Ek or one of the Ek, I still wasn’t sure led me to a large warehouse. “Prince. Super steel ingots listed.”
“I can’t read any of this,” I replied. The rodent like creature let out what appeared to be a grumble and then began to point out the items on the shelves and descriptions one at a time. I was able to pick up their numerical system after a bit of observation. It operated on a base eleven, which raised the question of why offer 500 super steel bars?
Maybe they knew cultivators operated on a base ten counting system. Or were they offering that much based on their counting system. At least they had a large room of displayed trade goods with descriptions and amounts. Ek, who was escorting me spent hours going through the entire room and I carefully paid attention. The place was one massive warehouse. We finally came to the end.
Anything more complicated than raw metals had a very clear markup. Their items appeared to run on basic electricity, but appeared to be compatible with my hover craft’s power source. Less hard connections like plugs and more pressing one surface to another surface. I guess when you have a range of technology, certain standards develop if you want to trade or use another civilization’s goods.
I also noticed that most prices were listed as fractions of a super steel ingot. Clearly these creatures used the special steel ingots has low volume, high value trading goods. Also, the demand was probably pretty consistent if they used them as the benchmark of their trading.
There had also been a six limbed figure in a suit walking about, being escorted by another Ek. Apparently customer service was very important, or they preferred to keep an eye on their guests.
“Is this all of the goods?” I asked.
“Small goods, yes. Display single of bulk, yes. Composite goods, no. Information, no,” Ek said, and I nodded.
“Can I get a preview of the composite goods and information?” I asked.
“Composite goods. Expensive. Custom ordered.”
“You mean vessels or ships?” I asked.
“Yes. Very difficult to make. Time consuming. Not cheap. Custom ordered. Pay ahead. Other build own.” Ek said. If I wasn’t willing to make a down payment, clearly, they weren’t going to spend their time discussing the matter with me. That was annoying, since I wanted a better idea on what things were worth.
“Information?” I asked. Ek shook his head.
“No trade information. Only raw materials. Information can be wrong. Can change. Very valuable.” That made me wonder if those Seekers had scammed me.
I considered the trade goods again. I had enough cultivator energy bars, I was going to spend one and get an array of stuff from this place. “Need anything specific out here, that you are looking for?” I asked the Ek and the creature shook his head. I thought Ek was a he, but for all I knew these creatures could have ten sexes or reproduce from clone vats. The Forever City produced humans as products so who knows what crazy things other cultures did out here in the Mechanical Layer.
“Many things. New things. Cultivator energy bars. All goods have price,” the Ek said. I really wish they just had a list they were willing to hand out. But apparently they didn’t like writing down that much information. Only on tiny cards in a warehouse. It was a really weird way to do business. If I were them, I would give a list to each customer that visited in multiple languages.
I also noted they didn’t sell anything organic. It would have been nice to try the cuisine out here, or at least look at it. But apparently they only dealt with metals and products made from those metals. I noted there were no plastics in any of the items they offered. There was glass which they used for their displays.
Update the prices based on supply and demand, and then go from there. But this group appeared to want to handle things personally and explain things. “I would like to trade for the following with one cultivator energy bar. A hundred super steel ingots, a portable gas extractor, a portable solids separator, a way finder beacon locator, two of your portable power units, and a compact short range communications device.” I picked their more expensive items they offered.
The total came to over 700 super steel ingots. I could see Ek taking his time after I had made the offer to think it over carefully. Or it could be secretly communicating with others of its kind to get approval for the transaction. “Agreed. Items will be brought. Half loaded on vessel, then you give bar, then other half loaded on vessel.”
“Agreed I replied. Is there anything else to do here?” I asked.
“Small area. Traders set up. But Ek offers best service. Take one tenth if trade here,” Ek explained. I nodded at this answer. We left the warehouse area and made our way back through the trade area. There were very few shops open that I could tell.
“You just let people stay here?” I asked.
“No trade food. No trade water. Others come to trade with Ek, few stay. Most leave. Very dangerous to travel,” Ek said.
“So once our trade is done, I can walk around?” I asked.
“Only in trade area. Rest of area for Ek. Clearly marked. Clearly labeled. Very upset if you leave area. Can leave by ship whenever you want,” Ek said. This was a surprisingly lax standard for trade. There were no tariffs or anything else on their goods. I considered the fee on others goods to be quite small. The lack of trade was surprising by how they treated their giant cylinder ship as a free trade port.
