[Tree] Chapter 653: Indoctrination (Patreon)

Ashlock was proud of everyone's performance.

At first, he'd planned to kill everyone except Gorran and turn the fodder into Ents or devour them for credits. But because Gorran willingly surrendered, the outcome ended up far more diplomatic.

He still wasn't sure what exactly made Gorran kneel in surrender. Was it Willow making clever use of gravity dao to cut off their escape, Magnus threatening Gorran's crew with death, Bob tearing the ship apart from the inside, or a combination of all three? He hadn't even needed to step in to intimidate them. His subordinates had done it for him.

"Whatever the case, this is certainly the best outcome," Ashlock mused, looking up at his admittedly intimidating fleet encircling Gorran's gutted ship and escorting it toward Red Vine Peak.

He could have teleported them, but this slow approach did wonders for harvesting their fear into sacrificial credits. Also, the idea of an indoctrination had come to him in the moment, so he needed to give Elysia time to prepare.

Which had turned out to be unnecessary. Elysia had rushed through a portal the moment he called for her, and now eagerly stood under the shade of his canopy, practically vibrating with excitement as the fleet approached.

It was almost cute as her black vine hair writhed impatiently, the silver-tipped ends curling upward toward his branches. Patches of black bark plated her bare shoulders and forearms like dragon scales, and the vertical third eye on her forehead was already wide open and fixed on Gorran's airship, while her two human eyes glowed violet. The twilight mist that never quite left her side thickened with anticipation, and within it, dozens of spectral eyes drifted in and out of view.

"Elysia, I don't want you to entirely break them, okay?" Ashlock reminded her. "Once Kaida is done stabilizing the Midas Bank system, he will head over to soul-bind those who complied with your teaching to ensure their continued loyalty."

"Don't worry, I will be gentle," Elysia giggled. "But what happens to those fools who cannot recognize your greatness? Do I have permission to—"

"No," Ashlock cut her off, as he had heard rumors of how she tortured non-believers until their minds broke. He knew he was the bad guy sometimes, but torturing a crew of cultivators likely dragged down here by Gorran was a step too far. "I'll have Bob liquefy them into Ents, and they will live to serve the believers."

Elysia shuddered in delight. "As expected of you! Eternal servitude as a mindless monster, what a suitable punishment!"

Ashlock paused. If Elysia, of all people, thought his merciful idea was a suitable punishment, then had he crossed a line? No... surely not. Being tortured by Elysia was definitely worse than being Entified. Right?

"I suppose I don't actually know what it's like to be turned into an Ent. Maybe I should give them the option? Worship me, or you can become an Ent... okay, that sounds even more evil somehow."

Either way, the wait was finally over. Gorran's airship touched down on the edge of Red Vine Peak, with Willow above it, holding it in place with pulses of spatial Qi laced thickly with gravity dao mastery.

A Mudcloak shifted the mountain's stone into a bridge to meet the airship, and Magnus escorted Gorran personally while Geb pushed everyone else.

"I really need a legion of Ents to guard me if everyone's busy," Ashlock realized, watching the enemies set foot on Red Vine Peak. Though he wasn't too worried, as Gorran was the only true threat. The other crew members were in the Nascent Soul Realm. As long as nobody tried to go supernova again, they couldn't harm him or anyone present.

Besides, Larry lurked within his canopy, ready to descend at the first sign of trouble. But one could never be too careful, so just in case...

A loud crack echoed across Red Vine Peak as Ashlock split his bark and revealed his Evil Eye again. Since its size scaled with the height of his trunk, the eye alone was around 300 meters tall, peering through the crack in his bark.

Magnus missed a step when Ashlock swapped his view and scrutinized them. Gorran paled, and his crew almost fell to their knees. Only Elysia was ecstatic at the reveal, raising her arms to the sky with a face of pure bliss.

Ashlock couldn't blame them for their reaction, as he had looked at them with his Evil Eye through a thick layer of desolation earlier, but now nothing stood between them and his piercing gaze. He checked each one in turn, their souls and heart demons bare to him. If one tried to go supernova, he would know instantly, like earlier, and instruct them to be cut down.

