Elder Cultivator

Chapter 934

Much of the information coming into the Scarlet Alliance flowed through Velvet. She had access to most of the rest, if she had a need for it. For the most part, however, she simply kept herself updated on things necessary to perform her duties. She needed to know enough to pick out what was important if she could only scavenge a limited amount of information on a mission, and she still was personally involved in information retrieval.

Indeed, though she was able to oversee many aspects of their spy operations, a single person both couldnt and shouldnt manage everything. Though on the first point, that was only true outside of the bounds of cultivation. There were many who found their skills lay in management and information processing, developing those skills parallel to their technological systems processing data.

The upper realms was more or less in the midpoint of a period of calm, at least where it concerned the lower realms and the tides of the world. Obviously they couldnt expect any groups so large as the titans on either side of them to actually have periods of nothing at all happening, and indeed the war with the Exalted Quadrant had still been fresh in peoples minds when the latest Everheart incident had taken place.

Long range sensors and scouts had determined that the Everheart System remained intact, another point towards Everhearts survival- though it was entirely possible that this time he had actually perished and the system would simply continue to exist without him for some time. However, nobody who had actually approached had returned to report any information, neither spies nor fortune seekers. Clearly, something had changed.

Though both major forces had withdrawn after the incident, the Scarlet Alliance remained wary of their neighbors. They could act at any point. And the subfactions within them seemed to be growing more aware of the budding relevance of the Scarlet Alliance itself. Obviously they had no Domination cultivators, but even holding off Zaur for a time had marred his reputation. It was hoped that his wounds were deeper than imagined, but their sources had not yet revealed anything regarding that in the following years.

The war with the Chaotic Conglomeration was still ongoing, and while one or two Augmentation cultivators wouldnt make or break their chances against the Exalted Quadrant, Velvet had received encouraging news from Runa and the Spirit Slicing Sect. They were not in frequent communication, but there were things in play to allow at least a general picture. The Sprit Slicing Sect had personal achievements against the Exalted Quadrant as of late, even if the overall picture of the long war had not changed significantly.

Less encouraging was information from within the Exalted Quadrant itself. It was not information about any of the sects in particular, but rather the news came that there was a new variety of ships within the Exalted Quadrant. That was nothing particularly alarming on its own, as cultivators would always be seeking to develop new things. The problem was that they had a suspicious familiarity in some components, and seemed to be first attempts at partial technological ships.

It was not unexpected that eventually their neighbors would begin to develop technology, and with various ships and people missing during their various conflicts- especially some older ones- it wasnt unbelievable that they could replicate some of it. However, the mere existence of non-formation based technology was not a huge concern by itself. It was unlikely they could even replicate some of the more advanced pieces as they would be missing all of the manufacturing techniques.

Still, it was an issue that bore paying attention to. Would these new additions be a danger, or would they provide an interesting vulnerability in the enemy forces? They were missing the many centuries of experience held by Rutera and then their allies, so even if they could replicate the form in a somewhat functional manner, they might have all sorts of weaknesses they hadnt yet considered.

For example, computer security was unlikely to be something they had considered beyond a basic level, and if they had remote access through any means the tech focused cultivators of the Alliance could likely wreak havoc among those ships. Said security was constantly developing within their own borders, as the Scarlet Alliance was not a monolith of perfection with no criminals.

Wherever there was wealth people would try to seize it for themselves in ways they found the most expedient, especially if they thought they could avoid the consequences. Vulnerabilities existed in formations, technology, and people themselves. With all of that said, higher cultivations tended to trump everything else, and the Scarlet Alliance kept a relatively low crime rate overall. They simply recognized that no system was perfect. But internal crime was not Velvets area of activity.

Establishing even a basic spy network within the Trigold Cluster had been more difficult than the Exalted Quadrant, as they were more strict with the movements of even their own citizens. New people appearing mysteriously were obviously more suspect. Of course, local cultivators were always willing to take bribes to pass along information- it was getting useful and true information from local agents that was more suspect. Such understanding and trust simply took time to establish.

The effort was worth it, however. They were able to advance beyond speculation, especially where it concerned internal conflict in the Trigold Cluster. With traditional cultivator culture, there were obviously conflicts. What was important to confirm was friction between larger sects. Specifically pertaining to the events in the lower realms. That was a century past, but the buildup and resolution of larger scale conflicts could take time.

From what the Scarlet Alliance gathered, nobody in the upper realms was upset about planet destroying weapons or even the betrayal of their own people. However, that didnt mean there was nothing to cause friction between them. The systems they no longer had access to had been extracting value for them, with the current Free Planet Guardians and Adamant Federation splitting what remained. None was coming to the upper realms, and everyone involved seemed to be blaming the others.nove(l)bi(n.)com

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Sadly it didnt seem to have embroiled them in a massive civil war, but any conflict was good. And there was quite a bit that could happen with massive sects that had dozens of systems under their sway each that didnt involve war. Skirmishes involving the death of hundreds of lower ranking disciples was a matter of course, such incidents simply happened to increase. Perhaps not enough to weaken the factions overall, but enough to distract them for a while.

