The Magistrate: Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Chapter 8

Gathering Problems

Disciple Quin had given Tobias a stomach meridian cleansing tonic, not a general cleansing tonic. It was worth three times what the simpler tonic was worth, but wasn't worth contacting the noble houses about, so Tobias took it. The aftereffects of the tonic left Tobias incapable of performing his duties the following day. However, he felt noticeably healthier for taking it, and it let him understand why the tonics, pills, and baths were so coveted by the sect's disciples. The effects were miraculous.

Aunty Nang took a seat beside Tobias as the empty dishes from his breakfast were taken away. "I've looked into your request. There are several land parcels available that suit your needs."

Cloud Sect owned all the land in Cloud City. You could lease the land each year for up to a century before needing to apply for a new lease, but any building you built would become the sect's property when you ended the lease. It also became your responsibility to tear it down if it was in the way when you leased it.

"What about servants?" Tobias asked.

Cloud Sect was secretive, and Tobias was sure that employing random people would cause problems.

"You were correct in your assumption. The sect will not take kindly to letting anyone they do not trust near their secrets. Lucky for you, the elder's compounds are currently overflowing with servants. Many are preparing to move away in the new year to make room for the children of those in favour."

Tobias doubted that was true. "Will it cause trouble if I hire them?"

"It would be wiser to approach one of the minor clan heads who are out of favour with your offer of employment. They could use the relocation of their clan to gain favours from the other servant clans, and you would not need to be concerned about divided loyalties. Their loyalty would be to the sect first and you second, rather than to some elder second, and yourself third."

"Show me the parcels of land."

Aunty Nang unrolled a map of Cloud City across the table. It was a simple grid pattern, which made it easy for Tobias to read.

"The parcels that fit your needs are marked in green, and those available for lease are marked in blue."

Tobias pointed to a large block marked in blue. "What's this?"

"I'm not sure. Much of the city has been abandoned since the Great Plague."

"That was more than three hundred years ago."

"The state's population is still only a fifth of what it was before the plague."

"And Cloud City is an expensive place to live, so it won't recover until after the state does."

Aunty Nang nodded.

"How do I investigate these places?"

"It's sect land, so Disciple Wo can take you, but I suggest you bring a ladder to climb over the walls because many of the gates are barred from the inside."

***

There was a reason Aunty Nang had only marked a few parcels with green. Three hundred years of degradation meant many of the blue-marked parcels were filled with collapsed ruins. The buildings all needed to be torn down and rebuilt. They were worse than barren land. They required Tobias to clean up after the previous owner. That didn't stop Tobias from climbing to the top of the wall to check them out. It just meant he complained a lot.

"The ladder doesn't reach the top," Disciple Wo pointed out as they stopped outside the largest land parcel on the map.

The wall was almost as high as the city wall, but nowhere near as thick. There was a majesty to it that the city wall lacked, and Tobias suspected the entire surface had been covered in art in the past. The early snow had finally melted, so Tobais was taking advantage of the weather. Once the Cloud Steps froze over again, only cultivators and madmen would climb it.

"I can see that," Tobias said, looking up. "Would you reach the top wall by jumping from the ladder?"

"No."

Tobias frowned. "It doesn't look that far."

"I mean, no, I won't jump off the top of a ladder and try to catch the bottom of a wall to amuse your curiosity. Falling wrong could kill me."

 "And your number one rule is don't die chasing rewards."

"Exactly."

The two of them had grown much closer since Disciple Wo had saved his life and avenged his brother. Away from cultural requirements, they behave like friends rather than magistrate and assistant.

"Why do you want to look at this place up close anyway?" Disciple Wo asked.

"Some of the buildings look like they're in good shape."

The view from the Cloud Steps allowed them to see the entire city, so Tobias had a clear idea of what the place looked like. The buildings were tightly packed and five storeys tall; if some of them were still serviceable, then this parcel was practically free real estate.

"That has been proven false everywhere else."

"Not everywhere."

"One bathhouse doesn't prove you right."

"It was a nice bathhouse."

"That's because it was protected by an array."

"Maybe there are other buildings protected by arrays. Like the buildings behind the extremely large and expensive wall in front of us."

"Fine." Disciple Wo walked over to the ladder and started climbing. "If I die, you have to marry my sister."

"The one with the large front teeth, freckles, and bushy hair."

"That's the one."

