Chapter 111: One year later
A year went by in the blink of an eye.
So much had happened, yet Yao Shen had been forced to spend the majority of his time away from his Sect, at least when it came to the public eye.
The infrastructures that he had so meticulously designed had surprisingly not been neglected in his absence. Instead, the Patriarchs of the three divisions had almost zealously promoted All-Haven, sparing no effort in driving cultivator traffic to the soon to be Mortal Capital.
All-Havens mortal population had skyrocketed from a modest forty percent to an astounding seventy percent due to the cooperation of the three divisions. Guardians had been placed across high footfall areas within the city and so far, every cultivator-mortal dispute had been intercepted before a single casualty could be allowed.
Many protested against the strict punishments that were levied on the cultivators responsible for such transgressions. One chosen by the heavenly dao being punished for raising a hand against those forsaken by it the very idea was preposterous. Yet, what were they to do about it when Kang Long, Lei Weiyuan and Zhou Hui, all three bitter enemies not long ago, came together to enforce it?
Any attempt to using political connections was quashed, albeit the punishment itself was not quite adhering to Earths standards. Five years in confinement without being allowed to cultivate did not atone for the attempted murder of a mortal, yet Yao Shen had judged that it was the most he could set the punishment to without galvanizing the Modern Sects opinion completely against him.
Of course, it would be an entirely different matter if the cultivators in question had succeeded in their attempt.
Yao Shen was glad that just enough of a message had been sent before that. In the sect environment, where cut-throat competition for resources was encouraged instead of being discouraged, going half a decade without cultivating was no different than being side-lined from the running.
Had been any other crime, Yao Shen would not have expected a paltry five year punishment in the long lifespans of cultivators to have worked. Would punishing theft heavily stop theft? Yao Shen had studied enough history back on Earth to know that it would not. Would punishing murder stop it? Again, No.
But that was only true for murder amongst cultivators.
The Cultivators of the Modern Sect did not view mortals as equals. It was a perception that Yao Shen knew would take decades to rectify, but for now, he had chosen to use it to his advantage. A cultivator filled with rage against another cultivator would not cease his ambush for a fear of law, when he was already willing to put his life on the line in battle.
However, a cultivator attacking mortals?
Was it worth putting ones path to immortality at risk worth it for punishing children? If a mortal was angry at them, what could he do? If a mortal disrespected them, what else could he do except hurl bitter words? A single, off-hand strike was enough to shatter their delicate bodies.
It was not worth their time.
Of course, Yao Shen could never have dreamed of such rigid prevention and enforcement without the three patriarchs of the sects working as one.
It was also a great pain point for various Elders and Legacy Families across the three divisions, as they found both their power and influence over their respective Patriarchs rapidly falling.
Zhou Hui, who had in effect, been a representative of the Legacy Families for a long period of time, now refused to sabotage any of Yao Shens orders, even in the slightest. He had been firm in his stance, often even overseeing All-Haven in person.
The interactions between mortals and cultivators remained as awkward as ever, but it was fascinating to see Qi Formation and Foundation Establishment men and women frequent mortal-run stalls. The former preferred hand-crafted leather wallets as accessories while the latter had a far wider palate, ranging from small hair ornaments to leather bags and ceremonial robes.
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Yao Shen had told Zhou Hui about the concept of perceived scarcity, but despite being the one to propagate the notion that mortal-crafted beauty goods were more valuable because they took much longer to make and only so many could be made in a year, he still didnt understand it.
It was not as if Elders like him were alienated from the idea of presenting themselves as beautiful or attractive. Perhaps Meili Zhu took that passion to the extreme, but intricately embroidered robes with depictions of different spiritual beasts attuned to the wind element was a personal liking of his. His tailor was naturally, a skilled core establishment guardian who had mastered tailoring as a passion, the quality and intricacy of his robes not being something that a mortal could hope to match.
Zhou Hui would never consider replacing his tailor for a mortal.
Yet, perhaps in that self-realization lied his own fallacy. Few could have what he, Zhou Hui, had. The concept of luxury he had in mind was too unattainable even for the affluent. So Yao Shen had chosen to redefine the very concept. It was true, the robes knitted by the core establishment guardian were not unique to only him. A week and Zhou Hui would be able to imitate it perfectly with his superior reflexes and not to mention, his divine sense.
However, could he replicate the time and effort it would take a mortal to knit those same robes?
No, he could not.
What required more effort, the toil reflected on ones brow?
What was more desirable to have?
Zhou Hui could not understand how Yao Shen had developed such a through understanding of economics and blacksmithing in such a short period of time.
Some days, he found himself wondering if he was even the same person that he knew from childhood.
Meili Zhu on the other hand, had no time to shop for mortal-forged trinkets and accessories that she would normally greatly enjoy.
The Master of the Faceless found herself at her wits end in her chamber, as she vented her fury on a fairly valuable wooden side-table, sending a spray of splinters towards the wall behind it.
The source of her fury was not the political power the Zhu Family had lost. Neither was it the three Patriarchs of their respective decisions seemingly switching their undying allegiances to Yao Shen, becoming vassals for his directives without complaint.
Changes were inevitable. Shifts in power were nothing unexpected.
No, what drove Meili Zhu to the brink of her sanity was the why.
Why had the attitudes of the Patriarchs changed so suddenly? Why did Wenjun Long, the cultivator who should be most opposed to Yao Shens usurpation, promise to personally slay anyone who sought to derail All-Havens growth, through direct force, propaganda or other nefarious means- all methods that Meili Zhu had long since prepared.
Decades of information collected by the faceless told Meili Zhu that when it came to the ability to cause sheer devastation, Wenjun Long, the former Patriarch of the Divine Mountain Sect, was still ranked higher than any of the three current patriarchs. His artifact in particular, could wipe out a sect in minutes if his terrifying might was allowed to run unchecked.
That was not an enemy Meili Zhu wanted knocking at her door.
Again, why?
What was she missing?
Why were her faceless being stonewalled at every possible lead?
She had required one look at Zhou Hui to determine that he was not being threatened. Someone as steadfast as him had his tells and Meili Zhu knew how to read them.
The signs she had caught on to told her the obvious: The three patriarchs had decided to set aside their differences and unite against the external threat.
But what could Nascent Souls do against the demonic path?
If they were afraid, the logical solution was to seek aid from the Eastern Righteous Path alliance. If they wanted to maintain their autonomy, they would not capitulate to Yao Shens side.
There was a piece in the puzzle that Meili Zhu was missing and because of it, the entire board refused to make any sense.
Thankfully for her, Yao Shen intended to address her curiosity soon, as his prideful gaze swept through a stone bunker deep underground. His divine sense scanned the contents of the display stand, as a total of forty five completed sets of Lumenite Armor and five sets of the Hybrid Lumenite Armor he had designed with Vondars assistance rested inert.
It had taken a year of toiling in silence while the mortal capital he had worked so hard to bring to reality prospered.
Thankfully, he would emerge from his seclusion before the inauguration of the Auction House, which had been delayed because the Elves had accepted the shares, only to tell the Elder he had sent as a messenger that they will pay his sect a visit soon.
For the long-lived Elves, soon could be quite the Nebulous Concept.
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