Playing Waterbending (Avatar: Last Aibender SI)-Chapter 61 -

I took the token and examined it. It was a wooden plaque with the pattern of a white lotus on it.

What was the White Lotus Order, exactly?

In The Legend of Korra, it was just an organization that followed the Avatar wherever she went.

In The Last Airbender, it was a worldwide organization—a massive network of information and spies. It included not only masters of all the elements (minus air) but also grandmasters, who defended Ba Sing Se at the Sozin Comet time.

Even within the Fire Nation, the White Lotus had a presence.

'I think they're either waiting for the Avatar or waiting for the comet to pass so they can counterattack. But at the same time, with metalbending and dustbending coming to light, they should fight back as soon as possible, or else the odds won't be in their side.

"Let's head to my palace. I believe you haven't had dinner yet," Bumi said, putting his hands behind his back and walking ahead.

I followed him.

We soon passed by the palace, with the guards greeting us respectfully.

Bumi walked behind his throne and opened a secret door, inviting me in. Inside the secret room, the walls were adorned with silver armor, each bearing the white lotus pattern on the chest plates. The white lotus symbol was also etched into the walls.

Are they a little too obsessed with the lotus pattern? I thought but didn't voice my opinion. In front of me was a large table surrounded by many seats.

"Needless to say, you may take a seat," Bumi said.

"Aren't you going to have bodyguards around you?" I asked.

"Why would I?" Bumi replied.

"Dunno... to guard the room?" I said.

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"What's the worst that could happen? Losing a few chairs and armor plates?" Bumi waved his hand dismissively.

I chuckled.

He didn't seem to regard me as a threat.

If I were in his position and there was a bloodbender in the room, I wouldn't want to stay alone with them.

But Bumi was someone like Toph. While he couldn't see through the ground, he could sense things. Maybe he could trust people based on their pulse.

From his pulse, I could tell he wasn't the slightest bit afraid, nor was he preparing for a fight. At the same time, he was over a hundred years old. Perhaps his long life and countless battles had tempered him so well that his heart remained steady even in life-or-death situations.

"Anyway..." I said, looking at the token in my hand. "What about this?"

I couldn't simply pretend to know about the White Lotus.

"It's our organization, the Order of the White Lotus. I'd love to tell you its history, but I believe a young man like you has no patience for that. And I might even fall asleep while telling you," Bumi said.

"Yes..." I scratched my chin. "That can wait. If you're extending an invitation to me, I'd like to know your goals and what you can provide me."

At the same time, I was weighing the pros and cons of joining them.

Money? That's unlikely.

An army? Maybe I'd need one someday, but I'm strong enough now to face one without worry.

A worldwide information network? Free hotels and motels? That seemed more likely.

And most importantly, I could gain access to powerful, influential people who might help me if I needed anything.

"Well, first and foremost, our goal is to find the Avatar and drive out the Fire Nation. Given that we're tight on schedule, we're focusing on the second goal..."

"Tight on schedule?"

"You know, young man, there's a comet that approaches once every hundred years. That comet grants immense power to firebenders, allowing them to generate fire. Before you appeared, we were planning to wait until the comet passed before launching a surprise attack on them."

"How are you going to face them? Won't you be powerless after the comet?"

"Relax. They'll go after Omashu and Ba Sing Se. Taking one of these cities down will burn up all their time. It's not like they can fly when the comet arrives. After that, we'll go on the offensive in a second war," Bumi explained. "We have allies from every nation—from the North Pole to the Fire Nation, and even the South Pole. Your family is even fighting with us."

My family?

It had been a long time since I'd heard about them. Since I had memories from year one to year eighteen, I couldn't possibly forget about them or pretend they didn't exist.

"Are they alive?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"That's quite an unfilial question," Bumi frowned.

"I didn't mean it the way you think. I've been through a lot of life-and-death situations myself. I just wanted to make sure they're okay," I said honestly. I had already accepted the worst-case scenario long ago.

"You think everyone's a nutcracker, putting themselves in such situations in the first place?"

I frowned at Bumi for calling me that, but he smiled widely, clearly happy he'd gotten under my skin.

After clicking my tongue, I asked, "What's with them?"

"They're doing pretty well and are healthy. They've led some battles. Your father is as skilled with the spear as ever, and your mother and sister are handling the medicine," Bumi replied. "Hope that reassures you."

"Anyway..." I sighed inwardly. We were drifting off-topic, so I decided to get back on track. "Tell me about what your organization can do now, how they can help me, and what I can do to help them in return."

Bumi put his hand under his chin, thinking.

After a moment, he said, "We can do numerous things for you. We have many operatives planted in almost every city, even those ruled by the Fire Nation. We have insiders there, influential figures in the Fire Nation, and even officials within the Fire Lord's palace.

"We can use a man like you, and a man like you can use us. You'll have access to unlimited information wherever you go. And if you doubt it, look at this."

Bumi pointed his hand at me.

A metallic pin from my shirt—which was quite expensive and stolen from a high-ranking Fire Nation soldier—flew out and stuck to Bumi's hand.

"We've got the method for metalbending. Unfortunately, not many seem to have the ability to learn it as quickly as the men you've trained," Bumi said.

"Not everyone can sense the earth within metal. I believe you have an extraordinary sense," I explained.

"Yeah, I know that well. It would take a normal soldier one to three months to grasp it. But what I can't understand is how you managed to teach a hundred old men, who had been rusty in jail, to do so in a few weeks," Bumi asked.

I thought about how to explain neurology in a way people from this world could understand.

"It's about... the anatomy of the brain."

Did you know that a surgeon performing brain surgery is essentially one brain operating on another?

"Wow..." Bumi tilted his head. "Your brain knows itself."

"Anyway, it's a trick I invented. I thought the brain is like a muscle. The more you train it, the easier things become. So, the dizziness you feel after learning a new skill is like a muscle being sore. I used waterbending to heal the brain. In a way, even those without talent could learn quickly."

"And you did it all on your own?" Bumi's eyes widened in surprise. "You healed a hundred people at the same time?"

"Not really. Only fifty," I said. "And it's exhausting." To be honest, I could do more now, but I've never had the chance to test my new limits.

Bumi shook his head and continued, "Back to the topic..."

He explained the numerous benefits I could gain from joining them.

Not to mention, we had a common goal.

All I was required to do was provide a helping hand whenever their operatives were attacked or whenever they needed me, and to share any critical information.

I decided to be direct about something that was bothering me.

"When is Sozin's Comet arriving?" I asked.

"We don't know," Bumi said. "But we do know it's within this year. We can spot the comet a few days before it passes by our planet, but the Fire Nation's astronomers already know the exact date. Their technology is more advanced. Those who knew were locked up to prevent any leaks. The Fire Nation will have time to prepare. With the Avatar not here and metalbending and dustbending now on the table, we're preparing to train our forces before it's too late."