PtM Book 16 - Chapter 29: Incentives

3/3 this week, and just a reminder that Patreon contributions were frozen this month, and will start again next month. Just so you know, there' s about a month's worth of content left in Book 16, after which we'll be heading straight into 17, assuming my writing plans pan out.

Now time to take some time off and pack. Wish me luck!

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There were many places to exchange points for items or services in the Heartforge Realm, and only some of them were located on the Jade and Ochre Mountains. At first, the Invited had been oblivious to this fact and squandered their points, only to later learn that other than the library and the trainers, it was far cheaper to journey downwards into Heartforge City.

Very few people frequented the Rewards Hall as a result, except as a place to turn in unlimited quantities of gathered resources. The prices they offered were terrible, but it was better than not being able to turn them in at all.

The situation had changed over the past months. Now that the second phase had begun, everything was in short supply. This was especially the case for specialty goods that only the Rewards Hall had the skill to produce. It was therefore with great pain that Cha Ming spent a whole 200,000 points to make his life – and the life of the people in the Azure Tempest Region – a whole lot easier.

Cha Ming travelled to the Chasewind Plane immediately afterwards. The first thing he did upon entering was set up one of four personal teleportation circles he’d purchased inside the planar teleportation area’s boundary. These circles were specialized in piercing through zones of spatial turbulence. Their range was short, and they could only transport a single person, but they were exactly what he needed in his current situation.

Now that the first location was set, Cha Ming proceeded to the north-east portion of the Azure Tempest Region where one of the stronger fiends that had been wreaking havoc over the past few days. The fiend had taken the form of a rotten whale that flew through the skies, polluting the air and wind.

After slaying it, he set up the second formation in the set, then flew off to the north-western portion of his protectorate. There existed a pack of six weaker fiends that burrowed through stone as though it was mud. It took a day to wipe them out, after which he set up the third formation.

Cha Ming then headed towards the southern portion of the Azure Tempest Region. There were no major oceans on the Chasewind Plane, and each region was pie shaped. The sharpest point in the pie was missing, however, as the spatial storms in the south made both human and demon habitation impossible.

There were no fiends wreaking havoc here, but he knew the south to be a hotbed of fiendish activity, at least historically. He did not hesitate to set the lats formation in the area, completing his triangular personal teleportation network.

From then on, taking care of freshly spawned fiends became much easier, and in most cases, he was able to put them down after only a few hours, greatly limiting the number of casualties.

This also meant that he was now making points instead of breaking even or losing them. The first month had could have earned him up to 25,000 points, but excessive damages made it so that he’d actually lost 5,000 points instead. The second month he’d grown more skilled and made 10,000 points. This month, he estimated that making 20,000 points wasn’t out of the question. That meant that he was now earning more than he had in the monthly battle trials.

The assumption being that fiends would continue spawning at the same frequency. To his knowledge, however, the spawn rate only increased with time. In addition, there was the occasional fiend outbreak to deal with.

How’s your portals coming along, Huxian? Cha Ming asked Huxian one day after slaying a rank 10 fiend.

I’m done the first link to Petros’ place, Huxian said. He wasn’t doing very well.

Did you help him? Cha Ming asked.

He paid me to help, Huxian said. And I’m glad I asked for payment up front though, because he ended up getting all the points.

This was something that Cha Ming had noticed as well. Fiends popped up occasionally, but sometimes he didn’t have to do anything before they were defeated, but still somehow got credit for them. Conversely, he would suffer penalties from fiends he ignored.

It seems you were right this time, Huxian, Cha Ming said. It’s based on territory, not individual kill count.

What do you mean this time? Huxian said. This handsome fox is always right. Except in this case maybe not. We still need to see what happens if one of us sneaks into another person’s territory and goes there to kill fiends.

Cha Ming sighed. Yes, of course. You do that and let me know how it works out.

Huxian also reported that he wasn’t the only person Petros had hired. In fact, Petros had started something called the Hunter’s Guild in his territory. He offered rewards for various hunting tasks like resources gathering, killing harmful creatures, and even claiming bounties for wanted criminals.

