After the great bridge was completed, the Ministry of Works officials immediately took to the air, inspecting the riverbanks in all directions. Quinn saw many people driving long probes—each several zhang in length—into the levees along the river, spacing them every hundred zhang.
Beside each probe stood an official. One person stood in the middle of the river with a large bronze bell; when its deep, resonant sound rang out, the probes vibrated as well. The officials next to each probe listened intently to the tremors transmitted through them.
"What are they doing?" Quinn couldn't help but wonder aloud.
Lynn Ling walked up beside him and explained, "You don't know this, but back when the Torr River used to flood all the time, the Imperial Preceptor ordered the Vice Minister of Works to fix it. Daniel Shan spent who knows how much money—Father was furious and asked where all the funds went. Daniel said he buried mystic-copper walls two inches thick and two feet high along both banks of the Torr, stretching for ten thousand miles. The walls are inscribed with rune arrays. When checking for hidden cracks or thin spots in the levees, they strike the bell, which activates the runes. The resonance from the copper walls lets them use sound waves to detect flaws and measure thickness."
Quinn glanced at the busy Hall Master of Heaven-Craft Hall and praised, "That's a brilliant idea."
Serena Yunxiang stepped forward and said, "The emperor nearly had him executed for spending so much."
Lynn Ling shot her a look and said, "Daniel Shan really did spend a fortune. Those years, he built flying tower-ships, river barges, land-sailing vehicles, smelteries, armories, manufactories, city-wall renovations, sewers, roads, siege cloud-cars, border forts, and all kinds of machinery. I wasn't even born then, but later my second brother told me that Daniel's spending forced Father, the princes, the consorts, and even the empress dowager to tighten their belts—they all looked gaunt from hunger. The treasury was drained in an instant, and officials went months without getting paid."
Serena Yunxiang smiled. "And after that?"
Lynn Ling sighed. "Afterward, the smelteries spread, all kinds of tower-ships and barges were sold to merchants, and the manufactories kept producing. In just two years, the treasury overflowed, and they built several more to hold the money. Father later said he was glad he hadn't killed Daniel. The Ministry of Works spends the most—besides Daniel, the Water Department’s directors also pour money into building waterworks, transport, flood-control wheels, lakes, dams, bridges, and canals. They spend money like water, but it’s made the people prosperous."
Serena Yunxiang blinked. "So it’s always Daniel and the department directors spending money. What does the Minister of Works actually do? It seems like Daniel and his team handle everything, and the Minister doesn’t do much at all."
The Minister of Works supervises their spending.
I suspect the Minister of Works is really just a watchdog the emperor sent to keep an eye on them, since Daniel Shan and the other directors are all Holy Cult people. The emperor knows they're Hall Masters and incense-masters, so he doesn't trust them.
Serena, you seem very interested in the Holy Cult.
I'm not much, but I am the Saintess of the Holy Cult, so of course I'm interested. Quinn is our Cult Master and Holy Teacher, so he cares about these things, and as Saintess, any question I ask is really what the Cult Master cares about.
The two girls stared wide-eyed at each other.
Quinn ignored the two girls and looked off into the distance, where Water and Produce Department officials were inspecting irrigation and crops. He walked over.
Cult Master, when the crops are between harvests, there’s likely to be an insect plague.
The assistant director from the Produce Department, actually the Agriculture Hall incense-master, dug in the soil, checked it, and picked out some insect eggs. He said to Quinn, “The winter snow was cold, but these pest eggs didn’t freeze. In a few days, when it warms up, they’ll hatch. Refugees have cut down all the wild plants for firewood, so the insects will eat the crops. We must prepare early and kill them as soon as they hatch.”
Incense-master, how do we prevent an insect plague?
Station sword experts in the fields, have spellcasters use needle arts, or bring in insect-taming experts to release bugs that eat the pests.
The assistant director from the Produce Department stood up, clapped his muddy hands, and said, “Sword Hall, Spell Hall, and Gu Hall disciples can all come out and train.”
Quinn nodded and called over Vance Skyler. “Vance, pass on my order—have Sword Hall, Spell Hall, and Gu Hall each send a dozen disciples here.”
Vance Skyler called over a former bandit and ordered him to notify the others.
Water Department officials cleaned out the silt from the canals and replanned the water routes to make irrigation easier.
Elsewhere, Produce Department officials measured land using extending Measure-Heaven Rulers powered by yuan-qi, while Imperial Academy scholars recorded the numbers on qi-powered abaci that clicked loudly.
Daniel Shan led Ministry of Works officers into the air, surveying the roads across Riverbridge Prefecture, marking damaged stretches, and organizing repairs.
Daniel Shan is truly capable!
Quinn sincerely admired how Everpeace Ministry of Works officials handled affairs so efficiently—it truly benefited the nation and the people.
At the City Lord’s manor, the Prefect of Riverbridge reported the local situation to Prince Luther, who listened all night and called in the chief clerk to check records, working through the night without sleep.
