Ashlock stirred awake at the first light and felt revitalized from a night under the nine vertical moons.
They remained a mystery to him—the lowest moon that kissed the horizon still shimmered with a purple hue and bathed him in spatial Qi-filled moonlight, while the other eight moons remained as dull as the day he had first seen them.
Idletree Daily Sign-In System
Day: 3588
Daily Credit: 25
Sacrifice Credit: 1095
[Sign in?]
As usual, his idle system reminded him that it existed with its daily notification.
"The Mystic Realm opens tomorrow," Ashlock yawned as he felt the morning sunshine warm up his leaves in this cold weather, "Has it really been 25 days since I last signed in? Have I really resisted my gambling urges for that long?"
It was very tempting to spend those thousand credits he had saved up as it was sure to give him at least an A grade draw, which would have been game-changing in the past. Yet, nowadays, a random A-grade draw wasn't going to save him, but another Bastion or being able to use {Dimensional Overlap} to gain the environmental advantage over a foe could be the difference between life or death.
"Not to mention finding corpses with a cultivation level near my own is growing increasingly more difficult, so I can't waste my precious credits on fun draws," Ashlock mused as he dismissed the notification. "At least the Mystic Realm gives me a chance to find stronger monsters from upper realms, and I should be able to enter the Mystic Realm at least twice this time due to {Nocturnal Genesis} giving me a way to heal soul damage."
Ashlock continued to bask in the morning sunshine momentarily as his massive body finally caught up with his mind and kicked into gear. The slothfulness of a tree was not to be underestimated.
Finally leaving the comfortable darkness of his consciousness and using his spiritual sight to observe the world around him, he almost shouted in surprise. Standing before his trunk with a solemn expression was a man he never expected to greet him in the morning.
"Grand Elder? What are you doing here?"
The man standing in respectful silence with his back slightly bent toward Ashlock's grand trunk that towered over him was startled by his voice through {Asbyssal Whispers}. Recovering from shock, he threw himself into a full-on bow and didn't dare take his eyes off the floor.
"Immortal, I apologize for seeking an audience with you first thing in the morning without being summoned." He said quickly while keeping his tone respectful, "But I wasn't sure what to do. I seek guidance regarding the mortals and what you wish to do with them. I tried to find Mistress Stella and Diana, but they were nowhere to be found, so I came here."
For the Grand Elder to come all the way here and wait under his shade for him to awake had never happened before, so it must be a rather pressing matter.
"Diana is off to the east dealing with monsters for me, and Stella is hiding underground practicing alchemy," Ashlock replied. It was almost an art form of how Stella could predict future social interactions and avoid them hours in advance. Now, he was left to deal with it.
"That aside, I believe I already informed you what to do with the mortals? I told you to inform them of two options. They can restart their lives in Darklight City or take the first airship back to Slymere once the storm ends. So what could be the issue that you come seeking me out like this?"
The Grand Elder gulped, "Well, you see, the problem is—"
"You can raise your head, Grand Elder," Ashlock insisted, as it felt weird for a man centuries older than him to be bowing to the floor like this. "Also, speak more casually. I am grumpy in the morning and was surprised you came here, so ignore my tone."
"Oh, I see, thank you." The Grand Elder straightened up and looked less worried. No matter the issue the man was facing, it was because of Ashlock's selfish act of heroism that he had pushed onto the Grand Elder and fallen asleep, so it would be pretentious to make the poor man bow.
"Ahem, where was I... oh yes." The Grand Elder raised his hand and coughed awkwardly, "Everyone but a select few nobles wish to remain here and restart their lives in Darklight City."
That was surprising. Ashlock had been worried that these people would be hopping onto the first airship home even if nothing but a destroyed Slymere awaited them. "At least that is what people did back on Earth. Is a mortal's attachment to a home much less in this world? Is real estate less valuable due to the beast tides and cultivators?"
That aside, the fact everyone wished to remain was indeed worrisome.
"I see the problem," Ashlock replied, "Even though Darklight City is many times the size of Slymere, a flood of a hundred thousand new residents all at once would still cause issues."
The Grand Elder nodded, "Most of them ran through the portals with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a bundle of personal items. Few even have any coin on them, let alone their tools, shops, or other things they require to make a living. We would flood Darklight City with thousands of people who cannot care for themselves."
