We all bowed or curtsied once again.

  “Baroness Violet of Emberstone Farm is honored to receive this procmation from the Lady of the West,” I said.

  With a flourish, he unrolled the scroll and read from it. “For her exceptional service to the Westernds, and her outstanding contributions to agriculture, alchemy, and magical technology, Baroness Violet of Emberstone Farm is hereby elevated to the rank of Duchess in her own right. Let her title henceforth be: Her Grace, the Duchess of Emberstone.”

  Everyone except for me cheered. “Long live the Duchess!”

  The rank of duchess was the highest noble title, only one step lower than royalty. This procmation meant that I was skipping over the intermediate ranks of Viscountess, Countess, and Marchioness and going directly to the top.

  The Herald rolled the scroll back up and handed it to me before continuing. “And as a token of the Lady of the West’s esteem, the Duchess is bestowed eight boons, known as the Eight Bestowments.”

  “She shall receive the Schor’s Quill, a gift of a fine quill, parchment, and ink, recognizing her wisdom and literary prowess.

  “She shall receive the Healer’s Cauldron, a gift of medicinal herbs and alchemical tools, honoring her compassion and dedication to healing.

  “She shall receive the Guardian’s Shield, a gift of a finely crafted shield and sword, acknowledging her courage and unwavering defense of the realm.

  “She shall receive the Artisan’s Tools, a gift of a master craftsman’s tools, celebrating her creativity and skill in the arts.

  “She shall receive the Diplomat’s Ring, a gift of a precious jade ring, recognizing her diplomacy and ability to forge alliances.

  “She shall receive the Farmer’s Plow, a gift of a sturdy plow and fertile nd, honoring her connection to the earth and her support of agriculture.

  “She shall receive the Engineer’s Compass, a gift of a set of drafting tools and a celestial compass, recognizing her innovative spirit and contributions to technology.

  “And finally, she shall receive the Leader’s Crown, a gift of a jeweled crown, symbolizing her rightful pce as a leader and her unwavering commitment to the people.”

  More people filed into the foyer of the [Floating Sorium] carrying the aforementioned items that were all packed in wooden chests wrapped in red and gold silk.

  “Duchess Violet of Emberstone Farm is honored to receive these gifts from the Lady of the West,” I said.

  Once again, the others cheered. “Long live the Duchess!”

  While everyone crowded around me to congratute me on my promotion, Fengying gave all the heralds a handful of gold coins each as a tip, as was traditional in this type of ceremony.

  “Congratutions! What a pity there’s a war. You should have been procimed as a new duchess at court, with all the cn chiefs, elders, and nobles watching,” said Schor Wu.

  “Don’t worry, I heard that you'll get your fill of pomp and majesty when you meet the Vermillion Bird cn’s king-in-exile,” I said.

  She made a face but said nothing.

  None of the cn members considered the Vermillion Bird king to be a legit ruler since he had no zidan, and the king knew that. The reason why I was holding the banquet was to curry favor and put him in a good mood.

  The heralds left, and Lady Yuying and her husband, Lord Yulin, arrived with Prince Baiyu and a small retinue of royal guards.

  The Lady of the West was a formidable woman who exuded an intense, almost tangible, charisma that drew all eyes to her. She was a few months pregnant, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at her since she hadn’t gained any weight yet. Lord Yulin was a man in his prime, tall, muscur, and devastatingly handsome. They were both wearing magnificent royal robes of blue and gold silk, with matching tiger crowns on their heads, which set off their white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes perfectly.

  Prince Baiyu, on the other hand, was a more youthful but no less handsome version of his father. Unlike his parents, he was dressed quite simply in a pin and practical bck and white outfit consisting of loose trousers and the typical cross-colr robe top. His long hair was gathered up in a ponytail. I thought the dark color and elegant minimalism suited him.

  The next few minutes were spent exchanging greetings and congratutions, but soon the courtesies were finished and I ushered the royal party to the viewing ptform.

  “Is it true that it will only take a few minutes to fly to the Northernnds?” asked Lord Yulin.

  “Yes, we can teleport there at full speed.” My hand hovered over the control panel that was full of buttons, switches, and levers. “Shall I?”

  Lady Yuying nodded and I flipped a few dummy switches and pressed a few buttons. The real controls, of course, were in the System’s menu in my head. The escators were drawn back up into the ship, the doors and windows closed, and the ship smoothly flew up vertically. Then, with a loud booming sound that echoed in the sky, we were off.

  Twelve minutes ter, we nded in a clearing outside the Northern King’s pace complex.

  “Such a fascinating way of travel.” The Lady of the West smiled and rose. “I shall retire to my quarters until the meeting.”

  She and her retinue went downstairs to the state bedroom, leaving Prince Baiyu behind.

