Chapter 13 - Who Would Want To Steal A Teapot?

[Unnamed inn, Xinjiang, China]

The room was dimly lit by a single flickering lamp, casting shadows across the faces of the group as they huddled around a small table. The air was thick with the smell of cigarette smoke and the lingering scent of Chinese takeout. Connor was tapping his fingers nervously on the table, while Ethan leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. Jack had laid out a rough map of the temple, his finger tracing over the lines as he spoke.

"We need to get past the monks guarding the entrance," Jack said, his voice low and urgent. "But we can't just charge in there. We need a plan."

"I don't like this plan," Ethan said, frowning. "We don't know what we're up against."

"Relax," Jack replied, grinning. "I've done this kind of thing before. We'll be in and out before anyone knows we're there."

The room paused for a moment, thinking to themselves : What kind of life did Jack lead before becoming an Enforcer?

"I don't think it's that simple," Takamura voiced out, breaking the temporary silence, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Ethan leaned forward, his hands clasped together on the table. "So, what do we know about monks?" he asked, his eyes flicking around the room to each member of the group.

Connor snorted, "Well, I know they're all vegetarians and wouldn't hurt a fly. Maybe we should just bring some tofu as a peace offering."

Takamura chuckled, "Yeah, and I heard they're all about meditation and inner peace. Maybe we can just sit down and meditate with them until they let us take the relic."

Yukie frowned at their jokes, "The both of you need to grow up. There are warrior monks who are very skilled in martial arts."

Connor raised an eyebrow, "Really? I thought they just spent their time chanting and praying."

Ethan sighed, "That's a common misconception. They're adept at martial arts and use healing relics to make themselves nearly indestructible. We need to be cautious when dealing with them."

Yukie added, "Can you imagine the physical and mental condition of people who train to the brink of death and heal themselves back just to keep going?"

Connor raised an eyebrow. "That sounds completely insane, but I can see people abusing relics to train themselves that way."

Takamura coughed to clear his throat and bowed slightly towards Yukie. "I apologize for my childishness, Yukie-san."

"Whatever it is, I sure hope we don't run into any kind of trouble tomorrow," Ethan added, his tone full of concern and worry.

The room fell into a momentary silence, the only sounds coming from the rustling of papers and the occasional creak of the wooden chairs. But soon enough, Jack spoke up, his voice breaking the stillness. "Alright then, let's go over the plan one more time."

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[Unnamed Bar, Xinjiang, China]

Lady Enki and Professor Shiva sat in a dimly lit bar, nursing their drinks as they discussed the mysterious disappearance of Professor Adrian. The clink of ice in their glasses and the murmur of patrons around them provided a backdrop to their conversation.The faint smell of whiskey lingered in the air, adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise cold room. Professor Shiva's brow furrowed as she spoke.

"I can't believe he's disappeared like this," she said, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Adrian always knew the risks involved in this line of work. But to vanish without a trace..."

Lady Enki nodded gravely, taking a sip from her glass. "It's concerning, to say the least. Especially considering the nature of your research."

"Regalias," Professor Shiva said, swirling the amber liquid in his glass, lost in thought.

Lady Enki snorted, swirling her drink around in her glass. "Indeed. The very word sends shivers down my spine. Do you remember what happened during the war, Professor?"

Professor Shiva nodded again, a flicker of sadness crossing her features. "I do. It was a dark time for all of us."

Lady Enki took a sip of her drink, her gaze lost in the swirls of the liquid. "I remember the emergence of HADES during that time," she said softly, "they were like vultures picking at the scraps left behind by the other factions. But, in their own way, they were efficient. They knew how to consolidate power while the rest of humanity was scrambling to chase after relics and other pointless things."

Professor Shiva nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I remember hearing about them. They were shrouded in mystery, and no one really knew what their true intentions were back then. I can't believe Adrian was taken by them, and myself almost as well..."

The bar was filled with the sound of soft jazz music and the murmur of patrons' conversations as the night went on.

Lady Enki took a long sip of her drink, her face crinkling with disgust at the bitter taste. "Ah, I remember when a good drink tasted like a dream," she said, shaking her head. "Now everything's too watered down or too strong. Can't even get a decent buzz anymore."

Professor Shiva smiled faintly. "I believe you've had enough to drink, Enki. Perhaps we should retire for the night?"

"Retire to what, Shiva?" Lady Enki snorted. "A life without war, without conflict, without a purpose? What would we do? Sit around and reminisce about the good old days?"

"Perhaps we could find a new purpose," Professor Shiva suggested. "A way to contribute to society without violence or bloodshed."

Lady Enki rolled her eyes. "And how do you suggest we do that? We were baptized through the fires of war, Shiva. All we know is conflict."

"But we adapt, Enki. Like you did."

Lady Enki slammed her glass down on the counter, causing the liquid to slosh over the sides. "Adapt? To what, Shiva? This world of relics and magic? I don't even recognize it anymore. It's like we're living in a fever dream."