While it was unpleasant to consider, it would be convenient for the Scarlet Alliance if that lasted until they began focusing on their upcoming assault on the lower realms. They wouldnt just leave things to the lower realms, of course, but they could more easily manage personal growth first and later sabotage if their enemies were distracted. The void ants were also preparing on the border, the first line of defense.

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Back in the core of the Scarlet Alliance, the integration of Akrysian cultivators was going smoothly though ultimately it relied on Xankeshans familiarity with the wolves and local cultivators who had learned the language of Akrys for purposes of translation. Those who had ascended, while quite significant for a single new planet, were nothing in comparison to the population of even the smallest town on Xankeshan.

Their numbers were in the double digits, so they were seen by most as rare oddities rather than anything significant just yet. With such a low population, they would likely stay that way for the foreseeable future. Their population growth would come more or less only through ascension. The massive variety in species among Akrys meant that there werent mates for the vast majority of them, and those who remained might not even be interested in each other.

Most likely they would remain a simple oddity for a long time, which was probably for the best. Someone had life-seeded that planet, and if they made the connection they could learn too many things about the Scarlet Alliance. Attracting Ascension cultivators into their territory had been something available to the Harmonious Citadel, but the Scarlet Alliance would prefer if the breadth of their operations werent known.

But of course, they were still happy to have additional allies. More Integration cultivators was never an issue, but only a blessing. And if whoever was responsible for Akrys being the way it was learned of them and decided it was a good time to return to that planet in the lower realms they would find themselves quite surprised by the response. It wouldnt just be the locals, but also the Lower Realms Alliance standing against them.

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More often than not lately, Anton found himself binding new stars. Specifically, he was focused on his replacement of pre-Assimilation stars, keeping the floating ones available for when he required quicker use.

Rather than significantly expanding his range of motion, Anton was focusing on the area he already frequented. The stars would serve both as a highway for his own accelerated movement, but also buffer zones against invaders and places of safety for travelers. Anton couldnt guarantee the safety of those passing through systems he had stars bound, but he could be pretty close.

Today, he was on the southern route, between Ceretos and Inistra. But Anton was not alone. Indeed, the particular star they had chosen was of little importance just in case something catastrophic happened. Not that he expected it.

With Anton were Varghese, and of course Three Squeaks. Both had taken the same path to Assimilation as Anton, and this was their first test of a triple bound star.

Three Squeaks had already bound the star, making use of one of his limited free stars. This was not a project where they wanted to spend a decade or more for the three to attempt to bind the star sequentially.

Varghese was currently in the process, having started after they determined the star was stable following Three Squeaks binding. A properly done binding was quite safe, but Three Squeaks was still the youngest and newest among all of them so caution was best.

Calaminda was a simple red star, quite pleasant but not particularly special in Antons opinion. It didnt take long for Varghese to complete his connection to the star. Anton could feel the energy of the two intertwine, much like the stars he shared with either of them separately.

Varghese had enough experience that the star only required a few minutes to settle down, and that was due to an abundance of caution to make certain there were no odd internal reactions. Nobody wanted to destroy a star or damage their cultivations after all. This was more of a confirmation than anything else.

I suppose its time for me now, Anton said. The others nodded as he reached out. He could feel their connections, drawing power from the star while at the same time strengthening it in turn. The addition of will and order among a stars power and chaos far made up for any energy an individual could draw from one.

Reaching into the star was simple, and the connection inside of him unfolded naturally. When he completed his efforts, there were a few moments of silence and stillness. Anton could feel the pulse of the star, but that was only natural. He sensed no imbalance, which was exactly as intended. They practiced a cooperative method, after all, but there were always risks involved where things could become unbalanced.

Three cultivators bound to one star might have pulled against each other unevenly, but instead the balance came naturally. That boded well for future practitioners who would do the same, as they could fairly well extrapolate that it would remain stable. Perhaps there would be a maximum limit, but they didnt expect one to appear suddenly. And while the One Hundred Stars produced Assimilation cultivators often enough, there werent many who chose the particular path they had. It was powerful, but not without risks. And those who had the wrong temperament were encouraged to seek other methods.

We did it, Three Squeaks celebrated. Now I can go to that fancy magnetic one.

Varghese nodded. Indeed, Azun would be a good choice. And I imagine we should spend time adding our own touch to core systems. It would be better if none of us were strictly confined to a particular area, since we can overlap.

I am quite pleased, Anton agreed. Even hearing of Domination cultivators while I cant guarantee we could take them on as we are now in three centuries? The Lower Realms Alliance wont be easily stepped on.

Anton just hoped that they wouldnt run into too many problems before then. Obviously he couldnt expect such a long stretch of time to be completely peaceful, but it would be nice if it were better than their previous ones. He could hope, and more relevantly work towards the future he wanted to see.