The palace was crowded, as all the pills were placed in front of the alchemists for judging. There were large artifacts, contraptions used to look within each pill without breaking it. It was necessary, because it was hard to truly understand the components of the pill without passing spiritual energy through it.
But doing it too much came with risks. The ‘judges’ spiritual energy could unintentionally meddle with the fine balance of components within the pill, in some cases, weakening the pill’s efficacy. Worse, it could even damage the pill.
So, the ancient alchemists and craftsmen invented powerful tools that looked into the pills using only minute quantities of energy, and without the contamination of an alchemists’ will and intent.
It was fairer, and each of the judges could then form a holistic opinion of the pills by interpreting the results from the multiple different devices.
Once more, the judging ceremony was also a banquet, with the same boring selection of foods. Celestia, Julia and Edison sat next to Tundra, but they had to share a table, since the table could fit 8 people.
Their table was somewhere around the middle, and as it so happens, they shared the table with an elder from the Scarlet Thunder Sect, Raigar Darkclouds, and his disciple. Dorith Vulner and his assistant, of the Storm Peaks Sect, was the third group seated with them.
Dorith Vulner would place well in this competition, and Tundra looked around, and saw the table he sat on in his first life, he shared tables with another sect, a smaller sect called the Golden Chrysanthemum Park.
“We will now begin the judging.” An announcer declared, as the Princess’s personal alchemists began judging, along with a few invited alchemists.
Tundra remembered he felt slightly nervous the first time he was here. It was his first Imperial Summons, but now, he glanced at the elder beside him, and chatted him up. “What pill did you make, Lord Darkclouds?”
“A similar pill to yours. A variant of the Elderwood Lavaflower, but with a mixture of a true Seventh Moon Pure Nourishing Water.”
“Oh.” Tundra nodded, and understood the angle he took. Raigar likely wanted to use the water’s effects to enhance the merger of the energies, but it did offset the effectiveness of the Lavaflower slightly. A reasonable approach. “That does make sense too.”
“I heard you asked your core disciple to assist with the pill.”
Tundra laughed. “Oh, news sure spreads quickly. Yes, yes I did.”
“Very brave of you to award such an opportunity. What if they can’t perform as you wanted?” Dorith Vulner spoke.
Tundra shrugged. He had a lifetime of competitions and alchemy, he didn’t see the need to rob it from those who had so much ahead of them. “It is what it is, then. If they stumble, they will learn. What is the path of cultivation without some challenges?”
Raigar Darkclouds raised his cup of spirit wine. “And that, Lord Fox, is worthy of a toast. A toast to you, Lord Tundra Fox.”
The three alchemists shared a drink. Raigar turned to face Julia. “Young lady, would you be interested to come visit us? My junior alchemists would love to exchange some pointers, and trade some tips.”
Tundra found that amusing, and decided it was a great way to build on their thawing relationship. There was some bad blood between the two sects, but to make amends had to start somewhere. “That is a good idea, we can firm up a suitable time after some preparations. It would be a great way for us to mend our past disagreements.”
Julia gulped, but tried her best not to look uncomfortable when the elders talked. Instead, she focused her attention on the judges were busy examining each and every pill, and scored them along some kind of metric.
Raigar grinned. “Are you already promised to someone, young lady?”
That made Julia’s heart jump, she turned to face the elder, unsure what to say. Tundra spoke for her. “My core disciple is not yet promised to anyone, Lord Darkclouds. But since you broached the topic, you have someone in mind?”
“Oh. It so happens that our Sect master’s eldest son is searching for a suitable partner that matches his station. A fine, budding alchemist like your core disciple would be in the running. A visit would be a great way for the two to be acquainted with each other. If the heavens allow, then perhaps we would be seeing some red strings around.”
Julia blushed at the thought of marriage. As far as Tundra could remember, the Sect master’s children died during the attack on Scarlet Lightning City. This was another of those events that now spiraled out of control. Tundra looked at his core disciple, and felt a little amused. She was so happy to egg on Yavin, and now she was getting a taste of her own medicine.
His wife, Celestia, merely sniggered quietly. So, Tundra decided to ask his wife for her thoughts. ”What do you think, Celestia? Should we let Julia go for the marriage interview?”
“Oh, I had the impression Core Disciple Julia already has her eyes on someone in our sect.” Celestia said with a smile. She was likely covering for Julia.
