Despite its towering walls and advanced systems, Xingzhao was not immune to the one force that no technology could suppress, human doubt.
It began with whispers. In the crowded market square, as vendors swiped goods across digital counters and customers scanned their smart ID cards, voices murmured just beneath the hum of activity.
"She gives us everything," someone muttered, eyes scanning the stalls filled with clean, pre-packaged food. "But from where? How is it even possible?"
"Is it magic?" another asked in a hush. "Or something more dangerous?"
In a tavern built from Song Lian's synthetic materials, a group of laborers sat in silence around a drink dispenser that hummed with modern efficiency. One finally broke the silence.
"If she can give us food, tools, buildings… what else is she hiding?"
"I heard she has weapons that can wipe out armies in a blink," another whispered. "Maybe we're just her test subjects. Maybe we're already prisoners."
These were not the thoughts of traitors, but of people grappling with a world that had advanced faster than they could follow. Technology they could not understand. Peace that felt too easy. Leadership that felt too perfect.
Not everyone doubted her. In fact, most did not. But even a few cracks in the foundation could spread. And Wen Jihad been planting seeds.
The Watchtower – Xingzhao
Song Lian stood silently in the control room, gazing at the camera feeds. She watched as two citizens argued at a checkpoint, protesting the need for thorough investigation before receiving full Smart ID access.
Yun Zhen entered behind her. "It's starting."
She didn't turn around. "Fear is like rot. Silent at first. Then it spreads."
Yun Zhen stepped beside her, his presence grounding. "They trust you. But they don't understand you. That gap is where fear grows."
Her shoulders tensed. "Do you think I've gone too far?"
He shook his head. "I think you've gone further than anyone could have hoped. But it's time they knew not just what you can give but why you give it."
She nodded slowly. "We'll hold a public address."
Yun Empire, Imperial Capital
The throne room of the Yun Empirehad grown cold, though no wind stirred within its gilded halls. Emissaries, generals, and ministers lined the room in tight silence, their gazes fixed on the imperial dais.
Emperor Yun Taizong sat like a mountain at the center of a storm, his expression unreadable as he read the latest envoy report.
"They've received overtures from Luohai… and now even Tiejin." His voice, cold as the winter air, echoed through the chamber.
A few nobles shifted uncomfortably. The implications were clear. Other nations were beginning to treat Xingzhao as sovereign.
"Explain to me," the emperor continued, turning his gaze to Minister Wei Zhong, "how a disgraced prince and a woman of unknown origin built a fortress under our very nose."
Minister Wei stepped forward, bowing. "Your Majesty, the envoy's reports suggest an advanced infrastructure beyond comprehension. Surveillance systems, energy sources, and weapons far surpassing any of our arsenals."
"And yet we did nothing," the emperor muttered, eyes narrowing. The silence deepened until it was broken by a new voice.
Prime Minister Li Qingshu, long silent, finally stepped forward. "We still have time. They're not yet allied militarily with other kingdoms. If we move carefully, we can divide their support and reclaim the prince quietly."
Emperor Yun Taizong said nothing for a long moment.
Then he turned to the shadows behind the throne. "Summon the Shadow Guard. And prepare the Black Hall."
A collective shudder ran through the room.
The emperor spoke once more, his tone final.
"If the world will not remind him who the true empire is then I will."
Citizens gathered beneath the glowing lantern towers as Song Lian stepped onto a newly built platform in the plaza. Her voice, calm and unwavering, echoed through speakers hidden in the lampposts and roofs.
"You fear what you do not understand," she began. "And that is fair. I did not appear from the sky with miracles and no past."
A hush fell.
"I came from a place far from here, where technology gave us these tools. I cannot tell you everything but I can promise that everything I build here is for your safety. Your growth. Your freedom."
She looked over the crowd. Faces stared up, some uncertain, some reassured.
"I do not ask for your blind trust. Only your willingness to walk forward with me, one step at a time."
Then she stepped down.
And while the tension did not vanish entirely, the storm in people's hearts began to settle.
Within a hidden chamber below the imperial archives, the Black Hall's Grand Master, cloaked in shadow, received the imperial summons. No name was spoken.
Only a message etched in blood on paper:
"Return the prince. Silence the girl."
The Grand Master closed the scroll and turned to the waiting agents.
"Begin the infiltration."