  “One moment, please,” I said to my boyfriend.

  Schor Wu gave us an arch look. “Lady Violet, I can take care of things. Why don’t you rest?”

  During formal occasions, I would be addressed as “Duchess,” but in everyday casual conversation, either Ma’am or Lady was sufficient.

  “Just a sec, I’ll see if my apprentices are okay,” I said.

  The original pn was for me to store all of the banquet dishes in rge containers in my System inventory. I was going to take them out at the ship for the kitchen staff to transport to the banquet hall in the Hall of Great Benevolence. There, they could pte the dishes as needed.

  However, now that my two apprentices were coming with me, they wanted to check out the Northern Pace instead of staying at the ship. Schor Wu volunteered to escort them, so now the new pn was for them to go to the hall and take out the already-pted dishes. They could also watch the banquet from behind the scenes.

  Prince Muyang, the son of the current ruler of the Bck Tortoise cn and a good friend of Prince Baiyu, was going to py the host in my pce. I should really attend the festivities, but I felt it would be too awkward since I didn’t know anyone there except for Prince Muyang.

  “Lari and Kharli, are you ready?” I asked them.

  My apprentices were both dressed in elegant but comfortable robes. Kharli was in green and pink, while Lari was wearing bck with orange and gold accents.

  “Yes, Teacher.” Kharli grinned and didn’t look nervous at all.

  Lari took a deep breath. “Yes, Teacher, I can do it.”

  I patted them on their shoulders. “Don’t fret, you just need to deliver the food.”

  “I’ll take good care of them,” Schor Wu promised.

  “Okay, see you tonight!” I said.

  The three of them left, along with Deming, Fengying, and the majority of my household staff. Prince Muyang’s servants would be the ones serving the guests, who were all royals and high-ranking nobles of the Bck Tortoise and Vermillion Bird cns.

  “Alone at st.” Prince Baiyu took my hand and raised it to his lips.

  I made a sound of pure contentment. “Let’s go to my room.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  ***

  Lari, Kharli, and Schor Wu returned to the ship with the others an hour past midnight. They reported that our guests were tipsy but not drunk, something I had asked Prince Muyang to make sure of during the feast because I wanted them to be more friendly and less wary of me.

  My people freshened themselves up and then either went upstairs to the showrooms to prepare my surprise, or joined me at the foyer where I was waiting to receive the guests. The Lady of the West and her husband stayed in the upstairs reception room.

  “Oh, I’m so nervous,” I whispered to Prince Baiyu, who was standing beside me.

  He squeezed my hand. “I know what to do. I’ll help if you need it.”

  Prince Muyang arrived with a few guards, and our guests from the Vermillion Bird cn. The st time I had seen the prince, he was dressed in traveling clothes. This time, he was cd in sumptuous furs, silks, and fine leather. A wreath of golden oak leaves, which had been awarded to him by the ruler of the Northernnds for his discovery of the Blessed isles, was the only piece of jewelry he was wearing.

  I was the one who had helped him find the isnds, which is why he owed me a few favors.

  “Well met, and congratutions!” he said.

  We exchanged the usual greetings and chitchat and he introduced the Vermillion Bird cn members to us.

  King Surya was a tall cn member with long, free-flowing bright red hair. He was wearing a long sleeved outer coat with pearl buttons and trousers, with a rge golden amulet hanging on a silver neckce in the middle of his chest. The amulet, worn only by the kings of the Vermillion Bird cn, featured eight gemstones representing eight gods - diamond (representing the supreme being), pearl (the moon god), yellow topaz (the sun), sapphire (the sky god), emerald (the earth god), coral (the sea god), ruby (the god of war), and jade (the god of prosperity). The king was reasonably good-looking, but he definitely did not give off the same aura of authority that the Lady of the West did.

  The other cn members who accompanied King Surya were likewise adorned with precious gemstone jewelry. The men wore the same style of coat and trousers while the women wore long wrap-around tops over trousers. Most of them had hair of different shades of red, but their skin color ranged from fair to dark and their eyes were either crimson or vermillion-colored.

  After the introductions were finished, I showed them upstairs where our guests had to politely exchange greetings with Lady Yuying and Lord Yulin.

  Finally, the time came for me to present my gift to the king.

  “Your Majesty, please accept this as thanks for agreeing to meet me.” I nodded to Yinuo who stepped forward with a long wooden box draped in silk brocade in her hands. With theatrical slowness, I removed the cloth and lifted the lid to reveal the item I had crafted.

  There was a loud thudding sound as two of the Vermillion Bird cn members fainted. The others, who had been merrily chatting earlier, were shocked speechless, their mouths hanging open.

  King Surya’s face first turned white then red and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was barely able to stutter a few sylbles. “This-this-what?”

  LinMeili