In the grand halls of the imperial palace, Jinhai sat upon his throne, listening as his informants relayed the latest whispers from beyond the Regime of Jin.
"Your Majesty," one of them began hesitantly, bowing low, "there are rumours from the West of a new invention—a surface that can be written upon with chalk and wiped away with mere cloth. They say it renders paper and quill all but obsolete."
Jinhai raised a skeptical brow. "A surface that can be used infinitely? Preposterous. If such a thing existed, the scholars of Jin would have devised it centuries ago."
"Yet the rumours persist, Your Majesty," the informant pressed.
"They claim it will change education, trade, even governance itself."
Jinhai waved a dismissive hand. "Another fool's dream. What else?"
The informant hesitated before continuing
"There are also whispers… of a weapon capable of tearing through reinforced steel."
This made Jinhai pause. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp.
"A weapon that pierces steel? With Qi?"
"No, Your Majesty. Without Qi. A creation of pure machinery."
Jinhai scoffed. "Impossible. No blade, no hammer, no spear can cut steel without immense force. Where did this rumour originate?"
Another figure stepped forward—Wei Xian, Jinhai's most trusted informant.
Unlike the others, his word carried weight, his sources rarely failing.
"The rumours are true, Your Majesty. I have spoken to someone… deeply embedded within the Western underworld. The weapon exists. And it is most likely in the hands of the Queen of the Underworld."
Jinhai's eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"
Wei Xian shook his head. "No kings, no emperors, no leaders know her true name. She is only known by her title."
The emperor drummed his fingers against the armrest of his throne, annoyance flickering across his features. "A nameless ruler controlling power beyond comprehension. How convenient."
He exhaled, reigning in his irritation. "And what of Yasmina's most loyal follower? Any leads?"
Wei Xian hesitated before pulling out a document. "Her name, once erased from records, has resurfaced. She was known as Zafira. But she no longer goes by that name."
Jinhai's brow furrowed. "Is this information verified?"
Wei Xian handed over the document. "Official records confirm it. But tracking her down? That is another matter entirely. She's a ghost."
Jinhai scanned the paper before clenching his jaw. "Find her. I don't care how long it takes."
He then leaned back, composing himself.
"And tell me—have there been any recent disturbances? Anything… that made a 'boom'?"
The other informants exchanged uneasy glances before one finally spoke. "Yes, Your Majesty. But it is not a simple matter. The source of the disturbance came from Shrouded Peaks Sect."
Jinhai's expression darkened instantly. He clenched the armrest of his throne.
"That damned sect again. One of the few places in this world beyond my reach…"
His grip tightened. He controlled kings, armies, trade routes. But the cultivators hidden within the Shrouded Peaks Sect remained elusive, untouchable.
His mind churned. "A weapon that pierces steel. A hidden queen of the underworld. A ghost from Yasmina's past. And now… destruction from within Shrouded Peaks itself?"
He dismissed the informants with a wave of his hand. "Find me answers. And bring me results."
As the hall emptied, Jinhai sat in silence, contemplating the impossible.
"No known weapon could tear through steel" he muttered.
"Unless…"
He tapped his fingers against the cold stone of his throne, mind racing.
"Unless it was something new entirely."
In a dimly lit workshop cluttered with metal parts, glass vials, and stacks of scribbled notes, Emery meticulously adjusted the firing mechanism of his latest invention. His hands moved with precision as he made minute changes to the inner workings of the weapon. Behind him, a large wooden board stood propped up, covered in equations and intricate sketches detailing his plans for a device that could harness electricity.
"Callum, hold that steady" Emery said absentmindedly, tightening a screw on the weapon's barrel.
Callum, looking absolutely exhausted, struggled under the weight of the chalk-writing surface and its wooden stand that Emery had demanded be set up for his calculations.
"You know," Callum huffed "most people would use a simple notebook, but no, you had to invent something that makes quills and ink obsolete."
Emery, without missing a beat, gestured toward the board.
"Why limit myself to archaic tools when I can create something infinitely reusable? Think about it, Callum! A surface where you can write and erase instantly with nothing but a cloth! No more wasted parchment! No more costly ink spills! This will revolutionize knowledge itself!"
Callum rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, and next you'll be telling me that we should replace candles with something called 'electric lights.'"
Emery snapped his fingers. "An excellent idea! I'll make a note of that."
Before Callum could curse his own existence, the door swung open and Zafira strolled in, holding one of the prototype firearms. She casually spun the weapon around her finger before aiming it at a wooden target across the room. With a deafening bang, the bullet tore through the target, embedding itself into the stone wall behind it.
Callum flinched. "Ever heard of a warning shot?!"