“Why so little trade? Seems very quiet,” I asked.
“Dangerous to travel. Many die. Quiet area. Many reasons. Ek travel slowly. Large groups don’t like Ek,” the creature explained. I guess they might be the bottom feeders of the Mechanical Layer, maybe. It was hard to say. They clearly welcomed trade but had strict limits of interactions with others just like the Seekers.
“You wouldn’t be interested in selling your knowledge of your history or language?” I asked. This question Ek took longer to respond to.
“Information no sell. Information is power. Trade information with others. Not Ek,” the creature replied. Well that was unfortunate, but I clearly wasn’t going to get more answers on why their culture was like this. We reached the hanger with my hover craft and the metal crate with the goods were already next to it.
“Why sell metal refineries, isn’t that what you do?” I asked.
“Small device. Ek build much bigger. Wish you luck if you want to build. Not simple. We make finished goods. We trade for raw materials,” Ek said.
That was kind of clever. They were creating a system that allowed others to earn money and trade for their goods. I loaded up the crate, I would unpack it later, and handed over the cultivator energy bar to Ek. Another crate was brought out from the airlock by another Ek on a floating platform.
“This has 100 super steel bars,” Ek said. It was much heavier. I still was able to pick it up and load it on my hover craft. “Any more trades?” Ek asked me.
“Instructions included?” I asked.
“Visual instructions. Pictures for each button. Very simple. New life can figure out easily,” Ek said.
“I want to take a look at the other stores, but unless you want to discuss ships, then there isn’t anything else,” I replied.
“If you need Ek, there is button over there close to airlock under panel. Push it, Ek will come. Any time,” Ek said.
“Thank you, for showing me around and trading,” I said.
“Ek will leave now,” the creature went to the airlock and went through. Weird, very weird. Hopefully I could find someone who could give me a better understanding of this place. I left through the airlock as well and then there was another human on the other side. That was quick.
“Cultivator?” they asked in a language I actually knew.
“Yes,” I replied, and they let out a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed.
“I am Cultivator Yang Heng from the Heavenly Alliance,” the middle aged man said with a smile.
“Cultivator Yuan Zhou also from the Heavenly Alliance,” I replied.
“I am guessing you didn’t come to rescue me?” he asked and I shook my head.
“Um, no. I was out here trading,” I replied.
“Trading? Why bother with this trash?” he asked.
“Um, I left the Heavenly Alliance to seek fortune. I am still figuring things out,” I replied.
“Wait. Are you part of the super-organization itself or one of its feeder factions?” he asked.
“Feeder factions, the TripleX faction under Master Qiang You,” I explained. The man seemed to collapse inwards.
“Forgotten, completely forgotten. Left in the trash heap,” he muttered.
“What is the problem?” I asked.
“Come with me. We can go rest in my home,” he said tiredly. I followed him to a nearby store on the multi-story promenade. He opened up a door for his shop, which was actually a home and then closed the door behind him. He waved his hand a couple of times and then took off his mask.
“You can breathe here now,” he replied, and I took off my mask as well. The place was tidy, but it appeared he had been living here for quite a while.
“It is nice to meet you senior,” I said politely. He began making some tea.
“I wish I could say the same. Has the Forever City finally crumbled into the abyss?” he asked.
“Um, no. It was still there when I left,” I replied.
“A shame, but not surprising. Now I am stuck here. With these creatures,” the last part he said with utter disgust.
“While different, they don’t appear to be unfriendly,” I replied.
“They are not cultivators. At best they are rats, scourging about. I was lost after a clearing expedition. Took a bad hit and went into a trace to survive. Picked up later, by these things, who knows when, and I have been stuck here ever since,” Yang Heng said.
“You can’t get a lift off of this place?” I asked.
“And who would return me? Even if I did reach one of the outposts, they are closed until the next clearing expedition. It was too much to hope you were a rescue party,” he replied.
“Your cultivation seems to be keeping up as well as your implants,” I said.
“Weak. I am weak and pathetic. If I could I would have killed these rats and commandeered this garbage barge to make my return. But these rats aren’t weak or stupid unfortunately. I know they know how dangerous I am. Without my equipment, without my team, without reserves of energy built up, I can do nothing but wait and persist.”
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He then laid out two cups of tea. I pretended to drink. He took a long sip of his tea. “It isn’t poisoned. If I was going to steal your way off this place, I would have already killed you and taken it,” he said.
