Grain Buds is an ordinary girl from Dahuang, an important agricultural settlement in the north of Yan. She has considerable experience handling stockbeasts, and followed Shu to Rhodes Island where she now stays as a temporary visitor.
The next attack deals 210% ATK as Arts damage, and attacks an additional enemy Can store 3 charge(s)
Mastery 3 · SP cost 5 · Initial SP 0Stops attacking and puts 3 enemies within Attack Range to Sleep for 5s. Afterwards, ASPD +130, and attacks 3 enemies
Mastery 3 · SP cost 25 · Initial SP 15 · Duration 15sASPD +12 ; When the target is a [Wild Beast], increases the duration of Slow from Trait
I looked after the stockbeasts in Dahuang, so I'm looking after you here, of course. You'll have to listen to me, work hard, and rest on time. Let's see... It's rest time now. Let's head out and have some fun!
Of course I know what the stockbeasts are saying. The beastlings in Dahuang always talk to me about things like what kind of snacks they want or who they like, and I sneak them a little help. This apple? A stockbeast asked for it, obviously. I'm just tasting it for them, making sure it's sweet enough.
Zuo Le is Candlestick, the Record Keeper is Inkbrush, that blinged out guy is Megaphone, and you're Wisehead. I also know a Tall Shades and Smiley Sharpshooter! Oh, and Amiya is the best! We made a promise to come up with a better nickname for you together.
Shu made me this fowlbeast whistle, and whenever I wanna tell the stockbeasts to go home, I give it a blow. Sometimes, when Dahuang feels empty, I sit down on the street corner to play it. People come and go, and my whistle's my goodbye and hello.
Dahuang's operas are sung in different dialects. That commemorates the farmers who came to our rescue a few centuries ago. They were from all across Yan, farming here for generations. They're why Dahuang fields are so fertile and prosperous now. I'm really proud that I can play the accompaniment on my flute here every year!
When I first stood on the terraces, I could only see the aqueducts, but after the farmlands were raised, I could see the edge of the city, and now that Shu brought me here, I can see the horizon from the top deck. Megaphone tells me that Baba and Mama will come back someday, but when, exactly?
Could you draw a line over my head...? I'm not standing on my tiptoes! I'm not stretching my neck out, either! Are you done? Let's see. See? I told you I got taller! Maybe I'll be taller than Xiaohe next year! Let's see how tall you are. Minus your hood and shoes, you... come up to my shoulders!
When I'm in a bad mood, I sometimes go to the embankment to play my flute. There's a woodcutter there who yelled at me every time, but he always quieted down as soon as I played this song. He even hummed along. That was the first time I saw him smile! Like I said, I'm really good at the flute.
The farmers say that the stockbeasts live by following water and grass. Fowlbeasts fly freely in the sky, but they always eventually land in the fields. I know what that means now. Everyone has a field to call their own. Rhodes Island is your field, and you are the fowlbeast that will come back to land, isn't that right?
Outstanding Farmer of Dahuang, Honorary Stockbeast Breeding Expert, Honorary Rice Planting Master, Excellency in Stockbeast Feed Research... Upon repeated verification, the above honors were all found to be genuine. Grain Buds always puts all her effort into doing the things she is capable of. Having grown up in Dahuang, she's been infected by the residents' gung-ho attitude toward farming since a young age, and believes that to put food on the table, you have to earn your keep. Before she was even as tall as a hoe, she was already imitating the farmers and planting seeds. Unable to bear the sight, the elderly farmers instead sent her to feed the stockbeasts, only to find that they behaved especially well around her, almost as if they were on the same wavelength. As such, she was able to manage the massive ranches there in a very organized and tidy manner. Grain Buds has kept herself busy even after coming aboard Rhodes Island as a visitor. She's developed new recipes with the logistics operators at the cafeteria, helped care for the plants at the Convalescent Garden, and naturally never forgets to give every one of the new friends she's made here an easy-to-remember and pleasant-sounding nickname. Many medical operators have noted their work stress greatly decreasing thanks to her being around to look after juvenile patients and comfort them when receiving injections or medicine. 'Guess it's easier for kids around the same age to hit it off...' 'Or maybe she thinks she's still taking care of stockbeasts...?'
