Lace Glory Universe King GL - Chapter 17

Sun Shangxiang and Uncle Ge looked at each other in shock.

“You’re saying Sun Quan killed my elder brother, then used mechanism arts to fabricate a dummy to lie there? What proof do you have?” Sun Shangxiang was still doubtful. In those final days, Sun Ce had indeed been bedridden, unable to speak, but she had visited him several times and never noticed anything unusual.

The Prince of Lanling lifted his chin slightly and patiently explained:
“His illness should have been improving, but suddenly it worsened. After the hospital ward was cleared, I sneaked in—guess what I found?”

He paused for a beat, then continued:
“The health records after Sun Ce was bedridden were identical to another patient’s data, not a single number different. I had a suspicion back then, and later when I went to Shu, a puppet master named Yuan Ge told me that the highest level of mechanism arts could indeed replicate a human being.”

Hua Mulan, who had been silent, finally spoke. She recalled the intelligence from Li Yuanfang back in Chang’an, along with her own investigation.

“During that period, Sikong Zhen was gathering mechanism masters from across the continent. Strangely, none of them were kept within the Bureau of Instruments, but instead—without exception—headed east.”

“Exactly. They gathered on that small island to build dummies, replacing the real ones.” Lanling Wang nodded.

“Look at this.” Hua Mulan took out something from her clothing. “They’re all over the area around the seaside battleship.”

At first glance, Sun Shangxiang thought it was a metal helmet.

It was a soldier’s head.

Uncle Ge was startled to see it placed on his living room table. Looking closer, at the broken neck beneath the helmet, it wasn’t flesh and blood but wooden mechanisms.

“Mechanical soldiers?” Uncle Ge and Sun Shangxiang reacted in unison.

“Yes. They’ve likely been mass-produced, gathering around the seaside battleship to prevent intrusions. I couldn’t break through. After a few moves, it was like stirring up an anthill.” Hua Mulan said.

“They weren’t there when I went inside.” Lanling Wang muttered, thoughtful.

“You’ve been inside? What was it like?” Sun Shangxiang asked.

“Just like an amusement park imitating a giant battleship—no obvious clues. I tried to steal the pivotal control box from the control room, but triggered an alarm. A group of generals came to attack me, and that’s when I was badly injured.”

“While recuperating in Jinting, Yuan Ge offered to make me a mechanical servant to take care of me—the very one who answered your call,” Lanling Wang added.

Hua Mulan only replied with a glance. Her thoughts were elsewhere.
“That Yuan Ge—can he trace who was copied from this soldier’s head?”

“Most likely some general. Why?” Lanling Wang asked, indifferent.

“No, the strange part is—the techniques include both warrior skills and spell attacks,” Hua Mulan said.

“The spell attack is lightning, clearly Sikong Zhen’s skill. But the warrior technique…I’ve never seen it.” Hua Mulan demonstrated with her forearm:
“Three steps forward, then slash, like this—”

Uncle Ge and Sun Shangxiang immediately understood, exchanging shocked glances.

“That’s Master Sun Ce’s signature move: Raging Waves,” Uncle Ge explained.

Perhaps the mass-production technique wasn’t mature, or fusing Sikong Zhen’s and Sun Ce’s skills was too difficult—the move was weak and sloppy. But once deployed in massive numbers, even the bravest hero could be overwhelmed.

They hadn’t yet voiced their suspicion that the amusement park was truly a warship, but now, even this army of mechanical soldiers alone was enough to be a terrifying weapon.

If the seaside battleship wasn’t stopped soon, the consequences would be catastrophic.

In the current situation, there weren’t many who could stand against it. Hua Mulan had to report upwards.

“I’m afraid we’ll need to borrow the power from above,” she told them.

Chang’an, the Ring Palace

From the sky, the palace resembled a massive circular mountain on the continent of Kings. Its main ridge formed a continuous ring; inside the ring, the palace levels sank layer by layer toward the central plaza. Standing there, one felt like being inside an arena at sunset, surrounded by tiered, ascending palatial structures.

The Empress was in the eastern section of the ring. At this moment, she stood outside her office corridor, reading the secret report.

A hand lifted the beaded curtain, passing the letter to the courtier just beyond—Lady Shangguan.

“Wan’er, what do you think?” the Empress asked after a pause.

“Though outwardly at peace, the Bureau of Instruments and the Great Wall guard are inwardly divided. Hua Mulan’s secret report has her own motives. Still, I believe most of what’s written is true. Setting aside Lord Sikong’s issues, if the seaside battleship is as described, then that vast army of mechanical soldiers is a grave threat that must be eliminated quickly.”

