༺ Every Nickname Has Its Story ༻
It was customary to at least have a modest feast when a distinguished guest was in the house. This long standing human tradition was meant to ease the traveler’s nerves and welcome news from afar.
Having ushered the Earth Sage into the cafeteria, I brought out all the remaining food we had. Not knowing her preferences, I just set everything on the table for her. Then I joyfully raised a toast.
“Attention please, everyone! A dignitary has graced us in the abyss! The Goddess of the Engineer Corps, Guardian of Digging, Reverse Undertaker, Terrastream, and the Unyielding! She is the master of all these titles: the Earth Sage!”
The Earth Sage nodded in acknowledgment, though she didn’t seem to approve much of the introduction. Especially when she heard her last two titles.
｢…I wish he left out the last two. Still, that should be the end of it.｣
Despite her wishes, however, a curious 12th-century girl was in the room. Tyr asked a question out of pure interest.
“You have so many titles. How did you earn them all?”
“Haha, they are not so impressive.”
The Earth Sage evasively declined to answer. But even if she didn’t respond, someone else in the room would.
And that someone was me!
“Not so impressive?! But each one is a testament to remarkable feats!”
I couldn’t treat someone as famous and amazing like the Earth Sage as just some random wayfarer. Others might stand for such treatment, but not me.
I immediately shot to my feet with an exclamation.
“It’s unbelievable for there to be someone who doesn’t recognize the Earth Sage’s greatness! For those in the dark, allow me to give a simple explanation!”
“No, you need not—”
“No need to be so modest! Tyr is uninformed about outside affairs. If we don’t fill her in beforehand, she’ll be left out and get sulky!”
｢…The Progenitor, an ancient being, sulky? This man is no ordinary individual himself.｣
The Earth Sage conceded with resignation. With her consent, I presented her like a show host introducing a special guest.
“The Earth Sage participated in most of the Military State’s national civil engineering projects. But you know how it is, the government never gets anything done right! All the engineering teams did back then were digging trenches and propping up palisades. Those large-scale works nearly resulted in a mass live burial for every personnel involved! It was so bad people were worried about the Overlord tragedy happening all over again! And then, like a shooting star, in came…”
I respectfully gestured toward the Earth Sage before continuing.
“The Earth Sage herself! Thanks to her collaboration, alongside the earthweavers under her lead, the State managed to build sturdy roads, dams, and buildings! But not just that! She educated the engineers in the techniques of exponentially enhancing concrete strength, proper concrete handling, foundation placement, water channel detection, and even soil leveling! The Earth Sage and her earthweavers were practically Mother Earth to the Engineering Corps! That’s how she became their Goddess!”
“The disciples of Mother Earth becoming carpenters? How interesting indeed.”
Seeing how intently Tyr listened, eyes sparkling, the Earth Sage could no longer turn down my introduction. I carried on with the momentum.
“There’s also a story behind her titles ‘The Guardian of Digging’ and ‘Reverse Undertaker’! One day, an engineer ended up buried while digging away. It’s a common incident at construction sites, but some citizens were fearful, claiming that Mother Earth was angered by their acts of digging into her flesh. But then! The Earth Sage unleashed her Earth Art! And like a volcanic eruption, like a gushing wellspring! The engineer was ejected from the depths of the ground!”
I heard gasps of awe from the others, but Tyr’s reaction was especially satisfying.
“Oh my. I have witnessed taoists do something similar. And then?”
“Ever since that day, the engineers were no longer afraid of digging! Hence the title, ‘Guardian of Digging’. Furthermore, instead of burying the dead like an undertaker, she pulled the living out of the earth. That’s how she earned the title ‘Reverse Undertaker’!”
“Wonderful!”
Tyr gazed at The Earth Sage in admiration. The latter struggled to form words for a second, then replied with a smile.
“They are merely exaggerated rumors.”
｢…Oh, Mother Earth. Grant your pitiable daughter the strength to bear this embarrassment.｣
No matter how renowned the Earth Sage was in society, she was just a child compared to Tyr, who boasted a history from the 12th century and was similar in age to the abyss. The vampire’s interest was the reason she couldn’t bear to cut me off.
With my “cheat key” in effect, I continued explaining.
“The name ‘Terrastream’ was coined after the Earth Sage’s ability to make the earth flow like a river.”
“The earth flow like a river?”
“Yes. There’s this thing called cement, you see! With the Earth Sage’s expertise, the Military State produced high-quality cement. But as they were pondering how to transport it, the Earth Sage came to the rescue again! She used her geomancy to make the cement flow! It’s said that the current she created moved non-stop for a week!”
The records said that at one point, the amount of cement moved by the Earth Sage and a single mage officer unit surpassed all the cement the State transported. And the knowledge acquired then served as the foundation for one of the State’s Seven Major Inventions: the Meta Conveyor Belt.
“It defies common sense for me to believe such a thing is possible…”
“It’s precisely because it surpasses common sense that she is the Earth Sage! Great reputations aren’t easily earned!”
She was someone who casually achieved the impossible, and that was why people revered her.
The Gaian Order had been on a steady decline ever since the emergence of Sanctum. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the resurgence of this old faith, barely hanging onto its legacy, was completely thanks to the Earth Sage.
Sensing her introduction drawing to a close, the Earth Sage let out an inward sigh of relief. But how dare she? There was still one more story to tell.
“Then what of the ‘Unyielding’?”
The Earth Sage flinched in reaction to the undying’s question. I began explaining with a grin, as if I’d be waiting for him to ask.
