Initial Development
One after another, the purple clothed from the other organizations fell to the Core Disciples of the Forbloffende Traes Sect. What their real position should be didn't matter anymore as the duels continued and their genuine cultivation base's fights proved their capabilities. Their peak Spirit Birth realm and Ashes Soul realm cultivation base were tested 2 other times each by other organizations' purple clothed. But even then, they fought duels where they had to limit their cultivation base by several stages.
There were times when organization leaders wanted to ask the Core Disciples to lower their cultivation base stage lower by 1 or 2 times than their opponent but didn’t dare to. On one hand, they weren’t sure if these 2 Core Disciples would be able of such a thing, considering the monstrous combat capabilities they’ve shown. On the other, they were afraid of what benefits and risks Sect Master Darkness would employ to agree to their demands.
It was shameful and thick-skinned on one end, while fearful and unwilling to lose any more ‘could have been’ possibilities on the other. Thus, the duels continued in nearly the same manner as before, with the organization leaders knowing there might really be no victory from either of them.
The bleachers were louder this time. The number of opponents was lesser, but the fights became more intense and all-out. Before, the stage didn’t even flinch when Todoro punched, stomped, or Pretieta made her opponents eat the floor. But now, the stages were opening a crack here and there and causing dents everywhere they fought.
Only now did the younger generation understand the difference between them and the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s Core Disciples. Even in the same realm, or even a stage below their cultivation base, they really couldn’t compare to the Core Disciples.
This sense of degradation and recess wasn’t too strong now, and they had the hopes that these 2 were different from the rest. Which was quite the truth. As for the organization leaders, they wondered how lucky the Sect Master had to be to gain these 2 when no one else discovered them. If only they could understand the ugly expressions of some purple clothed from their organizations as the mini tournament continued…
If this was a place like the failed Sinvonnia Kingdom, the organization leaders would’ve attempted to draw Todoro Kalavera and Pretieta Gori into their organizations without a care for their faces or Darkness’s presence. Of course, they knew how unrealistic it was. Even more so with Pretieta’s father chased out of his home by those who don’t even remain in the forests.
The last 2 duels finished, with Pretieta and Todoro finding their way down the stage, exhausted and with blood running down some parts of their bodies. Most of it wasn’t theirs, but at least 40% came from their open wounds from Mortal weapons and energy attacks.
They walked to the front of the VIP seats, all the way down the bleachers, and looked at their Sect Master before he nodded. Then, they smoothly knelt on the spot. Heian Ciemnosc looked at the others, placing his gaze upon the old man with white, well combed hair to the right, and said as a sparkle shone in the sky. “I think that will be all for now, gentlemen and ladies. Thank you for your generosity.”
Flutter, flutter.
The leaders were speechless with Heian Ciemnosc’s words, but Evans made an act of appearance in the sky at these moments, flying towards them and stopping before the bleachers. The civilians were startled, but they quickly recognized Evans and started clamoring contentedly. Then, Evans smoothly landed on one of the last 2 duels’ stages, and looked at Heian Ciemnosc, waiting for him.
“You’ll have a few of my Sect’s puppets see you out. As you know, and very well at that, my Sect is short of manpower. We lack it a lot. So, please don’t take offense, and go.” Heian Ciemnosc calmly said as he stood up and walked down the bleachers.
CHEEERSS! CLAAAMOOOR!
Heian Ciemnosc walked past his two Core Disciples, whose left and right shoulders he lightly palmed before walking to Evans and climbing his back swiftly. His dark clothing and long coat enchantingly contrasted with the snow white feathers. As the crowd outside the arena cheered when their Sect Master showed, louder than those inside it, Evans fluttered her wings and gradually rose into the sky.
Heian Ciemnosc and Evans flew into the sky, not too fast, disappearing from everyone’s eyes. The organization leaders looked up for a few seconds before sighing and standing up to depart. Their elite younger generation was beaten, and their older generations were also defeated.
Although some weren’t contented, and their hostility either finally showed or grew, they were too tired and mentally burdened. This event hit them squarely on the face and heart. Those can’t really be the Sect’s Core Disciples, but the things like that Art and more attracted their interest. Either way, none of it mattered now that they’ve lost, fair and square.
