Shu

Shu, an Agricultural Tianshi instructor of the Yanese Tianshi Bureaus. Shu has not made much contact with Chongyue or Ling after boarding Rhodes Island. This does not mean they are on bad terms, but rather, she is clearly more concerned for Nian and Dusk than she is with her older siblings. She cooks up healthy recipes for Nian—putting a stop to her wanton enjoyment of spices—and more importantly prevents her from spreading her bad eating habits to others. Meanwhile, she urges Dusk to occasionally dabble in physical exercise instead of cooping up in her paintings for long periods—even getting her to do some work on Rhodes Island however she can. She has done us a huge favor. The two of them may seem unwilling recipients of her "concern," but put up little if any resistance. This is not out of the typical fear one might have of an older sibling, but rather a form of consideration. "Your family seems so chummy all the time. You sure things once went all topsy-turvy for you guys?" When Kroos asked with curiosity, Nian was unusually silent, looking as if she were recalling some painful memory. "Incidentally, if you're number six of twelve, then we can't say you're a jiejie in the purest sense of the term, yes...?" Mr. Nothing once inquired with hesitation, but was fearfully silenced by a beaming smile from Shu. Shu does not exclusively care for Nian and Dusk—she is equally concerned for any other operator she regularly meets, listening to their worries and dispelling any doubts they have. Many operators have expressed that she is absolutely the most personable of her family. You can find her for a chat at any time of day, and all your worries will vanish as you listen to her explain her "life has an end, but not the world" philosophy. "I mean, when someone is such a model older sister, everyone's like a younger sibling before her." "I heard she used to tend to crops, maybe that's why she's so good at tending to people too." "So is she treating everyone like a sibling, or like her crops?" "......" In any case, considering Shu's positively divine culinary skills, it seems that Nian and Dusk will soon be competing with many more aspiring younger siblings. Shu may not behave as enigmatically as her sisters, but some of those who've encountered her firmly believe that she has some sort of precognitive ability. "When I met her last month, she handed me a spool of finning thread without saying a word. I figured she was inviting to go angling some time, but... last week, my vehicle broke down while I was out on a field mission and I got lost in a forest. I ended up using that very same line to cut wood, catch fins, and as a rope to escape the forest—you think that was just a coincidence? But it's not the only time it's happened..." "Foresight" is certainly a term that invites fatal attraction. We certainly know of ancient Originium Arts able to calculate the future on a large scale. But it's clear that Shu is unable to cast Arts at all, making her abilities all the more baffling. When chatting with operators, she will 'read' their palms to tell their short term "fortunes." When these predictions began coming true one after another, it sparked another wave of interest in divination, and some wishing to take advantage of the occasion for financial gain (such as Mr. Nothing) were warned against doing so. "You reap what you sow. This is the simplest truth there is—all consequences stem from their cause. Yet sages fear the cause, while fools fear the consequence. It is just as you would tend to a crop. Neglect to water and fertilize, and you ought be well aware that the harvest will be a hard one. So why wait until you see the reality occur before your eyes to regret your inaction? Causality is not something imperceivable, they merely pretend not to see it." When Shu divulged her philosophy in her usual wise and calm demeanor, it left everyone unwilling to pursue the matter. Even if this does not explain how she seems to foretell the future, her family has always been this way, and we are accustomed to their eccentricities. However, even if she can see the future, can she change it? If her foretold "future" changes, does that mean she saw only a baseless illusion? Or if the future is set in stone, will her ability bring only despair? While it may be impossible to elucidate or understand, her philosophy is indeed useful to believe in, if you look past this logical paradox. On the other hand, the next person to ask her for the winning lottery numbers will likely see just how scary she can be. Shu coming aboard Rhodes Island has been a boon to the landship's cafeteria. Besides her astonishing cooking skills, her most important contribution has been introducing several new supply channels to the Procurement Department, greatly improving the standard of onboard meals. The landship is always on the move, so bulk orders are naturally made based on the product meeting certain minimum requirements. But Shu has opened our eyes to how much the quality of ingredients can affect the taste of a dish. Who knew rice grains could be so plump and fragrant, fruits and vegetables so fresh as to make your mouth water, or even how sweet and tender an ordinary potato could be? According to Shu, the output of their basic grains is now stable, so some Nongye Tianshi have pivoted their research into improving the quality of other crops. What gets sent to Rhodes Island's kitchens are more or less the results of their research. The progress of civilization has always gone hand in hand with agricultural research—for every region and nation without exception. When curious operators probed her for more stories, they were silenced by the peaches stuffed into their mouths—truly delicious. Unlike Ling or Dusk, doesn't like to talk in fancy ways. She has long white and yellow hair with a generally slim petite body. She is tall. She has dragon horns and a tail.