"Sorry everyone, but this is unavoidable," Ashlock mused. "I rarely invite allies to Red Vine Peak, and now that I think about it, these are the first enemies to set foot near me in a long time. I need to make adequate preparations, and there's another benefit to doing this..."

In the background, he could feel a surge of sacrificial credits. If these people had been scared before, they were now utterly terrified, and it was benefiting him greatly. The question he wanted answered with this indoctrination was whether Elysia could extract more sacrificial credits by converting them into his worshipers than he would gain from simply eating them.  

"Elysia, take Gorran's crew for their indoctrination in Kaida's library," Ashlock instructed, his voice echoing into the minds of all who stood before his Evil Eye.

He chose Kaida's library because it stood directly in front of him, so he could keep an eye on them.

Elysia gleefully emerged from under the shade of his canopy and out into the light. Her cult robes, crafted from mystic Qi, trailed behind her and merged into the twilight haze as she strode forward with a predatory smile.

"Invaders, desecrators, heretics," she said, each word dripping with thinly veiled disgust. "You came here seeking riches, and riches you have found!" She gestured to Ashlock. "For there is no greater treasure than the All-Seeing Eye's love!"

Ashlock did his best to hold himself together, but Elysia's devotion made that hard. Because this wasn't an act. She meant every single word.

Elysia approached the group and glared at them with all three eyes. The crew retreated in fear until they met the wall that was Bob. He did a great job of crowd control.

"Right?!" Elysia yelled. "Is he not the greatest of all treasures?!"

The crew murmured amongst themselves and slowly nodded.

"It seems I have my work cut out for me." Elysia licked her lips. "This is going to be fun."

"Don't take too long breaking them," Ashlock said to Elysia as he opened a portal beside her, leading to Kaida's library. "I believe the Red Tide will start in a few days, and I want them back at their sect before it's over."

"The fast course, then. All of you, with me!" Elysia demanded and stepped through. The crew hesitated, but when faced with cowering under Ashlock's gaze or following the crazy woman, they chose the portal, one by one.

"Gorran, you stay here," Ashlock said, making the man freeze a step behind his crew, along with his cousin who had been turned into an Ent. He gulped and slowly turned to face Ashlock, now alone with Geb looming behind him and Magnus at his side, sword drawn. He stole a glance at Magnus, who nodded.

Was there something going on between them?

Gorran dropped to one knee.

"All-seeing Eye, I live to serve. What can I do for you?"

Ashlock could tell that was a lie. The heart demon deep within his soul stirred angrily at his submission, but that would change once Elysia spent time with him. Before that, however, Ashlock needed information.

"I have some questions. Answer them truthfully, and you may live," Ashlock said as coldly as he could. "What is your full name and position in the Sunken Crown Isles?"

A flash of surprise passed over Gorran's face. Yes, Ashlock knew the name of the place he hailed from, but little else.

"My name is Gorran Redreef. I'm the current Patriarch of the Coralspear Sect and in the 5th stage of the Monarch Realm."

"Your wording is strange, Gorran. What do you mean by current Patriarch?"

The kneeling man glanced up and winced as he peered into Ashlock's Evil Eye.

"I... have stagnated in my cultivation and likely won't remain as Patriarch for long. I've been made aware of a plot by my brother to steal my seat during the Red Tide."

"So that's why a Patriarch dared to venture down here himself," Magnus said, and Gorran nodded.

Ashlock smelled an opportunity. It was far easier to bring someone onto his side who was already desperate.

"I can prevent that from happening, Gorran," Ashlock said. "I can help you break through your bottleneck and triumph over your brother. I can ensure you remain the undisputed Patriarch of the Coralspear Sect through your own power."

"At what cost?" Gorran asked solemnly.

"Your loyalty," Ashlock answered. "That's it."