Zafira smirked. "That was the warning shot. The real one would've gone through your skull."
Emery chuckled, barely looking up as he jotted down notes.
"You see, Callum? She understands efficiency."
Zafira holstered the gun and leaned against the workbench.
"Speaking of efficiency, my informants just returned with something interesting. The rumours have already spread like you wanted. Jinhai is asking for information on the Queen of the Underworld."
Emery paused, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Obviously, you didn't give him your name, right?"
Zafira stretched lazily, her smirk widening. "Oh, but I did."
The workshop fell into stunned silence.
Callum choked on air. "YOU WHAT?!"
Emery facepalming so hard, his hand hurt "Zafira, I'm going to need you to repeat that slowly so I can process the sheer magnitude of the stupidity you just uttered.''
Zafira chuckled. "I simply told them the truth. My name is Zafira. That's all."
Callum looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.
"Jinhai—the emperor of the Regime of Jin, the most powerful man in the East—now knows the name of the person ruling the Western Underworld, and you think that's fine?!"
Zafira shrugged. "Oh, come on. It's not like he can do anything with just a name. No one knows what I look like, and I don't exactly go around carrying that name either. I'm Ezra remember"
Emery sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"That may be true, but it won't stop Jinhai from trying to track you down."
Zafira waved a dismissive hand. "Let him try. It's impossible, and we both know it."
Callum looked between the two of them, still flabbergasted. "You two are actually insane."
Before Emery could reply, another informant rushed into the room, bowing quickly.
"Apologies for the intrusion, but there's more. Jinhai's men have also uncovered the real name of Yasmina's most trusted follower."
The air in the workshop grew tense. Emery and Callum turned to Zafira, who remained unnervingly calm.
"Go on" she said.
The informant hesitated before producing a document.
"They have records linking Yasmina's most trusted follower to Zafira. An official document confirming the name."
Emery took the paper and scanned it before handing it to Zafira.
So this is what she meant by giving her name to them.
She barely glanced at it before smirking.
"Fascinating. And yet, all that effort will still lead them nowhere."
Callum leaned over to look. "So… is it true?"
Zafira tilted her head. "What do you think?"
Callum opened his mouth, then shut it. "...Right. I'm just going to pretend I didn't ask."
The informant cleared his throat.
"There's one last thing, commander. Jinhai also inquired if there had been any incidents involving a loud explosion recently."
Emery and Callum exchanged glances.
Zafira raised an eyebrow. "And?"
The informant looked visibly uneasy.
"We confirmed that there was indeed such an event. But the location… It came from Shrouded Peaks Sect."
The tension in the room thickened.
Ezra let out a low whistle. "Oh, Jinhai is going to hate that."
Emery exhaled, leaning against the workbench. "He's one of the few rulers in this world that has no control over that sect."
Callum muttered, "And knowing his personality, that fact alone probably keeps him up at night."
Ezra grinned. "Well, at least we know where his spies will be heading next."
Before anyone could respond, the door creaked open again, revealing a woman draped in dark traveling robes, her face partially obscured by a scarf.
Seraphine, one of Zafira's most capable informants, stepped forward, her presence demanding attention without a single word.
She bowed slightly before speaking.
"Lady Ezra, we've completed the investigation on the Silver Lotus Sect versus Crimson Serpent Sect war."
Zafira raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Seraphine smirked. "Silver Lotus won."
The room fell silent for a moment before Callum let out an incredulous laugh.
"You're joking. No way they pulled that off."
Emery, however, showed no surprise. "Not impossible. Unlikely, yes, but not impossible."
Seraphine continued, "There's more. The sect has supposedly changed hands in leadership. The new leader is Meilin Wuye, daughter of Lin Wuye, the former sect leader."
That got everyone's attention.
"Meilin Wuye?" Callum frowned. "She's barely older than sixteen. How the hell did a kid take over a war-torn sect?"
Emery placed a hand on his forehead and slowly pushed his hair back, his mind already racing through possibilities.
If the Silver Lotus Sect won, there were only a few plausible explanations.
"Tactical superiority?"
Seraphine nodded. "The reports say the battle was decided through precise formations, terrain manipulation, and calculated strikes rather than brute force."
"Deception?"
"It's rumoured they made the Crimson Serpent Sect believe they had the upper hand multiple times, only to exploit their overconfidence."
"Sacrificial plays?"
"Yes. Barely any losses on their side, but they forced the enemy to overextend at key moments."
Emery smirked. "Then there it is. They didn't win because they were stronger. They won because they were smarter."
Callum shook his head in disbelief.
"A sixteen-year-old led them to victory through strategy alone? That's insane."
Zafira tapped her fingers on the table, her expression unreadable.
