Since Gray wanted to make his own mining company, he was directed to a small building at the edge of the plaza. Inside was a stout woman with graying hair sitting at a table with a large map. The map depicted a wide area north of Jade Hill Town, various parcels of land, and countless tiny flags.

“The name is Yunchen Bai.” The woman held a hand.

Gray shook it. “I’m Gray, you guys have a lot of relatives working for the lord…”

Yunchen gave a barking laugh, “We do! The Bai family is an old family, one of the first that settled in Jade Hill Town. Although we’re not as strong as the Patel family, we are also close supporters of Lord Reddy. I’ve heard good things about you. You didn’t let me down out there.”

“Well… someone offered me free money so I did my best to make him pay.”

“Hahaha, exactly! Now, about the mining company, there are some additional rules you have to be aware of. Firstly, mining companies may stake mining claims on land not occupied by anyone else. One person can claim an area fifty strides wide and fifty strides long but if you have more people, then you claim more. Once a piece of land is taken, others are not allowed to trespass. Next, companies have to continuously work the land or lose it after one month of inactivity. If you leave, you lose it, you are not allowed to squat on land you are not using. Lastly, a monthly flat tax has to be paid to the lord, the true owner of the land, or else the claim will be canceled. You will also have to pay a proportional tax on all valuable ores, spiritual stones, and gems unearthed or else you will be fined and jailed and your land claim will be forfeited!"

Gray silently lambasted the horrible lord. So many rules! So many taxes!

The woman ignored his pained expression and continued, "In practice, it's difficult to enforce hundreds of miners and dozens of companies squabbling over the best mining spots. The town guards generally don't get involved in mining disputes nor is it their responsibility to guard your mine."

Gray cursed the stingy lord again in his heart.

"But we still maintain some semblance of order." Yunchen pointed to the map, "We keep track of claims on this map with the flag of each mining company. Since you are making your own, I will need a unique flag design."

Gray came prepared, having been told about this by Anand. He took out a small piece of paper with a design that he came up with all by himself. It was a black square with a yellow triangle in the middle that touched the top of the square as well as the bottom corners. It represented the two primary features of his spiritual sea, golden mountains of fortune and the endless void that oversaw the world.

Yunchen took the paper and produced a tiny replica that could be placed on the table map. Flag designs varied wildly and Gray’s wasn’t unique or eye-catching.

“Name of the company?”

“King’s Mountain Mining Company.”

“Members?”

“Just myself.”

The woman wrote a few things down and put the papers away. “Alright, Gray of the King’s Mountain Mining Company, any areas without a flag are currently unoccupied. You can choose anywhere and lay a claim."

Gray studied the map carefully and noticed that apart from a large thicket of the same flags in the middle, the other flags were relegated to small patches to either side.

“What’s up with that?” He pointed.

“That area is occupied by the Southern Seas Mining Company.”

Gray frowned, “How many people do they have? They own almost everything.”

“Yeah, they are a special case. It was due to a one-time deal they made with the lord around fifteen years ago. They managed to claim the best patch of jade deposits in the entire plains, bypassing the usual laws that ordinary miners have to work with. I remember everyone in town was shocked when it happened.”

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“If they took the best deposits, how does anyone else make any money?” Gray asked.

“There’s still plenty of jade and spiritual stones around. Don’t be discouraged. You’ll just have to work harder for a little less profit. If you don’t like that, you can always join their mining company.”

Gray scoffed, “Not going to happen.”

The woman smiled, “I thought so. Now, off you go. I have other things to deal with. You can get supplies next door. Come back to me when you’ve claimed your plot of grass.”

With that, she shooed him out the door.

---

Gray’s actions this morning did not go unnoticed. Some distance away, several pairs of sharp eyes atop the town walls had observed the mining strength test. One set of eyes belonged to a person of short stature who wore a hooded cloak and a veil to hide their face. The other pair belonged to Harsh Patel.

“See! Didn’t I tell you? He’s quite good.” Harsh said, a little too smugly. "He didn't even try to lift the heavier ones but I'm sure he could have gone to nine hundred kilograms at least."

His companion peered up at him, "Do you want another whipping?"

"No, my lord..."

"I thought so." Lord Reddy turned back to the scene below, “Though, I don’t quite understand why he took so long to breakthrough. Perhaps you are still wrong and that he has a defective spiritual sea. Maybe it will be impossible for him even to reach the middle stages of Spiritual Strengthening.”

Harsh disagreed and continue to argue, "You know as well as I do how unlikely it is for someone to have such tremendous innate strength and still have a defective spiritual sea. What's more likely is that he is practicing some kind of high-level cultivation art that requires greater resources to build an immovable foundation. I remember you telling me stories about those so-called geniuses in your sect. How would Gray compare to them?"

The lord considered it carefully before shaking her head, "Impossible to tell. Those core disciples were long past the early levels of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm by Gray's age."

"What about you?" Harsh asked.

"I was stronger than him."

"No, you weren't."

“I was!” She almost shouted.

She wanted to tie the captain up and personally whip him this time. If it wasn't for his schemes, she wouldn't have that image of Gray seared into her memory. No matter what she tried, she could not get rid of the stubborn mountain ape.

“Report!” A breathless shout interrupted their argument.

They both turned to greet the disheveled guard that had sprinted up the stairs and collapsed to the floor.

“My lord, captain, urgent report! My lord, scouts rode back with terrible news. As you know, a caravan that was expected to make it back from the King’s Mountains never came. Fearing trouble, one of the head guards took a squad and rode north…” The guard's voice trailed off ominously.

“And then?” The lord asked.

“The caravan, it’s gone!”

“What happened? Speak clearly!” Harsh Patel urged.

“My lord, sir captain, there was a terrible battle. eight days north of town, the scouts found the scene of complete defeat. Our dead were left for the wolves. The wagons and goods were nowhere to be seen. The signs point to an enemy force of over a hundred. Their tracks went due west but the scouts dared not follow.”

There was a long and tense pause. The guard knelt on the cold stone floor, waiting for a reaction that didn't come.

The lord was lost, staring blankly over the walls at the endless plains of green and gold. Her hands gripped the cold stone and shook uncontrollably.

"Duanmu Clan... Abundance Town..." She whispered.

They were determined to see bloodshed. They were determined to encroach on her bottom line.

She had to admit to herself that she did hate them just as much Harsh and the others. She hated their savagery. She hated those greedy, treacherous clan elders and their fanatical youths brainwashed by a generation of lies.

But what could she do? Could she start a full-scale war and send her people to their deaths? Such a war would mean that peace could never be restored to the Jade Plains, that her father’s wish could never be fulfilled.

After a long silence, she turned around. "By my decree, the northern trade route is no longer safe for travel. No one is allowed to head north past our patrol border.”

“Yes, my lord!” The guard cried in relief and scampered away.

The lord and her captain were left alone in silence.

“Shouldn’t we do more? Retaliate? Avenge our people?” Harsh asked finally, frustration clear in his voice.

“Harsh…” Alisha said slowly, “If I gave you all of the guards, will you be able to take Abundance Town?”

“No, three hundred is not enough. To attack the bandit town, I would need a force of at least two thousand as well as everything in our armory that we have accumulated these years.”

“Two thousand. We could gather two thousand if we emptied our town. But what then?” She muttered, almost in a whisper, “How many of them would lose their lives? How many of them would be maimed forever or lose their ability to cultivate?”

“I… don’t know.” Harsh admitted.

“What would be acceptable losses? One hundred or two hundred? At what point is it unacceptable? Four hundred? Six hundred?”

“I…”

She turned to her captain, “What should I do when none is acceptable?”