Then, that man said, “General Angus, you have violated the sixth commandment.”
“This is a conflict that the humans started!” Angus retorted.
The human side was entirely silent, and A-Ka asked quietly, “Who is this person?”
“The Curia request that you all immediately stop fighting,” the middle-aged man said solemnly. “If any commandment is violated again, we will evacuate all humans in Phoenix City to Dragonmaw City in batches.”
Angus chuckled without warmth. “Pass this message along to the pontiff of the Curia for me: I’d be very glad if he did so.”
“Angus, you should know who came up with the commandments in the peace treaty,” the man said. “Your ancestor gave the clones a place to stay in Phoenix City. If you are making light of what it means to start such a war, you should be clear on what the consequences will be.”
Huixiong, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. “We aren’t starting a war. Father implanted a control chip in Macksie, turning him into a spy for the machines who was deeply entrenched in the Alliance camp. Before he could begin a second futile battle, our brother carried out an assassination to stop him.”
“The pontiff already knows what happened,” the man said. “He requests that General Angus and the President of the Mercenary Association, Huixiong, as well as all parties involved in this matter, gather in Dragonmaw City and undergo mediation. Everyone, please come with me.”
Turning on his heel, the man boarded his ship. There was a minute of silence on both sides before Huixiong took the lead and stepped out. “Let’s go.”
Percy whispered to Feiluo, “Dad, let’s go. They’re not bad people.”
On the ship en route to the Western Mainland, A-Ka had previously heard the bard Moran bring up that the Curia believed in the God of the Astrolabe, the extraterrestrial Creator that had made this very world. Since Heishi was with their group, there shouldn’t be any danger—so when Heishi walked onto the ship, A-Ka followed him. Angus and Huixiong also boarded after they both ordered their troops to temporarily halt the battle.
The airship slowly ascended into the air, heading toward Dragonmaw City in the southern part of the Western Mainland. It flew at a low altitude, and from the portholes in the cabin they could see the devastated land below them, as well as Phoenix City, which was charred by the flames of war.
Heishi also stood there on the deck, watching the land below him through the transparent glass.
“A-Ka,” Percy said in a small voice.
“Percy.” This was the first chance A-Ka had to speak with Percy since they’d been reunited. He bent over to inspect the rope burns on Percy’s wrists. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Percy smiled. “I sent Uncle Moran an electronic message, telling him about the things that happened here. He once said that if we ran into any future difficulties, we could go find him.”
No wonder. With that, A-Ka let out a breath.
“You guys ran into an official of the Curia?” Feiluo asked as he gently wiped Percy’s face. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I wasn’t clear on his position,” A-Ka said. “He told us that he was only a wandering bard.”
Upon reflecting on it in detail, A-Ka realized that Moran was no ordinary bard; after all, he had left the Eastern Mainland aboard a boat right as the battle to kill Father occurred. For him to appear in the Rebel Alliance’s headquarters at such a time and place, in order to board that boat, suggested that he and General Liber might have communicated before in some fashion.
As for what the Curia did, A-Ka wasn’t sure. When he saw Heishi, Huixiong, Angus, and that middle-aged man sent by the Curia standing together and chatting, he went over to them.
“The last chip has already been destroyed,” Huixiong said. “It was in General Liber’s hands.”
“The Curia have received the news of General Macksie’s betrayal,” the middle-aged man said as he bowed politely to Heishi. “The pontiff asked me to pass along his regards to you.”
Heishi’s expression remained placid. “Does he still have a backup copy?”
The man thought silently for a moment before shaking his head. “Hmm. Perhaps there’s still a way. Do not give up hope.”
Huixiong let out a long sigh and leaned back against the railings. “With the current situation, our only chance is to once again seek refuge with the Curia.”
“Are you friends of Uncle Moran?” A-Ka asked.
That man turned around and said politely, “I am Archbishop Igor, my friend, and on behalf of the pontiff, I would like to express his regards. He greatly respects the bravery and effort each and every one of you have exhibited.”
A-Ka waved a hand, indicating that he didn’t need to be so formal.
“The precursor to the Curia was founded by one of those original four explorers from all those years ago,” Heishi explained to A-Ka.
With this, A-Ka finally understood. Back then, after the four adventurers had entered the Primeval Heart and left the Creator’s laboratory, they had gone their separate ways, each establishing their own forces. Among them, Doctor Callan had obtained the cloning techniques, and with himself as a genetic source, created the group now known as the clones, becoming their father. General Gallo took command of the humans. Using the Creator’s techniques, he built Phoenix City to allow humans and clones to coexist peacefully, creating the first republican regime. Professor Ricard took the computational techniques and the chip that made up the core of the Creator’s various programs and created a huge, primordial computer. After undergoing evolution from the changes written into it, that computer became Father.
The last explorer had arrived in Dragonmaw City, gathered many followers, and taught them to believe in the Creator.
A-Ka’s heart suddenly soared. “Does the pontiff have a method to restore this chip?” In this bleak, dark situation, he thought he saw a single beam of light.
Archbishop Igor sighed. “It’s very difficult. Aside from a few defense mechanisms and modes of transportation, the Curia don’t use any computer-related technology in order to prevent Father from sneaking in. However, there are quite a few records preserved in the church. We may be able to find another way to deal with Father.”
A-Ka held the chip out for Igor to examine. Igor was wholly ignorant about any of it and could only respond, “When you see the pontiff, you may discuss this matter with him in person. We are about to arrive.”
The airship steadily approached Dragonmaw City. It was a land covered with fresh wildflowers, and along the road from Phoenix City to Dragonmaw City, the earth that was blackened and barren slowly turned green—into a true paradise.
In a quiet voice, Feiluo described the scenery below to Percy.
“Since Dragonmaw City’s founding, we have never accepted any clones or humans who grew up in technology-based civilization as believers,” Archbishop Igor explained to those gathered. “Welcome, everyone, to the Country of God.”
A breath of fresh air washed over them, and the glass shield around the airship dissipated as they slowly entered the territory of Dragonmaw City, coming to a stop at an empty port on the outskirts. This was a world frozen in time, and many mechanisms and transportation devices that A-Ka could see were ones that he had only read about in books. The main road was paved with cobblestones, and of all the buildings in the city, not a single one was taller than six hundred feet. The most grandiose of them was the temple in the center of the city, which was topped with a huge bell.
The strange architectural style made A-Ka feel that everything was very new and exciting in this country they were entering. At the empty port, a horse-drawn carriage came to a stop to pick them up.
When they’d arrived here, Angus had gone extremely quiet. The whole city had an awe-inspiring tranquility and sanctity about it, enveloped as it was in the last weak light of the day that shone just before nightfall.
Igor led them along a path to the side of the central temple. The passing clergy bowed to them in greeting, though their gazes paused on Heishi’s face.
“It grows late,” Igor said. “Everyone, please get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, the pontiff will invite everyone to dine together for lunch. At that time, he will also discuss the situation at hand.”
A-Ka was still a little worried, but Heishi gave him a look to say he shouldn’t be too nervous. After all, so many days had already passed, and if the world was going to be destroyed, one night wouldn’t make a difference. To that, A-Ka could only nod, his heart heavy. Igor showed them to their rooms, and after informing them that their dinners would be brought to them, he saluted Heishi.