Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 161

City of Tienhai. Industrial District. "Industries of the Future" Factory. Yo.

Near the massive, entirely metallic factory building, signs of a recent battle between powerful mages of various elements were evident. Black scorch marks marred the outer walls, and bodies from both sides lay scattered here and there. Some showed no signs of life, though most casualties were among the attacking bandits.

"Could they have been after the schematics?" I wondered. The question of producing their own atomobiles remained open, but building their own factory seemed unlikely. "Though maybe they don't need one... Their organization isn't large yet, so a couple dozen atomobiles would give them significant mobility."

"Straight-up steampunk," I muttered under my breath, glancing at the factory and the police airships hovering above. Their appearance truly evoked a specific genre of science fiction.

The final months of summer had been unusually "nerve-wracking." The Equalists' activity forced me to patrol the city daily, preventing kidnappings, document thefts, and outright murders. There was no doubt the Equalists were behind it all. Thanks to my open chakras, I could eavesdrop on the entire city, where members of their organization communicated in one way or another. After taking a hit, they should calm down for a while—at least, I hoped so.

Unfortunately, I still hadn't located their main base. Those I "accidentally" let slip away had scattered across the city, making no suspicious moves. I'd searched the city thoroughly, so I was certain their main forces weren't here. The Equalists' leaders were unusually clever—they'd prepared for any unexpected outcome. First, they left exposed fighters in the city itself, correctly assuming they'd be monitored. Second, some key figures in their organization, like the Lieutenant, had been given volatile substances that could confuse even the most experienced tracker. That's how I lost sight of that staff-wielding enthusiast—I'd relied too much on my sharp sense of smell.

In truth, the discontent of ordinary, non-bending people would have grown even without the Equalists. The Equalists were a product of the overall situation in the world. Though even without concrete evidence, I'm certain a malevolent spirit is behind it all. Dark energy unites people better than any friendship, as I've seen with the Fire Sages, who constantly bickered until they summoned a fragment of dark energy.

No matter how much I try to limit the benders, they'll always feel slightly superior. And ordinary people bear much of the blame for that. Over centuries, submission to benders has become ingrained in their genes—how could it be otherwise? After all, benders command nature itself! Seeing this attitude, benders naturally feel special. Conflict didn't escalate earlier because of the war. For example, Earth Kingdom citizens thought, "Better our own earthbenders run amok than the firebenders we hate." Maybe I didn't explain it well, but in my previous world, governments often used similar methods. They'd blow up an object, blame terrorists, scare the population into submission, and restrict their rights. Another favorite way to influence the masses was to create a military conflict. Previously, people just didn't focus much on this issue. Now, the accumulated discontent could erupt unpredictably. And in that sense, the Equalists become a useful filter, allowing me to influence the situation—as long as I find their base and plant some botanical surprises from Dria and Selin.

Toward the end of the conflict, when the Equalists exhaust themselves, the Air Nomad will sweep through them like a roller, imbuing them with Rava's light energy and finally sending the dark particles to the Spirit World. Fortunately, Aang managed to briefly contact the weakened Rava, who promised to help when she senses Vatu's dark energy. My task will be to ensure no one connected to Vatu escapes. By then, one of my projects should be complete—it promises to nearly equalize ordinary people with benders.

"Send the most severely wounded on the airship!" The strong, clear voice of the police chief snapped me out of my thoughts. Quickly straightening my disheveled clothes—flying had left them in disarray—I approached the owner of a stunning, curvaceous figure, which even the thick police uniform couldn't conceal.

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"Hello, Chief..." With all these matters, I hadn't had time to review the documents on her desk. Of course, it's good the government system runs without my direct involvement, but I shouldn't get too complacent. After all, being the chief isn't like being some random officer no one knows.

"What's a civilian doing here?" she began sternly, flinching almost imperceptibly. My fault—I'd grown too accustomed to moving silently and unnoticed. "Oh—goodness, Senator Yo!" She abruptly lost her confidence when she fully turned to face me.

"Someone's clearly got a crush on me..." I chuckled to myself, observing the processes in her body that couldn't lie. And I must admit, her shyness combined with that figure creates... a strangely pleasant dissonance. The more I looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. Especially that mole under her right eye...

"Police Chief Kuvira!" she snapped to attention, looking anywhere but at me.

"I remember! How she's grown!" I thought, feeling like an old man. Memories of past years flooded my mind—when I carelessly dyed my hair black and wandered the world seeking adventure. I remembered the name of the little girl thrown into the harsh world of adults. In the old dialect of the Earth Kingdom's southern lands, Kuvira means "strong woman." As if in mockery, her parents gave her a fateful name—and indeed, she had a rough start until I found her. The little girl took a long time to "thaw," and it seemed she'd never known real care in her short life.