"I'm sure she has a lovely personality."

He glanced down from the top. "She doesn't."

"I'll cherish your memory with her and lie about not being able to persuade you to wait for a bigger ladder."

Disciple Wo laughed as he leapt from the ladder and easily caught the edge of the wall. He lifted his body just as easily to climb on top. He then locked his feet to something and lowered his body with his arms hanging down. "Your turn."

Tobias looked at the gap and realised he would still need to jump to catch Disciple Wo's hands. If he failed to make the jump, he would fall onto the stone road below, potentially crippling himself for life.

Tobias ignored the risks and started climbing.

There was no way he was letting Disciple Wo think he was chicken, not after he'd complained about the danger and done it anyway. Tobias immediately leapt the moment he reached the top, catching Disciple Wo's hands. As he hung there, he realised they'd made a mistake.

Disciple Wo gripped his hands and pulled him up, before he could say anything. It was an impressive feat of strength, despite Tobias being so short and thin.

Once Tobias was firmly on the wall, he pointed out the problem. "There's no one to pass us up the ladder."

Disciple Wo looked over the edge. "Why did you climb up then?"

"I didn't think about it until I jumped. How did you plan to get me down?"

Disciple Wo grinned and pointed the other way. "The staircase."

Tobias turned to see a stone platform detached from the wall. A staircase wrapped around the platform leading to the ground. Building parapets and towers for your compound walls was illegal inside city limits. It had been for more than a thousand years. Very wealthy families got around this law by building sunrise towers. These were platforms that were barely lower than the wall and entirely unattached, where the master of the house could sit and watch the sunrise. The fact that these towers could easily house archers during a local disagreement with the authorities was not their fault. They just enjoyed watching the sunrise.

Disciple Wo helped Tobias navigate across the top of the wall, where they would jump to the platform before leaping across the small gap. He then turned around, indicating he was ready to catch Tobias with a big grin on his face. Tobias rolled his eyes and jumped without needing help, landing on the platform beside Disciple Wo.

He looked around.

Before him was a network of tall buildings, all of which had balconies, providing a perfect view of the surrounding streets. Whoever had built the place had effectively built themselves a fortress.

"Do you know what this was?" Disciple Wo asked.

"I have no idea."

"It doesn't look like a residence."

Tobias had to agree —everything was too tightly packed. "Let's go to the gate and work our way in. The buildings should make more sense if we approach them the way they're supposed to be approached."

They climbed down the tower and followed the wall through a narrow alleyway until they found the massive gate.

"That's not a normal gate," Disciple Wo said.

"And this isn't a normal entrance to a residence," Tobias said, looking the other way. "It looks like the beginning of a shopping district."

Buildings framed the long, straight road, showing aged signs with faded names. In the distance, Tobias could make out a fountain in what looked like an open square, but beyond that was more road and another equally large gate. The entire length of the road was lined with storefronts.

They started walking. The wooden doors had rotted away, but the stonework of the buildings was in decent condition. Someone had spent serious money building the place. You could tell because under the tile rooves was solid stone.

"This was an entertainment and shopping district, or I'm not a merchant's son," Disciple Wo declared partway down the road. "The big ones are restaurants and teahouses, and the smaller ones are shops."

Tobias agreed.

The state of the buildings drastically improved as they reached the square. The four buildings that surrounded the square looked untouched by age.

"Arrays protect these buildings," Disciple Wo said.

"Was it the lack of three centuries of deterioration that gave it away?"

Disciple Wo shook his head. "No. It was the change in chi."

Tobias snorted and turned to enter the nearest building, which looked like a luxury shop.

"I wouldn't do that," Disciple Wo called after him. "These aren't weak arrays. The buildings might have defences."

Tobias paused and then kept going. "This is a public building. The arrays can't be dangerous because too much could go wrong, and the owner would become liable."

Tobias turned the handle to try the door. It opened smoothly on well-oiled hinges. The inside of the shop was filled with beautifully carved wooden shelves coated in a deep burgundy lacquer. Every surface shone without a speck of dust, untouched by time. There was furniture all over the place, but every surface was bare.

"This is the nicest shop I've ever seen," Tobias said.

"My father would sell his firstborn for this shop."

"Aren't you his firstborn?"

"I stand by my statement."

Tobias chuckled. "Let's look around."

