“Why does it have to be flying swords?” I complained. “Why can’t we have a flying carpet or flying chair instead?”

The wind carried Mother’s chuckle from ahead. “Flying swords can be used to attack or even block others’ attacks in addition to carrying you around.”

I sighed, looking down at the metal beneath my feet. The flying sword didn’t look much like a sword, since it was shaped with a broader, flatter blade. But it could probably work as a flying shield and the tip was sharp. This culture is too obsessed with fighting, I grumbled to myself.

I moved it to the side, and almost overbalanced. Standing on a thin, not quite smooth object at high speeds clearly needed practice. Cultivators usually learned to use them when they reached the fourth stage, as having a domain made controlling them easier. I had it cradled in my domain, and used my intuition to steer it, which worked well.

Once again, I noted that enhanced reflexes weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Maybe that’s why cultivators can move really quickly, but not quite as fast in a fight? Besides needing to process more.

Flying felt awesome, though. The wind whistling by reminded me of sitting in a car with the window cranked down, except it was all around me. I looked down at the fortress drawing away from us, people crawling around the grounds. The view took my breath away. I could see a lot more details from this high up than I would have been able to on Earth. Good thing heights didn’t bother me.

“It just takes some practice, you’ll be comfortable with it soon,” Tenira called.

I chanced a glance back. My retainer stood on her own flying sword as if it was the ground, her hands clasped behind her back. Even when she accelerated to pull up alongside me, she leaned forward in a flowing motion, keeping her balance perfectly. I scowled at her and concentrated on speeding up a bit.

Soon, we started to reach the city’s airspace, its lights moving closer until they were directly under us. I carefully slowed down along with the others, then watched it passing beneath us.

The City of a Thousand Stars was big. Here at the outskirts, I could see how far it stretched. Even in daytime, many lights flickered upwards. We were high enough up that I could only hear the city’s noise if I concentrated. The many colors made it look a bit like a mosaic. Its architecture still seemed weird to me, but the houses looked fairly modern. The streets were as broad as in any city in Europe, and houses ten stories or higher clustered together in some areas. The people seemed to love gardens. The further we went, the more I could see mansions made of glittering stone, with greenery surrounding them alongside statues or other decorations.

It was probably a good thing my first experience with the city was from above. Much better than actually standing in it, among all those people whose lives differed so drastically from mine. I did feel my curiosity stirring, and I knew I’d be back, but it made sense to get the lay of the land first. At least the city was built according to a clear grid pattern, and it should be easy to tell where I was if I walked its streets.

A few people moved over the city in the air. Some of them stood on flying swords, but the majority traveled in small airships or rode flying beasts. Those came in different shapes and sizes. Some I recognized as big versions of an eagle or other bird, and some I didn’t know what to make of. We flew well above them, and they didn’t look up. Compared to the streets, very few people traveled in the air.

Mother led us in an arc over the city, until we reached the side facing the Central Plains. A few skyscrapers passed us by, and then we reached a section with larger, sprawling buildings, as well as some with balconies sticking out everywhere, obviously housing complexes. The other ones might be warehouses or something.

Finally, we came to a stop over a building that didn’t yet show any greenery or decorations. On the outside, it looked similar to the rest, although it sported more windows. I could see a number of people going into and out of it.

“So, that’s the new factory,” Mother said.

I descended a bit, careful to keep my balance, and took a closer look. With a bit of qi, I bent some light further down, giving me a view into the inside. Rows of weaving machines filled the floor, with people hard at work using them. One side was dedicated to materials, another had rows of worktables for people cutting and sewing the fabric into clothing.

“You don’t want to go inside?”

“No.” I grimaced. “I don’t want to cause that kind of a commotion.”

Mother chuckled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

After a moment of thought, I turned to my retainer. “Tenira, would you like to go take a look? You’re not as recognizable as Mother and probably better at being low-key than me.”

She bowed her head. “Of course, my lady.”

My heart climbed into my throat as she started falling, but she halted her momentum close to the ground and touched down without even making noise. She stepped off her flying sword and took it into her storage ring. Then she shimmered for a moment. Afterward, her clothes had changed color and seemed a lot less fancy. She headed into the factory.

After a bit of waiting, I moved myself closer to Mother. I wanted to ask a few questions.

“Mother, this might sound weird, but do you know anything about premonitions in dreams? I had a weird one a while ago. It was too vivid, and I think I felt someone else’s emotions. It felt like someone was out to do me harm.”

She frowned and her fingers gripped the hems of her sleeves. “That sounds bad.” She seemed to ponder it for a moment. “The darkness affinity is sometimes associated with dreams, although …”

“What?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t heard about something like this before, but we shouldn’t take it lightly. I’ll make sure the guards are on alert. Was this a threat specifically against you?”

I paused. She hadn’t met my gaze. I got the feeling there was something she didn’t say. But after a moment, I answered, “I don’t know. It wasn’t very clear. I don’t think it’s a danger just to me.”

Mother hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll tell everyone to be alert. It might be something to do with the south. The nomads have increased their movements, and things are getting tense with the Zarian Dominion. Well, tenser. But not as bad as all that.”

I nodded. I hadn’t paid much attention to international politics so far, but I knew the relationship with the Empire’s long-standing opponents getting tense was pretty normal.

I didn’t really think this was just politics. It felt more personal than that. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what I felt, and maybe my mind failed to take into account that I was the crown princess. Still, I could tell neither of us thought we had a satisfactory answer.

“I really don’t need this right now,” Mother muttered, running a hand through her hair. “I’m going to go into secluded cultivation soon. I’m getting close to advancement. I could postpone it, but things are probably going to get worse, so I think it’s better to have it done quickly. Things will be easier once I reach the middle part of the eighth stage.”