Most importantly, the Hunter’s Guild offered a transcendent crystal bounty for killing fiends. It seemed that Petros wasn’t satisfied with just earning a lot of profit from his guild, but converting his profits into points.

Cha Ming did not have experience with guilds or their structures, so he wasn’t confident in being able to replicate what Petros was doing. What his region did have was a lot of sects. Maybe I could deal directly with the sects? I don’t have money to pay them, but then again, I could just use the points I make to subsidize them. I might even be able to turn in a profit!

He winced in pain as a struggle ensued inside his spiritual sea. The Savage Deity Seed was prodding him into being more calculative and cold-blooded and maximizing profit. This cold part of him knew that enough profit and enough time, he would be able to increase his strength and be better prepared to face the greater threats that awaited him, like Cao Wenluan and the other rankers, and the stronger fiends that emerged from the rifts.

This conflicted with Cha Ming’s other part, represented by the Seed of Iridescence. That part was indignant and refused to profit off the misery of others. People were dying out there, and Cha Ming should spare no expense in hiring help – even if that cost him all his rewards.

This collision brought Cha Ming great pain, but at the same time, it opened up his eyes to a third, much smaller part of his soul. It was a part that saw endless possibilities and hope for a better future. It was the small Seed of Inspiration in his spiritual sea.

That’s right… Cha Ming thought as the pain in his soul receded. It might sound cold, but I can use this as an opportunity to change the people in the region! With the exception of a few sects and cities, the Azure Tempest Region was not a very happy place to be. It had suffered the brunt of the fiend attacks, and with every wave that came, their losses magnified. There was no gaining in such a situation.

But Cha Ming could change that. If he offered rewards, he could break through that icy indifference that stopped them from helping their neighbors.

It was not the perfect solution, admittedly. Using sinful desires to encourage others could backfire. At the same time, however, it could give them what they’d been lacking all this time – hope. At the same time, it would reconcile his inner selfishness and altruism, at least somewhat. It wasn’t a perfect balance, but a work in progress.

The only question was how to go about it. If he cooperated with the smaller sects, it could be seen as a slight to stronger sects. If he approached stronger sects, however, his proposal might come off as insulting. Then they might forbid him from pursuing this approach entirely.

Procedurally, it would probably be best to approach the Azure Tempest Sect and work from there. Unfortunately, he did not have anything special to offer – just a connection to the Heartforge Realm, which all of the invited had. He was also not like Huxian with a huge bag of tricks and a high-level bloodline.

He therefore decided that the best course of action was to engage mid-level sects and sound out the situation. Since he was familiar with the Raging Tide Sect, he would start from there.

Cha Ming returned to the Heartforge Realm briefly before returning to Soaring City, where an old man immediately flew out to greet him. It was the same old man as before, Elder Choking Tide. “Elder Choking Tide, it’s been a while since we last saw each other,” Cha Ming greeted. “I’m happy to see that you recovered from your injuries.”

“Injuries? What injuries?” the elder said in a fawning fashion. “We merely had a small friendly spar, and such things never result in significant injuries.” He let out a nervous laugh. “How can I help senior Clear Sky this fine afternoon?”

“I want to meet your sect master, Daoist Raging Tide,” Cha Ming said.

“The sect master?” the elder asked, surprised. “Is something the matter? Did another one of our disobedient juniors cause trouble again? If so, feel free to directly kill them. There is no need to bother our sect master with pests.”

Cha Ming chuckled. “I simply wanted to discuss business with some local sects, and I happen to know you personally. Having an introduction might help speed things up.”

The elder eyed him dubiously. Which was understandable – they did not have a good relationship, and the man’s sect master was probably not too pleased that one of his elders had gotten bullied. “You want to go to our sect. To discuss business. With our sect master. In the place where we are strongest.”

“Yes,” Cha Ming confirmed.

Elder Choking Tide sighed. “You must be very confident in your strength, Daoist Clear Sky. If you insist, I will of course lead the way. But first, let me send a message to the sect master so that he can prepare for your arrival.”