The two of them searched all five floors of the building. Everything was as pristine as the day the building had been abandoned, but nothing but furniture had been left behind. They exited the building fifteen minutes later and went to the teahouse across the road. That was equally beautiful, so was the restaurant on the other corner and the auction house on the opposite side.

Tobias stepped out and pointed back the way they had come in. "My guess is that side was devoted to food and entertainment, and this side was devoted to shopping."

"There are buildings off the main road."

"They probably housed the less important stores and restaurants. You don't exactly need a bathhouse on the main road."

"I don't see an inn."

"If this were purely an entertainment and shopping district, there wouldn't be one. Let's keep looking around."

They spent the next few hours exploring the district and discovered more than seventeen buildings protected by arrays. Each one was as perfect as the day it was abandoned. The district had a total of eighty-eight buildings, and while seventy-one of them required repair, none needed to be torn down. Whoever had done the stonework was highly skilled.

Tobias unrolled the map Aunty Nang had given him with a plan already forming. Three nearby locations fit his requirements. Each would house up to forty disciples, which was more than enough for his needs. If hosting the disciples was as profitable as he thought it could be, it might be worth revitalising the shopping district.

However, that would be a long-term plan. Tobias didn't have the money to repair this place and likely never would, but housing the disciples nearby would make it possible if the opportunity ever presented itself.

He turned to Disciple Wo. "Let's figure out how to get out of here."

***

The following day, Tobias sat in his office at home, going over what he would need to house the disciples. Aunty Nang cleared her throat as she entered with Uncle Nang. Uncle Nang was her uncle by marriage. Their family had fallen out of favour a decade ago and had declined ever since. Aunty Nang claimed she was doing her uncle a favour by giving his clan this opportunity and providing her parents' clan with more room to expand. They were still in favour with several important elders.

Tobias assumed all of that was a lie. Uncle Nang's family was likely highly favoured and the only one the sect was willing to rely on for this out-of-sect housing project that he was trying to start. In all likelihood, the sect would take control of the project if it proved successful. They just didn't want to lose face if it failed, which was why they were helping him move ahead with his plans.

"Magistrate Finch greets Uncle Nang," Tobias said as the old man walked in. Tobias had warned Aunty Nang that he would address her uncle this way, so she could prepare him. It was precisely the sort of thing a foolish young magistrate would do, and she had gone along with the request.

Uncle Nang still paused a step before returning the greeting with a deeper bow. "Uncle Nang greets Magistrate Finch."

Tobias rose to his feet and cupped his fist in his hand before giving a much deeper bow. "Magistrate Finch shows respect to Uncle Nang for standing up against the mistreatment of those in his clan."

Uncle Nang had supposedly fallen out of favour because he'd raised a complaint to the elders after a core disciple had sexually assaulted his granddaughter. It was the sort of thing that could get a man of his low station killed, which was exactly why Tobias respected it, if it were true.

Uncle Nang froze, unsure how he should respond. Tobias's actions were outside the everyday actions a superior would make to the junior, so far below him. And the matter was so far in the past, Tobias shouldn't have brought it up.

It did make him look more earnest, though.

Aunty Nang leaned over. "I told you."

Uncle Nang sighed and returned the bow. "Uncle Nang thanks Magistrate Finch for the respect he has offered him."

"Would you sit with me?"

Uncle Nang sat at the table with Tobias while Aunty Nang collected the tea that was waiting to be served. It was the regular kind, not from his grandpa's stock. Tobias wasn't willing to share that with anyone, except Disciple Wo.

They sat in silence while she brewed the tea and filled their cups. Then, they drank together and placed them down. Aunty Nang collected the cups and left.

Sharing tea was the minimum Tobias could do for a guest and the most he could do for someone of such a low station who was outside his influence.

Tobias waited a few moments for the silence to stretch. "Some outer disciples have asked me if it would be possible for me to host them in the city the way I have been hosted here by Aunty Nang. I could use your clan's help to do so. They require the same care they've received here in the sect."

"How many disciples?"

"As many as one hundred. I will know the numbers only after I've confirmed that I can do this for them."

"That is more than my clan can support."

"How many could you support?"

"Forty-eight."

Each of the outer disciples had two full-time servants, so he had close to one hundred people in his clan.

"That's enough for one location."

"One location?"

"The disciples are gatherers and need space. Only forty can reside at each of the three locations I've decided upon."

Uncle Nang nodded.