By the next morning, Prince Luther and the Prefect were exhausted. As they stepped out of the manor, the Minister and Vice Minister of Works, along with Quinn and others, arrived outside. Daniel Shan presented several dossiers and said, “Your Highness, Riverbridge’s waterworks, transport, and produce issues are resolved. Only the land department needs your personal judgment.”
Luther was surprised and blurted, “That fast?”
Daniel Shan said, “Once Your Highness reads the files, you can prepare to start killing.”
Luther’s face grew grave. “Is the land-grabbing really that severe?”
Daniel Shan nodded.
Luther summoned the Prefect, handed him the files, and said sternly, “Don’t sleep yet, and neither will I. You and I will read these together! As we read, we’ll arrest and execute people as needed. Extraordinary times call for harsh laws!”
The Prefect’s face turned ashen.
Quinn called over Wayne Shen and the others. “Your work has arrived. Soon you’ll go with the constables to make arrests.”
Wayne Shen stammered, “Cult Master, didn’t you say there wouldn’t be any danger? Anyone who can grab land in chaos is a powerful local magnate—their clans are strong!”
Quinn laughed. “You’re Imperial Academy experts, national elites—are you really afraid of a few local bosses?”
Wes Young, Claire Yue, and the others were itching to get started.
Soon, the Crown Prince and Prefect issued arrest orders. Wes and the others immediately went with the soldiers, and returned at noon covered in blood, clearly after several fierce battles.
Luther spent two days finishing Riverbridge’s cleanup, then continued east along the Torr River. That day, they arrived in Harborstate, a coastal region far from the capital, with a major port connecting to domestic and foreign trade.
By now, everyone was used to the routine. Upon reaching Harborstate, each department began inspections on their own, no orders needed. After resolving Harborstate’s affairs, Luther saw everyone was exhausted and said, “You’ve all worked hard—let’s rest in Harborstate for a few days before moving on.”
Everyone cheered.
Lynn Ling dragged Quinn out shopping. “Harborstate’s trade is booming, with lots of exotic foreign goods—let’s go to the market!”
“I’m coming too!” Serena said.
Serena followed; Lynn shot her a look, thinking, “Little vixen!”
“Little minx…” Serena thought, smiling.
The two girls exchanged glances; Quinn was oblivious. The market was full of strange and exotic goods, but what caught his attention was the foreigners, not the merchandise.
He saw many foreigners in odd clothes, looking different from Everpeace natives. Some had a single vertical eye in their brow instead of two symmetrical eyes.
There were also four-armed people, and double-faced people.
He also saw several sea-folk girls, flamboyantly dressed but with octopus-like eight legs, moving swiftly. Looking closer, they had gills at their ears.
“They come from the sea.”
Serena leaned close to Quinn and whispered, “They’re marine merchants. I’ve heard they’ve built cities and nations on the ocean floor.”
Quinn was amazed. The sea-folk sold strange things too. He stopped before a blue coral tree that emitted mist, forming a watery sphere around itself. Inside, a three-inch-tall girl rode a seahorse, singing in an unknown language.
Then several other girls riding seahorses descended from the coral, along with some men, all singing and dancing around the tree in the water.
This coral tree actually contained a tiny village.
Serena and Lynn were mesmerized too. Just then, a tall girl in a dark-green dress approached, admiring the blue coral tree. “What a strange species, Little Ruby, don’t you think?”
Quinn glanced over and saw a red jade earring on her ear. Suddenly, the earring uncoiled into a small crimson serpent, flicking its tongue at him.
Drake Dandy!
Quinn’s heart jolted and he reached for his sword, but Drake laughed. “Cult Master Quinn, you’d better not move. My Little Ruby is at the Seven Stars Realm. One bite and she could swallow all three of you. My father wants to meet you.”
Quinn’s scalp prickled. He asked in a low voice, “The old Dragon King is here too?”
Drake giggled. “My father is called the Dragon King. How could he not have influence in Harborstate? Thanks to you, Cult Master, my Dragon Tamer Sect was wiped out, and my father and I had to flee to the Eastern Sea!”
Serena blinked and said cheerfully, “Congratulations, Sister Drake, on capturing the Cult Master and Everpeace’s Sixth Princess. I have nothing to do with this, so I’ll just leave!”
Drake’s smile turned cold. The crimson serpent slithered onto Serena’s neck and licked her throat. “You’re the eldest Miss of the Si clan, the Holy Cult’s Saintess. You’re no less valuable than the Sixth Princess. Did you think I hadn’t investigated you?”
Thus, against the backdrop of Everpeace’s grand infrastructure‑dao—bridges raised in an hour, rivers diverted by collective arts, land‑grabs violently suppressed—the hidden power struggle resurfaces: the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea reaches out through his androgynous heir and a Seven Stars demon serpent to seize Quinn, Lynn, and Serena, pulling the story from statecraft and civilization‑building back toward deadly sect vendettas and the dark, uncanny currents beneath the surface of human reform.