Though she had expected to be constrained to the lands of the Spirit Slicing Sect, Velvet found that she was sent out on scouting missions almost immediately. The great care to keep their location secret meant nothing when she was simply allowed to exit through their hidden pathways and was expected to find her way back through the same. Had all the care Runa took to keep her from knowing where they were been a joke of some sort, or had something changed?

It was perfectly reasonable for Runa to travel in such a carriage, and indeed for most of the sect if they had them available. Keeping the area secret meant nobody spotted in the area, and the Spirit Slicing Sect was not primarily known for their subterfuge. It may have only been a practical matter, but now Velvet was concerned about the lack of caution shown. Though she had worked with them for some time in a single location, she was suddenly given far too much free rein.

Then again, for what they wanted from her it was difficult to do anything else. Velvet was a decent fighter, capable of killing the beasts in the mines after drawing them to somewhere she could use upper energy, but that wasn’t her specialty. Moving unseen was the actual focus, and any assassination abilities were more of a side effect.

The first week Velvet spent familiarizing herself with an ever-widening area around the sect. Within a hundred kilometers there were several camps containing mixed individuals of other sects that were part of the Chaotic Conglomeration as well as other groups of the Exalted Quadrant. No doubt all of that was already known to the Spirit Slicing Sect. It was the details of their foes that mattered.

Thus, Velvet focused on picking out numbers and strengths of the foes, as well as what she could about their styles. She didn’t have to enter their camps to sense such things, though it was possible they would be hiding things behind their limited formations. First, she should gather as much as she could without the risks of entering their reach. If she was spotted where she was, Velvet was at least confident in her ability to retreat- even if the Exalted Quadrant had anyone fast enough to catch up to her, it would only be a small portion of their forces given her cultivation. But never being noticed was always the best option.

Ironically, the short time gave her more information about the troop placements of the Exalted Quadrant than the time she had while nominally working for them. Perhaps the secretive information was precisely because of potential spies like her, but it could have also been simple lack of care. She wasn’t considered important enough, and someone else would have been making all the decisions. She had been intentionally underselling her cultivation to not stand out, but she would have at least liked to know if they had a plan.

Now was her chance to find out from the other side. A little bit at a time, because this wasn’t the sort of war that would be over quickly. No, perhaps it wouldn’t end until one side was dealt a serious blow decades or centuries down the line. Until then, people would continue to die every day, drawn from the massive population of the Exalted Quadrant and a presumably sizable population throughout the Chaotic Conglomeration.

Velvet knew that the largest planets in the Scarlet Alliance and the lower realms measured their populations in billions- some at ten or twenty billion, but solidly in that range. The Exalted Quadrant had some planets or at least systems with more, measured in perhaps tens of billions. Not all were cultivators, though to maintain a population of that magnitude required a large amount of resources that weren’t achievable without cultivators.

This particular border planet called Taon was much less populated than any of those. With its size being not particularly larger than what Velvet was used to, and the empty areas, she would be surprised if there were even a single billion. As for cultivators involved in the war, it was just an estimation but she expected there to be hundreds of thousands arrayed against each other when taking into account the whole planet, perhaps over a million.

Yet they did not clash in every possible battlefield at all times. Otherwise their numbers would deplete so rapidly that nobody would be able to sustain it. Both sides were in the war for the long term, and only made moves where they felt some sort of advantage.

Like the assault on the void ore mines, which might have been successful had Velvet not tipped the scales. Integration cultivators still numbered in much smaller amounts, perhaps hundreds across the planet. If her aid could bring down a few more, it would spell a significant advantage for their side.

That was odd. Velvet actually felt like part of these people, at least a little. Runa’s friendship was one thing, but mutual enemies were a pretty good excuse for that as well. She wouldn’t actually accept them until she knew more, but for the moment at least she felt safe enough around some of them.

-----

The next leg of the journey found Three Squeaks and his pals dealing with more low stakes scenarios. They met some squirrels that were really picky about foraging in their territory, but at least they were willing to talk from up in their trees. They also met some chipmunks who were very insistent that they weren’t squirrels, even though Three Squeaks was pretty sure that they were.

Then they came across something crazy. A lake bigger across than Three Squeaks could reach with his senses- and that was a very long way. Unlike the one created by the beavers, this one appeared fully natural- which was good enough. If something had made it, at least it fit in with everything else.

Before they could be spotted, Three Squeaks had already sensed the frogs watching. However, they spun around and hopped away before he could greet them- unless he wanted to yell extremely loudly.

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“What do you think we should do?” Three Squeaks asked.

“Follow them,” Half Oink said. “They are going towards the lake as well.”

Meep just shook his head. “We… wait.”

The princesses were more in favor of the proactive approach as well, so their group began to approach cautiously. “There are some strong ones among them,” Three Squeaks said. “I can’t quite tell but… maybe even Essence Collection. So we should do our best to avoid a conflict. They’re not too far but… many are under the lake. More frogs, and some wet lizards I think.”

