Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 550 - 46: The Grim Reaper and the Chariot
Various high-end steam vehicles were parked in front of the Black Rose Theatre, with civilian patrol flyers buzzing around.
The three-meter-wide "Giant Lake" poster by the theater’s entrance had been torn through by some troublemaker, leaving a long gash that fluttered noisily in the wind.
Sharp criticisms and provocative thugs had also caused some impact on the performance scene.
The fervent fans from around the world who followed Dorothy all the way to San Francisco retained their enthusiasm, but the theater still had many empty seats, as numerous local spectators refused to watch the Giant Lake performance to express their dissatisfaction.
Even many locals who attended the performance couldn’t help but purposely make snide remarks aloud from the audience seats, believing that a French woman (Dorothy) performing such content in San Francisco was an undisguised satire on this vibrant, emerging city. In fact, this was also the original commentary from an Irish Workers’ Party newspaper.
"Damn Chinese."
Li Yan settled into his seat, stretching lazily, and the old woman next to him, wearing a black lace hat, with graying hair and few remaining teeth, murmured under her breath.
Li Yan elbowed her on the side, squinting at her hat with a smile and said, "Do you want me to knock out all of your remaining teeth, you old crone?"
"You!"
The old woman was so angry her veins throbbed, and she nearly fainted from the inability to catch her breath.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the final act of ’Giant Lake.’ Let’s give Thalia a break; I’ll open for everyone."
The spotlight converged on Dorothy, who wore a sleek silver bodysuit with flowing curves, her pink hair cascading to her waist. The moment her words ended, the theater erupted into vigorous applause.
The accordion sounded melodious. Dorothy took a deep breath and sang, "Clear Giant Lake, mysterious Giant Lake, calm Giant, many adventurers came seeking fame, some faced the limpid waters and returned empty-handed, while others never came back..."
Several spotlights scattered from Dorothy. Li Yan closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he was sitting in a speeding steam car, with the scenery of the wilderness rapidly moving backward.
"Awake?"
Jane gave Li Yan a glance.
The back seat of the steam car had been completely dismantled, and the trunk discarded, to make room for an enormous hunting crossbow. It only had one bolt, so Jane treasured it particularly.
The steam car stopped at a crossroad since the original road sign had been violently chopped down with an axe, and beside it stood a small tavern.
The sign of the tavern read "Bandit’s Home" in English.
Jane touched her forehead, "I’m certain that Giant Lake is down one of these three roads, but I have no clue which one to take."
Li Yan was much more straightforward. He hopped out of the vehicle and said to Jane, "I’ll go inquire inside the tavern, you keep an eye on the car."
Jane looked at Li Yan skeptically, "This place doesn’t look very friendly."
Li Yan drew the revolver Jane had given him, "After spending so much time with the princess, I don’t think I seem very friendly either."
Jane rolled her eyes at Li Yan, then watched him walk into the tavern.
Like all Western movies’ taverns, the patrons here wore guns at their waists and had fierce expressions, gambling or drinking around barrels. And when Li Yan entered the tavern, all eyes simultaneously focused on him.
"I can smell the outsider from miles away! Hey, kid, get out of here, this is the hometown of the Cyclops. A haven for ruthless criminals, not a place for a young man like you."
A bearded man with a scar shouted loudly.
Li Yan pulled up a chair to sit down, and smiled at him, "Although you’re ugly, you have good taste. So, could anyone tell me where to find the Cyclops?"
The tavern burst into laughter, and the scarred bearded man clutched his stomach, joking with the white-haired old woman behind the bar, "Hey! Witch, business is coming your way again, another fool wants to divine the whereabouts of the Cyclops from you!"
The woman they called Witch was an old woman with her teeth nearly all gone, her white hair braided into dreadlocks, her body adorned with shells and bones. The tavern was noisy, but she dozed off intermittently.
Li Yan moved his chair in front of her and knocked on the bar, "Madam, do you know the whereabouts of the Cyclops?"
With his back to the tavern’s clients, Li Yan felt ignored. The scarred bearded man, outraged, picked up the pistol from the table and aimed it at Li Yan, bellowing, "Take your Cyclops and go to hell!"
Jane waited outside the tavern, bored to death, when suddenly a burst of gunfire, like the crackling of fried beans, erupted from within. It was quite a while before the dust settled.
"..."
Jane waited for over a minute, but seeing no one come out, she could no longer sit still. Agilely flipping out of the carriage door, clad in her twin steam armors, she charged into the tavern with great fury.
"Death!"
The Witch raised a Tarot Card, as Li Yan sat across from her, amidst the mess and bodies on the floor, out of place with the ongoing divination. Jane stepped over the blood to Li Yan’s side: "Are you alright?"
"I’m fine. This lady understands Tarot Cards; I was just having her do a reading for me."
Jane looked around and said, "You really outdid yourself, I don’t recall your revolver having that many bullets."
"In my hometown, they say, if you haven’t seen an ambitious man in three days, you need to reassess his capabilities."
"Death Card!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
The Witch, left hanging for too long, repeated discontentedly.
"What did you have her divine?"
Jane asked.
"I asked her how to kill or banish a Historian."
Jane cocked her head, asking with confusion, "What?"
"That’s impossible," the Witch answered emotionlessly. "But go ahead, what you seek is up ahead."
"Give her a reading as well, madam. She wants to know the whereabouts of the Cyclops."
Li Yan pointed to Jane.
Jane looked skeptically at the Witch, but sat down nonetheless at Li Yan’s insistence.
The Witch shuffled the cards for her anew, and had Jane draw four from among them.
"Choose one."
Without hesitation, Jane chose the card closest to her, which was the Chariot from the twenty-two major arcana cards.
"Reversed, the Chariot. It represents failure, stubbornness, transgression of rules. If you could learn to let go of your persistence, perhaps the outcome would be more perfect."
"That’s impossible."
Jane blurted out almost immediately.
The Witch closed her eyes with waning interest, "You only get one chance, since you insist, please continue on your path."
"Phew! No offense, but I’ve never believed in this stuff. In the age of steam, science is flourishing. The old monsters’ veil of mystery has long been lifted."
The Witch cackled bizarrely, "You know what? Young lady, they once thought the same."
"Who?"
"Those very monsters you mock."
"Nonsense."
Jane ignored her, turning to Li Yan instead: "Let’s go. We’ll just have to make a detour if necessary."
Li Yan, of course, had no reason to refuse, and the two boarded the steam car and set off again.