The event finished like this, with the Forbloffende Traes Sect irradiating morale and spirit after knowing their Sect’s elite was this powerful. No wonder those two were considered soldier units and not the rest of the Sect. In the same manner, the Sect’s so-called secret weapon became the greatest pride the Sect members wished to obtain and form part of the military.
Several years studying in the military college wouldn’t just create a bit of interest in the Sect Servants or disciples. It made them thirst for that and much more knowledge. To want it… To earn it. And now, they had a clearer goal and idea where to centralize everything to truly begin.
… The next day, the Sect Master posted several hundreds of missions, which could be taken hundreds of times by Teams and Squads. There were other missions that required larger numbers and had less availability, but they were for similar purposes, complementing each other.
All of these had one sole thing in common. To increase the Sect’s development level. It had been in the elementary phase for decades, while it had the characteristics of a full-fledged First Step organization. The Sect’s rules made it seem as if it wasn’t even a proper Sect, but even their Servants were nearing the Phrenic realm for the most talented among them.
Now, the Sect would focus on its development. From expanding their territory yet again, this time focusing more on widening than on extending to the south as far as possible, to gather resources.
The Sect was far below the requirements to even produce a second-hand arsenal. It had some materials to utilize, but Heian Ciemnosc saved them for a moment like this. When bored, Heian Ciemnosc created machinery for the resources the Sect would collect in the future.
Now, these machinery pieces were finally put to use. There were about a dozen of thousands of such machinery pieces that were the most rudimentary, basic tools and devices one would need to harvest, collect, mine, and process resources. It would be slow and take a lot of maintenance and people working them at the same time, but it would do.
Meanwhile, the Servants and Outer and Inner Disciples entasked with working the collection of resources and supervising, respectively, wouldn’t be left without their daily classes and monthly lectures. Heian Ciemnosc came from the Wrath Nihility Academy. How couldn’t he know about a student’s needs to always attend their classes?
Thus, the medallions were finally used by the Sect members to watch and listen to Heian Ciemnosc, who continued giving his classes daily. Not everyone from the Sect was at work here, but the majority did go to the south and began preparations to make a route to send these resources to the Sect. The daily recruiting continued, and the Sect started its resource collecting for the first time.
After 2 years of belonging to the Forbloffende Traes Sect, at least for the latest lands to be added into the Sect’s territory, the southern civilians were already used to them. Everyone in the territory received and aided the Forbloffende Traes Sect however they could. Some villagers even started expanding their size, which was once again to Heian Ciemnosc’s standards.
However, it was different this time, albeit by a little. Villages within the Sect’s territory could spread their perimeter as follows: a small village for 50 square km, a medium village for 100 km, a large village for 150 km, and a supreme-sized village for 220 km. These, towns, and civilian cities’ perimeter will consist of their surroundings in diameter, unless there were special occasions.
Towns had a perimeter of 1,000 square km for a small town, 2,500 for a medium town, 5,000 km for a large town, and 9,000 km for a supreme-sized town. As for the civilian cities, their perimeter was 80,000 square kilometers.
In any 1* Region, this was quite well-spread, as there wouldn’t be many civilian cities, although there were already 5 Small Cities. But those Small Cities didn’t put a tough weight on the Region, only made it simpler, as most of the population inhabited them.
The Sect Servants and disciples moved out, learning how to use the machinery on their way to their next missions, which could last from 1 month to 3 months without being relieved. The civilians built more homes, especially hotel-like, which they built after knowing the Sect’s victory over the northern and central territories, and their intentions in coming here this time.
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Furthermore, some settlements which were neighbors to those in the Sect’s territory even sent their village head, town major, or city governor to talk to the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s people. These wanted to join them already but became desperate after the Sect spent their time preparing to collect resources.
Once most places began collecting resources, and Powerful Stone ores started being mined, the Sect Inner Disciples finally turned to those desperate civilians to chat. The south wasn’t ignorant of what happened in their home. Before, they might not have thought that much of the Forbloffende Traes Sect, simply forming an image or a few every now and then.
But lately, with those pieces of news traveling everywhere, they felt a closeness to the Forbloffende Traes Sect against the central and northern territories for leaving them abandoned. What’s more, the south wasn’t a headless puppy or chicken.
It turned out that some cultivator groups leading settlements from towns to cities had hidden something of great value. Some towns, but mostly cities, had hidden from 1 to 3 Stone ores below their foundation. The other organizations didn’t notice because they wouldn’t level out the settlements’ foundation unless they wanted to incur nature’s wrath.
