《Divine Soul》


 Chapter One

    Hey everyone, this is the first time that I''ll be posting my work online so I could really use your feedback. Right now I''m still getting used to all this so my chapters might come out a little irregularly. However, if it seems like enough people enjoy my story, I''ll start updating on a regular schedule. Thanks, and enjoy!


    On his way home from school, James saw something that he never thought he¡¯d see, five grown men assaulting a high school girl in broad daylight. (Oi, oi,) he thought to himself, (I know that not many people take this street, but come on!) He dropped his bag and sighed in disgust. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s this world coming to when scumbags don¡¯t even wait for dark to crawl out of the woodwork?¡±


    Hearing the sound of his voice, the five men and the girl turned to look at him. Correction, the three men and the girl. Two of the men were already on the ground with foam coming out of their mouths. Once James got a better look at the girl, he realized that she was exceptionally beautiful. With black hair and eyes and slightly Asian features, it¡¯s no wonder she was targeted by perverts. (Damn, a badass and a looker, that¡¯s my kind of woman!)


    James didn¡¯t waste any time and charged in to attack the three remaining men. Naturally, the girl didn¡¯t sit back and wait to be saved. Using the distraction, she launched an attack of her own, and, in a matter of seconds, there were five men on the ground in various states of disrepair.


    ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± the girl said with a smile, delivering one more kick to one of men who seemed like he might be getting back up.


    For a moment James felt his heart flutter. (Holy shit, I think I¡¯m in love!) James shrugged and tried to be nonchalant. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could¡¯ve taken care of them, but I¡¯m glad that I could help.¡±


    The girl grinned mischievously. ¡°You did a lot more than just help. Where did you learn to fight anyway?¡± she asked.


    ¡°From a cranky, old Chinese man who likes to beat poor, innocent little boys over the head with a wooden stick.¡± Just thinking back to his master¡¯s SUPPER-ULTIMATE-TRAINING-FROM-HELL that could make even a shounen action hero cry like a baby, James couldn¡¯t help but shudder.


    ¡°Ha-ha-ha,¡± the girl laughed, and it was the most beautiful sound that James had ever heard. Suddenly, all of the nightmarish training was worth it.


    James remembered his master warning him to stay away from women, telling him that they would only be a distraction from the path of Martial Dao. (Sorry Master,) he thought, (but I don¡¯t want to live my life as a bitter old hermit.) ¡°¡­ Hey, um-¡±


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    The girl¡¯s shout came a moment too late. James heard the gun shot just before the bullet ripped into his side. ¡°Geh!¡± he groaned in pain and dropped to his knees. Three more men came from around the corner, and, apparently, they were friends of the five that James and the girl had just beaten up. What¡¯s more these three had guns.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.¡°*Cough*¡± James coughed up a mouthful of blood. He focused his body¡¯s chi to suppress the wound, just like his master had shown him, but it was too late. The bullet had punctured several major organs. ¡°You bastards!¡± James growled as he slowly got to his feet, ¡°it takes some real balls to interrupt ME when I¡¯m with a beautiful woman!¡±


    The men¡¯s faces paled in horror as James seemed to shrug off a bullet wound like some kind of monster. ¡°Wha-¡±


    ¡°RAWR!!!¡± James roared as he charged at the three men like a raging asura. They fired at him repeatedly, but he simply dodged their bullets, or ignored them outright. When he reached the men, he delivered a single punch to each of them that shattered their bones and ruptured their organs. They would probably die, but James was well beyond caring.


    James stood for only a moment after defeating the three men before he coughed up another mouthful of blood and collapsed. His injuries were too severe, and he could no longer use his chi to suppress them. As he fell, the girl caught him and slowly lowered him to the ground.


    James felt wetness on his face and realized that the girl was crying as she held him. Summoning the last of his strength, he reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯re a lot prettier when you smile.¡±


    The girl pulled out her phone to call an ambulance, but James stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I know my body, I¡¯ll be dead before they even get here.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± she shouted, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to die until I say you can! You hear me!¡± She dialed nine-one-one and told the operator where they were and what happened. ¡°They¡¯ll be here in a few minutes,¡± she said, applying pressure to his wounds, ¡°just hang on!¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± James cursed God for letting him meet such an amazing person only to separate them moments later. ¡°I was really looking forward to asking you out on a date.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that!¡± the girl commanded in a shaky voice, ¡°you¡¯re going to live, and I¡¯ll be sure to visit you every day in the hospital, and once you¡¯re better we¡¯ll go on as many dates as you want! Just don¡¯t die!¡±


    ¡°*Cough*, *cough*!¡± James coughed up even more blood. ¡°Hey, I just realized something. With all this craziness I forgot to ask you for your name.¡± James voice was barely more than a whisper. His body didn¡¯t hurt anymore, but that was only because he couldn¡¯t feel much of anything anymore. With the numbness came a pervasive chill that seemed to invade his entire body.


    ¡°Yuki, my name is Yuki¡­¡±


    ¡°Yuki huh, that¡¯s a pretty name *cough*. I¡¯m glad to have met you Yuki.¡± James slowly closed his eyes, almost like he was going to sleep. (Sorry Master Fu, it looks like this worthless disciple will be going to the other side before you.)


    ¡°Hey, wake up! WAKE UP!¡± Yuki tried to shake James awake and even slapped him a few times, but it was no use. The ambulance arrived three minutes later.

 Chapter Two

    When James regained consciousness he found himself drifting in darkness, and yet, he wasn¡¯t afraid. The darkness was warm and comforting. It embraced him, protected him, and nurtured him. He could feel a faint pulsating through the void that made him feel sleepy.


    Where¡­ am¡­ I¡­? James¡¯ mind was fuzzy. His thoughts seemed scattered and incoherent. Oh well. He didn¡¯t have the energy to think about it, so he allowed the darkness to lull him back to sleep.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how long he drifted in the void. He was never awake for very long, and, even when he was, there was no way to measure the passage of time in the eternal darkness. However, one day, everything changed.


    The darkness moved. It was pushing him out! Why?! I don¡¯t understand! Suddenly there was light, and sound, and movement. A cacophony of sensations assaulted James¡¯ eyes and ears. It was too much! He didn¡¯t like this world outside of the darkness. It was too bright, too loud, too cold.


    ¡°Waaaa!¡± James let out a wail containing all of his grief and discomfort. Surprisingly, other voices rose to answer him. He couldn¡¯t understand them, but he could feel happiness in the way that they spoke.


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    James opened his eyes, blinking past the tears and the brightness, and saw¡­ a wrinkly giant! ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    The cruel giant laughed at his cries. James wanted to escape, but the giant was holding him in its arms and he couldn¡¯t break free no matter how he squirmed. That was when another voice spoke. This voice wasn¡¯t harsh and grating like the wrinkly giant¡¯s, instead it was calm and soothing.


    James stopped squirming and fell silent. The wrinkly giant nodded, like this was a good sign, and handed him over to another giant. The new giant was exhausted and covered in sweat, but, even so, she was young and beautiful, with long, silky blue hair and pale-blue eyes. She gently cradled James in her arms while humming a soft lullaby. Her embrace was like the darkness, warm and comforting. Her heartbeat gradually lulled him to sleep. Ah, I see, this is my mother, James realized, it¡¯s not that these people are giants, it¡¯s that I¡¯m really small. I¡¯ve been reborn as a baby!


    James had so many questions, but the slow, rhythmic rocking of his mother¡¯s arms made him too sleepy. *Yawn* I¡¯ll think about it tomorrow.

 Chapter Three

    On the far-east coast of the continent of Albion there stood a small seaside town called Bright Cove. Its name came from the fact that each day it was the very first place in Albion to see the sun rise. In fact, Bright Cove Beach was somewhat famous as a tourist destination for that very reason. The majestic sight of dawn¡¯s first rays shining across the ocean was spellbinding.


    On this particular morning, there was only one person on Bright Cove Beach awaiting sunrise. It was a child, roughly eight or nine years old, with pale blue hair and eyes and delicate, porcelain-like skin.


    ¡°*Sigh*¡± The child¡¯s voice didn¡¯t carry far before it was drowned out by the sound of gently crashing waves. ¡°Eight years. To think, it¡¯s been eight whole years since I started my new life.¡±


    As he looked out across the horizon, James reminisced about the eight years that had passed since his reincarnation. One of the disadvantages of being reincarnated with his ego and memories intact was that he could remember far more of it than he should.


    The first year had been particularly miserable. James shuddered as he thought back to how he had been reduced to a crying poop monster. ¡°The body and soul are one,¡± his master had once said. James never understood what that meant until he reincarnated. Even though his soul was that of a seventeen year old young man, the moment that it was crammed into the body of an infant he found himself a slave to the impulses of a newborn child. When he wanted to poop he pooped, and when he wanted anything else he cried like a screaming banshee.


    James marveled at the sheer amount of patience and tolerance that it must take to be a parent. ¡°I would¡¯ve thrown me in the ocean if I¡¯d been in mother¡¯s shoes,¡± he admitted.


    The next few years had been better, but James still felt like a prisoner in his child-like body. Of course, he knew that he would eventually grow up, but there was one thing that would never change no matter how much time passed. James slowly reached down to the spot between his legs. ¡°Gone,¡± he moaned, ¡°a man¡¯s most important thing¡­ Oh God, why must you torment me so?!¡±


    Almost like some kind of cosmic joke, when James was reborn, his new body had turned out to be¡­ female! At first James had been horrified. After all, so much of his previous life had been defined by his identity as a male, and now he was supposed to just become a woman? Impossible! His greatest fear, however, was the effect that his new body might have on his soul. The body and soul are one, so what happens to a man¡¯s soul placed in a woman¡¯s body?


    Surprisingly¡­ not much. James certainly felt differently than he used to, he already had trouble visualizing himself as the young man that he used to be, but he attributed that mostly to becoming a child rather than becoming a girl. In any case, he knew that the situation might change drastically once his body started producing that dangerous cocktail of hormones during adolescence, but, since there wasn¡¯t really anything that he could do about it, he decided not to worry and just go with the flow.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to say though,¡± James said with a smile, ¡°even if this process does change me, and the person that I used to be disappears, it¡¯s more than worth it for a chance to live in another world!¡± The moment he spoke, several kilometers from the shore an enormous sea serpent broke through the surface of the water, its scales glittering with light of the rising sun. It shot nearly one hundred meters into the air before arcing and diving back into the ocean. ¡°Yup, definitely another world.¡± Despite seeing such an extraordinary sight, James didn¡¯t flinch at all, as if he had already grown accustomed to such things.


    Now that the sun had emerged from beyond the horizon, James rose from his seated position and began practicing the martial arts taught to him by his master. At times like these he could practically hear the old man¡¯s aged voice lecturing him. ¡°Dawn is the best time to train. When the first rays of the sun stimulate the yang qi you¡¯ll be able to train with half the effort for twice the results.¡± Usually, he would then accentuate the point by beating James over the head with his Walking Stick of Doom.


    I miss you Master, James whispered, deep within his heart. James would never say it out loud, but, eccentric and cranky though he may be, over the years he had grown rather fond of his master, and, although Master Fu would never admit it, James knew that he felt the same.


    ¡°Hah!¡± James drove the sad thoughts from his mind by immersing himself even further into his master¡¯s techniques. If Master saw me like this, he¡¯d find a way to cross dimensions just to beat me over the head with his stick for being an idiot!


    As James trained, his movements seemed to emulate the forces of nature becoming both beautiful and profound. Move like surging waves, bend like supple branches, strike like raging thunder, this was the core of his master¡¯s Martial Dao. After more than an hour of training, James collapsed on the beach, exhausted and panting. Even so, he grinned, fully satisfied with his progress.


    While his body recovered from its exertion, a cool breeze blew in from the east, carrying with it the primordial spirit of the sea. James¡¯ chi surged in response. ¡°This world is amazing!¡± he shouted. Ever since reincarnating, James had been able to train at an absolutely ridiculous speed. His body seemed to draw power directly from nature itself, accomplishing in one day what would normally take weeks even with special medicines and bone breaking effort.


    His results were particularly astounding when he trained near water, which is why he preferred to train on the beach whenever possible. Years of drawing from the boundless strength of the ocean had made James¡¯s strength, even as a child, rather terrifying.


    ¡°Hah, a few more years of this and I¡¯ll be able to surpass the strength of my previo-¡±


    ¡°Sophie!¡± James was interrupted by the sound of a lovely, and somewhat angry, voice. Sophie¡­ that was his new name, the one that he had received upon his reincarnation. ¡°Sophie, what have I told you about sneaking out of the house in the dark!¡±


    Sophie turned around to see a beautiful woman walking towards her with a stern expression. The woman looked like an adult version of her with the same porcelain skin and light-blue eyes and hair. For a moment she marveled at how her mother didn¡¯t seem to age a day in the eight years since her rebirth. She was still as young and as beautiful as ever.


    I wonder if people in this world age differently, Sophie found herself wondering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mommy,¡± she whispered, trying her hardest to look adorable. This wasn¡¯t the first time that she had been caught sneaking out of the house to train. She knew that, if she wanted to get off the hook, she¡¯d need to pull out all the stops. Trembling, innocent expression¡­ check, fake sincerity¡­ check, and, last but not least, PUPPY EYES! This was Sophie¡¯s trump card. She¡¯d lost track of the number of times that it had gotten her out of trouble.


    However, her mother wasn¡¯t buying it. She gave her daughter the Death Glare, the divine power bestowed to all mothers so that they might cow their children into obedience. She even planted her foot and crossed her arms, indicating that she was on the verge of unleashing a mom¡¯s most powerful weapon¡­ the Eternal Lecture of Doom!


    Sophie braced herself for a tongue-lashing, but instead she found herself pulled into a warm embrace. ¡°M-Mom!¡± She hadn¡¯t been expecting this. A scolding she could deal with, but, when her mother hugged her like this, it made her feel legitimately guilty and ashamed.


    ¡°Oh Sophie, what am I going to do with you?¡± her mother lamented. ¡°You can¡¯t just sneak off like this. Do you have any idea how much I worry about you?¡±


    Sophie couldn¡¯t help but think back to her parents from her previous life. They never even noticed whenever she snuck out of the house. Even if she was gone for several days, she could just walk in through the front door and her parents would treat her like she never left¡­ or like she was never there to begin with.


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    ¡°*Sniff* *Sniff*¡± Sophie had no idea who she was supposed to be anymore. Man or woman? Child or adult? The only thing that she knew was that she didn¡¯t want to lose this feeling. ¡°Mom *Sniff* I¡¯m sorry Mom. I promise, I won¡¯t sneak out without telling you anymore.¡±


    ¡°There, there, Honey, Mommy forgives you.¡± Sophie¡¯s mother stroked her head comfortingly until she had calmed down. ¡°Alright then,¡± she said, standing up, ¡°we¡¯d best get you cleaned up. You¡¯ve got a big day ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡± Sophie tilted her head in confusion. It was her eighth birthday, but she didn¡¯t see any reason for why that would hold any significance. Birthdays in this world weren¡¯t celebrated the way that they were in her previous world, unless you were a figure of great renown.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right.¡± Sophie¡¯s mother waved her hand and a cool breeze drifted by, seeming on command. Suddenly, Sophie was no longer dirty. The sweat and dirt from her training had vanished, her red and puffy eyes had returned to normal, even her clothes had become spotless.


    ¡°Magic!¡± Sophie whispered breathlessly. In her old world, magic had been nothing more than a fairy tale, a story that the unenlightened told to explain things that they didn¡¯t understand. Even someone like Master Fu, who had gained the ability to control his body¡¯s chi, couldn¡¯t do anything that could be called real magic. Here though, in this fabulous new world, people could twist the very forces of nature to their will with but a thought and a gesture.


    For years, Sophie had begged her mother to teach her magic, but every time she refused, saying that it was too early. But this time¡­ ¡°Do you want to learn how to use magic?¡± Sophie¡¯s mother asked.


    ¡°!!!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t even speak for a moment. ¡°Yes! Yes! Of course! Will you teach me?!¡±


    Her mother chuckled indulgently and patted her head. ¡°That¡¯s what today¡¯s all about.¡± She said. ¡°Most children manifest the ability to use magic between the ages of eight and twelve, so it¡¯s customary to check for magic potential once a year starting from the child¡¯s eighth birthday.¡±


    So that¡¯s why she always refused to teach me magic, Sophia realized. It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t want to, it¡¯s that she didn¡¯t know whether or not my magical ability had even manifested. ¡°So how do we check for my magic potential?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, the easiest way would be to go to the Church of Light,¡± Sophie¡¯s mother explained. ¡°There, they¡¯ll be able to perform a Soul Delving in order to determine what kind of Spirit Realm you have.


    Sophie frowned at the unfamiliar terminology.


    ¡°Haha, how much do you know about how magic works?¡± her mother asked, noting her confusion.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Sophie admitted. She must have asked every adult in town to explain magic to her, but all of them just laughed and told her to wait. Then they laughed even more when she begged or pouted or threw a tantrum. It¡¯s amazing the things you can get away with when you¡¯re an adorable little girl.


    While the two walked back into town, Sophie¡¯s mother offered a brief explanation of magic. ¡°The ability to use magic,¡± she said, ¡°comes from the Spirit Realm which dwells deep within a person¡¯s soul. This realm produces Spiritual Power which can be used to command the elements.¡±


    ¡°Are there differences between Spirit Realms?¡± Sophie asked. She had long since noticed that different people seemed to be gifted with different types of magic. One person might be able to use magic to command fire and nothing else, while another person might be able to command everything but fire. It seemed likely, then, that the differences in ability might be accounted for by differences between individual Spirit Realms.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophie¡¯s mother seemed proud that her daughter had come to the conclusion on her own. ¡°Different Spirit Realms take different shapes and the shape that yours takes will determine your magic potential.¡±


    ¡°And the Soul Delving will find out what kind of Spirit Realm I have?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What¡¯s more, once your Spirit Realm is revealed, you¡¯ll be able to find it on your own and draw power from it to cast spells.¡±


    Sophie and her mother were now passing the first row of houses. The people of Bright Cove were already up and about. Some of them called greetings to the two as they passed by.


    ¡°Morning Cassandra!¡± and elderly man greeted from his front door. ¡°You¡¯re looking as lovely as ever!¡±


    Sophie¡¯s mother laughed good-naturedly, ¡°haha, you flatter me Martin. How has your wife been?¡±


    ¡°Oh, any day now I imagine she¡¯ll be up and about and browbeating me same as always.¡±


    Many such conversations could be heard as Sophie and her mother made her way through town. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how much things could change in eight years. When Cassandra had first arrived in Bright Cove, alone, pregnant, and with nothing but the clothes on her back, the people had viewed her with suspicion. Many of them had assumed that she was some nobleman¡¯s mistress on the run and wanted nothing to do with her. However, Cassandra¡¯s powerful magic had since made her an indispensable member of the community.


    After being repeatedly sidetracked, Sophia and her mother finally made it to the temple of the Church of Light. The temple was, without a doubt the largest and most extravagant building in town. Even the mayor¡¯s house paled in comparison. The entire structure looked as though it had been carved out of a single piece of white marble. The entrance was decorated with carvings of angels while the stained glass windows displayed the visages of honored saints.


    Seriously, how gaudy can you be? Most people would find the structure intimidating, but Sophia only noted how out of place it seemed in such a small town. Compared to the great monuments of Earth, such a paltry display didn¡¯t amount to much.


    Standing before the temple, Sophia suddenly felt nervous. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± her mother asked, noticing her discomfort.


    ¡°Well¡­ what if my magic hasn¡¯t manifested yet?! Or worse! What if it has, and it turns out that my Spirit Realm is trash?!¡± Once Sophia opened her mouth, all of her misgivings came flooding out. Magic is the dream of all children. Especially so for someone who used to live in a world where magic didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± her mother reassured, ¡°I¡¯m certain that you¡¯ll be an amazing magus.¡± She sounded quite sure, but Sophia was unconvinced. After all, all mothers are supposed to tell their children that they can do anything. Even so, Sophia decided to suck it up and entered the temple.

