Kajio gently straightened the edge of Joyce's robes as they prepared to enter the conference room, frowning as Joyce's messy braid. Kiyoko had helped Joyce fix her braid only minutes ago, and it already looked like a fraying rope.

"Maybe you should just wear it in a ponytail after all," Kajio said doubtfully. Joyce touched her braid with a concerned look.

"Is it a mess already?! Damn," Joyce complained. She rapidly undid her braid, tying it into her signature ponytail again.

Spade rounded the corner, frowning at Joyce's new hairdo.

"How many times do you need to do your hair?" He complained. Joyce shrugged.

"Dude, you don't get the pain," Joyce said. "Your hair's too short." Spade rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, Xiang Yu's ready," Spade said, nodding at Selva.

Kajio smiled proudly as Selva handed over the documents. They'd really outdone themselves this time, though Kajio was somewhat surprised that Joyce had even thought of this.

"Loopholes," Joyce had said proudly, "I love those."

Spade had let out a weary groan that kept Kajio from asking any more than that. He didn't think he wanted to know what Joyce had done before, though Kajio remembered hearing about an incident involving blackmailing a warlord's sister-in-law.

"You guys are honestly amazing," Joyce said, smiling at them. "I think this is going to go great."

"It will," Kajio assured her.

Just Mohan's presence was enough to shake a number of participants. Joyce nodded, turning to enter the conference room. She whirled around again as they made to follow.

Kajio blinked as Joyce held up a hand. She looked at him with a solemn expression.

"Kajio, Spade, and Selva. You guys shouldn't go in today," Joyce said. Kajio opened his mouth to protest, but decided not to at the look on her face. Spade squinted a little.

"Joyce, did you receive a prophecy?" Spade asked in confusion. "I thought you couldn't do that?"

"Just a vague feeling, okay? I can't receive prophecies yet, my skills are too far from the starting point and I'm not really talented," Joyce pouted. Spade held back a grin, sharing an amused glance with Kajio.

"That's fine, we'll do as you say," Kajio said comfortingly. He patted Joyce's shoulder. "You don't need to worry too much about your skill level or talent, growing too fast can be a bad thing."

"One of the reasons we even exist is because some people tried to level up too quickly and needed to be put down," Spade added. "You were a spirit-sent to begin with, there's no such thing as talent or a starting point. Could you please not lower your confidence right before something important like this?"

"Yeah," Joyce said, a pleased grin on her face. "Anyways, wish me luck. Xiang Yu's gonna be my ultimate aggressiveness buff today, lady's a walking t-shirt cannon."

"I feel like I don't want to know what that means," Spade said drily. He waved for Kiyoko to approach. "Take good care of the Chairman, don't let anyone try shit," he began.

"She gets it, you say this everytime you see her," Joyce said impatiently. She flashed the visibly relieved Kiyoko a smile before turning back to Spade. "Trust me."

"Of course," Spade sighed. He sighed a second time. "Listen, if things go south..."

"Run," the two said in unison. Kajio voiced his own wishes of luck, watching in amusement as Spade sent Joyce off like a parent sending their kid to the first day of school.

He watched as Joyce entered the room with Mohan and Xiang Yu on either side. "Calm down," Kajio said to Spade. "Joyce will be fine."

"I don't like it that she has to deal with those slimy bastards," Spade cursed under his breath. Kajio gave Spade a long look until the swordsman relented.

"Fine, I get that she's been dealing with them for a long time now, but still, the further we go the less we can actually stab them. It reduces our options," Spade complained. Kajio let out a chuckle and made to reply.

"Feng Xia, any more than this and I will use my right as a Chairman," a familiar voice said coldly. They turned to see Jia Xu leveling a cool look at her protégé.

"Chairman," Feng Xia began feebly. The young shaman was visibly not included in the representative group.

"Enough, go back now. Li Peng, escort her back. The two of you are still too inexperienced for negotiations, I'll give you more learning opportunities from here on," Jia Xu said, dismissing them with a wave of her hand.

Li Peng stepped out from the representative party with a cool expression on his face, pulling Feng Xia away as the girl muttered protests under her breath.

Kajio raised an eyebrow as the Shaman Council's representative party entered the conference room. Whatever that was, it was definitely worth looking into. Kajio shot Selva a glance, but the man was already getting into it on his phone.

"It looks like Joyce was right," Kajio said to Spade in a low voice. "Whatever goes down today, we shouldn't try to stick our necks out."

Feng Xia furiously kicked at the fence until the metal dented beneath her shoe. Li Peng continued to stare impassively into the distance, ignoring her meltdown.

"For god's sake!" Feng Xia turned her glare towards him. "At least say something! You've been like this since I asked you, just how long are you going to sulk?!"

