Four Element Sect's main workspace, as well as each of the main Halls, were located beneath the palace proper. Most of the space was taken up with community space, restaurants, shops, guest chambers, and entertainment space. The Sect had built an entire city within the depths of the mountain, hidden beneath the palace that had been placed on the shores of Crater Lake.

The Halls themselves had been built and placed making use of the cardinal positions. Alchemy and Herbal Hall shared space, the same as it had at Flowing Water. The building itself was located in the southern quadrant, allowing Herbal Hall to take advantage of the Sun no matter the season. The side of the mountain excavated, and a series of plateaus freshly dug, would allow members to create optimal settings so that the spirit herbs can be cultivated with a focus on the element they resonate with.

I could smell the rich loam that had been recently prepared, as well as the unique smell that green plants freshly trimmed evoked. It was the smell of freshly cut grass, that earthiness that reminded you of spring and summer that filled the corridor, letting anyone using the corridor to know that an opening to the outside was near.

There was also a hint of ozone. I wasn't sure if a cultivator had called the rains recently, or if a natural storm had passed, but the mix of freshly cut plants and recent rain permeated the corridors leading to Alchemy and Herbal Hall.

The newly formed acreage that dotted the side of the mountain would become the mainstay for the more common Spirit plants the Sect harvested, some of the fastest-growing of those spirit plants able to be harvested within a season. I wasn't sure where food crops would be grown, but the spirit plants that would become the mainstay for Alchemical and Healing Halls would be protected and nurtured within easy reach.

Although Delph Island was located in the tropics, the height of the mountain required extra care against frost and the cold be taken. The Herbal Hall master had commissioned and had constructed an interesting water array, a barrier that could be solidified and shaped to collect and direct the sun's rays while trapping the heat inside.

He had effectively created a hothouse that encompassed the acres of land that had been claimed for spirit plant farming. The rich volcanic ash and soil that been excavated from the cave system was separated, most was used to shape the island in Crater Lake, but the more fertile and enriched soil had been set aside and to be used by Herbal Hall.

The soil even cooled, had once been magma, lava that had made its way to the surface. Because of that, the soil was rich in the earth and fire element Qi, and plants would be chosen so that they could increase absorption and vitality with those elements in mind. A special treatment to the soil would be required to remove the fire aspect and allow for water and air. But that was a function of Herbal Hall and was probably well underway.

Alchemy Hall abutted those fields and Herbal Hall. The building itself resembled Flowing Water with few exceptions. It was the entrance that the first real difference became obvious. This Hall had safety protocols in place that Flowing Water skipped. Every person trying to access Alchemy Hall, even if they only planned to visit the requisition desk, was required to undertake a decontamination process when entering and exiting.

I was shocked to find my token flash a warning at me as I approached. The Hall was not open to the public and any requests for pills had to go through Contribution Hall. If you weren't an Alchemist, a Herbalist, or hadn't scheduled an appointment, you weren't getting in.

This made even more evident by the Body Refinement cultivator guarding the entrance. I was certain he could easily be overwhelmed, but the defensive arrays that protected the building were another thing. I wasn't certain that Patriarch Umbra could force her way in.

I wasn't aware of any reason for this increased security. The decontamination process made sense I thought; it was something Elder Tye should have insisted on. Cultivators that sourced their own ingredients were certain to be exposed to potential pathogens or contaminates. I vaguely remembered running through a patch or two of mushrooms in my dash to out-pace Nero. It was a miracle the spores from those mushrooms hadn't compromised the entire Alchemy Hall.

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Elder Tye was too fastidious not to realize that was a possibility and not to have done something about it. Perhaps there was a static field that everyone entering the building passed through. Something so innocuous that I never noticed but worked similarly to a decontamination room. It would have to be integrated into some feature of the building, something that we expected, but how it was done so that our perception ignored that process made it as impressive as this.

"May I help you?" The guard that had been stationed at the door asked as I made my way towards the entrance. He was not that old or that powerful, I would guess that he had recently advanced to mid-tier Body Refinement. His realm, and the duties he was performing, suggested he was one of the new Outer Sect members that had arrived yesterday or earlier today.

I wasn't sure if he had been assigned to this duty of if he had volunteered, but I was sure that he was earning contribution points. He had been directed to challenge anyone approaching the entrance, and I probably activate the defensive array if necessary.

I had been assigned to demonstrate my alternative weapons and martial techniques by Elder Shadow. It made me wonder if he was assigned this duty by his Elder and mentor based on his interest, or if it was randomized, and his duties here as door guard was temporary, assigned by the Sect, and as his interests and talents became known he would be replaced.

"My name is Jai Myche," I said activating my Sect token so it could be scanned. "I have an appointment with Elder Dill at seven."

The guard didn't identify himself, but I hadn't really expected him too. Even if this wasn't a temporary position, he had probably been told to remain circumspect. He had been trained well enough and was professional enough to make sure the information on my token coincided with the name I had given and a list of names that were cleared for entry.

"When you enter the decontamination field, please wait for the light to turn green before exiting," he informed me once he had verified my identity. "There will be someone at the requisition desk who will escort you to Elder Dill's office or lab."

I narrowed my perception to only include the decontamination area once I had entered, scanning and interpreting exactly what was happening. I wasn't able to understand the process exactly, there were elements of fire, earth, water, and air used in the procedure. Perhaps that is why Flowing Water didn't have something like this, the fire element was all but non-existent within that Sect.

If I was understanding the process correctly, earth and air Qi were activated to remove any foreign particles from my clothes, hair, and body. A quick flash of fire destroyed everything that was dislodged, and super-heated water that flooded the passage with steam captured any microscopic particles that might remain.

Once the steam was removed and the temperature returned to normal, a signal light flashed green, and the far door opened. I didn't hear the noise one would expect with pressure equalization, nor did I detect a change in air pressure with my perception, but the passage before me was now open.

As I headed down the passage, a final burst of high-intensity air was directed at me, lasting long enough to dry my soggy clothing and hair. I'd wondered how they dealt with the soggy wet mess that anyone exiting the chamber was left in. There was a mirror available along the hall where you could stop and check your appearance. I took advantage of it to tidy my appearance. Once I had twisted my hair into a partial braid and straightened my clothes, I made my way to the requisition desk.

"Sect member Jai Myche?" The young woman greeted me. The guard must have flashed her a message letting her know who I was. "Elder Dill has been informed of your arrival and has asked that you meet with him in his office.

I was given directions to Elder Dill's office, no one available this late in the evening to escort me. The directions had come with a warning not to explore or enter any of the labs along the way.

"The office and Alchemy labs have defensive arrays, that are active, and deadly," she warned.

The precautions and warnings that were being taken had long passed the point of the doctrine of care and had reached a stage of paranoia. There was something going on. Something I would guess dangerous or sensitive that the Sect or Alchemy Hall didn't want people knowing about.

Either that or Elder Dill was flexing his newly gained authority. I had no idea where he came from, but as the new Head of Alchemy Hall. A Head for a high-tier Sect. This had to be the highest-level position he had ever been given.