Jade City

Lan meets with Chancellor Son, the highest ranking politician in Kekon. Kekon’s government is purposefully comprised of people who cannot wield jade, ostensibly to create impartiality, but in reality making these officials highly corruptible and indebted to the much more powerful clans. Son is in No Peak’s pocket—he is a No Peak Lantern Man, or an ally who pays tribute to the clan to have his business protected. Being in the world of politics reminds Lan of something his father used to say: Jade and gold never go together.

Lan brings Woon, his prospective new Weather Man, to the meeting, hoping that he will prove able enough to replace Doru. Lan suggests that Son pass a law making it impossible for one clan to have a majority of shares in the Kekon Jade Alliance—the multi-clan organization that controls the jade mines. This would check Mountain’s scheme to sell more jade abroad. Son is concerned about image and how it would look for a politician to openly move against Mountain. At this, Woon offers Son a sweetener: No Peak could collect tariffs on foreign goods. Son agrees to pass the law: These tariffs will help his and other Lantern Men’s businesses.

Hilo and his Fingers visit the Chrome Demons, a biker gang, and offer them a deal: They can stop paying tribute to No Peak if they obtain information about the jade cutter Tem Ben and his relationship to Mountain. If the gang is successful, Hilo will even allow them to rob Mountain businesses and protect them from any subsequent fallout. When the gang demurs, Hilo beats the gang’s leader until he agrees to the terms.

Shae arrives at the mine to study financial records of the Kekon Jade Alliance. There, she feels the immense and dangerous power of concentrated jade. In Abukei mythology, jade is the bones of a god, which is why jade-wielders are named Green Bones. As she reviews documents, she remembers training under Doru, as the family expected her to one day become Weather Man. She stopped her apprenticeship when she found naked pictures of her school friend on his desk.

Shae finds Gont Asch’s signature on purchase orders for equipment not listed elsewhere in records, signaling misconduct by Mountain. She makes copies and rushes back home to inform Lan. 

Lan arrives at the Lilac Divine, a strip club and brothel that he frequents during bouts of insomnia and anxiety. While getting a massage, serenade, and sexual services, he worries about Hilo being too violent and Shae’s confirmation that the Mountain is forging records and secretly mining jade. Suspecting that Doru either has a hand in Mountain’s plot or failed to see it, Lan feels an urgent need to replace him once he has sufficient evidence. He is interrupted by one of the Maik brothers, who reports that Mountain has threatened Hilo.

Kekon’s main religion is Deitism. In Deitist belief, Earth was meant to be a second heaven for the children of the gods. However, when these children squabbled and fought, the gods revoked their children’s immortality and divinity so they became human. The gods then abandoned the humans on Earth. Over time, some gods have helped the humans, while others, still holding grudges, seek to make them miserable. Therefore, Deitists see all Earthly conflict as familial, viewing even wars as filial or fraternal fights; the goal of humanity, according to Deitist tradition, is to return to divinity through forgiveness.

Hilo argues with Wen; he wants to move in together so that he can better protect her in the coming conflict, but she refuses to do so until they are married. Their discussion is interrupted when Hilo is called to a No Peak-affiliated grocery store that is being menaced by Mountain Fingers. As he pursues the perpetrators, Hilo is ambushed and nearly killed. One of his attackers is Gam Oben, the Second Fist of Gont Asch, which signifies that this was a planned attack—the threat that Lan heard about in the Lilac Divine. Hilo survives, but by the end of the struggle, Maik Tar is wounded badly and two Mountain men are dead.

Shae confirms her suspicions about Mountain by combing through documents at the Treasury. On her way home, she believes she is being followed. She pulls a knife on the pursuer, only to recognize her neighbor Caun. He calmly assures her that he is not following her and politely suggests she not threaten him again.

In her apartment, she calls Lan to inform him of her findings, but is surprised when Doru answers and tells her to hurry over.

The attempt on Hilo’s life has pushed Lan to side with him completely and freeze Doru out. Kaul Sen blames Hilo for the coming war between clans. He believes Hilo to be rash and irresponsible, and consistently criticizes him more than his siblings. As Hilo and Lan leave to deal with Mountain, Lan tells Shae to keep a close eye on Doru, in case he is working for Mountain.