“Why not try and trade or offer your services to build up some money?” I asked and he looked at me like I was saying something incredibly stupid before he let out a sigh.
“What would I offer? What could I do? What little I have managed to keep is what you see around me.”
“And you can survive without food or water?” I asked.
“I need only a small amount. Enough that I can scourge some up myself. And even if I did get enough money, where would I go?” he asked.
“Travel about, see other cultures, trade with them?” I suggested.
“And die horribly. The Mechanical Layer is a slow death to us cultivators. The lack of energy. The drain on one’s cultivation. If there weren’t useful resources here to take, there would be no point in this trash heap. This is the fate of exiles. Those who have done a crime, but can’t be killed,” he muttered, clearly upset. My guess was that his anger came from being abandoned for having done nothing wrong.
“So now you just wait here?” I ask.
“Yes. You are the first cultivator that I have sensed in forever. No one ever travels. The Forever City is the bastion of enlightenment and cultivation across the Firmament. While there are other places, none can compare to its grandeur. What, your face clearly shows you think otherwise?”
“It is a toxic dump. That is bland. It is stagnation made manifest,” I replied.
“Ah, I am not surprised. You come from a lower faction. It is no surprise you don’t understand the grandeur of the Forever City,” he replied.
“Well, they did forget about you out here,” I countered.
“Ha, true. Very true.”
“I am interested information, if you have any,” I replied.
“Like what? I can’t give you directions, if that is what you want.”
“I am looking for specific items and would like your understanding about cultivation in this layer and the lack of energy,” I replied and brought out the list I had been given. Yang Heng looked over the list and let out several scoffs before handing it back to me.
“Whomever made that list is funny. Those are all super rare items, even I would be tempted by, at least those I know. No one in their right mind would ever trade for any of those. As for cultivating it is impossible. That is why this place is hell and a place for exiles and forgotten cultivators,” Yang Heng said heavily and shook his head before sipping his tea.
I pretended to sip mine and Yang Heng just gave me a rueful smile. “It is surprising the Ek allow you to stay here,” I said.
“Trying to fight me would be risky for the rats. They could win in a fight, but giving me a room to stay in is nothing for them. They let me stay in case other cultivators come through. So, you have left to seek your fortune, foolishness. There is no energy in this layer of reality,” he said.
“I saw a twist in space with some energy coming from it,” I countered.
“A paltry amount at best. This place is the worst. Even if you find a treasure, the link forged to the Astral Plane from your soul is too weak.”
“Couldn’t you cultivate a stronger link?” I asked.
“And then explode when you return to the Firmament,” Yang Heng shook his head. “But making a stronger link is what cultivation is at its route. To empower yourself with more and more energy in a systematic manner. You clearly have questions, I propose a trade,” Yang Heng said and set down his tea cup.
“What kind of trade?” I asked curiously.
“I want to leave and try to find my own way back to the Forever City. Staying here any longer is pointless. While I might be an immortal, I do not wish to spend my time living with rats,” he said.
“And what is to stop you from killing me once we leave and take all my stuff?” I asked calmly and directly. There was silence at that. Here the rules of the Ek were in force. No fighting or stealing. But once we left, Yang Heng could easily kill me and take everything I owned.
“I suppose my word of honor as a cultivator of the Heavenly Alliance won’t be enough?” Yang Heng asked me. I shook my head.
“Unfortunately, no. If I ever return to the Forever City I can pass on word about you to the Heavenly Alliance, but beyond that, taking you with me is too risky,” I countered. I didn’t want to be under another cultivator’s authority if I could help it. I had left that kind of stuff behind me in the Forever City. I was not about to be roped in again.
“Would there be any way you would reconsider?” Yang Heng asked. I could tell he was desperate, but there was no basis for trust between us. He might have a lot of knowledge, but that wasn’t worth my life.
“I can’t think of how. I can tell, that I am weaker than you,” I countered.
“Not that much. Your cultivation base is weird, but it is hard to tell with so little energy. I would be willing to be restrained. But I refuse to wait the rest of my life here, now that a cultivator has showed up.”
“And where would you even want to go?” I asked.
“Anywhere other than this place. They travel slowly, never go near other factions, and this place is desolate. Isn’t whatever craft you have tied to you?” Yang Heng asked.
