Many years later.
Zheng Qing came face to face once more with that magnificent tree, vast enough to blot out the sky and reach the heavens, every leaf shimmering with divine light. He stood with one foot in the river of time. Upstream lay more than a century of wandering through the cosmos; downstream, the cyclical catastrophes of the planets.
Zheng Qing, the backbone of the main cast: “One person’s civilization isn’t civilization. Only the civilization of an entire world is civilization.”
Colin Hodge, a chubby boy in the early story who later becomes Count Hosmi: “I used to think that keeping up appearances was everything. Later, I realized that survival comes before appearances.”
Yarman Cristo, king of the Kent Empire: “Daring to seek power and profit is how I take responsibility for my people.”
Alfred, pope of the Gusi Church: “I’m not a savior. I’m just a repairman.”
Iverson, pope of the Boyd Church: “It’s about where you stand, not right and wrong.”
