The Magistrate: Chapter 74 (Patreon)

Chapter 74

1st Minister Finch

The Great Clans and sects had done their best to keep the war away from cities and towns. Unleashing higher realm techniques so close to mortals was no different than carpet bombing an area. For the most part, they succeeded, keeping most cities and mortals relatively unharmed. Because of this, famine had killed far more than the war had. The Capitol was the exception.

There, the lower realm cultivators and soldiers were forced to fight from street to street, while the core and nascent realm cultivators fought in the skies above. Tobias had heard that the city was gone, but he never expected the description to be literal.

Between the city wall and the Outer Imperial Palace wall, you could only find rubble. Not a single wall remained standing, and the area was so turbulent with the aftermath of so many conflicting daos and techniques that walking around was lethal for mortals and dangerous for initiate realm cultivators.

Tobias had never seen anything like it, which is why Patriarch Shen’s answer in the 1st Emperor’s Hall didn’t shock him.

“The Capitol is being abandoned,” 1st Patriarch Shen replied to Tobias. “It was never in a strategically useful position to begin with, so we see no reason for it to remain here.”

Tobias knew his history. The Capitol had been placed here only after the 1st Emperor’s cultivation realm had become a hidden realm.

Tobias didn’t bother scanning the faces of the councilmembers for answers with his aura. Nascent soul realm cultivators did not give expressions that they did not want to give them, so there was nothing to gain from studying them.

Instead, Tobias opened his senses to the dao that flowed between them. There was controlled hostility, perhaps something else, but it had not grown because of the statement. Tobias couldn’t make sense of the dao whispers, but they had not changed in a significant way. The Divine Council didn’t seem to care about where the Capitol sat, only who sat on the throne.

That last part had been made abundantly clear when he entered. The 1st Emperor’s throne remained untouched. The Divine Council was willing to use his hall. However, they weren’t willing to enter the hall any further than the law allowed, sitting on the ground halfway to the throne like law-abiding citizens.

As the 1st Minister, Tobias sat closer to the throne than they did. He found it rather odd to be having a discussion with superiors sitting behind him, but this was how they wished to interact, and he was in no position to argue.    

“Where will the new Capitol be established?” Tobias asked.

“That has yet to be decided,” Patriarch Shen replied.

“What will happen to the 1st Emperor’s hidden realm?”

“The Divine Council has decided yet to decide.”

Tobias saw his opportunity and took it. “May I make a suggestion?”

1st Patriarch Shen tapped his fan against his right knee.

“Is the council familiar with the spirit gardens I helped establish in Cloud City?”

They indicated with their fans that they did.

“These gardens have a neutral alignment and enhance a cultivator’s ability to open, cleanse, expand, and strengthen their meridians. Before the foundation realm, there is little need for cultivators to cultivate in a specific chi-saturated environment, so I propose you use the 1st Emperor's realm to assist your juniors. This will also significantly boost The Three Kingdom’s access to cultivation pills and funding. The pills produced by the 1st Emperor’s hidden realm would be sold at auction, similar to how my auction in Cloud City once operated.”

1st Patriarch Shen looked at the other councilmembers. “I know each of us would prefer for our clan or sect to inherit the 1st Emperor’s hidden realm, but I believe we can all agree that this is a reasonable compromise. I motion we establish the 1st Emperor’s hidden realm as a neutral chi realm used to provide The Three Kingdoms with spirit herbs and pills through open auctions.”

The Mist Sect’s leader tapped her right knee with her fan. “I second this motion. The Divine Council will vote. Those in favour.”

One by one, they all tapped their right knee.

“The motion has passed. The 1st Emperor’s hidden realm will be transitioned into a neutral chi realm for the betterment of our juniors. Does anyone object to 1st Minister Finch overseeing this project on the Divine Council’s behalf?”

Tobias had long since worked out how the Divine Council was trying to keep him in check. They were loading as much work onto him as they could, so that he would be too busy for anything else. They were also giving him multiple opportunities to fail, so they could undermine his credibility if necessary.

This was the third major project they had given him, on top of reestablishing The Three Kingdoms' previous system of law and governance. The other two were a national census and a corruption investigation of the bureaucracy.

The Divine Council didn’t object to placing him in charge of the new project.

Tobias cupped his hand and bowed to the 1st Emperor’s throne. “1st Minister Finch thanks the Divine Council for their trust. As this will no longer be the Capitol, do I have your permission to remove the outer Imperial Palaces?”

1st Patriarch Shen frowned. “Why do you wish to remove the Outer Imperial Palaces?”

“The Outer Imperial Palaces are regularly demolished and rebuilt to a given prince’s or family member’s liking. As such, they hold no historical or cultural value to the people of The Three Kingdoms, and the land they sit on has some of the highest chi saturation in the Region. Even nascent soul realm cultivators can live comfortably there, making it the ideal place to establish a small neutral cultivator city.”

Patriarch Lee leaned forward. “Are you proposing we establish a shopping and entertainment district like your one in Cloud City in the Outer Palace?”

