The evening breeze over Mount Apex blew cool and fragrant. It carried the scent of pine needles and damp granite.
Across the surrounding terraces, the rulers of thirty sovereign empires had erected luxurious velvet silk pavilions, complete with glowing spirit lamps, golden banquet tables, and hovering jade incense burners.
Envoys dressed in shimmering brocade approached Frank’s platform in endless lines. He carried lacquered trays laden with deeds to mountain ranges, royal marriage contracts engraved on gold leaf, and chests of uncut spiritual diamonds.
They begged the newly accredited Sovereign Grandmaster to claim his rightful place as the Emperor of Mankind.
Frank didn’t even look at the trays.
He sat on an overturned, heavy-duty five-gallon white plastic grease bucket near the edge of the steadied southern deep gap.
Beside him, gathered around a small circular wooden spool that had once held high-voltage copper wire, sat the five students of Class 404.
Princess Jiang Ling’er adjusted a small brass petcock valve on the backup pipe hub of her chest boiler.
