Hills of Silver Ruins (3/8)

Seika (菁華) is the soldier in Rouan they met in chapter 31 of book 2.

As described in chapter 5 of The Wings of Dreams, each of the four gates into the Yellow Sea opens only once a year on the day of the equinox or solstice.

The shusei (朱旌) are traveling entertainers and citizens of the Yellow Sea who roam throughout the Twelve Kingdoms. The title of oyakata (親方) can refer to a master, a boss, and a father figure (a provider).

The name Genkan (玄管) literally translates as "black tube." The kanji (玄) is also used in the novel's title, though it is nonstandard for "black" (黒) in modern Japanese.