Standing at the top of the Seventh Peak, Master Seventh looked coldly at the sea for a long moment. Then he looked away.

“Come on,” he said, “let’s play another game.”

“Of course,” the servant said. As he prepared the board, he hesitated, then quietly asked, “Master Seventh, about Third Highness and the Kid....”

Master Seventh looked at the servant. “You care a lot about the Kid, don’t you?”

The servant nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Third Sib does things by fair means or foul,” Master Seventh continued. “That’s just who he is. He looks kind, but the reality is that he’s completely emotionless. That’s how he rose to the top during his Offpeak years, and that’s how he joined the ranks of my apprentices. It’s what I like about him. As for the Kid, the question is whether he can figure out what Third Sib is all about, and whether he can stand out in his own way. It’ll depend on how smart he is. In this chaotic world, fools don’t last very long.”

With that, Master Seventh looked out at the predawn sky, which was just about to fill with light.

***

Beneath that same dome of heaven, in Harbor 79, Xu Qing sat down in his dharmaboat to think. As the sun rose, driving away the darkness of light, his eyes glittered.

First. Thirty years ago during the Grand Competition, the Merfolk became allies of Seven Blood Eyes. It makes sense that the two parties would...