[RSM] Chapter 133. Meddling (Patreon)

Forgestone Peak. He didn't think he would visit again so soon, but here he was. Much to his amusement, they sent the same elder, the seventh realm Ashe Northwind.

"This humble cultivator greets the Elder. It is a pleasure to see you once more, Elder Northwind."

"Well met. The first time we met, you were barely in the seventh realm, and yet now you are already well into the later stages. It seems that you have had many fortuitous encounters, Lord Fox." 

"How's business?"

"There's never a better time to buy flying ships, especially for the range you are looking at."

"Ah. Is that bad for the Great Flaming Phoenix, then?"

"Oh, not at all." Ashe Northwind smiled. "When the middle range market shrinks, the funds merely get redirected to the top end. Many of the great sects and great pretender sects may not be buying middle range ships to prepare for large scale war, but the same funds are now deployed for the possibility of higher end conflicts." 

The market was certainly not homogenous, and there were many different parties playing at different price points. There were differentiations within the alchemical products market as well, and it is often not easy for an alchemist to switch to produce some other pill, because it takes time to find stable suppliers, time to build familiarity with other recipes, and then figuring out the little quirks of the materials to produce the pills at sufficiently high yields and efficiency for a profit. Still, he couldn't tell if the elder was really happy or not. "Is that a good thing?"

"It has its challenges." The lady shrugged with indifference. "Are you familiar with how the market works?"

"I must admit I am not quite familiar with the market and the industry, and so on this part, I must defer to your wisdom." Tundra admitted. 

Ashe Northwind laughed. "The secrets of this market are not exactly secret. It is all about scale. The same formation master works on multiple identical flying ships at once. So does the metallurgical master, and the crafters that form the flying mechanisms. It is all about scale, and having multiple copies. Think about it, a flying ship is the work of multiple experts, if we only do one, what would that be like?"

Tundra got it immediately. "A lot of waiting, and the earnings would be shared with so many that it is unfeasible."

"Exactly. Higher end ships have far more taxing demands, and while the cost of commission is also far higher, there is a lot more delicate management." 

The regressor believed she was trying to say that the ego of the various experts involved in high end flying ships are a massive pain. 

It was like trying to get multiple 8th and 9th realm elders to agree on a fair way to share treasures, each insisting that they contributed more than the others. So Tundra cupped his hands together, and gave her a friendly salute of respect, "You've worked hard, Elder. It must be quite difficult."

The elder visibly grinned, her eyebrows curved in joy. "You flatter me, Lord Fox. But alas, such powerful individuals must be coerced by even more powerful individuals." 

Tundra played along, the mood and vibe felt quite light. "I cannot imagine the sect master of a great sect tasked with such duties. It is always delegated to capable people."

"Hah! My tasks are for those a little lower in the ladder." Elder Northwind's hair fluttered like wind-whipped flames, her steps were confident. "But truly, no one hates cultivators like other cultivators."

"Hate is a strong word to use on people in the same sect."

She coughed, and her skin seemed slightly redder. "Surely there are people within your own sect that you find trying?"

"Guest elders are the most of my worries." Tundra said, and Tia Truehaven, who followed quietly behind, gave Tundra a glare.

That made Elder Ashe Northwind stop and turn around. "Ah, wait, which sect are you from?"

Tia Truehaven, looked uncomfortable in the robe of the Verdant Snow. However, it is tradition that guest elders wear the colors of their host sects, even though they came from elsewhere. It was a sign of respect, and a sign of their position that they are members of another sect. 

It is thus that Guest Elder positions are often seen as punishments for those from the Great Sects, though sects often do create such Guest Elder missions with enough enticements to make it worthwhile. There are also many elders who use such Guest Elder roles as a way to get away from the intense politicking in their home sects. 

Tia Truehaven's eyes met with those of Ashe Northwind, before a moment of realization triggered in the Flaming Phoenix Elder's eyes. "Oh! You must be Tia Truehaven of the Ancient Titans! I have heard of you."