"It's not all bad," Professor Shiva said quietly. "The world has its moments of beauty and wonder."

"Ha!" Lady Enki scoffed. "Tell that to the thousands of people who died in the war. Tell that to the ones who lost their homes, their families. No, Shiva. This world is a mess. But at least now we know our leaders aren't saints. That's something, I suppose."

Professor Shiva nodded, her expression solemn, realizing that Lady Enki probably had one drink too many. "Yes, it is something."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Lady Enki's gaze wandered around the room, taking in the other patrons. She saw a group of young people laughing and joking, carefree and oblivious to the dangers of the world. She wondered if they even knew what it was like to fight for survival.

"Sometimes I envy them," she said, almost to herself. "It's funny," she mused, thinking about her youth while looking at the group of youths, living unfettered. "When we were younger, we thought we could change the world. But now, looking back, it seems like all we did was make things worse."

"We did what we could with the knowledge and resources we had at the time. We can only hope that future generations will do better." Professor Shiva responded, trying to comfort Lady Enki.

Lady Enki gave a bitter smile. "If they can't even learn from our mistakes, then I highly doubt it."

They fell into a comfortable silence again, each lost in their own thoughts. But as they finished their drinks and prepared to leave, Lady Enki turned to Professor Shiva with a wistful expression.

"You know," she said, "sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't have been better if we'd never discovered the relics in the first place."

Professor Shiva gave her a sad smile. "Perhaps. But we can't change the past. All we can do is move forward and do what we can to make the world a better place."

With that, the two women got back on track on their discussion about what they should be doing next to track down Professor Adrian, and whether or not there was hope of rescue. But Lady Enki couldn't shake the feeling that, no matter how hard they tried, the world would never truly be at peace.

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[Day 2 in Xinjiang, 8PM, Chinese food stall across Temple Street]

The team gathered at a Chinese food stall across the temple street, the aroma of steaming dumplings wafting through the air. Connor and Yukie were poring over a map of the temple while Ethan, Jack, and Takamura discussed the diversion strategy.

"We need to distract the monks long enough to grab the teapot," Ethan said, twirling his chopsticks in his noodles.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Connor asked, taking a bite of his steaming dumpling.

Ethan thought for a moment before responding. "I think it would be best if we split up. Too many people sneaking in the temple would be pointless. The most agile here are you and Yukie, so you're the best choice for this."

Connor nodded in agreement, his eyes flickering with determination. "Sounds like a plan. Did you manage to borrow the relic we needed to create the diversion?"

Jack nodded. "We borrowed one from the triads...I told them it was necessary for the mission."

"We're going to use the illusion relic that they lent us," replied Takamura, pulling out a small, intricately carved box from his pocket. "It should create the distraction we need."

"That's a replica of the Box of Horrors..." Ethan recognized it immediately. "But it's a pretty well made replica if anything...should be enough for a simple diversion. The Box of Horrors was an illusion type relic that drew upon the imagination of the user and amplifies that imagination to create realistic illusions.

Takamura looked skeptical. "I hope it's not just a fancy hologram."

Jack raised an eyebrow while sipping his tea. "Have we figured out what kind of illusion would create enough chaos for the monks to react?"

Ethan grinned mischievously. "You'll see. I have something twisted in mind. But one of you will need to power the relic, you know I can't."

Yukie interrupted. "We'll need to be swift, Connor. We need to be in and out before they even know what's happening."

"Okay, so Ethan and Jack will be on watch duty," Connor pointed out, to recap the plan once more. "Takamura will channel the illusion relic to create a diversion..."

"Then you and I will need to be make our way to this room..." Yukie pointed out to a square on the map, "...grab the relic, and get out before we are noticed."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Connor asked.

"We get noticed by the monks and would need to fight our way out," Ethan responded while slurping down his noodles.

"You know...it's very hard to take you seriously when you're eating like that," Connor said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, okay. Wanna talk about being serious? Who in their right mind would even steal a teapot?" Ethan snapped back. "I get that it's a relic, but it's not even one with any amazing powers. All it does is soothe the person who brews and drinks tea out of it!"

Jack shrugged and said, "I don't know. Maybe Liang is a tea connoisseur?"

"Enough," Yukie also snapped in with finality as she slapped the table gently. "We need to make sure we do this right. If it comes to a fight, we can only use non-lethal measures. We ARE the ones breaking and entering here."

"Yes ma'am," both Connor and Ethan responded in unison.

"Let's finish up here and split up to our allocated spots," Yukie said, taking charge of the situation.

With a final nod, the group finished their meal, each intending to head to their designated positions afterwards. Ethan couldn't shake off the feeling of apprehension as he stuffed a tasty húntun (type of dumpling) into his mouth, but he brushed his feeling it aside, trusting in his team's skills and expertise. The time for action was around the corner.