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Kintani and Jean have finished rescuing most of the spirits from the golden island. The only being left is the golden person staked out in a golden stream, who was apparently the original subject of the curse. Kintani contemplates dropping a rock on the guy to put him out of his misery, but sees golden rock fragments around him. It has apparently been tried before, unsuccessfully.
None of the exploding fish that made it into the Sea of Chance survived.
Kintani tells Jean and the Dancer that there are waves of gold pouring into the pedestal. That message is passed to a committee somewhere that is studying the pedestals, but not to anyone relevant or knowledgeable.
Kintani flies off the island and back out over the Sea without touching anything. The Serpent's Apprentice spots and catches him, and tosses him onto the island on his back. Kintani tells Ilk about the island and the gold pouring into the pedestal. Ilk throws tendrils through Jean to bonsai-Ilk to Savior of Chaos, who tells Pharaban. Pharaban deems this to be bad, and pretends to be Ilk temporarily in order to pour through Jean, since that mode of transport would be beneath his dignity.
Pharaban appears on the new promontory and bows to Serpent's Apprentice. The Serpent's Apprentice bows in return. People are amazed that Pharaban bowed first. Shiryu makes a bow to Pharaban before Pharaban bows to him. Kintani bows to Pharaban, and explains the situation to him. Pharaban deems the situation to be bad. He also decides that Kintani should have legs, and touches him. Kintani's body grows limbs out of self-defense, simply so he can run away. Kintani also re-grows the Logrus claws that were added by Ilk for the fight against the Oberon in the dragon council's chambers.
The Serpent's Apprentice can still hear Pharaban, mostly because Pharaban still wills it. He says something to the effect of, "My, that's bad", although with considerably more expletives involved. He returns, and is not gold.
Geryon plays with statues and pedestals for a while, then flees from an impression of Pharaban to his rooms, where politics happens for a while.
Pharaban has returned and suggested that the Serpent's Apprentice move a safe distance away, in case what he is about to do proves explosive. Pharaban then turns and apologizes to Shiryu for what might happen.
Shiryu tows the Serpent's Apprentice through the Sea, by manipulating the Sea itself. The Dragon Council are all spirits, and are discussing the situation. Kintani loudly discusses getting the Council back into their bodies before the Serpent's Apprentice has to uncoil. The Council fails to notice.
Kintani takes cover in a notch near Ilk's tail. Marial sits down next to him. Kintani points out that it would be annoying to have to rescue them all again. Marial engages him in small-talk.
Ilk noticed that Shiryu's work was accelerated for a while, as if by a tail-wind.
Geryon continues to fool around with pedestals. He is sucked into a pedestal in Pharaban's lands, and then everything that he can see is gold, and then he is back in Pharaban's lands, standing next to Pharaban. He has all of Pharaban's attention. He tries to communicate briefly, then flees.
Marial stands up and leaves the nook near the tail. Kintani concludes that things must be safe now.
Shiryu walks back onto the firmament and states that he believes that the crisis is past. He says that the place where the problem existed no longer exists, at least not in that form. It is determined that they should wait until Pharaban returns or contacts them. Ilk notices one of his tendrils flow through Jean and report, "I am home". Ilk tells Shiryu that Pharaban has returned.
Shiryu, Serpent's Apprentice, and Kintani discuss returning the dragon spirits to their proper bodies. Shiryu decides to tow this promontory to the Dragon's Council's promontory, so they can just jump over the edge. Shiryu and Kintani discuss towing techniques. Kintani eavesdrops on the Dragon Council. They don't seem to remember having been gold, they're only keeping up eight conversations at a time, and all of them are situational.
Kintani settles down and curls up in a vaguely concealed area to watch the Dragon Council.
Geryon warns Jean that researching the pedestals results in being sucked into Pharaban's lands. Jean tells Geryon that disturbing Pharaban tends to get you killed.
Jean wants Geryon to be his minion, but he refuses. Jean asks Ilk in the tree for a minion with Logrus. Ilk tells him to try one of the new students that just walked the Logrus. Jean says that he found one, but he refused to help. Ilk asks who it was, and then gives Jean a note, asking him to wait a turning or two first, because strange things are happening with the pedestals now.
"Geryon, help Jean. -- The Savior of Chaos."
Jean gives the note to Geryon, who decides that this has solved his political problems -- he'll be dead in a turning or two.
Geryon Logrus-pulls back to House Chanicut, and succeeds. Politics continues, then he falls asleep on the floor.
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