Tia Truehaven froze, like a deer stuck in a trap. 

"Your uncle arrived a few days ago." She continued. "Though, if you want, I may help to engineer some event for you to avoid seeing him. For a suitable fee, of course"

That surprised both Tundra and Tia Truehaven, and Tia's reaction turned. "You're one of those fixers." 

"Not at all, Lady Truehaven." The lady continued. "But as someone who is close to but not part of the great families, I am more than willing to help out those who are trying to avoid complications."

Now Tundra realized why he found the woman seemed to be hiding something. It was not that at all, but instead, Tundra was not one of her 'target markets', so their conversations were always fairly to the point. Now though, the veneer of polite professionalism faded for something more cunning. 

The woman hopped next to Tia Truehaven and held her arms as if they were long lost friends, and Tia looked absolutely puzzled. "Here's a few things we can arrange. One, would you be keen on a matchmaking event? There are many heirs of eligible great families in our city, the Forgestone Peaks is home to three branch families of the Diamondforge, and also the Great Flare family, and I have both men and women, whichever you prefer."

Tundra chuckled in his heart, and enjoyed the fact that he was not involved. This was the world of great family politics, a field where only those with the right family names can participate. 

Tia's face was aghast. "I would rather face my uncle."

"No, milady. Think of it this way. To climb your family's ranks, you must be seen as forging connections with other great families. With a name like the Diamondforge or the Great Flare as one of your partners, you can use that leverage to make connections within your own family. Then you would not have to suffer the humiliation of being dressed in another sect's colors!"

Tia frowned. 

But Ashe Northwind continued. "It is but a companion on one's journey as a cultivator, those come and go, but the connection is forever. Do not worry, the partners I arrange are doing it for the same reason you will be, so it will not be a messy, tangled mess."

"You won't clean up if it is." Tia Truehaven countered. 

"Just like how I would not intervene if a good outcome occured! Sometimes, true love blooms, and would it be fair for me to then stop them? So, likewise, both parties are mature, experienced cultivators from well known great families, surely they would know what they are getting into. I am but a mere facilitator of meetings, organizer of dinners."

The Guest elder squirmed. "I would rather not have this conversation."

"Well, think about it, at least." Ashe Northwind said with a grin, as she hopped back. Her demeanour changed almost instantly, as she returned to being a professional. "Now, Lord Fox, as a repeat customer, we've set you up somewhere a little nicer, and I'm also available to take you around to see the latest flying ships. If you are keen, at the similar price to your last purchase can now get you a flying ship with better specifications."

"Oh?" Tundra smiled. She must have realized he was the type that liked details and specifications, and so did not engage with him the same way with Tia Truehaven. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind that at all."

***

"A pleasure to see you again, Branch leader." Nord Truehaven's presence was like a glowing sun. The man was in one of the Ancient Titan's mansions located in Forgestone's special cultivator districts. "I heard from Tia that you wanted to see me." 

A while back, Tundra recalled that the Ancient Titans commissioned a 10th realm warship from the Flaming Phoenix, a ship so large that it could function as a portable sect. That ship was now undergoing some additional retrofits. 

Nord took a look at Tia Truehaven, who looked absolutely awkward around her uncle, and sent her off. "I did. Tia, wait next door, I'll talk to you later." 

"See." Tia glared at Tundra. "My presence was unnecessary."

Tundra said nothing, and just took his seat at the tea table, and quickly helped himself to tea. He watched her leave, and Nord sit opposite him. It was then he realized that multiple arrays of protective formations activated to shield their conversation.

Even if there were the Emperor's shadows nearby, he was certain Nord Truehaven could sense them.

"I shall get down to the gist of my suspicions, and you will save both of us time by telling me the truth." Nord Truehaven went for it. "What did you do to the Emperor?"

Tundra blinked, and then frowned. The man was indeed a lot more straightforward than he expected. The two's eyes met, and he saw the serious, focused gaze of a man sure of his question. "Before I answer that, how did this come about? How did you make the connection?" 