'Grain... Buds.' The stockbeast-herding girl sits atop a pile of straw and slowly reads out her name. 'The Xiangzhang said my parents gave me this name. Grain Buds are what you call the seeds when they're starting to turn full but haven't completely ripened yet. It means I'll be healthy and grow up teeming with hope!' The woodcutter, still with somewhat lifeless-looking eyes, sits unsteadily on the pile of straw as well. His back is stiff and straight, his legs appear uncomfortable, and he holds tightly onto his Tianshi ruler. Evidently, the girl had dragged him here. 'Give me your hand. I'll write my name. You just read along!' The man's coarse, thick fingers were pried open by the young girl's small hand to reveal his palm. She stuck out a finger and started writing. The woodcutter thought it was ticklish. He did as the girl said and opened his mouth to laboriously let out some sounds. 'Grain...' 'Grain— Buds.' 'Gra... Grain... Grain— Buds.' 'Yep, that's right! Put them together like that. Grain— Buds. My name!' 'Grain... Grain Buds.' The woodcutter lowered his head and gently moved his lips. 'Grain Buds.' The girl leapt in joy, her whole head covered with straw. 'Mute Uncle! You can say my name!'
Rhodes Island is already home to a number of so-called animal experts, and it is not at all uncommon for beasts to be trained to complete certain tasks. That said, none have ever dared to claim to able to speak to animals. Until Grain Buds, that is. She insisted on demonstrating her talents: First, she found a lost storm cloudbeast on the top deck by 'communicating' with another cloudbeast. Next, she used a flute to command a few metal crabs to pick up the food waste scattered about the kitchen (Beanstalk insists that her crabs had always known how to do this). Finally, she even attempted to bring a couple of slumberfeet to help insomnia patients get to sleep, only to fall asleep herself in the hallway instead. From this, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that she does actually have some sort of strange ability. According to herself, there was this one time when she was five years old that she got lost and went outside the city. The farmers couldn't find her anywhere, and just as everyone was at wit's end, an old stockbeast waded across the river with her sitting on its back. Ever since, she has been very close to stockbeasts, and over time she found she was able to understand the 'words' of all kinds of animals. The stockbeasts would tell her which orchard had the sweetest fruits, the traveling fowlbeasts would tell her that the flowers were in full bloom in the south, etc. When Grain Buds speaks vividly about the colorful land filled with wonder in her childlike tone, she is always able to pique the curiosity of her listeners. 'How did the stockbeast know the way back?' 'How wide was the river?' 'What's a city full of farms like?' The listeners gather around her and bombard her with questions. She seems to have an endless number of amazing stories to tell as well. For example, there was the 'gang war' between stockbeasts, the stockbeast and fowlbeast who befriended each other and ran away together, the fin who swam all across Yan on an adventure... Does it matter if they're true? Just imagining the countryside depicted in her stories is enough to stir one's emotions.
