The Lone Wanderer-Chapter 291: Chessboard

As soon as they entered the 126th district, Percy and Elaine couldn’t help but gawk in awe at the drastic change in their surroundings. The black paint had been replaced by white, while materials like obsidian, basalt and slate that made up the dark part of the city now gave way to alabaster and limestone. Hell, even the trees planted by the sidewalks were of a different variety, the ironwoods and ebonies replaced by aspens and birches.

“I know what you’re thinking. The answer is yes. Each of the 144 districts is a perfect square of alternating colours. If you look at the city from above, it’s like an oversized chessboard.” Nesha said.

“I admit, it’s impressive, but it sounds like a whole lot of effort just to make the place look prettier.” Percy replied.

But Nesha shook her head.

“Actually, it’s like this for purely practical reasons.”

He and Elaine flashed her questioning looks, prompting her to elaborate.

“The city didn’t always look this way. And neither the Radiant Lords nor the Veiled Ladies were called that, in the early days. Nor was the Syndicate. The city was still separated into districts, but there were fewer of them, and they weren’t as cleanly defined. But there was still a single manager presiding over each one, and you already know that many of these people come from shady backgrounds. So, you can probably guess what happened.”

“They fought over territory?” Percy asked, getting a nod back.

“Yeah. The Blues were all greedy people, and they constantly fought over the boundaries of their districts, scheming against one another for every last centimetre of land. Eventually, that started to create issues in the city’s management, so the Divine Order forced them to sit at a table and figure out a solution. And this is the result.” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Percy couldn’t help but let out an amused whistle. Quite an innovative solution, if a bit overkill. At least now, every manager knew exactly where their district ended and the next one began, leaving no room for interpretation or ploys…

“So, what do they do whenever the city needs to expand?” Elaine asked.

“They add a new row or column of districts, and open just as many new positions for Lords and Ladies. They have to renumber the districts too, otherwise the numbering would get messy. But it doesn’t happen that often. I believe the last expansion happened about 400 years ago. Before then, there were only 132 districts, in a 12 by 11 grid.”

“And the managers just accept that? Doesn’t their authority get diluted whenever they introduce new seats?” Percy asked.

“It does, but it can’t be helped. It’s not like they can stop the city’s growth, nor would they want to. The benefits they get from the expansion vastly outweigh what they lose by having to share.”

Percy chuckled.

“Funny how much trouble they went through: painting the whole place up: just because they couldn’t control their own greed.”

“Well, the current arrangement runs like clockwork, so who are we to judge?” Nesha shrugged. “Besides, the changes go beyond cosmetics. Haven’t you noticed?”

Percy followed her glance, only now registering how empty this place was. Unlike the bustling 138th district they’d just passed through, there was hardly a soul roaming the streets, nor any lights coming out of the buildings. The area was quiet as a graveyard too, lacking the lively establishments of its neighbour.

“Not everyone likes to party all-night. A lot of serious people live in Twilight City too. And they’d rather focus their energy on their daily ventures than waste their time drinking and gambling. Since the city was already split into black and white, the Syndicate decided to impose quiet hours on the white districts, to give their residents some peace and quiet.” Nesha explained.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“What if somebody wants to partake in both lifestyles?” Elaine wondered.

“Nothing’s stopping them. Everyone is free to go wherever they please, and the nearest district of the opposite colour is always just a few minutes away.”

Thinking about something, Percy voiced a different question.

“I take it the Radiant Lords and Veiled Ladies also fit neatly into the theme?”

Nesha nodded.

“The Lords are always assigned to the black districts, and the Ladies to the white ones.”

Hearing that, Elaine raised an eyebrow.

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“Actually, this works better. The whole idea is for them to dress in the opposite colour, so they stand out inside their territory. Of course, it doesn’t mean they aren’t allowed to do business elsewhere. Many of them run enterprises that span the whole city. But they need permission from their corresponding colleagues to operate in their districts.”

Percy nodded. He had a few more questions of his own, but he opted not to voice them. As much as he wanted to learn more about the city he’d be living in for the foreseeable future, he could do so later, when his brain wasn’t fried. Elaine apparently felt the same way.

The trio then sped up, knowing they didn’t have long before daybreak. The 115th district where the inns were located was a white one, so they’d rather get themselves sorted before their neighbours woke up. As much as Percy’s mutation and everyone’s haircuts helped conceal their identities, they all understood how flimsy their disguises were. And they’d already spotted a couple of wanted posters of him and Nesha on the walls.

Naturally, they had to take some additional precautions to minimize the risk of discovery. For instance, they’d already decided to employ fake names, and to avoid wandering the city more than necessary. Not that they could avoid it entirely, but there was a huge difference between walking through the black districts at nighttime and traversing the white ones during the day.

Another thing they’d discussed was the possibility of staying at different inns and operating independently of one another, for the most part. Their pursuers were on the lookout for both him and Nesha, so it was probably unwise to stick together as a group.

“Should we get hoods?” Elaine suddenly asked.

Unlike before, her voice was barely a whisper, as she didn’t know if anyone could hear her, and this was a more sensitive topic.

“At first, I thought we’d stand out too much, but I saw plenty of people hiding their faces in the previous district.” she added.

Nesha shook her head, shooting the idea down.

“It might help in the short-term, but it’ll only draw more attention. There are people who make a living identifying criminals and selling their information. And the juiciest targets are those who actively try to hide.” she explained, keeping her voice down too.

“I thought crime was typically ignored here?” Elaine asked back.

“It is, but that’s only the case inside the city. Depending on who you’ve pissed off, you could be hunted down the moment you step outside. Many people end up staying here forever.”

Seeing her pale, Nesha hurriedly spoke again to placate her.

“It’s not all bad. At least the city is peaceful. Even the worst of the worst don’t dare to stir up trouble, afraid of both the Order and the Syndicate. And it’s not just fear either. From their perspective, this is their only sanctuary on Remior, so nobody wants to ruin that. It’s unwise to shit where you sleep, and all that.”

The group had to cross two more districts to reach their destination, the transition from white to black and then back to white again no less jarring than before. Getting used to this would probably take a while.

By the time they entered the 115th district, their exhaustion was palpable, their legs feeling like they were made of lead. Even worse, the sun was already out, some people out and about, opening up their shops for the day.

Percy caught a whiff of freshly baked bread coming from around the corner, causing his mouth to water. It had been a while since he last had a proper meal. But he suppressed his hunger for the time being, knowing this wasn’t a good time to indulge. They still had a few days of rations on them, so they were better off sending Elaine out to buy more supplies for them, after settling in. After all, she was the only one who wasn’t wanted yet.

‘Hopefully.’

Next, Nesha tried her best to recall the locations of a few medium-sized inns. Ideally, they didn’t want them to be too popular or too expensive. Then again, they didn’t want them to be too decrepit either, not only because they hoped to find some soundproofing runes in their bedrooms, but also because the establishments would have probably closed down since the last time she was here if they were too poorly managed.

Then, she gave them directions to those inns, the trio parting ways before more people woke up. They all agreed to meet up again at a nearby park a couple days later, after getting some proper rest.

They had plenty of work in front of them, having discussed the plan on the way here. And each of them had their own role to play…