“It means ‘the one who doesn’t fall’.”
“Doesn’t fall?”
“Nobody in the engineering corps has ever seen the Earth Sage fall over. Whether on a slope, a rocky mountain, or even on muddy ground drenched by rain. She was always steady on her feet.”
None of the engineers and laborers, who participated in the constructions, ever witnessed the Earth Sage’s knees touch the ground. After enduring all sorts of hardships, people would crawl on all fours like other animals, yet the Earth Sage always stood and walked on two legs. She performed all her duties with her feet planted in the ground, resembling a time-tested tree.
“And I can’t leave out this unforgettable day during construction. There was an incident where a dam gave way. Cracks that had weakened over time allowed water to gush out wildly. If left unchecked, the dam would’ve ruptured, releasing a torrent of river water to flood everyone downstream. It was a horrific disaster that would’ve struck…”
By now, everyone could anticipate the continuation of the story. Simultaneously, they half-doubted the outcome they predicted.
Though conceivable in storytelling, executing such a monumental feat was simply beyond that of a human body.
“…If the Earth Sage hadn’t appeared then. If not for her firmly planting her legs into the ground and blocking the flood with her entire body, it would’ve surely happened.”
“Goodness gracious.”
Tyr covered her mouth with a hand in shock, and even the undying let out a gasp. They felt the cathartic release that came when an unthinkable hope was realized, when a human breached the boundaries of the impossible.
Reading everyone’s emotions, I continued loudly as if I had accomplished the feat myself.
“Yet even through that, she did not fall! She sternly called for repairs while she held the water back. It was a perilous situation. If she fell, the ones making the repairs would’ve been swept away along with her!”
The workers who had participated in that construction project never tired of recounting that episode whenever they gathered for drinks—about how none of those present could ever imagine her falling.
“However, the engineers and laborers came down without a shred of doubt to repair the dam. For the entire day she became the dam, they neither ate nor slept until the construction was completed.”
My eyes were moist with tears of emotion as I depicted the scene.
Ahh, even the marvelous feats of the Earth Sage, which I could narrate endlessly, had to conclude at some point. How brief and unsatisfying human history is.
I concluded the tale with a fading voice.
“Ever since that day, they became an elite squad against the earth itself. It was a transformation into a legendary engineering corps, the unit that does not fall—the Unyielding Engineers.”
The undying was so deeply moved that right after I finished speaking, he abruptly stood up and started cheering.
“The Unyielding Engineers! What an awe-inspiring name!”
“Isn’t it? Rumors say even the State respected the meaning behind it to the point of giving the name ‘Unyielding’ to newly crafted equipment.”
“Whew. Every person to leave a mark with their name. Though it may be through a moniker! The Earth Sage accomplished a grand feat!”
And with that, the protagonist of the legendary story thought to herself…
｢Even after 20 years… I could not shake it off.｣
She bitterly sipped from her drink, entertaining a notion that would’ve brought sorrow to others.
｢Had I known things would come to this, I would have fallen at least once.｣
I raised my glass high in a toast to the Unyielding… I mean, the Earth Sage.
“Fight for victory! Unyielding!”
“Unyielding, how impressive…”
“Unyielding! Unyielding!”
Tyr and the undying were so impressed that they cheered repeatedly. Even Azzy, caught up in the lively atmosphere, jumped up going, “Woof! Yeelding!”
Surrounded by awe and support from all sides, the One Who Did Not Fall mused to herself…
｢It appears… I should have tripped at least five times.｣
* * *
In any case, the party continued. Apart from when her moniker of ‘Unyielding” was mentioned, the Earth Sage readily answered questions directed at her. What she did after leaving the engineering corps, how much effort she put into training the next generation, and what the teachings of the Gaian Order were like.
We began with seemingly unrelated questions, much like missing in darts, and slowly steered the conversation toward the central topic. Then, I took charge and posed the main question.
“But what brought such a distinguished figure as yourself to a humble place like this?”
This was the topic everyone had been waiting for. Putting aside Tyr, who found every story interesting, even the undying and Callis were dying to know… Even the regressor, who was merely listening outside the cafeteria without joining us.
As we reached the crux of the conversation, the Earth Sage put down her drink with a thud before answering in a heavy tone.
“I have humbly come to fulfill the wish of all Gaian disciples.”
“Wish of all Gaian disciples?”
“Indeed. The abyss is both a mark of Mother Earth’s ancient wrath and a disgraceful reflection of every Gaian disciple. It embodies the filth of the gravemen buried at the hands of the Overlord.”
With that statement, the Earth Sage briefly stomped her foot. Boom. She displayed the pinnacle of Earth Art mastery, channeling the full force of her Qi to unleash a quake that reverberated throughout Tantalus.
Then she continued speaking with unwavering determination.
“I am here to eliminate the hell of Mother Earth that has turned this land barren.”
“You’re going to get rid of the abyss?”
Yes, this confirmed it. The Earth Sage had to be the one the regressor spoke of, the person expected to vanquish the abyss. I had no idea why such a famous person was referred to as some earthwyrm, dreaming of defying the heavens, or considered the nightmare of Sanctum. Regardless, she had arrived in Tantalus several months ahead of schedule!
“It sounds unbelievable, but… coming from the one who created the ‘Unyielding’ legend, I feel like it might actually happen!”
“…Could you please give that moniker a rest now?”
Oops. Maybe I went too far? Okay.
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