Steam rose from the sunken cedar tub in the inner bath chamber, fogging the narrow lattice windows.
Outside the bathhouse, cold autumn wind rustled the bamboo stalks. Inside, the air was hot, thick, and scented with dried lotus root and camphor oil.
Kaelen Vance sat on a low wooden bench by the wall, wearing his faded hemp bathrobe.
His straw hat rested upside down on his knees. In his right hand, he held his worn copy of The Bandit King’s Secret Bride, his thumb smoothing the dog-eared corner of the fourteenth section.
Beneath his eyelids, the charcoal slate glowed in the quiet darkness of his mind.
[The Fallow Slate]
[Stage 2: Tri-Track Accumulation]
[Track 1 (Cultivation Vessel): 520h 00m / 720h (521x Multiplier Active; held for one hour during the interval)]
