With the tour concluded, Jia and the Qin princesses took their time as they made their way back to the city. The twins were happy to enjoy the beauty of the open landscape surrounding the city as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.

Qin Xiang looked up at the clouds with a contemplative expression.

“Our nephew warned us that you would not be what we expected. Yet, even thus prepared for your eccentricity, I must admit that you are like nothing we’ve ever seen. And we have lived a very long time.”

Jia blinked.

“Thank you, I think. Though I’m not really sure if that was meant as a compliment or not.”

“Neither am I. You are young, and you reject status quo and tradition almost out of hand, simply because they are, rather than out of some carefully crafted philosophy.”

“Hey, I put plenty of thought behind my philosophy! The status quo is that the world is going to end in ten years and nobody is doing anything about it.”

Qin Ling crossed her arms and pouted.

“That’s not certain. And even if it were, much of your power was inherited from the one responsible for it. Your pet demon’s previous master was a scoundrel like no other.”

Jia sighed and shook her head.

“Jianmo is nobody’s pet—they are free to choose their own destiny like anyone else, and I appreciate that they’ve chosen to stand by my side anyway. As for Chou—you’re not going to get any arguments from me. He was terrible, and the universe is better off without him, but he’s not the one that condemned our world, is he?”

Qin Xiang scoffed.

“Perhaps not, but he incited it.”

“He did, but can you really chastise me for making use of his relics when you are the ones aligning yourselves with the actual architect of our doom?”

“Those relics wreaked havoc throughout the divine realm, and Sovereign Shen Yu acted to prevent such calamity from occurring again. After Jianmo’s rampage through our empire ten thousand years ago, I’m sympathetic to his view.”

Jia crossed her arms, frowning.

“I don’t know anything about that, and obviously I don’t condone what Jianmo did to your people, but Shen Yu would have killed every single one of them and more. The overflowing essence of the Sovereign’s Tear will eventually destroy the world, but do you know what would have happened without it?”

“Do you? Or is this more second-hand knowledge from the charlatan who attempted to seize that power for himself?”

“Thanks to Seong Misun’s experiments, I don’t need to rely on Do Hye’s observations. The divine seal doesn’t let anything in or out, and Princess Seong has witnessed that first-hand. Nothing can survive without essence. Spirits, elementals, and cultivators would go first, but with enough time, our world would be choked to death until it was nothing but a barren wasteland where Chou’s legacy could stay untouched and forgotten for all eternity—just the way Sovereign Shen wanted it.”

Qin Ling sighed.

“That’s a compelling narrative, but it relies on a lot of assumptions. Who is to say that Shen Yu didn’t know that the Sovereign’s Tear would sustain our world? If the seal is so unbreachable, how did Shen Yu and Longyan send their avatars in the first place?”

Jianmo raised her hand.

“I can answer that. Picture our world as a sphere, with the divine seal surrounding it on all sides, letting nothing in or out.”

She paused for effect.

“Now throw that image out, because it’s completely wrong. The dimensions of reality are complex beyond the reckoning of even most of the oldest and wisest immortals in the universe, but there’s one old monster who’s had the time, ability, and motive to work it all out—the Void.”

Qin Xiang pursed her lips.

“That explained nothing.”

“I wasn’t finished. Void is unfathomably huge and unfathomably old. One little trick I learned from my master, though even now I don’t fully understand it, is that Void exists where nothing else does. Or to put it another way, Void can’t help but fill any gaps in reality.”

“That’s tautological. By definition, any empty space is a void.”

Jianmo shook her head.

“Not a void. The Void. A living being with its own mind, soul, and maybe even a body—some pitch-black core floating somewhere out in the middle of the infinite cosmos. One of Chou’s favorite tricks was to break a hole in existence and slip away through the Void.”

Jia grimaced.

“I can’t imagine Void liked that much.”

“It didn’t, but it couldn’t stop him, either. Not even the Divine Sovereigns could follow him, but that didn’t stop them from trying. Since Void is a singular being that exists both inside and outside of the divine seal, it’s possible to traverse its soulscape—such as it is—to bypass that seal.”

“Void has a soulscape? What would even be in it?”

Jianmo chuckled.

“Nothing, of course.”

Right. That had been a stupid question, in hindsight.

Qin Ling frowned.

“So this unfathomably ancient and powerful being just allows people in and out of its soul at will? How does one even navigate such a thing?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Jianmo shrugged.

“Usually you don’t. Void is inhospitable even if it wants to allow passage, and when it explicitly doesn’t want to allow someone through? Well, we haven’t seen the demon lord around lately, have we?”

Jia furrowed her brows.

“We haven’t heard from Void, either. I wonder if they’re still stuck in a stalemate.”

Qin Ling waved her hand and huffed.

“Enough—we’re getting off topic. You may have reason to trust your sources, Lady Yoshika, but so do we. I’ll be the first to admit that I find Shen Yu’s brazen use of the authority our father grants him to be grating, but I trust my father not to have granted it lightly.”

Her sister nodded.

“You accuse us of doing nothing, but from our perspective it is a matter for the divine. To take on such a burden yourself is nothing short of hubris.”

Jia frowned, but didn’t have a retort. They were right—the divine seal was almost certainly a matter that could only be handled by the divine. It’s not like she could tell them that she had every intention of becoming divine herself.

The twins exchanged a meaningful glance that Jia wasn’t sure how to interpret before stopping to face her. Qin Ling schooled her expression and took on a formal posture.

“That said, having seen all that you’ve built and been made privy to your dreams and ambitions, we are suitably impressed. You are not what we expected—in some ways for the better, and in some ways for the worse. Yet your strength and will are undeniable.”

Her sister followed suit, picking up where she left off.