Tundra didn’t know that. That made Julia’s face turn red as a tomato. She tried her best to focus on the judges in the front row.
“Ah, if the young lady already has someone on her mind-”
“No.” Julia suddenly interjected, in a rare stammer. That meant it had an inkling of truth. “I mean, it- It’s complicated.”
Celestia asked through their energy link. “Is it really okay to let her drift out of the sect’s control?”
A much, much younger version of Tundra would’ve shut it down immediately. He was obsessed with control. But with people, Tundra realized he can never hold them too tightly. The tighter the leash, the more they will struggle. It’s one of the things he learned from experience, and so, he smiled. “Disciple Julia, don’t worry, you need not decide today. But Lord Darkclouds’s offer is worth thinking about. We can talk about it later.”
Raigar nodded. “Then we shall await your good news. But don’t wait too long, our Sect Master is eager to have grandchildren and is already pushing our young master to select someone.”
That made Tundra laugh. The thought of the fierce Duke Hadrian Thunderstone holding grandchildren made him feel funny. It certainly didn’t help that Tundra killed him in his first life, so, it was a strange, strange dissonance in his mind. “Oh, the Duke surely doesn’t seem like that kind that wants grandchildren.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Raigar of the Scarlet Thunder chuckled. “Well, I may have said too much. Come, let’s have a toast.”
Tundra lifted his cup, as did all the others. A clink, and the cup of wine was gone. Julia, cleverly, stood and picked up the large pot of spirit wine, and began to refill everyone’s cup.
“Actually, if you do intend to go on a sect tour, do come and visit us too.” The Sect Master of the Storm Peaks interjected. “Though we are a smaller sect, there is still much to learn from each other.”
Tundra nodded. He didn’t know much about the Storm Peaks. If he recalled correctly, over the centuries they were probably swallowed up by one of the Great Sects. Most smaller sects eventually became vassals of the Great Sects during the late pre-Zuja era.
It was partly his fault.
The rapid growth of the Verdant Snow Sect once he hit the 8th and 9th realm meant the smaller sects now needed to find a great sect for protection from his sect’s expansion. He recalled recruiting many talented disciples and elevating quite many of them to the high 7th and 8th realm over a few hundred years.
In other words, he forced the weaker sects to seek out protection. He closed his eyes briefly. He wanted to build a stronger sect, and this time he didn’t need to rely on conquest. He will build up his people, improve their talents, and improve their cultivation.
“Yes. That sounds like a good idea.” Tundra nodded, and remembered that Dorith Vulner had a moment where he spoke to Gurdra Black at length. “Actually, did Lord Black invite your sect to the White Striped Tiger’s competition?”
“Oh? Well, yes. He did.”
“Fantastic. Perhaps we can visit you on the way there, then our disciples can travel together.” Tundra said. “We can work out the specifics later, that way, my people can see a few more places.”
“Then that is decided.” Dorith Vulner grinned. “If Julia doesn’t find the Scarlet Thunder’s heir interesting, I may have some disciples for her to choose from.”
It was fairly common for sects to reach out to each other, and marriages between disciples of differing sects are not uncommon. Often, the Sect Masters would not oppose unless the other sect was an enemy. Even Tundra’s own wife was from another sect.
“Oh, it seems we are finally coming to an end of the judging process.” Lord Raigar Darkclouds redirected their attention to the front. The lead judge stood and began to read out their choice of the winners.
Tundra sat back, as the announcement went pretty much as expected. Then, the lead announcer said something Tundra didn’t expect.
“Now, that sums up the list of the top five pills, which shall be presented to Her Majesty, the Sixteenth Princess Luharl. Normally, this is the end of competition. However! This time around, we do have a special, honorable mention! The judging alchemists were all truly amazed by the sheer quality of this pill, even if the underlying components were average. The Perfect Elderwood Lavaflower Fusion Pill submitted by Sect Master Tundra Fox of the Verdant Snow Sect was exceptionally made, so much so that the judges cannot help but request that it is specially mentioned. Accordingly, we will also present these unique pill to her majesty for her further deliberations.`
That caused the entire hall to turn and look at Tundra Fox.
For a moment, Tundra nodded, and just shrugged. But his neighbours and companions wilted at the attention.
***
Zuri Blackpetals was confident in her performance. Her pill was as perfect as it could be, and once she submitted it for judging, that would have been the end of it. But the words of Tundra Fox lingered in her mind, and it nagged her that an outsider knew something about her sect that she thought only she suspected.