"Not insane. Just rare. Very, very rare."
Emery let out a sharp exhale, rolling his shoulders as he processed the probabilities.
"The statistical likelihood of a sixteen-year-old leading an entire sect to victory is... less than one percent. No, scratch that—closer to 0.03% given the variables of experience, leadership, and battlefield adaptability."
He tapped his fingers against his forehead before sliding them back through his hair.
"Unless... she wasn't acting alone."
Callum frowned. "Go on, genius."
Emery smirked. "She had to have access to knowledge that the Crimson Serpent Sect underestimated. Tactical superiority isn't just about formations; it's about foresight. The sect would've needed access to precise scouting data, prediction models for enemy movements, and a commander capable of rapid mid-battle adjustments."
Seraphine nodded. "Our sources say they won through positioning and calculated strikes. The enemy was led into believing they were winning, only to fall into pre-planned traps."
"So she played them like a game of stones." Emery mused.
"The best way to defeat an arrogant opponent is to let them believe they're winning—right up until they aren't. And if she has that level of foresight… well, that makes her very, very dangerous."
Zafira stretched lazily before dismissing the thought. "Then let's make sure we know more before assuming. New mission: find out everything you can about Meilin Wuye. See if there's a way to open communication with the Shrouded Peaks Sect. If there's a chance we can meet her and Daokan, I want to know."
Before Seraphine could leave, she smirked and snapped her fingers. The doors swung open, and two of her men dragged in a bound figure wrapped in thick ropes, his muffled protests evident beneath the gag. They tossed him onto the stone floor unceremoniously.
The man shouted something in Chinese, his voice panicked.
"放了我!你们不知道自己在和谁打交道!" (Let me go! You don't know who you're dealing with!)
Zafira's eyes gleamed as she crouched down beside him, her tone calm but edged with danger.
"我们当然知道.问题是,你知道你现在在和谁说话吗?" (Oh, we know exactly who we're dealing with. The question is, do you know who you're speaking to?)
The man's face paled.
Callum, arms crossed, sighed. "Oh great. Here we go again. Chinese that I don't understand."
Seraphine and the other informants bowed before stepping back, their figures slipping into the shadows as they exited.
"We will return once we have more information, Commander."
Zafira barely acknowledged their departure, her focus entirely on the bound man before her. Before she could begin, Emery—watching with his usual mix of curiosity and detached amusement—leaned against the table and let intrusive thoughts talked aloud.
"You know, you really should use the firearm. It could cut the interrogation time in half."
Zafira hummed in thought before suddenly drawing the firearm from her hip, inspecting it like it had just become the most fascinating tool in existence. Then, without hesitation, she aimed it directly at the captive's forehead, her expression turning unreadable.
"So. What exactly are you doing here? And more importantly, what's your purpose?"
The man, despite his bound state, scoffed. "You think that little shit can hurt me?"
His eyes flicked to the gun, unimpressed.
"It's just a foreigner's toy. Nothing compared to true strength."
Zafira exhaled through her nose, almost disappointed. "Ah. You poor, ignorant soul."
Without breaking eye contact, she shifted the gun downward and pulled the trigger.
A sharp bang echoed through the room as the bullet buried itself into the stone floor just inches from his leg. The captive flinched violently, his bravado cracking for the first time as his breathing became erratic.
Emery, arms crossed, sighed in English. "Zafira. What. Are. You. Doing."
She gave him a casual shrug, still pointing the weapon lazily at the man's knee.
"A demonstration. He seems to think this is just a toy. I figured a little hands-on learning would help."
The captive, now visibly sweating, gritted his teeth. "Y-You missed."
Zafira's smirk widened and spoke back in their language.
"Oh, I wasn't aiming for you. But I can fix that mistake real quick."
Callum groaned, rubbing his forehead and hands.
"One day, just one day, can we do things without scarring someone for life?"
The captive, still visibly shaken, suddenly closed his eyes, his breathing steadying. A faint shimmer of energy surrounded his body as he focused his Qi inward, attempting to reinforce his limbs and snap the bindings. The ropes trembled as his muscles flexed, veins pulsing from the enhanced strength.
"Hah!" he sneered. "You think I'm just going to sit here and beg? You're all powerless against true cultivators—"
Zafira grabbed the captive by the collar and slammed him down with brute force, her muscles tensing as she overpowered his Qi-reinforced body without using any Qi herself. The ground cracked beneath the impact, and the captive gasped in shock—his so-called reinforcement was crushed by raw strength alone.
"All that reinforcement, and you still can't beat someone who's just stronger than you?" she mused, pressing her boot against his chest to keep him pinned.
Bang!