Grani5★ · Vanguard
Gravel4★ · Specialist
GreyThroat5★ · Sniper
Greyy4★ · Caster
Greyy the Lightningbearer5★ · Sniper
Gummy4★ · Defender
Hadiya5★ · Guard
Harmonie5★ · Caster
Harold5★ · Medic
Haruka6★ · Supporter
Haze4★ · Caster
Heavyrain5★ · Defender
Heidi5★ · Supporter
Hellagur6★ · Guard
Hibiscus3★ · Medic
Hibiscus the Purifier5★ · Medic
Highmore5★ · Guard
Ho'olheyak6★ · Caster
Hoederer6★ · Guard
Honeyberry5★ · Medic
Horn6★ · Defender
Hoshiguma6★ · Defender
Hoshiguma the Breacher6★ · Defender
Humus4★ · Guard
Hung5★ · Defender
Iana5★ · Specialist
Ifrit6★ · Caster
Indigo4★ · Caster
Indra5★ · Guard
Ines6★ · Vanguard
Insider5★ · Sniper
Irene6★ · Guard
Iris5★ · Caster
Istina5★ · Supporter
Jackie4★ · Guard
Jaye4★ · Specialist
Jessica4★ · Sniper
Jessica the Liberated6★ · Defender
Jieyun5★ · Sniper
Ju5★ · Sniper
Kafka5★ · Specialist
Kal'tsit6★ · Medic
Kal'tsit Esperanta6★ · Medic
Kazemaru5★ · Specialist
Kestrel5★ · Vanguard
Kichisei5★ · Sniper
Kirara5★ · Specialist
Kirin R Yato6★ · Specialist
Kjera5★ · Caster
Kroos3★ · Sniper
Kroos the Keen Glint5★ · Sniper
La Pluma5★ · Guard
Laios5★ · Guard
Lancet-21★ · Medic
Lappland5★ · Guard
Lappland the Decadenza6★ · Caster
Lava3★ · Caster
Lava the Purgatory5★ · Caster
Lee6★ · Specialist
Leizi5★ · Caster
Leizi the Thunderbringer6★ · Guard
Lemuen6★ · Sniper
Leonhardt5★ · Caster
Lessing6★ · Guard
Leto5★ · Guard
Lin6★ · Caster
Ling6★ · Supporter
Liskarm5★ · Defender
Logos6★ · Caster
Lord/Sharp6★ · Guard
Lucilla5★ · Supporter
Lumen6★ · Medic
Lunacub5★ · Sniper
Luo Xiaohei4★ · Guard
Lutonada4★ · Defender
Magallan6★ · Supporter
Manticore5★ · Specialist
Mantra6★ · Caster
Marcille6★ · Caster
Matoimaru4★ · Guard
Matsukiri5★ · Vanguard
Matterhorn4★ · Defender
May4★ · Sniper
Mayer5★ · Supporter
Mechanist6★ · Defender
Melanite5★ · Sniper
Melantha3★ · Guard
Meteor4★ · Sniper
Meteorite5★ · Sniper
Midnight3★ · Guard
Minimalist5★ · Caster
Mint5★ · Caster
Misery6★ · Specialist
Miss.Christine5★ · Caster
Mitm5★ · Vanguard
Mizuki6★ · Specialist
Młynar6★ · Guard
Mon3tr6★ · Medic
Morgan5★ · Guard
Mostima6★ · Caster
Mountain6★ · Guard
Mousse4★ · Guard
Mr. Nothing5★ · Specialist
Mudrock6★ · Defender
Muelsyse6★ · Vanguard
Mulberry5★ · Medic
Mutsumi Wakaba5★ · Specialist
Myrrh4★ · Medic
Myrtle4★ · Vanguard
Narantuya6★ · Sniper
Nasti6★ · Supporter
Nearl5★ · Defender
Nearl the Radiant Knight6★ · Guard
Necrass6★ · Caster
Nian6★ · Defender
Nightingale6★ · Medic
Nightmare5★ · Caster
Nine-Colored Deer5★ · Supporter
Noir Corne2★ · Defender
Nowell5★ · Medic
Nyamu Yūtenji5★ · Guard
Nymph6★ · Caster
Odda5★ · Guard
Orchid3★ · Supporter
Pallas6★ · Guard
Paprika5★ · Medic
Papyrus5★ · Medic
Passenger6★ · Caster
Penance6★ · Defender
Pepe6★ · Guard
Perfumer4★ · Medic
Perfumer the Distilled5★ · Supporter
Phantom6★ · Specialist
Philae5★ · Defender
PhonoR-01★ · Supporter
Pinecone4★ · Sniper
Pith5★ · Caster
Pith6★ · Caster
Platinum5★ · Sniper
Plume3★ · Vanguard
