The State of Zhao was in the southern part of the Southern Domain, which was connected to the Western subcontinent. These two areas were separated from the rest of the Nanshan Continent by the Milky Way Sea, although it is possible that long ago, the Nanshan Continent had not been split in this way.
To state things more clearly, the State of Zhao exists on the edge of the Southern Domain, far from the sea. Only by passing over numerous mountains would the boundless Milky Way Sea become visible.
The State of Zhao was not very large, nor was it heavily populated. However, the capital city was a bustling place. Even though the evening air was filled with falling snow, the houses glowed with lantern light, keeping everyone warm inside.
Anyone who didn’t own a house, who walked about in the snowy night, would feel an indescribable loneliness.
Meng Hao walked down the street beneath the darkening sky. The crowds of people who would normally be visible during the day were nowhere to be seen. Anyone who moved about wore wide bamboo hats, and kept their heads lowered as they hurried along.
Looking off into the distance, Meng Hao could just barely make out the shape of a large, prominent building. It was a pagoda, a tower.
The Tower of Tang.
It was nearly three hundred meters tall, almost like a mountain, capable of capturing the attention of anyone within the city. Snow surrounded it, but could not hide the evidence of the devoted care spent by the King of Zhao, the scholars, and the many other people who had constructed it.
It faced the Eastern Lands, the Great Tang and Chang’an.
Meng Hao had never been to the capital city before, nor the Tower of Tang. He had never even seen it before. But as he walked down the street toward it, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that… this was definitely the Tower of Tang.
He had always imagined that one day he would become a government official, and then he would be able to climb to its top and stare out across the land.
He looked at the Tower of Tang sitting there amidst the swirling snow. A long time passed.
“Before mother and father disappeared,” he murmured to himself, “a violet wind blew outside. People said it was an auspicious sign, and that a celestial being had appeared in the sky….” He walked forward, staring at the Tower of Tang.
He thought about everything that had happened that night. He would never be able to forget. That night, he lost his youth. From that night on, he would never again have a father and mother to rely on. That was when he began to grow strong.
It was then that he started to dream of going to the Eastern Lands, to the Great Tang!
Rumors spread that his parents were dead, but Meng Hao knew that they were simply missing. They were out there, somewhere. He would never forget the violet robe his father had been wearing that night as he stood next to the window, looking out at the violet wind. Nor would he forget how his father had looked back at him, a disturbed look in his eyes.
He would never forget that night, nor the quiet sound of his mother weeping.
He had never spoken of these things to anyone, but had kept them buried deep in his heart.
As the Tower of Tang grew closer and closer, he wondered why he was suddenly thinking about such things from the past. He sighed. The sigh broke to pieces in the snowy wind. It would never leave the capital city, nor the State of Zhao, nor the Southern Domain. It would not cross the Milky Way Sea, nor would it reach Chang’an.
“Maybe it’s because mother would always talk about the Great Tang,” he murmured. “She told me that in the capital city of every nation, there is a Tower of Tang, and people say those towers are the closest you can get to Chang’an without actually being there.”
As he approached the district surrounding the Tower of Tang, he looked up.
The snow fell in heavy sheets, and the winter wind whimpered around him. More and more snow was building up on the tower. From where he stood, he could see clearly that it had been constructed with great care. Its foundation was eight-sided, and it rose up like a massive pagoda.
It was constructed from green material, and looked just like he had imagined it would.
Despite the snow, soldiers patrolled around its perimeter. This area… was a place only highly ranked officials and powerful people could enter, in order to offer sacrifices and perform rites.
But the mortal soldiers didn’t notice as Meng Hao’s body passed by and entered the tower.
An ancient flight of stairs wound up inside, reaching slowly up toward the top. The walls were carved with brightly colored frescos, depicting the Eastern Lands, the Great Tang and Chang’an.