I grimaced. Her going into seclusion wasn’t good news, but I understood her reasoning, and of course it would help in the long run.

We fell into silence until Tenira returned, which didn’t take long. She looked around, then stepped on her flying sword and shot upwards. I could see a few of the other flying cultivators glance up, but they moved on quickly.

“Any problems?” Mother asked.

“I’m not sure, Your Majesty,” Tenira said. “There has been some trouble with the workers. They keep getting in each other’s way and don’t quite seem to understand the plan.”

I sighed. “Sounds like the whole division of work thing is too unknown for them. At least like this. Let’s hope those problems shake out. If only we had experienced supervisors that could help.”

“It’s probably unavoidable,” Mother said. “We just need to get through the beginning. Let’s go.”

We started moving again. This time, she led us in a different direction, not directly back to the palace. I was too busy trying not to fall from my flying sword while I handled the acceleration and turning to question her, though. I really hoped I’d get the hang of this quickly.

Finally, we settled on a speed and bearing, so I felt comfortable talking. “By the way, Mother, I’m a little surprised you came personally for this.”

Mother looked back at me and raised an eyebrow. “Your projects could revolutionize the Empire. Of course I’m invested in them and the progress we make.” She paused. “Speaking of, is there anything new to discuss?”

I almost rolled my eyes. Of course she’d have this conversation while I had to deal with my new flying sword. But after a moment, I had a thought. “Tenira, didn’t you bring something up yesterday?”

She came closer. “You mean the public transportation, Inaris? I stand by that opinion. It has a lot of room for improvement.”

“Explain, please,” Mother said.

“Look at the city. There is no system to speak of,” I said. “Of course, advanced cultivators can travel quickly. But most people aren’t much stronger than humans on Earth. Mounts or carriages are expensive. Even the rickshaw-like things probably cost too much for an everyday expense.”

Tenira tapped a finger to her chin, disregarding the wind whipping her hair around completely. “People’s mobility is limited. They tend to work closely to their homes. Now, if they could easily travel to other parts of the city? I imagine productivity would rise considerably, and it would make development like we intend easier.”

After a moment, Mother nodded. “I see. That’s certainly true. So you want to design a tram or something?”

“No.” I shrugged at her look. “I have no idea how to do city planning. What I’d propose is to hold a contest. Let people send in plans and then choose a winner and build it. We can offer a few suggestions, like the possibility of underground trains or whatever. Maybe even flying buses? Might be cool.”

After a bit, Mother agreed. We discussed the idea some more and came up with a plan. She’d gather a few people to form a committee that could judge applications. They’d do a pilot project in the capital to start with, and if it worked, it could be replicated in other cities. The costs for the venture would be split between the Imperial treasury and the city. Hopefully, we could make public transportation free.

I was so involved in the discussion I barely noticed where we were going. It was only when the wind changed that I realized we’d reached the mountains. I groaned as I looked around, trying to steady myself as I decelerated. The mountains looked familiar, they were probably similar everywhere. We flew high enough up that there was only the occasional tree beneath the rock faces. I could see what looked like a glacier further on.

“We’ll stay here until you make some progress,” Mother said.

“Why here?”

She grinned. “I can’t have you making a fool of yourself in the palace, can I?”

I rolled my eyes and sped up again. She had a point. Carefully, I headed deeper into the mountains. It was harder to maneuver here than in the open, but I’d already made some progress.

For a few hours, I sent my flying sword around the area, trying to deal with wind currents and occasionally descending far enough to move around the terrain. If I wasn’t a cultivator, my legs would be really sore, but I hardly got tired. After a bit, I started to get the hang of turning.

When my levels of qi were getting low and I felt I’d made enough progress, I returned to where Mother and Tenira waited. I could see them talking to each other.

On an impulse, I sent my flying sword up, going in an arc to move to their blind spots. They could probably feel my presence, but I couldn’t help it. I hovered in the air above and a little behind them, getting ready.

Then I plunged down. “Woo, look out!” I raised my hands and struck a pose, while I sent my flying sword spinning towards them.

Except when I almost reached them, a gust of wind sent it wobbling a bit. My stance was too unstable. With the spin of the sword getting out of whack, it cost me my balance. I tried to correct, cartwheeling my arms, but the momentum worked against me and I was sent from the sword.

For an instant, I closed my eyes and groaned internally. Then I extended my domain and tried to push.

The ground was coming at me quickly. I managed to slow my momentum. Still, when I landed hands first, I was sent flipping over, impacting with my back against the rough ground.

I blinked, trying to get my breath back. I knew I’d probably looked ridiculous. After I finally stood up and dusted myself off, I noticed my two companions flying closer, both of them laughing.

No need to let them know how much my pride stung. “I totally meant to do that,” I called up, grinning. “A little entertainment to thank you for waiting.”

Mother shook her head, but she was still smiling.

At least I didn’t seem injured. My hands throbbed and my back was a bit sore, but I wouldn’t have anything worse than bruises.

I collected my flying sword from where it had fallen and reluctantly ascended back into the air. “Let’s just go back.”

And so we did. After we left the mountains, Mother dropped back again to fly beside me, matching my movements with ease. She looked serious. “Your cultivation is progressing well. From now on, I want you to attend my weekly morning meetings in the map room, with my advisers and a few key people.”

That both brightened and soured my mood. It felt good to know she liked my progress and thought I was ready for that, but I didn’t relish the thought of attending meetings.

Well, at least it wasn’t open court or the big social functions.