 Chapter Four

    The inside of the temple was just as gaudy and pompous as the outside. Statues of lesser saints lined the walls in alcoves while rows of stone benches led the way to the altar, behind which stood a massive statue of the god of light. And, as if that weren¡¯t enough the entire ceiling had been carved into a bas-relief depicting a climactic battle between fiends and celestials. I guess when you¡¯re building with magic you can afford to be a little extravagant, Sophia mused.


    ¡°Good morning Cassandra, hello there little Sophie, what can I do for you this fine day.¡± Before they had passed the first few rows of benches, a rather handsome middle-aged priest wearing white robes came over to greet them.


    Cassandra greeted the man with a smile. ¡°Good morning Brother Lloyd, we¡¯re here because Sophia just turned eight.¡± Priests came in all types, just like anybody else, but even Sophia had to admit that Brother Lloyd was the good sort. He was never quite as pretentious as the other priests and acolytes, and he had earned himself a good reputation for going out of his way to help others.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, eight already!¡± he said, kneeling down until he was equal height with Sophia. ¡°Why, it seems like only yesterday that you were being brought in for baptism. I guess that means that I¡¯m getting old!¡±


    Sophia grinned. Lloyd was definitely friendly and charismatic. Perhaps that¡¯s why he was sent out to shepherd such a backwater town. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Brother Lloyd, I¡¯m sure you still have a few good years on you. Although¡­ I think you should hurry up and get married before all your hair turns grey!¡±


    Lloyd gasped in mock indignation, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know missy that we men are like fine wine. We get even better with age!¡±


    Cassandra giggled as she watched the exchange between the two. ¡°All right Sophia let¡¯s not take up any more of Brother Lloyd¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here for a Soul Delving, right?¡± Lloyd asked, standing up. ¡°I can take care of that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Brother Lloyd.¡± Cassandra bowed formally, but Lloyd only waved his hand and motioned her to stand up.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Please, follow me you two.¡± Lloyd led Sophia and her mother trough a corridor that branched off from the main sanctuary. Eventually, he stopped at a particular room, checked to make sure that it was empty, and ushered the mother and daughter inside.


    The room was small, only a few square meters, and Sophia noticed that every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling was covered with mysterious diagrams. ¡°Privacy wards,¡± Lloyd explained, ¡°we take Soul Delving¡¯s very seriously. Aside from high ranking members of the church, no one outside this room will know of your results unless you want them to.¡±


    Sophia wasn¡¯t sure why the shape of one¡¯s Spirit Realm needed to be such a closely guarded secret, but she nodded gratefully, regardless.


    Lloyd led Sophia to a small table in the center of the room with two chairs facing each other while Cassandra stood to the side so as not to disturb them. Lloyd had Sophia sit down before sitting across from her and extending his hand. Taking ahold of it, Sophia felt an unknown energy enter her body.


    The energy felt strange, but not unpleasant, this must be Spiritual Power, she realized. Sophia remained calm and didn¡¯t resist while Lloyd¡¯s Spiritual Power meandered through her body for a while. Eventually, it seemed to find what it was looking for abruptly delving deep into her core.


    Suddenly, Sophia gasped as a new world opened up before her eyes. A boundless sea stretched out to the horizon. Its waves crashed with earth-shattering power, while its depths seemed unfathomable. Overhead, foreboding dark clouds roiled, threatening to unleash violent storms and torrential rains.


    Is this my Spirit Realm? She wondered, it¡¯s enormous! Now, she finally understood why her martial arts training was so effective near the ocean. My Spirit Realm takes the form of a boundless sea, of course my training would be most effective near a large body of water.


    After a long time, Sophia opened her eyes to find both Lloyd and her mother staring at her with complicated expressions. Cassandra looked happy, and proud, and a little bit sad, all at the same time, while Lloyd seemed astonished and¡­ slightly worried ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Aha¡­ Ahahaha,¡± Lloyd started laughing uncomfortably before letting out a long sigh. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong Little Sophie. I was just a bit shocked, that¡¯s all. I never expected to see a child with such a high quality Spirit Realm!¡±


    ¡°Eh! Then my Spirit Realm¡¯s good?!¡± Sophia was practically beaming. A good Spirit Realm meant that she could use magic! How could she not be excited?


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    ¡°Good? Hahaha, Sophia, we actually have a way of ranking Spirit Realms from one to nine based on their quality, with one being the best and nine the worst,¡± Lloyd explained, ¡°your Spirit Realm, Vast Ocean, would be considered a tier four Spirit Realm!¡±


    ¡°Only four?¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t keep the disappointment out of her voice. After going through the trouble of reincarnating into another world, she would have preferred to at least have a tier two Spirit Realm, if not a tier one. Plus, the way that Lloyd described it made it seem like her Spirit Realm was something amazing, for it to be a measly tier four¡­


    This kid! Seeing Sophia¡¯s disappointment, Lloyd¡¯s eye started twitching, and he had to remind himself that she was just a child.


    ¡°Haha, Sophie¡­¡± Cassandra decided to step in before Lloyd started spitting up blood. ¡°Tier four is actually really incredible. Most people only start out with a tier eight or nine. Even amongst high ranking noble clans, tier four would be considered extraordinary. What¡¯s more, Vast Ocean should be at the peak of the fourth tier, so I imagine that reaching the third or even the second tier should be possible within your lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Suddenly Sophia¡¯s attitude took a complete one-eighty. ¡°You mean that it¡¯s possible to improve the quality of my Spirit Realm?!¡±


    Lloyd seemed to recover once he realized that Sophia really didn¡¯t know any better. ¡°Of course,¡± he said, ¡°no one starts out with a high tier Spirit Realm. It¡¯s something that has to be obtained through years of hard work.¡±


    This changed everything! At that very moment Sophia vowed that she would strive to obtain the ultimate Spirit Realm and reach the pinnacle of this new world. I have an advantage that others don¡¯t, so there¡¯s no excuse for failing to become number one! ¡°Brother Lloyd! How do I obtain a high tier Spirit Realm?!¡±


    For a moment Lloyd seemed shocked by her zeal, but eventually he smiled. Good, good, he thought to himself, with such determination and innate potential, this child will definitely go far! ¡°The best way would be to study at a magus academy,¡± he said. ¡°There you¡¯ll be able to learn magic and further your understanding of the natural laws.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t too keen on going through school all over again, but, if it meant learning magic, she¡¯d put up with almost anything. ¡°Can I go Mommy?! Can I, please?!¡±


    For a moment, Cassandra looked uncertain and frightened, but she couldn¡¯t resist her daughter¡¯s unbridled enthusiasm. ¡°All right Sophie, I¡¯ll let you attend a magus academy.¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problem getting accepted,¡± said Lloyd. ¡°Your Vast Ocean Spirit Realm alone would be enough to make even the most prestigious academies beg you to join them.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Cassandra interjected, ¡°for the time being I don¡¯t want Sophie¡¯s true potential to be openly publicized.¡±


    Lloyd seemed shocked for a moment before furrowing his brows in thought. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said, ¡°right now the truth of the Vast Ocean Spirit Realm would only draw attention that Sophia isn¡¯t prepared to handle. I can only shudder at the thought of what those noble clans-¡±


    Lloyd suddenly stopped, realizing that Sophia was still in the room. ¡°Ah, um¡­ Ahem! Anyway, I¡¯ll be sure to make all of the arrangements. Don¡¯t you worry about a thing Sophie, I¡¯ll make sure that you get into an excellent magus academy! Cassandra, I¡¯ll need to notify some of my superiors about this, but I¡¯ll make sure to only talk to people that I trust.¡±


    Cassandra bowed formally. ¡°Thank you Brother Lloyd. I really appreciate your help in this matter.¡± She seemed relieved, as if a great weight had been taken off her shoulders.


    ¡°Mom, is something wrong?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°No, no, of course not Sweetie, but we should go home, I¡¯m sure that Brother Lloyd has a lot of things that he needs to do.¡± The three of them quickly exchanged farewells before Cassandra rushed her daughter out of the temple while trying to make it look like she wasn¡¯t rushing.


    What neither Lloyd nor Cassandra realized at the moment was that Sophia had been able to follow every word they said and read between the lines. Hmm, it seems that my situation is more serious than I realized. Damn! I really wanted to just play around, but it looks like I can¡¯t avoid getting caught up in this world¡¯s politics. Hmph, just try and come after me then! I think you¡¯ll find that you¡¯ll get more than you bargained for!

 Chapter Five

    The very day that Sophia awakened her Spirit Realm, a trusted messenger departed from Bright Cove on horseback. He traveled northwest, following the main road, refusing to stop for food, shelter, or rest. He rode through rain and muck, and when his horse collapsed from exhaustion he simply abandoned it and bought another.


    After a week of traveling in this manner, he finally arrived, haggard and dirty, at the capitol of the East Dragon kingdom, East Dragon city. With a population of four million people, it was considered average amongst larger cities, nevertheless, it was still the capitol of a nation. Its roads were wide and well maintained, and, in the very center, the royal palace stood tall and proud.


    ¡°Scram! East Dragon city has no use for filthy beggars!¡± When the messenger approached the city gates, the guards tried to stop him, mistaking the man for a vagabond. However, when he displayed the insignia of the Church of Light they suddenly began treating him with the utmost respect. After all, the Church of Light was an organization that spanned the entire continent of Albion. Even its lowest members weren¡¯t people that simple city guards could afford to offend. An hour later the messenger was well fed, clean shaven, and on his way. His destination, the center of the church¡¯s power in the East Dragon kingdom, East Dragon cathedral!


    Even Sophia would have been forced to admit that East Dragon cathedral was an impressive building. With tall spires and great arches, it dwarfed the surrounding structures. Its sheer size and grandeur was such that it could only be rivaled by the royal palace itself.


    At the entrance to the cathedral, the messenger displayed his insignia once more, and the knights on guard immediately led him inside. A priest then guided him through the halls, eventually leading him to a large set of double doors. ¡°Your Grace, there is a messenger here to see you,¡± the priest announced.


    It was only now that the messenger¡¯s nerves started to get the better of him. After all, the person on the other side of these doors was none other than Alexander Gilliam, the bishop responsible for overseeing the entire East Dragon kingdom.


    ¡°Damn it all!¡± The messenger was snapped back to reality by the unexpected shout from the other side of the door. ¡°If I have to deal with one more sycophant noble-¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, the message comes from Brother Lloyd.¡± Far from surprised, the accompanying priest treated the outburst like an everyday occurrence. He even went so far as to interrupt the bishop midsentence.


    ¡°Ahem, well then, in that case, you may enter.¡± While the messenger was busy gaping at the absurdity of the situation, the bishop¡¯s voice sounded again, inviting him inside.


    The priest opened the door and gestured for the messenger to enter. Inside, he found the bishop¡¯s office quite plain, almost like the office of a government official rather than a clergyman. Clearly Alexander Gilliam was a man who placed a great deal of importance on simplicity and practicality.


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    The bishop himself was much younger than the messenger would have expected, only appearing to be a few years older than Lloyd. Of course, appearance wasn¡¯t always a reliable way of determining age since powerful experts tended to have life spans vastly greater than that of a regular person. And there was no mistaking the fact that the bishop was very powerful. Although he wasn¡¯t particularly large and gave off a friendly demeanor, the messenger could sense an unfathomably deep Spiritual Power emanating from him in waves. ¡°So, Lloyd finally decided to remember his old mentor eh,¡± Gilliam joked with an easy smile.


    ¡°Good day to you, Your Grace,¡± the messenger said formally. ¡°Brother Lloyd has spoken very highly of you. He regrets that he couldn¡¯t make the journey personally, but there were urgent matters requiring his attention.¡±


    ¡°Ha, what kind of urgent business could possibly pop up in a backwater like Bright Cove?¡± Gilliam asked.


    The messenger could only shake his head. ¡°I was not made privy to that information,¡± he said. ¡°Brother Lloyd only asked me to bring this letter to you as fast as I possibly could.¡± The messenger held out an envelope to the bishop. It was perfectly dry and undamaged, despite his week of hellish travel.


    Frowning, Gilliam opened the letter. As he read, his face shifted from confusion to curiosity to astonishment, and finally, to elation. By the time he finished reading, Gilliam¡¯s eyes seemed feverish. He immediately reduced the letter to ash with a burst of flame and turned to the messenger. ¡°You¡¯ve done well Child,¡± he said. ¡°Remain here at the cathedral for the next few days. When you¡¯re rested, return to Bright Cove with my response to Brother Lloyd.¡± Suddenly, the bishop placed his hand on the messenger¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Make no mistake, you¡¯ve performed a meritorious service, one that deserves rewarding.¡±


    The messenger left the room confused but satisfied. The moment the door closed behind him, Gilliam pulled out a pen and paper and began franticly drafting letters. Lloyd¡¯s message had clearly driven him into a frenzy. Unbelievable, he thought to himself, an eight year old child with the Vast Ocean Spirit Realm! This could change everything!


    A child with such tremendous potential would undoubtedly become a force to be reckoned with, if properly nurtured. If I can form a good relationship with this child now, she might become a valuable asset when it comes time to strike a blow at the disease festering in the heart of the church!


    There were so many things that needed to be done. Plans to be laid, bribes to be payed, favors to be called in. The bishop knew that he wouldn¡¯t be getting a good night¡¯s sleep for a long while.

 Chapter Six

    In the days following Sophia¡¯s trip to the temple of the Church of Light, she was effectively kept as a prisoner in her own home. Her mother refused to allow her to leave under any circumstances, and, the one time that she tried to escape, she was shocked to find that the doors and windows had all been warded. Naturally, Cassandra always had a perfectly reasonable excuse for why her daughter couldn¡¯t go outside, usually involving some type of utterly tedious chore, but Sophia knew what the real reason was.


    Cassandra was afraid that Sophia would blab about having the tier four Vast Ocean Spirit Realm. Honestly, what¡¯s she going to do when I leave for a magus school? Sophia wondered in the midst of cleaning every floor in the house with a bucket and rag¡­ again. Wait! Suddenly she started to panic. She is still going to let me attend magus school, right?! Oh, God! What if she keeps me locked up until she thinks I¡¯m ready?! How long will that take?! Sophia¡¯s mind was filled with the image of her fifty year old self, cleaning the floors while her mother watched over her.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s just ridiculous!¡± she assured herself. Even so, she was already sick and tired of doing the same menial tasks over and over again. Lloyd was supposed to be making the arraignments for me to go to school, she thought. What¡¯s taking him so long?


    Minutes later, Sophia heard a knock at the door. Using it as an excuse to take a break from her work, she rushed over to answer it, even though her mother specifically told her not to. ¡°Brother Lloyd!¡± she shouted, seeing who had come to visit.


    ¡°Hey there little Sophie,¡± Lloyd said with a smile. He looked tired. There were bags under his eyes and his skin looked pale, like he gone several days without seeing the sun. ¡°Is Cassandra here?¡±


    ¡°Yup¡­ Mom! Brother Lloyd¡¯s here!¡± Sophia called for her mother who immediately ran to the door without seeming to run at all.


    ¡°Brother Lloyd,¡± she greeted, not even taking note of the fact that Sophia had disobeyed her. ¡°Please, come in.¡± She led him to parlor and offered him refreshments.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± said Lloyd. ¡°I can¡¯t stay for very long. I just wanted to inform you that I¡¯ve made the arrangements for Sophia to attend school.¡±


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Cassandra seemed to relax for the first time in days. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to go through the trouble of coming here personally. I would have gladly gone to the temple.¡±


    Lloyd just laughed and waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Haha, no worries. I needed to get out for a bit. I was starting to feel trapped at my desk.¡± It would seem that Lloyd really had been working almost non-stop for days on end, just so that Sophia could go to school without any problems.


    Just what kind of arrangements did he have to make that required this much time and effort? She wondered. I¡¯ll definitely have to thank him properly someday.


    Suddenly, Lloyd pulled out an unlabeled envelope and handed it to Cassandra. ¡°The school she¡¯ll be attending is the South Sea Academy. Officially she¡¯ll be listed as having the rank six Great Lake Spirit Realm, but I know a teacher there that we can trust. I¡¯ve spoken with her and she¡¯s agreed to take Sophia as her personal disciple.¡±


    Cassandra actually looked legitimately impressed. ¡°What rank is this teacher?¡± she asked.


    For a moment Lloyd grinned smugly. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ An Earthly Soul Master!¡± he declared.


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    As usual, Sophia had no idea what the term meant. ¡°What¡¯s an Earthly Soul Master?¡± she asked.


    It was her mother who answered her. ¡°Sophie, magus cultivation is divided into four stages: Foundation, Mortal, Earth, and Heaven. Foundation stage Disciples focus on training their Spirit Realm to the highest tier possible. After condensing their Spiritual Power into a Nascent Soul, they become Mortal Soul Practitioners and are able to use soul attacks. Then, after gaining mastery over the forces of nature, they become Earthly Soul Masters and are able to condense the elements into a powerful Saint Weapon.¡±


    ¡°What about people at the Heaven stage?¡± Sophia asked.


    Sophia¡¯s mother smiled and patted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about them for now,¡± she said. ¡°Heavenly Soul Grandmasters are extremely rare and spend nearly all of their time in secluded meditation. So, for the time being, Earthly Soul Masters are going to be the strongest people you¡¯ll meet.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement. She now had a concrete goal to aim for, the realm of Heavenly Soul Grandmasters. ¡°Brother Lloyd, it¡¯s amazing that you could get someone like that to take me on as a disciple!¡±


    ¡°Haha, well, a big part of it is thanks to you,¡± he admitted. ¡°After all, with a tier four Spirit Realm I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone who wouldn¡¯t want you as a disciple.¡± Suddenly Lloyd¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Now Sophia,¡± he said, ¡°you have to remember that, while your master will know about your real strength, in front of anyone else you can¡¯t display more power than what a tier six disciple should have. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Sophia said. ¡°No one can find out that I have the Vast Ocean Spirit Realm, so no showing off.¡±


    Lloyd smiled indulgently and ruffled her hair. ¡°Well, not yet anyway. In a few years, once you have the backing of the South Sea Academy, you¡¯ll be able to display your might for everyone to see.¡±


    Lloyd didn¡¯t stay much longer. He still had a lot of things to do to prepare for Sophia¡¯s enrolment into South Sea Academy. Before he left though, he told Sophia to be ready to depart in three days¡¯ time.


    Three days¡­ Sophia looked at her mother. In three days she would have to leave, and it might be months, or even years, before she would see her mother again. The mother who gave birth to her, who spent eight years raising and nurturing her. Sophia hadn¡¯t believed that she would ever know what it means to feel a mother¡¯s love, Cassandra had proven her wrong.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh Sophie,¡± Cassandra knelt down and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. ¡°It¡¯s ok Honey, it¡¯s not like we won¡¯t see each other again. You¡¯ll be able to come back and visit at least once a year, and we¡¯ll be able to send letters. I fully expect for you to write to me every week.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I will Mom, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Good, now run upstairs and pack your things.¡±


    Sophia didn¡¯t have too many possessions, so she was able to pack everything she needed in a matter of hours. After that she spent the remainder of her time with her mother. They tried to make the most of every minute that they had together, but there just wasn¡¯t enough time. Three days later, Lloyd returned as promised to bring Sophia to South Sea Academy.

 Chapter Seven

    Just before noon on the day that Lloyd was supposed to arrive, a carriage pulled up outside of Cassandra¡¯s house. This wouldn¡¯t be particularly odd if not for the fact that the carriage had no beasts to pull it. Instead, it seemed to move under its own power.


    Of course, Sophia came from a world of sports cars and air planes so, for her, an automatic carriage wasn¡¯t particularly impressive. Cassandra, on the other hand, seemed somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Lloyd asked, stepping out of the passenger compartment.


    ¡°Brother Lloyd, I heard that automated carriages are still rather expensive,¡± she said. ¡°How in the world did you get one?¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s not mine,¡± Lloyd laughed, ¡°this was sent to pick us up by an old mentor of mine. His help was instrumental in arranging all of this.¡± Clearly Lloyd was referring to much more than just the carriage.