Podenco4★ · Supporter
Poncirus5★ · Vanguard
Popukar3★ · Guard
Pozëmka6★ · Sniper
Pramanix5★ · Supporter
Pramanix the Prerita6★ · Caster
Projekt Red5★ · Specialist
Provence5★ · Sniper
Proviso5★ · Supporter
Ptilopsis5★ · Medic
Pudding4★ · Caster
Purestream4★ · Medic
Puzzle5★ · Vanguard
Qanipalaat5★ · Caster
Qiubai6★ · Guard
Quartz4★ · Guard
Quercus5★ · Supporter
Raidian6★ · Supporter
Raidian6★ · Supporter
Rangers2★ · Sniper
Rathalos S Noir Corne5★ · Guard
Ray6★ · Sniper
Record Keeper5★ · Medic
Reed5★ · Vanguard
Reed the Flame Shadow6★ · Medic
Reserve Operator - Caster3★ · Caster
Reserve Operator - Caster4★ · Caster
Reserve Operator - Defender3★ · Defender
Reserve Operator - Defender4★ · Defender
Reserve Operator - Guard4★ · Guard
Reserve Operator - Logistics3★ · Medic
Reserve Operator - Medic4★ · Medic
Reserve Operator - Melee3★ · Vanguard
Reserve Operator - Sniper3★ · Sniper
Reserve Operator - Sniper4★ · Sniper
Reserve Operator - Specialist4★ · Specialist
Reserve Operator - Supporter4★ · Supporter
Reserve Operator - Vanguard4★ · Vanguard
Ripresa5★ · Caster
Roberta4★ · Supporter
Robin5★ · Specialist
Rockrock5★ · Caster
Rope4★ · Specialist
Rosa6★ · Sniper
Rose Salt5★ · Medic
Rosmontis6★ · Sniper
Saga6★ · Vanguard
Saileach6★ · Vanguard
Sakiko Togawa6★ · Guard
Sand Reckoner5★ · Supporter
Sankta Miksaparato6★ · Defender
Santalla5★ · Caster
Saria6★ · Defender
Savage5★ · Guard
Scavenger4★ · Vanguard
Scene5★ · Supporter
Schwarz6★ · Sniper
Senshi5★ · Defender
Sesa5★ · Sniper
Shalem5★ · Defender
Shalem5★ · Defender
Shamare5★ · Supporter
Sharp5★ · Guard
Sharp6★ · Guard
Shaw4★ · Specialist
Shining6★ · Medic
Shirayuki4★ · Sniper
Shu6★ · Defender
Sideroca5★ · Guard
Siege6★ · Vanguard
Silence5★ · Medic
Silence the Paradigmatic6★ · Supporter
SilverAsh6★ · Guard
SilverAsh the Reignfrost6★ · Vanguard
Skadi6★ · Guard
Skadi the Corrupting Heart6★ · Supporter
Skybox5★ · Sniper
Skyfire5★ · Caster
Snegurochka4★ · Vanguard
Snow Hunter5★ · Sniper
Snowsant5★ · Specialist
Sora5★ · Supporter
Specter5★ · Guard
Specter the Unchained6★ · Specialist
Spot3★ · Defender
Spuria5★ · Specialist
Stainless6★ · Supporter
Steward3★ · Caster
Stormeye5★ · Sniper
Stormeye6★ · Sniper
Surfer5★ · Vanguard
Surtr6★ · Guard
Sussurro4★ · Medic
Suzuran6★ · Supporter
Swire5★ · Guard
Swire the Elegant Wit6★ · Specialist
Tachanka5★ · Guard
Taraxacum5★ · Medic
Tecno5★ · Caster
Tequila5★ · Guard
Terra Research Commission1★ · Sniper
Texas5★ · Vanguard
Texas the Omertosa6★ · Specialist
Thorns6★ · Guard
Thorns the Lodestar6★ · Specialist
THRM-EX1★ · Specialist
Tin Man5★ · Specialist
Tippi5★ · Specialist
Titi6★ · Medic
Toddifons5★ · Sniper
Tomimi5★ · Caster
Totter4★ · Sniper
Touch5★ · Medic
Touch6★ · Medic
Tragodia6★ · Supporter
Tsukinogi5★ · Supporter
Tulip5★ · Vanguard
Tulip6★ · Vanguard
Tuye5★ · Medic
Typhon6★ · Sniper
U-Official1★ · Supporter
Uika Misumi5★ · Supporter
Ukusik5★ · Medic
Ulpianus6★ · Guard