However, the cultivator groups didn’t dare to begin mining operations. With the watchful eyes of the other territories, they would be caught sooner than later. But now, they wanted to be part of the Sect and gain protection from it. Of course, this wasn’t the Sect’s sole intention when they expanded southwards, and it wasn’t like just anyone could form alliances with them.
However, that’s what Inner Disciples were for. The Sect wouldn’t say no to these opportunities. As the resource collection began, they entered negotiations and slowly formed the idea of simply belonging to the Forbloffende Traes Sect in these settlements’ leading figures’ heads.
Thus, the Forbloffende Traes Sect began its growing years. Now, they could collect resources without the fellows at the north and center batting an eye, or that it would matter. Now, they were no longer nearing bankrupt, and the silver coins started coming and going with the new distribution of resources under Heian Ciemnosc’s hands. As for the Inferior Powerful Stones, these were even less of a problem.
. . .
30 years later.
It was now the 644th year, 5th month, 1st week, and 1st day of the Change. It has been 82 years since the Forbloffende Traes Sect was established, and over 50 years since its First Disciple joined the Sect.
During these 3 decades, many changes and new happenings occurred in the Sect. For starters, the daily recruitment remained stable, with some more people coming to the testing grounds than usual some days. The forest people now had a ‘rival’ regarding whose people went more to the Forbloffende Traes Sect to enter it.
The forest people were already ‘antagonists’ to the central and northern territories, while the latter were the same for the forest people. While their tension remained the same, more or less, it didn’t dwindle. Thus, more and more people went to the Forbloffende Traes Sect, as 2 more young generations of forest people were born and made a habit of entering the Sect.
This was becoming a tradition, and no forest people would like to stop it. On the other hand, the southerners finally saw the chance to raise and tell the center and north what they’re made of. Naturally, there was also some hostility and hate, but nothing that could undermine the Sect’s brainwashing methods or ruin its stalemate with the other territories.
The Sect never expanded its inner territory, not even the testing grounds. It also wasn’t needed, as their gates remained open for everyone every day, with certain schedules and procedures. The only thing they changed was their territory’s settlements buildings and locations.
Some settlements had to be moved away from their initial location, as they were too close or too far away from the nearest village or town. This caused some trouble, but nothing that favors to have priority in trying the testing grounds for endless generations to come couldn’t handle.
Other settlements were aided instead, and more buildings were built in their home, with even some 5 to 8-story tall buildings. It’s not like the villages became mini towns or cities. It was only a couple of such buildings, and these were either for administrative purposes or to easily guest any number of visitants they could receive for whatever event or coincidence.
After all, it was a help to these still rural and humble settlements. For their people’s better livelihood overall. Furthermore, they only had to maintain it, as there won’t be taxation or penalties for having such towering buildings within the Forbloffende Traes Sect territory.
Such was the dream life they didn’t know they could have after forming part of the Forbloffende Traes Sect territory, aiding them in their resource collection starting points, and always remaining warm and welcoming to them. What’s more, many of the people who had 0 chances of becoming cultivators were ‘taken away’ by the Sect’s citizens, engineers, and even cultivators!
As these news were spread, and more and more people diligently walked outside their homes to speak with the Inner Disciples and implore them their homes’ annexation to the territory, the cultivation groups were further convinced. They no longer held a strong but hesitating attitude to the Sect’s proposal of belonging to the Sect.
At last, 8 years after the Sect started its growing years, these cultivator groups conceded. With this, the first civilian cities ‘fell’ under the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s diplomacy, causing silent yet tense stirs in the center and north. As for the forest people, they felt envious…
On the other hand, the northern and central territories seemed to attempt the same thing, but only towards the forests. They could do the same with settlements and the few cities around their territories, but they wanted resources and talented people more and foremost. Thus, their neighboring settlements were ignored, given the cold shoulder, and for what?
Amidst their attempts, the territories had to not only start convincing the forest people, but also amend their previous clashes and spats during certain events which always happened between them. More often than not, the territories’ people were desperate, and fights broke out a couple of times. In the end, they had to postpone such attempts.
When they wanted to turn to their neighboring settlements a few years later, they realized that those settlements’ people nearly forgot about them. Instead, their eyes became more used to seeing Forbloffende Traes Sect’s black clothing and emblems around.