    Sophia was quite curious as to who this old mentor was. Whoever it was, they must be a person of at least some influence to be able to send a magic carriage all the way out to Bright Cove just to pick her up. Interesting, Lloyd seems to have no shortage of powerful friends, she thought. There has to be something shady going on for someone so well connected to be sent so far away from the Church of Light¡¯s central authority.


    ¡°Are you ready to go Sophia?¡± Lloyd asked.


    This was it, time for departure. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Sophia turned around to say goodbye, but there was no need. Everything that they needed to say to each other had already been said.


    ¡°Sophie, before you leave, there¡¯s something I want you to have.¡± Cassandra held out a leather-bound book and a silver pendent. The book seemed rather ordinary, but the pendent practically glowed with power.


    ¡°Mom, this pendent¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Cassandra laughed. ¡°It¡¯s just a low ranked magic item that I refined. Nothing more than a trinket to remind you of home.¡± She opened the pendent which emitted an illusory image of Bright Cove Beach at sunrise. It was breathtakingly realistic, even going so far as to replicate the sound of lapping waves and smell of salt water.


    ¡°Mom, this is amazing!¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t even known that her mother knew how to refine magic items.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing much. Now this,¡± she said, indicating the leather-bound book, ¡°is the real treasure.¡±


    Now curious, Sophia flipped through the pages of the book. Suddenly, she gasped. ¡°This is!¡± The book contained training methods. Spiritual mantras meant to calm the soul, physical cultivation techniques designed to strengthen the body, there were even some of Cassandra¡¯s insights into the Dao!


    Sophia was speechless. She always suspected that her mother might be more powerful than she let on, but this was something else. The secrets in this book¡­ there were people who would gladly kill for them! Sophia immediately closed the book and held it tightly against her chest. Looking at her mother she felt like she was seeing her for the first time.


    ¡°Be careful with it Sophie,¡± Cassandra said seriously. ¡°It¡¯s for your eyes only. No one else should see it, or even know that you have it. I¡¯ve placed an enchantment on the book so that only you can read it, but, just to be safe, you should destroy it if you feel that it¡¯s in danger of being stolen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it safe,¡± Sophia promised.


    ¡°Good, now, you mustn¡¯t keep Brother Lloyd waiting.¡± Lloyd had decided to wait in the carriage so as not to disturb them.


    ¡°Alright¡­ goodbye Mom!¡± Sophia said, hugging her mother one last time before stepping into the carriage and closing the door behind her. As the carriage pulled away she continued looking out the window until her mother had faded from view.


    For a long time the magic carriage was silent except for the sound of the wheels rolling across stone. Sophia never could have imagined just how attached she had become to her new life. At first it was just a chance to wield magic and fight monsters, but, over time, she found herself growing attached to the people of this strange new world. Pull yourself together! Sophia thought to herself, this is your eight year old brain messing with you! I won¡¯t even be gone for very long. In a year or so I¡¯ll come back to visit, and I¡¯ll feel like an idiot for making a big deal out of all this!


    ¡°Brother Lloyd,¡± she said, trying to take her mind off things, ¡°How long will it take to get to South Sea Academy?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Lloyd had to think for a moment before answering. ¡°I imagine it won¡¯t take us longer than a couple weeks.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she had assumed that it would take much longer. ¡°Where is South Sea Academy anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s on an island chain not far from Albion¡¯s southern coast¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡± East Dragon kingdom was hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the southern coast. ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll get there in just a couple weeks!¡± Sophia shouted.


    ¡°Haha, relax little Sophie¡± Lloyd laughed and waved away her concerns. ¡°You didn¡¯t think that we¡¯d be traveling the whole way there in this carriage, did you?¡±


    ¡°Um, well¡­¡± she actually had thought just that.


    ¡°Hahaha, the carriage is only supposed to take us to East Dragon city. From there we¡¯ll be using an entirely different means of transportation to reach our destination.¡±


    ¡°East Dragon city¡­¡± Sophia had yet to see any major cities in this new world. She had to admit that she was looking forward to the opportunity. ¡°What kind of transportation will we be using once we get there?¡±


    Lloyd smiled mischievously, but refused to answer. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to wait and see~¡±


    ¡°Hmph, fine, keep your little secrets, see if I care.¡± Sophia pulled out her mother¡¯s book and began to study it intensely, completely ignoring Lloyd. Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days. All the while Sophia studied her mother¡¯s book unceasingly, except for the times when she needed to eat or sleep.


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    First, she glanced over the spiritual mantras. They were useful, but the meditation techniques that Master Fu had taught her were more effective, so she didn¡¯t really need them. When she saw the body cultivation methods, however, she could barely control her excitement. Master Fu¡¯s martial arts were excellent on Earth, but in this new world they could only be considered the most ordinary of training methods. Here, tempering the body was done by channeling the elements directly through one¡¯s flesh and bones. These kinds of techniques could produce a body that was truly superhuman.


    Of course, body cultivation techniques are quite difficult to develop and thus extremely rare. In addition, the technique that a magus practices must be compatible with their Spirit Realm. Fortunately, Cassandra¡¯s book had several methods compatible with Sophia¡¯s Vast Ocean.


    ¡°Hey, Brother Lloyd, do you know what level my mom¡¯s cultivation is at?¡± On their second day of travel, Sophia abruptly spoke up, asking an unusual question.


    For a moment, Lloyd was so surprised by her breaking her silence that he forgot to answer. ¡°Um¡­ to tell you the truth, I¡¯m not really sure.¡± He eventually said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± it wasn¡¯t the answer that she was expecting. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a way of determining how powerful a person is?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but it¡¯s not easy to detect the power of a person stronger than you unless they deliberately broadcast it,¡± Lloyd explained.


    His words indicated that, at the very least, Cassandra was more powerful than he was, but, since Sophia didn¡¯t know how strong Lloyd was, that didn¡¯t really mean anything at the moment. Sophia was tempted to ask what level Lloyd¡¯s cultivation was at. However, in the end, she decided that it would be rude to do so and went back to studying her mother¡¯s book instead.


    As their journey reached its fifth day, Sophia was starting to grow increasingly bored. Her eight year old brain could only focus on studying for so long before it started to crave some form of excitement. Lloyd was a great conversation partner and had all kinds of funny and interesting stories to tell, but there was a limit to how much entertainment he could provide.


    Even when they passed through a town or village, it only provided a momentary distraction before they found themselves returned to the endless monotony of forests, farm land, and gently rolling hills.


    Ugh, something happen! Sophia begged silently, assassins, monsters, hell, I¡¯d even be ok with bandits, just please let something interesting happen before my brain turns to mush and oozes out of my ears!


    The moment the thought passed through her mind, the auto-carriage came to a screeching halt. ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly Sophia could sense several presences surrounding them. Holy shit, she thought to herself, did I actually jinx us? ¡°Um, Brother Lloyd¡­¡± she said, somewhat worriedly. With a child¡¯s body and virtually zero understanding of her new powers, Sophia didn¡¯t have the slightest confidence in being able to repel an enemy ambush.


    ¡°Stay here Sophia. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Sophia had never heard Lloyd this serious before, but he didn¡¯t seem particularly worried so she trusted that he had the ability to handle the situation.


    Unhurriedly, Lloyd stepped out of the carriage to face the twenty or so men surrounding them. Yup, definitely bandits, Sophia thought, catching a glimpse of them through the window. The men were a ragtag bunch of miscreants. They wore shoddy, mismatched armor and were dirty and unshaven. Actually, they looked more like barbarians than bandits. However, one of them gave Sophia an oppressive feeling.


    This one was clearly the leader. He was the only one without a full beard and the only one who looked like he had bathed in the last week. When the man saw Lloyd step out of the carriage his face distorted into a disgusting grin. ¡°I¡¯ll make this simple for you,¡± he said. ¡°Hand over all your women and valuables and I¡¯ll let you be on your way. Of course, I¡¯ll also be taking the carriage so you¡¯ll need to go on foot!¡± The rest of the bandits laughed like he had just told a hilarious joke.


    Lloyd grimaced, as if the sound of their laughter was grating to his ears. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that even bandits were stupid enough to attack a member of the church,¡± Lloyd said. The carriage was emblazoned with the insignia of the Church of Light so there was no way that the bandits didn¡¯t know who they were attacking.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Rather than become frightened, the bandit leader simply laughed. ¡°The church doesn¡¯t give a damn about what happens all the way out here in East Dragon kingdom! Even a child knows that this place is a dumping ground for outcasts and dissenters!¡±


    It would seem that Sophia had been right in her earlier assessment. Somehow, despite being young and charismatic, Lloyd had offended someone in the upper echelons of the church and had thus been banished to the other side of the continent.


    Lloyd gritted his teeth, and unleashed a fearsome aura of power. The bandits all fell silent, and even Sophia was shocked. Lloyd¡¯s spiritual power was immense. It even made her Vast Ocean look pitiful by comparison. ¡°Is this the strength of someone who¡¯s formed a Nascent Soul?¡± she wondered.


    The bandit leader was as white as a sheet. He never expected to run into someone so powerful during a simple raid. ¡°Um, please forgive me my lord!¡± he begged. ¡°I was blind and didn¡¯t realize that I was offending a great expert! Please show mercy and spare my pitiful life!¡±


    The other bandits fell to their knees and begged for mercy as well, but Lloyd didn¡¯t even take notice of them. He snorted coldly and began to emit a blinding golden light. Realizing that their pleas had failed, the bandits scrambled to get away, but it was too late.


    The entire area was enveloped in a brilliant flash of light. When it cleared and Sophia could see again, she realized that the bandits were¡­ gone. Literally gone, as in no blood, no body, not even a pile of ash. They had just disappeared from the face of the earth.


    Sophia was stunned. She could only gape as Lloyd calmly returned to the carriage. So powerful! Lloyd¡¯s strength was far beyond anything that Sophia could have imagined. And my mom¡¯s supposed to be even more powerful! Sophia wanted to laugh, somehow she¡¯d been surrounded by experts since she was young and hadn¡¯t even noticed.


    Lloyd didn¡¯t speak for the remainder of the trip. Apparently, the bandit leader¡¯s taunts had struck a nerve. Sophia decided not to bother him and returned to studying the leather-bound book. After seeing Lloyd¡¯s incredible display of power, her resolve to become stronger only grew. Finally, on the tenth day they arrived at East Dragon city.

 Chapter Eight

    Ugh, this chapter was a pain. Sorry it took so long, enjoy!


    As the carriage approached East Dragon City Sophia couldn¡¯t help but gasp in amazement. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ huge!¡± The city was surrounded by a massive stone wall, dozens of meters high. As for the area, it was impossible to determine. The wall was so wide that Sophia couldn¡¯t see the ends of it. What¡¯s more, the wall seemed to be made of one piece of seamless stone that glowed with magical diagrams.


    ¡°Naturally, a city that holds four million people would need to be somewhat large,¡± Lloyd said, chuckling.


    ¡°Four million!¡± Even on Earth, such a city would be considered fairly large. Considering how primitive Bright Cove was, Sophia never would have imagined that this world had the technology to create such an enormous city.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Lloyd joked, ¡°if you get too excited, people will think you¡¯re a country bumpkin.¡±


    ¡°Humph, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± she said, pouting. ¡°Why would I get excited about seeing one measly little city!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eye faintly started twitching. This guy¡­


    When the carriage approached the gates, the guards took one look at the insignia of the Church of Light and waved them through.


    Once inside Sophia was shocked to discover that East Dragon city wasn¡¯t the least bit inferior to the cities on Earth. The roadways were wide and made of the same seamless stone as the walls, making it just as effective as pavement and not nearly as ugly. Most of the houses on the outskirts of the city were made of wood or brick, but their construction, while simple, was sturdy and well organized.


    What really caught Sophia¡¯s eye though, was just how clean everything was. There wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of filth anywhere to be found. To keep a city this big this clean without the use of modern technology¡­ I¡¯ve underestimated what these people can do with their magic, Sophia thought.


    They didn¡¯t stay in the outskirts for very long before entering the inner city. Here, the buildings were all made of the seamless stone that Sophia had come to associate with magical construction. Their design was also far more elaborate than the buildings on the outskirts, blending the line between construction and art.


    Hmm, I guess that the church in Bright Cove wasn¡¯t really all that unusual, Sophia thought. I suppose it makes sense. I mean, if you¡¯re going to build something out of magic, why not make it as pretty as you can?


    Eventually, the carriage came to a stop outside of the East Dragon cathedral. Holy Shit! Sophia could barely keep herself from cursing out loud. If the Bright Cove church had been gaudy than the East Dragon cathedral was a monument to excess. Its size and level of artistry put the Gothic cathedrals from Earth to shame. Even with magic, she had to wonder just how much time and effort was wasted on constructing such a ridiculous building.


    ¡°Alright Sophie, we¡¯re here¡± Lloyd said stepping out of the carriage. He held out his hand to help her step down while a group of young Initiates (Priests in training) dealt with her luggage.


    A Priest led them through the halls of the cathedral until they arrived at a set of double doors. ¡°Your Grace, Brother Lloyd and Miss Sophia have arrived,¡± he said after knocking.


    Your Grace¡­? Oh my god! You mean to tell me that Lloyd¡¯s old mentor is a Bishop?! Sophia was starting to get sick of surprises. Over the past eight years, she had only known Lloyd as a friendly, and sometimes goofy, clergyman who liked to help people in need. Just how many secrets was this small town Priest hiding?


    ¡°Very good. Let them in,¡± a voice from the other side of the door said. The doors opened and Lloyd and Sophia were ushered into the Bishop¡¯s office.


    ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s good to see you again kid!¡± the Bishop said.


    Sophia raised her eyebrow in confusion. The Bishop didn¡¯t look that much older than Lloyd. Certainly not old enough to call him kid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled,¡± Lloyd said as if reading her mind. ¡°This old foggy might look middle aged, but he¡¯s actually old enough to be your great grandfather!¡±


    ¡°Brat! Why don¡¯t you get over here and see just how old I am!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at their back and forth bickering. ¡°It would seem that His Grace, the BISHOP,¡± she said emphasizing the word, ¡°really is an old mentor of yours. I can¡¯t imagine anybody else tolerating such blatant disrespect.¡±


    Lloyd gaped at Sophia who had just thrown him under the bus. This brat¡­ she¡¯s totally getting back at me for earlier!


    ¡°Bwahaha! I like this kid!¡± the Bishop said, ¡°SHE knows how to respect her elders, unlike a certain snot nosed punk I know who used to get spanked for stealing extra food from the kitchens.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, that sounds like a wonderful story that I simply HAVE to hear about in detail,¡± Sophia said while grinning evilly at Lloyd.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ As delightful as that sounds, I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll need to save it for another time,¡± he said, trying to salvage his dignity.


    ¡°Heh-heh, well I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± the Bishop said, grinning just as widely as Sophia. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Miss Sophia, next time we meet I¡¯ll tell you all about what Lloyd was like as a kid, but¡­¡± he said, noticing Lloyd¡¯s death glare, ¡°for the time being, we have your travel arrangements to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, I wanted to thank you for that, Your Grace.¡± Sophia said, bowing. ¡°I doubt that getting into South Sea academy would have been possible without your help.¡±


    ¡°Bah, nonsense!¡± the Bishop, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°With your innate talent, the best schools on the continent would start a bidding war to get their hands on you.¡±


    ¡°Only more reason for me to thank you,¡± Sophia insisted. ¡°By the way Your Grace, I just realized that I still don¡¯t know your name.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I suppose that in all the excitement I forgot to introduce myself. How rude of me.¡± The Bishop stood up from his desk and made an elegant bow. ¡°My name is Alexander Gilliam. As you might have noticed, I am the Bishop in charge of tending to the East Dragon kingdom.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lord Gilliam. I am Sophia, I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t have a noble name such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gilliam snorted coldly. ¡°Being a noble isn¡¯t such a great thing,¡± he said, ¡°It just means leaching off of the glory of one¡¯s ancestors. A truly great person makes their own legacy!¡±


    Interesting¡­ Only nobles could have surnames in this world, and yet, Alexander Gilliam didn¡¯t seem to hold his own kind in very high regard. So it¡¯s not Lloyd, Sophia mused, Bishop Gilliam is likely also an outlier who was banished to East Dragon for his unconventional views.


    ¡°¡­Sophia, I must admit that I have a few ulterior motives for helping you,¡± Gilliam continued. ¡°With your innate potential, I have no doubt that, one day, you¡¯ll become a powerful and influential figure and create a legacy of your own. My hope is that, when that day comes, you won¡¯t forget who your friends are.¡±


    Oh, he¡¯s a crafty one, Sophia thought, by admitting his ulterior motives now he hopes to build up some good will between us. He also wants me to think that I already know the scope of his plans to that I don¡¯t question his intentions later down the road. If I were a normal child, I¡¯d probably fall for it hook, line, and sinker. Hmm, I¡¯ll trust you for now Alexander Gilliam, but if you think you can use me, you¡¯ve got another thing coming.


    ¡°I understand, Your Grace,¡± Sophia eventually said. ¡°In the future I hope that I can repay you for all that you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Gilliam seemed quite pleased with Sophia¡¯s answer. ¡°Now, there are just a few things to take care of before we send you on your way.¡± The Bishop snapped his fingers and a priest came in carrying a small box which he handed to Sophia.


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    Curious, Sophia opened the box to find a ring that glowed with a magical aura. ¡°That ring is an interspatial storage device,¡± Gilliam explained. ¡°I took the liberty of having your luggage inside.¡±


    Sophia sent her Spiritual Energy inside the ring and gasped when she found a large space inside. In terms of area, the space inside of the ring was even larger than the Bishop¡¯s office that she was currently in. Off in the corner of the space she found her luggage, but that was hardly the only thing inside the ring.


    Noticing her confusion, Gilliam smiled. ¡°Ah yes, I also went through the trouble of adding a few other things,¡± he said. ¡°Cultivation resources, training manuals, a few spell books, just some of the things that any magus-in-training needs.¡±


    He tried to downplay it, but Sophia knew that the gifts in this ring must have cost a fortune. Wow, he¡¯s really trying to win me over, she thought. I can¡¯t imagine that I¡¯d be worth such an expenditure just because of my fourth tier Spirit Realm. He must be running some play that I¡¯m not aware of yet.


    ¡°Your Grace, this gift is simply too much for me to accept,¡± Sophia said.


    ¡°Bah! Nonsense! Once you¡¯ve spent a few years in South Sea academy, these kinds of resources won¡¯t seem like anything special.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ alright.¡± Sophia put on the ring without any more fuss. She didn¡¯t really want to reject his offer anyway, but she thought that it would seem rude to accept something so valuable right away.


    ¡°Heh-heh, excellent!¡± Gilliam wasn¡¯t fooled. In fact, he found Sophia¡¯s shallow insistence on decorum rather amusing. Kids are supposed to be a little selfish, he thought to himself, but this girl is surprisingly mature for her age. With this kind of temperament she¡¯ll definitely go far!


    ¡°Well, with that taken care of, shall we be on our way?¡± Lloyd asked.


    Gilliam nodded. ¡°Ah yes, I suppose that it¡¯s about time we send Sophia on her way. I¡¯m glad that we had this chance to meet Miss Sophia. I look forward to seeing your feature accomplishments.¡± With that, he turned his attention to the paper work on his desk. It was a clear dismissal, so Sophia and Lloyd bowed, said their farewells and left the cathedral.


    A different carriage picked them up outside the cathedral and took them to a different part of the city. Here there weren¡¯t any homes. Instead, the streets were lined with shops and warehouses. This must be the business district, Sophia thought, but something feels off¡­ For a moment, Sophia glanced around in confusion. That¡¯s it! Suddenly enlightenment came to her. A lot of these warehouses are for import/export businesses, so what are they doing here? In order to move things in and out of the city more easily, they should be on the outskirts, not here in between the inner and outer districts.


    She just couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would build their warehouses in such an inconvenient location. Her answer came in the form of an enormous structure. Its size exceeded even the cathedral.


    Suddenly, Sophia watched as a large object lifted up from inside the structure. It¡¯s an airship! She realized, oh my god! They¡¯re sending me to South Sea academy on a freaking airship! What fantasy world would be complete without airships? Sophia had heard of them before, but, living in a backwater like Bright Cove, she¡¯d never even had the chance to see one let alone ride one.


