Chapter 69 — The Last Seed Keeper

The third session of the conference began with an official draft of the Unification Treaty distributed to each representative, thick pages of complicated legal language that Khe Mien had to read many times to fully grasp the meaning hidden behind the beautiful words.

"The seventh article," Cau Baisheng read aloud, his voice tense as he turned to the relevant page, "stipulates that every Contracting Arch must report its entire food, water, and seed reserves to the Central Council every quarter, and accept redistribution as decided by a coordinating committee appointed by the Central Council."

"What does that mean in practice?" Xa Binh Nguyen, representative of Vom Soi, asked, his voice trembling with both anxiety and inexperience in complex political negotiations like this. "Our Gravel Dome is struggling enough as it is. If we have to surrender what little reserves we have left to a committee elsewhere to decide..."

"That means small Domes like Gravel Dome and Moss Dome will lose complete autonomy over their own resources," Khe Mien said bluntly, no longer maintaining the caution she had tried to maintain during the previous two sessions. "While the Great Arches, which have close ties to the Central Council, will probably find a way to keep that 'coordinating committee' tilted in their favor."

Loi Bach Dat, sitting in the center with unwavering composure, smiled slightly at that direct accusation. "The Keeper of the Green Dome seems to have no confidence in the good will of the Central Council," he said. "I'm sorry about that, but I understand, after everything you've been through on your journey."

That last sentence, spoken with a deliberate gentleness, sent a chill down Khe Mien's spine—a subtle reminder that he knew, or at least guessed, what she had discovered throughout Dong Tro.

"Then let me ask directly, Mr. Chairman," Khe Mien said, deciding not to avoid it anymore. "The Salt Domes have attacked at least seven small settlements in the past two months. General Kich Ba Hoanh is sitting right at this table. If the Central Council truly stands out of this conflict, why has no concrete action been taken to stop those attacks, while the Unification Treaty was drafted so quickly, right at the time when fear of war was making it easier for the Small Domes to accept giving up their autonomy? Is it over now?"

A dead silence filled the room, and Khe Mien could feel the eyes of all the representatives on her, some with silent admiration, others with fear at the audacity of the never-before-spoken accusation.

Kich Ba Hoanh stood up from his chair, his face still maintaining its familiar coldness, but something in his eyes now carried a more naked threat. “The Salt Dome acts to preserve order in its territory,” he said, his voice steady and sharp as a blade. "Those settlements violated the treaty with us by arbitrarily switching to receive aid from other parties without the consent of the Salt Dome. That is an internal matter, not related to the Central Council."

"So why," Bach Lam spoke up for the first time during the conference, his voice as hard as stone, "did we hear from a living witness that you personally ordered your soldiers to burn food warehouses in front of children, and declared that this was 'only the beginning', mentioning Upper Dome as a force behind it to justify your actions?"

Kich Ba Hoanh paused for a brief moment, enough for Khe Mien to realize that she had just touched on something that he was not prepared to smoothly deny. "The words of an unnamed witness, without corroborating evidence, have no legal value at this conference," he said, quickly regaining his composure, but that brief hesitation did not escape the eyes of the other representatives around the table.

Wei Baqiang, silent throughout the beginning of the conference, finally spoke, his voice carrying the heaviness of someone who had considered carefully before speaking. "The Rock has seen similar tensions in its own territory," he said. "And I began to wonder whether those tensions were truly coincidental, or encouraged by those who benefited from the fact that the Arches were always suspicious of each other, never united enough to challenge a greater order."

Loi Bach Dat, sensing that the atmosphere was turning unfavorable, raised his hand with a familiar gentle gesture. "I think we're letting emotions dominate a discussion that requires reason," he said. "The Unification Treaty is not a control tool, but a protection mechanism. I suggest we pause today's session, to give each representative time to think more carefully before making a final decision tomorrow."

“I don't need any more time to think, Mr. President,” Khe Mien said, standing up from her chair, clearly feeling all the eyes in the room on her in this decisive moment. "The Green Dome refuses to sign the Treaty of Unity in its current form. We believe in sharing resources between the Domes — we have proven that with actions, not words — but we will not relinquish our right to self-determination to a council whose very actions, or lack thereof, leave so many unanswered questions."

A stir spread throughout the room as that public refusal rang out, and Khe Mien saw, in the brief moment before she regained control of her expression, a flash of cold anger in Loi Bach Dat's eyes—briefly, almost imperceptible, but enough to confirm to Khe Mien that she had just made an enemy she would not take lightly.

"Vom Soi also refused," Xa Binh Nguyen said, his voice trembling but more determined than before, finding courage from Khe Mien's declaration.

"The same goes for Moss Dome," Quac Thi Hien added, her voice small but clear.

Cau Bach Thinh exchanged a look with Diep Ba Nhan before speaking, his voice carrying the weight of a long-considered decision. "Sand Dome also refused," he said. "We believe there is another, better path to achieving true cooperation among the Arches — one that does not require anyone to give up their autonomy."

Loi Bach Dat looked around the conference table, his composure now wearing a much thinner shell than at the beginning of the session. “I respect your decision,” he said, his voice still gentle despite a new coldness lurking beneath the surface. "But I advise you to think carefully about the consequences of standing outside a common protection system, in a world that is becoming more and more dangerous every day."

That statement, though phrased as well-intentioned advice, carried with it a naked threat that no one in the room could misunderstand, and as the session ended in an atmosphere of unprecedented tension, Khe Mien clearly felt that she had just crossed a line of no return — no longer a cautious representative trying to gauge the situation, but a voice openly challenging the very center of power in the post-Great Change world.

When she left the conference room, Duong Thi Yen tried to approach her again, her eyes carrying a deep concern. “You just did something very brave,” she said softly. "But it's also very dangerous. Be careful tonight. I have a feeling they won't leave it at just words."

That warning, along with the memory of the flash of anger in Loi Bach Dat's eyes, hung in Khe Mien's mind all the way back to the resting area, and when she told Bach Lam and the others, the group simultaneously realized that tonight, more than any other night since arriving at the Upper Dome, they needed to be extremely vigilant.

Diem Quynh, sitting cross-legged in the corner of the room, broke the heavy silence with a question that everyone was probably wondering in their hearts but no one dared to say out loud. "Are you scared?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Yes," Khe Mien answered honestly, not trying to hide it from the people who had been through so much with her to deserve the lie of even an empty reassurance. "But I think about Trach Thi Hoa, about the refugees at the Green Dome, about all the settlements we've passed through on this journey, and I realize my fear is less important than whether I have the courage to say what needs to be said."

Kien, sitting next to Diem Quynh, clenched his hands into small fists on his knees. “I think you did the right thing,” he said, his voice carrying a maturity beyond his years. "No matter how dangerous it is."

Ngan The Binh, standing guard near the window throughout the conversation, finally spoke, his voice low and matter-of-fact as always. "Right or wrong is no longer the most important question right now," he said. "The important question is how we all leave this Upper Dome safely, carrying with us what we have sown today. A brave declaration means nothing if no one survives to put it into action."

That reminder of reality silenced the group, and in that stillness, each person began to prepare for what might happen in the remaining darkness of the night, at the very center of power they had now so openly challenged.