The news spread through the Royal City like a sudden storm: King Hua Ye had ordered the construction of a new palace—the "Immortal Palace on the Cloud Peak."
It would not be built on the ground like ordinary structures. Instead, it would float among the highest clouds above the Royal City, a symbol of the king's supremacy reaching toward the heavens themselves. The scale was unprecedented. Materials that could cost a lesser noble's entire fortune were being requisitioned by the shipload. Craftsmen and architects from across the Angel Nebula were summoned, their skills pressed into service for the glory of the new era.
But it was not just the palace itself that captured the city's attention. It was what—and who—would fill it.
---
"You've heard the news, Boss?"
Hong Yu's voice carried a carefully neutral tone as she placed the morning reports on Chu Mo's desk. Outside the study window, the Royal City was already buzzing with activity—construction vessels streaking across the sky, hauling massive beams of crystallized light-metal toward the cloud layer above.
Chu Mo nodded slowly, his fingers steepled before him. "The Immortal Palace. They say it will have a thousand rooms, each more luxurious than the last."
"Seven thousand," Hong Yu corrected quietly. "And every one of them will be filled."
She didn't need to elaborate. Everyone knew what "filled" meant in the context of Hua Ye's new order. The palace would become a living monument to excess—a place where the king's favorites would dwell in unimaginable luxury, where the most beautiful female angels would be gathered to serve, and where the boundaries of pleasure would be pushed to their limits.
Chu Mo's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was already racing ahead, calculating angles and opportunities.
"And who will supply these... rooms?"
Hong Yu hesitated. "That's the question being asked in every merchant house in the city. The contracts haven't been announced yet. But Su Mari's people have been making inquiries. Quietly."
Of course they have. Su Mari would position himself at the center of this—the gatekeeper to the king's pleasures, the arbiter of who and what entered the Immortal Palace. And where Su Mari went, opportunity and danger walked hand in hand.
"Send word to Su Mari," Chu Mo said after a moment's thought. "Tell him I've acquired a shipment of Aged Starlight Wine from the outer reaches—only three casks in existence. One is already reserved for King Hua Ye. The second... is his, if he'd care to sample it personally. Here, in the private room, whenever convenient."
Hong Yu nodded, making a mental note. "And the third cask?"
Chu Mo's lips curved slightly. "The third stays in the cellar. For now."
---
The private room on the second floor of "Youyi Village" had hosted many powerful figures over the years, but few commanded the particular atmosphere that Su Mari brought with him.
He arrived alone—unusual for a man who rarely moved without attendants—and settled into the cushioned seat with the fluid grace of a predator relaxing in plain sight. The feminine smile played at his lips as he accepted the glass of Starlight Wine, swirling it gently to watch the ethereal glow within.
"Exquisite," he murmured after tasting it. "Truly exquisite. You have a gift for finding such treasures, Boss Chu."
"I have a gift for recognizing who deserves them," Chu Mo replied smoothly, seated across from him with his own glass untouched. "The wine is merely a means to an end."
Su Mari's eyes glittered with amusement. "Direct. I appreciate that." He set down the glass and leaned back, studying Chu Mo with an expression that revealed nothing. "You've heard about the Immortal Palace, of course."
"Everyone has heard."
"And everyone wants a piece of it." Su Mari's smile widened slightly. "Suppliers for furniture, for decorations, for food and wine—the contracts will make fortunes. But that's not why you asked me here, is it?"
Chu Mo met his gaze evenly. "The palace will need more than furniture."
"Ah." Su Mari's chuckle was soft, almost musical. "You're thinking about the... residents."
"I'm thinking about how to serve King Hua Ye's needs most effectively." Chu Mo's voice was perfectly respectful, perfectly neutral. "The king's pleasures are paramount. Ensuring that only the finest, most suitable companions find their way into the Immortal Palace—that seems like a service worth providing."
For a long moment, Su Mari simply looked at him. Then he laughed—a genuine sound, surprised out of him.
"You want to be the broker. Not just for goods, but for..." He waved a delicate hand. "Personnel."
"I want to be useful," Chu Mo corrected gently. "To you, and through you, to the king. You already handle so much, Manager Su. The burden of selecting every single companion for seven thousand rooms—surely that would be exhausting. If I could take on some of that responsibility, vetting candidates, ensuring quality..." He spread his hands. "You would be freed to focus on matters more worthy of your attention."
Su Mari's expression shifted—a flicker of calculation, of reassessment. He had always seen Chu Mo as a useful tool, a merchant with good connections and deeper pockets than most. But this was something else entirely.
"You're offering to become my... what? Procurement officer?"
"I'm offering to handle the details so you don't have to." Chu Mo refilled Su Mari's glass. "The king's happiness is your priority. The Immortal Palace is your project. If something goes wrong—if a companion proves unsuitable, if there are... complications—that reflects on you. But if I'm the one selecting them, if I'm the one taking responsibility for their quality and discretion..." He let the implication hang.
Su Mari picked up the glass again, but didn't drink. His eyes had sharpened, losing their usual languid amusement. "You're offering to be a buffer. A layer between me and any potential... unpleasantness."
"I'm offering to be useful," Chu Mo repeated. "In whatever way serves you best."
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken calculations. Finally, Su Mari laughed again—soft, appreciative.
"You're more interesting than I realized, Boss Chu." He raised his glass in a small toast. "I'll keep your offer in mind. The selection process for the Immortal Palace hasn't been finalized. There may be... opportunities."
"That's all I ask."
They drank together, the Starlight Wine casting faint glows across their faces. When Su Mari left, his parting smile held something new—respect, perhaps, or at least a reassessment of the man he'd thought he understood.
Chu Mo watched him go from the window, his expression thoughtful.
Step by step, he reminded himself. Closer to the center, but never too close to the flame.
---
The following weeks transformed the skies above the Royal City.
The Immortal Palace took shape among the clouds—a sprawling complex of towers and terraces, gardens floating on platforms of compressed light, halls whose walls shimmered with captured starlight. It was visible from everywhere in the city below, a constant reminder of who ruled and what the new era demanded.
And as it rose, so did the competition to be part of it.
Chu Mo's network expanded exponentially. Merchants who had once merely sought his favor now begged for it, offering percentages, partnerships, and secrets in exchange for access to the contracts he was quietly accumulating. His name appeared on lists—suppliers for the palace kitchens, for the wine cellars, for the decorative arts that would fill seven thousand rooms.
But he waited. Patiently. Letting others exhaust themselves in public competition while he worked through quieter channels.
And then, finally, the summons came.
---
The note was delivered by hand—a personal messenger from Su Mari, waiting for a reply. It contained only a time, a place, and three words:
The selection begins.
Chu Mo read it twice, then looked up at Hong Yu, who stood waiting by the door.
"Prepare the carriage," he said quietly. "And send word to the cellar. The third cask of Starlight Wine—have it ready."
Hong Yu's eyes widened slightly. "Boss... is this—"
"It's the invitation we've been waiting for." He folded the note carefully and tucked it into his sleeve. "The question isn't whether we're ready. The question is whether we can survive being ready."
She nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her expression. "I'll see to it personally."
As she left, Chu Mo turned back to the window. Above the city, the Immortal Palace gleamed in the afternoon light—beautiful, impossible, a monument to everything Hua Ye represented.
Seven thousand rooms, he thought. Seven thousand chances to place my pieces on the board.
His fingers brushed against his sleeve, where the note rested. At his fingertip, a faint thread of dark energy flickered and died.
Let the games begin.