    This was why the warehouses were here and not out the outskirts of the city. Airships might be monstrously expensive, but a single airship could carry more cargo than tens of wagons. For cities without access to a port it was the fastest and most efficient way to get from place to place.


    Sophia practically bounced with excitement as the carriage pulled up to the airport. Lloyd could only shake his head helplessly as she rushed inside before they even came to a complete stop.


    Sophia ran through the hallways, dodging passengers and work crews. A few people shouted angrily at her, using words that her mother definitely wouldn¡¯t approve of, but she just ignored them. Finally, she reached the hanger, and her jaw dropped.


    They were even bigger up close. The hanger was packed with airships: big ones for transporting cargo, smaller ones for transporting people, there were even luxury ships for the rich and powerful. For a moment Sophia could only stand there and stare at them in awe.


    ¡°Sophie, you can¡¯t just run off like that!¡± Suddenly, an agitated voice came from behind her. She turned around to see Lloyd walking towards her with an irritated expression.


    Being a child really sucks, Sophia thought, I can¡¯t go anywhere without a freaking chaperone! Of course, what she said was, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lloyd.¡±


    ¡°*Sigh* All right, let¡¯s hurry up and find your ride.¡± Lloyd led her to a small and luxurious private air ship, the kind that rich people use for pleasure cruses.


    ¡°Wow, the church must really be raking it in if they can afford something like this,¡± Sophia said.


    ¡°Haha, as if. This ship doesn¡¯t belong to the church. You¡¯re just hitching a ride,¡± Lloyd said. ¡°The owner just happens to be going to South Sea academy as well, and they were kind enough to let you tag along.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Now Sophia was curious. Who could be rich enough to own such a fancy private cruiser, but nice enough to actually let a stranger come along for the ride?


    When they approached the ship they were greeted by a young boy. The boy walked up to Sophia and held out his hand. ¡°Hello there,¡± he greeted, ¡°my name is Marcus East.¡±


    He¡¯s certainly pretty, Sophia thought to herself. The boy was just a little bit older than her, maybe ten or eleven. He had golden hair, blue eyes, and a comforting smile that put the people around him at ease. Sophia began to extend her own hand, but then she remembered his name and her face turned pale. ¡°Forgive me your highness!¡± she said, bowing. East, this was a surname that only the royal family could have. Also, it was well known that the king only had a single living relative, making this boy the crown prince!


    ¡°Haha, please, please, no bowing,¡± the prince said. ¡°Pretty soon we¡¯ll be fellow students in South Sea academy. There, my status as crown prince of East Dragon kingdom won¡¯t amount to anything, so I¡¯d really like it if we could be friends rather than lord and subject.¡±


    Marcus held out his hand once more, and Sophia took it after a moment of hesitation. She had always been taught that nobles were all arrogant and devious, but Marcus East just seemed so friendly that she found herself getting pulled into his pace. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you your highness, I¡¯m Sophia.¡±


    Marcus seemed confused for a moment before shaking his head and saying ¡°please, just Marcus. It¡¯s been a long time since I could be friends with another boy my own age, so I¡¯d like for us to be on equal footing.¡±


    Now it was Sophia¡¯s turn to be confused. Wait¡­ does he ¨C does he think I¡¯m a boy? It was an easy mistake to make. Sophia was dressed like a boy, her hair was cut short like a boy¡¯s, and as a child, it was difficult to distinguish her body and voice from a boy¡¯s. It¡¯s no wonder he looked so confused when he heard her name. Oh, this is going to be fun, Sophia thought to herself. She could barely keep the evil smile off her face.


    ¡°Um, actually your highness-¡± Lloyd began to correct the prince but Sophia elbowed him and gently shook her head. Oh, this child¡­ he thought, helplessly, but in the end, Lloyd didn¡¯t say anything. He too thought it would be amusing to see the prince¡¯s reaction when he finally figured out the truth. ¡°Ahem, well, you two had best be making your departure.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right! Come with me Sophia, let me show you around the airship!¡± Marcus said, taking Sophia¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Alright!¡± she was also excited to see the inside of an airship. However, when she reached the top of the steps leading into the ship¡¯s interior, she turned around and shouted ¡°goodbye Lloyd! I¡¯ll see you again in a year, and you¡¯d better have a girlfriend by then or I¡¯ll seriously start to question your sexual preferences!¡±


    ¡°#%@&!¡± Lloyd was so shocked that, for a moment, he wasn¡¯t even capable of coherent speech, but before he could shout back, the door had already closed, and the ship was beginning to take off. ¡°That brat¡­¡± Lloyd was already feeling sorry for the instructors at South Sea academy. They had no idea that a little monster was heading their way.

 Chapter Nine

    Guys, I''ll be honest with you. I made so many revisions to this chapter that I actually wound up posting it a day late. Even now I''m not too sure about it, so tell me what you think, and depending on your comments, I might go back and revise it again.


    ¡°So, I hope that this doesn¡¯t come across as rude¡­ but why were you named Sophia? That seems like an odd name for a boy.¡±


    At that moment it took everything that Sophia had not to laugh in the prince¡¯s face. Oh my god, he¡¯s so freaking dense! She thought. ¡°Well you see,¡± she said, ¡°my mother always wanted a girl, so when I was born, I guess that she just refused to change it out of denial. It doesn¡¯t help that my features are a little effeminate.¡± In an instant, she came up with a bogus story.


    Let¡¯s see just how long it takes this prince to find out. On the outside, her face was completely neutral, but on the inside, she was cackling manically.


    Marcus actually gave her a look of pity. He completely bought her ridiculous story. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry your high- er, I mean Marcus. I¡¯m going to go above deck to train for a while.¡± She had to leave. If she stayed any longer, she wouldn¡¯t be able to contain herself. Sophia would definitely start laughing at the handsome, bumbling prince. I¡¯m teaching him a valuable lesson, she thought, this prince is far too trusting for his own good.


    ¡°Alright Sophia, I¡¯ll- um, see you later.¡± Marcus truly felt sorry for this boy forced to live as a girl, and was doing his best to be understanding. Sophia immediately ran onto the upper deck. How sad, Marcus thought to himself. I can¡¯t imagine why a mother would treat her son so terribly. I definitely need to do something to cheer him up later.


    When Sophia reached the upper deck, the first thing that she did was collapse and laugh hysterically for more than a minute. In two lifetimes, she¡¯d never met anyone so gullible. ¡°Oh man, just how sheltered was this kid?¡± she said while wiping tears out of her eyes. It was common knowledge that Prince Marcus East was the king¡¯s only living relative, and therefore, he had spent his whole life surrounded by guards and servants to protect him and tend to his every need. ¡°I think that I¡¯m actually starting to fear for the future of the nation!¡±


    Once she had calmed down, Sophia decided to leave tormenting the prince for another day, and instead, focused on cultivating according to the methods in her mother¡¯s book. Cassandra had provided numerous techniques, and after careful study, Sophia found two that seemed particularly suited for her, Mysterious Jade Power and Illusory Snow Dance.


    Mysterious Jade Power drew upon the water element¡¯s ability to bestow life and had the power to enhance a practitioner¡¯s vitality. After achieving mastery of this technique, even life threatening injuries could be healed in a matter of minutes. As for Illusory Snow Dance, it drew upon the power of ice and snow. This technique had the effect of making the user¡¯s movements bizarre and ghost-like. More importantly however, it could increase the practitioner¡¯s affinity for ice based magic arts, something that¡¯s absolutely crucial for someone who specializes in the water element.


    Mysterious Jade Power was more effective during the day so that was the technique that Sophia decided to train in first. Fortunately, the airship followed the coastline as it flew, making the water element in the air rather abundant. As Sophia meditated, performing the incantations described in her mother¡¯s book, traces of deep-green, watery light slowly began converging around her body. Suddenly she gasped, the Mysterious Jade Power entered through her pores and started strengthening her body at an unbelievable rate. Her master¡¯s martial arts couldn¡¯t even begin to compare.


    Sophia spent several hours immersed in the Mysterious Jade Power. Only when her Spiritual Power was close to being exhausted did she stop. Forgive me Master Fu, she thought with tears streaming down her face. I wanted to stay true to your teachings, but if I¡¯m to have any hope of reaching the pinnacle of this new world, I must adapt. Master Fu had always demanded that she aim for martial perfection, so perhaps he would feel proud that Sophia had managed to find techniques that surpassed his own. At least, that¡¯s what Sophia told herself.


    There were still a few hours of sunlight left, but Sophia had only just awakened her Spirit Realm and the amount of Spiritual Power that she could use was rather limited, so she decided to take a break and go below deck to get something to eat.


    Marcus was waiting for her in the ship¡¯s dining hall. Like everything else on the airship, it was extremely luxurious. The table was exquisitely carved and polished. Sophia couldn¡¯t identify the wood used to make it, but she assumed that it was frighteningly expensive. She was actually rather hesitant to use it, fearing that she might damage it.


    The floor was covered with a velvet rug that seemed only slightly less expensive than the table, while the walls and ceiling had been plastered white and decorated with golden candlesticks, priceless art, and a crystal chandelier that glowed with magical lights.


    Holy shit! Sophia thought. If we weren¡¯t both kids, I might suspect that he was trying to sleep with me! This kind of luxury might not be such a big deal for royalty, but a commoner like Sophia couldn¡¯t imagine being allowed to even look at such a room without ulterior motives being involved.


    ¡°Sophia!¡± Marcus greeted, ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re here. The cooks just finished preparing dinner.¡± Two places had been set at the table. Once Sophia took her seat, Marcus snapped his fingers and a group of servants brought out several trays of food. Just looking at it, Sophia¡¯s mouth began to water. Grilled fish, boiled lobster, fried shrimp; East Dragon kingdom was a sea faring nation, so these types of foods weren¡¯t too uncommon, but the sheer size of them was beyond belief.


    The fish had clearly been cut into smaller pieces, so it was difficult to judge how big the thing had been when it was still alive, but each shrimp was about the size of a small dog, and the lobster was so big that they couldn¡¯t even fit the whole thing on the table. Instead, the servants brought it out on a cart and cut off pieces to serve to them.


    ¡°Marcus¡­¡± Sophia said hesitantly, ¡°are we really supposed to eat all of this?¡±


    For a moment Marcus looked at her strangely before apparently realizing something. ¡°Oh, right. I forgot that your Spirit Realm only recently awakened.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    Marcus chuckled. ¡°Well you see, as your body gets stronger from practicing bodily cultivation techniques, you¡¯ll need more and more energy to sustain it. As such, your appetite will grow larger and larger.¡±


    ¡°Eh!¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t thought of that at all. Looking at the mountain of food she couldn¡¯t help but be slightly afraid. After all, Prince Marcus only seemed to be a couple years older than her and he already needed to eat so much! What would happen to her in five, ten, or twenty years from now? Just how many metric tons of food would she need to consume on a daily basis?!


    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t need to be so concerned,¡± Marcus said, noticing her terror. Once you get strong enough, you¡¯ll be able to start hunting magical beasts. Their flesh is far more nourishing than ordinary food. These dishes are only from low level magical beast. If they were from stronger beasts then we wouldn¡¯t need to eat as much.¡±


    ¡°So what are we supposed to do right now?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be years before we¡¯re strong enough to hunt magical beast on our own!¡± Magical beasts were extremely dangerous creatures that mortals couldn¡¯t even hope to defeat.


    ¡°Once we¡¯re at South Sea academy, our meals with be provided by the school. So like I said, you don¡¯t need to be concerned.¡±


    Sophia heaved a sigh of relief before turning to the food and digging in unceremoniously. The servants seemed appalled by her table manners, but Marcus found it rather amusing. At home, he was constantly told how to stand, how to sit, how to eat, and even how to speak, but Sophia didn¡¯t have to worry about any of that. For a moment, Marcus felt envious of this ¡°boy¡± who was so free and unrestrained. Screw propriety! He thought, now that I¡¯m away from home I should enjoy my freedom while it lasts!


    The two stuffed themselves like pigs eating from a trough, but in the end, they couldn¡¯t even finish half of the feast. ¡°What happens to the rest of it?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°I¡¯d hate to waste food.¡±


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    ¡°It goes to the servants,¡± Marcus said nonchalantly. ¡°I intentionally ordered them to make more than we would actually need for precisely that reason. Normally, they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to eat such expensive food.¡±


    At this point, Sophia was no longer surprised by Marcus¡¯ kind heart and generosity. To be honest, she hadn¡¯t found the food particularly tasty. The meals made by her mother were vastly more appetizing. That¡¯s odd, is my mother actually a better cook than a prince¡¯s personal chefs? Sophia mentally shrugged and decided not to think about it anymore. I¡¯ll ask Mom about it when I get home.


    After dinner, the two decided to relax for a while in the ship¡¯s lounge area, and wait for their food to digest. ¡°I must say Sophia, I¡¯m quite impressed with your dedication towards cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see herself as particularly dedicated. At least, not like she was in her past life. As James, she¡¯d trained endlessly under the brutal teaching of Master Fu. Compared to that, a few hours of meditation didn¡¯t seem like a very big deal.


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Marcus declared, ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about nobles who, despite being born with a high tier Spirit Realm, become lazy and complacent. They look for superficial power in magic tools rather than taking the time to cultivate their bodies and master magic arts.¡±


    Now Sophia was confused. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean, bodily cultivation isn¡¯t even that hard, so why would they give up an opportunity to become stronger?¡±


    Marcus stared at her for a moment before he suddenly burst out laughing. ¡°Haha, you must be even more gifted than Bishop Gilliam said! You have to understand Sophia, most people can¡¯t handle constantly exhausting their Spiritual Power every few minutes for hours on end. Even I would run out of Spiritual Power after about two hours! You were up on the deck for over six hours, so I don¡¯t even want to think about how many times you must have thoroughly exhausted yourself.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. Of course! Now it all makes sense! Ever since her Spirit Realm had first been awakened, Lloyd, her mother, and even Bishop Gilliam couldn¡¯t stop gushing about how amazing it was. Until now though, she hadn¡¯t been able understand just what it was that made Vast Ocean so incredible. This was the answer, Spiritual Power reserve. Sophia¡¯s Vast Ocean was utterly massive. Thus far, she wasn¡¯t even capable of using a tenth of its power, and yet when training with a high level technique like Mysterious Jade Power, she could still train for six hours without much difficulty.


    With access to so much Spiritual Power, she would be able to train harder and for longer periods of time than her peers. It¡¯s no wonder Gilliam had such high expectations for her. With the ability to withstand intense training for hours on end, it would be stranger if she didn¡¯t become powerful!


    After dinner, Sophia excused herself and returned to her cabin; there she waited for night to fall. Once the sky turned dark and the moon began to rise up from beyond the horizon, she quietly snuck out from her room and made her way to the upper deck.


    Seeing the ocean from up in the air during the day was dazzling, but it couldn¡¯t even compare to the beauty of the night sky. With the ship flying over the clouds, nothing could obstruct her view. ¡°They look so close,¡± Sophia whispered, ¡°it almost feels like I could reach out and touch them.¡± This sky didn¡¯t have any of the same constellations that Earth did, but it was beautiful all the same.


    ¡°This world is so much more dangerous than my own, filled with demons and monsters, but it¡¯s also so much more beautiful.¡±


    Sophia spent a few minutes admiring the way that the night sky looked from the deck of the airship, but as the full moon rose higher and higher she knew that it was time to get on with the real reason that she snuck out of her room.


    Pulling out the leather-bound book, Sophia flipped to the section explaining the Illusory Snow Dance. This training method was very different from Mysterious Jade Power. The Illusory Snow Dance was best performed in an extremely cold location. In addition, it would display its optimal effect at night, when the moon is full.


    As for why she had to sneak out, that was because Illusory Snow Dance was a bodily cultivation technique designed specifically for women. Sophia didn¡¯t want anyone to see her perform it so that she could toy with the prince for a little while longer.


    Convinced that she had memorized the movements accurately, Sophia put away the leather-bound book, and took her first hesitant step. Unlike Mysterious Jade Power which could be performed during meditation, Illusory Snow Dance actually required a literal dance. Sophia had never danced before, in this life or her previous one, so naturally, her first attempt was awful.


    Despite her incredible skill in martial arts, Sophia just couldn¡¯t manage to achieve the grace and flexibility required for Illusory Snow Dance. For hours she bumbled about, tripping over her own two feet, as the moon slowly crept across the sky.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± she cursed, stomping her foot in frustration. ¡°Why did they make this technique rely on a stupid dance?! Just because I¡¯m a girl now, that means that I¡¯m suddenly supposed to be good at dancing?! That¡¯s sexist!¡±


    Sophia shouted curses and abuses one after another before she eventually calmed down and returned to her practice. At this point, she didn¡¯t even care about how effective the technique might be. She just wanted to master it in order to spite whoever created it.


    As the hours passed by, Sophia failed over and over again to properly execute the Illusory Snow Dance, but with each failure her movements became more and more refined. Finally, just before the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, Sophia managed to complete the dance¡¯s first step. It was still somewhat stiff and imperfect, but that first step allowed Sophia to finally experience the magic of the Illusory Snow Dance.


    The space around Sophia became completely silent. She couldn¡¯t hear a single thing, not the sound of the wind, not the faint creaking of the ship¡¯s moving parts, not even the crash of waves from the ocean below. In addition, the temperature around her dropped, turning into a chill that seemed to seep into her bones. For only an instant, the cold was accompanied by an illusion of dancing snowflakes.


    ¡°Incredible¡­¡± she whispered, after a few moments. The snowflakes hadn¡¯t just been breathtakingly beautiful, they also seemed to contain some kind of profound mystery that Sophia couldn¡¯t even begin to grasp.


    When the snowflakes faded, Sophia stopped practicing and turned to the east to watch the sunrise. Her mouth faintly curved into a biter smile. That one single step from Illusory Snow Dance had been as effective as nearly a half hour of practicing Mysterious Jade Power. In that single moment, she had the faintest feeling of her body becoming as soft as fresh snow but as tough as millennial ice.


    ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot,¡± she sighed, ¡°I spent so much time training my yang chi and didn¡¯t even think about training my yin chi¡­ or perhaps, I just didn¡¯t want to. For years I¡¯ve pretended to accept my new body, but deep down, I¡¯ve been desperately clinging to my old habits¡­ trying to hold on to a life that no longer exists.¡±


    Sophia clenched her fists tightly. ¡°This is where I cast off the shackles of my previous life, once and for all!


    Whether I¡¯m a boy or a girl doesn¡¯t matter anymore!


    If embracing this new body is what needs to be done for me to reach martial perfection, then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do!¡±


    This was something that Sophia had been subconsciously putting off for a long time, but now, she couldn¡¯t afford to do so anymore. ¡°Goodbye Master, you were my family when my real family failed me. Goodbye Yuki, although we only met briefly, I believe that there was a chance of us having something together. And finally, goodbye James, your life was pretty shitty, although it had its moments. Unfortunately, I can no longer be you, but I will always remember you fondly.¡±


    At last, the sun fully lifted itself from the eastern sea and shined down upon Sophia for the first time.

 Chapter Ten

    Whew, this chapter was way longer than usual.


    When Marcus woke up the next morning, he cast a simple spell to freshen himself up, got dressed, and headed to the dining hall to eat breakfast. He was surprised however, to find that Sophia had yet to arrive.


    ¡°Felix, has Sophia already eaten breakfast?¡± he asked.


    One of the cooks turned to Marcus and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not your highness.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Marcus decided to head to Sophia¡¯s cabin, thinking that perhaps she was just a heavy sleeper, but she wasn¡¯t there either.


    ¡°Hmm, where could he have gone to?¡± Marcus checked her cabin, but she wasn¡¯t there either. The only other place that he could think of was the upper deck.


    Sure enough, Marcus found Sophia meditating on the upper deck. She was facing east while surrounded in a watery green light. Now that the sun had risen, she chose to cultivate Mysterious Jade Power once more. It wasn¡¯t nearly as effective as Illusory Snow Dance, but it was still an extremely useful art.