"What will it cost me for your services?"

"Food, clothing, lodging, protection, time off in the afternoon for festivals, and a silver teal yearly for every member."

"I take it your young and old are included."

Uncle Nang nodded. "That is non-negotiable."

"I assume you can all read and write and perform mathematics?"

"We can."

"How many children and elderly will I be supporting?"

"Two hundred and eighty-three. Most are children, but they will assist where they can."

That meant their services would cost close to 400 teals annually, not including food. Tobias quickly realised his profitable venture was becoming a lot less profitable.

"Give me a moment."

Tobias got to his feet and went to his desk. He had already factored in the cost of food and clothing, but hadn't included the expense of caring for children or the elderly. He changed his numbers and totalled the amounts. He would need one hundred fifty sect points from each disciple to break even. That meant he needed to charge 250 sect points to be safe.

It was doable.

Tobias double-checked his math and then returned to the table. "That should be fine. Do you have any other requirements?"

"No."

"I'm told you have carpenters and stone masons among your clan. Do they know enough to restore buildings?"

Uncle Nang chuckled. "Disciples on the path to immortality are prone to exploration, which usually results in damage to buildings. My clan can build their homes from the ground up if the sect requires it, and it is frequently required."

"Perfect. Then I have no further questions. Are you interested?"

Uncle Nang nodded. "My niece said we would be hosting the disciples, not serving them directly. How would that work?"

"They will be guests. They will be paying guests, but they will still be guests. Your clan's obligations will be to maintain the compound and its guests. These guests will be held to the same standards as if they were guests in my home and will offer your clan the same respect as my servants. Should they breach their obligations as a guest, their guest rights will be immediately revoked. Should they harm your clan, I will bring the full force of the law to bear on them."

"You mean to become our lord."

"It's the only way to give you legal protection."

"We serve the sect first."

"I'm perfectly fine with that. This is just a legal formality."

"Should the sect need us, we would be obliged to go."

"Should the sect need you, your guests would be obliged to go."

Uncle Nang paused and then nodded his head. "True. I accept your offer."

"This isn't an offer. This is an offer about an offer. I still need to see how many disciples are interested."

***

It turned out that a lot of disciples were interested in being hosted in Cloud City. More than the original one hundred Tobias had estimated, in fact. There were even disciples who hadn't reached the halfway point of their natural path and simply wanted to escape the stress of living in the sect. Tobias turned them down, of course. If they couldn't make it at the sect, they couldn't make it on their own.

Tobias spent the next ten days speaking with the concerned disciples, relieving them of their stress and reassuring them that their lives wouldn't change. Many came back three or four times for more assurance.

Tobias saw the latest disciple to the door and checked the line to see who was next. An inner disciple stood at the front with a scowl carved into his face.

He was a large, wild-looking man, covered in unusually thick muscles for a cultivator. His hair stood up straight, giving him a lion's mane due to the way he'd styled his beard. He was more than a little intimidating despite his youthful face.

"Inner Disciple Xi greets Magistrate Finch," he said while bowing.

"Come in," Tobias said tiredly before turning and walking to his desk. He flopped into his chair, exhausted. "Take a seat, Disciple Xi. What can I do for you?"

Tobias remembered Disciple Xi from other encounters. He was a foundation realm alchemist. All his meridians were open, and he was working towards forming a core. If Tobias was remembering correctly, he had the highest cultivation among the inner disciples. He could already form his core but was trying to form additional spirit droplets before he did to create a larger one.

Disciple Xi remained standing. "My cousin came to me begging me to intervene on his behalf. You rejected his housing request."

Tobias paused, searching his memory. "Is your cousin Outer Disciple Xi?"

"Yes."

Tobias scratched his brain, trying to remember what he'd read about the young man, and then it all came flooding back. "You're cousin insulted me with his request."

His scowl grew. "My cousin is a talented gatherer."

"Your cousin is not a talented gatherer. He's a gift one. He's got as much cultivation potential as you. If he'd applied himself like you have, he'd have all his meridians open and be on his way to forming his core."

"Why did you reject him?" There was a growl in his words.

Tobias glared back. "I'm offering those who have reached the end of their natural cultivation path the means to continue growing their path outside the sect. I am not offering a place for cultivators to hide from their responsibilities to the sect, but rather a chance for them to continue serving it. Your cousin is lazy. Without oversight, he will languish and waste his days. Two years from now, he won't have the minimum sect points he needs, and the sect will drag him before their disciplinary board, making both me and my house project look bad."