He took out a voice transmission jade and had a few private conversations before taking out an impressive personal-sized flying ship. It didn’t look expensive at a glance, but Cha Ming could tell that it wasn’t much slower than his own ship despite being a late rune gathering ship artifact.

Like most sects on the Chasewind Plane, the Raging Tide Sect was built on a mountain. This mountain was surrounded by a lake with unnaturally strong waves despite the relative absence of wind.

Few creatures could resist the turbulent waters of Raging Tide Lake. The monstrous demons that inhabited the lake were all at least rank six, and a few investiture realm demons had collaborated to form a habitable pocket for their weaker descendants to thrive in.

The Raging Tide Sect was, in fact, a cultivator city in which tens of thousands of cultivators lived. It was situated several kilometers above Raging Tide Lake and was therefore unaffected by its strong waves and thick mists.

“I’ve contacted the other two elders and the sect master,” Elder Choking Tide said as they approached. “I must warn you that they are very protective of their own and were not happy about our last encounter. I’ve warned them about your strength, so they’re likely be civil, but civility is very different than a warm welcome.”

But to be a feared known quantity is much better for bargaining that being an unknown cultivator without a reputation, Cha Ming thought. Since he could dispatch one of their elder so quickly, they should know that even with all their formations, Cha Ming was likely to escape if it came to blows.

Cha Ming and the elder entered the sect without a hitch. The first wave of guards initially wanted to stop them, but upon seeing the elder’s cloud-pattern ship, they directed the pair to one of the sect’s many docks. “Elder Choking Tide, our apologies for not recognizing you earlier. Please ignore our transgressions.”

“The sect master is expecting us, so I won’t be able to pay the captain of the guard a visit,” Elder Choking Tide said. He miniaturized his flying ship and Cha Ming did the same. Most cultivators in the Raging Tide Sect travelled on foot and continued to do so even after reaching the Rune Gathering Realm. Elder Choking Tide naturally chose to fly instead.

“Our sect is divided into the outer sect and the inner sect,” Elder Choking Tide explained. “Only those who break into the rune gathering realm are allowed into the inner sect. And of these people, only those that perform meritorious services to the sect can earn the right to becoming inheriting disciples and practice the sect’s consummate art, the Raging Tide Scripture.

“There is our library, where students can study the sect’s cultivation techniques and battle arts. And there’s our pill workshop.” He continued introducing each location one by one, and it was clear from the way he spoke that he was very proud of his sect.

“So you have a merit system then?” Cha Ming said. “If disciples perform tasks, they can exchange for rewards in the form of treasures, pills, techniques, and so on?”

Elder Choking Tide looked confused. “How else would you do it?”

“I ask out of curiosity,” Cha Ming said. “I’m from another place.”

“I never got to ask, but which god clan do you hail from,” Elder Choking Tide said.

“Oh, I’m not from a god clan,” Cha Ming said. “I’m from the Heartforge Realm.”

Elder Choking Tide did a doubletake. “I um… seem to have forgotten an important matter,” the elder suddenly said. “Please, give me a second to communicate with the sect master.” Cha Ming did nothing to stop the man, as more messages were exchanged, and his complexion paled substantially.

Good, Cha Ming thought. It seems the news did trickle down. To the Tier 3 sects at least.

The elder was much more respectful from then on and gave long-form introductions everywhere they went. He even introduced the restricted areas in their sect, including the landscapes and formations where cultivators could gain enlightenment on laws and runes.

“Raging Tide Lake is naturally the best place for our cultivators to gain enlightenment,” the elder explained. “Our core cultivation arts and techniques are based on the Raging Tide Dao, and only those that enter the Law-Stitching Realm while cultivating this Dao are worthy of taking over as sect master.”

Like the Heartforge Realm, the Raging Tide Sect had several training obelisks that transported their disciples short distances into isolated chambers and formations. Unlike the libraries, which could only be accessed with merit points and sufficient status, these obelisks could be challenged by anyone at any time. They were a great way for disciples at all stages in their development to prove themselves and earn merit points simultaneously.