    The moment he saw her, Marcus noticed that something was different. When he first met Sophia he had detected a faint air of uncertainty. That was gone now, replaced by an aura of confidence and strength. Somehow, he knew that last night, Sophia had made an important decision that would affect the rest of her life.


    ¡°Hey there Sophia!¡± Marcus called out.


    Noticing him for the first time, Sophia turned and smiled. ¡°Good morning Marcus.¡±


    Marcus felt himself freeze up for a moment. He didn¡¯t know why, but when Sophia smiled at him and said his name, he felt a strange tightening sensation in his chest.


    Seeing him standing there Sophia tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Marcus? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, nothing, nothing at all. I just wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Ceasing her cultivation, Sophia jumped up and ran inside.


    Huh, I wonder what that was, Marcus thought. Eventually though, he just shrugged and followed her inside, deciding not to think about it.


    ¡­


    East Dragon city was definitely a nation¡¯s capital, but South Sea city was a true metropolis. With its population at a whopping twelve million, even on Earth it would be considered one of the largest cities in the world.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia breathed, gazing below at the stylized arches and colorful domes from the airship¡¯s top deck. It was like looking at a microcosm of Albion itself. Countless cultures and styles from every corner of the continent and beyond had come together to create a beautiful tapestry the size of a city.


    ¡°South Sea city is one of the biggest centers of trade on the continent,¡± Marcus said, walking over to stand beside her. ¡°Over the centuries, countless people of varying backgrounds and ethnicities have come here to make their fortune. Most of them moved on, but some never left. As a result, you¡¯re unlikely to find a more diverse city anywhere in the world.¡±


    Sophia had to hand it to him, despite his complete lack of common sense, Marcus had still received a comprehensive education as the crown prince of a nation.


    ¡°What is it that makes South Sea city such an attractive place for merchants?¡± she asked.


    The prince thought for a moment, carefully composing his answer. ¡°Well, a big part of it has to do with its geography,¡± he explained. ¡°The city sits on the tip of Albion¡¯s south-east coast, making it a useful place for ships heading either east or south to stop and resupply.¡±


    ¡°But that only applies to seafaring ships. Airships wouldn¡¯t have any reason to come here at all.¡±


    Marcus wagged his finger like a teacher lecturing a student. ¡°Not necessarily, South Sea city is an important destination for airships as well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. You see, there are three more geographical features that make South Sea city vitally important. The first of which is the Golden Silk River that flows right through the middle of the city, cutting it in half.¡±


    The name Golden Silk River sounded vaguely familiar to Sophia. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Perhaps it was something that she had learned about during Lloyd¡¯s geography lessons.


    Suddenly comprehension dawned on her. ¡°Aha!¡± she shouted, ¡°I knew that I¡¯d heard that name somewhere before! The Golden Silk River was formed due to a convergence of several other major rivers that flow through a number of wealthy and powerful nations.¡±


    ¡°Precisely!¡± The prince was beaming. Clearly, he was happy to have someone other than dusty old scholars to discuss this with. ¡°The network of waterways that feed into the Golden Silk River stretches all the way up into the northern kingdoms. Sending goods by water is still safer and cheaper than sending them by land or air, so any merchant in eastern half of Albion wishing to expand on an international level will have to send his or her goods through South Sea city at some point.¡±


    Sophia nodded excitedly. ¡°I see, I see, the tariffs alone would be enough to rake in a fortune!¡± Her eyes glittered with undisguised greed. ¡°So what are the other two features?!¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Marcus was happy to see that Sophia was so enthusiastic about the subject, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was perhaps a little too enthusiastic. ¡°Well, the second feature is the city¡¯s proximity to the southern continent.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened for a moment. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± she sighed, slapping her forehead. All she needed to do was look at a map for it to become apparent. The southern continent was slightly to the south-east of Albion, so of course South Sea city would be an ideal location for foreign trade.


    ¡°All of those riches from the southern continent, all passing through one place. It would be stranger if this city didn¡¯t become obscenely wealthy.¡± Sophia had always held a certain degree of curiosity regarding the southern continent. However, she didn¡¯t know much about it aside from the fact that its people had darker skin than the people of Albion, much of its land was covered in jungles, grasslands, and deserts, and the continent had no formal name.


    ¡°It can be easy to forget about the southern continent,¡± Marcus consoled. ¡°After all, aside from merchants and diplomats, hardly anyone from there ever bothers to come to Albion.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I guess. So what¡¯s the third feature?¡± Sophia asked.


    Marcus grinned conspiratorially, ¡°why, South Sea academy of course!¡±


    Although, Sophia had easily understood what made the previous features significant after Marcus mentioned them, this last one left her baffled. Just what did South Sea academy have to do with South Sea city¡¯s prosperity?


    Marcus laughed when he saw Sophia¡¯s confused expression, and when she glared at him, he just laughed harder. ¡°A magic academy is basically a gathering place for genius magi,¡± he eventually explained. ¡°There¡¯s no better place to find high-quality elixirs and magic items. This city has had a close relationship with South Sea academy for centuries, to the point where its name was changed as a sign of respect.¡±


    Hmm, so that explains the awkward name, Sophia thought. I mean come on, South Sea city, try saying that five times fast!


    ¡­


    The airship had made good time, reaching South Sea city in only three days, and there was still a whole day to kill before the ship would arrive to take Marcus and Sophia to South Sea academy. So rather than staying cooped up in their private hanger, the two of them decided to explore the city.


    ¡°So, where would you like to go first?¡± Marcus asked. They were in the part of the city called the Gold District which was reserved for nobles and anyone with enough money to live like a noble. High-end shops and restaurants lined the tidy and uncongested streets with their wares on full display. Gardens and decorative fountains were strategically placed for the amusement of the wealthy and privileged. All in all, the entire district was basically a monument to excess and overindulgence.


    Sophia shrugged helplessly. ¡°This is only the second city that I¡¯ve ever been to. I¡¯ll just follow your lead if that¡¯s alright with you.¡± Frankly, she would¡¯ve preferred to leave as soon as possible. Just being in the Gold District made her feel uncomfortable


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s my first time here as well, so I think I¡¯ll just have our liaisons show us around.¡±


    East Dragon kingdom might be considered small by most major powers, but it was still a sovereign nation nonetheless. As its crown prince, Marcus would naturally be afforded a certain amount of courtesy by the mayor of South Sea city. As such, they had been provided with free accommodations as well as escorts to protect them and show them around the city.


    Sophia glanced at the two dangerous-looking men that had met them as soon as their airship touched down. Their faces seemed rather ordinary, but both of them emitted a terrifying aura that sent a chill down her spine.


    If they can pressure ME this much with their presence alone, then they¡¯re probably both Mortal Soul Practitioners. The only alternative explanation would be that their foundation was superior to hers which was unlikely. Only supreme geniuses would be able to advance their Spirit Realm above the fourth tier, and there¡¯s no way that anyone like that would be serving as a simple escort.


    One of the two men thinly smiled in a way that almost looked like a sneer. ¡°Your Highness, our city has many interesting things to see. We¡¯d be honored to show you around.¡±


    Oh boy, Sophia thought to herself, this is going to be a long day.


    ¡­


    At first, Sophia insisted that the attractions of the Gold District would hold no interest to her, but as the escorts took her and Marcus to unique stores, lavish art galleries, and fascinating museum exhibits, she had to admit that she was actually having a pretty good time.


    ¡°I never would have imagined that they¡¯d have one of the lost masterpieces of Charles Abbot!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the museum has an entire wing dedicated to cultures from the southern continent! I definitely have to go there someday!¡±


    Marcus and Sophia were taking a break from their sightseeing to enjoy a late lunch in one of the Gold District¡¯s famous cafes. Marcus praised the meal, but Sophia still thought that her mother¡¯s cooking was better.


    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯ve enjoyed your time spent in our fair city,¡± one of the escorts said.


    For a moment one of Sophia¡¯s eyebrows twitched. The escorts had ignored her all day. Even when they did answer her questions, they did so to Marcus, treating her like an extension of the prince. It¡¯s like they think that I¡¯m his attendant or something! Hmph! I wonder how they would react if they knew that my innate potential was even higher than his!


    Mortal Soul Practitioners were definitely stronger than Foundation stage Disciples, but that didn¡¯t necessarily make them special. In truth, forming a Nescient Soul wasn¡¯t really that hard, anyone with enough Spiritual Energy would be able to do it, however a practitioner¡¯s future advancement would depend on the quality of the Spirit Realm they formed as a Disciple. Therefore, to most major powers a Disciple with a tier four Spirit Realm would be infinitely more valuable than a Practitioner with a tier six or seven Spirit Realm.


    Marcus noticed Sophia¡¯s frustration earlier and pulled her aside. ¡°I know that you¡¯re frustrated by the way that they treat you,¡± he whispered, ¡°but remember that they work for the mayor of South Sea city. If we offend him, he could make our lives very difficult.¡±


    In truth, they didn¡¯t treat the prince much better. Although their words were never overtly disrespectful, they somehow managed to make everything they said sound condescending.


    Sophia nearly cursed out loud. The fact that a pair lowly escorts could afford to be rude to a prince showed just how weak East Dragon kingdom was compared to the other major powers. I swear, one of these days I¡¯m going to come back here and teach these arrogant shits a lesson!


    ¡°Your Highness, would you care to visit the South Sea auction house?¡± The other escort asked once they had left the cafe. ¡°Every month they hold a major event where they auction off countless treasures and oddities from around the world, and today just happens to be today.¡±


    The corner of the prince¡¯s mouth twitched, but otherwise, he showed no signs of being anything other than perfectly content. ¡°Why, that sounds lovely.¡±


    Hearing his agreement, the two escorts allowed a faint smirk to appear on their faces. They didn¡¯t think that the prince of a tiny nation would have the slightest chance of competing with Albion¡¯s most wealthy. They had only invited Marcus to watch him be humiliated.


    Haha, mock me while you can, Marcus thought, keeping his face perfectly neutral. We¡¯ll see who has the last laugh!


    ¡­


    The two escorts showed Marcus and Sophia the way to the South Sea auction house, not that they could have missed it. It was easily the largest building in the Gold District and was visible from several blocks away.


    When they stepped through the front entrance, Sophia found herself¡­ disappointed. Oh, it was a magnificent building to be sure. But at this point, it just felt hollow. After all, anyone with enough money to hire a half-decent magus could have a building designed as a work of art, but what was the point if it had no meaning?


    In the museum she had seen true masterpieces. Works so profound that, even after seeing them a thousand times, there would still be beauty to be discovered. In comparison, buildings like the auction house just felt¡­ tacky, cheap, and mass-produced.


    ¡°Greetings Your Highness.¡± One of the auction house¡¯s beautiful attendants approached Marcus and bowed in greeting. ¡°The mayor has arraigned a VIP room for you. Please, allow me to show you the way.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a moment,¡± Marcus interjected, ¡°I actually have a few items that I¡¯d like to put up for auction. I wonder if the South Sea auction house would be able to accommodate me.¡±


    For a moment the attendant gave Marcus an incredulous look. After all, what sort of items could a tiny prince possess that would be worthy of being sold in the prestigious South Sea auction house? She wanted to tell him to just give up and avoid embarrassing himself, but regardless of his status, Marcus was still a guest of the mayor, meaning that she had to give him at least a little face.


    ¡°I-I see. Well then, let me bring you to one of our auction house¡¯s elders so that your items can be apprised.¡± Outwardly she was respectful, but inwardly she was thinking if this prince wants to make a fool of himself, then I¡¯d might as well accommodate him. Who knows, it might be entertaining to watch.


    The attendant left for a few moments before returning and motioning for Marcus and Sophia to follow her. She led them down a side hallway and into a private room set aside for appraisals. Inside, there was a rather grumpy old man who seemed less than pleased to see them.


    ¡°Honored elder, this is Prince Marcus East.¡±


    The elder didn¡¯t seem particularly impressed by the introduction. He snorted coldly and held out his hand. ¡°Well, show me what you¡¯ve got. I¡¯ll decide if it¡¯s worth selling or not.¡±


    The old man was incredibly rude, but Sophia found herself admiring him just a little. At least he had the guts to say what he thought instead of putting on a mask of false respect and delivering thinly veiled insults.


    With a smile, Marcus wordlessly pulled out a storage ring and handed it over to the elder who examined it for a moment.


    Initially, the old man had a look of disdain, but as he sent his Spiritual Energy into the ring, his expression quickly shifted to surprise, then amazement, and finally, pale-faced shock.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± the elder stammered, ¡°the South Sea auction house would be honored to display your items!¡±


    ¡°W-What?!¡± The attendant was also baffled by the sudden reversal of the elder¡¯s attitude, but before she could say anything else the elder spoke to her using the Voiceless Spirit Transmission skill that belonged to those at the Mortal Soul rank and above.


    ¡°Say nothing!¡± he told her. ¡°From now on, the prince is to be treated as an honored guest of the South Sea auction house. Show him the same level of respect that you would me.¡±


    All of the blood drained from the attendant¡¯s face. How could this tiny prince possibly have something valuable enough to provoke such a reaction from the elder?! She wondered. Is this a sign that East Dragon kingdom is rising in power? For a moment she shivered. It¡¯s a good thing that I found out about this before I offended him! Thinking back to the two escorts from before, the attendant couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude. Those two idiots spent all day treating this rich prince like a common tourist! I can¡¯t wait to see the looks on their faces when they realize that they¡¯ve insulted someone that they shouldn¡¯t have!


    Pretending not to notice the unusual interaction between the two, Marcus continued smiling. ¡°I appreciate your help with this honored elder. Is it really ok for me to put my items up for sale in your South Sea auction house?¡±


    The elder laughed good-naturedly, like he was chatting with an old friend. ¡°Of course, of course your highness! The chance to display so many wonderful hidden treasures and natural oddities is our auction house¡¯s good fortune!¡±


    The two chatted and drank tea for a little while before Marcus excused himself so that he could watch the auction. The elder nodded happily and ordered the attendant to bring him to his VIP room.


    In the hallway, Sophia turned to Marcus and whispered franticly ¡°all right, spill it! What the hell was in that storage ring?!¡± Sophia had felt left out during the entire discussion. She had no idea that Marcus was so rich.


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    ¡°Heh-heh, this is all thanks to my Spirit Realm.¡± Marcus seemed quite pleased with himself as he reveled in his victory. ¡°You see, I have the tier five Spirit Realm Sunken Treasure Sea, which gives me an innate ability to locate treasures. In the past year since my Soul Delving, I¡¯ve spent almost every waking moment traveling all over Albion, hunting down hidden treasures and natural oddities. That storage ring that I gave to the elder contains my entire stash, with the exception of a few choice items that I¡¯ve kept for myself.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s jaw dropped, and she could only think of one word. Unfair! With such a ridiculous ability, Marcus was practically guaranteed to always have money. In just a year he amassed a treasure trove that could make even an elder of the South Sea auction house turn into a babbling sycophant. Sophia didn¡¯t even want to think about how wealthy he¡¯d be once his powers became more refined.


    Heh-heh, I¡¯ll definitely have to get him to buy me a few things in the future. Hmm, maybe I should seduce him once my body develops a little more, heh-heh-heh.


    Unfortunately, Marcus was far too busy gloating to notice Sophia¡¯s evil plans, and while the two of them were off in their own little worlds, the attendant led them back to their escorts who were waiting in the main lobby.


    Strictly speaking, the escorts should have followed them into their meeting with the elder, but they didn¡¯t really care enough to bother, and Marcus and Sophia were just glad for a chance to be rid of them for a moment.


    ¡°This way please.¡± The attendant gestured once again for Marcus, Sophia, and the escorts to follow her. For a moment the two men frowned. They could tell that the attendant¡¯s attitude had changed, but they didn¡¯t understand why. In the end though, they simply shrugged and followed her.


    The group was led up several flights of stairs before reaching a lavish and spacious room. The floor was covered in velvet carpet and several comfortable chairs were placed in the center for VIPs to relax in. What made the room odd though was the fact that the far wall was made from one enormous pane of glass. Looking through the window, one could see rows of seats leading up to a large and well-lit stage.


    ¡°This screen is a one-way window,¡± the attendant explained. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see everything, but anyone looking at us from the other side won¡¯t be able to see anything at all.¡±


    Marcus nodded in approval. ¡°A perfect way for guests to remain anonymous.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Some of these auctions can get rather heated so ¨C ah, it looks like things are about to get started.¡±


    Marcus and Sophia followed the attendant¡¯s line of sight and saw that a remarkably seductive woman had just walked out on stage. The attendant was rather pretty but this woman was in another league entirely. Her hair was long and silky, and her dress clung tightly to her body, outlining her hourglass figure. If one were to look into her eyes, they would discover a playfulness that dared others to approach her.


    Oh she¡¯s good, Sophia thought to herself. She hadn¡¯t been a girl for very long but she could already tell a skilled temptress when she saw one. Fortunately, Marcus was still too young to take interest is such things, but Sophia could hear the two escorts breathing heavily.


    ¡°That¡¯s Victoria,¡± the attendant explained. ¡°She¡¯s our most talented auctioneer. Whenever she goes on stage, we make way more of a profit than we usually do. Some people even attend just so that they can see her.¡±


    Everyone could detect clear admiration in the attendant¡¯s voice, along with a trace of envy.


    ¡°Welcome everyone!¡± Victoria called out, her voice magically amplified. ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you all could visit our auction house this evening.¡±


    Suddenly the entire crowd broke out into applause. Once they had calmed down, Victoria smiled and spoke once more.


    ¡°Now then, without further ado, let¡¯s bring out our first treasure!¡± Two men wheeled out a cart containing a small gourd that emanated a powerful magical aura. ¡°This is a Fresh Water Gourd that our auction house recently obtained from South Sea academy. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware, this gourd is able to gather the essence of water in order to produce an endless amount of fresh water. However! What you might not know is that this particular gourd is a prototype developed by a conclave disciple and is able to gather water essence at a rate five times faster than ordinary Fresh Water Gourds. In addition, the water that it produces has a minor purification effect, allowing it to cure lesser poisons and reinvigorate the body!¡±


    The crowd whispered anxiously to one another once she had finished introducing the item. Sophia wasn¡¯t particularly impressed by the treasure, but she could see why it might be valuable to others. Plus, she had to keep in mind that this was only the very first item. The later items would definitely be far more extraordinary.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s start the bidding at five hundred gold pieces!¡±


    When she heard the starting bid, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Five hundred gold pieces was more money than most of the people in her home town would make in their entire lives! And this was the starting bid for a measly Fresh Water Gourd? She didn¡¯t care what kind of extra features the gourd had, there¡¯s no way she could accept that anyone would be willing to pay five hundred gold pieces for it.


    However, immediately after the price was spoken, several people in the crowd started calling out bids. In seconds, the price of the gourd had risen from five hundred gold to over a thousand gold.


    Sophia was baffled. She turned to Marcus to ask what the hell was going on, but he seemed equally confused.


    The attendant couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at their expressions. ¡°Most of the people who attend the monthly auction only do so for fun,¡± she explained. ¡°They know that they can¡¯t actually compete with the VIPs, so instead they compete with each other on the first few items that they know the VIPs won¡¯t take interest in.¡±


    ¡°But why would they overpay for something that clearly isn¡¯t worth it?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of face,¡± Marcus said, finally figuring it out. ¡°To come to a place as prestigious as the South Sea auction house and not buy anything would be an embarrassment. So, even if they know that they¡¯re being ripped off, they¡¯ll still buy just to show that they can.¡±


    Sophia sneered as she looked down at the crowd. ¡°The petty arrogance of the rich. Well, at least we can use this to our advantage. If a simple Fresh Water Gourd can sell for over a thousand gold pieces, I can¡¯t wait to see what your treasures sell for!¡±


    The auction continued for hours, selling item after item at exorbitant prices. Occasionally, Marcus would point out the items that were his, and each time, the faces of the two escorts would become a little bit paler.


    Oh shit! One of the escorts thought to himself. We¡¯ve been mocking this tiny prince all day, but it turns out that he¡¯s actually super rich! Inwardly, he cursed the mayor for not telling him that this prince had so much wealth. Now he and his brother had gone and offended someone that they definitely couldn¡¯t afford to!


