Determinist ⅠⅠ
I had visited China numerous times in past cycles. It was closeby and featured an inspirational locale for the martial arts-obsessed Old Man Scho, who had once taken me to Mount Hwa.
The destination for this trip was Beijing, a city just outside my usual stomping grounds. But who was I, really? To an infinite regressor, few things were truly impossible. After a thorough, on-site investigation spanning the 82nd through the 85th cycles, I finally completed the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to Beijing'.
"First, we acquire a boat in Incheon and head to Tianjin Port."
"Um, Mr. Undertaker, it’s my first time on a boat, so I feel a bit, oh, that's dangerous, ah—"
First thing's first, I turned on the sound of the refreshing waves of the sea off Incheon as ASMR (with some additional background noise for ambiance), and we crossed the Yellow Sea just like that.
"Next, we shouldn't move above ground. There are too many anomalies. We could break through, but that would draw too much attention, so it's better to move underground."
"Wait a minute. Underground...?"
"Yes. The Awakeners in China have set up a base in the Beijing subway system. What are you doing? Why not come this way?"
"Um, actually, I'm a bit claustrophobic, Mr. Undertaker, uh, um, oh, danger—"
The Awakeners who hadn’t yet escaped the anomaly-ravaged Beijing had formed what’s called the 'Beijing Liberation Assault Team'.
Among the stations they controlled, the one I took special note of was Ciqu Station.
The stationmaster there, who also served as the 17th commander of the assault team, was a character with whom I got along well.
They were considerably fond of a foreigner who could speak the Beijing dialect with such proficiency.
By this point, I had already been upgraded from 'this bastard' to 'you'.
And once an anomaly that had been troubling him was sliced into several pieces like serving a rolled omelet by the stroke of my sword, my title was promoted to 'Doc'.
Finally, when I presented a top-grade Pu-erh tea as a gift, the stationmaster finally remembered that we were brothers of faith, who had once served the way of Gong-Meng together in ancient times.
"Brother Undertaker!"
"Bro!"
The identification card issued to me by the 17th commander was as good as a free pass. We immediately entered Beijing.
"...Isn't that just a bribe?"
"Oh my."
A bribe? Who would call a gift exchanged among brothers a bribe?
I had merely gifted a small tea leaf out of goodwill, and the other party had rightly accepted it with grace.
Some complain that China's guanxi culture is practically its own league, but this is simply because they have forgotten the fine traditions of East Asia.
Having gobbled up plenty of regressor experience, I possessed not only expertise in tea ceremony but also numerous other virtues.
First off, the traditional East Asian game of Go could not be ignored. The commander of the liberation team, who preferred Go to three meals a day, shook my hand after a game and exclaimed, "I now know that a master has come from the East!"
Next was calligraphy. The 1st commander, who believed a person’s handwriting revealed their true character, performed a deep bow on the spot after seeing my calligraphy of '有朋自遠方來 ("friends come from afar")'.
"Behold this dignified yet immaculate script! You truly are the reincarnation of Yan Zhenqing!"[1]
Of course, I knew the ways of propriety. How could I act arrogantly after receiving such high praise?
At each of these events, we would modestly sip Pu-erh tea and exchange pleasantries.
Exactly 48 hours after arriving in Beijing, I could freely access the information network held by the Liberation Assault Team.
The Saintess, who had observed this whole process by my side, muttered incredulously, "Mr. Undertaker, you seem to have a knack for befriending anyone within ten minutes of meeting them."
She looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask, "Is this the life of a social butterfly?"
"Ah, this isn't my first time. I created this shortest route after four cycles of exploration."
"Indeed. Then, this isn’t really my first trip abroad, is it? I must have traveled with Mr. Undertaker in previous cycles."
"No? It’s your first time."
"Really?"
"You’ve crossed into North Korea by yourself before, but this is your first time traveling across the sea. Why else would I invest so much to find the shortest route? I wanted to make your first journey as comfortable as possible."
"......"
"Well, with the world in such a state, this is about as comfortable as it gets. So, Saintess, how do you find it? Any anomalies in sight?"
"...Just a moment, please." The Saintess took a deep breath. "Only a moment."
Then she closed her eyes.
Her role here was singular: a radar.
Despite the Assault Team members hiding underground in Beijing, surveillance personnel were scattered everywhere above ground.
The 17th commander was on brotherly terms with the 1st and 10th commanders, and the 10th commander was close with the 6th, 8th, and 9th commanders, and the 1st commander was well-acquainted with the 2nd, 4th, and 5th commanders.
Their 'favor' and my 'goodwill' combined to manifest this moment, emphasizing the importance of surface surveillance that the assault team members usually neglected.
And the Saintess's ability was [Clairvoyance].
Exactly ten minutes from now, the Saintess would be able to observe all of Beijing without missing a spot.
"..."
One minute.
"..."
Two minutes.
"..."
Three minutes.
"I've found it."
The Saintess opened her eyes.
It hadn’t even taken ten minutes. The remaining seven minutes of spare time were a testament to our duo’s competence, marked by the measure of time.
"Where is it?"
"The Temple of Heaven Park."
We were in luck. It was close.
