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Crimson clouds and red glow, wisps of cooking smoke drifting skyward.
A giant fir boat, over five fathoms long, propped up by wooden frames, cast an elongated shadow on the ground.
Prefectural officers beat gongs and drums, announcing the ritual along the streets.
Liang Qu, dressed in official robes, stood within the shade, witnessing people continuously leaving their homes.
Huazhu County had suffered two major disasters.
Once from the Ghost Mother Cult, once from a flood, and being somewhat close to Pingyang Prefecture, the population had drastically decreased.
But even a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and long before the time of the ritual, a dense crowd had gathered, no fewer than a hundred thousand people, with more peasants still arriving upon hearing of Liang Qu's reputation, wearing straw sandals as they hurried to participate.
A sea of humanity.
Stabilized!
Huazhu County, Xiangyi County, Pingyang Prefecture.