    Marcus and Sophia were so focused on the auction that they didn¡¯t even get to enjoy the humbling of their arrogant escorts. Marcus¡¯ wealth now had to be measured in millions of gold pieces. He could now definitely count himself amongst the ranks of the very rich.


    Surprisingly, the items that actually sold the best weren¡¯t the useful magic treasures, but rather, the natural oddities that didn¡¯t seem to serve any real purpose. For example, a magic sword that emanated a shocking aura of bloodlust sold for around two-hundred-fifty thousand gold, while an unusual crystal skull that glowed with different colors depending on who held it wound up selling for five-hundred thousand gold. It seemed baffling until the attendant explained.


    ¡°The people who attend these auctions have plenty of ways of getting manufactured magical treasures,¡± she said, ¡°and at far better prices too. What they¡¯re looking for are bizarre and unusual items that they can put on display and show off. In that respect, the crystal skull would definitely be more enticing than the magic sword.¡±


    Marcus and Sophia simply nodded. They were hardly going to complain about the eccentricities of the rich. In fact, this worked out rather well for them, because most of the treasures that Marcus put up for auction were precisely natural oddities like the crystal skull.


    Gradually, the auction house became quieter and quieter as the VIPs began bidding on the more valuable items.


    ¡°Alright honored guests,¡± Victoria said, positively glowing with joy, ¡°this will be our last item for the evening.¡± Clearly, this auction had been extremely profitable, and Victoria herself would likely make a sizeable profit.


    Hearing her words, the crowd leaned in, excited to see what the South Sea action house had saved for last. From the left side of the stage two burly men wheeled in¡­ a cage.


    When they saw the cage, everyone in the room gasped. Inside, there was what looked like a little girl. Her skin was smooth and pale, and her raven-black hair long and silky. But that wasn¡¯t what made everyone gasp, there was no shortage of beautiful people in Albion after all. No, what made the crowd gasp were the two delicate horns that curved back over the girl¡¯s head like an ornate headdress, the bat-like wings that extended from her back, and the thin pointed tail that protruded from the base of her spine.


    ¡°A demon!¡± Sophia whispered. She had heard rumors about the mysterious demon continent to the west. Supposedly, the beings that lived there had once waged a war against humanity, plunging the three continents into chaos. However, five hundred years ago the two sides had formed a ceasefire, and now humans and demons rarely interacted.


    Marcus and Sophia noticed a strange Spiritual Energy fluctuation behind them. Turning around, they saw that their escorts had turned completely red and their eyes gleamed with madness. Sophia curled her lip in disgust, but then she looked down at the crowd and noticed that all of the men seemed to be having similar reactions. Somehow, this demon girl had turned them all into wild beasts.


    Victoria seemed irritated that someone was getting more attention than her, but she was a professional so she continued with the auction. ¡°Ahem, gentlemen, I¡¯ll have to ask that you exercise some restraint. As you might have guessed, this girl is from the Succubus demon clan. She has a powerful innate ability to entrance men. Her combat ability is extremely low, but I think that you¡¯ll be able to find¡­ other uses for her, heh-heh.¡±


    Words cannot describe how furious Sophia was at that moment. The edicts of the Church of Light expressly forbid slavery, but apparently that protection didn¡¯t extend to demons.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bid five-hundred thousand gold pieces!¡± Someone from one of the VIP rooms didn¡¯t even wait for Victoria to set a minimum bid before calling out.


    ¡°Haha! You want to compete with me?! Six-hundred thousand!¡±


    ¡°Eight-hundred thousand! I¡¯d like to see who dares to out-bid this young master!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all embarrassing yourselves with such meager bids! One million!¡±


    One by one the VIPs cast their bids, their intentions clearly on display. In the cage, the young girl trembled at the sound of their lust-filled voices.


    Sophia turned to Marcus. ¡°Marcus, you have to buy her!¡± she said, panicking.


    For a moment Marcus looked at her askance. ¡°Sophia, I didn¡¯t think that you had those kinds of interests-


    ¡°That¡¯s not it you idiot! If we don¡¯t buy her, someone else will!¡±


    His eyes widened as he realized the implications of what she was saying. ¡°Sophia,¡± he began nervously, ¡°she¡¯s a demon-


    ¡°She¡¯s a child!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t even give him a chance to finish his sentence. ¡°Look at her Marcus! I mean, really look at her! This girl¡¯s no older than we are, and she¡¯s about to become somebody¡¯s sex slave! Can you really live with yourself knowing that you had the power to save her and chose to do nothing?!¡±


    Marcus thought about it for a moment before clenching his fists and shouting ¡°TEN MILLION!¡±


    Immediately, the room turned silent as everyone turned to stare at Marcus¡¯ VIP room. On stage, Victoria nearly started salivating. Ten million, this was way more than she expected, it seemed that a big fish had decided to step in.


    ¡°Marcus¡­¡±


    The prince turned to Sophia and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s the right thing to do. Besides, I originally came here so that I could make a massive bid and take back some face for my East Dragon kingdom. I¡¯ve already made almost one-hundred million gold pieces in this auction. I refuse to believe that anyone here can afford to throw away so much!¡±


    Sophia was elated. For someone like Marcus who could find one-hundred million gold pieces worth of treasure in just a year, money really didn¡¯t mean much. Even if he blew it all, he could easily earn it back! The other VIPs though, were wealthy merchants and important figures from powerful clans. They needed money in order to maintain their power and couldn¡¯t simply use it on a whim.


    Victoria was the first to snap out of her daze. ¡°We have ten million! Are there any higher bids?¡±


    The VIPs continued bidding, but Marcus would casually outbid them every time.


    ¡°Holy crap! Just who is this guy?!¡±


    ¡°He sounds so young!¡±


    ¡°I wonder which major power he¡¯s from.¡±


    ¡°Heh-heh, it looks like we¡¯ll be treated to a good show this time!¡±


    Various conversations broke out amongst the crowd as they watched the price go higher and higher. They actually rather enjoyed seeing the arrogant VIPs get shown up by someone else for a change.


    ¡°Twenty-five-million!¡± An enraged voice called out from one of the VIP rooms. This was the only person who still dared to bet against Marcus. All of the others had already dropped out, deciding that a succubus just wasn¡¯t worth such a ridiculous price.


    ¡°Who is that person who¡¯s still betting?¡±


    ¡°That voice, it sounds like the mayor¡¯s eldest son!¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, of course it¡¯d be him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the mayor¡¯s son is a vile lecher who enjoys taking beautiful women and discarding them once he¡¯s had his fun!¡±


    Hmm, it would seem that the mayor¡¯s son isn¡¯t very well liked. Listening to the gossip, Sophia could only shake her head. She was already at the point where she couldn¡¯t be any more furious or disgusted.


    ¡°Marcus is this how it¡¯s like everywhere?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°Powerful people using their wealth and influence to do whatever the hell they want, regardless of who gets hurt?¡± Her former world might not have been full of rainbows and unicorns, but at least people had to go through the trouble of hiding their misdeeds. Here, the laws could only protect you if you had the money to pay for them to.


    ¡°Sophia, there are still good people in this world,¡± Marcus assured. ¡°Twenty-six-million!¡±


    ¡°Bastard! Get out here and show your face! See how this young master will take care of you!¡±


    Marcus only chuckled at the young man¡¯s threats. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m simply being foolish and immature, but it was my understanding that, at the South Sea auction house, people let their gold do the talking!¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, well said!¡±


    ¡°It looks like the little mayor doesn¡¯t even know the basics about how an auction works!¡±


    In his VIP room, the mayor¡¯s eldest son was clenching his fists so tightly that blood was seeping out. These bastards never have the guts to say anything to my face! He seethed. They¡¯re just sheep following the leader! ¡°Thirty-million!¡±


    ¡°Young master,¡± one of his servants whispered, ¡°that¡¯s well over the amount that your father permitted you to spend.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± He backhanded the servant so hard that his neck snapped, killing him instantly. ¡°I refuse to let someone else take something that I¡¯ve set my eye on!¡±


    ¡°Fifty-million.¡± Unlike the mayor¡¯s son, Marcus was completely calm.


    Once again, the audience fell completely silent as Marcus nearly doubled his bid without the slightest hesitation.


    Sophia could barely keep her laughter contained. Watching Marcus bully this pompous asshole is just way to entertaining! I bet that he¡¯s angry enough to start spitting up blood!


    In his VIP room the mayor¡¯s son was completely pale-faced. He just couldn¡¯t imagine anyone throwing away fifty-million gold pieces for a succubus. He knew that he couldn¡¯t compete anymore, but his pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to back down. Before he could open his mouth to shout another bid though, one of his guards placed a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Young master, if you go any farther than this, your father will definitely punish you severely.¡±


    The mayor¡¯s son gritted his teeth, but he knew that there was nothing he could do. ¡°Fine!¡± he shouted. ¡°Since you¡¯re so adamant on having this little bitch, this young master will be merciful!¡±


    His words sounded pretentious, but everyone could tell that they were just a desperate attempt to salvage what was left of his face.


    ¡°Marcus, you did it!¡± Sophia was so excited that she jumped up and hugged the young prince before immediately stepping back. ¡°Er, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, it¡¯s fine.¡± Marcus¡¯ hands were jittering. What a rush! He thought to himself. Rumors of how the prince of East Dragon kingdom outbid all the major powers of South Sea city would probably persist for months to come. That should show everyone that my East Dragon kingdom can¡¯t be bullied so easily!

 Chapter Eleven

    Sorry guys, some RL stuff caused this chapter to be delayed. I''ll try to be on time with the next chapter.


    With the auction concluded, the attendant led Marcus and Sophia to a waiting room so that they could claim their prize. Inside, there were two men and two women, all of whom radiated strength and power.


    ¡°Your highness, our South Sea auction house will provide your protection from now on,¡± one of the men said.


    It would seem that these four would be Marcus¡¯ new escorts. After offending the eldest son of the mayor, of course there was no way that Marcus and Sophia could continue to rely on the mayor¡¯s guards. So Marcus dismissed them, and in truth, they seemed rather happy to leave.


    ¡°Marcus, I¡¯ve been wondering about this for a while now. Why didn¡¯t you bring any of your own guards?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°Surely your father could have sent a few Mortal Soul Practitioners with you.¡±


    Marcus simply turned to her and grinned. ¡°What makes you think that he didn¡¯t?¡±


    Sophia suddenly felt the slightest trace of a bone-chilling aura that sent shivers down her spine. So that¡¯s how it is, she thought. Of course the crown prince of a nation would have some sort of protection, but instead of sending a bunch of flashy soldiers, the king sent a hidden expert who specializes in stealth!


    She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle inwardly. The escorts had been mocking the prince all day, not the least bit aware that they had a knife to their throats the entire time!


    ¡­


    The attendant called for a few servants bring in tea and snacks while they waited. In the meantime, Marcus and Sophia chatted with their new escorts.


    They were delighted to find that these escorts were far more pleasant than the last ones. They were always respectful and treated Sophia with the same level of courtesy as Marcus.


    ¡°Ha-ha-ha, it was brilliant the way that you put that bastard in his place, your highness,¡± laughed one of the female escorts. ¡°It¡¯s about time that somebody took that arrogant little shit down a notch!¡±


    Marcus grinned a little. ¡°It was rather enjoyable,¡± he admitted. ¡°Although, I hope that this doesn¡¯t create too many problems further down the road.¡±


    One of the men waved his hand dismissively. ¡°The mayor isn¡¯t nearly as powerful as he¡¯d like to believe. You two are about to become disciples of South Sea academy. There¡¯s no way that he¡¯d be willing to risk offending them just to satisfy a grudge for his idiot son.¡±


    The other female guard chuckled lightly. ¡°In truth, the mayor¡¯s eldest son is something of an embarrassment,¡± she added. ¡°Despite all of the resources that his father provided, he turned out to be such a failure that he couldn¡¯t even cut it as an outer disciple.¡±


    ¡°Outer disciple?¡± Sophia turned to Marcus for an explanation.


    ¡°Sophia, people who attend a magus academy are divided into outer disciples, inner disciples, and conclave disciples. Outer disciples are basically just regular students. Anybody can become one as long as they have enough money or talent, but they don¡¯t really have any connection to the academy itself and will only be permitted to learn the most basic spells and techniques. Inner disciples on the other hand receive the full support of the academy. They¡¯ll have access to superior spells, treasures, and resources, and the academy will often intercede on their behalf. Basically, an academy won¡¯t really care much about outer disciples, but offend an inner disciple and you offend the academy itself!¡±


    Sophia spent a moment processing Marcus¡¯ words. So as long as I can become an inner disciple, I won¡¯t need to worry about exposing my Vast Ocean Spirit Realm.


    ¡°What about conclave disciples?¡± she asked after a while.


    As soon as she said it, Marcus and the four guards got a dreamy look in their eyes.


    ¡°Conclave disciples are the elites,¡± Marcus said, ¡°the best of the best. They¡¯re the ones that an academy grooms to be the next generation leaders. They¡¯re the ones that, in the future, will have the best chance of becoming Heavenly Soul Grandmasters!¡±


    Sophia scratched her head for a moment before hesitantly asking ¡°is becoming a Heavenly Soul Grandmaster really that hard?¡±


    Everyone in the room suddenly looked at her like she was an idiot.


    ¡°Sophia, becoming a Heavenly Soul Grandmaster is ridiculously difficult! Only a few ever appear in each generation, and each one is a legendary genius, without exception!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Sophia decided that she¡¯d definitely need to learn more about Heavenly Soul Grandmasters once she reached South Sea academy.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± A voice from the doorway drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    A servant entered the room with the succubus girl in tow. She was even more alluring up close, causing the two male bodyguards to turn red. To their credit though, they showed no other signs of being influenced, at least proving that they possessed more self-control than the mayor¡¯s guards.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The servant bowed to Marcus and held out a jade slip. ¡°Your highness, the demon has been marked with a slave crest. This jade slip contains the other half of the crest which will allow you to control her. All you need to do is bind it with your Spiritual Energy and the crest will be transferred to you.¡±


    Marcus shook his head and gestured to Sophia. ¡°He¡¯ll be this demon¡¯s master.¡±


    The servant looked at Marcus strangely for a moment before nodding and handing the jade slip over to Sophia.


    ¡°Marcus, are you sure about this?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°You paid a lot of money for her after all.¡±


    Marcus just laughed and waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Ha-ha, I only bought her to satisfy my conscience and to throw my weight around a little. Besides, it¡¯s about time that you got a few servants of your own.¡±


    Sophia smiled and decided not to argue anymore. In truth, this was the outcome that she had hoped for. Although Marcus was too young to have any interest in women now, once he reaches adolescence there¡¯s no way that he¡¯d be able to resist the charms of a succubus.


    Sophia took the jade slip and infused some of her Spiritual Energy. Almost instantaneously, a magical diagram appeared on the back of Sophia¡¯s hand, linking her soul to the soul of the succubus. She could tell that, with a flick of her thoughts, she could punish or even kill the demon on a whim. It made her feel¡­ dirty.


    Ugh, I¡¯m getting rid of this thing as soon as I can! Sophia found the very idea of having so much control over another living being abhorrent. Even on Earth, slavery had never been maintained through such insidious means.


    The succubus still trembled slightly, but her eyes showed a trace of relief. She was actually relieved to have Sophia as her master. Sophia didn¡¯t want to judge other cultures for their customs, but this whole situation felt so fundamentally wrong that she decided to add eliminating slavery to her ever-growing to-do list.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Sophia asked the succubus.


    ¡°My name is Evangeline, my lady,¡± the succubus said dipping into a graceful curtsy. ¡°If it displeases you, you may call me whatever you wish.¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°Your name is a precious gift from your parents. You should treasure it.¡±


    Evangeline curtsied again. ¡°As you say, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Um, Evangeline,¡± Marcus interjected, ¡°although Sophia has a feminine name, he¡¯s actually a boy. So it isn¡¯t appropriate to refer to him as ¡®my lady.¡¯¡±


    In an instant, the room went silent.


    ¡­oh crap, Sophia thought. I didn¡¯t really want him to find out this way, but I guess the jig is up.


    ¡°Sophia?¡± Marcus turned to her in confusion. Everyone was staring at him as if there was something wrong with his brain. Clearly, there was some kind of misunderstanding, and he was waiting for her to clear it up. But Sophia simply stood there and said nothing.


    Eventually¡­ ¡°Pfft! Pahahaha!¡± Sophia burst out laughing. ¡°Oh man! You should see the look on your face! PRICELESS! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± Marcus was even more confused than before. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    ¡°Whew,¡± Sophia finally calmed down and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. ¡°Oh come on Marcus. Did you really think that I was actually a boy? I mean, my name is Sophia! Of course I¡¯m a girl!¡±


    ¡°W-Wha?!¡± Marcus was reduced to stuttering. ¡°B-But, you t-told me that story! The one about your mom-


    ¡°I totally made that up!¡±


    The big reveal was going even better than Sophia had hoped. Marcus was completely dazed and confused. We¡¯ll be laughing about this for years to come! She thought.


    "..."


    "..."


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What do you-


    ¡°WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!?¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Sophia had anticipated a number of reactions to her little prank, but outright rage wasn¡¯t one of them.


    ¡°Marcus¡­ Are you angry at me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right I¡¯m angry! You lied to me!¡±


    Now Sophia was a little frightened. This kind of response was completely outside of her expectations.


    ¡°B-But Marcus, it was just a harmless prank!¡±


    ¡°Harmless!?¡± Marcus didn¡¯t calm down. If anything, he became even more enraged. ¡°All this time I¡¯ve been treating you like a boy! I can¡¯t even imagine how foolish I must have looked! Now, after all of my attempts to improve the standing of my kingdom, I¡¯ll only be remembered as the idiot prince who can¡¯t even tell the difference between a boy and a girl!¡±


    After the prince¡¯s tirade, the room descended into an uncomfortable silence. The servants and guards weren¡¯t sure whether they should say something or just leave quietly.


    ¡°I see.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned frosty. The temperature of the air in the room also dropped a few degrees, mirroring her temperament. ¡°So, in the end your precious face is more valuable than our friendship. That is, if the noble prince can deign to befriend a common GIRL in the first place.¡±


    Sophia turned to leave, stopping only once to say ¡°I honestly thought that you were better than this.¡±


    ¡­


    Sophia walked through the city¡¯s Gold District in a daze. At first she had been angry, silently cursing Marcus for his arrogance and stupidity, but eventually her rage burned itself out, leaving her feeling hollow.


    After a few hours of wandering around aimlessly, Sophia found herself back at the private hanger where Marcus¡¯ airship was parked. Although she had only spent a few days on board, it had already become a familiar place to her.


    Ignoring the bewildered crew, she walked straight to her cabin, threw herself onto her bed, and buried her face in her pillow.


    ¡°Ah, I really screwed up this time, didn¡¯t I?¡± she asked to no one in particular.


    ¡°Um, my lady?¡±


    Surprised, Sophia turned her head to find Evangeline standing awkwardly by her bedside. Somehow, the succubus must have followed her without her even realizing it.


    ¡°Please, forgive me my lady!¡± she pleaded, ¡°I¡¯ve said something that I shouldn¡¯t have! I¡¯ll accept any punishment!¡±


    Sophia was shocked. Evangeline must have thought that Sophia was angry with her for exposing the fact that she was a girl.


    Sophia grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± she said. ¡°These are the consequences of my actions. From the start, Marcus treated me like a true friend, completely ignoring the differences between our stations, and in return I deceived him with a cruel trick.¡±


    Looking at the mark on her hand that connected her to Evangeline, Sophia inserted some Spiritual Energy, and the link instantly dissolved. She already felt crappy enough without the slave crest weighing on her mind.


    ¡°You¡¯re free now,¡± she said to the succubus. At least I can do one good thing today.


    Far from Sophia¡¯s expectations, rather than being grateful, Evangeline turned pale and dropped to her knees.


