In the next few weeks, Altima continued to concoct the Antidote to cure the Disease without stopping. Although Altima manages to create a good impression towards the Spirit Beast Clan, but nevertheless, this reputation is only visible within the Spirit Beast Clan, and not towards the Flame Lion Ancient Kingdom.
Once during Altima delivery of Antidotes toward the Ling Family House, Altima manage to encounter a few Guards under the task to protect the City Lord of the Area 13th of the Ancient Kingdom. After a short moment of idle chatting, Altima roughly understands how the ancient kingdom works.
Within the kingdom, a proper hierarchy is followed, starting from the Emperor and his empress, taking over the highest position within the kingdom.
Coming down after the Emperor and Empress, is the 4 Grand Duke, controlling the region of East, West, South and North.
After the 4 Grand Duke, would be the 12 Elder Duke under the each Grand Duke, total up into 48 Elder Dukes. The Elder Dukes controls and manage a smaller state, consist of a few smaller city within.
While under the Elder Dukes, roughly a total of 3 different City Lord will be placed on his control, ensuring the states flourish under his control and contributes to the Elder Duke before it is presented to the higher-ups.
Sometimes, The competition between the City Lord is inevitable, so some small war between city and states is often seen within the Ancient Kingdom. Fights for land, resources and good potential cultivators is one of the main reason the war happened all the time, while some stronger power behind the city, such as some smaller Martial Clan, or Smaller Alliances, would be the main force when the war happened.
While for the Spirit Beast Clan, the enrollment period often start at the end of the year, where many smaller Sect and Clan will do their best to send their cultivators above Master Stage of Zen Tier to try their luck, and with each success candidates, the Clan would benefits in a longer run, due to the difference of resources and number of cultivating resources they could trade off for.
Which is why, within the Spirit Beast Clan, some smaller group often band up together, especially for the more organized states, to create a stronger link and allows their state to grow without difficulties.
Due to this kind of situation is similar around the whole Flame Forest Continent, fighting and war to obtain more land, resources, and martial treasures are often seen throughout the whole year.
Altima entered the Ling Family Reception Hall and greets Ling Hu as well as Ling Qing before he was introduced to the City Lord of the 13th State, Lord Wei.
"Lord Wei, humblest greeting to you. This young Junior Altima is honored to met the lord of the city during his insignificant arrival over here for a delivery."
Altima greets Lord Wei with some respect.
"The honor is mine, young friend, please stand up. If this time is without your help, the 13th State city Is most probably going to be fallen because of the Parasite Medicinal Disease."
"If you be kind enough to accept this gift I purposely prepared, please, young friend."
Lord Wei politely reply Altima's greeting, before he was informed that Altima is the one who concocts all the Antidotes to be distributed to the city as well. Immediately, he swings the palm with a finger wearing a Spatial Ring and withdraws a small treasure as a token of appreciation.
"This is a product only available within the 13th State City, as well the proudest material we ever produce to keep our city going on until now."
Lord Wei withdraw a specially Container and open the cover to reveal the treasure.
"Oh, Lord Wei is being so generous this time."
Elder Ling Hu tease Lord Wei a little for being so generous to Altima.
"Elder Ling, this gift is slightly too invaluable to present to you, but I believe our young friend here might have more use with it compare to you or myself."
Lord Wei return the teasing favor back to Elder Ling Hu.
Crystalized Arsalite Essence Plates.
Item Description: The purest form of Arsalite Solution, where it is pure enough to form thin plates that looked like azure colored crystals, but sturdy and strong. The Crystalized Arsalite Essence Plates value exceeds any Arsalite products and would require at least 10 Pure Arsalite Heavy Plates to exchange for a small Crystalized Arsalite Plate.
Altima moves his hand and accepts the box containing 5 pieces of Crystalized Arsalite Essence Plates, and politely say thanks to Lord Wei. In the same time, he returns a total of 1,000 Basic Profound Zen Pill within a spatial ring to Lord Wei as an exchange of favor.
Lord Wei was shocked with the quality of the Basic Profound Zen Pill, and the concentrated Zen Essence packed within each pill.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"This pill is even better than the normal Balancing Zen Pills. With this pills, I can recruit and inject more young blood for the 13th State city and make it stronger."
"Young friend, this gift is too precious."
Lord Wei politely refused the medicinal pill, but Altima decided to push it further.
"Lord Wei, please, take this as a token of a gift from me as well. In future, who knows we might have a chance to stumble across each other? And at the same time, this Crystalize Briolite Essence Plates is much more precious, where only the 13th state city could produce it."
"Alright, you two, enough with the mushy exchange of words."
"Altima, could you go to the 13th state city as a representative of the Spirit Beast Clan, and guard the Talon Escort Agency Building for temporary ?"
Elder Ling Hu pass a request to Altima.
I will post this in the mission board later anyway, so perhaps giving it to you directly would be better.
Low Mission
Escort and Protection. The Spirit Beast Clan smaller business and partner, the Talon Escort Agency is facing security and protection during their Patriarch is away for secluded cultivation breakthrough. A minimum team of 5 members is required for this mission, to assist in the term of training and escort delivery, Agency security, refining products, and ingredient, as well breakthrough assistance offered to the patriarch during a period of time. The mission is calculated as complete once the patriarch cultivating reach the breaking through the stage.
Contribution Rewards: 10,000 Contribution Points.
"I will make sure this mission is perfectly done, Elder Ling Hu. Leave it to me."
Altima accepted the quest, and quickly make a haste back to his accommodation to inform the others. Noticing that all of them is within the Thunder Realm for body tempering practice, Altima entered without any delay, and explain the details to all of them clearly before the group finished their packing and proceed towards the Ling Family Household once again.
