Chương 31: 20.2. Miu is scared!

The next morning came quickly, the sun rising from the horizon. Faust called for a servant and one nearby pivoted towards him.

"I'll be leaving for a while and coming back. Are there any procedures I should be aware of?" Faust asked.

"No, sir." The maid replied, shaking her head.

"As a guest personally invited by lord Faram, you can use the main entrance as you please."

"What is the curfew of the gates into central Zentrum?"

"Th-there isn't any curfew at the central Zentrum gates, but they'll open the gates to anyone with a pass. Should I ask for one?"

"If possible." The maid nodded, bowing before turning again and rushing off once more. The estate followed the normal etiquette. But central Zentrum didn't. Faust would wait for a pass to be given to him before he left. He wondered if he could keep it or if it was only temporary. Either way … Faust deliberated, leaning against his room's doorframe. Another day in the proximity of royalty. There was the sound of a door sliding across wood. Faust looked right and saw Miu looking both ways, still shaking slightly.

Her head peaking out from the doorway. The little green snake copied her, sticking its head out and scanning the covered walkway. Miu slowly stepped out while her snake crawled up one leg and buried itself in her robes.

"Good morning." Faust greeted.

"Ah—!" Miu jumped and whipped her head around.

"..." Faust raised an eyebrow.

"Uh—uhm. S-Sorry!" She bowed.

"No need to bow." Faust said, "Though, some might demand it from those of lower cultivation and standing. Technically, there is no etiquette to bow to another guest of the same clan." He explained.

"Ah—I—I see. Thank you." Miu bowed again.

"..." Faust's eye twitched again. Seriously? I just said not to bow.

"Uhm—" Miu began, fidgeting with her hands while still keeping her head low.

"S-Sir Faust?" She asked.

"Yes?" Faust responded.

"What is the etiquette for bowing?" She took a deep breath, "and— the thing with the hands?" She made a cupping the fist salute in demonstration.

"..." Faust studied her for a moment, then eyed the pile of books, scrolls, loose paper and spilled ink sprawling across the room's desk. He should take a break. Faust cleared his throat, closing the door behind him and stepping out.

"Well. How about we move to one of the gardens first?" He gestured for Miu to follow and after twiddling her thumbs and looking between him and the general direction of the main house for a bit, she followed. They passed under a square gate through one of the boundary walls into an attached garden of the estate.

There was a nice spot, with some gray stone furniture on top of a carved stone platform which was bordered by a small, artificial river across one side, with some thick trees and mossy green rocks littered around. Faust approached the stone furniture and took a seat.

"You asked about etiquette?" He clarified, looking at Miu. Miu nodded, her eyes darting around the garden while her snake peaked around. Seeing her behaviour, Faust sighed slightly. How was she still alive like this?

"For starters. How about we talk about how estates are generally divided and labeled." He began. Miu finally focused her attention on Faust and he gestured to the square entrance to the garden area.

"Do you see how the entrance is square? With harsh corners." He asked. Miu nodded.

"The square means man, or earth. Depending on context. A square gate is for those with lower privileges. Such as guests. Servants will be drilled by their supervisor on which gates they're allowed to use and when." Miu paused, then stared wide eyed at Faust, "R-really?" She asked. Faust nodded, "So how about you take a seat now?" Miu froze, but obeyed after a moment, stepping closer to the stone furniture before sitting on the edge of one of the stone chairs.

Faust didn't comment, instead he pointed to another entrance, this one circular.

"The circle means Heaven, or Immortality. The circular gate or door means elevated privileges. More or less just the master of the estate. We can't enter there." Miu looked dumfounded, so Faust waited a moment and scanned the area some more, spotting a servant nearby, partially hidden behind a small bamboo patch. He waved them over. The servant came closer, beside the stone table, entering full view and managing to subtly catch Miu's attention before bowing.

"Can I help you sir and miss?" The servant asked, bowing and cupping a fist.

"Do you mind having some tea brought out?" Faust requested.

"Not at all sir." The servant bowed and saluted again, before calmly walking off. Miu was sweating bullets atop her chair, glancing at the servant and then at the ground.

"Why are you so scared again?" Faust nearly sighed, leaning back into the stone chair.

"W-Why are you so comfortable ordering other people's servants around! Don't we have to pay or something!?" Miu exclaimed loudly. Faust raised an eyebrow again.

"Paying with money is… Not the only currency when you're dealing with even small clans." Miu just looked at him.

"Haizzz… We pay by giving face to the master of the estate. For example, a scholar visiting your estate makes it seem like you are friends with that scholar, or, maybe you're their teacher, or they're seeking advice from you." The small green snake began slithering down from Miu's robes, finding a spot with lots of sun near the artificial river.

"So? What does that have to do with paying?" miu asked." So." Faust continued, "that makes other people think you're more influential. Or that you're more respected. Or more knowledgeable. Something along those lines. If they're hosting more than one person, then both people treat the master of the estate with high respect in front of each other, making both of them see the master of the estate in an even higher light."

