The Magistrate: Chapter 35 (Patreon)

Chapter 35

Secondary Effects

As Winter continued, a bodybuilder who looked like Tobias sat in his state assignment hall, going over the pills that were available for his auction. Disciple Xi had returned in the Autumn to make them like he always did, and they were currently being stored in the state vault to preserve their potency. Tobias had postponed the auction to give himself another bargaining chip with the Great Clans, reminding them that if he or his family were assassinated, his auction could easily end or be made available to the other noble clans.

Tobias had long since caught up on his work and had been spending most of his time outside of training himself and the outer disciples by meeting the younger generation of disciples to see how effectively they could clear his assignment. Many of them couldn't, but a few of them showed promise.

The disciples who had relocated to Cloud City had told him they were not as interested in taking his less conventional assignments as they were in the past. They saw no benefit in fulfilling them when it was so much easier now to fulfil the standard assignment offered by him and sect. They also didn't need as many sect points anymore, as they could simply purchase what they needed from other disciples who lived in Cloud City with accommodation credits.

They wanted to do enough to stay in Cloud Sect's good graces, but no more. Tobias had run the numbers and had to agree with their assessment. They'd been purchasing spirit herbs from the sects for years and now had everything they needed to expand and be self-sufficient.

The commercial spirit gardens he'd suggested were far more efficient at producing spirit herbs than the traditional spirit gardens in Cloud Sect. And with an outlet for their excess production, there was no downside to raising more spirit herbs like in the past. Those further along in their cultivation had also enhanced the growth of mortal spirit herbs to create new commercial spirit gardens, leaving the gatherers with weaker cultivation to care for them.

They'd created a black-market economy in Cloud City, and Tobias didn't have the tools to stop it. He didn't want to either. Both his and the sect's pill and spirit herb assignments were much more easily fulfilled than in the past.

There was a knock at his door, and Tobias looked up.

Steward Wo didn't wait for an invitation as he opened the door and entered. The now muscular young cultivator offered Tobias a respectful bow before closing the door behind him. He hadn't reached the stage where he had a bodybuilder's physique like Tobias, but that was only because with his cultivation, he'd outgrown the limitations of cast-iron. The weights he needed were too much for the brittle metal, and the bars kept snapping. Cloud Sect was in the process of building formation-enhanced steel dumbbells and bars that didn't break under their own weight, but they were still a work in progress.

Once those were ready, Steward Wo would quickly reach the bodybuilder physique that Tobias had, but they wouldn't be prepared before he left to take care of Tobias's family.

"You asked to see me, Patriarch."

The training Steward Wo had undergone at the 1st Prince's palace was extensive, and the young man had thrown himself into studying Tobias's finances upon their return to the sect. That knowledge had grown substantially, and he was now searching for potential investments, so he hated being pulled away.

Tobias held out a sheet with the numbers he'd been given. "Disciple Xi delivered his estimates for next year's auction earlier today. The number of pills is significantly greater than we thought it would be."

Steward Wo read the estimates. "I sense from your tone that you consider this a problem."

"Next year, the largest lot of stomach meridian opening pills will contain 4,000 pills. That's more than 50% higher than this year. I don't believe the Great Clans can afford it, without it preventing them from bidding on the same pills the following year."

Steward Wo put the sheet back on the desk. "What gives you the idea they can't afford them?"

"Because of my training to become a royal magistrate, I'm aware of how much they pay in taxes each year."

"Ah, if that's what you're basing their finances on, then you are correct. They can't afford it. However, I learned from my teacher that all of the Great Clans view silver and gold as only slightly more valuable than how the sects view it. Beyond a certain point, it can do nothing for their cultivation, and cultivation is where they gain their power, so it's essentially worthless. It was one of his many criticisms about my interest in business."

"What are you trying to say?"

Steward Wo smirked. "Have you heard of any drop in the Great Clans' standards of living since you began your auction?"

Tobias thought back to his visit to the Great Clans in the Capitol. "No."

