Chapter 87: Life 61, Age 35, Martial Grandmaster Peak

After the competition, I was not taken to meet with Mei. Instead, I was whisked away to a small room near the top of the amphitheater for a private audience with the Eight Flower King. When I walked in, I saw a powerfully built man with raven black hair and a short, tidy beard wearing an elaborate robe of reds and golds. “Your majesty,” I said, giving the man a deep bow that took my torso past horizontal. In an empire, it would have been proper to kowtow, and even in most kingdoms, it was appropriate to kneel, but in Eight Flower, a deep bow was all that was required. I was forced to hold my bow for many long seconds as the man looked at me. “Rise,” he finally commanded. I did so, but then found myself standing awkwardly in silence. It wasn’t my turn to speak, and the king was content to quietly examine me. “Su Fang,” he said, once his examination was complete, “I’m disappointed you didn’t accept my offer. You would have made a fine subordinate, and your aid could have helped me a great deal these past few years. Still, it isn’t a total loss. You are now my vassal Lord.” He paused to emphasize this statement. “Unfortunately, I only have one year left as Eight Flower King. I expect you to assist me during this time.” “Of course, your majesty. I will fulfill my duties as city lord to the best of my ability.” The king fixed me with an intent gaze. “My cultivation has been far more limited these past eight years than I had hoped. If you can turn that around, you will be well rewarded. My blessing allows me to concoct high-quality pills, but the number I can produce is... limited. If the number of pills you made for the Mao Clan when you first arrived is any indication, yours seems to be far better in this aspect. I know you have limited the clans you cooperate with due to our past differences, but I hope you can set aside past grudges to work for the betterment of the kingdom.” “Your majesty, I didn’t refuse the work because of a grudge but because I had far more important research to conduct. If everything works as I have planned, you should be very satisfied with the results.” The king smiled thinly at that. “Very good. If you can improve my situation, our situation, sufficiently, I will consider assisting you during the next King Selection if you wish.” I cupped my fists in a martial salute. “To a happy cooperation.” I wouldn’t believe any promises from him for a second, but I was willing to smile and agree. There was no reason to slap his face when we were both playing at being polite gentlemen, after all. Besides, to help achieve my ultimate goal of acquiring the spatial fire seed, I wanted to create something capable of boosting karmic energy production for an entire empire, and if it worked for an empire, it would be more than sufficient for a small kingdom. The only problem would be completing it soon enough to assist the king. Thankfully, his cultivation wasn’t among my priorities. The king clapped his hands to summon a servant. “Take him to the Oath Stone and administer his oath of office.” The king stared at me as I was led away. “Place your hand on the stone,” said the servant after I entered the Oath Chamber. I had only been here once before, and that was when I swore my oath to the Hu Clan. It was a small stone room located within the mountain at the center of Hundred Flower City. The only thing inside was a large stone covered in formations. After I placed my hand on the Oath Stone, the steward guided me through my swearing-in. “Repeat after me,” he said. “I swear to do nothing to intentionally harm the kingdom or any of its seated Rulers, and I swear to peacefully transfer my powers at the end of my appointed term. May this oath be binding for my term in office and one hundred years thereafter.” I completed the oath and was sworn in. It was a simple thing, but it had kept the kingdom at peace for centuries. Importantly, as I had found in the past, after taking an oath, there was a built-in warning system where one would feel a sense of crisis if they were close to breaking it, so it wasn’t something that could be done unknowingly. Following my swearing-in, the servant bundled me into a carriage and sent me out of Hundred Flower City. It was the first time I had left the city in years. The land between the capital and North Lake City was extremely fertile, and rivers flowing down from the surrounding mountains provided the area with ample water supplies, so the entire area was covered in fields that supplied food for the cities across the kingdom. Closer to North Lake, the simple food crops turned into medicinal herbs, and herbalists tended fields protected by complex formations. Passing through these farmlands, I couldn’t help but think about how such abundant resources at my doorstep could be utilized. I briefly entertained the idea of turning all the farms producing basic foodstuffs into herb fields centered around the ingredients for Fasting Pills. Instead of eating pounds of food every day, people would be able to take a single pill to handle all their nutritional needs. I didn’t know how the logistics would work out, but it seemed feasible. Being fed only pills and no food also sounded like a dystopian nightmare, so the idea