Lan, Hilo, and reinforcements arrive at the Factory, a Mountain club, and demand the surrender of Chon and Gam, Hilo’s surviving attackers, and of the Armpit District. Otherwise, the clans will go to war. As they wait, Lan realizes that Ayt Mada made an attempt on Hilo’s life instead of the Pillar’s on purpose—she wanted to remove No Peak’s best warrior and leader to earn a swifter victory.

Eventually, Ayt Mada agrees to the demands. Chon and Gam come out of the Factory. Gam demands a duel to the death with Lan. Lan understands that the duel is a test from Ayt Mada, who wants him to prove exactly how strong he is. Even though Hilo offers to take Lan’s place, Lan commits to fight. After a close struggle, Lan emerges victorious but severely hurt. The injury creates an internal imbalance that does not mix well with the jade he claims from Gam’s body.

Shae sits with Sen, who is upset over his diminishing power and the unfortunate turn of events that pits the two clans against each other. Listening to him, Shae is upset to be turning into the woman she always promised herself that she would not become: someone waiting around for the men in her life to come back. After all, when she and Hilo were at Kaul Dushuron Academy, she was rated better than him.

Lan and Hilo return and speak privately with Shae about her findings from the Treasury. They suspect that Doru knows about the jade theft, but struggle to believe that such a close and longtime family ally would betray them.

While Hilo and Lan discuss the worsening situation between the clans and Doru’s possible betrayal, Hilo notices that Lan’s new jade is having an ill effect and encourages him to take it off. Lan is resistant and defensive, but complies after seeing real concern on his brother’s face. After Lan calms down and adjusts to less jade, Hilo asks for his permission to marry Wen. Lan initially pushes back—he is worried about the optics of Hilo marrying down because Wen is a stone-eye from the lower-ranking Maik family—but realizing his brother’s commitment, Lan gives his blessing.

Bero steals a shipment truck from the docks and brings it to Mudt, who, impressed with his work, brings him and Bero’s new partner Cheeky to meet an unnamed Green Bone. The Green Bone gives the young men submachine guns and tells them to be ready to use them when Mountain calls. Bero then witnesses the man give Mudt SN1.

As a typhoon rages, Anden and his classmates prepare materials to distribute to the community. Some of his peers criticize Hilo and Lan’s recent actions, but Anden remains quiet, not wanting to say anything because he has a crush on the main detractor, Lott.

After the storm, Anden, Lott, and others clean up during Autumn Festival Day. Despite the tension between the clans, the aftermath of a storm is considered a time of peace. Gont Asch is there handing out cakes to celebrate; he waves Anden and his group over. As he hands Anden a cake, he quietly threatens him for not accepting Ayt Mada’s job offer. 

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, Hilo visits Maik Tar in the hospital. He is healing and should be out of the ward soon.

Hilo thinks about his upcoming wedding to Wen; he is relieved that she agreed to move into the Horn’s house on his family’s estate. She asked him for a job in the clan, but he refused, wanting to keep her as safe as possible. Hilo is exhausted, but cannot stop thinking about tactics for the coming conflict.

Lan hosts many No Peak Lantern Men and other stakeholders to assure them that they will be protected in any conflict with Mountain.

As cover for removing Doru from Janloon, Lan decides to send Doru to the country of Ygutan, ostensibly to investigate Mountain’s operations there. Two of Hilo’s Fingers will also go, nominally as protection, but really to keep Doru under a watchful eye. Doru is resistant, knowing that this mission signifies Lan’s disproval and distrust.

At a luncheon for Chancellor Son and other No Peak-affiliated politicians, Lan announces that, as co-director of the Kekon Jade Alliance, he is stopping jade mining until discrepancies can be fixed and reforms can be passed. Lan earns the politicians’ support with assurances that he wishes to maintain peace between the clans. He wears his new jade to the meeting to show strength, but he struggles, feeling weak and unfocused from jade overexposure—a toxic side effect of his injuries and imbalance.