Sophie

It had been a long time since Sophie had traveled with so many people who weren’t—how else could she put it—yes-men.

Sophie Virelyn was journeying not only with her best friend, Elizabeth, but with a diverse group of powerful women: Vivian Li, the twins Emily and Elise, Marissa Lin, and Anmei of the Emberflower Pavilion. For the princess, it was a novel experience—a refreshing change from the choreographed formality of court life. For the first time in a long while, she felt genuine excitement for the adventure ahead.

Among her companions, Sophie found herself paying particular attention to the combat styles of the two most renowned cultivators of their generation.

One was Liu Anmei, whose technique was a spectacle of martial prowess and fire-aspected mana. Her fan served as both weapon and focus, directing her considerable power with elegance and ferocity. The control she displayed seemed almost instinctive—fluid and subconscious—defying the rigid rules of conventional cultivation and control. It was raw, natural talent, and Sophie found it incredible to witness.

Equally impressive was Vivian Li. Her swordsmanship—renowned across the Empire as one of the most demanding and powerful styles in existence—required not only physical mastery but perfect meridian control and refined mana cycling. The Li family’s hidden secret was that their sword forms alone were never enough; without flawless control of the family’s mana method and open meridians, no disciple could bring out their full power. Vivian, however, wielded it seamlessly. Her cold-aspected mana was centered and clean, her casting stripped of emotional bleed, her sequences so precise they seemed flawless. Sophie would never admit it aloud, but Vivian’s ability was extraordinary.

Their journey took them along the length of the Southern Highway, past the Independent City of Seran and its sister enclaves, through pockets of chaos-saturated destruction, across the infamous High Cut mountain pass, and finally through Solcarin—the jewel of the south, which Sophie had never actually visited. They arrived at the Zhao estate three nights ago.

The Zhao southern estate was unbelievable. The food was amazing, the staff incredible, and the castle itself was old but well-maintained—formidable and full of character. When she married Ethan, she was going to insist they summer here. It was so different from the carefully curated vacation properties of the Imperial family. She needed to find more places and people like this.

After recovering from their journey, preparations were suddenly underway for their voyage upriver to investigate the cult of the Moon Goddess and the Gate tied to it, which was supposedly located in a valley at the base of the Cliffs of Moher. Yet Lady Yalin refused to let them travel alone. Citing rumors of orc activity and the dangers of the southern territories, the Lady insisted on sending retainers.

“Noblewomen, no matter how strong—even with the Princess herself—should not go unaccompanied,” she said with a smile that brooked no refusal. “If I allowed that, your parents—or the Elders of the Emberflower Pavilion, or the Empress herself—might come down here and gut me. I simply cannot allow it.”

Emily and Elise exchanged looks. They argued, but the battle was lost. When Lady Yalin threatened to inform their parents directly, the twins conceded.

What troubled Sophie more were the rumors of orc activity. Her intelligence network had reported whispers, but she was certain her mother would have warned her of any significant threat. Orcs were dangerous, yes—especially in numbers, when their berserker energy fed off one another—but Sophie was not overly concerned.

Orcs were robust, physically stronger and taller than the average human, but their crude mana manipulation was no match for human cultivation. Discipline and technique had always counterbalanced the orcs’ brute strength, stripping away their physical advantage. And invading from their island—if one could even call it an island, since it was nearly a third the size of the Empire—was notoriously difficult. The southern Galmore Peninsula, which was the closest landmass to the orcs’ homeland, was heavily fortified. It was one of the few stretches of the southern coast where any army could conceivably land. Everywhere else, the mountains met the sea, leaving the coastline nearly impregnable for miles.

Still, Sophie was not arrogant enough to dismiss them outright. Orcs were terrifying in numbers, and if they ever developed proper landing strategies or logistics, an invasion would be catastrophic. Luckily, they hadn’t. They also rarely came to the mainland directly, usually opting to fight the Murai, another island people directly north of them.

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She caught herself. She was overthinking again. Rumors of scattered sightings had circulated for years, but there were no encampments, no armies massing on the horizon. They weren’t likely to run into any trouble here.

The real concern was the river itself; they had to go upriver, and she had no idea how they were going to accomplish that.

“I’ve already got that handled, Your Highness,” Lady Yalin told her and Emily as they entered the Great Hall of Summer Tower Castle. “My understanding is you’ll be going upriver. We still have several water-strider propulsion craft in working order. As long as you agree to my terms—allowing a contingent of the house guard and some mercenaries to accompany you—you may use them. I won’t even tell your parents. Or the local garrison.”