Disciple Xi dropped his scowl, unfolded his arms, and finally sat. "This one apologises for being rude. He thought your actions were related to sect politics."

Tobias paused, leaving the words hanging between them. "You get punished for not accepting a sponsor."

Disciple Xi nodded. "Alchemists do not like sharing their secrets outside their inner circle. Only Elder Kang is willing to teach me, and he does not specialise in alchemy. Until I form my core and access the elder's library, I won't be able to progress my skills."

"You dodged my question."

"I gave a half answer."

"Give me your mark."

"Why?"

"I can find the answers myself if you're not willing to give them."

Disciple Xi scowled as he handed over his mark. Tobias inserted it into the artifact and reviewed the disciple's information. Disciple Xi was qualified to make the twelve greater meridian opening and cleansing pills and the general energy meridian opening and cleansing pills. However, his assignment history showed only the most common pills.

"The other alchemists obviously block you from getting the better ingredients. How do you earn enough sect points to remain an inner disciple?"

"Making pills significantly below my skill level means fewer failures. Fewer failures mean I need fewer ingredients to fulfil an assignment, making it more profitable. It is still less profitable than if I made the pills that I'm capable of making."

Tobias read the numbers. "I don't think so."

"Believe me, it is."

"No. It's not. You're just limited by the amount of resources you have available. If your supplies were less limited, I think you would make a lot more."

"I might as well wish for it to rain gold."

Tobias's mind began to fill with ideas. There was considerable profit potential here. Even more than with his housing project. Disciple Xi was a walking money printer.

Tobias held back the greedy grin that wanted to transform his features. "I've got one hundred and forty gatherers who want me to host them. How many spirit herbs do you think they can grow between them?"

Disciple Xi's nostrils flared. "I'm listening."

"Housing them outside the sect requires silver, not sect points. If you were willing to produce pills from their spare spirit herbs, I could sell those pills for a premium, splitting the difference between what they would get from the sect and what I would get for them. This would make it easier for them to cover their housing cost and earn more sect points. You would gain the first right to purchase their other herbs."

His nostrils flared wider. "What sort of pills would I be making?"

"General meridian opening and cleansing pills. The gatherers all grow excess spirit herbs for those pills for some reason, even though they know the sect doesn't need them."

"I have significantly lower failure rates with those pills."

"How much lower?"

"I have a one in three failure rate. Two out of three is standard."

"If that's true, you'll split the value of the second pill with us."

"I don't need silver."

"You a noble?"

"No."

"Then you'll need silver at some point. Alternatively, you could use the silver to buy pills from them for your cousin. He's only got five meridians open, but with enough general meridian opening and cleansing pills, that will change. Maybe opening all his greater meridians will fix whatever makes him lazy."

Disciple Xi smiled. "I doubt it, but I'm willing to try before I wash my hands of him."

"Don't be so quick to agree. If you do, the sect will view me as your sponsor. I'll need to take you on as an assistant."

"You can do that?"

"I'm allowed up to three."

"What would that involve?"

"You'd have to help me with my work. I'll ask you to consult on pill assignments. I need to know what timeframe I should expect the assignment to be finished and how difficult it will be to complete."

"That's reasonable if you can make good on your offer."

"The big issue is you won't be able to take state assignments."

"If I can access the spirit herbs I need, state assignments won't be necessary. The sect offers better deals for pills, but your assistance in sourcing materials makes working with you easier."

"I'll speak with the gatherers and see if they're open to this proposal. If they are, I would like you to begin making pills immediately."

"Why?"

"Many of them have excess spirit herbs they can't sell before the New Year Festival, and I would prefer them not to exchange sect points for silver unless they have to. Also, unlike the sect, they must pay for their accommodation up front."

"Why up front?"

"I'm hoping it will encourage good behaviour."

"Intimidation is more useful," Disciple Xi said, cracking his knuckles. "I'd be willing to keep them in line as your assistant. There isn't a gatherer who can take me in a fight, so just backing you up will be enough enforcement."

"That works, too."

"I've got other matters to settle today. With your permission, I'll depart."

"You're free to go. I'll send my assistant to find you when I hear back from the gatherers."

Disciple Xi rose and bowed. "I look forward to this alliance."