The upper pavilion of the Floating Mountain caught the crisp, golden breezes of late afternoon. Carved from fragrant white sandalwood and open on all four sides to the infinite azure sky, the council terrace overlooked the shimmering expanse of the northern plateau where the Thousand-Floor Pagoda now stood complete. Its dark stone tiers shone under the sun.
Lin Xiao stood before a large standing screen of lacquered pine in his eighteen-year-old scholar avatar. He held a polished bamboo pointer in his right hand. Gathered around the central low table were the core pillars of the Myriad Spirit Safe hall, each sipping fragrant roasted barley tea from celadon bowls.
Xiao Hei lay stretched out on the rush mats beside Lin Xiao’s boots, his majestic twelve-foot frame tightly packed down to the size of a large, glossy black hound. His tail thumped the floorboards in a steady, contented rhythm, his chin resting comfortably on his front paws. Meanwhile, his ruby eyes tracked Lin Xiao’s every movement.
Perched upon the high sandalwood railing was Da Peng. His golden raptor feathers glowed like burnished sun-gold in the high-sky light. Old Man Tie Shan sat cross-legged on a heavy oak bench, nursing a massive clay pot flagon of dark malt ale. Beside him, Captain Lu-Lu of the River Otter Clan sat perched atop a water barrel. He grabbed a polished hardwood paddle with webbed, clawed paws and looked immensely important in a tiny blue vest.