"I'm not sulking," Li Peng said, sounding strangely as though this didn't involve him at all.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Feng Xia demanded. Li Peng turned an impassive look towards her, suddenly seeming more like Jia Xu than ever.

"Feng Xia, if I always give in and coddle you, I can never be free," Li Peng said. Feng Xia blinked.

"What are you saying?" She asked, anger forgotten in the face of his strange behavior.

Li Peng sighed softly and shot Feng Xia a cold look. "Feng Xia, you really are a genius. That's why you still don't understand the weight of tradition."

His voice grew emotional as he spoke, the previous distance shrinking rapidly as Li Peng's anger flickered beneath his mask. Feng Xia looked at him in confusion. The weight of tradition?

"Did the Chairman scold you because of me?" Feng Xia demanded.

"The Chairman scolded me because I forgot the weight of tradition," Li Peng replied. Feng Xia squinted at him in confusion. She felt a pang of guilt at how depressed he looked.

"Teacher's harsh on you but she's always wanted you to succeed her," Feng Xia comforted him. "I'm only good as a poster child, but you're actually good at this kind of thing."

"I am," Li Peng said darkly. "Isn't that why you were mad?"

Feng Xia winced. Li Peng cut her off before she could say anything.

"You complain that we were wrong, but do you even know what it means for there to be an Apostle? If Joyce dies as a mere spirit-sent, it'll only be a 'pity' that the first spirit-sent in a thousand years is dead. But if Joyce stays alive, she'll really become the Sixth Apostle. Are you forgetting what the First Apostle did?" Li Peng asked, voice growing angrier as he spoke.

"I know full well," Feng Xia said in a low voice. "But that and this are different."

Li Peng looked away, closing his eyes slowly as his voice grew calm again. "It seems that you don't know at all. Feng Xia, you will either come to understand someday, or live your life as an ignorant fool. For all your talent, there are too many things you don't know about," he said.

Feng Xia looked at him helplessly as the silence stretched on. Somewhere along the line, she no longer knew how to help Li Peng. She lowered her gaze to the floor as the tension weighed down oppressively. There was really nothing she could do now. She really was helpless.

'No.'

Feng Xia's head shot up as she narrowed her eyes at Li Peng. No, that wasn't quite right. There were still quite a few things she could do. She reached for her tracking spirits

Taeyun skimmed the document in his hand for the fourth time. The spirit-sent hadn't mentioned anything about the curse yet, but this document seemed to taunt him regardless.

Was Joyce a fool or a tyrant? She'd have to be one or the other if she actually intended for this to work.

As innocuous as it seemed, an alliance between the three was doomed to fail due to the strong factional disputes. It was almost impossible to coordinate a proper military expedition, unless Joyce intended to forcefully dominate the alliance. He tapped his finger on the table, signaling for one of his representatives to object.

"Chairman Lee, the Northern Expedition is a dear wish many of us share, but we cannot simply form an alliance on your words alone," a Hengshan representation said, a subtly mocking tone beneath her polite words.

"I know exactly what you guys are worried about," Joyce said smoothly, "And that's why I'm suggesting a number of ways around that. Y'all know that the Flying Dragons acted as an oversight and coordinating agency for a long time, right? Well, we've got a number of ways to make sure everyone can get along without killing each other."

Joyce nodded for one of the Flying Dragons' representatives to pass out another document.

Taeyun stared blankly at the new page, internally groaning at the mix of ancient and foreign methods listed on it. Taeyun bit back a surge of irritation.The fact that Joyce was even alive bothered him. The fact that the merchant Xiang Yu was at her side bothered him more, especially since he didn't know why she was there. It couldn't be anything good.

"Chairman Lee, we don't doubt the abilities of the Order of the Flying Dragons, but why should we submit ourselves to your oversight?" A Shaman Council representative challenged.

"Because it is your best chance to take on the Northern Expedition without destroying Canton," Xiang Yu responded.

Eyes swiveled towards the only woman not clad in any organization's uniform. She glared back with a severe expression.

"And Captain Xiang Yu speaks on behalf of...?"

"Alright everyone, one more round of introductions since I left that part out earlier," Joyce said cheerfully. "Captain Xiang Yu is attending today as the representative of the Peranakan Association."

Taeyun and Jia Xu carefully hid their reactions as representatives on both sides visibly stiffened. Among both of their major trading partners in Southeast and South Asia, the Peranakan Association was second only to ASEAN, the official association between Southeast Asian countries. If Xiang Yu was really representing the Peranakan Association for Joyce's sake, it wouldn't be that easy to refuse.

"Please excuse me, but as far as I am aware of, Captain Xiang Yu has never been appointed as an official representative of the Peranakan Association," the Shaman Council representative pressed on determinedly.