Seeing this, things had to be done. They couldn’t just deny the Forbloffende Traes Sect its right to accept missions in the Region, they were no ruler or leading organization. Having learnt from their recent, past errors, they also knew to be patient, or do their best to be so.
Thus, a slow re-integration of their image in their neighbors’ heads took place, not knowing their faraway neighbors were starting to see the Forbloffende Traes Sect more as well. Regardless, the forest people remained neutral per se, and the south became ‘modernized’ but still without an arsenal. They at least had protective and surveillance array formations and roads to other settlements. Their walls were also peak First Step, demonstrating the Sect keeps its promises.
Meanwhile, the people in the Sect’s territory became more proactive and their young ones and even children traveled northwards, intending to have a try at the Forbloffende Traes Sect. After all, there were more and more new settlements near the center, where the Forbloffende Traes Sect was only at a couple or 3 days trip away at a person’s regular pace.
They could rest and train there for the rest of the year before giving it another try. Many people say that even trying tens of times is possible, and that the Sect does not discriminate. It wasn’t obvious at first, but the testing grounds welcome from genius kids at the Phrenic realm before 5 years old, to old, useless bums past 100 years old.
Furthermore, they take anyone from any Race and situation, even those fleeting from the other territories. Of course, if the person was just petty and disgusting, the Sect would return a corpse to said territories.
What was seen like a desperate need to increase their numbers by accepting anyone who was willing to enter it and was capable enough. Although the mindset was a little contradictory. It remained in everyone’s mind when thinking about this quirky recruitment method.
However, as the years passed, one after another without stop, and even a couple of decades after it became evident that the Sect’s richness flourished. They continued with the same system. Anyone who entered the Sect to either visit their successful pal or family member, or joined it, could see the diversity within.
The synergy overall was also simply astounding, with the only ‘strife’ belonging to the southerners and forest people, who always challenged each other until the other was exhausted. If the arenas, which could be ⅓ or fully filled with the millions of civilians in the inner territory, were filled up, it was because the forest and south folk were dueling each other nonstop.
The Sect was also more complete now, more alive. It wasn’t near becoming full, as it was no ordinary First Step organization inner territory. Only the Sect Master knew how many people could live here, and it would still feel like it needed more people to be full. It was a bizarre experience, but the Sect was nothing like what it used to be.
The first two Core Disciples advanced through their ‘low’ status’ to the ‘high’ status. Although it was a thing nobody would wonder or think about in the Sect anymore, the Vrida Region only came to widely accept the use of only black clothes from the Forbloffende Traes Sect.
It was innovative and slightly interesting at first, seeing only black clothed moving here and there. But now, they were used to it, although they still wondered why they didn’t use the official, recognized gray and purple colors. They were the colors of an exalt. Regardless, the black clothed were quite a little cherished and a bit of renown throughout the Vrida Region.
Saon Gori, Pretieta’s father, joined the Sect 2 years after the years of growth commenced. He had founded his town and had prepared its future development to become the first supreme town near the Sect. He also selected the right candidates to take care of it in his absence. By then, his servants had all gone to the Sect.
Saon received inspiration from Heian Ciemnosc and appointed 2 citizens among his ‘council’ to bring the town to greater heights as soon as possible, before anyone else!
Then, he became a Servant. Why? His Craftsmaking was deplorable. He knew a little about everything, as he became lonely and only found solace in diminutive gimmicks like array formations on pottery, gardening ordinary flora, rearing pigs and bunnies, and even forging steel chairs and bed frames. Thus, the well reputed middle-aged man swept floors, washed with mops, and ran errands for the younger generation.
He found a few older generation Outer Disciples who were amidst retaining their youth, who understood him best and treated him with respect. Still, the status difference was evident, even more so as Craftsmaking became the ‘second religion’ in the Sect. The first being knowledge.
Like this, 5 years passed since Saon Gori turned into a Forbloffende Traes Sect member. The more years he spent there, the more he felt proud his girl joined this little cultivation paradise first, and was even leading the rest of the Sect under her and behind her every step.
With such a notion, how could her daddy not want to make her proud? Saon worked damn hard. By the end of those 5 years, he attained the best Servant recognition among millions in the 12th month. He used those 1,000 Inferior Powerful Stones to endlessly practice array formations before attaining understanding. Then, he became an Outer Disciple before the 12th month ended.
…