Fourth Prince - Morning Light

Morning light touched the top of Hell King Hades' Cut. The bottom remained locked in gloomy darkness. That was fine with Ganimedzu-no-kami Renjie. Gloomy darkness made cuddling better. He put his face into a magnificent armpit. When the camp got busy enough that no excuse could cover remaining in an armpit, Renjie jumped up and ran over to look at the water.

The torrent had become a trickle snaking through eroded alluvium. Renjie's scientific triumph, easily the greatest of the present age, had almost been realized. The mysteries of Jade Palace Mound would finally be known to a select few of the world's most elite minds. He jumped around naked. Marakiri jumped around with her clothes on. Everyone jumped around to celebrate the opening of a new chapter in humanity's understanding of the past. Almost everyone. Bon Bao remained in bed – and snarled at anyone who got too close. Only his bladder could finally convince him to get up.

Garrett returned not long after breakfast. He handed Renjie a wad of paperwork. After pretending to review it, Renjie handed the wad of paperwork to the prison officials. The officials reviewed it. Satisfied, they informed the prisoners they had been redeemed by the Fourth Prince. The prisoners, previously snickering about the little royal's tiny butt, got down on the ground and thanked him repeatedly.

Renjie considered giving more people credit. Bon Bao came up with the idea, after all. Delicious Lambchop ran all the way back up the Cut to get the paperwork. Rangiku created said paperwork. The money came from Renjie's mother. Plum Terrace Attendant worked out details with the Superintendent of the Imperial Household. Explaining all that was too complicated, however, so Renjie just accepted the bows and thank-yous to streamline the process of gratitude.

Then Renjie jumped around with the prisoners to celebrate his own magnanimity. The prisoners continued jumping around even after it was explained that they would have to finish improving the bottom of Hell King Hades' Cut. Plum Terrace Palace would compensate them. Because the Fifth Consort cleared their debts, the no-longer prisoners would get to keep that compensation instead of handing it over to offset the restitution they once owed.

Eventually, Renjie got dressed and the expedition made its way down to the tunnel entrance. A thin layer of water continued flowing over the tunnel's stone floor. Although grooves in the rock could act as drainage channels, there was just a bit too much water. Marakiri believed cracks in surrounding rock were channeling rainwater percolating through the monolith.

"The flow will remain until those cracks are closed," she said.

"If a crack suddenly gets bigger," said Bon Bao, "do we die?"

The hydromancer giggled.

"That isn't reassuring," Bon Bao told her.

"The scenario you propose is unlikely," she said, "but not impossible."

"It won't happen," said Renjie.

"Why not?" asked Bon Bao.

"Iba Algi would never let her future husband get caught in a pressure tube," said Renjie.

"What about the rest of us?" asked Bon Bao.

"I'll be fine!" said the hydromancer Marakiri.

The expedition entered the tunnel. The water made soothing sounds as it rustled over the stone floor's rough textures. Soothing sounds covered up dripping ones. The Fourth Prince hated dripping noises unless he was lying in a bathtub with good toys.

They reached a big round room with a pit off-center in the middle. The pit was full of water. Renjie asked Marakiri how deep it was. She declared it thirty Bon Baos deep. That would put the bottom at the same level as the Feng River's channel. The hydromancer suspected there was another closed door, or several, blocking a drain from the cistern to the river. If they opened suddenly, it could cause a "situation" downriver.

"What kind of 'situation?'" asked Bon Bao.

"A bad one," said Marakiri.

The big round room's walls were lined by a stone ramp that spiraled up and disappeared into the ceiling. The ramp's rock was wet and slippery, but its texture made it easier to walk on. The rock remained wet all the way up to the next big round room with a huge pit off-center in the middle. This big round room had four exits. The space between exits was inconsistent.

Renjie considered that inartful.

The room also contained members of the other team.

The Minister of Antiquities jumped around with joy. His team had arrived a couple hours earlier. When they first found the level, it was about half full of water. Because runners had informed them of the plan to drain the water from below, they took turns monitoring it. A significant amount of water flowed in from the side passages during the draining process.

"Do you think these tunnels were designed to flood?" asked Renjie.

"I wouldn't say that being flooded was the intended state," said the Minister of Antiquities. "But I do believe it was considered acceptable. Although the water would have been as inconvenient for hobgoblins as for us, giants often sequestered themselves in chambers filled with water."

"Why?" asked Renjie.

"Unclear," said the Minister of Antiquities. "We just know they did it. Giants don't require air, nor does pressure bother them. If there are giants left anywhere, it's at the bottom of a nice warm sea."

"The ancient giants sequestered themselves in chambers filled with water because it helped them listen to the sound of the universe," said Iba Algi.

"That makes sense," says Renjie. "Oh my gosh! When did you get here?"

"Just now," said Iba Algi.