Northern Frontier.
Several days had now passed since that earth-shaking victory.
The breaches blasted into Iron Gate Pass's walls by soul skills had been temporarily filled with huge stones and thick logs. Most of the lingering smell of gunpowder and poisonous mist had been scattered by the north wind, replaced by the crisp chill unique to late autumn.
Morning light slowly spread from the eastern ridgeline, dyeing the entire pass in warm gold.
In the council hall, the candles had already gone out. Morning light squeezed through the cracks in the window paper, casting long, slender patches of light across the bluestone floor.
Eva sat in the seat of honor, changed into a dark green everyday dress. Her long hair was casually pinned behind her head with a silver hairpin, with a few loose strands hanging beside her ears, lending her already exquisitely beautiful face an air of languid composure.
She held a cup of hot tea in her hand. The tea was clear and emerald green, and rising steam blurred her features.
Old General Qin sat in the first seat to her left. He had removed his armor and changed into an old cotton robe washed pale with age, but his back remained ramrod straight.
He held a thick ledger in his hands. Its cover had been stitched several times with coarse thread, and its corners were worn fuzzy. Inside, it was densely filled with tiny, neat writing.
Duke Zhao sat opposite Old General Qin, still wearing that taciturn expression. Yet the thick ledger on the table before him was even more conspicuous than he was.
Ge Duo reclined in a chair by the window. Her dark purple dress trailed across the floor as her pale fingers toyed with an unidentified herb. Her dark green eyes were half-closed, as