“It is, but with some work, there are workarounds,” I replied.
“You know about engineering and the arrays used?” he asked me.
“I know enough to know that no system is perfect. There are worse things than death.”
“I am experiencing that right now, trapped here, on this garbage hauler.”
“My hover craft is quite small. Two people would make it cramped,” I replied.
“I can trance myself for periods of time until you run into something. Which is what I have been doing here. Only the sense of your energy, woke me up, thankfully before you left,” Yang Heng countered. I considered the issue of taking on a passenger.
“I would swear upon my ancestors, the Heavenly Alliance, and my immortal soul, I just want to leave this place. Drop me off at the next friendly place I can survive, but I would rather die than remain trapped here with the rats any longer,” he said and set down his teacup. He clearly was desperate, and the last line indicated he was willing to drag me down with him. I hated being forced into a corner like this.
“Very well, but I have questions I want to ask,” I said. If he was going to force himself on as a passenger then I would get every scrap of useful knowledge out of him.
“And I will try to give you any answers I have.”
“I need to progress my cultivation. Do you have any advice?” I asked. He frowned and then stared intently at me.
“Give me your hand,” he said and I held it out. I felt a pulse of energy go through me. Yang Heng’s eyes went wide. I felt a second pulse and then a third before he let go. “You have passed the first bottleneck, somehow. But your cultivation is immense. I had thought you were one step away from immortality.”
“Any suggestions?” I asked.
“If we were in the Forever City I would be able to consult the Lore Master on our histories and the Cultivation Sage for guidance on such a unique issue.” Yang Heng clearly came from a very privileged background. If it wasn’t for his dire position, we would never come in contact with each other. “I would only need to wait for your natural death, not kill you. But I shall honor my word. You engaged and completed all three cultivation methods.”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Rare for one not of the Heavenly Alliance to accomplish such a feat. The resources needed for such an undertaking are no simple matter. Soul, body, and mind with a focus on the application of force. Your body needs energy, a tremendous amount.” I listened closely, since this was an opportunity to actually get some real guidance. The elite of cultivation society clearly had more knowledge, wider perspective, and a greater heritage to draw upon.
“This isn’t a new cultivation method?” I asked.
“It is a secret cultivation method that you have stumbled upon. One that was built upon eons of hard work from our ancestors. While you might have stumbled upon this path, without our society, and the Forever City which you deride, being in place, it would not be possible.” I inclined my head towards him.
“That is true. I did have to work hard to get the resources and opportunities to get this far,” I said.
“Beyond impressive. That was why I thought you were originally from the Heavenly Alliance. It is a secret technique. The faction that supported you will no doubt be wiped out once the Heavenly Alliance realizes.”
“What?! Why?!” I asked in surprise. Yang Heng gave me a look implying I was stupid.
“Because it is the central pillar and core of our cultivation system that the Forever City uses. Eons of work to create a pathway to even greater power, while not losing one’s mind. But also, difficult enough that no one could easily accomplish it, or would be willing to take that risk.”
“I heard rumors about other people trying three-part cultivation,” I said.
“But none succeeded, right?” he asked, and I nodded. “Anyone who does is taken in by the Heavenly Alliance, and those with the knowledge are killed or sent on dangerous errands to prove their loyalty. It is a good thing you ran into me, since if you talked about this with another cultivator you would be killed.”
“Maybe that’s why I was sent away?” I muttered.
“Doubtful, but it is possible. To hide you away from the Heavenly Alliance. Still the knowledge is kept secret. I am willing to guide you, but you must swear to never divulge the steps beyond your current point.”
“That is surprisingly helpful,” I replied.
“To have someone outside the Heavenly Alliance get as far as you have is a once an eon type of event. For the entire time the Forever City has existed, only three other cultivators are known to have accomplished what you have. You make the fourth.”
“Factions don’t try on their own?” I wondered.
“They do. But three part cultivation is not simple as you clearly have experienced. Getting the basic structure right, spending the time and resources, it is a large investment. Why take the risk, when it is easy to use implants to grant immortality, or easily help someone progress on another path.”
“The Heavenly Alliance made the single paths easier,” I said.
“Indeed, and it makes us all the stronger for it. The Forever City is named as such, since the top powers are qualified to create and defend a super organization against the many threats of the Firmament and adjacent layers. Not just the Forever City but the countless feeder continents that constantly bring in resources. They are all under our aegis of protection. Even here, the fear of retaliation of the Heavenly Alliance is real enough that the rats would not dare to offend me,” Yang Heng said. There was the domineering and entitled attitude I had been expecting from a scion of the Heavenly Alliance.
