughly twenty li or ten kilometers away. The direction was towards the mountainous side of the island. Coins clinked, and his blood ran warm.

"Six seconds."

"Eight."

So the group sat and waited. One, two, three, there was no thunder. Four and five. The young man grew nervous. Six, seven. The old man smiled in triumph. Eight, nine. Still no thunder. The group waited for another half minute but another strike had fallen. It was farther away and towards the sea.

"There was nothing."

"Play one more?"

"No, the weather is too unpredictable."

<Cave>

It was where the lightning struck that consumed the sound. The cave rumbled as a golden figure emerged from the lightning. He was paler than a corpse and blood oozed from a few of his wounds. He'd bleed more had it not been so cold or if he had enough left. He was at death's door but the only worry on his mind was the unfamiliar place. The cave was upsloping so rainwater couldn't flood in. Damn and freezing but its temperatures only warranted a cold.