Xi Fang sat on her bed, her muscles aching from the day's exertions. The silk sheets beckoned invitingly as she changed into her sleeping gown. Despite her exhaustion, sleep proved elusive. Her mind refused to quiet, dwelling on the artifacts recovered from Crimson Moon City.
In the vault beneath Viper Manor lay dozens of tomes salvaged from Shi Ming's ruined library. Most had been damaged beyond repair - their pages charred by fire or warped by water. But a precious few volumes remained intact enough to preserve their secrets. Xi Fang had spent hours examining the surviving texts, yet their contents remained impenetrable. Strange diagrams and unfamiliar characters filled the pages, their meaning obscured by archaic language and esoteric references.