"Little Kuvira," I said, forcing myself to hold back from patting her head—hardly appropriate with her subordinates around.

"You... remember?" she asked in a hushed whisper, her gaze filled with so much emotion that I was taken aback for a moment.

"I never forgot," I replied softly, gently enveloping her figure in air, as if embracing her. Clearly, I'd become more to her than just the stranger who once helped her. Warmth filled my heart—it's always joyful to see children you knew as tiny tots grow up and take charge of their destinies.

The conversation turned to pressing issues, but her radiant smile never faded. Along the way, I recalled funny moments from her youth. Sometimes it seemed she wanted to say something but stopped herself each time. I hope she'll overcome her hesitation.

"I'll drop by your office occasionally—help however I can," I said. She visibly brightened, though it was clear half an hour of conversation wasn't enough for her.

"I'll be waiting!" Kuvira exclaimed excitedly, her voice rising slightly, and immediately blushed at her outburst.

*

Fire Nation. Palace of the Fire Lord. Wan.

The chambers of Fire Lord Azula bore the marks of a fierce "battle" that had ended only at dawn. Torn fabrics—once expensive garments—lay scattered, and sharp claw marks marred the furniture.

"We really went wild," I thought. Even with my ocean of life energy, I'd been knocked out for an hour, despite no longer needing sleep. Still, going a month or two without rest makes thinking slightly harder.

Azula had fallen asleep with my dignity still inside her, so I carefully lifted her to let myself get up. Other obstacles included the seemingly fragile but strong arms of Ty Lee and the octopus-like leg of Mai, who'd wrapped herself around me. Generally, Mai isn't keen on intimate activities in front of others, even Azula or Ty Lee, but yesterday she'd simply had no choice. Azula, "blazing" with happiness, had dragged her into the room.

The cause of such intense emotions was now flying directly above us. Azula had finally bonded with the dragon born of Ran and Shao. Her monthly visits to the Sun Warrior City hadn't been in vain. The dragon wasn't as strong as its parents—not even close to Aiwa—but it promised to reach the level of an ancient.

While the girls slept, I visited Ursa and began my usual training in controlling life and spiritual energy. Unfortunately, over the years, I hadn't advanced to the next level in other elements. So, it was decided to grow not in depth, but in breadth. One of my bodies was always in the Spirit World, where battles were plentiful, allowing me to quickly expand my energy sources. The pressure from dark spirits only increased over the years—I think I'll soon have to send another body there...

The abilities of the ancient level still delighted me. My more developed spiritual senses allowed me to perceive energy more deeply. Thus, I'd discovered that people don't always have just one source—sometimes two, three, or even all four. Heredity plays a role: if someone in your seventh generation was an airbender, and all subsequent ancestors were pure firebenders, fire would naturally dominate. But air wouldn't entirely leave you—statistics show other elements disappear only by the ninth or tenth generation if they can't compete with the primary one.

Another crucial factor is the soul, which simply can't handle unlocking two elements at once. Exceptions exist, of course. And one of them had been riding me wildly just hours ago. Azula had managed to awaken the fire element and partially open the "doors" to air, significantly enhancing her flames.

Delving into such matters was terrifying but irresistibly tempting. Fortunately, the world daily "supplies" all sorts of scum, on whom I could practice. The research lasted three years but was well worth it! Through artificial intervention, I could replace the primary element! Once confident in my abilities, I immediately ran to Ty Lee and Mai. Both had a clear predisposition to fire but weak air sources. "Feeding" each a particle from my air source, I began altering their "default settings." Incidentally, the girls themselves wanted this element: Ty Lee had never been friends with fire, and air would greatly expand her abilities. As for Mai, the lover of all things sharp and pointy had already devised thousands of ways to use combinations like senbon-air, sai-air, knife-air, and so on.

Later, I discovered another fact supporting the separate lives of benders and non-benders before the first Avatar's arrival. About a quarter of the people I studied were completely unsuited for interacting with spiritual energy, but life energy clung to them.

According to Wan Shi Tong, by the time of the Vatu saga, a good quarter of all people would become benders—of course, if no crisis occurred. Fortunately, no one strong has emerged from the interdimensional breaches yet. "Aiwa's arrived," I sensed the approach of a powerful signature. After that incident with her raging instincts, she'd been very embarrassed. She didn't understand what had come over her. Thankfully, such episodes occur only once every ten years with her kind. Still, it seems Aiwa's not telling the whole truth—something's lingering in her mind, and her changed gaze toward me is hard to miss. Well, we'll see.