Shangguan Wan’er chose her words carefully, analyzing for the Empress:
“To fight mechanical soldiers, the forces best suited within Heluo are the Great Wall guard, the Bureau’s Blackcloaks, and the Border Troops. To avoid alerting the enemy, deploying the Border Troops would be most appropriate.”

The Empress nodded approvingly, then said slowly:
“Tell the Warden of Void City that Sikong Zhen is not to leave Chang’an. Beyond that, no unnecessary moves. I will personally direct the Border Troops.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Empress rose, her wide, resplendent embroidered robe brushing the ground. With a soft sigh:
“It has been a long time since I…”

“I haven’t asked yet—how did the two of you end up together?” Lanling Wang finally voiced the question in his heart.

Sun Shangxiang smiled faintly and said nothing.

Hua Mulan kept her gaze fixed on the sea, her silver hair whipping in the wind. “All thanks to your tip-off—I met the little princess of Eastern Wu.”

Lanling Wang gave a bitter smile. He wasn’t a fool.

“Then I wish you both luck. I’m leaving.” He escorted them to the headland; now it was time to part.

His mission was complete. He had received his generous payment. As a professional assassin, he had to remain neutral, uninvolved in the battles of either side.

They waved him off.

Once the Empress’s army arrived, they would act as the vanguard, striking the island first. Afterward, the main army would land and withstand the mechanical soldiers’ overwhelming numbers.

On the horizon, the masts of a fleet appeared.

Sun Shangxiang gripped her cannon tightly.

War was about to begin.

“Little Princess, let’s go.”

Their plan worked well, paving the way for Heluo’s Border Troops. As the fleet docked, the troops landed. Sun Shangxiang fell back to provide long-range bombardment, while Hua Mulan fought on the flanks.

Weapons clashed, guns thundered, and the soldiers’ lightning attacks crackled with sizzling blue sparks.

The battle was chaotic. The Border Troops pushed deeper inland, gradually seizing more territory. At first it looked promising.

But after an hour, the front line stalled at a hillside.

During a pause between cannon cooldowns, Sun Shangxiang grew anxious: Sun Quan’s soldiers were endless. As the line stretched, Heluo’s forces became too thin.

“Fall back!” came the Border Troops’ order.

Hua Mulan hesitated, but had no choice—she retreated fifty paces with her men.

The island was quickly swallowed again by the swarming mechanical soldiers, the sight despairing.

Then suddenly, a blazing light tore across the sky.

It streaked above the Heluo army and burst into a glowing magic array within the enemy ranks. The mechanical soldiers staggered in dizziness. Next, a barrage of energy spheres smashed into the array and exploded in a massive shockwave.

Heluo troops dropped to the ground, shielding themselves.

From the rear, Sun Shangxiang saw clearly: on the fleet’s prow stood a female mage, wearing a golden crown and a red-and-white embroidered robe.

The magic array and energy spheres had been her doing.

Now, she continued unleashing devastation. Golden explosions engulfed every corner.

Hua Mulan had never witnessed such overwhelming battlefield magic. She turned back—indeed, it was the Empress’s ultimate arts: Power of Life and Death and Radiance of the Empress.

The mechanical soldiers fell in droves.

“Charge into the fortress!” Hua Mulan commanded.

They surged forward, trampling over the fallen, storming into the seaside battleship’s interior—

In the end, Hua Mulan captured Sun Quan inside the control room. Though the ship’s guns were powerful, they were useless in close combat. It had been his and Sikong Zhen’s secret weapon to destroy the Ring Palace.

Sun Shangxiang looked at him coldly, without even a glance more.

The Empress did not intervene in Eastern Wu’s affairs, leaving the little princess to deal with her brother herself. Her priority was eliminating the mechanical soldiers infused with lightning—the first step in suppressing the Grand Sikong’s rebellion.

Once their conspiracy was exposed, Sikong Zhen’s prestige would collapse, and Sun Quan’s reputation in Eastern Wu would be ruined.

The rest would be easily handled.

Back in Chang’an, the Empress quietly punished Sikong Zhen. The Bureau of Instruments was downgraded, its functions dismantled.

As for Hua Mulan—

“In my view, your motives are not pure. If I were to promote you, the court would not accept it.”

Hua Mulan humbly refused any reward.

Finally, the Empress said:
“Then return to your original post. For your merit in the island battle, I will bestow a token upon you.”

Hua Mulan received the imperial gift.

The Empress smiled faintly, the beaded curtain falling.
“This is called the Radiance of Nine Heavens. For a general whose swordplay is vast and unrestrained, it suits you best.”

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