Views of the Universe from a Starskiff: The Xianzhou Zhuming
A chapter from the travelogues left behind by Baiheng, famous pilot of the Xianzhou. It records her entire trip as an ambassador to the Xianzhou Zhuming.
(I)
Great-grandma said: "If I ne'er live to see the fires of Zhuming, then all my wanderings of the cosmos would be for naught."
Hah, now that I think about it — she always has a whole load of cheesy habits of speech just like this (can I say that?). Going on about how "If I ne'er live to see the crystal palace of Thalassa" or "Ne'er live to see Pier Point" or "Ne'er live to see Planet Screwllum"... Basically, everywhere she praised probably has sights worth seeing. And if it's on the Alliance's turf, then there's nothing stopping a pilot from going there.
But before I was forced to visit, the Xianzhou Zhuming has always been a place I thought was better avoided — why? It's because of the preconceived ideas I held, thinking that it is a blazing hot furnace constantly on fire everywhere.
It's drilled into us from day one at the Sky-Faring Commission that "fire beats fur every time." A key part of being a foxian pilot involves spraying ourselves with fire retardant gel before each sortie. So, I have pretty good reasons to be scared of the Zhuming, right?
But the day of my mission to the Zhuming inevitably arrived. The Yaoqing's Heroncrest Fleet was tied up in conflict against the Denizens of Abundance in proximity to Owenley and other closeby planets, stalling their main forces. The Military Affairs Office put me into a delegation with another dozen people and stuffed us into a Navis Astriger headed for the Zhuming to request arms and reinforcements.
Through the porthole, I bore witness for the first time this huge furnace — no, it had nothing to do with any kind of furnace at all. The Xianzhou Zhuming was like an intricately-carved golden lotus, gradually unfolding its lustrous leaves around the cone-shaped central hull, bathed blue under the light of an azure star. It was peaceful and tranquil.
"Is this... also a Xianzhou ship? This is nothing like those Flying Skyboats we've learned in the Guild's records." The exchange scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild next to me looked at me half-astounded, half-curious, as she vocalized just what I was thinking.
"Yeah, seems like the craftmasters who built this ship were not only liberal in form, but also liberal in definition." I laughed. After all, it has been over seven thousand years since those huge migrant vessels set sail, and the residents have completely transformed them beyond all recognition. (There's a similar concept in philosophy. What is it called again? The Ship of Polka? No, the Ship of Screwseus?)
I don't blame her, though. People always form preconceived notions about places they've never been to. I'm no different, right?
In my imagination, the Zhuming was this big clumsy furnace, with sparks spattering everywhere and muscular craftsmen smashing their blacksmith hammers down — I'm sorry. I've obviously been to too many worlds with a low level of civilization, and have completely forgotten that Xianzhou artifex technology is on the bleeding edge, with the Zhuming being among the most advanced of all.
This feeling is most evident when stepping onto the starskiff port named "Radiant Zenith." It was like dipping into a cool, fresh pool of water with light filtered into a comfortable, soothing honey-yellow. The vast starskiff platform seemed to be entirely chiseled out of a single block of moonstone so big that it disappeared over the horizon. Even more astonishing was the seamless integration of the structure's frame into the port — as if it was an array of metal organically sprouting from the minerals below.
Without a doubt, this proud and blatant display of craftsmanship was sculpted deliberately to debunk any biased ideas Outworlders might have formed before they arrived on the Zhuming.
And the person that the Artisanship Commission leader sent to welcome our delegation was a little kid barely in his teens.
"M—Master Huaiyan sent me here to receive you..."
This shy and juvenile voice and the lack of pointy ears showed no possibility of him being a "child-looking elder," a Vidyadhara with delayed physical development. Now that I think about it, he must be a personal disciple of Master Huaiyan. A wunderkind plucked from who knows where.
"Greetings, esteemed delegation guests. I'm a craftsman of the Zhuming Artisanship Commission... My name is Yingxing. Master Huaiyan is busy with the preparation of new armaments and has sent me in his place to receive you. In fact... I also have lots of work to do, and won't live very long unlike the celestials on the Xianzhou. So please, if you'd hurry along behind me, then we can complete the handover process faster."
This craftsman welcoming us was actually a short-life species? I was nearly fatigued from surprise already. How else did the Xianzhou Zhuming plan on surprising me?