Joseph was on his way to a meeting with the Elder of Commerce. The man had insisted on meeting the ‘new young master of the sect’ himself.

He struggled to walk properly. Two squirrels were clinging to his calves like tiny monkeys, hidden behind his long, flowing robes.

It had been easy to convince the Elder to lend the two brothers to him for his current missions. The twins were rambunctious fellows in the meridian cleansing realm like him. They couldn’t talk, but they understood him just fine.

The elder one was named Ti Zi, or Tizzy, and loved to play pranks. He had been excited to not only leave the basin, but to play a pivotal role in his current scheme. He was white with green eyes, like all the other squirrels he met, but one of his ears was slightly bent from an old injury.

The younger one was named Ti Pi, or Tippy. He was the hesitant one that mostly followed his brother’s ideas. He wasn’t really shy, instead; he had a slightly calculative streak that made him think first before acting. The only way he had managed to differentiate him from the other squirrels was that his fur had a little more shine. If Tizzy was the brawn, Tippy was the brain.

Well, in the current situation, Joseph was the actual mastermind. He had explained the plan to the two, and they had been exuberant. All they wanted in return was to join him in the death pyramid.

Joseph had arrived in a small study that was attached to a warehouse. Apparently, the elder of commerces job was mostly logistics. He focused on the commonly traded items inside of the sect, setting the contribution point prices for herbs, pills, and all other types of items.

Joseph had set up the meeting with the pretext of him buying supplies for his upcoming challenge. He’d explained that he fully wanted to focus on his preparation, which is why he had asked the elder directly instead of going through the normal sect channels.

His reasoning was twofold. First, he didn’t want to enter the sect properly, as that had a high chance of him meeting anyone Jing Bao had met previously. The other reason was that he had a quest to fulfil.

The study was a small room filled with stacks of books, paper, and various ledgers. Elder Te Hao was crouched over a huge wooden desk that had seen better times. Where it wasn’t filled with paper, ink stains marred its surface.

The elder was writing various numbers into a table, but Joseph had no idea what the piece of paper represented.

“...And done. It is important to check all the ledgers yourself. Too many of my helpers are sloppy. Some of their work is so bad, I’m sometimes wondering if they want to steal from the sect through creative accounting.

How can I help my favorite young master today?” Wow, the old man was pushing it right from the start.

Joseph bowed slightly. “I require certain resources in preparation of the pyramid. I do hope I have enough contribution points to get everything I need.”

“You are currently at 836 contribution points.” The bald elder smiled. “It is more than most ever reach before they enter the energy realms. The sect thanks you for your contributions. Even so, I can’t make any exceptions for anyone. You will have to spend your points the same way everyone else does. The way of the cultivator is to tread alone and hand holding will only shorten your path.”

Joseph wasn’t sure if the old man was telling him the truth or not. He just seemed greedy, even if he tried to butter him with compliments.

“I am most interested in raw ingredients and defensive tools. I have some minor talent in alchemy, and wish to brew my own concoctions.”

“Ahh, yes, the poison essence. Or should I say dragon essence? Your uncle let the secret slip at the meeting, but it is safe with me. Don’t worry. It is understandable that one might want to keep their cards close. That you are still working on alchemy is a great choice. A cultivator must be more than just a warrior.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Can I enter the warehouse? I’d like to see what is available.”

“Yes, that might be quicker. But you’ll be under strict supervision. The amount of resources even tempts me to steal, and it’s all technically mine, anyway!”

The older man stood up and left his chair. He opened a door that gave entrance to the warehouse.

As soon as the door was open, Joseph was hit with a strong medicinal smell. His eyes nearly teared up from the intensity. It was like a wall of spices that hit all his senses. He tasted something close to cinnamon on his tongue, while his nose was assaulted by the smell of mint. Then it switched to some grassy, earthy herb he couldn’t identify before it mellowed out into a slight citrus.

His eyes had a similar feast as soon as he could see the first stacks. Rows and rows of herbs lying on drying racks, hanging from hooks in bundles, potted in vases, nearly anything he could imagine was found inside.

“The hall has formations to control temperature, humidity and other factors. While we could store each herb and alchemical ingredient in its own sub formation or special container, the costs would be astronomical. The things we store here are mostly mortal realm, with a few in the energy realm. The herbs are closest to the entrance because of the high turnover, but you’ll find other things further in.”

Joseph slowly made his way inside and tried to identify the herbs. Some were known to him. He had picked them himself before, like Commonleaf, Faded Blossom, Sagebrush and Bramble Petals. Others he could only identify by the descriptions Mo Li Bei had given him, like Verdant Willow and Spotted Mandrake.

The sect also had vials of Transcendent Nectar of the Celestial Petal.

Joseph wasn’t sure what the person had thought when they had named a plant extract that was found so commonly that it was sometimes used as a sweetener for tea instead of for its medicinal properties.

Still, he had a mission to fulfil. He made his way in, but as soon as he let some air under his robes, one squirrel sneezed from the intense scents. He wasn’t sure if it had been Tizzy or Tippy, but it didn’t really matter in the end.

“Yes, the smell can be quite intense. Please close the door behind you.”

“Can we look at the defensive artifacts first? If I want to get something expensive, I’d rather be able to plan around it with the rest of my purchases.”

“A wise choice, young master.”

Joseph was led further into the warehouse. The stacks and stacks of herbs and alchemical ingredients got replaced by boxes and weapon racks.

“I have a variety of defensive options for you. Let us start with one of the obvious classics, under armor.”

The Elder raised a sleeveless shirt into the air. It looked like gossamer silk and was so thin that he could look through.

“This is Azure Sky Sect’s in-house-manufactured Azure Veil. It is optimized to block attacks up to the dantian cleansing realm. Note that the lightness and cut will not impede your movements in any way. It is suitable for all styles of martial arts and can be worn without issue to social occasions. Our number one top seller starts at 445 contribution points, with the premium version with extra groin protection going for 645.”

After his pitch, he put the shirt down and picked up an umbrella. After opening it, he presented the inscripted top side to Joseph.

“Freshly imported from the Rainy Sky Sect, we have a Storm Vanguard Umbrella. This handy artifact has three daily charges of a shield that can even block Qi condensation attacks. It is the premier defensive tool for the discerning cultivator with an interest in style. For only 495 contribution points, it can be yours.”

Joseph thought the umbrella looked cool, but it seemed very impractical. Such a large tool for something you could only use thrice a day? He was more interested in the under armor shirt. It was practical, even if the thinness made it look like lingerie.

“Next up we have sky silk robes in Azure Sky Blue. While not the most exciting or eye chatching choice, these robes nevertheless provide excellent protection against attacks. As an added bonus, they have a full suite of temperature regulation inscriptions, allowing the wearer to feel comfortable all year round. With a cost of only 295 contribution points, it is the choice for the canny consumer.”

He couldn’t see any large differences between the presented robes and the one he was currently wearing, which confused him slightly. Still, Elder Te Hao seemed to be so much into his pitch that he didn’t want to interrupt.

The elder walked over to a wall of cases and opened one in the middle. He took a single piece of inscribed paper out of the box.

“Lastly, we have basic protection talismans. With a cost of 345 contribution points per talisman, they are the most expensive, but also the most effective way of defense. A single talisman can block one attack from nearly any energy realm cultivator guaranteeing your survival even in the trickiest of situations.”

Jackpot. Now that he had identified the target, he’d only need to distract the elder while the squirrels would steal the talismans.