In Ba Sing Se, the following day, the companions regroup to piece together the various threads they've uncovered. Taqqiq and Chona note that the Middle Ring is run by a daofei group called the Paper Lanterns, and Kensaya mentions that the Fanged Mercenaries, headed by Lei Fang, are taking hold in the Lower Ring. Mayu mentions that his contacts are telling him the city is a powder keg of daofei remnants vying for control. The group decides finding Sonam is their chief priority, and tracking down Enji comes second.
Mayu and Kensaya go to pai sho parlors to find out more about Setua: they learn he is a many-linked information network, basically parleying and brokering all information that comes through the city. They learn he sometimes frequents a parlor known as the Blue Shell, and through gambling and trading stories the two manage to pique Setua's gang. They're told they have piqued his interest.
Meanwhile, Po and Taqqiq go to seek out the Air Nomad, Sonam. They first go to Ba Sing Se University and ask of the students there, acting on information that Sonam frequents that place. They learn he had set up a meeting at the Green Dragon Tea Shop, and so Po and Taqqiq go there to meet him instead.
Taqqiq, troubled and afraid, backs out of the meeting, but Po stands firm and begins to talk Sonam into returning to the White Raven Shrine and making amends with Faa, the abbess. Sonam accepts Po's words and tries to redeem himself.
Meanwhile, Taqqiq returns to the burned study of Long, the archeologist for whom Chona worked. As he examines the rubble, a shadow darkens the doorway. Taqqiq comes face to face with Lei Fang, the daofei mercenary leader.
No comments:
Post a Comment