Chapter 74 — The Last Seed Keeper

The stone gate leading to the Stone Arch appeared after a familiar curve in the mountain road, and Khe Mien felt a shiver run down her spine as she recognized this exact location — where not long ago, she, Diem Quynh and Kien had fled into the dark night, hearts pounding with fear, away from Bach Lam and Ngan The Binh amid the siege of the Tunnel Surveillance Team.

"Are you okay?" Bach Lam asked, noticing the sudden tension in her gait.

"Just a memory," Khe Mien replied, taking a deep breath to calm down. "The last time I was here, I didn't think I would come back, let alone as a proponent of the union."

Duong Thi Yen was already waiting at the gate, not wearing the formal outfit she had seen at the Upper Dome conference, but in the familiar work outfit of a secretary, as if she had deliberately avoided any unnecessary attention when going out to welcome the delegation.

"I convinced the General to receive you privately," she said softly, leading them through familiar stone corridors that Khe Mien still remembered clearly every turn. “But I need you to know first—Han Dinh Sang still has great influence in the Stone Dome Council, and he has not changed his stance on you.”

"We didn't expect a warm welcome," Bach Lam said, his tone matter-of-fact. "We were just looking forward to an opportunity to speak."

Wei Baqiang received them in the same office where, months before, he had straddled the thin line between protecting an innocent trade delegation and following the orders of his security captain. His face now wore new wrinkles, and when he stood up to greet them, his demeanor took on a much more cautious solemnity.

"The Grainkeeper," he said, his voice not quite as warm but also lacking the hostile tension of their previous meeting. "I heard about what happened at the Upper Dome conference. All of Dome heard it."

"And what do you think about that?" Khe Mien asked directly, deciding not to waste time on formal greetings.

Wei Ba Cuong was silent for a moment, his eyes looking out the small window into the dark mountain, where the lights from the deep tunnels shined into weak streaks of light. "I think," he said finally, "that I was wrong to let the fear and pressure of the collapse cause us to treat your group unfairly. I have tried to fix that however I can, but I know full well, it is not enough."

“We didn't come here to ask for an apology,” Khe Mien said, her voice softening. "We came because I believe that, even though the relationship between our two Arches has been damaged, we can rebuild it into something better, if both sides are willing."

The door to the room opened suddenly before Wei Ba Cuong could answer, and Han Dinh Sang walked in, his familiar black leather armor still carrying a menacing look even though no weapon was drawn. His eyes swept over each person in the Green Dome group with unchanging coldness.

"I heard the Green Dome group is back," he said, his voice cutting into the conversation without asking permission. "I hope the General Manager does not intend to sign anything with those who are still considered a security threat by the Central Council."

"We are considered a threat by the Central Council," Bach Lam shot back immediately, his voice sharp, "precisely because we refused to stay silent about what the Salt Domes did to innocent settlements. If that is our only crime, I will gladly bear it for the rest of my life."

Han Dinh Sang looked at him for a long moment, a cold assessment in his eyes, before turning to Wei Ba Cuong. "We cannot risk our relationship with the Central Council because of an emotional alliance with individual Arches," he said. "The Dome of the Rock has had enough turmoil. We need stability, not another political adventure."

"Stable under the control of someone whose great-grandfather was once the director of Thien Ho Group?" Khe Mien asked directly, deciding it was time to put her strongest card on the table, even though she knew that could cause unforeseen consequences.

A dead silence enveloped the room. Han Dinh Sang paused, and in that brief moment, Khe Mien saw something flash in his eyes — not complete denial, but a confusion, as if he had heard similar rumors before but had never dared to face them head-on.

"Do you have evidence for that serious accusation?" Wei Baqiang asked, his voice tense.

"A family tree, hastily copied from Vom Thuong's own archives," Khe Mien replied honestly. "Not enough to publicly accuse the entire region. But enough for me to believe that Loi Bach Dat was not simply a leader seeking peace, but a descendant of those who may have caused the Great Change itself to consolidate his power."

Duong Thi Yen, standing quietly in the corner of the room throughout the conversation, finally spoke, her voice trembling but determined. "I trust her," she said, causing all eyes in the room to turn to her. "I've worked in the General's office long enough to realize one thing — every time Stone Dome tried to ask questions about the history, about the true origin of the Great Change, we always received pressure from high-level communications with Upper Dome to stop. I used to think it was just normal caution. Now, I'm not so sure anymore."

Han Dinh Sang turned to look at her with undisguised surprise, as if he had never thought that this quiet secretary would have the courage to openly disagree with him in front of outsiders.

"Duong Thi Yen," he said, his voice carrying a warning. "Be careful what you're suggesting."

"I've been careful long enough," she replied, her voice now firmer than its usual timidity. "I was careful when I secretly delivered a warning letter to the Green Dome crew the night they were falsely accused. I was careful when I silently watched you confiscate their documents and badges based on a flimsy coincidence. Perhaps it's time for Stone Dome to be less careful, and more courageous."

Wei Ba Cuong stood still, his eyes moving back and forth between Han Dinh Sang and Duong Thi Yen, between Khe Mien and the entire Green Dome team, as if weighing the full weight of the decision about to be made not only for the present but also for the future of his Dome.

“I will not bring the Dome of the Rock into open war against the Central Council,” he said at last, his voice cautious but decisive. "We are not ready for that, and I have a responsibility to the thousands of lives that depend on the stability of this Arch. But I will open an informal channel of communication with your alliance. Sharing information. Providing technical support when possible, discreetly. That's the furthest I can commit to right now, but I promise, it's not the last."

Khe Mien nodded, clearly understanding that this, although not the strong commitment she expected, was still an important step forward — a door had opened where before there had only been suspicion and accusations. "I accept that," she said. "And I believe, when the time comes, Stone Arch will find the courage to step further."

Han Dinh Sang, without saying another word, turned and left the room with an unpredictable expression, but before walking out the door, he stopped for a moment and did not turn back. "If what you said about Loi Bach Dat is true," he said, his voice so low that it was barely audible, "bring the full evidence here. I will listen, though I don't promise to believe it right away."

The door closed behind him, and in the remaining silence, Duong Thi Yen sighed in relief, a tired but sincere smile flashing across her face. "That's more than I ever dared to hope for from him," she said.

When the Green Dome group left the Stone Dome the next morning, carrying with them the promise of a new communication channel and an acknowledgment, however reluctant, of the possibility of the truth they were pursuing, Khe Mien looked back at the stone gate one last time, feeling a mixture of relief and caution in her heart.

"Not a complete victory," she told Bach Lam as they walked, "but a crack in a wall that once seemed unbreakable."

"Sometimes," Bach Lam replied, "a crack is all it takes for the whole wall to finally collapse."