‘I win.’

A smile formed on his face.

He didn’t know what was going on. Before he could even comprehend anything, Liu Zhe had found himself on the ground with a spear right at his neck. I lost. It finally dawned upon him, the realisation of how stupid he was. He knew already that he had no chance of winning. For him, to be able to stand his ground long enough would be a “victory”. He thought that at the very least, even if it wasn’t possible for him to defeat the General, he could try his best not to lose. But now, it was all too clear that the General merely played with him, and that the moment he understood there were no new tricks for him to offer, to satisfy his curiosity, he ended the battle. He had no ground to stand on from the very beginning. He lost the moment he accepted the duel. The General’s goal was probably to see what he could do, which made his performance all the more disappointing. He understood his aim at the very beginning, but he prioritised what he thought of a “victory” over it. He should have saved his Flame Space for the very end. He should have shown more of his tricks, more of his skills with the flames of the blade, instead of turning to a technique he developed to be a last resort, to be used only when no other options were available. Of course, if this was an actual battle, he would have done exactly what he did now, but this wasn’t a battle, not even a spar—this was merely an assessment of his skills, and he should have known better than to treat it like it wasn’t one. He underestimated the General’s abilities.

He sighed. ‘It seems I lost,’ he said, with a defeated smile on his face. He got up, and the two of them shook hands. ‘There’s no need to be disappointed. It was me you were against, after all.’ The General’s tone wasn’t arrogant or egotistical, rather he stated it as if it were a fact, which Zhe found annoying, though he did not know why, for he wasn’t one to care anymore, but he couldn’t tell anything because in all honesty, it really was a fact.

‘I wished to see more of your abilities, but that would be for some other time.’ He turned towards Li. ‘Your Highness, if I may have a moment.’ She nodded, then turned towards Zhe. He walked past them, exiting the room, and waited in the meeting room while the two of them conversed.

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‘He is an interesting child,’ said Feng.

‘I am aware.’

‘Though I am in no position to criticise the decisions of Her Highness, even I must ask, why did you give that child the Cursed Blade?’

‘Why? I wonder. Out of curiosity, perhaps?’

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The General heard her response and merely smirked. Out of curiosity, that is indeed like her. The child had intrigued him as well. He was sure he had a few more tricks up his sleeves, tricks that he didn’t show off in haste. Perhaps that child was too focused on standing his ground. In the end, he miscalculated. Liu Zhe, I believe that was his name. He has potential, but he lacks experience. I wonder whether he’ll be an ally or a storm.

‘We should be going,’ said her Highness.

‘Yes, your Highness.’

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The room was dark, pitch black, lit up only by the little light shining from the hologram on the table. It was a map of the city below and surrounding it were only the relevant people, them being the General, members of the Council, and Zhe. Zhe had only seen it from Li’s place, and had initially thought little of it, but now that he saw the map, he was quite surprised and felt rather embarrassed for how he thought of it before. The city might not be much wide, but it made up for in its verticality. In fact, it might just be enough to rival a small nation back in his old world.

The city was mainly divided into layers, with roads that connected each of them, twisting and turning in an intricate manner that at first glance would seem like a chaotic mess, but on closer inspection, is meticulously calculated. Every road, lift and platform is placed with intention, and everything connected together to make something that Zhe could only describe as other-worldly, though not in the same sense he would call the Xianren other-worldly. While Xianren gave a fantasy-esque vibe, the city on the other hand was straight out of some Chinese science fiction. It was advanced, with rails and trains, and flying platforms that revolved around to allow people to travel from one layer to another, and the layers themselves were in such a way that there wasn’t any clear boundary between them. There were some roads that connected the second highest layer all the way to the bottom of the city, and at places the revolving platforms formed stair-like structures. It was all futuristic, yet the buildings themselves had architecture resembling Chinese architecture, with roofs that were a complex system of interlocking wooden columns and crossbeams, and had an overhang supported by wooden pillars. Even the houses that were of two or three storeys had a similar structure. There were some houses that extended beyond their layer, connecting with the roads and buildings above, and were integrated right into the layout of the area.

The General started speaking. He didn’t explain much, only the route that they would be taking, and that they were to scout out a few pests that may be from neighbouring nations. ‘Is there a need to dispatch members of the Council?’ one of them rightfully asked. ‘We do not know how strong they are. If it comes down to it, we need to be present to dispose of the threat immediately, before they can cause further distress.’ The General paused for a moment. ‘Any questions?’ The room was silent. Zhe was confused as to why nobody questioned his involvement, but the rest of them probably just trusted the General’s judgement.

‘Well then,’ said the General, ‘Let’s go.’