"You have a check-up today, right?" Sarah asked Alphonse as they headed to the living quarters. Alphonse nodded.
"Treatment is done for the most part... The alchemist still wants to see me to make sure I don't have a relapse." Alphonse said.
"I can see why... Don't take too long at your appointment because the feast starts in about ninety minutes." Sarah said as she ran ahead. Alphonse walked to the alchemist.
"I-I don't have much money, but I need this wound treated..." A cloaked woman said to Huang Xiang.
"Tell me what your budget is, from that I can tell you what your options are." Huang Xiang said.
"Sixty cowry shells." She said.
"We have a simple healing pill for thirty, I can give you two, take one today and another tomorrow, it won't fully heal it, but it should help it heal on its own." Huang Xiang said to the cloaked woman.
"Okay... I'll take them..." She said as she turned around. She paused and looked at Alphonse. Alphonse walked over to the desk.
"How long until my appointment?" He asked.
"Five minutes." Huang Xiang responded. "I'll go let my sister know you're here." Huang Xiang said as he entered the other room. Alphonse sat down in one of the chairs in the room as the woman's eyesight followed Alphonse's line of travel.
Huang Xiang entered the other room and after a few moments came back out. Alphonse looked at the woman, who is still looking at him. He changed his expression to a confused one as if asking why she was staring.
"Ah, sorry... Didn't mean to stare... I just... Nevermind..." She said then quickly left the building. Huang Xiang just shrugged it off. Another few minutes passed and Alphonse went into his check-up.
(2nd moon, 3rd day, 460 Lu, 19:03)
Alphonse slowly walked towards the smell of food as he heard fireworks go off. 'Looks like they have gunpowder...' Alphonse thought to himself as he looked up at the vibrant colors in the sky. Alphonse entered the enormous courtyard.
The moment Alphonse entered he shrunk away to a corner and sat while he watched everyone enjoy the festivities. After a few moments, Alphonse heard someone walk up to him. "Not gonna eat?" Sarah asked.
"That's... Not it." Alphonse responded. "I don't like crowds. I've only been around a few, but they freak me out." Alphonse said.
"Well, crowds aren't for everyone... I don't particularly like them either, but I don't mind them." Sarah said as she slid down the wall into a sitting position.
"It's nice to see they have gunpowder. Though it'll probably become a lost technology at some point... You've figured it out to, right?" Alphonse asked.
"Figured what out?" Sarah responded.
"Everything was invented earlier than it should've been. Gunpowder was invented in the Tang dynasty. Not the Lu dynasty, furthermore, the Lu dynasty precedes all recorded history; as far as I am aware, there aren't any records of it in the modern era." Alphonse said.
"So what? Does it matter if this part of history is recorded?" She asked.
"Yes." Alphonse responded, but didn't elaborate.
"Why?" Sarah asked in response. Alphonse took a moment before responding as if trying to find the right words.
"If the technologies we can see today were lost and then reinvented, what do you think happened to make them become lost?" Alphonse asked.
"I... I don't know." She said.
"There had to be something major to make all producers of a simple chemical reaction disappear, that could be assassination, war, or mass famine. In other words, not only are we in uncharted territory, we could be at the turning point of history." Alphonse said.
"You're saying that a massive loss of life is right around the corner, aren't you?" She asked.
"It's possible, but I have no idea because I can't date where we are in history, another thing is, I have no idea how long it took people to figure out gunpowder." Alphonse said. "It's all uncertain... I suppose it's a terrifying thought, but I can't help but think of the worst outcomes." Alphonse said as he looked at the ground.
"So either, we're in peaceful times or a possible warzone?" Sarah asked. Alphonse looked at her, then nodded.
"Yes, and I believe that it will likely be war, not between nations, but between the different sects of cultivation." Alphonse said.
"Let's go eat some food. It'll keep your mind off of this." Sarah said as she stood up. Alphonse reluctantly followed Sarah as she walked over to the tables which had mountains of food. Alphonse stayed behind Sarah as they walked, and once they were at the tables he grabbed a plate and chopsticks.
"Erm... Sarah..." Alphonse said without a response. "Sarah..." He said again.
"What?" Sarah asked as she turned to Alphonse.
"How do I... Use chopsticks?" He asked sheepishly as his ears and tail drooped slightly. Sarah sighed as she lifted her left hand and showed him how to hold chopsticks. Alphonse copied her, though he had issues using them to eat.
"How do you not know how to use chopsticks?" She asked.
"I was never taught... In my past life, I lived in America, so I mostly used forks and spoons to eat... So I never learned to use chopsticks... In this life... Well... You know at least part of that story..." Alphonse said as he looked down with a gloomy expression.
"R-right... Forget I asked... Sorry if that... Um... Brought up anything bad..." Sarah said sheepishly.
"It's fine..." Alphonse said as a loud bang was heard n the sky. Alphonse immediately looked up and saw that a firework with a shape went off. It was shaped to look like Xiao Shi. Within moments of this firework going off lightning crackled horizontally across the sky above them as a woman appeared.
Alphonse noticed that the woman is carrying someone in a cloak. "This is the Mu Yu sect's declaration of war! Surrender and we won't destroy all of what you have built." The woman shouted.