Entering the City

The grand city of Jeiwo, one of the oldest cities in the world and absolutely packed to the brim with people clogging its streets. The early morning traffic was filled with farmers from the market, craftsmen selling their goods in stalls and everything in between.

These crowds of people all stopped and gawked as a long slithering shape filled the morning sky, accompanied by the sounds of a complaining girl.

“STOP! I want to go to the moon!” Meng whined as she fruitlessly attempted to get Youshin to change his mind.

“You’ll be able to find your way home from the capital with this.” Youshin said, ignoring Meng’s complaints as he used one of his other hands to give Meng a gold coin.

“I DON’T WANT ANY MONEY I WANT TO GO TO THE MOON!” Meng whined as Youshin sighed.

“Use the money to get an education and go to the moon, I don’t know.” Youshin offered exasperatedly as he flew him to a somewhat empty area of street to drop Meng at.

“NOOOOOO!” Meng shouted as she was unceremoniously dropped onto a seat, swiveling on the chair as Youshin quickly flew off. Crowds stared in shock and horror as Meng pouted and crossed her arms dramatically.

“Hello? I didn’t hear you coming. Can I get you anything?” The owner of the noodle shop asked, turning around to reveal he was totally blind.

“Huh? Oh yeah sure…” Meng groaned as she leaned on the serving bench sadly.

“You sound quite distressed young lady. Something happened?” The man, Mangren, asked sincerely as he grabbed a serving bowel.

“Yeah… I was gonna go to the moon with Youshin, but he said that it was a ‘quant’ wish and then flew me here!” Meng whined as she played with the coin she’d just been given in her hand. It was far more money then she’d ever held in her life, enough that she could go to the most prestigious school in all of Ji for 2 years and still have some left over to buy a horse to go back home with.

“I see…” Mangren said, not knowing what the girl was talking about.

He handed her a bowl of spiced noodles in pig broth.

“Thank you for the meal.” Meng sighed as she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began eating.

“I divn’t vant to usthe tha tracker…” Meng complained through a mouthful of noodles.

“Come again young lady? I couldn’t hear you over all those noodles.”

Meng quickly finished all of her noodles.

“PHAW! I said… I didn’t want to use the tracker.” Meng explained slowly as she grabbed a small rock from her bag.

“Tracker?” Mangren asked, confused.

“Yep! I got it from a travelling merchant, you just hit it against something and…” Meng explained, demonstrating the tracking stone by hitting it against the edge of the noodle stall. The symbol carved into the rock began to glow a dark purple as the triangular rock began pointing towards Youshin.

“I see…” Mangren said as he stared blankly to the streets, where he heard the sounds of the royal palace guards marching down the streets.

“You said you came here on Youshin? You should probably run, the palace guard is coming.” Mangren said seriously as the rest of the crowd quickly dissipated before the palace guards arrived.

“Huh? Why?” Meng asked cluelessly, she was a country bumpkin, a simple rice farmer at heart. The implication of palace guards coming was entirely lost on her.

“Emperor Taoyan doesn’t like dragons. Youshin is the last dragon right?”

“He’s the last?!” Meng asked, shocked, causing Mangren to face palm.

“That’s what I hear, and the streets of Jeiwo are rarely wrong. That’s not the point, you better run before they arrive.” Mangren explained, as a group of palace guards surrounded Meng.

“Before who arrives?” The captain asked, a large man with an impressively long moustache and longer spear.

“Before the palace guard arrives of course! This girl flew in on a dragon, they’d take her away immediately!” Mangren explained as Meng turned around, too shocked to say anything.

“Thank you for your cooperation, citizen.” The captain said as Mangren realized what he’d done.

“Damn my blindness…” Mangren cursed, Meng being picked up effortlessly by the palace guards.

“NOOO! Not again! I JUST LANDED!” Meng shouted, struggling again in vain.

“Settlle down or we’ll tell the Emperor that we found you with a spear shaped wound.” The captain growled aggressively. Meng quickly shut up, realizing she was in major trouble all of a sudden.