Cattaleya stood in the middle of the courtyard, arms spread slightly, eyes half closed as the Battle Raint Armlet shimred around her forearm.
A soft tallic hum echoed as threads of light unraveled from the armlet, weaving themselves around her body like liquid fabric. In just a breath, her clothes changed.
What had been a fierce looking armor now transford into a close fitting combat suit. Layered plates ford along her shoulders and chest, thin but dense, overlapping like the scales of so predatory beast. Flexible armor wrapped around her arms and legs, engraved with faint runic patterns that pulsed in rhythm with her Qi.
She clenched her fist.
The armor responded instantly. Reinforcents ford around her knuckles, while the plating along her forearm thickened subtly.
Cattaleya nodded in satisfaction.
"Response ti is excellent," she muttered. "Qi conductivity is smooth. No lag, no resistance."
With another thought, the armor shifted again.
This ti it beca lighter, more streamlined. The plating retreated, replaced by layered cloth reinforced with hidden fibers. It looked like sothing ant for high speed movent, assassination, or battlefield maneuvering rather than head on clashes.
ng Bai watched all of this with wide eyes, sitting on a stone bench nearby. "... You know," he said carefully, "you could try making sothing... prettier."
Cattaleya paused mid transformation.
Her head slowly turned toward him.
"What," she said flatly, "do you an by prettier."
ng Bai coughed. "I an, like, you know. A dress. Or robes. Sothing elegant. The armlet can make anything, right?"
The armor dissolved once more, reforming into another battle outfit. This one had a long coat like mantle, split at the sides for movent, with hardened sections along the spine and ribs. It looked imposing, commanding, and undeniably martial.
Cattaleya crossed her arms.
"True beauty," she said, "lies in battle."
ng Bai blinked.
"Only the right battle clothes fit that beauty," she continued. "Armor that protects. Cloth that moves with you. Gear that does not fail when your life
depends on it. Those are the prettiest things in existence."
She looked down at her current attire and nodded firmly. "This one is especially beautiful."
ng Bai stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed deeply.
"...I walked into that one, didn't I
From the side of the courtyard, Daoist Chu let out a low chuckle as he sipped from his cup of tea.
"You did," the old man said, amused. "And you should know better by now."
ng Bai rubbed his face. "I really should."
Lin Mu finally stepped forward, the faint glow of Qi still lingering around his fingers. He had been watching the tests quietly, observing how the armlet reacted to Cattaleya's intent and Qi flow.
"The armlet seems stable," Lin Mu said. "Any anomalies?"
"None worth noting," Cattaleya replied. "The conversion speed between forms
is excellent. Illusory integrity holds even under rapid shifts. Honestly, this thing is frightening."
She glanced at Lin Mu. "You did well."
Lin Mu nodded slightly, then gestured toward the table in the courtyard. "Sit. I'm curious."
They all moved to the stone table, settling into their seats. The city noises drifted faintly in the background beyond the compound walls.
Lin Mu looked at ng Bai. "What have you been up to while I was buried in refining?"
ng Bai's face brightened imdiately.
"A lot!" he said. "We explored the city, went to restaurants, bought things, got lost twice, almost got scamd once, learned a bunch about the world..."
Daoist Chu raised an eyebrow. "You did get scamd."
ng Bai coughed. "Almost."
Lin Mu leaned back slightly. "And what did you actually learn."
ng Bai straightened up, suddenly more serious. "More than I expected. Especially about this world itself."
"The Khwanzim World," Lin Mu said. "I know the na cos from the first settlers."
ng Bai nodded eagerly. "Right. But I didn't know the full story until now."
He took a breath, clearly organizing his thoughts.
"The na Khwanzim cos from three clans. The Khwa clan, the An clan, and the Zim clan. They were the pioneers who first arrived in this world and
established the foundations of civilization here."
Lin Mu's eyes narrowed slightly in interest. "Are they royalty?"
"Not exactly," ng Bai said. "They're powerful, yes. Prosperous too. But they're not so untouchable ruling class anymore. Not like you'd expect."
Cattaleya leaned in slightly, listening.
"They assimilated," ng Bai continued. "Over countless generations. Instead of
staying isolated, they spread out, intermarried, settled everywhere. Their
bloodlines diluted, but their influence spread."
"In a way," Daoist Chu added, "that kind of power is more enduring."
ng Bai nodded. "Exactly. Their nas, traits, and specialties are everywhere."
Lin Mu gestured for him to continue.
"The Khwa clan," ng Bai said, "is the easiest to spot. Blond hair. Almost everyone with blond hair you see around the city has so connection to the Khwa bloodline. Direct descendant or distant branch, it doesn't matter. That
trait is dominant."
Lin Mu thought back to the city streets. Now that it was pointed out, he realized just how common blond hair had been.
"And the An clan," ng Bai went on, "is harder to tell just by looks. Black hair, brown eyes. Nothing special physically. But their surna is everywhere."
"What sets them apart," Daoist Chu said, "is their craft."
"Right," ng Bai agreed. "Puppetry. The An clan brought the art of puppets to this world. Combat puppets, labor puppets, formation puppets. They're still the best at it. Even now."
Lin Mu's gaze sharpened. "So that explains the quality of puppets here."
ng Bai nodded. "A lot of puppet masters trace their lineage back to the An
clan. Even if they don't realize it."
"And the Zim clan," ng Bai said, his tone shifting slightly. "They're the most
distinctive."
Lin Mu already knew the answer, but he still asked. "How so."
"Blue hair," ng Bai said. "Anyone you've seen with blue hair carries the Zim
bloodline."
Cattaleya frowned slightly. "That many."
"A lot," ng Bai confird. "Way more than you'd think."
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