Chapter 27: Zaofu

A little over a month of training to be an Architect... whether that is much or little depends entirely on your perspective. I hadn't studied all the disciplines a truly skilled and useful Architect ought to know: the exact sciences, outpost construction, and the reinforcement of materials, essentially only three distinct courses that local "universities" dedicate far more time to. Though, as Liu said, we cheated. Our entire education was concentrated; every detail was tested in practice, where we could both make adjustments to buildings on the fly. For Shen Guan, this was an unattainable luxury. They were spread thin over vast territories; their Architects shuttled between outposts, and amidst red tape and negotiations with surly squad captains, managed to build something here and there. It says enough that even Liu, because of her association with me, was forced to study for nine...

She frequently stayed at my house, simply because she no longer had the strength to return to the military encampment. When she wasn't teaching me, her head was always buried in two other books, trying to make up for lost material. Rare volumes on design were shuffled with contour maps and data on how to fortify vital strategic positions. She drew particular inspiration from sketches of castles and other majestic edifices in beautiful locales, clinging to sheer cliffs, nestled among mountain peaks, or even soaring beneath the vault of the heavens.

That was when the idea began to take root. Secretly from Liu, I started creating a blueprint following all the rules she had taught me: the correct positioning and wall angles, the ideal layout of corridors and residential structures. I managed to extract some knowledge from the books Afka brought, while other bits were gleaned by deconstructing the architecture of various existing monuments. The result was a massive fortress of sand, enclosed by walls on all sides. Inside was its own courtyard, observation towers, granaries for food, dungeons for prisoners, and even a water well. I had to sweat and pester Anubis for that last one, but the fortress, one that could be utilized by more than just myself, was ready.

That final point, by the way, was the primary requirement. I didn't plan on staying here long, and a castle made of simple sand would be under the control of literally no one but me. That is why all the walls, floors, and columns of this place were made of reinforced, polished abrasive, that is, quartz. In certain spots where I had put in extra effort, like the throne, you could even see your own reflection. Mastering this material is far easier than controlling vast masses of loose sand.

"You built this in a couple of hours?" Liu clutched her head when she saw it. The protractor built into her own eye measured the precision of every wall and verified the columns. There wasn't a single flaw to find.

"Do you see me as some kind of Superman? I spent several days just preparing the material. But the rest was indeed easier; sand is perfect for construction because of the ability to change every angle without any extra headaches."

Liu was forced to nod. You couldn't make something this beautiful with stone unless you had an infinite amount of time. Her mouth agape, the girl spun on her heel with her head tilted back, unable to tear her eyes away from the place. But in the end... she gave a sly smile.

"You built this castle in such a beautiful place, decorated it so much... and yet you were the one saying everything should be done without excess."

"It has its practical benefits," I said, though despite my words, she was clearly enthralled. "But it would be more accurate to say I simply couldn't help myself. Oops." I was starting to realize what kind of "fun" King Bumi meant when he spoke of this place. Defying expectations, building something completely unimaginable that others wouldn't even think of… it was incredibly fun.

I gave Liu a short tour to acquaint her with the actual layout, and at the end, I handed her the blueprint, which showed everything far better than I could describe. Studying it, the girl rubbed her chin and gave a grim, hesitant nod.

"This is... excellent work. I'm certain they won't just take you into Shen Guan now, they'll tear your legs off to keep you there and force you to work until the last drop of sweat soaks into your precious sand. Come on, I'll personally introduce you and show them what you've done!"

"No, Liu. I'm leaving." Looking at the hand pulling at me, trying to lead me down from the high tower where I had brought us, I offered a calm smile. "There are many other things I need to study to keep improving. And Architecture... it's not that useful a skill for me. But it was very interesting. Perhaps we could stay in touch?"

Moreover, I felt that because of all this, I would soon definitely open my second chakra.

"...I see," she sighed heavily, rubbing her furrowed brow. "Won't you reconsider? It's foolish to waste such talent; besides, there are many things that, once studied, would make you a more masterful Architect. Your approach... it's unique. You would become famous quickly."

"I'm sure," I smiled faintly, looking at the text appearing before my eyes.