    ¡°Please my lady!¡± she begged. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything! Please don¡¯t abandon me!¡±


    ¡°B-But you¡¯re free,¡± Sophia stammered. ¡°You can do whatever you want now.¡±


    The succubus smiled bitterly. ¡°Free?¡± she scoffed. ¡°Freedom is a privilege that my kind aren¡¯t allowed.¡±


    Those few words contained more grief and resentment than one child should be able to have.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Sophia asked.


    For a moment Evangeline bit her lip, as if uncertain of where to begin. Eventually, she opened up and told Sophia of her race¡¯s long history of suffering and humiliation.


    ¡°I am a succubus,¡± she began. ¡°As you know, my people have an innate ability to charm men, whether we want to or not, but our combat ability is one of the lowest out of all of the demon races. As a result, almost all of us end up as slaves, forced to use our abilities to pleasure more powerful demons.¡±


    Evangeline paused for a few seconds before continuing. ¡°My mother was fortunate enough to become the favorite concubine of a high-ranking general, so at the very least, she didn¡¯t have to live like a common whore. However, about a year ago she found out that her master was planning on giving me as a gift to one of his friends. This friend had a reputation for being cruel and perverse, so she decided to risk it all and escape.¡±


    Tears began to stream down Evangeline¡¯s face. ¡°We should have known better! The general sent his troops to hunt us down, and my mother distracted them in order to give me a chance to escape!¡±


    In her mind, Evangeline could still see the faces of her pursuers, their eyes shining with lust. The general had likely told them that they could do whatever they wanted with Evangeline and her mother once they captured them. The memory of what couldn¡¯t have happened to her, of what probably did happen to her mother, made her tremble.


    Finally, Sophia couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pulled Evangeline into a hug. She didn¡¯t know what to say. What could she say? Some humans were born with greater talent than others, but none of them were destined for servitude just by being what they were. So she simply held the girl who wept the tears of an entire race, one oppressed for so long that the very idea of freedom had long since become a myth.


    After some time, Evangeline managed to pull herself together and looked Sophia in the eye.


    ¡°When I was caught by humans, I thought that it was over for me,¡± she said, ¡°but with you as my master, I have a chance! Even if I can never be free, I can at least try to live my life with some dignity! That way, the chance that my mother gave me won¡¯t be wasted!¡±


    Sophia was moved by the girl¡¯s determination. ¡°Very well,¡± she said, ¡°but you won¡¯t be my slave. I despise slavery, so you will be my servant. You are still free and will be able to go your own way whenever you wish. Deal?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Evangeline agreed instantly.


    ¡°Good! Now, I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m exhausted.¡± Sophia suddenly plopped back down in her bed, rolled over to one side, and pulled the covers up.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.¡°Well, what are you waiting for?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Oh! My lady, I couldn¡¯t possibly-


    ¡°Pah! Nonsense!¡± Sophia pulled back the covers and patted the other side of the bed. Her expression left no room for argument. ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted to take on a poor common girl as your master. That means putting up with a few inconveniences!¡±


    Sophia narrowed her eyes. ¡°Unless you think that my bed¡¯s not good enough for you?¡±


    ¡°N-No! That¡¯s not-


    ¡°Yay!¡± Without listening any further, Sophia pulled Evangeline into the bed next to her and promptly fell asleep.


    Looking at her master¡¯s now-sleeping face, Evangeline felt a wellspring of emotions rise up inside of her. Mother, if only you could see me now, she thought. I won¡¯t let this chance that you¡¯ve given me go to waste! I promise!


    ¡­


    After Sophia¡¯s departure, Marcus silently made his way to his new hostel room provided by the South Sea auction house.


    Damn that Sophia! How dare she trick me! In his entire life, no one had ever played such a prank on him. He was a prince after all. Foreign powers might look down on him or mock him, but he had never expected a commoner to humiliate him in such a way.


    The four guards followed him closely, but they didn¡¯t dare to interrupt his ruminating. There was no telling what could send the young prince into another rage.


    Before long, they reached the very upscale establishment that the South Sea auction house had arraigned, but Marcus didn¡¯t even stop to notice the elaborate artwork or expensive decorations. He just went straight to his room.


    After opening the door he turned to his escorts. ¡°Remain outside,¡± he said.


    ¡°Your highness, we-


    Before the Mortal Soul Practitioner could even finish speaking, Marcus slammed the door shut.


    ¡°*Sigh* well, I guess he IS only a child.¡±


    ¡­


    Inside the room, Marcus paced back and forth furiously. Sophia¡¯s last words kept reappearing, unbidden in his mind. ¡°I honestly thought that you were better than this.¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± he cursed slamming his fist into the wall. ¡°Who the hell does she think she is!?¡±


    ¡°Your highness¡­¡±


    Marcus turned around to find a man dressed entirely in black standing behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± he shouted, clutching his chest. ¡°You know I hate it when you sneak up on me!¡±


    The man chuckled softly. ¡°Forgive me your highness, force of habit.¡±


    Marcus frowned. He was in no mood for jokes. ¡°Why have you appeared Gregory? I thought that you were supposed to protect me from the shadows until the masters from South Sea academy arrived.¡±


    ¡°That is true, your highness. However, as someone who has looked after you since you were a baby, I felt that I should offer you some advice.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Marcus said, gritting his teeth. ¡°You think that I should apologies to Sophia.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°But she humiliated me!¡±


    ¡°With all due respect your highness, you humiliated yourself.¡±


    Marcus was rendered speechless. He never expected that Gregory, his father¡¯s most trusted servant, would actually reprimand him this way.


    ¡°Your highness, if I honestly believed that Sophia¡¯s prank posed a legitimate threat to your reputation, I would have stopped it. Her trick might have been embarrassing, but your explosive overreaction to it was the biggest harm to your face. Had you simply laughed it off, no one would have even bothered to remember it. Now, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ve made yourself look, not just like a fool, but like a petulant child.¡±


    Marcus trembled for a moment before collapsing into a chair. He wanted to deny it, but deep down he knew that Gregory was right, and that¡¯s what hurt the most.


    ¡°Damn it. I¡¯ve really screwed up this time. My first real friend, and I made her hate me.¡±


    Gregory smiled softly. ¡°Your highness, all friendships have their rough patches. If she¡¯s really a friend worth having, then I know that you¡¯ll be able to work things out.¡±


    Marcus nodded slowly. ¡°I think you¡¯re right Gregory. I¡¯ll go speak with her tomorrow morning, after we¡¯ve both had a chance to calm down.¡±


    ¡°An excellent idea your highness.¡±


    ¡°By the way Gregory, did you know from the very beginning that she was a girl?¡±


    ¡°Of course your highness. It was quite obvious.¡±


    ¡°And nobody bothered to tell me because¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it was just so amusing to watch you bumble about that we couldn¡¯t bring ourselves to spoil the ruse.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Good night Gregory.¡±


    ¡°Good night your highness.¡±


    Gregory faded back into the shadows with a grin as Marcus readied himself for bed. Oh your majesty, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ve sent your son to tame a kitten without realizing that it was actually a tiger cub! Fufufu, it looks as though the next few years are going to be very interesting!

 Chapter Thirteen

    Hey guys. Sorry about the delay. I''ve had a major case of writers block. Plus, I''ve started working on a new project that you might see in the near future. In any case, here''s chapter thirteen.


    Sophia awoke to find Evangeline clinging to her like a baby koala. Even her tail had rapped itself around her legs.


    ¡°Er, Eva¡­¡± Sophia tried to peel her away, but when she tried, Evangeline simply clung tighter.


    ¡°Mn, don¡¯t go mommy¡­¡± she grumbled.


    And with that, Sophia¡¯s fate as a hug-pillow was sealed. She¡¯s just too adorable! Sophia squealed inwardly. It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock, and the ship heading to South Sea academy doesn¡¯t arrive until ten. It should be fine to let her sleep a little while longer.


    Finally, after about an hour, Evangeline started waking up on her own.


    ¡°Mn¡­Eh? EH?!¡± Before she had even finished rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Evangeline reeled backwards and tumbled off the bed.


    ¡°F-Forgivememylady!¡± she stammered while bowing repeatedly.


    ¡°Ha-ha, Eva, you really need to relax.¡±  Seeing her antics, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°If you start doing that in public people will think that I abuse you.¡±


    ¡°EH! Ah, right, eh-hem.¡± Evangeline tried to assume a proper posture befitting of a lady¡¯s maid, but with her tiny stature it only served to make her look comical.


    ¡°Ha-ha,¡± Sophia was suddenly possessed by the desire to dress the little succubus in various outfits like a life-sized doll. Wow! This girl really knows how to bring out the girl in me!


    ¡°Alright Eva, we¡¯d better get ready to go, and remind me to stop somewhere and get you some real clothes.¡± Evangeline was still wearing the same rough dress from the auction house, which was unacceptable for someone who was going to be Sophia¡¯s servant.


    ¡­


    Sophia had nearly forgotten about her fight with Marcus the previous day, but when she stepped out the airship and found him waiting for her, it all came rushing back.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Sophia knew that she had to apologize. Her pride rebelled against the notion, but fixing her relationship with Marcus was more important.


    The two gradually began moving towards each other, neither one capable of looking the other in the eye. When they were about a meter apart they stopped and simply stood there.


    Eventually¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    The two of them spoke at the same time and completely mirrored each other.


    ¡°Wait, why are you sorry?¡± Marcus asked, bewildered.


    ¡°Eh, well,¡± Sophia fidgeted a bit before answering, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have played such a cruel prank on you. You made an honest effort to be my friend, and I repaid you with lies.¡±


    Marcus shook his head in denial. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m the one who should apologize! I¡¯m not used to being tricked, so I blew everything way out of proportion! Sophia, will you forgive me?¡±


    Sophia folded her arms stubbornly. ¡°Only if you forgive me first!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a moment the two of them just stood there, staring at each other.


    ¡°¡­Pfft!¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha-ha!¡±


    Suddenly, they both burst out laughing. ¡°Aha, alright then,¡± Marcus said, wiping a tear from his eye, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll both have to agree to forgive each other then!¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡±


    From the shadows, Gregory smiled as Marcus made amends with Sophia. Well done, your highness!


    ¡­


    ¡°Sophia, I have to ask. Why do you dress like a boy anyway?¡±


    Marcus, Sophia, Evangeline, and the four escorts had just stepped out of a high end clothing store. There, they had purchased some new clothes for Evangeline, which Marcus insisted on paying for.


    Once the new clothes were acquired, Sophia immediately insisted on destroying the rough dress that had been provided by the auction house. Evangeline now wore a black dress that almost reached down to her knees and left the back exposed. This way, the movement of her wings wouldn¡¯t be restricted. Unfortunately, the new attire made her even more noticeable, causing the eyes of several passersby to shine with lust.


    Sophia¡¯s lip curled in disgust. ¡°Wow Eva, you look really pretty!¡± she said, rather conspicuously. ¡°I sure hope that some sick, child molesting pervert doesn¡¯t try to cause any trouble, OTHERWISE OUR FOUR, HIGHLY TRAINED GUARDS MIGHT HAVE TO KILL THEM!¡±


    The bystanders quickly made themselves scarce, their faces turning red with shame.


    ¡°Hmph! Creeps!¡± Sophia scoffed. ¡°So, what were you asking, Marcus?¡±


    ¡°Um, I was just wondering why you dress like a boy. If you had been wearing girl¡¯s clothes when we first met, I never would have gotten so confused.¡±


    For a moment, Sophia smirked faintly. ¡°Boys wear pants and girls wear dresses, that¡¯s the common wisdom, is it not? However, I don¡¯t recall ever agreeing to such a distinction! I wear what I like, and if that leads to people making false assumptions¡­ Well, that¡¯s not really my problem, now is it?!¡±


    How arrogant! Marcus thought to himself. This girl doesn¡¯t care about social conventions in the slightest! Marcus found himself admiring Sophia¡¯s determination and free spirit. It wasn¡¯t easy to say one thing when the whole world was saying something else.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Sophia¡¯s shout snapped Marcus out of his daze. She was already a few meters away with Evangeline, waiting for him to catch up.


    ¡°Ok! Be right there!¡±


    ¡­


    Sophia¡¯s group took a ferry from the Gold District down the river and into the city¡¯s Harbor District. This was where South Sea Academy would be arriving to collect their new students.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see why we couldn¡¯t have just walked there,¡± Sophia pouted as she leaned over the railing. The rest of South Sea city looked like so much fun with shops and vendors selling things from every corner of the three continents. Occasionally, the breeze would carry the scent of strange and exotic food from nearby restaurants. In short, it looked like a party that she wasn¡¯t invited to.


    ¡°Sophia,¡± Marcus sighed, ¡°there just isn¡¯t enough time. It would take days to see just a fraction of everything that South Sea city has to offer.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t seem satisfied. If anything, she pouted even more.


    ¡°*Sigh* Look, once the semester ends, I¡¯ll bring you back to take a look at the rest of the city. Okay?¡±


    ¡°You mean it!¡± Sophia¡¯s attitude took such an abrupt one-eighty that it should¡¯ve given her whiplash. ¡°Heh-heh, you promised! And I¡¯ll be expecting you to buy me lots of souvenirs Mr. Moneybags!¡±


    Marcus could only gape at her for a moment. What just happened? He thought to himself.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    From his hiding place, Gregory could barely contain his laughter. ¡°She just played you like a fiddle, your highness,¡± he transmitted using his Spiritual Energy. ¡°How did you ever think that this girl was a boy?¡±


    Marcus chuckled and didn¡¯t say anything. He had a strange feeling that someday Sophia was going to make his life a lot more complicated.


    ¡­


    When they arrived at the appropriate dock. Sophia was stunned to find that there were hundreds of kids already waiting, accompanied by various servants. Here and there figures could be seen wearing matching uniforms marked with the South Sea Academy crest, a chain of seven islands over a blue background.


    ¡°Your highness, Ms. Sophia, I¡¯m afraid that this is as far as we go.¡± The guards from the South Sea Auction House were only supposed to deliver them to the rendezvous point. From there, South Sea Academy would see to their protection.


    Marcus and Sophia said their goodbyes and wandered over to join the rest of the new students, followed secretly by Gregory and not-so-secretly by Evangeline.


    ¡°Sophia, from here on out we¡¯ll have to be careful about what we say and do,¡± Marcus warned. ¡°South Sea Academy is one of the highest ranked schools in all of Albion. There are people here from factions that could make our East Dragon kingdom vanish with a single word.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Sophia was flabbergasted. She knew that East Dragon kingdom was a fairly small and weak nation, but she never would have imagined that its position would be so precarious. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do my best to keep my head down.¡±


    While they waited for the representatives from South Sea Academy, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but notice that her fellow new students had already begun to group themselves according to their social status as they mingled about.


    On the periphery you had the children of merchants and lesser nobles who seemed content to laugh and play like normal children. Further in you had your players, the ones who¡¯ve been trained since birth to cozy up to the rich and powerful in order to better their own standing. At the very front of the pack though, separated from the rest as if by an invisible barrier, you had the real movers and shakers. Heirs to multinational conglomerates, princes of vast empires, and young masters from ancient and mysterious clans, these lofty figures existed in a world of their own that the unwashed masses could never hope to touch.


    Sophia found it a bit unnerving to see such young children behaving like slimy diplomats and pompous billionaires. Ugh, these kids are creepy! I think I¡¯ll stay as far away from them as possible!


    Turning to Marcus, Sophia found that he hadn¡¯t taken a single step towards the high-ranking noble kids. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Aren¡¯t you going to rub elbows with the rich and powerful?¡±


    Marcus could only chuckle and shake his head bitterly. ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be any point. My status as prince of East Dragon means nothing to these people. If I want their respect, I¡¯ll have to earn it myself.¡±


    ¡°HA-HA, WELL SAID!¡±


    The unexpected sound of an unfamiliar voice startled the two. Turning around they saw that the speaker was a boy with messy, bright-orange hair and a crooked grin.


    ¡°Heh, sorry about that. I didn¡¯t mean to eaves drop, but I couldn¡¯t help but overhear your conversation.¡± The boy apologized without really sounding sorry and held out his hand for an introduction. ¡°I¡¯m Connor Sparks.¡±


    Marcus and Sophia were still reeling a little bit from this fellow¡¯s abrupt entrance, but fortunately their sense of decorum took over.


    ¡°Marcus East, but please just call me Marcus.¡±


    ¡°Sophia. It¡¯s¡­ nice to meet you?¡±


    ¡°HA-HA, good! Now we¡¯ve all introduced ourselves! That makes us friends!¡±


    Sophia was having trouble keeping up with this loud boy¡¯s pace. His surname marked him as a member of a clan with at least some heritage, but his rough appearance and boisterous attitude wasn¡¯t the least bit in line with what was expected of the aristocracy.


    ¡°Wait, did you just say that your name was Sparks?!¡± Marcus seemed to recognize the boy¡¯s clan.


    ¡°Marcus, do you know him?¡±


    Marcus shook his head before answering. ¡°No, but I¡¯ve heard of his clan. The Sparks family has a heritage that¡¯s older than most countries. As I understand it, they¡¯re an ancient clan of blacksmiths whose ancestor was elevated to noble status by the first true king of the north.¡±


    Sophia gaped at the messy child as she considered the implications of what she just heard. The first true king of the north was a legendary figure who unified the chaotic northern reaches more than ten-thousand years ago. His dynasty ruled the north until a war of succession tore it apart, forming the current northern kingdoms. Very few clans could boast a legacy that old, and yet¡­


    ¡°Ha-ha, you¡¯re making me blush!¡± This boy didn¡¯t behave like a member of an ancient noble clan at all!


    ¡°By the way¡­¡± Suddenly the boy put his arm on Marcus¡¯ shoulder like they were old friends. ¡°I really respect that attitude of yours. There¡¯s nothing I hate more than seeing an arrogant prick get a swollen head just because his daddy has a fancy title!¡± Connor turned his head and spat on the ground as if it was the head of an arrogant noble. ¡°It¡¯s like my old man always says! ¡®A real man doesn¡¯t borrow another man¡¯s face!¡¯¡±


    Sophia felt herself chuckle faintly. This Connor didn¡¯t seem to have a filter, he just said whatever he wanted without a care for who he might offend. This definitely wasn¡¯t a good strategy for navigating the world of the nobility, but Sophia couldn¡¯t help but admire his way of doing things.


    Marcus also found himself smiling at Connor¡¯s antics. He had never met anyone who was so unapologetically genuine. ¡°So Connor, what brings you to South Sea Academy?¡± he asked. ¡°It seems strange for someone from the Sparks clan to be so far south.¡±


    Connor scratched his head awkwardly before answering. ¡°Well¡­ truth be told, my family sent me here to get me away from their troubles.¡±


    ¡°Troubles?!¡± Marcus couldn¡¯t believe it. The Sparks clan had an unshakable foundation. There wasn¡¯t a single faction in the northern reaches who would risk offending them.


    ¡°Er, yeah. You see, my ancestor was granted nobility when he forged a sword for the first true king of the north. That sword was the one that he carried into battle as he unified the northern reaches, and eventually it became his symbol of power, the Sword of Kings. However, the sword was shattered during the war of succession five-hundred years ago. Ever since then, various powers have been pressuring my family to make a new sword, hoping to legitimize their claims to the throne.¡±


    Sophia frowned and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, what would happen if one of the northern powers were to obtain a Sword of Kings forged by your family?¡± She just couldn¡¯t see how a mere symbol could have any impact on a power struggle that had already persisted for five-hundred years.


    ¡°To the people of the north, the Sword of Kings is a holy relic. Millions would flock to the banner of whoever wielded it!¡± Connor grimaced as he imagined the scenario. ¡°The balance of power between nations would completely collapse!¡±


    Sophia was horrified. To think that the fate of nations could be influenced so easily.


    In her old world, such a thing would be unimaginable. People just didn¡¯t have that kind of faith anymore.


    ¡°Ha-ha, well, it¡¯s not as big a deal as it sound,¡± Connor assured. ¡°Those wannabe kings and upstart lords are more of a nuisance than anything else. My dad just decided to send me here so that I could focus on my studies without being bothered. Besides, I¡¯m really interested to see South Sea Academy¡¯s forging techniques!¡±


    Connor tried to downplay it, but Marcus wasn¡¯t fooled. The distance from the northern reaches to the southern sea was enormous. There¡¯s no way that the Sparks clan would send a member of their younger generation all that way unless they were facing an imminent crisis.


