The group woke up the next morning to the smell of a disgruntled Jen frying bacon and finishing her watch. That was easier than going inside to wake them up, and even if Luna somehow missed the smell of bacon frying, the sensitive nose of Penny's Lycan form would not.
The Lycan was currently wrapped around Sabbat, taking the role of the big spoon due to her size, while Luna was wrapped around Solara. Tena had wisely hidden behind the pile of bodies, ignoring the lower temperature so that she could escape the girl's urge to use someone as a body pillow, and Cain had taken a spot off to the side so he didn't wake them up when he finished his watch.
"See, this is why I don't bother to set up beds." Cain laughed as everyone began to rouse for the day.
"You could. Maybe it would work out." Tena suggested, but even to herself, it didn't sound convincing.
"Put on lots of eggs if we have them. I'm hungry." Luna called as she removed and re-equipped her Sect Robes, returning them to their perfectly clean state.
"Do we have to travel in Sect colors? It's not really great at blending into the forest." Penny asked, running her hand over the soft peach-colored fabric.
"There are a lot of Sects in the area, and being in matching colors will help them recognize us. All of the Sects travel in uniform, so we should likely go with the custom." Cain told her.
"I know you're right, and most Disciples don't even own clothing other than their Sect Robes and matching dresses, but still, bright peach and white? That really stands out in the woods."
Luna looked excited as an idea came into her head. "If we can't hide, why don't we really NOT hide? I could summon a few dozen more that look just like us, and then we would look like a full-sized sect on the move."
"That would just confuse the people who know who we are. They aren't expecting us to have dozens and dozens of members, remember? If it really bothers everyone so much, I can make a black base layer instead of white, and that will make the translucent Peach much less noticeable." Cain offered.
Penny considered it for a while, then waved off the idea of new robes. "No, we are already all used to these ones. It's just my forest sense telling me that I'm an idiot for dressing like a warning flag when I'm outside the city."
"You will get used to it, I am sure. The trip today will be a bit more interesting than yesterday. We have to cross a training ground, which is stocked with magical beasts as well as resources. I am certain that the local sect would get upset if we picked their precious plants, but they shouldn't mind if we killed a few beasts on our way through.
Just keep your eyes open for their disciples. We will be near the border, but the territory of the two Sects meets up at that point, so there is no way to avoid them. I will try to attract the attention of a patrol Disciple or Elder so that we don't get accused of trespassing." Cain explained.
"That could be bad. What Sect's territory are we going to be passing through?" Jen asked as she stirred the eggs on the grill.
"We have the option of the Thunder Gods or the Foot Clan. The second one sounds too much like a fetish to me, so I was planning to meet with the Thunder Gods if they have someone on patrol at the edge of their territory."
"The Foot Clan is a very serious fighting Sect. The name is in reference to their kicking techniques, not a foot fetish." Solara explained.
"Well, that's not bad then. The Thunder Gods seemed friendly when we were in the city, and the main road is on their side of the border, so we will try that way first and keep the Foot Clan as a backup plan."
Friendly in the city, with thousands of eyes on them, and friendly on their home turf, with nobody watching, could be very different things, but the fact that the road hadn't been moved suggested that they weren't too strict about travelers, or at least they were less strict about them than the Foot Clan.
Once they had packed up, Cain told Sabbat to put out the fire but to leave the campsite alone. The next group to camp there would appreciate the high-quality firepit and the benches.
Making it to the Thunder Gods' border only took a few hours, even jogging instead of flying, and they were met by two Elders, one in Red and one in pale blue, who were glaring at each other with great hatred.
"Welcome, travelers. The Thunder Gods welcome all Cultivators to pass through our hunting grounds along the main road for just a small fee. Our disciples keep the road clear for safety, you seel, and they deserve a stipend for their work." The Elder in blue greeted them.
"Don't listen to that old windbag. They use Earth Skills to prevent an alternate route from forming while they extort the travelers. The Foot Clan welcomes the Forbidden Treasures Sect to travel through our territory." The Elder in red robes added while sparing a look of disgust for the other Elder.
Road tolls were nothing new to Cain. They existed in every world to pay for maintenance or to keep dangers away from the road, but the Foot Clan seemed to know who they were, which should mean that they had a presence in the city, though Cain didn't recognize them from among the many red robes he had seen.
"The Forbidden Treasures Sect, you say? Now, why didn't you mention that at the start? Please, feel free to pass through. No fee is needed. In fact, we would welcome you to visit our Sect grounds for the evening." The Thunder Gods Elder's tone was much more polite now that he could put a name to the faces in front of him.
Every Sect sent back stories of the events in the city, especially ones this close to the event, which should make both of these Sects part of the six great sects that filled the region, each with a Divine Realm Sect Master.
Cain was about to make an excuse about needing to get some distance down on their way to the Dragon Peaks when two powerful auras descended from the mountains on either side of the border.
"Looks like it isn't our robe color that draws the most attention," Penny whispered with a meaningful look toward Cain.
The two Divine Realm Cultivators flew down from their secluded mountain retreats at the same time, landing beside the stunned Elders of their Sects while staring intently at Cain. Not at the Forbidden Treasures Sect, but intently and directly at Cain.
"So they weren't exaggerating. How interesting. You really do have the aura of a Chaos Dragon. Or perhaps that is another type of Dragon, mixed with something else, something terrifying." The Foot Clan's new arrival muttered.
"It is no Chaos Dragon, you crazy old bat. But it is a Dragon Core. He must cultivate a lost Dragon Art." The Thunder God's Divine Cultivator snapped back without taking his eyes off Cain.
"We were hoping to pass by and make our way to the Dragon Peak. Might we trouble one of your Sects for passage?" Cain asked politely, complete with a small bow so that he didn't anger someone who might be able to squash him like a bug.
"Of course, that was never in question. Would you like to spend an evening with our Sect? We have heard wonderful things about your training methods." The Foot Clan leader offered.
"Hmph, why should he show you something like that? Are you from his Sect? Or are you perhaps one of the beauties of the Lotus Blossom Sect?" The Thunder Gods' leader snorted.
Clearly, these two were never going to get along, and Cain was just a bystander in their long-time feud. Even the two Elders who first greeted him had stepped back so that they weren't caught in the crossfire.
"Is there a nice clearing on the other side of the training grounds? We could gather members of both Sects for a friendly dinner, perhaps a short conversation about training techniques?" Cain suggested.
If he could get them to put this off until the other side of their territory, they would at least make some distance today.
"That is a fine idea. Perhaps we could compare notes? I have just finished recruitment of a fresh batch of Disciples, and there are some who will be sent away for lack of compatibility. I am sure that the snob has some of his own. We could exchange them and see what progress they could make in a day?" The Foot Clan leader suggested.
Even his own Elder looked shocked at that suggestion. Divine Realm Cultivators could work miracles upon mere mortals with no cultivation base. That they thought Cain could teach them anything, much less possibly keep up with them, was more than either Elder had expected.
"That sounds like fun. Maybe we could revolutionize the advancement of new Recruits." The Thunder Gods Elder replied sarcastically.
"It's settled then. Three old men will show the juniors a new path before they go on their way to a Sect that better suits their talents." The Foot Clan leader declared, ignoring the fact that the other Divine Cultivator was clearly mocking him.
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