I took my breath in and took a moment, still amazed by the size of the building and everything. This was amazing. An actual ancient sumo arena. Or well, ancient for me. I wasn’t really sure what year it was here, or how it lined up with the years back home. Just going off feel though, it was definitely ancient.

  “I’m delivering clay for the arena. Representative Norimoro is somewhere behind me, but we’re a lot faster than his horses,” I pointed the thumb to the load in my wagon as I explained.

  Without any sort of prompting, the one who didn’t stop me went around and looked inside the wagon. I even felt him climb in and dig around a little to verify what I was carrying and that there wasn’t anything nefarious.

  The man nodded his head. Both of these men were what I thought of when I thought of cultivators. Clean shaven, long hair in a topknot that seemed like it had never been out of place and deep brown eyes.

  “Hey, can I ask you a question?” I asked the one who was standing there waiting for his partner.

  He looked up at me and gave a quick slight nod.

  “You guys are cultivators, right? I thought the cultivators and sumo wrestlers didn’t get along?” I asked and leaned forward.

  The man looked affronted. “We are cultivators of the Glorious Sect of the Empire. The Empire sends us to perform tasks beyond the capabilities of mortals.

  He stared at me and I felt a cold aura try to enter my spirit. I frowned at him and while I didn’t say anything, I steeled myself. This guy wasn’t going to sense my power without asking. The grey, colorless mana that I had running through my channels built a wall around my core and while he tried to push and probe with his senses, he couldn’t make it through. I watched him stare at me and a bit of sweat formed on his brow as he tried to feel me out. Without realizing it, I yawned. It had been a long day on the road, after all.

  “That includes the sumotori,” the man in my wagon added. It seemed like he wanted to throw an insult in there the way he sounded, but he didn’t.

  I cocked my eyebrow and turned around to look at him. “Finding anything good?”

  He frowned at me and then looked past me to the other cultivator and called out. “It’s just clay like he said.”

  The one outside of the wagon looked up at me and I heard the other climb out and down.

  “You said Norimoro sent you?” the one who stayed on the ground asked.

  I nodded my head. “Yeah, I just came down from Sunjin with it. Norimoro should be somewhere behind on his way,” I said with a shrug.

  The man nodded his head and his partner came around and they opened the double doors. “Go ahead, they’ll be glad you got here so quickly.”

  As soon as the doors were opened wide enough, Betsy lowered her head and pulled the wagon through them. I noticed the one who was trying to probe just stare at me with a confused look on his face. I wasn’t sure if the look was because he couldn’t figure out my power or if he could figure out I didn’t have an element. Oh well, it didn’t matter, or well… I hope it didn’t matter.

  We rode down a long hallway and a few minutes later, we were in the middle of a large arena. I looked around with my mouth hanging open dumbly. I had been to a few ball games when I was younger, and this was nicer than anything I had been in. Everything was polished wood and the green and black was everywhere. The arena was set up like the sumo tournament arenas I watched back home. Some boxes on platforms that led up to the cheap seats, which were wooden benches people could sit on.

  Then above the middle of the arena was the steepled top of what looked like the roof of a house. I gasped and couldn’t help myself. Bowing softly, arms at my sides, I stood as many sumo wrestlers do before and after their ring appearances. I knew this monument wasn’t the same as the one they used back home, but everything looked similar to the Shinto religious icons that were associated with sumo.

  “Can we help you?”

  A voice knocked me from gawking and I looked down to see who said it. I hadn’t even noticed the crew of men sitting around. They must have been waiting for me. I grinned. “Sorry, I was looking up at..” I trailed off and pointed as I looked back up to it. Something was calling me to it unconsciously, and I had to fight it to keep on track.

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  “I have the clay for the dohyo. Norimoro is somewhere behind me. We outran him because he said this had to get here as soon as possible,” I explained.

  The dozen or so men groaned at the prospect of having to do work. They were all dressed simply. Some of them didn’t even have shirts on, just pants. They did not wear any sort of robe or clothing like that. Simple shirts and pants. They were all big burly men, and I didn’t think they were going to have any trouble with the clay.

