Desert Company: Retrospective

Kwazhak had moved into the same living quarters as the nameless girl, ‘Tvuj’. Or rather, Tvuj Hosyi. It was a nice name. ‘Tvuj’ was the Khoit word for nameless, while Hosyi was the Azu word for star. ‘Nameless Star’, it had a pleasant ring as a Khoit-Azu fusion. Unbeknownst to L, Kwazhak wanted to retire his status, regarding teaching the others. He opted to retreat to the confines of the room to study. He wanted to study various subjects, looking into the anthropological records of the Khoitan and records of world language.

His books were delivered often by Tvuj, who regularly had access to travel outside the Wakoku branch. Of course, he wouldn’t request her to buy books without compensation; Kwazhak would answer any questions the girl asked.

These files were not easily accessible. In the Xinggong library, only scholars could view the texts. To solve this, Mr. Khouw would teleport to Wakoku and transport the books in bulk, where Tvuj would pick them up. Once all his books were delivered, he began his research.

Kwazhak would first learn more in-depth about the Khoitan people, the oldest ethnic groups in this world. There were the Yan, Máak, Dineh, Kalyk, and the Kakai. The Yan and Máak were located in Yahmajô̗, while the other three in Alą̧̄utl. These peoples were nomadic, and traveled to the respective plains in their regions for Urgats, daily seasonal pastures zoned for herding. They were the only religious groups left in the modern era, believing in the Yyvubia and the existence of outer beings that created this world. Many Khoitan would take the pilgrimage to the holy city of Chatzùngmach 'al-Muqadsa, where many believers congregated to celebrate the creation of the world. Even when many people became non-believers to the faith, there was one contradiction. The unearthed Divine Scrolls of Ragye, dated to the year 630, had no record nor reference to sahar. Schools taught children that the world was created due to the accretion of sahar that formed the planet. However, even the oldest script about the Khoitan, 630 years prior to the creation of this world, never stated anything about sahar. That gave Kwazhak the thought: Perhaps something other than sahar created the planet and life itself.

The Azu, Z̆ongren, and Buhang, according to the Chiengg Hypothesis, descended from Khoitan. And yet, Khoitan were the most oppressed people in this world. The Yanese were forced to intermarry and hide their lineage among Azutami, the Máak were enslaved by As-Z̆onghu̐a, and the entire Kalyk tribe was wiped off the map by Buhang soldiers not too long ago. In 1943, the Kougek-no-Koitan incident, where Khoitan suicide bombers blew up the city hall in Koitoch province, which resulted in Azutami blaming and conquering the land of the Dineh. The Azu labeled them as terrorists, placing an unforgettable label on all the tribes. Later in 1947, Tasdaha was established-

“M- Mr. Laoyuang, I brought your notes from Mr. Khouw,” Tvuj opened the door, taking off her shoes. Kwazhak snapped out of his thoughts, closing the book on the table immediately. He was too absorbed in the text.

“I see that one brought it swiftly, thank you,” He smiled, as Tvuj handed him a stack of papers. “You can ask me anything.”

Tvuj stopped to think. She had used many questions, so it was getting harder for her and him to ask and answer them.

“How did you meet L?”

If he remembered correctly, Laoyuang Shång, his father, had a diplomatic meeting with Emperor Khomi Miyuyno in Rümqî.

Kwazhak pushed his books to the side and fixed his chair. The memory flowed from his mouth.

 

The skyscrapers of the city reflected the dark clouds of the future rain. It was forecasted in the holograms, as the metropolis was coated in a dark gray. Him and his father were in front of the Azu National Diet. They were almost equal in height to each other. Wearing trench coats, Shång prepared a yellow umbrella, as he put a hand on Kwazhak’s shoulder.

“Wǔ qù le. Thou mayst stroll around the city, but not too far,” He placed a money pouch in Kwazhak’s coat pocket. “Don’t give out irrationally. One is not here to help people. Go and find places to cultivate your Sìyì.”

“Yes father,” Kwazhak bowed, lowering his head.

Kwazhak did as he was told. He went to a calligraphy shop and bought solid black sumi ink. Although never skilled in his calligraphy skills, he liked to draw out the ideographic Khanz characters. The black block would also provide him with ink for painting. Next, he attended a gaming café for Go. There were many skilled Azu Go players, but nevertheless he would emerge victorious in every game. Lastly, Kwazhak visited a local zither shop situated next to the Al-Bashwa Hôtel. With this, he had done everything related to his Sìyì.

He talked to the Azu locals using their language. Kwazhak always enjoyed speaking different languages, for he took pleasure in foreign sounds and culture. He would become a different person with each language he switched to. From ordering fresh takoyaki balls from the food stand, to tipping the musician that played the shamisen with a skillful hand, Azutami was a country rich in history and diversity.

It was when he was walking past Al-Yoskawa Kioshi Memorial when he spotted a Buhang teahouse across the street, with the name ‘Nutaarsaarsuk Teahouse’ written in the Dhaj script.

 

“Nutaarsaarsuk? That’s a long name,” Tvuj was surprised, listening carefully. Kwazhak smiled.

“It’s the Buhang word for peace. Since Buhang is an agglutinative language, many intensifiers make up Nutaarsaarsuk,” He explained, unaware if she might be able to understand it, “When I entered the teahouse, there was a young man wearing a police trench coat and cap, holding an empty wallet. One wouldn’t think his high and low nature has persisted this long.”

 

“Really? You’ll pay for me? Woah… Are you a noble? And you can speak Azu?...”

“I’m not a prince,” He tried to hide his title. “I’m Kwa-”

“Le Prince! Alright, that’s your name!” The young man snapped his fingers to a conclusion, and they sat together around the table.

There he learned of Kiyomiya Lojuno, the rookie officer with an ulterior motive. A boy who was desperate to find anything about the tournament, and how to stop it. By Kwazhak’s standards, the notion of fighting was already a controversial topic, but to L it was necessary to make progress. If he had to make a line of a Shi poem about L, then perhaps he would propose:

‘This of bliss a dove of one, resists the behoved l'règle above.’