"And you won't. The Great Clans earn significantly more than they spend, and they have been doing so for centuries. They also have their fortunes from before the Great Plague."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you are not tapping into how much they make each year, but how much they have stored over the centuries. May I speak candidly, Patriarch?"

"Always."

"You are an extremely perceptive man, but you rarely think the way a cultivator should. As someone at the beginning of the initiate realm, you can live for 120 years. When you reach the peak of this realm, you will live for two centuries. When you reach the foundation realm, you will live at least twice that long. When you reach the core realm, you could live for more than a millennium."

"Your point?"

"This is how the Great Clans view time. You and I consider the Great Plague ancient history. The Great Clans view it as recent events. The thought of storing centuries of silver and gold makes no sense to the likes of you and me, but the Great Clans once used silver and gold to equip their guards and have been storing what they earn until they could do so again."

Tobias knew how large the Great Clans had been before the Great Plague. Each of them had controlled a standing army of 250,000, with 100,000 guards, and 25,000 skilled artisans, all of which were in at least the initiate realm.

"Are you implying that the Great Clans have all set aside vast fortunes to return their houses to their former glory?"

Steward Wo's smirk grew. "Yes, Patriarch."

"Why are they paying such outrageous prices for the pills then? They bid more each year."

"I believe they're uncertain whether Cloud Sect will allow you to continue your auction. This uncertainty makes them treat each auction as their last. Each auction has also been larger than the last, offering them a much larger solution to their problem, increasing their willingness to drive the prices higher."

Tobias picked up the page listing the number of pills they were going to sell. "If you're correct, this year's prices will be even higher than last year's."

"One would assume so. Now, is there anything else?"

"Yes. Have you found suitable candidates in Cloud City who can transport my pills and oversee my family while they use them?"

"I have a list of twenty foundation realm disciples with the skills you need who are willing to join me when I leave. They've agreed to watch over your family while they consume the pills and make sure that their hearts don't accidentally stop like your grandpa's."

"Has your family accepted your proposal yet?"

Tobias had set aside a tenth of the pills he planned to buy for their use, so long as they swore themselves to Steward Wo's service. It would kickstart the business empire that Steward Wo wanted to build and give his family access to a broader range of goods and services.

Constructing a family compound was pointless unless his family had the prestige and living standards to match it, and Tobias needed to be able to secure that lifestyle through his own connections for it to achieve what he wanted. Hosting members of the five Great Clans was a delicate matter, but the sooner they began, the sooner they would be safer.

Steward Wo sighed. "No. My family isn't willing to commit itself to serving an unknown family. Even one that has your prestigious reputation. I've had to change my approach. Instead of approaching them as a group, I'm approaching them individually, starting with the most skilled.

"Are any interested?"

"A few. We're in negotiations."

"What do they want?"

"Cultivation resources for their families, not just for themselves."

"Are they worth it?"

"They're good enough for me to consider their request."

"If they're good enough for you to consider their request while they're mortals. Imagine how good they will be when they become cultivators."

"I've taken that into account."

"In that case, I'd accept the loss. Their success will make the others reconsider."

"You don't know how stubborn my family can be."

"Anyone who places their ego above progress is someone you don't want to go into business with and someone I wouldn't want to serve me."

Steward Wo winced. "I'll remember."

Tobias hadn't meant that to have a double meaning, but was glad his message had gotten through. "Good. Make sure everyone is ready to leave once the auction is concluded."

***

Two days after his auction, Tobias went to visit Patriarch Lee to see if his plan had worked. He found him in his favourite garden, enjoying a cup of Three Towns Tea. He motioned for Tobias to join him as he approached.

Tobias smiled. "How are you, my friend?"

Patriarch Lee gave him a relaxed smile. "You've gotten even bigger than you were the last time you visited?"

Tobias chuckled as he lowered himself into the small chair. Training side by side with the outer disciples five times a day and eating a dozen protein-heavy meals was causing his body to go through drastic changes. His cultivation allowed his body to grow and fully recover between each session. It also seemed to boost his body's ability to produce muscle, so he was seeing weeks of growth for each day he trained.