“You have a strong fate. One way or another, your life will leave a great impact on this world. I do not see in you a young upstart, destined to burn out in a flash of glory—such cases are far more common than you.”

“We respect your kind and gentle nature, and sympathize with your dreams of peaceful coexistence throughout the continent. Perhaps, if indeed anyone is worthy to call themselves ‘empress,’ it may be you.”

Jia’s eyes widened. What was happening? The twins ignored her shock and continued.

“That is why we will heed your request, and deliver your message to Sovereign Shen Yu. I cannot promise that he will be open to diplomacy, but I swear that he will receive your invitation.”

“In exchange, we’d like you to consider a request of our own. In the spirit of unity and peace throughout the continent, we implore you to abandon your rivalry with the God-Emperor Qin. It is a waste of your potential to destroy yourself by trying to fight a god.”

“Instead, we invite you to join the imperial harem. It’s unusual—unprecedented, even—for an outsider to the Heavenly Empire to receive such an invitation. Yet perhaps you may be the one to finally move father’s heart and bring our empire into a new age, uniting the world under our banner.”

Yoshika was speechless. It was by far the last thing she’d ever expected. There were so many things that she could accomplish if she had the full cooperation of Qin. Yan De wouldn’t be able to touch her—Yue’s troubles would vanish in an instant, and it would be trivial to help Zheng Long.

But the cost was too great.

“I can’t—”

Qin Xiang held up a hand to stop her.

“Do not answer yet. We only ask that you consider it. Such a decision should never be made lightly.”

Her sister nodded.

“We will return to hear your answer at another date—and Yan Yue’s as well. In the meantime, is there any other business we can conduct on your behalf during our return?”

Yoshika furrowed her brows. It was tempting to ask about Zheng Long’s village, or request some sort of protection from Yan De, but that was a trap. The twins had already established an even exchange of favors, and if she accepted their offer now it would put her in their debt.

“No, though I appreciate the offer.”

They bowed in tandem.

“Very well, Empress Yoshika. Then I believe this tour is complete, unless there’s something else you’d like to show us.”

That snapped Jia out of her dumbfounded stupor. She’d nearly forgotten!

“There is, actually. Not something I’d planned, but come to think of it, if you were around when Jianmo was sealed away, then doesn’t that mean you’ve met the Dragon Lord?”

Qin Ling blinked at the non-sequitur.

“Yes? He had prior knowledge of the demon, though we only later learned that it was because they both hail from the divine realm.”

“If you’re interested, I’d like to introduce you to one of his descendants—or, I guess his sister’s descendants?”

“By all means.”

Long Ruiling wasn’t difficult to find once they made their way back into the city. She spent most of her time either teaching draconic magic at the academy, or stretching her wings in Qin Zhao’s now-famous park. The twins perked up noticeably as they reached the elaborately decorated and carefully maintained gardens.

“Oh! This is Qin Zhao’s handiwork, isn’t it? You’ve done an excellent job preserving it. He always did have a talent for landscaping.”

“A shame you’re letting the rabble trample all over it.”

Jia frowned.

“Qin Zhao’s park is a work of art, but art is meant to be enjoyed. If he took issue with our use of it, he had ample opportunity to say so before he left.”

Qin Ling shrugged.

“Fair enough. So where is this dragon of yours?”

Jia shaded her eyes and peered up. It was a little late, and growing dark, but Ruiling’s glittering iridescent blue scales were impossible to miss as she soared through the air on her wings. She noticed Jia looking and waved before diving back down to greet them.

“Hello Jia! Can I help you with something?”

“Hi Ruiling. These are princesses Qin Ling and Qin Xiang, of the Heavenly Empire. They knew your um...uncle?”

Long Ruiling chuckled.

“The Dragon Lord is a bit more distant than an uncle, but I guess that’s close enough.”

She wrapped her wings around herself and bowed low.

“Nice to meet you, your highnesses. I am Long Ruiling, formerly of the Draconic Empire. I no longer have any titles worth mentioning.”

The twins inclined their heads.

“Well met. Our acquaintance with your ancestor was brief, but cordial. What has brought you so far from your home?”

Ruling scratched her head, blushing.

“I uh...messed up. The Snake tricked me and my friends into helping him recover the Sovereign’s Tear on behalf of the Dragon Lord, and I didn’t find out until it was too late that he would have preferred that it stay right where it was.”

“Ah. So you’ve been exiled, then?”

“Voluntarily. I’m too ashamed to return home, and to be honest I kind of like it here.”

Another voice interrupted from behind her, bubbly and excitable.

“Yeah! It’s much better here! People are all nice and almost nobody tries to kill us! Hi Yoshi!”

Jia chuckled and waved at Melati, the wasp-like fiend woman in charge of almost all of Jiaguo’s scouting efforts.

“Hi Mel. Are you here to report something, or just introducing yourself?”

“Introducing! Hello queen ladies! Melati is Melati! Are you queens like Yoshi and Melati?”

The twins exchanged confused glances, then turned to Jia for answers. She smiled and shook her head.

“She’s asking if you two are actually the same person. No, Mel, they’re twins. Sisters that were born at the same time.”

Melati grinned and nodded.

“Melati too! See?”

She raised her arms, and dozens of her smaller drone bodies buzzed up from the grass where they’d been resting.

Qin Ling froze, her eyes widening.

“Empress Yoshika...are you harboring an awakened hive colony in the middle of your city?”

“Yes? This is Melati, she’s a friend. Did you not notice her before? She’s kind of everywhere these days.”

The princess pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

“I keep forgetting that you’re not even a century old yet. It’s...well...”

Qin Xiang scoffed, smirking with amusement.

“It’s not the worst thing you’ve done, at least.”