Ashlock let out a sigh. This wasn't the type of decision he wanted to have to make just after waking up. "Does nobody have an issue with the fact that a hundred thousand people's future lives depend on the words of a man-eating tree? If I wanted, I could command all of them to be slaughtered, and nobody would bat an eye. Likewise, I could order a new city to be built, which could be accomplished in a weekend."
It was a scary amount of authority but also something he had been building and working toward since he arrived in this world. Now, the question was where these mortals fit into his future plans. His rash act of heroism to challenge his fading humanity and wanting to flex his power just because he could have resulted in an outcome he hadn't been expecting and new problems to solve.
"Now, obviously, mass murder would be the quickest and cheapest option, but I fear the god of karma would strike me down where I grew if I saved them from death just to eat them. Not to mention that would be mean..." Ashlock mulled over other options, "I suppose it would be fine if a smaller portion of them entered Darklight City? Perhaps around 30,000? Or at least those who could find employment quickly so they don't burden Darklight City. But then what am I to do with the other 70,000 people?"
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At this moment, Ashlock frankly had no use for that many mortals. Other than their excrement for nutrients, the cultivators currently under the banner of the Ashfallen Sect could do the work of all those mortals faster and better. For example, Douglas alone could create a building in a minute, which might take a team of a hundred mortals years to build. The difference between cultivators and mortals really was as vast as the distance between the sea and the skies.
"However, even if the mortals are weak, they aren't like humans back on Earth. They still have some Qi in their bodies and are conditioned to being at the bottom of the food chain. As my mother would say, they are a bunch of tough cookies. I'm sure if I gave them a plot of land somewhere safe and lent them the Mudcloaks and Douglas for a while, a shabby city for that many people could take shape."
Ashlock couldn't believe his thinking, but it was that simple. All he had to do was say a few words to a few people, and the lives of thousands and their future generations would be affected.
"I remember being told that mortals in this world had as many children as possible, hoping that one of them would be born with 'talent,' also known as formed enough spirit roots to attempt the path of a cultivator. But it was also because there were no disadvantages to having many children in this world. Women's bodies are strong due to Qi, so death from childbirth is rare, and food grows incredibly quickly, so famine is also rare. The main reason for death here is monsters and getting caught up in tribulations or fights involving cultivators."
With this in mind, Ashlock had an idea but decided to bounce it off the Grand Elder before the silence between the two got too awkward.
"The mortals all want to restart their lives in Darklight City, but we can't let all of them go there. So what if we used the Redclaws to filter through the mortals. Those with easy-to-employ jobs, like bartenders or cooks, are handed enough money to survive a week, and we send them to live in Darklight City."
Ashlock had lost track of how much money was worth in this world, so he left it up to the Grand Elder's discretion as he would know more about the expenses of the mortals under the Redclaw's rule than he did as a tree that had never had to buy anything in his life.
"Grand Elder, as someone more well-versed in the life of mortals than I, how does this idea sound? "
"And the others?" The Grand Elder asked. "What should we do with them?"
"You know that flat area north of your mountain? Near the entrance to the mine?" Ashlock said. He had briefly considered an ideal location to found a new city, and that seemed like the perfect place. It was relatively flat; the trees in that area had already been removed, and a road led straight to Darklight City. A river flowed down from the mountains, and it was well hidden from the rest of the world so any passing cultivator wouldn't see it as out of place.
"Yeah, what about it?" The Grand Elder inquired.
"Do you think we could create a new city there for the rest of the people?"
The Grand Elder rubbed his chin in contemplation for a moment. Despite his youthful appearance due to the skin improvement truffle, he still had the mannerisms of an old man.
"You have the manpower and resources to undertake such a project?" The Grand Elder asked after a while. "Building a city is a Qi-intensive endeavor."
Ashlock thought about the thousands of Mudcloaks he had living inside the Red Vine Peak mountain. They were busy little fellas and already had a lot of work on their plate, but if they worked together with Douglas and he assisted them with telekinesis, he was sure they could make a basic city within days.
"There are thousands of earth cultivators under the Ashfallen Sect that could create basic housing," Ashlock said but kept it vague as explaining the Mudcloaks and their origins was too troublesome, "The location also has access to clean water, and I can have food sent over. So all of the mortal's basic needs would be met."
"In that case, I have a different proposition if you are willing to hear it."
