SC.2023.38. Desolation of Lack of Counsel/qeî dǎ zhuoùng (ʨʰei̯˥˩ ta˧˥ ʈʂwou̯˨˩˦ŋ)
Ministry
Piersa Ouranos and Dentrag Aixpee walked in, their passports ready, they'd been checked twice since the outer door already.
"Welcome, to qeî dǎ zhuoùng, I Malmei, and he Zumi, will be your guide."
"Thank you, you were expecting us?"
"Err, not specifically, we are here at the tourism desk of the ministry every day."
How come you're the ones delivering my packages, serving tcha when I visit the minister, and I've seen the both of you around the old city at least twice, she thought to herself, but publicly she said: "I'm glad you two are here to guide me, I am expected?"
"We are always here." He lied, she could tell, just from the fact that when the two left, they were not replaced. This wasn't a normal staff post for them, but they'd deliberately been waiting for the new attaché, and her lapsed husband.
"The ministry is the largest concentration of officials in Tsou, it covers six million square meters of ground over sixteen floors. Ten thousand rooms partitioned into four wings host the twelve bureaus of the Silk Mandarinate.
"All that in one building? Is that the entire ministry?"
"Err, no, and we're not allowed to help with guesses at how much of the ministry the building holds at any one time." Zumi interjected, reining in the enthusiasm of his colleague.
"Still, this is impressive, most impressive." Piersa knew how to feint being much less intelligent than she was. She was after all, a licensed rocket scientist and astronaut, and seldom felt the need to impress anyone, or to be the smartest person in any one room.