[Choose:]

[1 — Become a Shen Guan Architect (You will master the true skills of construction and fortification. Your blacksmithing experience will allow you to merge these disciplines and achieve significant success. However, your reputation will work against you; over time, far more forces will be directed at Shen Guan. The longer you stay, the higher the risk of the military town falling.)]

[2 — Refuse (You will continue your journey. Unique knowledge awaits ahead.)]

[3 — Suggest she comes with you (Your relationship with Liu has been forged through long, mutual labor. By promising to care for her, you can gain a partner. Warning: The partner's survival is not guaranteed; it will depend on your skills.)]

All these options were obvious... but how unpleasant they were.

Looking into the disappointed girl's eyes, I stepped closer and gave her a brief hug. Nothing more, no romance or even fear, just cold, clear reason, making it perfectly plain that in the places I would visit, an ordinary person, or even a soldier, would find it impossible to survive. Perhaps, to some extent, it was an excess of callousness speaking in me, a stark understanding of what it takes to survive, but letting someone close to me now was just as naive as becoming an Architect.

"Is it upsetting because no one else will carry out your nonsensical errands?" I asked with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Then this is for you. A small token of gratitude for everything." Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a book, or rather, transcribed sheets where I had copied knowledge of the Air Nomads' structures, their unique methods, and architecture, and handed them to her. The girl only had time to glance at the first page before her vision focused on the letters, shutting out everything else.

The Air Nomads had a very rich history in protecting their temples, from which one could derive useful insights. It wasn't just the fact that they built them in the middle of nowhere, in bizarre ways, or even upside down, it was the knowledge of how to build upon the most gargantuan peaks, something no Earthbenders had been able to achieve until then. All this knowledge had been passed down and developed, well, roughly since the first Airbenders appeared.

"Thanks..." But clutching the sheets to her chest and looking up, Liu froze. She was now alone on the tower. The only undeniable proof that a bender as solid as rock, as shifting as sand, and as stubborn as crystal had truly stood before her was the giant castle that could manifoldly improve Shen Guan’s defenses. "And he really didn't kill anyone the whole time... a pacifist."

******

My survival was under a great threat, death was breathing down my neck, and the risk that I would have to kill to stay alive had grown exponentially. You see, I had... almost run out of ingredients for creating ointments. All the time I had spent studying, fighting, and building, I had been depleting my supplies of cooking ingredients, fatigue-relieving remedies, and the like. For ointments against burns, deep wounds, or even something warming to help through a cold, windy night, nothing remained.

That was why I had to walk along the shore, gathering the necessary ingredients. Carefully, with meticulous precision, I shucked shellfish, dove for seaweed, and made sure not to forget tree resin, the fireflies encountered at night, and worms.

"Af," Afka called out softly, looking with a vacant stare at the ingredients cooking in dozens of crystal pots, and the fish I was very carefully butchering so as not to damage the valuable parts.

"Don't whine, I'm practicing medicine. I didn't spend two years learning how to perfectly butcher and process anything for nothing, and the sacred scriptures of the library now allow me to transform that experience into something useful. Ten jars for deep wounds and bites, aiding in disinfection, are ready. We mustn't forget the remedies for rabies."

"Af."

"I don't understand a thing. Maybe you could write it down? Oh, right, you have paws."

"Gr-r-r-r..."

Having once again proved to myself that everything I do is not in vain, and having applied the ointment against rabies and bites for good measure, I continued my journey to the remaining points of interest. There were two settlements left on my path, which Bumi had marked with two different descriptions:

"Here you will find friends"—referring to my next destination, and—"given your character, you will feel right at home there," implying the last town I needed to visit before heading to Kyoshi Island.

"What did he mean by 'friends'?" I continued to ask myself gloomily, standing with a map at the summit of a large, beautiful mountain gorge. It offered a perfect view of a lake, with a settlement situated right at the foot of the mountains, nestled between two rivers. "...Hey, Afka."

"Af."

"This is... the place of glory for the Crystal Knight, Cheng, isn't it?"

A small settlement: Zaofu.

I remembered little from the Avatar: Korra canon, but for some reason, this specific location, or rather, the name of the city, was etched deeply in my mind. Could it be because this was the place where, sometime in the future, the city of metal would be built, the most secure place in the world?

But what was so remarkable about it in the current era?