“Many of the sect members have mortal children that can’t cultivate,” Elder Choking Tide said once he finished his introduction. “They naturally cannot stay in the sect, since they would be so much weaker than everyone else and susceptible to bullying. So we arrange for them to stay in a protected area inside Soaring City. The descendants of cultivators are more likely to produce more cultivators, so we recruit many of our new members from the descendants of our descendants.”

“I see now,” Cha Ming said. “You’re posted in the city to assure the sect members their descendants are safe. And having grown up in Soaring City, some of them feel the need to lord it over the local mortals.”

The elder coughed uncomfortably. “I realize that this upsets you, but I assure you that this is fairly normal wherever you go.” Sadly, Cha Ming believed him, so he made no other mention of it.

They finally arrived at a large palace located deep within the sect, where the concentration of immortal crystal ore was highest. The sect had chosen this location over Raging Tide lake because even without energy gathering formations, cultivating here would yield twice the result for half the effort.

Speaking of which, Cha Ming noted that there weren’t many energy gathering formations in the sect, and those he did find were weak – definitely not worthy of the cultivators that used them. It wasn’t just the mortals that suffered a lack of professional expertise, but the sects as well.

They arrived in the palace’s receiving area. It was was filled with strong artificial wind and artisanal wind chimes. An old man and an old woman were standing there nervously beside a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was clearly the sect master. He did not move to greet Cha Ming, and neither did Cha Ming move up to greet him. Instead, they had a silent clash of auras unbeknownst to the other three people present.

In the end, Cha Ming won out, and the sect master’ smile deepened. “Daoist Clear Sky is it?” the sect master said. “Please allow this old man to introduce himself. I am Daoist Raging Tide. You’ve already met Daoist Choking Tide, so allow me to introduce you to Daoists Roaring Tide and Daoist Gentle Tide. The grumpy old man is gentle tide, in case that wasn’t clear. Daoist Roaring Tide appears inwardly gentle, but I advise everyone not to upset her.” Said Daoist shot the sect master a scathing glare.

“Many thanks for the warm welcome, Sect Master Raging Tide,” Cha Ming said.

“I wouldn’t dare offer anything less to one of the thirty-two Heartforge Realm Wardens,” Sect Master Raging Tide said. “I ask you to forgive my impertinence, but I must ask – the Tier 2 sects sent down a missive informing us that each warden would provide proof their position.”

Cha Ming sent out his mission jade, which the man inspected. “Will that suffice?”

“Of course. Please follow us inside,” the sect master said. “My son, the junior sect master, makes the most excellent tea.”

He led them through a medicinal garden. As an alchemist, Cha Ming recognised many of the ingredients, yet once again, he noticed that the quality was much lower than he Cha Ming would expect to find on the Inkwell Plane.

They arrived at a pavilion where a younger man was currently preparing tea brewing equipment. He rose when they entered the pavilion and bowed deeply. “Elders. Sect Master. Esteemed Warden.”

“This youngster is my third-eldest son, who goes by the name Daoist Three Moons,” Sect Master Raging Tide said. “I wanted him to follow in my footsteps, but alas, his affinities were different. Water and Fate. Tea and divination. Please forgive the embarrassing combination.”

Cha Ming saw familiar red pupils on the young man and confirmed that he was indeed a seer. “I have known many seers in my life, Sect Master, and while some have been enemies, many have been friends – and none of them were anything less than powerful cultivators.”

“If the Warden says so,” the sect master said. His words were polite, but he preened at the compliment. “With any luck, the Good Fortune Sect will take him in. Or maybe one of the Tier 2 or Tier 1 sects will take an interest.”

“There’s no need to get so interested in an inferior cultivator such as I,” Daoist Three Moons said. “Please. Sit. I will begin brewing.”

The tea culture on the Chasewind Plane was slightly different than back on the Inkwell Plane. The first difference lay in the hardware, which involved a layered see-through teapot. The leaves constantly floated about as though entrained in the wind despite the teapot being sealed from external interference.