Joyce smiled broadly and Mohan coughed into his sleeve, probably hiding a smirk.

"About that, no she hasn't," Joyce said cheerfully. "But she is acting as the official representative of the Peranakan Association at the moment."

"Chairman Lee, you must be confused if you think that is something you could arbitrarily decide," another Shaman Council representative chimed in.

"No, I'm not confused at all. Everyone, you've all got contracts with the Peranakan Association, haven't you? If you happen to have read the fine text in the standard contract, you'll know that Section 37.7b has a specific clause that I'm invoking right now," Joyce grinned at them.

Taeyun's secretary hurriedly pulled up said section on his tablet and handed it to him. Taeyun looked at the words in disbelief. This little brat...

'Section 37.7b- In the case that a member of the Peranakan Association undergoes an incident with no existing precedent and suffers damage to their ship or goods during, said member will be authorized to act as a representative of the Association in resolving the aftermath of the incident.'

The goddamn section was meant for dealing with insurance companies, not a three-way negotiation between different shamanic factions.

Taeyun drew in his breath slowly, tamping down on his irritation. Helang seethed quietly next to him. It was a loophole the size of a pinhead and Joyce had straight up sledgehammered it into a giant crater.

"This is really too forced, Joyce," Jia Xu objected in an amused tone. Joyce shrugged.

"Hey, you're free to eject the official representative of the Peranakan Association if you really want, since I don't have the authority to stop you," she said casually.

Joyce looked around, challenging anyone to try. Of course, no one did.

"The Peranakan Association hopes for a strong and stable trading partner," Xiang Yu stated to the silent room. "One on the brink of a civil war isn't worth investing into. We protect our own, first and foremost, but we place great emphasis on honor. The Order of the Flying Dragons protected the Peranakan Association by destroying the Kraken, and we are obliged to support their endeavors, especially when they align with this region's best interests."

Those damn merchants and their shitty codes of honor. The Southeast sphere had only finished the last of their civil wars a mere decade ago, and they were already finding ways to look down on people still stuck in conflict.

"Furthermore, it has come to the Peranakan Association's attention that Hengshan Association and the Shaman Council have used curses that have been sanctioned as taboo," Xiang Yu continued. "Normally, this would be grounds for reconsidering existing trading agreements, but as Hengshan and the Shaman Council have been long-time trading partners, we are willing to enact a certain degree of leniency."

Xiang Yu stopped there, giving them a meaningful look. So it was sign on or lose a valuable source of income, was it? Taeyun leaned back in his seat, silently thanking the spirits that he hadn't brought Pania and Luco.

In either case, it suited the Flying Dragons to pair hypocrites with hypocrites. No one ever put things like assassinations, spying, or backstabbing on the discussion table because everyone used those methods. Did the Flying Dragons intend to keep their hands clean throughout?

"I know what many of you are thinking right now," Mohan spoke for the first time since the meeting started.

"You all doubt why we dare to talk about this here. Surely many of you feel offended by what you may perceive to be a double standard," Mohan continued, looking around.

Damn it, this old man really just said what he thought. Then again, Mohan had earned that right through his brutality.

"This is not a double standard. Regardless of the Flying Dragon's history, we were created to serve Apostles, and so we will. Whatever the previous leaders have intended, we now follow under the leadership of the Sixth Apostle. We will not participate in the mudfights you all have resigned yourselves to. As such, we bear right to bring your actions to the table," Mohan said. He ignored the angry protests that sprung up around the room.

Taeyun held back a sigh. So Joyce was really trying to go the holier-than-thou route. Even with her abilities, just how long did she think that would last? And hiding behind her nonexistent kill count...Taeyun bit down a wave of contempt. The only reason Joyce had no deaths on her hands was because the girl had outsourced them to her contract.

But that didn't change the current situation. It was clear that the scales were tipping in Joyce's favor now. Helang's fist clenched tightly as Mohan still continued to talk.

"If you think my words are outrageous, your actions are even more outrageous. She is the child blessed by the spirits," Mohan said calmly. "She is the Sixth Apostle. You have failed, as shamans and as humans who owe their continued existence and civilization to the benevolence of the spirits."

"Even if you say that, you've never proved she is the Sixth Apostle," Jia Xu retorted just as calmly.

"I can. Of all those who have fallen to our realm through the Spirit Realm throughout human history, only five have survived and become spirit-sents. As you can see, Joyce is alive and very much a spirit-sent. That much should have been enough." Mohan looked around the room, daring people to object.

"That isn't enough," Taeyun cut in. "For once, I must agree with Jia Xu. We need more solid proof to enter an alliance to those means." He watched Mohan's unmoving expression.