"By all means, go ahead." Ashlock insisted. The Redclaw Grand Elder would likely know the best course of action here far better than he did, as this old man oversaw much of Darklight City's operations and sometimes met with their mortal council to decide things.
"Well then, forgive me for being honest, but we are a poor sect. Even if we only sent a third of the mortals to Darklight City with merely a week of living expenses, it would bankrupt us." The Grand Elder shook his head in shame, "Our most reliable income stream thus far has been robbing other cultivators, and ventures into selling pills have been... unsuccessful, to say the least."
Ashlock hadn't been ready for the Grand Elder to lay it out so bluntly like that, and the worst part was how true it all was. The Ashfallen Sect was powerful, held authority over millions of mortals, had access to unmatched cultivation resources, and even tailored pocket realms. But despite all these advantages, they were flat-out broke.
"That might be due to some mismanagement here and there and some questionable decision-making," Ashlock admitted. He wasn't one to point fingers... mainly because he didn't even have fingers, but that was beside the point. As far as he was concerned, everyone was at fault! "But you are right, so what do you propose?"
"Why even bother sending anyone to Darklight City? Offer them housing in the new city, and if they save up and wish to move to Darklight City, it's a simple hour walk down a road." The Grand Elder explained, "You may not know, but mortals are nomadic. They move to where there is opportunity and safety compared to us, who prefer to stay and cultivate for decades at a time in one location, wherever the Qi for our chosen affinity is strongest. Then we go seeking danger to increase our strength."
Ashlock did, in fact, know that humans were usually willing to move to seek better economic opportunities and safety, as it happened back on Earth. Still, he wasn't about to expose that.
"Interesting, and this way, we don't have to give out any money and potentially flood or cripple Darklight City's economy."
"Correct." The Grand Elder nodded, "Did you have an idea for the city's name?"
"Well, we have the Ashfallen Sect and Ashfallen Trading Company, so to keep it simple, how about Ashfallen City?"
"That works."
"Okay, I will send over the earth cultivators and have them turn that area into an empty city that all hundred thousand mortals can move into. I'm sure it will be chaos for the first few weeks, but things should settle down eventually." Ashlock instructed, "Oh, and shut down the airships leaving Darklight City for the next week or so. I don't want word of what happened here to reach the Voidmind family yet."
"What about the nobles that wished to return?"
"Just tell them that the airships cannot travel due to the storms. Maybe they will be won over to stay once they see Ashfallen City. If not, they can return when everything has died down in a few weeks. Maybe I will get them to sign heaven-approved contracts to keep their silence."
"Understood. I think this is a solution the mortals will be happy with. If that is all, I will take my leave as the people grow restless for answers." The Grand Elder bowed and summoned his sword in a flash of silver, which he then threw down to stand on.
"No, that is all. Thank you for the hard work," Ashlock said as the Grand Elder took to the skies and rocketed toward the White Stone Palace, leaving a trail of crimson flame as he went.
Ashlock let out a sigh as he surveyed the now deserted mountain peak. He didn't even want to glance at the White Stone Pavilions to see what chaos a hundred thousand mortals had caused overnight.
"Luckily, I can push the work onto my favorite handyman." Ashlock's vision traveled through his roots to search the citadel that spanned the center of the mountain. Progress of its construction was coming along nicely, with the staircase reaching near the top and many rooms being built into the rock. Mudcloaks excitedly rushed around with clumps of moss in their hands that they ripped pieces off to nibble on occasionally while they worked.
Soon enough, Ashlock located their king with his crude crown of stone.
"Douglas, I have some work for you."
Ashlock saw the man's eye twitch, likely in annoyance. With a sigh, he looked up at the sky, "Yes, Patriarch? How may I be of assistance?"
"I need you and the Mudcloaks to build me a city to the north for a hundred thousand mortals."
Douglas crouched down and patted a Mudcloak on the head, "I hear voices in my head that are saying impossible things. Do you think I should ignore them, little guy?"
The Mudcloak shook its head and began chanting happily, "Work! Work! Work!"
Douglas groaned and stood back up, "A city to the north, you say? How long do I have?"
"Ideally, by tomorrow? Unless you want its construction to cut your time in the Mystic Realm that opens tomorrow."
"Well fuck's sake," Douglas cursed, "What are we waiting around for? Let's go!"