His obvious advice only filled her with suspicion, so much so that she left a small anti-tampering formation around the pill. But her people are not loyal, and the clue only tied in to her suspicion. She already suspected that there were elders in her Sect that behaved strangely, elders that might have conflicting interests outside of the Sect.
So, she traced the movement of her core disciple.
She knew he had other interests. That part was clear, and in most sects, extremely normal. Most sect members had multiple competing interests, and the Sect master’s role was to harmonize them.
Still, it gnawed at her, and so, when the Core Disciple quietly left their assigned mansions, she decided it was worth it to follow him, and stumbled on the Core Disciple’s secret meeting with one of the Ministers of the Sixteenth Princess.
“Is this it?” The minister stared at the strange item given by the Core Disciple. It was a tiny spherical pill.
“Yes. Ensure that the Princess consumes it. You will be handsomely rewarded for it, minister.” The Core Disciple said.
The Minister frowned. “How can I be sure this can’t be traced back to me.”
That was when the Core Disciple took out a document with the seal of the Crimson Lotus Spire. “This is a letter with the seal of the Crimson Lotus’s Alchemy Hall. It should ensure that the Crimson Lotus takes full responsibility of what happens.”
The minister stared at the Core Disciple. The frown was brief, but the letter was a genuine article, made with the real seal. “Why didn’t the elder come here personally?”
“Is there really a need to trouble Lady Blackpetals for a letter to the princess?” The Core Disciple answered. “She needs to rest after a grueling two weeks in the workshop.”
The minister nodded. “Very well, if the Crimson Lotus wills it, I will provide this to the princess.”
“Thank you, minister. I will have the money delivered to the guilds in due time.”
The minister nodded, and walked away, but, this time, she decided to follow the Minister. The Minister walked into the halls of one of the Court Alchemists.
“So, what did the Crimson Lotus Spire want from us?” The alchemist stood to attention, as the minister took out the letter and the pill. The Minister handed it over to an alchemist of the Court, likely an Outer Court Alchemist, who immediately took out some kind of examination tool.
The minister pointed at the pill. “That pill is strange. Tell me what it is?”
“Yes, minister. It’s- I’m not sure. It seems shrouded in some kind of cocoon. I’ll have to break it to see what’s inside.”
The minister frowned. “Do you think it’s dangerous? Who do you think the Crimson Lotus Spire is working for?”
The alchemist stared at it. “I doubt it is a good thing. The design seems to be to deliver some kind of parasite. Or maybe some stored creature.”
The minister gulped at the finding. “Think the princess will know?”
The alchemist held up the pill, as if looking at it with some other tool. “The princess might be suspicious, but her desire to break through to the seventh realm would win over her suspicions.”
“Fine. Who do you think they work for?”
“Who?”
“The Crimson Lotus.” The minister countered. “I still don’t understand their angle in this.”
The alchemist rubbed his chin. “Princess Luharl is the direct younger sister of Prince Gomerl. Potentially, the Crimson Lotus is affiliated with Prince Yaorl?”
The minister frowned. “But the Crimson Lotus is an allied sect of the Flaming Phoenix, and Flaming Phoenix supports Prince Gomerl- Unless the Crimson Lotus aspires to break free of the Flaming Phoenix...”
“It could be a faction within the Crimson Lotus that doesn’t want to support Prince Gomerl?”
Zuri Blackpetals frowned. Internally, she was aware of the vigorous debates between elders on who to support. Their relationship with the Flaming Phoenix was an alliance, not that of a ‘vassal’, thus, as a sect they retained autonomy on matters of the throne.
But she heard enough, and decided it was time to end this farce. She knocked on the door.
The minister paled briefly, but opened the door. “Ah- Lady Blackpetals?”
“Minister. I’m afraid my core disciple handed you a pill and a document. I just received communication from our Sect Master that it was in error. May I have it back? There’s some changes I need to make.”
The minister’s expression was perfectly practiced. “Certainly.”
The alchemist and the minister exchanged a glance, but clearly decided it was something to do with internal Crimson Lotus Spire politics that they didn’t want a part of. So, the alchemist swiftly returned the pill and the letter.
Zuri Blackpetals returned to her own mansion, activated a formation to disguise her activities, and then, immediately broke the pill apart.
A bug squirmed inside, and she paled at the implication.