The two groups finally readied to depart, and after traveling for a total of 5 days, they reach the City where it's built beautifully and placed on a very specify spot, just close to the mountain entrance. If Altima's rough guess is correct, the mountain should possess an Arsalite Molten Pool, that produces pure Arsalite that good enough to refine into Crystalized form.
Bidding farewell to each other, Altima and his group head towards the outer city area, and soon, the group reaches a building that pretty lax in their overall defensive preparations, perhaps due to the lack of resources and task to be completed.
The overall members within the Talon Escort Agency are roughly between Warrior Stage to Master Stage cultivator, and only the two Elders within the Escort Agency possess the qualification of Early Spiritual Stage, and the patriarch, which will be tackling the Middle Spiritual Stage is leading the whole Agency.
"I guess we will have a lot of works to do within this Escort Agency."
Wu Chung speaks softly. After all, the primary reason Spirit Beast Clan sent them here is to train and bring the Talon Escort Agency back to its right track, and slowly getting stronger so they could compete with other escort agency around this state controlled by the Elder Duke.
"Let us start distribute the workloads. Gu Pang, are you comfortable if I have you placed on the Escorting and Protection line ?"
Altima checked and distribute them into the relevant specialty.
For Gu Pang, the Delivery and Protection Department would be the most suitable for him, due to his high sensibility in security and safety.
For Shi-Wen Qing, she would be placed in the recruiting and mission accepting department, based on her experience in handling minor but detailed works.
Fang Mu would be handling the Security together with Wu Chung whenever possible, and Qing Yi will be a part of the Training team, handling over the recruits as well the newly appointed members of the Agency.
While for Altima himself, he will be assisting the Patriarch in his cultivating resources, procuring natural ingredients and materials with a different group as mission practice, as well as to take the temporary leadership during the period the Patriarch is away in his secluded training.
"Talon's Patriarch, Do you need any assistance during your cultivation period ?"
Altima entered the Cultivation Room that specially built for the Talon Escort Agency members, and proceed to have a discussion with the Patriarch.
"I've heard some great news about you from the mouth of others. Seems like you have quite a feat yourself before coming into the Flame Forest Continent."
"Do not worry, What I required is just some time and enlightenment during my breakthrough stage. With your team here, I can be at ease and focus on my breakthrough."
"Although my both Elder of the Agency is not too bright, but their loyalty is unquestionable. Do depend on them sometimes if met with certain matters."
The Talon Escort Agency's patriarch shared his operation experience, and trustable aide, and some details with Altima, and soon started his breaking through attempts.
In a blink of eyes, the team had already handled the Escort Agency matters for a whole month already. From the training room, a stronger and denser essence undulation is seen to be gushing out from the little gap between the door and windows.
Soon, perhaps in another one more week, The Talon's Patriarch will successfully ascend into the Spiritual Creation Stage, and obtained his 4th Spiritual Body parts, and quickly taking back the command of the Talon Escort Agency.
And meanwhile, before he came out from his secluded training, the Agency is doing well, under the 6 of them. Aided by Gu Pang's battle strength and responsive attitude, the Agency protection service is doing better and better, almost to the point that new leaders to lead the carriage and goods are required urgently.
In the same time, Qing Yi, who was manning the Training and development team is supporting Gu Pang's logistic side positively. Under Qing Yi's detailed and strict training, the members that used to stuck in a same cultivating strength for a long period quickly gain sufficient experience and advancement, allowing them to be groomed into new leaders as well.
As for Fang Mu, with the family is getting bigger and stronger, the part of security, handling external threats and spy that tried to obtain information regarding the Talon Escort Agency performance, all operation is thwarted by him personally. In that particular one month, Fang Mu manage to expose at least 20 spies from different Clan and Escort agencies that were competing with Talon Escort Agency for business.
While for Shi-Wen Qing, she handled the recruitment well, able to increase the total amount of members and recruits within the Agency, from 10,000 members and 5,000 recruits to a whopping 12,000 members and 18,000 recruits at the moment.
Although their loyalty and usability will need to go through plenty examination and test before they could be trusted, but to ensure the operation is going smoothly and start earning a profit for the Agency, this amount will do for now.
Meanwhile, Wu Chung managed to receive some news regarding a few smaller bandits group had been converging and taking advantages of the carriage's lack of guards and had been harassing people and robbing in broad daylight. Due to this matter affects the Agency credibility, Wu Chung had been dispatched together with a total of 10 members, two of them is the elders that mentioned by Talon's Patriarch earlier ago.
While for Altima, preparing the medicinal pellets to temper the members overall strength is important, but their basic cultivation too, so under Altima's effort, cultivation cost has been lowered, and with this basic support, Altima could ensure that at least all Recruits under the agency will have the chances to break through the border between Early Stage to Warrior Stage in shortest time possible.
But in return of this benefits, the recruits would be required to make a Bonding Oath, which honored as a contract, under the terms that the recruit will be staying within the Agency for a period of time, or contributed to the Agency for an amount of points.
Under such attractive deals, no practitioner will be shutting their door to chances to increase their cultivation quickly, thus many recruits agree to participate and make the bonding oath possible.
Exactly in one month later, the Talon's Patriarch room finally have a destructive Essence undulation surge and burst out from the room, filling the area surrounding the building with dense Zen Essence.
Talon's Patriarch came out, looking vigorous and strong. Even his height has increased to at least 5 cm, and his body had a layer of shining lights covering him, making the patriarch looks like he recently descends from the sky.
"Young Disciples from Spirit Beast Clan. This Patriarch greatly thank you for your consistent support and effort to bring the Talon Escort Agency to where they are today!"
The patriarch hid no intention to keep the support from Spirit Beast Clan as a secret and loudly announced his gratitude towards the Ferocious General's Troops for supporting his Agency for such a long period of time.