Chapter 64 — The Last Seed Keeper

The main gate of Vom Cat, where Khe Mien remembered welcoming her group with warm hospitality just a few months ago, now opened just a narrow gap just enough for small groups to pass through, flanked by newly mobilized guards, armed with rudimentary weapons but clearly hastily trained, their eyes scanning every face in the group of refugees with a wariness never seen in this place before.

"Identity?" a soldier asked, his voice no longer rude but also lacking the friendliness that Khe Mien had felt during his first visit.

"Vu Khe Mien, Seed Keeper of the Green Dome," she replied, holding up the small badge that Cau Bach Thinh had given her as a sign of the long-standing partnership between the two Domes. "We brought with us eighteen survivors from the eastern settlement attacked by the Salt Domes. They need shelter and medical care."

The soldier nodded immediately, signaling his comrades to open the gate a little wider, although his eyes continued to scan the group of people behind her with professional caution. "Please follow me. Lord Gou Bach Sheng has ordered the admission of all refugees from the attacked settlements, without exception."

Inside the Sand Dome, the change is even more evident — the once bustling markets are now much deserted, many stalls are closed, and in the large courtyards used for festivals, there are now rows of temporary tents used to house refugees from all over the region, far more numerous than Khe Mien imagined.

"How many people came here?" she asked the soldier leading the way, unable to hide her surprise.

"More than three hundred, just in the past month," he replied, his voice carrying the weariness of someone who had witnessed so much suffering in such a short period of time. "And the numbers are still growing every week."

Cau Bach Thinh met them right at the reception area. His face, although still retaining the familiar warmth, now bore new wrinkles of anxiety and a deep tiredness that Khe Mien had never seen in their first meeting. He hugged Trach Thi Hoa tightly as if they had known each other for a long time, even though perhaps this was the first time they met.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you sooner," he told her, his voice heavy with sincere guilt. "We sent supplies, but sending supplies is not the same as sending real protection."

"You did what you could," Trach Thi Hoa replied, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. "More than most people dare to do these days."

Once the refugees were taken to the camp to rest and receive medical care, Cau Bach Thinh led Khe Mien, Bach Lam, Ngan The Binh, Diem Quynh and Kien to his private office, where maps of the area were spread out on the table, marked with symbols Khe Mien had never seen before — red circles marking settlements that had been attacked, arrows indicating the presumed direction of movement of the forces. Salt Dome.

“The situation is worse than you can imagine,” Cau Bach Thinh said, sitting heavily behind his desk. "In the past two months, Confucius has attacked seven small settlements throughout the eastern and southern regions, all of which had received aid from us or expressed a desire for independence from his 'security tax' system."

"How does Cat Dome plan to respond?" Bach Lam asked, his eyes fixed on the map with the analysis of someone accustomed to assessing terrain and tactics.

Cau Bach Thinh sighed, rubbing his hands over his face in a tired gesture. “That is precisely the question my Council is debating tirelessly,” he said. "Some want us to organize a joint defense force, linked with the remaining settlements and any Gom willing to participate, to confront Confucius directly before he becomes too powerful to stop. Others fear that doing so will only make us the main target, instead of the smaller settlements."

"And what do you think?" Khe Mien asked, looking straight at him with respect for someone who had always treated Green Dome fairly.

"I think," Gou Bach Sheng replied, his voice slow as if he were weighing each word, "that if we do not unite, Confucius will devour each place, until there is no one left to resist him. But I also know that a loose, disorganized alliance can collapse faster than anything else under real military pressure."

Diep Ba Nhan, who had just entered the room after another meeting, nodded in agreement upon hearing Cau Bach Thinh's last words, his face carrying the tired look of a diplomat who had been negotiating non-stop for weeks. “I just returned from Central Station,” he said, sitting down next to his Head of the Arch. "Go Dinh Vuc doesn't go there anymore. He's been recalled to the Salt Dome, and something tells me that's not good news."

"What do you think that means?" Khe Mien asked.

"I think Confucius no longer needs diplomatic channels," Diep Ba Nhan replied. "When a lord stops talking and just acts, it's usually a sign he believes he's strong enough that he doesn't need to persuade anyone anymore."

A heavy silence filled the room, and Khe Mien felt the weight of this moment on her shoulders more than anything she had ever experienced on her long journey — no longer a question of whether the Green Dome should open the gates or close them, but a question of what the world she was trying to protect would look like, if the likes of Confucius were allowed to continue unhindered.

"I need to send word to the Green Dome now," she said finally, her voice carrying a new resolve. “The Council needs to know what we have seen, and it needs to make a decision about where we stand in all of this — not just as a Remote Deliverer of Humanitarian Aid, but as a real player.”

Cau Bach Thinh looked at her for a long moment, a silent assessment in his eyes. “You have something more concrete in mind than aid, right, Seed Keeper?” he asked.

"I'm thinking," Khe Mien replied, choosing his words carefully, "that no Gom could take on Confucius alone, and perhaps, no Gom should have to. If we can build something more durable than a loose confederation—a true network of Domes willing to share not only supplies but mutual protection—perhaps that is the only way for places like the settlement we just If you leave, you won't have to suffer the same fate."

Bach Lam looked at her, a mixture of pride and worry in his eyes, understanding better than anyone that idea, no matter how noble, also meant that Khe Mien was placing herself at the center of a conflict greater than anything she had ever faced.

"It won't be an easy task," Ngan The Binh commented, his voice thoughtful as usual. "Each Arch has its own history, its own fears, its own reasons for not trusting others."

"I know," Khe Mien said. “But I also know that if no one tries, we will continue to see what happened in that settlement, over and over again, until there is no one left strong enough to fight back.”

Diep Ba Nhan, listening to the whole conversation with increasing attention, finally spoke, his voice carrying a cautious hint of hope. “If you are serious about this, Keeper of the Grain,” he said, “the Sand Dome is ready to start. We already have relationships with many small settlements in the area. But we need a face that the other Domes can trust not for power, but for cause — and I think, after all you have done, you are that face.”

Khe Mien felt the weight of that suggestion sink deep into her shoulders, but at the same time, something else also began to grow in her heart — not fear at the overwhelming responsibility, but a determination that was gradually growing into clear form, like the way a seed, after enough patience, finally finds the light to rise from the dark soil.

“I will need to discuss it with the Green Dome Council first,” she said. "But I won't deny that possibility."

That night, when Khe Mien stood alone on the balcony overlooking the refugee camp, slowly falling into a tired sleep under the twinkling stars, Bach Lam came to her and stood silently next to her for a long time before speaking.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, his voice gentle but filled with concern.

"I'm not sure this is what I want," Khe Mien replied honestly, "but I think this is what needs to be done. There is a difference between the two, although sometimes very subtle."

Bach Lam nodded and held her hand in the darkness. “Then I will be with you, no matter where that path leads,” he said, and in his voice, Khe Mien heard a promise deeper than any vow she had ever heard before, anchored in the very foundation of a relationship forged through the fire and ashes of Dong Tro.