"Understood. Then, Saintess, please stay here underground and keep sending me messages while I quickly finish this off and return—"
"Please take me with you." The Saintess grabbed my forearm firmly. "I want to see Mr. Undertaker fight with my own eyes, not just through Clairvoyance."
"...Hmm. It might be dangerous."
"You said it was the most comfortable, safest, and shortest route. I trust you. And..." The Saintess exhaled faintly. That was her way of smiling. "If my first trip abroad ends up being just seawater sightseeing and underground views, even the me of future cycles might feel a bit aggrieved, don’t you think?"
It was a rationale I couldn't refute.
As we ran up the stairs of the Temple of Heaven East Gate station, a thunderstorm raged above ground.
The noise battered our ears.
The thunderstorm did not discriminate. Whirlwinds blew across all of Beijing.
"We're in for a rough welcome, Saintess. Hold on tight."
[Okay.]
Perhaps because of the storm's din, the Saintess used telepathy to speak instead of her voice.
I ran towards the Temple of Heaven, cradling the Saintess. Her arms, hanging around my neck like a swing, tightened.
The world was shrouded under a cover of dark clouds.
The once neatly maintained main avenue of the park was now infiltrated by the green of pine and Chinese parasol trees from the forests on either side. It looked as though rust had formed on an old iron sword.
I sprinted down the blade's edge.
-̴̫̿D̵̢̊ȏ̴̭ ̵̥̀ỹ̸̻o̵̝͠ṵ̶̕ ̵̰͝l̶̫͐i̷̥͐k̷͇̃e̵͉̎ ̶̧̃c̷̓͜ŕ̷̟o̵̳̎s̴̨̈s̵͂ẁ̶̱o̵͔̒r̴͇̋d̴̟̄s̷̹̊?̶̉͜
̸͇͐-̴̻̍Ŵ̵ͅh̴͓͑a̷̛̙t̶͍͠ ̴͕̈́d̸͈̅o̵̙̐ ̴̛͜y̴̛̘ó̸̧u̶̮̓ ̵͍̋l̵̞̈́i̴͕͌k̶̻͒é̴͇ ̴̙̅t̶͖̑h̸͇͂e̴̠̎ ̵́͜m̷̭͝ó̸̙s̷͙̾t̸͍̋?̴̖̿
I had to, as many the trees themselves were anomalies.
Lightning struck. The forest cast shadows.
Now on Earth, they were the lords of all.
These beings trampled on tree roots, hung from branches, coiled in nests, and looked down arrogantly at an old race that had dared to leap into their domain without fear.
That angle of view didn’t last long.
"It’s going to get a bit shaky."
[Okay.]
A flash. I slashed through the cumbersome trees in one stroke.
A dark aura, my inner self made manifest, swept down the avenue like a tidal wave. Anomalies parasitizing the trees were instantly uprooted.
As expected of anomalies that had occupied one of humanity's major cities, they didn’t lose their balance upon landing, but they didn't fare all that well either.
One strike. I sliced the necks of anomalies whose eye levels had now matched mine.
It took just two cuts for humanity’s main avenue to become a path again.
[Amazing,] the Saintess murmured softly. [Really, it’s different from watching with Clairvoyance. You are incredible.]
"You flatter me. Despite appearances, I’ve often been criticized for my lack of talent in martial arts."
[That can’t be true. Mr. Undertaker, you must be joking.]
I smiled wryly. "Truly."
In reality, I had no talent for martial arts.
My lack of talent was not limited to my relative martial prowess. I couldn't tell the difference between Pu-erh and green tea without looking at their colors, nor did I know the opening strategies of Go, or even the proper technique for grinding ink and holding a brush.
And I was still lacking in many ways. I had neither the skill to borrow the vision of others nor would I ever have it. That was always why I needed companions.
My companion whispered to me.
[Ah, turn left there—]
[To the right, yes, more to the right.]
[Yes, just go straight ahead, and you’ll make it.]
Guided by the Saintess through forest paths and slicing through anomalies, we arrived at a tower in the north of the Temple of Heaven—the Memorial Hall, towering above.
Lightning poured down, illuminating the ramshackle building. Yet the pillars still stood, however precarious their stance, reaching towards the sky like hands in prayer.
At the very center, a dragon was surging higher and ascending.
[That's the place, Mr. Undertaker. All the other tornadoes covering the city originate from that tornado.]
“Yes, it seems so.”
The Temple of Heaven.
Since ancient times, humanity has proven its power by being the ones to offer sacrifices and prayers to the heavens. Thus, the tornado spiraling skyward from that very spot was akin to the anomalies proclaiming their victory.
I enhanced my vision with my aura and looked toward the presence detected at the center of the storm, and I couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Of course.”
[Why are you smiling?]
“No reason. Just thinking about how fittingly bizarre these anomalies are.”
In the heart of the tornado was... a small sapphire-colored 'butterfly' flapping its wings.
Blue wings. A morpho butterfly.
This was indeed the identity of the dragon's ascension. An anomaly that proclaimed itself as the current Son of Heaven.
Perhaps on stormy days like this, some of the tornadoes spawned by this 'butterfly' might have traveled beyond Beijing to the opposite side of the Earth.