The women exchanged resigned looks.

Just then, Elizabeth, followed by Elise, appeared at Sophie’s side. “I’ve gathered all the materials and supplies the Zhao household couldn’t provide. They should arrive within a few hours. We’ll be ready to leave by then.”

Sophie smiled at her friend’s efficiency, then turned to the twins and Vivian, who had just arrived, still glistening from morning training.

“Elise, have you ever been upriver toward where we’re going?”

Both twins shook their heads.

“Honestly, we haven’t been to the estate in a long time,” Emily admitted. “The trek is difficult, and it’s hard to get there and back quickly, especially with everything happening with Ethan and Caleb. Our parents haven’t had the chance to travel out here in probably two years.

“But our father used to go often. He took Ethan and Caleb with him when they were younger. They used to travel the valleys and mountains for days at a time. It was probably why Brother Ethan created the water striders. Knowing him, he saw it as inefficient.” She smiled at the thought. “But I don’t recall Father ever mentioning dangers—at least nothing he worried about. He never spoke of a gate, or a goddess, or even a cult. There are ruins from various time periods, including the Great Demon War, up and down the river as well as in the valleys and overlooks, but most are overgrown with forest now. When the boys were young, they and Father loved exploring and camping in them. They found quite a few treasures too—some of which the Zhao household still keeps.”

Sophie smiled at the thought. It would be something to tuck away—another subject she and Ethan could talk about when they finally had more than a few minutes together. She knew she was at a disadvantage compared to the other women who had history with him—and Vivian, who was already his wife—but she was confident she could gain, and hold, Ethan’s attention.

Until then, however, she turned her mind back to logistics. Elizabeth was laying out the details.

“So we’ve got five vessels,” Elizabeth said. “About twenty of us in total—palace guards, mercenaries, and a contingent from the Zhao household.”

Lady Yalin, who had been standing to the side, raised her hand. “Now that we have a good handle on logistics, can you tell me why exactly you’re going up to the Cliffs of Moher? There’s not much up there. Most of those lands have been picked clean. Can someone explain why the Princess, two of the greatest cultivators of this generation, two noble ladies, and Miss Lin are making their way into a rundown section of the southern mountain range?”

Sophie gave her a polite smile. She didn’t want to be rude, but she also couldn’t rule out the idea that someone was still watching them. She wasn’t entirely sure how all of this would play out—Ethan’s role was still uncertain—but she knew one thing: if she didn’t recover the Divine Moonsteel, there would be a very big problem.

So she kept her answer vague.

“An expedition,” Sophie said smoothly. “There’s an old gate up there connected to a minor demi-goddess—one of the pantheon that predates even the rise of the Demon Horde and the war a thousand years ago. Our studies suggest the gate might still be active. A permanent one, in fact—used before the war as a training ground for cultivators, one that could reset after a period of time with divine influence. There’s also supposed to be a leyline convergence in the area. Not a powerful one, but older than most.”

Lady Yalin nodded slowly, her expression suspicious. “So this is purely academic? Then why wouldn’t you message ahead of time so we could prepare for your arrival?”

The Princess’s smile didn’t waver. “You might not know this, but traveling as a princess can be difficult at the best of times. We try to keep it quiet—not for any nefarious reason, simply to make travel easier, without the delays that come when too many people know our movements.”

Lady Yalin seemed unconvinced by that response but nodded anyway. She called out to the other servants, ordering the guards to ready for inspection.

After she left, Vivian leaned in, her lips curving with amusement. “Nice cover story. Did you make that up in the moment?”

“I never do anything in the moment,” Sophie said primly.

Vivian smirked. “So you prepared that ahead of time? It was a good answer. But what will you do if they try to log it at the Imperial Academy? Or worse, check if we filed with Imperial Transportation and Logistics?”

Sophie only shrugged. “By the time anyone knows what’s going on, we’ll be finished. Hopefully, we’ll be back here at the Zhao estate and ready to head toward the Li household.”

Sophie turned to the rest of them. “Let’s make final preparations and be ready to leave at first light.”

Elizabeth gave a small nod. Marissa and the twins exchanged looks that were both excited and pensive. Anmei, sitting on a couch, bit into an apple—utterly unconcerned.

Vivian gave Sophie a nod. “Yes, let’s hurry and get this done so we can get back. I, for one, am excited to see my husband take on all this.”

Vivian gave Sophie a sidelong smirk.

Sophie narrowed her eyes.