"I might be a little bigger."

Patriarch Lee scoffed. "A little bigger."

"Okay, I'm a lot bigger."

"Have you confirmed your assumption yet?"

"Not yet. Cloud Sect's disciples are still behind me."

"Still?"

"They needed speciality equipment beyond what I originally designed. It will take time to produce."

"Why?"

"I didn't realise how strong cultivators could be."

Tobias's body meridians were much smaller and weaker than the disciples', so he didn't receive the same benefits they had. Reaching the peak of fitness and strength had taken him a fraction of the time it would take many of them.

"Well, I look forward to discovering if your ridiculous body is worth the trouble. And to answer your original question, I went for an interesting walk yesterday."

Tobias perked up. "Was this the walk I suggested?"

"It was. You were right, the scenery in that part of the state is quite lovely."

"I'm glad you enjoyed the view."

"It turned out to be quite an eventful walk. I encountered a surprising number of rogue cultivators up to no good. They appeared to be waylaying a group of twenty Cloud Sect disciples who were led by your majordomo, so I intervened."

Tobias had been broadcasting that he intended to participate in this year's auctions. Not only was it necessary to placate the Great Clans, but it was also necessary to draw out the 2nd Prince's assassins. Tobias had set a trap, hoping to deprive the man of even more core realm guards. He appeared to have taken the bait.

"That does sound quite eventful, and thank you for intervening. I hope they weren't too much trouble?"

"Not at all. They're leaders put up quite the fight, which I commended them on, but once those two fell, the two dozen foundation realm experts they led were a trivial matter. I left them where I found them, having crippled their cultivation in ways that will take decades to repair. However, enough about my walk. I've got something to show you."

Patriarch Lee rose to his feet and started walking.

Tobias had explicitly come to check whether or not Patriarch Lee had dealt with the 2nd Prince's men. His friend was truly furious with his treatment and had agreed to go along with his plan the moment he suggested it.

Tobias frowned but followed. As far as he was aware, they didn't have any other business. He'd been looking forward to an afternoon of relaxed conversation, now that the auction was over.

Patriarch Lee opened the doors to a nearby room with a flourish. Inside sat tens of thousands of books and scrolls, organised into stacks.

He turned to Tobias. "This is a complete collection of the Great Clans' public cultivation knowledge. It's everything we are willing to share with you, and it is yours to keep on two conditions."

Tobias felt his jaw drop. "What are the conditions?"

"You cannot copy the collection or allow copies to be made, and you cannot keep it anywhere other than your residence in Cloud Sect until your family gains a core realm cultivator to protect it."

"How did you get the Great Clans to agree to this?"

"I didn't. The head patriarch decided to do this on his own. He felt that since you were going to gain access to our library, giving you a copy would save us the trouble of hosting you while you studied. Once the other Great Clans learned his intentions, they decided to participate."

Tobias could understand that logic. "So, this is five libraries."

"No. Each of the Great Clans all have different books they feel don't impinge on their family secrets, which other families feel do, so the other Great Clans supplied anything our family's collection was missing. They also compared our collection with their own. Wherever they found a discrepancy in the text, they added their version."

Tobias sensed he was being used. "How often are there variations between texts?"

"More often than we would like."

"What do you mean?"

"The clan librarians have been asking the head patriarchs to do this since the Great Plague damaged our collections, but the head patriarchs never found a good enough reason to broach the subject with the other clans."

Tobias understood they were trying to save face. None of them wanted to admit that their library might not be as complete as they claimed it was, and openly stating so was something they couldn't do. However, making such a discovery while preparing copies for a third party was acceptable so long as no one claimed that one clan's version was better than another's.

Tobias was now in the unique position of having better versions of certain texts and not knowing which were superior or inferior.

Tobias gave Patriarch Lee a deep bow, holding his face low. "Magistrate Finch pays his respects to the Lee Clan."

Patriarch Lee returned the bow. "The Lee Clan accepts."