The boy glanced up at Cha Ming several times during the quiet tea session, as though unsure if it was polite to ask a question. Finally, he built up the courage and spoke. “Esteemed Warden, if I might be so bold as to ask… why is your karma so distorted?”

Cha Ming let out a wry chuckle. “Since I am not a seer, I am not sure exactly what you are seeing, but I can wager a guess.”

“It’s like the winds of fate are blowing in your direction,” Daoist Three Moons said. “Good or bad, they pull towards you and conform.”

“That is because I am something known as a karmic anomaly,” Cha Ming explained. “As such, my deeds warp cause and effect in a way that is completely disproportionate to their weight. As a result, events tend to fall into a pattern around me as opposed to the other way around. This is not necessarily a lucky thing, I should add.”

“I see…” Daoist Three Moon said. “Are there many more such anomalies?”

“There are,” Cha Ming said. “In fact, I believe that all the wardens from the Heartforge Realm can be considered karmic anomalies.”

“Then that explains my complete lack of ability to predict anything in recent months,” Daoist Three Moons said. “Many thanks for enlightening me.” He continued pouring tea, but Cha Ming noticed a change in posture in the sect master. The two were clearly communicating, but Cha Ming was here as a guest and wouldn’t be so rude as to read their thoughts.

They continued drinking tea in this way for a half hour before Daoist Three Moons put away the tea set. He then excused himself, and Cha Ming, the three elders, and the sect master began discussing more important matters. “Elder Choking Tide tells me that you’ve come to talk business, Daoist Clear Sky,” the sect master said.

“That I have,” Cha Ming said. “But first, I’d like to ask you a question, if that’s all right with you.”

“Ask away,” the sect master said.

“Then I’ll be blunt,” Cha Ming said. “Fiend attacks have been popping up everywhere. There was one such fiend attack not far from here, but your sect never intervened to put it down. Why is that Sect Master Raging Tide?”

The sect master let out an embarrassed cough. “That’s… a bit of a complicated question.”

“I see nothing complicated about it,” Cha Ming said. “These are fiends we’re talking about. Left unchecked, they can cause untold amounts of damage.”

“We are aware of this, of course,” the sect master said. “But for the most part, they are relatively weak. Rank 8 fiends are something that tier 4 or 5 sects can take care of.”

“Yet they do not,” Cha Ming said. “And it an entire sect was almost annihilated recently. If I had not stepped in, thousands more cultivators would have perished at the very minimum.”

“Such is the nature of natural phenomena,” the sect master said. “Tell me, Clear Sky: If a sect willingly chose to establish itself near a desolate land, would we be obligated to defend them from beast tides?”

“But a fiend attack is a random occurrence,” Cha Ming countered.

“Not so!” the sect master said. “These fiends emerge from spatial cracks. This is known. The cracks are impossible to seal, but they have all been marked and identified.

“There isn’t a sect that hasn’t been warned about their presence, and even the rogue cultivators in the cities know about them. Everyone has been told to evacuate the places where spatial cracks are densest, which includes nearby mortal towns and cities, at least the ones that remain. If they do not pack up because they cannot bear to abandon their homes and belongings, who are we to force them? But they must accept responsibility for that choice.”

It was a solid argument, albeit one that Cha Ming despised. “You do know that the damage they cause is difficult to repair. It can take centuries for areas to recover.”

“But they will never reach our sect’s most valuable and core areas,” Sect Master Raging Tide said. “And before you judge us, it’s not like we haven’t done anything, Daoist Clear Sky. We send out patrols that take out dozens of rank 5 through rank 7 fiends every month. The Tier 4 and 5 sects do the same for lower-level outbreaks.”

Cha Ming frowned. “I wasn’t aware of these fiend attacks.”