“You used a similar cultivation method?” I asked.
“Indeed. That is also why you are still able to draw in energy in the Mechanical Layer. The suction vortex created inside your soul, is powerful enough to draw up energy, as far as we are. But advancing further is even more difficult.”
“Shouldn’t it be easier?” I asked.
“If you were in the Heavenly Alliance, then yes. If we could return, your advancement would be guaranteed, but that is impossible. You would not survive until the next clearing and our chances of being rescued are miniscule. But here in the Mechanical Layer, you are struggling to get enough energy,” he said, and I nodded. “I am curious to hear what you think the next step should be. It is rare to get someone in your position with no knowledge of what is to come. So I am curious what you think the next step in your cultivation path should be.”
“To construct some kind of internal filter mechanism to draw in more energy and alter it to what I need, using the suction conduit from my physical body to my soul and pillars I would use that energy to construct astral cores attuned to my Dao. The problem is building all of that,” I replied.
Yang Heng smiled. “That is well thought out. Since you made it this far it is not surprising. That is close to the next step. But your soul needs to be strengthened first. Without that step, there is too much of a risk, that is damaged as you draw energy.”
“And how would I strengthen my soul,” I replied.
“Through various alchemical potions. Then you would need an immense amount of energy to fuel the following steps of your ascension.”
“And do you know how to make these items?” I asked.
“No. They are a secret of the Heavenly Alliance. While some people have made it as far as you in our history, it is impossible to go further on your own or even with a faction backing you.”
“Then why wipe out factions that have reached this far?” I asked.
“While such potions are secret, that doesn’t mean recreating them or finding another method is impossible. Keeping a monopoly on the strongest cultivation method is a core tenant of your strength.”
“You sound like I am already part of the Heavenly Alliance?” I asked hesitantly.
“You are. While not officially confirmed, your cultivation is enough to induct you as an Inner Member. While lesser cultivators can join as Outer Members, they can go no further. And you have used our cultivation method, no other group would accept you with open arms.”
“So that’s it. I just need to strengthen my soul and find a way to draw in lots of energy,” I replied.
“Simple to say, much harder to put into practice. Once your soul strengthens, you can draw more energy through while also hiding it.”
“It is on the Astral Plane, how does that even work?” I asked. I never really understood how my soul could be separated by layers of reality.
“It isn’t your soul exactly, but the point at which you draw energy into yourself. The purpose of cultivation is to strengthen that connection. Your soul is the portion of your body that exists as energy. This can be sensed when you draw energy from the astral plane. Too strong and you will be detected by the things that lurk there,” Yang Heng explained.
“That connection is all important and a key weak point of cultivators. That is why soul cultivation is the most popular method, to strengthen the soul and hide this weakness. The other methods such as body and mind, struggle much more in this regard, since hiding that connection is much harder. The first bottleneck is creating that connection.” I listened intently. This was a completely new perspective on everything I had already learned about cultivation.
“Changing the connection after it has been created is nearly impossible. That is what immortals struggle with, increasing amount of energy they can draw and use. The second bottleneck, is moving your consciousness from your physical body to your soul, or the energy that makes up your body. You fail, and you are dead.”
“But succeed and you are immortal,” I replied.
“As long as you have energy. Other cultivators would slowly die here in the Mechanical Layer. That was why whomever sent you here was sending you to die. Well maybe not, since you aren’t an immortal yet. But your physical body would quickly break down from the lack of energy to maintain its youthfulness.” I had a lot to think about as my perspective on cultivation shifted once again.
“And karma?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Is a higher-level concept we immortals use. Energy can be affected by thoughts. Negative thoughts directed at an individual would bring them bad luck and the reverse is true as well. It is subtle, but important. Increasing one’s connection to draw more energy after you have gone that far, is quite risky. Low karma will often lead to failures, while high karma increases the chance of success.”
“That seems simple enough,” I replied.
“In theory. In practice it is far more complicated. Immortals constantly study such things, but the nuances are complex the deeper you study the interactions that come from energy.”
“And Dao?” I asked.
“Specialization. It is always better to specialize. Force is a very good choice and has a wide range of applications. I use foresight, myself.” That raised even more questions.