"The Ancient Titans is a sect with many oracles and soothsayers. Ancestors and elders pry their way to understand the present, all to forecast the future. We saw and felt the Golden Emperor's lifespan extend, it is an act that warps our forecasts far too wildly."

The regressor cursed in his heart. Of course such ripples would meddle with oracles. 

"Any decently capable master of my level would also detect the presence of the Emperor's shadows in your vicinity." Nord Truehaven continued, "As much as they tried to mask themselves with powerful illusions." 

Tundra agreed. 

The Emperor's Shadows, even if they maintained a distance from him, is nothing more than a glowing signboard to those in the higher realms. More than a few have abilities that could easily see through the shadow's protection. It is as obvious as a drunk man outside of a tavern drinking and signing without a care. 

"You are one of many people protected by the Emperor's shadows." Nord Truehaven continued. "But your recent addition is a sign." 

"A sign. And what was it that linked my presence to the Emperor? Could it not be my service to Princess Luharl?"

"It was a hunch." Nord Truehaven admitted. "A strong one. I have seen oracular reports on you, and they often claim you live a double life." 

That made Tundra frown. Oracles was a big blindspot for him. As an alchemist, he dabbled in tangible things. Physical objects and spiritual energies that could be manipulated. Even his recent explorations with spatial realms were tangible things, even if they were already a half step into the ephemeral. 

Oracles were more questioners and observers, reading signs and signals from the fates and heavens and interpreting them, often drawing conclusions in ways that it was hard for an alchemist's often logical mind to accept. 

"This one has been bested by an art I know little about." Tundra admitted. 

"Don't be. Oracles are obscure and rare. We have to be. Too many of us make our predictions just as useless as rumors." Nord Truehaven smiled. "Now, what did you do?"

"I made a pill for him, but what pill is a secret I cannot share. It is a matter you should speak directly to the Emperor." Tundra said, happy that he could use the Emperor's stature to defend his point. 

Nord Truehaven frowned. "I see, and I take you refuse to elaborate? What are you up to, exactly?"

"Is that a second question, Branch Leader?"

"I did not promise I could not ask for a second one." Nord grinned. "Now, it would be helpful to me to know if we could work together, after all, you came all the way to meet me."

Tundra had to concede that. By now, he already knew his secret couldn't be hidden for too long. With each passing event and interaction, he needed to find good people, and then to trust these people with the truth. Only then they could work together. 

"There are agents seeking to sow discord amongst the sects. Even now. The Emperor's death would make the grounds fertile for conflict. That is something I seek to avoid."

"Oh? The demons have been trying to do so for eons. What makes this agent special? What sets it apart from the others?"

"Because it is a Primordial, just like the Golden Dragon, and it spreads quickly amongst the weak and vulnerable." 

"So? Demon gods claim themselves to be the Golden Dragon's superior too. They claim a thousand and one things, and yet, here we are, after thousands of claims, the Golden Dragon still stands at the pinnacle of us all." Nord Truehaven countered. "So, tell me something different. How do you know? What gives you conviction in what you are doing?"

The regressor looked at the man. He weighed the cost. The risks. The possibility that some Great Ancestor would come for him.

He is not strong enough to shout it to the world and paint a target on his back yet, but now, he could use it to move pieces around.  Now he has the Emperor on his back, and enough value to the royal family that they would protect him, and so the Ancient Titans would still give him face. 

Now, he could use his origins to make the Great Sects listen.

If before, the claims of a wild madman would only be easily dismissed, and he may be targeted by eccentric cultivators looking to pry his mind apart. Now, he felt safe enough that he could reveal more to potentially trustworthy allies.

It was now time to push the advantage, and redirect the flow of events before Zuja could gain even more advantages.

He felt a strange relief. As if he longed to share this with more people. He looked  Nord Truehaven in the eyes, and gave him a focused stare.  

"I have memories of a different future. I am a regressor, and I've come from a ruined future." Tundra answered.