"But… I still don't get it?" Miu looked devastated, looking down at the ground, her eyes wide and pupils shrunk, still shaking.

"Haaaa… I'm getting there." Faust responded, then waited. A maid in green clothes came from the square gate holding a tray. Stopping beside the stone table she gently placed down a porcelain tea pot inlaid with jade streaks resembling vines and leaves. After the teapot, she placed a set teacup in front of both Faust and Miu. Under Miu's anxious gaze, the maid poured steaming hot, slightly green tea into both the cups.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" The maid asked, placing the teapot down and smiling at the two. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Faust waved his hand.

"That's all. Thank you." The maid bowed and left with the now empty tray back towards the square gate. Miu looked down at the tea cup in front of her, looking at it like it was some terrifying artifact— with the steam from the top hitting her in the face. Faust gently gripped his teacup, feeling the temperature. It wasn't that hot against his 3rd level body tempering, but he guessed it was still too hot for pleasant drinking. He let it sit, before snapping his fingers.

Miu suddenly looked up at where Faust was snapping his fingers, "Focus. Now, the reason face is so important is because the more face you have, the higher your perceived importance and authority is. You might not understand what this can do, but most noble clans do. They can weaponise this perception for profit. Harming their face can harm their profit. Do you understand?" Miu looked at him blankly for a few moments, before gulping and speaking up, "R-Really? Is—Is that really how it works?" She asked, eyes wide.

"No." Faust answered.

"..." Miu looked at him.

"It's a very crude simplification that should just give you a better idea of how clans, nobles and officials think." Miu's eye twitched as Faust picked up his tea, taking a sip now that it had cooled a bit. For a while, the two were silent sitting either side of the table. Miu looked up at Faust from the ground for a moment.

"Uhm, about the salute…" She trailed off as Faust gaze settled onto her. Faust took another sip of tea, "Right. That's what you originally asked. Wasn't it?" He looked up in thought for a moment, before beginning.

"The difference between bowing and saluting can just be the difference between showing difference and showing respect. If you bow to me, you're telling everyone I'm superior to you. If you salute me, you tell everyone you respect me. If you do both, you're telling everyone I'm both superior to you and have your respect." He explained.

"Of course, the salute is a martial symbol of respect. Using it means you're a combatant. Not using it means you're a civilian." He added.

"Uh… What's the difference between a… combatant and a civilian?" Miu asked.

"Civilians are sometimes spared."

"Some–Sometimes?" Miu asked, trembling violently and looking around again. The small green snake opened its beady eyes and slithered over to her, resting on her lap. Faust shrugged.

"There isn't much difference between using it and not." He waved his hand.

"Just bowing as you have been, like the maid just then, will let you survive." Miu looked down at the snake, then picked them up gently and clutched them close. Faust looked at her for a few moments, then took another sip of tea.

"So long as you're under the princess protection. You don't have to worry so much. Even if you make a few mistakes, they'll be overlooked to give her highness some face." After a few moments, Miu nodded slowly, taking her first sip from the teacup in front of her, before placing it back on the plate. It went quiet, so Faust let Miu stew while he looked around the garden, letting the refreshing breeze roll over him.

"Faust. Inner Disciple of the Clear Mirror Sect from Azure Water provinces, Fallen Petal Ridge." A voice called out. Faust felt his eyes narrow slightly. The tea cup near his lips halting abruptly as he shifted his gaze towards the speaker. Under the square gate, there was a man in a red uniform, with a red and gold cap and a purple sash. The man in question smiled lightly, smoothing their black hair behind them first, before cupping a fist.

"Apologies. I just required your attention for a moment." The man explained, "I am Lu Wenqing. The junior investigator assigned to the incident the other night." Faust rose from his seat, cupping a fist with his hand.

"Faust." He introduced simply before sitting back down.

"May I take a seat? As it happens, I need to speak with you both." Lu Wenqing requested.

"Of course." Faust didn't refuse, but Miu stiffened up, with the snake in her lap hissing at the newcomer. Wenqing caught a servant going past and asked for another tea cup, before gliding over with his hands behind him and taking a seat at one of the four stone chairs. He cleared his throat.

"Now, lord Faram himself has assured us of your innocence and her highness has guaranteed Miu. So I just wish to ask a few questions about the night. Can you tell me why you were out at 2 in the morning when the incident took place?" Faust didn't rush to answer, taking a sip of his tea first.

"I ran out of paper while designing a technique. But there were no servants answering when I called out, so I wandered into the main courtyard."

"I see." Wenqing noted something down in his notepad.

"Then, can I ask how you subdued the assassin? They seemed to be from the Dark Moon Tower, a rogue faction of the Divine Moon Church." Faust pointed up, "Sky Qi. The Lunar Ascension Technique pulls the Sky Qi downward after its execution."

"..." Wenqing's smile twitched slightly.

"It's a well noted effect, but it's such a slight change. You're that sensitive to Qi?" He asked. Faust idly took another sip of tea, "practice." Wenqing turned to Miu, who immediately clutched her snake tighter, her pupils shrinking as if she was the one guilty.