“This is exactly what I’m proposing. Many of your juniors will have to spend years here, so it makes sense to provide them with accommodation and entertainment. It will also allow them to become familiar with one another, lowering the chances of future conflict. However, the Imperial Palace must remain untouched. It has existed in its current form since the founding of The Three Kingdoms and holds historical and cultural significance. The 1st Emperor’s reign was one of long-lasting peace and stability, and we must recognise this by preserving his worldly home.”

The Divine Council immediately tapped their fans against their right knee in complete agreement.

“We cannot simply sell the land,” 1st Patriarch Shen stated.

“I agree,” Tobias replied. “The Three Kingdoms will operate and maintain the area. The proceeds from this city will go toward funding The Three Kingdom’s needs, like the spirit herbs and pills. No one will be a permanent resident, only a guest.”

The Divine Council voted, but this time it was Patriarch Lee who proposed that Tobias be in charge, because of his experience in Cloud City. Tobias was put in charge of building a leisure city and preserving the Imperial Palace.

Over the next few hours, he was also put in charge of a nationwide tax assessment, a law-and-order assessment, educating the population on the new laws, balancing the kingdom’s budget, and developing an independent investigation force equivalent to the police. The last was at his request. If he was going to fill the roles of dozens of ministers, he needed an independent group to enforce the changes he wanted to make. The only restriction the council placed upon him was that these individuals could have no existing cultivation unless they were already magistrates.

***

Later that night, Tobias was reading in the Imperial Archives, trying to digest the entire history of The Three Kingdoms, when Patriarch Lee found him. The 1st Emperor had spent thousands of years developing hundreds of national projects to improve the quality of life for The Three Kingdoms’ cultivators. Tobias’s grandpa’s tea was only one of these projects. There were many more. Some had survived the Great Plague, and others hadn’t.

The 1st Emperor’s intentions were good, but his methods were less than ideal. His long life meant that he was willing to wait centuries for small improvements, so it was rare for those of the right temperament to be placed in charge of projects.

Patriarch Lee took a seat beside Tobias, flexing his aura to give them privacy. “You don’t seem upset.”

Tobias didn’t look up. He didn’t need to. He could hold a conversation and read without any difficulty. “An overabundance of work is better than an overabundance of oversight.”

“How can I help?”

“Can I borrow your Three Pigeon Treasure?”

Patriarch Lee handed it over.

Tobias pulled off the cap that connected to Peace Master So and channelled his chi into the device. “Peace Master So, I have a present for you?”

Peace Master So immediately responded. “Senior is the best. Send it through.”

“It’s not something I can send through.”

He groaned. “You’re going to make me do something that helps me but helps you at the same time again, aren’t you?”

Tobias smirked. “The Divine Council has decided to convert the 1st Emperor’s hidden realm into a neutral chi cultivation realm, which is designed after the commercial spirit herb gardens in Cloud City. You have my full permission to study his realm while you’re converting it.”

Space folded beside them, and Peace Master So appeared. The nearby librarian immediately kowtowed. Tobias could sense the Divine Council’s panic as they felt the influence of Peace Master So’s dao.

Peace Master So grinned. “You’re saying I can study and manipulate the 1st Emperor’s hidden realm, and all I have to do in return is convert it to a neutral spirit garden themed after your family’s spirit gardens.”

“Not the spirit gardens you designed for my family, but the ones which we made to produce meridian opening, cleansing, expanding and strengthening pills.”

He paused. “What’s the catch?”

“You have to provide the spirit herbs.”

Peace Master So had dozens of unique storage treasures capable of storing livings spirit herbs, and he’d spent centuries trying to breed spirit herbs influenced by his dao. Those who failed to be influenced by his dao before the sage realm were all sitting in storage waiting for the day someone had something he needed to trade for.

Tobias had seen only one of these treasures, but estimated that it held several times as many nascent soul realm spirit herbs as his realm did. Peace Master So could easily fulfil Tobias’s request.

“Do I have to give my best, Senior?”

“No. Any higher realm spirit herbs that effectively stabilise the realm are fine, but the lower realm spirit herbs need to be able to produce the pills I want.”

Tobias summoned the list of pills he needed the realm to produce and handed it over.

Peace Master So scanned the list, continuing to grin and turned to Patriarch Lee. “Master, can senior make this offer?”

Patriarch Lee scowled. “I’m not your master.”

“No. You’re more like a father to him,” Tobias replied. “You should think about adopting him. There’s no one to stop you anymore.”

Patriarch Lee froze. It wasn’t the sort of action a mortal could make. He went so still you could mistake him for a statue. Even Tobias couldn’t sense any movement. It was complete and overwhelming shock.

Patriarch Lee finally swallowed, then met Peace Master So's gaze. “Would you like that?”

Tobias had spent enough time with the two of them to know it was what they both wanted. Peace Master So spoke of the man like a father, but referred to him like an uncle because he’d never been adopted. His constant need to upset Patriarch Lee by calling him 'master' was just his childish way of seeking recognition for their close relationship.

“You said you weren’t allowed,” Peace Master So replied quietly.

“My uncle is dead. There is no one left to object.”