“I am not sure how you get your information, but perhaps you are not aware because they are too numerous, or because the fiends are so weak that they are beneath your notice,” the sect master said. “I realise you might not believe me, but we do keep records. It is our duty to put down fiends, after all, and we have not been lax in our duties. Elder Gentle Tide, you have the records here, do you not?” The mean-looking man nodded gravely and passed the sect master several information jades.

The sect master then handed the jades directly to Cha Ming, who looked through them in full detail. He was surprised to find records of thousands of fiend encounters spanning decades, not months. What surprised him was that some of these encounters had occurred in the past two months.

That’s very interesting, Cha Ming thought, digging deeper into the information jades. Fiend attacks have been getting more frequent for hundreds of years. The frequency has been increasing steadily, and occasionally, there are major outbreaks that are orders of magnitude more threatening than naturally spawned fiends. And the last time it happened, the cracks in the north grew too great, and the Tier 1 sects were all pulled back most of their forces and focus on the hard-hit northern hemisphere.

“It appears that I don’t have perfect information,” Cha Ming said, handing back the jade. “Anything weaker than a rank 8 fiend doesn’t trigger my mission jade.”

“Such an arrangement is understandable,” the sect master said. “Imagine if you had to chase down hundreds of incursions a month. You would die of exhaustion! And it’s the same for us. The other sects have their concerns, so it’s not surprising that some fiends slip through the cracks and grow strong enough for you to notice them.”

“Thank you kindly for the perspective, Sect Master,” Cha Ming said. “Now that I have a better picture of what’s going on, I can get down to business. I’ll be frank, Sect Master. I want your sect to take responsibility for the fiend outbreaks in the area. All of them.”

The sect master frowned. “We have been instructed to cooperate with the wardens assigned to clear up the fiend attacks, of course. But we have not been informed of any obligations to do anything beyond helping with aggressive fiends in our respective jurisdictions.”

“Yet I need your help, and you will provide it,” Cha Ming said.

The sect master’s expression stiffened. “This old man is over a thousand years old and may not be your match, but I will not be intimidated.”

“I think you misunderstand,” Cha Ming said.

“How am I misunderstanding?” the sect master asked.

“Why don’t we have another cup of tea?” Cha Ming said.

Cha Ming pulled out his own tea set, including a box from the Clear Sky World. He’d taken to roasting his own tea leaves recently and had finally gotten the parameters right. As for why he did so, he had no idea. But he was thankful for this fact, because it was difficult to get good homegrown tea in the Heartforge Realm.

“This is calming blue tea, from the Inkwell Plane,” Cha Ming said. “I grew these tea leaves and roasted them specially with my iridescent flames. The tea isn’t as good as if my good friend personally roasted the leaves, but it’s drinkable. I ask all four of you to have a cup before we proceed.”

The sect master hesitated. He looked outside the pavilion towards his son, who was meditating not far away. A silent exchange took place before the sect master agreed. “Very well. Let us calm down and discuss the situation further.”

The calming tea was received quite well. Not only were its effects profound, but its flavor was sharp and cool, in contrast to the local flavors. After five minutes five minutes later, most of the tension had evaporated. “What would you like to discuss, Daoist Clear Sky?” Sect Master Raging Tide asked.

“I would like your sect’s aid in dispatching the fiends, and I am prepared to offer compensation,” Cha Ming said.

The sect master eyed him dubiously. “Compensation? In what form?”

Cha Ming smiled and placed an initial law-stitching grade treasure on the table. The elders took in a sharp breath when they saw it, and even the sect master looked pensive.

Cha Ming had expected such a reaction. After all, he had been to many places since his arrival and had noticed a lack of high-tier weapons. Sect Master Raging Tide only had a half-step law stitching sword, and he was an initial law-stitching cultivator.

“How many fiends would you kill to obtain this sword, I wonder?” Cha Ming asked. He then placed a pill and a talisman on the table, followed by a set of robes. Each object was an initial law-stitching grade artifact. “And what about these items.”

“Am I to understand that you wish for us to clear out fiends for mere trinkets?” the sect master asked sharply. Cha Ming noticed that he looked quite upset.

“Perhaps I worded that incorrectly,” