Chapter 9: Chapter 10 – Civil War

[Anastasia’s perspective]

Flopping onto my couch I think over the resent news I receive daily. My father, the Emperor has mysteriously fallen ill and the political strife between my brothers has grown with the conservative nobles siding with the ones out of favor with father and the current minister cabinet, namely the third prince. He was always trying to be like the first prince, but he couldn’t match up and developed an attitude problem where he would greed for any small gain no matter what he does.

After the incident with the puppet being stolen they have been getting more aggressive, important people going missing and faculties being attacked by powerful ‘rogue’ cultivators. I knew war was coming that day five years ago, but everything is happening too quickly compared to similar situations in history, wars involving the sects either happen spontaneously in a grand battle or last decades as small squabbles until one side has the upper hand and suppresses the other. They never ramp up by the week to be on the cusp of civil war in only five years. Fortunately, being the ninth princess kept me out of the immediate strife for most of the buildup, only recently having to deal with the meetings with people like the generals and defense ministers of the Empire due to my current status as a formation expert that studies the East Federation’s ancient knowledge.

Eze managed to talk me into becoming more open about my study of the ancient knowledge and we worked together with other like-minded cultivators of the Empire and have developed a range of groundbreaking formations and cultivation techniques more specialized than the basic ones found in the tomes. The army has requested formation masters to reinforce vital military locations as well as the palaces of the Emperor. Negotiating the terms and conditions have been exhausting but also led me to meeting multiple researchers of the East Federation.

The researchers I recently met gifted Ezekiel and I copies of double ancient tomes as they call them there. Finally having time to read it, I prop it into the sculpture my dear friend Luka gifted me years ago, the metallic arm is a puppet, I have yet to understand how it works as there is no visible formations and all I can sense is a hunk of metal. The metallic hand supports the book as I lay on the couch, too tired to move more than necessary I quickly read through the tome gaining several insights into puppets and formations. The tome explains a new branch of both together calling the product Drones and the possibilities for drones will solve some of my problems with the defense ministers. I continue reading and find this book has more details on the puppet we received five years ago, upon reaching the final page, only a single, confusing, and concerning warning remained.

‘CAUTION: Keep away from blades for the safety of all that is weaker than Transformation Soul experts’

[Luka’s perspective]

Finally, twenty-one, the drinking age of my old world as far as I remember, recently I’ve been having trouble with remembering details like that from Earth as I never cared for that stuff. This life has been simple since I didn’t need to cultivate myself and my influence has begun to spread to this continent too, so the world developed technology and science at an insane pace. It turns out cultivators are fast at studying and developing technology, so my previous life’s hometown has developed well past Earth in some parts of these aspects.

The old nobles of the Empire seem aggressively resistant to change and Civil war broke out as one group proclaimed they cracked the demon puppet of the Federation. The puppet was my old Roomba, I found out on the day when both Ezekiel and Anastasia returned home together and complained about the loss of technology, a quick investigation with spy drones found it so I slipped a book with details of it into the stock of one of the visiting researchers. The civil war has just started so I send the coordinates of the rebel nobles to Anastasia and return to my current project.

I have spent almost a decade on it, the world stone used in an ancient relic from the immortal world has changed form into an arm and hand. Tracing my fingers along the form that is reminiscent of Elise yet hints of my own fingers of this body, nostalgia flashes through my mind as I smile to myself as the stone arm mirrors my simple hand movements as if were flesh and blood. It operates off my thoughts instead of qi and proves my long-standing theory of the world’s laws being suggestions, I created something operating on different rules to other tools of this world. I hand the stone hand a coin and leave it to twirl the coin.

[Ezekiel’s perspective]

“So, the plausible location of the rebel headquarters showed up in your notes and thus you want to get the surprise on them and attack with just us?” I repeat what Ana just told me as a question. I have known this woman for years and she has this spontaneous side to her that is driven by her desire to help others. I have begun to notice some oddities in how information shows up conveniently and all sorts of theories and terms of Earth appear in the double ancient tomes.

“Yep, I suspect it actually came from your sister as it was formatted like she does, you know she can always discuss our topics yet neither of us have seen her study a thing.” Ana makes a compelling point as we walk side by side to my mansion.

“Plausible, so is that the real reason you wanted to come home with me tonight?” I was initially shocked when she asked to come home with me tonight as I have known her for a long time, and she isn’t one to ask like she did. On top of my own budding feelings growing the more I spend time casually with her.

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“Only half the reason, I enjoy your cook’s food too, so I wanted dinner with you too” She shamelessly reveals her desires with one of her charming smiles. We continue chatting until we reach our home and find Luka in her study watching a stone hand twirl a coin flawlessly.

“Oh, guess I was found out, tehe~” My sister winks as us as she begins mimicking the stone arm with a coin smoothly twisting and rolling between her fingers as if it were a beautiful dancer on an ever-changing stage, the stone arm begins matching her grace.

“The ancient relic? You made it into a puppet? Luka you idiot, that stone could seal anyone in this world.” Ana seems to know the source of the stone as I rushes to my sister’s side and tries to shack her shoulders. Before I can help my helpless sister the stone arm stops its dance of coin twirling and reaches between Ana and Luka, all of Ana’s momentum disappears as she stares, gaping in shock.

“It isn’t a puppet, it’s a spare arm for all intents and purposes, did you even check for qi flow in it? What about probe the formations? Armie transcends mere drones or puppets, it dwarfs its predecessor in Stabby the Roomba.” Luka rolls her eyes and explains in half exasperation. I consider if it’s a coincidence she mentions Roomba which reminds me of the puppet the rebel nobles stole. She is reading strange books all the time so maybe she saw it there like I have seen in the double ancient tomes copies. After wondering I probed the stone arm, my qi fells me it had no qi, my other senses say it is ordinary stone, yet my soul says it is an ordinary arm. Yet I knew it stopped a peak Soul refinement stage cultivator without effort.

“So, you have been studying this weird stone all these years?” I try to probe her for answers as Ana tries to probe the stone arm more.

“Nope, I worked to make it as I also made sure the two continents wont crash into each other when returning together.” Her nonchalant attitude when saying such shocking things is something new even with all the discussions Ana and I have had with her over the years.

“Ugh, more shocking news… Got anymore Luka? Like the immortal world is actually fake or that so called drones are actually alien technology?” Ana massages her forehead as she takes a step away from Luka to talk.

“Yep! No to the immortal world idea, should very much be somewhere, and half and half I guess? Drones are developed by the Federation by themselves really. And my new shocking news is I am going to the East continent. Good luck with the war” Luka energetically replies and begins packing up around her study. What is my sister going to the East continent for? She has never traveled before so maybe she is just at the age of traveling.

“Well… uh, okay where are you going on the East continent?”

“Also, what do you mean the continents wont crash? I know they were approaching each other somehow but why would they crash?” Ana asks quickly after I inquire about Luka’s destination.

“The reason is where I will be going, don’t worry about it too much, it will be fine. The reason I'm going, you can work out Ezekiel once you get past your Earth values and just go with it.”

“When in doubt, arm the Roomba with a sword and run” Her last sentence trailing behind her as she disappears out the door leaving me incredibly shocked. Earth values? She knew? She knows about Earth?! Are there others like me in this world? Are they the cause of the weird tomes about science and technology appearing seemingly out of nowhere?

‘No, just you and that nuisance’ A voice echoes in my mind, leaving me wide mouthed in shock.

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