Ferrin was already a start, but conquering the Sunken Crown Isles quietly and diplomatically would be far easier if those in seats of power answered to him. The Saltstone Sect was a launch pad for his quiet invasion, but as far as he understood, the Coralspear Sect was considerably stronger.

That is why Gorran had more value to him alive than dead.

Gorran bowed his head. "I live to serve."

"Good. Magnus, take him to the library to complete his indoctrination. Once it's over, reward and equip him. He came here seeking treasures—let him have them."

Magnus took Gorran away.

"Bob is still hungry," his General complained when they were alone, which was rather amusing considering the slime had pieces of airship attached to him like armor or scales.

"You're always hungry, Bob," Ashlock sighed. Even if Bob had devoured everyone on the airship, he would still be hungry. "Go into the Eternal Realm for a feast if you want."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not," Ashlock muttered. "Stella will be out soon anyway."

Ashlock opened a portal leading to the Eternal Realm. Bob lurched through and vanished inside, taking the bits of the airship with him. Now that the peak was silent, Ashlock checked his system.

Idletree Daily Sign-In System

Day: 3994

Daily Credit: 6

Sacrifice Credit: 402

[Sign in?]

"Not a lot of credits, but I'll keep an eye on them to see how much they grow," Ashlock mused, then dismissed his status because he wanted to watch Elysia through his Evil Eye. She made everyone lie down on the hard stone and then eclipsed them within her domain.

Whatever she was showing them, it couldn't have been pretty, as screams echoed out of Kaida's library.

Ashlock watched idly, making sure none of them went supernova, when Timmy suddenly contacted him through the ethereal root network.

"Father, we have a problem!"

Ashlock sighed. Ruling an Empire was a full-time gig with no time to rest.

"Larry, can you shroud Kaida's library in your domain should something happen? I need to check on the 8th Layer," Ashlock said.

"As you wish, Master." Larry emerged from his canopy as a cloud of silver ash and descended upon the library. Satisfied that, with Larry, Elysia, and Magnus here, little could go wrong, he shifted his view to the grove under the Saltstone Sect.

He found Timmy's golem peeking from behind a tree as an airship touched down on the water outside the grove. Cultivators in the robes of the Wavescale Sect disembarked and cautiously approached the grove's small opening on the backs of giant sea serpents.

"What should we do?" Timmy asked, sensing Ashlock's presence.

"If they are here, does that mean the fight with the Wavescale Sect has begun?"

Timmy nodded. "It started last night. I believe Ferrin and Elder Maren are currently on the front lines."

"But that left Saltstone Island undefended, so the Wavescale Sect has sent airships around the back," Ashlock reasoned. "It's a good thing you're here to ensure that doesn't happen, right?"

Timmy glanced up and pushed his glasses. "Huh?"

"You're a Nascent Soul Realm demonic tree, one of my children. Surely you can dispose of this rabble by yourself?" Ashlock said, with slight annoyance lacing his tone. Timmy really called him over for some weaklings? "Defeat them yourself, and for calling me over a trivial matter, Thanatos isn't allowed to assist you."

"B-But Father!"

"No buts," Ashlock said. "I chose you to be the first of my offspring to venture onto the 8th Layer. I didn't make the wrong decision, did I?"

"Absolutely not," Timmy said. "I will not disappoint you."

"Good. Now put up a fight worthy of my attention."

Timmy balled his fists, and his golem melted into the ground. His roots now spread throughout the entire island, so the moment the intruders stepped inside the grove, they weren't just fighting a spirit tree; they were fighting the entire island.

"If things get really bad, help him," Ashlock whispered to Thanatos, who lurked in the shadows. "Oh, and disable their airship it looks like they might get away."

"Understood, Master."

If this Empire was going to function without his constant attention, his subordinates, and especially his offspring, needed to learn how to handle situations by themselves.

Ashlock was a little annoyed that Timmy called him for this, but truthfully, he was curious to see what Timmy could do. Because until now, only his offspring-controlled Bastions had engaged in combat. How would a spirit tree lacking his system skills fight?

He was about to find out as the first victim jumped ashore.