  The crew leader nodded his head. “Excellent, we’ve been waiting. Can you turn the wagon around? Then you and the ox can take a break while we unload. We’ll try to get you on your way as soon as we can.”

  He was the one man who wasn’t that big and probably a little older than the rest, if the gray hairs edging their way around his sideburns meant anything. I nodded and smiled and had to brace myself. Betsy was getting impatient and was already starting to move the cart to get turned around. Once she did and I was where the foreman wanted me, I hopped down and unclasped Betsy.

  “How’s that girl?”

  She gave me a long soft groan of content and I grinned and rubbed the area on her head between her horns.

  “I’m sure that clay must have gotten heavy,” I said and laughed a bit.

  She looked at me and nodded.

  I figured I should send Norimoro and Amber a message and let them know I had made it. I jumped up into the driver’s area and reached behind to grab around for the messaging crystal. Using it was like second nature, but only took a moment of resistance to realize I wasn’t going to be able to use it. Getting that last message from the top of the mountain was already a struggle. Something might pop if I tried to push it.

  Frowning, I looked over at Betsy and held the crystal as I jumped down from the wagon. I walked around and found the foreman. He was standing off to the side, directing people what to do and where to go with everything so they’d be able to have less work later.

  “Hey man, sorry to bug you..” I interrupted him in the middle of talking to someone.

  “Hm? Yes, I said we’d try to hurry,” he said shortly, with a bit of a huff. He was just trying to get rid of me so he could do his job. I understood and dealt with this quite a bit back home as well. Annoying cry baby truck drivers whining about.. Well, truck drivers whined and cried about whatever they could.

  “No, I don’t really care about that. I was just wondering if you could point me toward someone who could help me with my messaging crystal?” I held it up to show him.

  “Oh, and an alchemist, if there’s any around?” I added quickly.

  He looked me over and just now seemed to realize I must have been a cultivator with my robes. He looked dubious, though. “A cultivator that transports goods?”

  I shrugged. “We all have our paths in life.”

  He snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, I guess you are a cultivator. Alright, someone in the alchemist shop can probably help you out with both. Since we’re downtown, just exit the way you came and look around. I’m sure you’ll be able to find one. I’m not a cultivator, so I don’t know exactly.” He said with a shrug.

  I frowned, but nodded. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. You care if I leave for a bit?”

  He just waved me off and was already talking to someone else. I shrugged and turned and headed back down the hallway. “Come on Betsy, let’s see the city.”

  She looked at me and then looked at the ground and gave a little whine.

  “Oh, you wanna stay here and rest?”

  She nodded.

  I shrugged. “Alright then. I’ll be back in a bit. I’m gonna see what pills I can get.”

  She nodded and then presumed to flop on the ground, causing a small rumble that paused the workmen for a few moments until it passed.

  I put the crystal in a pocket and then headed down the hallway. When I got to the doors, I opened one of them and exited. The cultivators from uh, whatever sect they were from stared with their hands tight on their weapons.

  “Easy boys, it’s just me. I have some business I need to see to. Any idea where I can find an alchemist shop?”

  “Hmm, well, there’s Ryoku down the street. It’s probably the closest,” the one who inspected my cargo started and rubbed at his chin.

  “Ryoku is a northerner that sells trash. Lian Chang is only two blocks away and is a local,” the other said.

  “Oh, I like shopping local. Forget the carpetbaggers. Where’s Lian’s shop?” I asked.

  They both smiled broadly and nodded their heads in approval. One of them even clapped me on the shoulder.

  “Good to hear it. Just walk around to the other side of the arena and look for the shop with the Rx symbol on it next to a pill. It’ll be hard to miss. That’s the shop you want,” he explained and pointed to the side of the building.

  I nodded and thanked them and walked off to go around the building when I stopped in my tracks. I looked back at the pair who resumed their statue positions guarding the door.

  “Did they just say Rx symbol? Were the alchemists just pharmacists?” I blinked and thought it over. You know? I guess they were.

  I laughed and shook my head a bit and continued to walk around, looking for the shop. It only took me a few minutes. The shop front was right there in a row of other shops, including a shop for new robes. That might be something I had thought to myself as I walked into the alchemist’s shop that only had the man’s name above the door.

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