Peace Master So nodded. “I would like that very much.”

Patriarch Lee smiled. “Perhaps this will stop you from calling me, Master.”

“You can only hope, Master.”

“I’m not your master.”

Peace Master So grinned. “No, you’re going be my father.”

***

Peace Master So had once explained to Tobias that those in the nascent soul realm could sense more abstract daos. These were things like the dao of insight or discovery. The daos of tribulations, breakthroughs, and enlightenment. These daos left an impression where they occurred, increasing the likelihood they would occur again. Those in the nascent soul realm could collect these dao impressions and transfer them to their own cultivation realms to improve their chances of making progress.

Tobias knew the 1st Emperor's hidden realm had already been stripped of nascent soul realm dao impressions, but he also knew that the sage realm dao impressions would have been left untouched. The sect leaders and clan heads lacked the cultivation to collect them.

Peace Master So didn’t.

The restoration of a hidden realm was a reasonable price to pay for such a reward, and Tobias knew that Peace Master So would jump at the opportunity. He also knew that Peace Master So’s presence would scare away the Divine Council. His overwhelming dao prevented any form of conflict, so they could not overpower him with numbers.

Tobias was seated in the 1st Minister’s office in the Outer Imperial Palace, composing letters to the second and third-tier noble clan heads when Eunuch Ho opened the door so Patriarch Lee could enter. The old Eunuch dropped into a deep bow as the Patriarch passed by.

Tobias was fond of the old man from his time in the 1st Prince’s palace, so he had been excited to discover that he and most of the other eunuchs who served the 1st and 3rd princes had survived the 3rd Emperor’s purge. They were considered of little consequence by him but had been relegated to junior positions for their transgression of not having served him. All of them had been left behind when the 3rd Emperor and his family fled.

Tobias had found Eunuch Ho clearing soldiers’ chamber pots and offered him a new position after getting Peace Master So to check if he was anything more than an effective old servant. Tobias had done the same to all those who now served him, borrowing the sage realm power to quickly establish a loyal servantry.

Eunuch Ho slid the door closed.

Tobias invited Patriarch Lee to read the four copies of the documents. Peace Master So appeared beside him, not wishing to bother with the fanfare required with travelling openly.

“My new seal arrived this morning,” Tobias said. “If you place your seals on the document, I can officially recognise you as father and son.”

Patriarch Lee stepped forward and scanned the document before frowning. “This says he cannot inherit my family’s estates.”

Tobias thought this might upset him. “As he is not a citizen of The Three Kingdoms or a blood relation, he cannot inherit the Lee Clan estates or become their next patriarch. Small private estates and property can be passed along to him, but he’s likely to become an immortal long before that is necessary, so none of these clauses truly matters.”

Peace Master So nodded as he stepped forward and affixed his seal to each document. “I have no interest in becoming the patriarch of the Lee Clan.”

Patriarch Lee chuckled and placed his seal beside his son’s. “I would hope not. You’d be worse than I am.”

Tobias added his seal, rolled up two of the scrolls, placed them in decorative tubes, and handed one to each of them. “You are now officially recognised as father and son.”

Peace Master So waved his hand, and an enormous, solid silver mirror appeared beside him. “Here’s the bribe you asked for to expedite the process.”

Patriarch Lee glanced at the mirror. “I’ll pretend I didn’t see or hear that.”

“He gave me the silver, Father. I just shaped it the way he asked me to. It’s not really a bribe, because it’s only a mortal mirror.”

Patriarch Lee frowned. “Why do you need a mortal mirror?”

Tobias didn’t see any reason to lie. “My cloning technique requires one.”

“Are you going to transform it into a treasure?”

“No. I’m going to use the natural laws of reflection to establish a mirror world and then use the dao reflection of myself within that world to create my clone, before pulling it into this world.”

“Is that possible?”

Peace Master So nodded. “It’s far from the easiest way to do it, but it’s likely the only way for Senior to do so without the influence of external dao. However, you would have to be in the nascent soul realm to succeed, so I’m curious to see how he will do so.”

Tobias rolled up the last two copies of the adoption contract and stored them in his storage ring. “Painted worlds and reflected worlds have a very similar structure. The only difference is that those who try to step into reflected worlds try to step out in someone else’s mirror, requiring a significantly larger chi investment and dao comprehensions. I’m only making a localised reflected world.”

Peace Master So frowned. “Can I observe?”

“I don’t plan to try for another four days, because it will take over a day to create my clone. You’re welcome to observe when I do, but you and your spiritual presence cannot be in the room with me.”

“Why not?”

Tobias figured it was easier for him to work it out himself, so handed over the technique he’d created. The two men began examining the technique while Tobias opened the door and handed Eunuch Ho copies of the adoption papers. “This needs to be delivered to the Imperial Archives’ noble adoption department. It requires a senior archivist to sign off on it. I will be there to confirm its authenticity this evening.”

Eunuch Ho caught sight of who was standing in the room behind Tobias and dropped into a kowtow, then took the case and backed down the hallway in the same position.

Tobias closed the door.