From what Three Squeaks had learned, groups that involved more than a single species tended to either lean towards gathering more of the same, or far away from it. Some didn’t want competition, others wanted those they understood. Not that they’d met a lot of others who acted together outside of one type of people, or even single family groups.

“Newt… strong,” Meep commented as the frogs began to return with others.

“What’s a newt?” Three Squeaks asked.

“Wet… lizard.”

Three Squeaks could only agree. That one was definitely in Essence Collection. It was a whole lot of energy contained in a small body- and Three Squeaks could say that because the thing was even smaller than him.

The impressive fellow walked in front of the others, and Three Squeaks saw a slight pouch of air appear beneath his chin. So, he assumed, the fellow would sound much like a frog. Which is why he was confused to hear a sort of squeaking chirp. It took him a moment to comprehend the patterns in that to pick out the formation of words. Long enough for the newt to repeat himself. “Who dares disturb the peace of the Heavenly Lake?”

This is the part where Three Squeaks was supposed to say something. “We didn’t intend to disturb anyone,” he said honestly. “But your guards took off before we could talk to them. We come in peace.”

“Then what is your purpose?” the newt asked. Three Squeaks couldn’t tell if he was old or young- especially since he hadn’t met many others. He couldn’t judge by the others he sensed around the area, either.

“We are from the Lower Plains Coalition, and we simply seek to explore more of the world.”

“Why?”

A good question. What did people need, besides shelter and food? The Coalition had all of that in abundance. “It is a journey of understanding and cultivation,” Three Squeaks said.

“I do not understand that second word,” the newt said. “But understanding is indeed worth a journey far from home.”

That was good, right? They agreed on something. “Oh, I should introduce us. I’m Three Squeaks and these are-” he let the other two introduce themselves. The princesses… would be kept out of things for the moment.

“Very well. I am Slick.”

“Slick… what?” Three Squeaks asked, wondering if he missed a word. Slick body? Slick tongue? Eyes?

“Just Slick. Tell me, furred one. What is it that you Understand?”

The phrasing was odd, but somehow Three Squeaks got his meaning. “What I understand is the sun in the sky and its heat. And that is also what I seek.”

The newt looked at him, the new type of face making him difficult to read. “Perhaps we are not terribly different. Come, let me show you the Heavenly Lake.” Instead of moving directly back along the same path he had come from, Slick directed them up a slight incline. From there, they walked out on a rock promontory that stuck over the lake. “What do you see?” he asked.

“A lake,” Three Squeaks said. No, that wasn’t good enough. “A perfectly still lake, reflecting the sky.”

“The heavens,” Slick said. “And from the right angle, the sun.”

Three Squeaks nodded, subconsciously watching the reflection for any birds. “Strange, the skies are so… empty.”

“You speak of birds?” Slick asked.

“Yes,” Three Squeaks nodded. Clearly, this fellow had some Insight. Was it a coincidence?

“They will not come here.”

“I’m certain they wouldn’t dare to attack you,” Three Squeaks said. “But I’m not certain about the rest of your people.”

A smile, perhaps. Certainly, the emotions from Slick’s natural energy fit that description. “They would not dare,” he said. He leaned his head over the edge, his high pitched voice projecting into the water towards something Three Squeaks could barely sense. He needed to improve his skill sensing through the water, he supposed. “Ripple. Show them.” Slick gestured with his tail, pointing it at a nearby tree.

A sudden spout of water shot towards the tree. No, that wasn’t quite right. An arrow of water, and it wasn’t aimed at the tree but a specific pinecone. It pierced right through it, of course, leaving a hole the width of a meerkat claw.

As for what had shot the arrow? It was a fish, now just beneath the surface. Three Squeaks had seen water batter foes- some of the hippos could do it, and of course he would not forget the beaver. But to pierce something? That was entirely new. Three Squeaks found himself astounded, which was most likely the point.

“Are there many like Ripple?” Three Squeaks asked.

“Yes. And of course, the frogs are quite capable of taking out birds foolish enough to end up in the wrong place as well,” Slick said.

This place was… amazing. Not just slimy things working together, but also fish! It was just like the Coalition. Well, not quite. They didn’t seem to be growing crops, and they didn’t have birds or any mammals among them as far as he could tell. But it was still good to see cooperation. And though Slick had been initially standoffish, once they knew they weren’t under attack they had been relatively friendly.

“This is a good place,” Three Squeaks said. “I’m glad to see others doing well. And you even understand cultivation, to some extent.”

“Ah. I get it now,” Slick nodded. “This cultivation… it is the process of Understanding itself, yes?”

“That’s part of it, at least,” Three Squeaks said. It seemed Slick had subconsciously transformed himself to some extent according to the principles Three Squeaks had learned, but it could likely be more. If only he knew. Actually, was there anything stopping them from teaching these people? As long as they were good people, at least. Three Squeaks had to admit that a few minutes of conversation wasn’t enough to make a final judgment… but it was certainly a good start.