    Marcus was beginning to feel a sense of kinship with the boy. Both of them were in rather unenviable situations. Connor was far away from home while his clan stood on the brink of disaster while Marcus was the prince of a tiny nation surrounded by powers that could crush it in the blink of an eye if they wanted to.


    Our status means nothing here. If we want to have any achievements then we can only rely on ourselves!


    ¡°Connor, I think that this is the start of a beautiful friendship.¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    Hey guys. This chapter is a little shorter than usual. It also ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so I''ll try to get the next chapter out early.


    ¡°My lady, are you sure that we should just leave his highness like that?¡± While Marcus and Connor were chatting, Sophia began making her way through the crowd of new students, followed by Evangeline.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Eva. Us GIRLS shouldn¡¯t get in the way of a budding bromance!¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Evangeline wasn¡¯t quite sure how to react in this situation.


    ¡°Five minutes Eva! It didn¡¯t even take five minutes for those two to go into their own little world and completely forget about us! Fuck! Was I ever this¡­? Er, anyway!¡± Sophia took Evangeline¡¯s hand and pulled her even faster through the mob of children. ¡°Hmph! We don¡¯t need them! We¡¯ll use this as an opportunity to have some girl bonding time!¡±


    Sophia chatted with a few of the other kids but they didn¡¯t really have anything interesting to say. Plus, she didn¡¯t like the way that the male servants kept staring at Evangeline.


    Damn it! Protecting this girl¡¯s chastity is going to be a full time job!


    Just as Sophia was contemplating how badly she could beat someone without getting in trouble, a commotion from nearby drew her attention. A group of children were clustered around something that she couldn¡¯t see.


    Out of curiosity, Sophia decided to take a look at what all the fuss was about. To her surprise, when she pushed through the crowd she found two boys engaged in a brawl. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that one boy was brawling while the other one just took a beating.


    ¡°Unbelievable! This isn¡¯t even a fight! It¡¯s just bullying, plain and simple! Why isn¡¯t anyone stopping this?!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t realize that she had spoken out loud until one of the kids next to her answered.


    ¡°That punk was the one who started the fight. Besides, why would anyone care about what happens to some ninth tier piece of trash?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Sophia trained her senses on the smaller boy who was getting the crap kicked out of him and discovered that he did indeed have a ninth tier Spirit Realm.


    How on earth did this kid even get into South Sea Academy? Sophia wondered. Ninth tier was the bottom of the barrel. Such a person had virtually no chance of ever becoming a real magus. Even an ordinary school generally wouldn¡¯t accept someone with a ninth tier Spirit Realm, much less an elite powerhouse like South Sea Academy.


    At first, she suspected that the boy had somehow bribed his way in, but she immediately cast the thought aside. The boy was small and malnourished, and his clothes were of low quality. Forget bribery, this kid didn¡¯t look like he had enough money to eat properly.


    ¡°Honestly, this is just pathetic!¡± the other boy mocked. Now this kid definitely had the bearing of a young master. Clean, healthy, and dressed in the latest fashion. Plus he had that semi-permanent sneer that made Sophia want to beat his face in.


    ¡°When you challenged me, I assumed that you had some sort of trump card, but it looks like you¡¯re just an idiot!¡± The rich boy¡¯s face was contorted into a vicious grin. He was enjoying himself.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The smaller boy shouted. Although he was battered, his eyes still shone with fury and indignation.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± the rich boy snorted coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way that you look at me!¡± He kicked the small boy savagely, sending him sprawling. ¡°A dog should know better than to bark at his master!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Before the rich boy could attack again, a small girl suddenly ran out in front of him. Her tiny body trembled, but even so, she spread her arms to obstruct the rich boy.


    ¡°No sis! Stay out of this!¡± The small boy hadn¡¯t even flinched when threatened with a beating, but the sight of this girl made him completely terrified.


    Ah now it all makes sense. Sophia was finally able to piece together what happened. Most likely, the rich kid had taken an interest in the small boy¡¯s sister, so the small boy challenged him to a duel in order to protect her.


    Sweet, but stupid. The rich boy looked to be about twelve, putting him in a completely different class than the smaller boy who couldn¡¯t have been any older than Sophia. Plus, he had definitely done some sort of martial arts training before.


    ¡°Heh-heh, well, I suppose that I could forgive your brother as long as you agree to become my concubine!¡± The rich boy didn¡¯t even try to hide his intentions.


    Sophia lip curled in disgust. She never would have imagined that a twelve-year-old kid could have such filthy intentions. Of course, his desire probably had less to do with the girl¡¯s looks and more to do with her fifth tier Spirit Realm.


    When she first saw the girl, she could barely believe it. The odds of a fifth tier Spirit Realm appearing outside of noble bloodline were astronomical. Although Sophia herself was considered one such rare case, she was beginning to suspect that her mother¡¯s true origins weren¡¯t as humble as she¡¯d been led to believe. As for this girl, she was a genuine anomaly!


    The smaller boy struggled to stand when he heard the rich boy¡¯s ultimatum. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him sis!¡± he shouted. He was so angry. Even if he beat the rich kid to death a thousand times, it wouldn¡¯t satisfy him.


    ¡°Get lost, trash!¡± the rich boy couldn¡¯t even be bothered to care about the small boy anymore. The way he saw it, the boy was nothing more than a nuisance, one that was quickly becoming more trouble than he was worth. ¡°If not for your sister¡¯s talent, this school never would have admitted a wretch like you in the first place!¡±


    The rich boy brushed past the small girl in order to deal with her brother. He couldn¡¯t kill him, not with representatives from the academy present, but crippling him likely wouldn¡¯t be a problem. However, it was at this moment that a cool voice drifted over from the spectators.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Sophia had finally made her move.

 Chapter Fifteen

    Authors note: Hey guys, sorry about the weird breaks in-between chapters. My goal was to release at least one chapter a week, but I''m still hitting my stride as a writer and sometimes I just get stuck when I''m working on a chapter. In any case, here''s chapter fifteen. Thank you for your patience!


    ¡°Wha-?!¡± Sophia¡¯s intervention was completely unexpected, and for a moment the rich boy didn¡¯t know how to deal with it. Eventually, he snorted and waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Mind your own damn business!¡± he shouted. However, just as he was turning away he felt a hand clamp down on his wrist with an iron grip.


    ¡°Perhaps you didn¡¯t hear me. I said, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    The crowd gasped. They never would have imagined that someone would actually be willing to offend the rich boy for the sake of a couple commoners, even if one of them was a genius.


    ¡°Who is that girl?¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s a noble?¡±


    ¡°She has to be. That guy¡¯s father is the head of a major trading conglomerate. Only an idiot would pick a fight with him without some kind of backing!¡±


    The members of the audience whispered amongst themselves. Speculating, mocking, praising, each of them had their own reaction, but Sophia didn¡¯t notice. She didn¡¯t have any use for the mumbling of the peanut gallery.


    ¡°You!¡± If the rich boy was surprised before, now he was completely stunned. Sophia¡¯s strength was well beyond what a child who had just awakened her Spirit Realm should be capable of. Even more terrifying though was the creeping chill that slowly permeated his body.


    Although she had only been practicing it for a few days, the Illusory Snow Dance was a truly profound training method, and Sophia¡¯s chi had already begun to assume a potent cold attribute.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The rich boy could feel his chi becoming sluggish and lashed out in panic. Of course, there was no way that his half assed punch would be able to land on Sophia. With a single fluid motion she took control of his weight distribution, threw him off balance, and sent him sprawling like a drunken sailor.


    The crowd went completely silent. From the day they learn to walk, the children of major clans and organizations would receive martial arts training and vast amounts of cultivation resources. This way, even if they never learn a single spell, they¡¯ll be able to defeat commoners through physical cultivation alone. This was an advantage that talent just couldn¡¯t compensate for, and yet¡­


    ¡°Damn it!¡±  The rich boy jumped to his feet and lunged again, only for Sophia to sidestep and send him sprawling with a simple push. At that point, whatever martial arts training he might have had all went out the window. He charged and swung at Sophia again and again, but each time she defeated him effortlessly.


    No, defeated isn¡¯t the right word. It implies that there was actually a fight taking place. Sophia never even struck the boy. She only evaded with the least possible movement and let him trip over his own two feet. Although¡­ she sometimes gave him a nudge in the right direction.


    ¡°You should really stop. You¡¯re just embarrassing yourself.¡± Normally, Sophia would be filled with glee at the prospect of taking an arrogant prick down a few pegs, but right now she just wasn¡¯t in the mood. The rich boy¡¯s attitude was so disgusting that she wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The rich boy looked like he was losing his mind. He was so enraged that spittle was actually beginning to fly from his mouth like a mad beast. ¡°DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!¡±


    There it was, the last clich¨¦d cry of the entitled and desperate. Sophia wished that she could properly savor the moment.


    Oh well, I doubt that he¡¯ll be the last to utter those words to me during this lifetime, she thought.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± Sophia sighed, ¡°and to be perfectly honest, I really don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Wha-!¡± The rich boy gaped at her, as if unable to believe his own ears. Although his own talent was mediocre at best, given his family¡¯s wealth, even nobles would have to give him at least a little face.


    ¡°You bitch! How dare you! Just you wait until I-


    The rich boy suddenly fell silent as a powerful killing intent washed over him. This aura had little to do with Spiritual Power and could only be obtained by true warriors after undergoing life or death struggles.


    ¡°Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!¡± With a scream, the rich boy pissed himself and scrambled away, eventually disappearing into the crowd. The audience turned to watch him go, confusion plastered all over their faces. They hadn¡¯t been able to feel Sophia¡¯s killing intent, so to them, it looked like the rich boy had simply lost his mind.


    ¡°Hmph! Useless side character!¡± After literally dying in battle, these kinds of childish squabbles could barely serve as a distraction for Sophia.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± she asked, turning to the siblings. The girl seemed fine, if a bit shaken, but the boy had thoroughly gotten the crap kicked out of him. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know any healing spells, but by activating Mysterious Jade Power and channeling it into the boy¡¯s body she could at least stabilize his injuries.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The boy didn¡¯t seem particularly grateful. On the contrary, he seemed to resent the fact that he needed rescue.


    ¡°Elliot! Don¡¯t be rude!¡± his sister berated, ¡°my lady, I¡¯m very sorry for my brother¡¯s behavior! Please don¡¯t take offence!¡± The girl bowed somewhat awkwardly as she apologized.


    Sophia was horrified and quickly pulled the girl into a standing position. ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m actually a commoner, just like you.¡±


    ¡°What! But that boy was from a powerful family! Aren¡¯t you worried that they¡¯ll come after you?!¡±


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± Sophia laughed. ¡°Once I become an inner disciple, even nobles won¡¯t be able to do anything to me, much less some merchant with an overinflated ego.¡±


    Hearing this, Elliot could only smile bitterly. In the end money and titles didn¡¯t really amount to much. Only magic could guaranty real power. People like Sophia and his sister had that power, so they could afford to disregard a noble¡¯s face. In fact, in a few years they¡¯d probably have noble titles of their own. People like Elliot, on the other hand, could only swallow their pride and keep their heads down.


    Fuck! He cursed inwardly. He was supposed to be his sister¡¯s protector. Instead, he had become a liability.


    Not noticing Elliot¡¯s internal crisis, Sophia held out her hand to introduce herself. ¡°I¡¯m Sophia by the way.¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Olivia,¡± the girl said, taking Sophia¡¯s outstretched hand, ¡°and this is my little brother Elliot.¡±


    Sophia was surprised. She never would have expected Olivia to be the older sibling. She was just so tiny that anyone would have thought that she was Elliot¡¯s younger sister.


    ¡°Well Olivia, it was nice to meet you. I hope that we can be friends from now-


    ¡°SOPHIA!¡± Suddenly, she was cut off by a familiar, and very angry, voice. Slowly turning her head she noticed a blond-haired boy standing there with crossed arms and a bulging vein on his forehead.


    ¡°¡­Crap.¡±

 Chapter Sixteen

    Author''s note: Hey guys. First thing''s first, I owe you all an apology. I said that I would try to release a chapter every week and I didn''t come through. The truth is, this past month or so has been crazy with RL issues and I just haven''t gotten around to doing much writing. Even so, I should have given you guys some kind of notice, and for that I''m sorry. From now on I''ll try to release chapters more quickly, but I can''t make any guaranties. In any case, here''s chapter sixteen. Enjoy!


    ...


    ¡°Honestly Sophia, all I asked was for you to keep a low profile! We haven¡¯t even gotten to the academy yet and you¡¯re already making trouble!¡±


    Marcus could feel another headache coming on. Sophia just didn¡¯t seem to have any filter. When something pissed her off, she took action without even the slightest consideration for the potential consequences.


    In truth, Marcus was amazed that it took her this long to explode. He could feel her anger smoldering the entire time that they were with the mayor¡¯s guards, but back then she restrained herself as a favor to Marcus and because there wasn¡¯t really much that she could do against a pair of Mortal Soul Practitioners. However, alone and against some self-entitled brat from her own generation, Sophia didn¡¯t hesitate for a second.


    ¡°Sorry Marcus, but I can¡¯t just do nothing when I see someone being bullied and abused right in front of me. That¡¯s my bottom line.¡±


    Marcus could only sigh. In the end he couldn¡¯t really fault her for doing what she felt was right. ¡°I just wish that you had handled the situation more delicately. There were plenty of ways to stop that guy without beating him up and embarrassing him in front of everybody.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha! Relax man, relax!¡± Unlike Marcus, Connor seemed to find the situation hysterical. ¡°That prick wasn¡¯t anyone important, otherwise he¡¯d be over there with the rest of the silver spoon gang.¡± Connor pointed to the area where the children of Albion¡¯s upper crust had sequestered themselves away from the unwashed masses.


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Sophia almost pointed out that Connor¡¯s own origins weren¡¯t exactly what one might call humble, but in the end she decided not to say anything.


    Marcus sighed again, and Gregory silently chuckled from his hiding place. Your highness, you¡¯ve grown far too accustomed to lowering your eyes and suppressing your anger. Sometimes you just need to let go and do what your heart tells you.


    ¡­


    Sophia made the introductions between Marcus and Connor and the two siblings. At first Olivia couldn¡¯t believe that she was actually friends with two high-ranking nobles, but Connor¡¯s casual attitude and Marcus¡¯ natural charm quickly put her at ease. Then, Sophia pulled Evangeline, who had been hiding in the background, forward to meet her new friends.


    ¡°Wait, let me see if I understand this,¡± Eliot scoffed. ¡°You aren¡¯t a noble, but you¡¯re friends with nobles and you have a servant?¡± Eliot didn¡¯t even mention the fact that Evangeline was a demon. After all, demons weren¡¯t the ones who left his family to rot away in the slums. It was the nobles and their taxes that did that.


    ¡°Hmph! You dare to impugn Lady Sophia¡¯s character?!¡± Surprisingly, Evangeline immediately grew enraged and shouted at Eliot. It made a sharp contrast with her earlier timid small animal vibe. ¡°How ungrateful! Miss Sophia went out of her way to help you, and you repay her with insults!¡±


    ¡°Ha! I never asked for help! Especially not from some stuck up elitist-


    ¡°Eliot!¡± Olivia interrupted him before he could finish his no doubt derogatory statement. She couldn¡¯t understand why her brother was acting this way. Sure, he generally despised nobles on principal, but he was usually smart enough not to be so blatant about it.


    Sophia exchanged a glance with Marcus and Connor who shrugged and shook their heads helplessly. Eliot¡¯s hatred of nobles ran deep, so they understood that it might take a while for him to trust them.


    Olivia was about to chastise her brother when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked.


    Everyone followed her gaze and noticed a strange dot on the horizon.


    Sophia squinted, trying to make out what it was. ¡°I think ¨C I think it¡¯s a person!¡±


    Sure enough, as the dot came closer and closer to the harbor it gradually assumed a human shape. It was a woman, and a beautiful one at that. Long black hair, pale silky-smooth skin, and a chilling expression that seemed to pierce into your soul. She was practically the textbook definition of a ¡®cool beauty.¡¯


    Eventually, others began to notice the woman as well.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Wow, she¡¯s beautiful!¡±


    ¡°How is she able to fly without using a magic tool?!¡±


    ¡°Idiot! She¡¯s an Earthly Soul Master! They can command the elements to fly even without using a magic item or technique!¡±


    ¡°What?! What¡¯s an Earthly Soul Master doing here?!¡±


    Aside from a few of the more prominent young masters, most of the youths present had never even seen an Earthly Soul Master before. For them, flight was something that was only possible with the assistance of a powerful magic tool, such as an airship, or an ancient mystic art.


    ¡°Greetings, new students. I am Isabelle, a senior instructor from South Sea Academy.¡± Everyone¡¯s speculation was suddenly cut short by the voice of the mysterious flying woman. It wasn¡¯t particularly loud, but everyone could hear it clearly, as if she were speaking right next to them. ¡°I¡¯ve come to escort you to the academy grounds so please board the vessel in an orderly manner. Anyone caught pushing and shoving will have their enrolment status revoked.¡±


    Vessel? What vessel? Sophia wasn¡¯t the only one confused. There were plenty of ships in the harbor, but the South Sea Academy freshmen had been sent to one of the few docks that happened to be empty. So what vessel was she talking about?


    Isabelle seemed to find their confusion amusing. With a wave of her hand, she produced a miniature crystal statue of a boat, and after a short incantation, the statue expanded into a massive ship, one easily big enough to hold the hundreds of new students.


    The students gasped. To use such a valuable magic item just to ferry a group of new students¡­ This was clearly South Sea Academy showing off!


    ¡°Come on! All aboard!¡± Isabelle shouted.


    One by one the children made their way to the enormous crystal ship. Sophia was about to join them when Marcus stopped her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked.


    Marcus grimaced and glanced over at Evangeline for a moment before saying. ¡°Sorry Sophia, I forgot to mention that South Sea Academy has a special rule regarding first-year students. Basically, during the first year no one¡¯s allowed to bring any servants with them.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Perhaps this was the academy¡¯s way of trying to break down the boundaries between social classes. An admirable, if futile, attempt. However, this also unfortunately meant that Sophia wouldn¡¯t be able to bring Eva with her. ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    Marcus smiled apologetically. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have Gregory bring her back to East Dragon with him. He¡¯ll see to it that she¡¯s well taken care of.¡±


    Suddenly a handsome middle-aged looking man seemed to materialize behind Marcus. Sophia¡¯s friends nearly jumped out of their skin, but she barely bat an eye. So this is Marcus¡¯ secret protector. She thought to herself.


    Sophia bit her lip. She trusted Marcus, but Eva was just so vulnerable. She was a demon with the power to seduce men whether she wanted to or not in a continent where demons didn¡¯t even have basic rights. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have much of a choice. South Sea Academy¡¯s rules were very clear, and they weren¡¯t about to bend for her.


    ¡°My lady, it¡¯s ok.¡± Surprisingly it was Evangeline herself who settled the issue.


    ¡°But Eva¡­¡±


    Evangeline shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s only for a year after all. After that I¡¯ll be able to join you at the academy. So please, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Sophia sighed. ¡°Well¡­ alright. I¡¯ll leave her in your capable hands Mr. Gregory.¡± Gregory was most definitely an Earthly Soul Master so Sophia didn¡¯t have to be concerned regarding Evangeline¡¯s safety with him around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret Miss Sophia,¡± Gregory said with an elaborate bow. ¡°I can assure you that within East Dragon Kingdom, no one will be able to so much as lay a finger on her.¡±


    ¡°Common guys! You¡¯d better hurry up!¡± Suddenly Connor shouted a warning. When Marcus and Sophia looked over they noticed that most of the children had already boarded the ship.


    ¡°Oh crap! Let¡¯s go Marcus!¡± The last thing they needed was to be late before school had even started. ¡°BYE EVA! BYE GREGORY!¡± Sophia only had time for a quick farewell before she was rushed onto the crystal ship.