Umiri Yahata5★ · Specialist
Underflow5★ · Defender
Utage4★ · Guard
Valarqvin5★ · Supporter
Vanilla3★ · Vanguard
Varkáris5★ · Guard
Vendela5★ · Medic
Verdant4★ · Specialist
Vermeil4★ · Sniper
Vetochki5★ · Defender
Vigil6★ · Vanguard
Vigna4★ · Vanguard
Vina Victoria6★ · Guard
Virtuosa6★ · Supporter
Viviana6★ · Guard
Viy6★ · Caster
Vulcan5★ · Defender
Vulpisfoglia6★ · Vanguard
W6★ · Sniper
Waai Fu5★ · Specialist
Wang6★ · Specialist
Wanqing5★ · Vanguard
Warfarin5★ · Medic
Warmy5★ · Caster
Weedy6★ · Specialist
Whislash5★ · Guard
Whisperain5★ · Medic
Wild Mane5★ · Vanguard
Wind Chimes5★ · Guard
Windflit5★ · Supporter
Windscoot4★ · Guard
Wiš'adel6★ · Sniper
Wulfenite5★ · Specialist
Xingzhu5★ · Supporter
Yato2★ · Vanguard
Yu6★ · Defender
Zima5★ · Vanguard
Zima the Raging Tide6★ · Guard
Zuo Le6★ · Guard
'Justice Knight'1★ · Sniper
12F2★ · Caster
Aak6★ · Specialist
Absinthe5★ · Caster
Aciddrop4★ · Sniper
Adnachiel3★ · Sniper
Akafuyu5★ · Guard
Akkord4★ · Caster
Alanna5★ · Supporter
Alliance/Supportive Operator4★ · Supporter
Almond5★ · Specialist
Ambriel4★ · Sniper
Amiya5★ · Caster
Andreana5★ · Sniper
Angelina6★ · Supporter
Ansel3★ · Medic
Aosta5★ · Sniper
April5★ · Sniper
Archetto6★ · Sniper
Arene4★ · Guard
Aroma5★ · Caster
Asbestos5★ · Defender
Ascalon6★ · Specialist
Ash6★ · Sniper
Ashlock5★ · Defender
Astesia5★ · Guard
Astgenne5★ · Caster
Astgenne the Lightchaser6★ · Supporter
Aurora5★ · Defender
Ayerscarpe5★ · Guard
Bagpipe6★ · Vanguard
Bassline5★ · Defender
Beagle3★ · Defender
Beanstalk4★ · Vanguard
Beehunter4★ · Guard
Beeswax5★ · Caster
Bellone6★ · Guard
Bena5★ · Specialist
Bibeak5★ · Guard
Bison5★ · Defender
Blacknight5★ · Vanguard
Blaze6★ · Guard
Blaze the Igniting Spark6★ · Caster
Blemishine6★ · Defender
Blitz5★ · Defender
Blue Poison5★ · Sniper
Bobbing5★ · Supporter
Botani5★ · Supporter
Breeze5★ · Medic
Brigid5★ · Sniper
Broca5★ · Guard
Bryophyta5★ · Guard
Bubble4★ · Defender
Cairn5★ · Defender
Cantabile5★ · Vanguard
Caper4★ · Sniper
Cardigan3★ · Defender
Carnelian6★ · Caster
Castle-31★ · Guard
Catapult3★ · Sniper
Catherine5★ · Supporter
Cement5★ · Defender
Ceobe6★ · Caster
Ceylon5★ · Medic
Ch'en6★ · Guard
Ch'en the Dawnstreak6★ · Guard
Ch'en the Holungday6★ · Sniper
Chestnut4★ · Medic
Chiave5★ · Vanguard
Chilchuck5★ · Vanguard
Chongyue6★ · Guard
Civilight Eterna6★ · Supporter
Click4★ · Caster
Cliffheart5★ · Specialist
Closure6★ · Vanguard
Coldshot5★ · Sniper
CONFESS-471★ · Vanguard
Contrail4★ · Specialist
Conviction4★ · Guard
Corroserum5★ · Caster
Courier4★ · Vanguard
Crackborne5★ · Defender
Croissant5★ · Defender
Crownslayer6★ · Specialist
Cuora4★ · Defender
Cutter4★ · Guard
Czerny5★ · Defender
Dagda5★ · Guard
Deepcolor4★ · Supporter
Degenbrecher6★ · Guard
Delphine5★ · Caster
Diamante5★ · Caster
Dobermann4★ · Guard
Doc5★ · Guard
Dorothy6★ · Specialist
Dur-nar4★ · Defender
Durin2★ · Caster
Dusk6★ · Caster
Earthspirit4★ · Supporter
Ebenholz6★ · Caster