‘...Literally the Butterfly Effect.’
I gripped my cane-sword.
Normally used as a walking stick, it could convert into a sword by twisting the handle—my weapon of choice.
How I came to use such a peculiar weapon is a story for another time.
For now, I'll just briefly mention the target my sword was slicing through.
Noticing my presence, the butterfly tilted its head, fluttering its wings.
-C̶̝͑a̶̘͊ṅ̷̳ ̵̡̏a̸̼͠ ̸̀ͅs̶̩̕ĩ̸̘n̴̎g̶̛̬l̴͙̏e̴̺͆ ̶̻̓b̶̤͊l̶͔͛o̵̬̐ẁ̸̗ ̷̥̓f̵̧͘ŕ̵̜ỏ̵̻m̸̙͒ ̴̯̔t̶̥̒h̵̑ė̸͜ ̵̗͐r̵͚͗ê̵͎g̴̯͛r̶̭̿e̸̛͚s̶̙̓s̴̀͜i̸͕͂o̷̥̐ṇ̶͘ ̸̪̽d̷͍͐e̸̻̍m̴̢̊ȏ̵̦n̵̙̾ ̸͔͗c̴͕̆u̴̞͊t̵̥̃ ̷̛̩i̸̤̚t̷̝͐?̵̗͆
The wind howled.
I swung my sword.
Amidst the booming thunder, a dark blade streaked silently across the world.
The blade tore through a butterfly that claimed to be the new lord of the Earth.
-T̴͎͐h̸̆ͅẹ̸͊ ̸͔̀ù̶͍n̵̹͠f̵̟͘ǎ̴̜i̶̟̓ṟ̷͘n̷̠̓ë̶͚s̸͈̾s̶̨̀ ̸̣̑o̷̠̾f̵͍̾ ̷̗͋b̶̗̕ȇ̶͓i̴̊ͅń̵̳ḡ̵̨ ̷̱̀c̸͚̎ȗ̷̙t̵̪͠ ̸̘̆d̷̨̒ỏ̵͓w̵̥̍n̴͖͛ ̴͍͛b̴̼̋y̴͍͑ ̴̯̒ǎ̸͖ ̵͇̂r̸̠͒ē̴̩g̴͉̉r̵̬̍e̸̥͘s̸̤̐s̷̞̾o̸̟͋r̴̼͒,̵̥̈́ ̷̦͆p̶̠͋e̸̼͗r̸̩̈́ḩ̵̄ạ̸͘p̷̥̃s̷̤̈́?̸̹́
But tasting the bitterness of a celestial revolution was also the natural course of history for one claiming to be an emperor. I only wished to hasten their liberation from Earth.
Amidst the storm and thunder, the dragon's ascension cried out, and then, as if always a lie, the noise of the world quieted.
[...Ah.]
As the clouds parted, a final shower poured down. The raindrops cast transparent shadows like sunlight.
[It’s beautiful.]
My aura unfurled, detecting the presence of still countless numbers of anomalies. Surely after realizing their leader had been defeated, they would swarm this place.
But they wouldn't be faster than sunlight.
During our brief respite, the Saintess stepped down from my arms to look around.
“I’m glad we came on this trip.”
The sound of water trickled beneath the Saintess's shoes, akin to a small fish escaping from an aquarium to a stream.
The Saintess turned and moved her lips. Then, in a whisper audible only to me—
[The Saintess of National Salvation praises your achievements.]
I stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, before bursting into laughter.
Surprisingly, this was the first joke I had heard from the Saintess during our 86 cycles together.
There’s an epilogue to this.
As a determinist, the Butterfly Effect was an anomaly I could never accept. Yet I, too, am human. Occasionally, I grow weary of the repetitive cycle of life.
At such times, even the Butterfly Effect, twisting the flow of causality to create random variables, didn’t seem too bad.
After all, anomalies are also what you make of them.
In each cycle, I typically quelled the anomalies of Beijing within six months before the Butterfly Effect fully stretched its wings, but sometimes I deliberately let them be.
…It was during the 173rd cycle that my complacent attitude finally led to an irreversible 'Butterfly Effect'.
[Mr. Undertaker.]
“Yes.”
[Perhaps I have been acting with a preconceived notion of the Constellations until now. Maybe we need to refurbish the image of the Constellations in a more familiar and friendly way?]
“Ah, yes. As you wish.”
[I had a great idea last night.]
“It must be a wonderful idea.”
Although it was the first time I heard such a proposal, I fundamentally trusted the Saintess and approved without much thought.
The next day.
[Hello, hello! Grrreetings to all the Awakeners of the Korean Peninsula! Nice to meet you, meow!]
[Frrrom now on, I will be the Constellation watching over you, the Saintess of National Salvation, meow!]
[Meow! I look forrrward to our future, meow!]
“…….”
Oh my God.
I accidentally dropped my coffee cup.
…Indeed, anomalies and humanity simply cannot coexist under the same sky.
Footnotes:
[1] Yan Zhenqing was a Chinese calligrapher, military general, and politician. He was a leading Chinese calligrapher and a loyal governor of the Tang dynasty.
***
