The Acting Lord Magistrate, along with everyone else, retired to the Magisterial Suites—and more specifically the gardens, so they could have some privacy. He thought he would need the peace the gardens brought for the conversation to come. On their journey, they were joined by a few more people. One of them was refreshingly ordinary, another woman who looked like part of the Nezin tribe, wearing a rather fetching white and black outfit—Lao’s eyes had gone wide and shiny at the sight of it. The woman had a change of clothes for the babe, who was once more trying to take off his current attire. Ah, children. Little ones were always amusing. However, that was the only bit of normalcy. The others were far stranger. There was a fish in an absolutely stunning masterwork of a jar, the kind of art piece that would cost more than most mansions. He was lazing on his back, his fins draped out of the vessel like he was human. There was a full-on ox—and a flight of bees who flew in an oddly tight and professional-looking formation, fanning out over the room like soldiers. His life had been very strange for the past year or so, but this was pushing it. Especially because An Ran was talking to the fish. “It's good to finally meet you properly, Lord Wa Shi! Would you like some tea?” she said, her voice polite and respectful. “That would be wonderful, thank you, Smaller Blade of Grass,” the fish said. Spoke. And he knew An Ran’s nickname. Xinlai seemed to be taking (...)