might be a nonstarter. I still noted it down in my journal as something to look into. If feeding citizens only fasting pills could increase karmic energy production, the Rulers of Brilliant Sun might be interested, even if I personally found it abhorrent. It was late in the day when I arrived at North Lake City. The city was located on an island in the middle of an expansive lake set between two small mountain chains. The lake and mountains were the kingdom’s shield against any enemy who wished to attack, and the city’s cultivators were its spear. “Greetings, ministers, Seeds,” I said, nodding in acknowledgment to both groups. “First, are there any critical issues that need to be addressed immediately?” Mei responded while gazing across the room, “No, everything is functioning smoothly for the moment. We have ensured the city is in a state suitable to implement whatever tasks you deem necessary.” When Mei finished her report, Jin DaYin, Minister of Rites, spoke up. “Lord, Flower Mei has done an admirable job of ensuring the smooth functioning of the city, but there is an issue we must address. As a new city lord has just been appointed, there are observances which must be conducted tomorrow. We may need to discuss some details to ensure they are carried out to your satisfaction.” I looked at Mei, and she shook her head. “Minister Jin, I trust you to handle these matters. Unless there is something critical that I must personally make a decision on, you may arrange matters as you see fit.” “Yes, Lord,” said Jin with a bow. I couldn’t read her impassive face. I wasn’t sure if this decision was what she wanted, what she didn’t want, or simply what she expected. “Are there any other issues that may need my attention?” I asked. I wanted each minister to step forward of their own volition so that I didn’t need to rely solely on Mei’s report. “No, Lord,” they each said, one after another. “Very well. Then there are a few issues I wish to put forward. Minister Tang, I wish to construct a large, open building on the island. The planned size is roughly 80 meters wide and 100 meters long. The ceiling should be at least 15 meters high. After an initial test, more of such spaces may become necessary, so I would like a plan for that in place.” “Lord, this may be difficult,” the Minister of Public Works responded. “Space on the island is limited, and there is currently no room for such a large structure. We would need to tear down several existing buildings to accommodate it.” “I don’t care if it's difficult, it needs to happen. Find some earth cultivators and dredge the lake to build out the island if needed.” I did my best impression of an imposing Lord since that’s what I thought they needed at this point. This building had to be constructed no matter the costs. It would be the basis of my most important idea for how to improve a domain’s karmic energy, an automated pill factory. If I could succeed in creating such a thing, I was confident I could use the designs to establish a close relationship with the ruling family of the Brilliant Sun Empire. “Yes, Lord,” he said resigned. “What is the purpose of this structure? We need to know where to place it.” “Consider it a type of alchemy workshop. Placing it closer to distribution areas of herbs and pills would be best.” “Yes, Lord,” Minister Tang bowed. “I will see to this immediately.” “Lord,” said Minister Lu, stepping forward, “such construction may strain our current resources. The city’s revenue is in good condition, but we do not currently have the necessary funds for a project on the scale of island expansion.” “Yes, Minister Lu, I understand, but I need this to happen. I have prepared sufficient funds for most eventualities, and I will be financing this operation personally.” “Lord,” the Minister of Revenue gave me a worried look, “a city lord should only personally fund a single project during their term, any more than that would be frowned upon as the city should be capable of providing for itself. You may wish to wait until you have a better understanding of your new domain before making this decision.” “I understand. Thank you, Minister Lu, but I consider this project of utmost importance, and it needs to be completed as soon as possible.” I turned back to my Minister of Public Works. “Minister Tang, as Minister Lu has reminded me, I am only allowed to fund a single building, make it as large and tall as possible. At least five floors, but consider going up to ten. Bring in earth and metal cultivators to make the structure as sound as possible. I will leave the details of its location in your hands, but I am not short of gold. Do not hesitate to hire Grandmaster earth qi cultivators to build out the island for this if you think it is for the best.” His face turned grave, but he nodded in acknowledgment. “Yes, Lord.” “Flower Mei,” I said, turning to the woman. “Please assign a Seed to be my intermediary with the Hu Clan representatives in the city. They are based out of West Marsh City, but they should have a significant presence here too. I will need a team to oversee several complex formations ranging from Rank 1 to 3 after the building is constructed.” “Yes, Lord,” she answered. “If there are no other matters to attend to, everyone is dismissed.”