"I've actually gotta thank you guys for that," Joyce cut in. Noise rippled through the room as people turned to look at her.

"You know, even if I'm breathing and stuff, I couldn't really prove my identity before. It's all because you guys used those curses on me, I had to go to the Spirit Realm to not die. And guess who I met there?" Joyce looked around with a challenging smirk. The feeling of unease grew as Taeyun watched Joyce.

"That's right, the Great Dragon. Anyhow, I received an edict there. I'm not obliged to share that edict until we retake the Great Temple, but anyone here could confirm that statement."

Taeyun sucked in his breath. It wasn't possible for normal shamans to summon spirits from the Spirit Realm, but any shaman who made it this far in life was definitely capable of receiving messages from the Spirit Realm. This wasn't a bluff.

"Anyways, I don't actually give a shit whether or not y'all'd've believe I'm the Sixth Apostle. But let me remind you, whether or not I'm acknowledged as an Apostle, I am a spirit-sent with the ability to destroy all of you. Remember that the first Apostle was never called by that title either, but he unified China under the Qin Dynasty anyways." Joyce looked at them with an eerily calm smile.

Helang stiffened next to Taeyun. The First Apostle, Qin Shihuang. The first Emperor of China. Taeyun honestly felt sorry for the poor bastards who had been born in the same time period as some overpowered jerk with a taste for conquest and an unrivaled buff from the Spirit Realm.

But as for the girl before him...between Mohan and the information Selva had brought with him, Joyce certainly knew what she was doing now. Taeyun felt a tinge of annoyance. Kids always grew faster than he'd expected, for better or for worse.

"Are you threatening us, Chairman Lee?" Jia Xu asked, a harsh edge in her voice.

Joyce scoffed at the question. "Threatening you guys? I'm making a promise, right here and now, that either y'all make up for your actions by doing the right thing, or I make you rue the day you were born. You guys should choose wisely. You have the freedom of choice, but not of consequence." She shrugged casually.

Taeyun held back a sigh. He heard words like this at every negotiation he'd been to, but for once the threat was worth worrying about. He met Helang's eyes and gave a small nod. They'd have to agree, at least for now. In either case, taking the Northern Expedition was Taeyun's goal, and the more territory and resources he acquired, the better he could take on Jia Xu.

After all, Joyce wasn't anything like the First Apostle. The First Apostle was a shaman even before he became a spirit-sent. Joyce evidently wasn't. Her power would never be enough to dominate the entire country. As long as Taeyun could defeat Jia Xu, he could still gain better results than if he stayed in Canton. There was also the rather-high possibility that Joyce wouldn't survive long enough to interfere.

Even though this wasn't his original plan, Taeyun didn't mind improvisation. He glanced at Jia Xu, who was carefully maintaining a neutral expression.

"We will accept," Taeyun said calmly. The Hengshan representative party turned towards him with shocked expressions. A communication ward sprung up to keep internal discussions muted.

"But Chairman! Are you really going to give in so easily?!" One of them hissed towards Taeyun. Several representatives chimed in, hissing accusations of cowardice under their breath.

"The Chairman's agreeing for our sake," Helang snarled, glaring at the representative. "The Chairman moved for our sake, and now he'd compromise for our sake. I don't expect you to know something like gratitude, but at least have some respect."

The representatives looked away sheepishly under Helang's stern glare, softly murmuring their agreement and apologies.

"Our goal remains unchanged, though the path forward seems to have shifted a bit. Everyone, please continue to give me your support," Taeyun said to a wave of nods. He disabled the communication ward again, holding back a smirk as the Shaman Council side fell into silent chaos behind their wards.

"Awesome, nice going Taeyun! Great to have you onboard," Joyce said cheerfully. Taeyun nodded slightly.

"I believe in taking responsibility for my actions," Taeyun said pointedly, glancing at Mohan. The old man had never so much as visited Lin Bo's grave since his arrival. Mohan shot him a long glance before looking away again.

The Shaman Council side seemed to grow slightly more chaotic before grinding to an abrupt calm. Taeyun watched closely as Jia Xu forcibly achieved consensus.

Honestly, if Jia Xu had already won against her Uncle when he'd arrived in Canton, Hengshan probably wouldn't exist. Taeyun couldn't exert his authority in such a hard-handed fashion without the backing of historical tradition and a strong family line to justify it.

The Shaman Council's wards fell to reveal an eery quiet. "We will accept," Jia Xu said, power still thrumming through her words. Mohan watched the Council members around Jia Xu before nodding at Joyce.

"Great, smooth rollin', folks. Good to have you, Jia Xu," Joyce said without missing a beat. She looked around the room with a broad grin. "Now let's really start talking."