Ela6★ · Specialist
Elysium5★ · Vanguard
Enforcer5★ · Specialist
Entelechia6★ · Guard
Erato5★ · Sniper
Estelle4★ · Guard
Ethan4★ · Specialist
Eunectes6★ · Defender
Executor5★ · Sniper
Executor the Ex Foedere6★ · Guard
Exusiai6★ · Sniper
Exusiai the New Covenant6★ · Specialist
Eyjafjalla6★ · Caster
Eyjafjalla the Hvít Aska6★ · Medic
Fang3★ · Vanguard
Fang the Fire-Sharpened5★ · Vanguard
Fartooth6★ · Sniper
FEater5★ · Specialist
Fiammetta6★ · Sniper
Figurino5★ · Specialist
Firewatch5★ · Sniper
Firewhistle5★ · Defender
Flamebringer5★ · Guard
Flametail6★ · Vanguard
Flint5★ · Guard
Folinic5★ · Medic
Franka5★ · Guard
Friston-31★ · Defender
Frost5★ · Specialist
Frostleaf4★ · Guard
Fuze5★ · Guard
GALLUS²1★ · Caster
Gavial4★ · Medic
Gavial the Invincible6★ · Guard
Gitano4★ · Caster
Gladiia6★ · Specialist
Glaucus5★ · Supporter
Gnosis6★ · Supporter
Goldenglow6★ · Caster
Gracebearer5★ · GuardHm... You fell asleep...? You really fell asleep...? Hehe, have this coat then. Have a good dream. I'm off to have some fun!
Shu brought me here to hang! I think I wrote my name on a document she was supposed to sign...? She said it was fine, though. Now that I've signed it, I get to come here to hang out all the time!
...Wah! I'd never fall asleep in class, Laoshi...! Huh? It's you.
I developed a way to train stockbeasts to identify foods based on their smell. The Tianshi Bureaus gave me a medal for it. It doesn't have a serial number, but it says how amazing I am! And now I have this one you gave me. I'm putting them next to each other.
I got taller again, right? By the time I'm as tall as you, the people of Dahuang will definitely have cultivated the seeds they want. When that happens, I'll invite you to come sit with us in the fields. The rice flowers are gonna look even better then!
Is it time to do pest control again? I'm the best at catching these nasty little things!
Trust me. I know I can do it extra good.
Listen up, get your boots on, and tread lightly!
Everybody ready?
Qui-Qui-Quick! The pests are getting away.
I saw them hiding in the bushes there!
Nice. They didn't see us.
None of you are getting away this time!
Hah, I got you!
Come any closer, and I'll whap your heads with my flute!
Not so fast now, huh!
And don't ever come back to our fields!
Come on, let's go! We need to hurry and tell Shu. She's going to be so happy with me.
Next year, the year after, and the year after that... One day, the whole of Dahuang will live without fear of Catastrophes or pests, and we'll have stack our harvests as high as Heaven for Shennong.
It's okay. We've been through Catastrophes much worse than this. This one's just a little setback. We'll work harder next season!
We're in trouble... I'll go get the Tianshi to help us!
I want to sneak out when the landship docks. Can you keep it from Shu?
These buns aren't for you to grab!
Have you learned to play the song I taught you?
Arknights.