"Miss Miu, can you tell me what happened when the attack began." Wenqing questioned. Miu looked at Faust and he met her gaze.

"Just answer honestly. We have nothing to hide if we're innocent." Wenqing nodded his head as well, "consider it as just a formality. None suspect you to be involved." He added.

"Well—Well— I was just cultivating in my room. Then I heard a bang. Then I opened my eyes and heard another bang. Then there was a guy with a knife in front of me and sir Mo crushed his head before throwing them to the side and disappearing." Miu recounted the events.

"I see." Wenqing noted it all on his notepad.

"Hmmm…" he hesitated, looking down at his notebook.

"This isn't a lot. Is there anything else you two could add?"

"There was a small army of people who were there when it happened." Faust waved his hand.

"I just went outside and got attacked by one of the assassins who were escaping." Miu seemed to jump at Faust's disregard for the investigator. They must be grasping at straws if they're questioning bystanders like this. Faust thought. Wenqing rubbed his chin, "you said they were escaping when you encountered them?" Faust nodded.

"It was strange that he insisted on fighting when he could have just run away." Wenqing quickly wrote more on his notepad, "I see. Thank you both for your time." He stood up. Faust watched him rush off. It seemed that the last bit was particularly interesting information. It stood out to him as well. The only reason he could think of was that the assassin thought he would be easy to kill and was ordered to maximise the destruction rather than assassinate a target.

"Hmmm…" Faust gazed around idly, brushing over the artificial river as he pondered. A distraction. That must be what that officer thought as well. A green dressed maid walked up to the table before bowing and holding a silver cylinder in her palms.

"A pass to enter central Zentrum, signed by lord Faram." The maid explained. Faust reached out and took the cylinder, he pulled open the cap and took out the paper inside of it, scanning over the contents. Declaration of invited guests to Central Zentrum. Signed Faram Platier… Faust from the Clear Mirror Sect. Use sect token to prove identity… There was a lot of flowery wording and some excerpts from the empire's law book, but those were the important parts. The maid bowed and left, disappearing through the gate.

Miu glanced around a bit before asking, "what's that?" Faust looked up at her, then sealed the document back into its silver capsule.

"It's a document that lets me enter and exit Central Zentrum." He answered, dropping the capsule into his spatial pouch.

"Ah… Do— Do you know how I can get one?" Miu stammered.

"…" Faust offered his best smile, "You'll need to ask her highness, perhaps one of her attendants." Miu trembled and her face fell. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She looked up at Faust pitifully.

"Even if you cry, I won't help you. I don't want to get involved with her highness."

"Bit— But! If you did. How would you—""Careful with your words." Faust cut her off, then looked around briefly, noting one or two servants around, "lest you give people the wrong impression about her royal highness." Miu sank back into her chair, looking even more miserable, her lip quivering as she clung to her pet snake. Faust observed her for a few more moments, careful not to show any pity, then stood up suddenly from his seat.

"Ah!" Miu was startled, squeezing the snake so tightly its beady eyes looked like they were going to pop out.

"Then. I'll be taking a look around the city, miss Miu." Faust said, before heading back through the square gate.

"Uh—uhm. Thank you!" Miu suddenly shouted from behind.

"Mhm." Faust answered back, passing under the gate. Time to get the hell out of here. He thought. He would take a look around the capital first and find somewhere before returning for his notes… Well… his scribbles. He would love to not come back, but he wanted to make sure he gave Faram enough face. Even if the man himself seemed rather casual about such things. At least compared to the other clan heirs and officials Faust had met. Faust looked forward, pushing aside some of his thoughts.

A woman in a short black and white dress brushed past him. Faust stopped on the paved path back to his room and the main courtyard. He looked back at the woman who had passed him. One of the princesses's attendants? He continued down the path. It was a good thing he left just then. Miu watched Faust pass back through the square gate, hugging Jung in her lap. Then she looked back down in silence.

"Miss Miu."

"Ahh!" Miu jumped off her seat from the voice right beside her, landing on the hard stone. Please stop sneaking up on me! She already wanted to cry, but she did her best to hold it in. That guy Faust wasn't helpful in escaping the princess at all.

"Y—yes?" Miu asked Ning, one of the princess's attendants, who stood over her.

"The princess is visiting Duke Han. Will you be joining?" Ning asked plainly.

"Uh— Do— Do I have a choice?" Miu asked, Jung curling around her.

"Her highness will be returning by nightfall regardless." Miu considered it. She had nothing to do here. But she really wanted to escape the princess and go home. But she was also so bored. The other guy, Faust, was also leaving the estate. Miu wiped her eyes.

"Y-Yes please." she answered as firmly as she could.

"Then, follow me." Ning turned around and led the way out of the courtyard.

"Huh? Are we going now?" Miu scrambled to her feet, picking up Jung who quickly crawled into her robes again.

"No. We're getting you a new set of clothes."

"Eh? W-what's wrong with these?" Ning didn't answer, simply glancing at her as if that was enough answer. Miu looked down and scanned her simple, unadorned green robes. What's wrong with them?