Here. A multigrain fragrance sachet! It's made by blending some grains and medicinal herbs. Keep it on you, and you're guaranteed peace and good health for the rest of the year. And you should definitely have a bowl of multigrain rice with multigrain beer. The farmers always tell me how good the multigrain beer tastes, but when I took a sip—It was so spicy and bitter!
I have the basket ready. Should we head to the fields to catch mudfins together?
I made you a bowl of noodles. Give it a try. When I was still a kid, Shu always made me a bowl of longevity noodles for my birthday. An entire bowl made up of a single noodle. She always added a fried egg over easy too. I think this one might be overcooked, though. It might... have turned into a bowl of gruel.
I saw Rhodes Island splitting the sandstorm and sailing here. It felt just like the first time I saw Dahuang's new buildings, how they protected the fields from the Catastrophe. As long as everyone works together, no matter if it's a Catastrophe or anything else, there's always a way, right?
Aside from her ability to talk to animals, Grain Buds is most proud of her flute skills. She would proudly tell others how she performed for Dahuang's operas year after year. With her small bamboo flute, she is able to play a variety of distinct melodies, from grand accompaniments pairing with the operas' epic scenes, to melodious tunes to send resting stockbeasts peacefully to sleep. Everyone who has heard her flute has been astonished to see such a seemingly frail girl exert so much energy in one go. She is always happy to use her flute to bring comfort to those around her, and she also loves to, in her own words, 'write' new melodies according to her mood. Her tunes are all uplifting and pleasing to the ear, and He Sheng occasionally writes lyrics to them. The farmers toiling in the fields would always sing along whenever they heard the music. And just like that, the two of them created a number of childlike folk songs that spread throughout Dahuang. In her hazy memories, she once heard her mother playing a reed whistle, but her 'Tianshi duties' took her away from Dahuang before she could teach her daughter how to make one. Later, she learned how to make the whistles herself as well as how to play the bamboo flute. The girl learned to play more and more music, yet her parents never returned. To this day, her melodious flute can still be heard by Dahuang's riverbank, awaiting the return of faraway travelers. [Classified Log] '...Therefore, a Chamber of Heaven's Designs shall be established roughly a hundred li to the north of Dahuang in preparation for the demonic threat.' '...Its forces shall consist of those gifted in Originium Arts as selected by each Tianshi Bureau. Those who enter the Chamber of Heaven's Designs, each possessing great skills and a firm resolve, shall train at length and be ready for battle at all times. After a year, only half shall remain. After another year, less than one-tenth shall remain. This shall continue year after year.' 'The scourge of the demon first and foremost robs one of his mind, and by the time one finds his mind even slightly clouded, it is already too late. Countless have been buried in the north to ensure the survival of their fellows. Relatively few instead live out their years with their minds clouded, rendered incapable of coherent speech for the rest of their lives. Skeletally thin, not even their old acquaintances can recognize them...' —Excerpts pertaining to Dahuang, from a history of Yan requiring a very high clearance level
To those who live on these lands, the word 'homeland' is a transient concept. No one knows when their home will be destroyed by Catastrophe. Nomadic cities travel everywhere, and villages continue to migrate ceaselessly. What exactly is a 'homeland'? Is it the skyscrapers going up day after day in the nomadic cities, or is it the rubble left behind in the Catastrophes' wake? Yet there are still those who, regardless of the price, have continued to guard a swath of land important to them for thousands of years. Such a long-lasting defense of the same area is extraordinarily rare. Such is the place where Grain Buds was born and raised. Having seen all the fields and the men and women working them from a young age, she knows every blade of grass and every tree like the back of her hand; she remembers every crop in every field; she remembers which grasses each kind of stockbeast likes to eat; she remembers how she once fell from a tree and hurt her leg, and He Sheng carried her home on his back across half of Dahuang under the setting sun... The land incorporates the history and memories of the people here, and it becomes part of them. That's how the people and the land are connected. Which is why she too is holding the fort here, watching the crops grow green and then yellow, before they are harvested and new seeds are sown anew. She watches the fields grow larger and larger, as the stockbeasts around her grow bit by bit. She sits atop a stockbeast's back, playing her flute to guide the passing caravans as well as sending travelers from afar on their way.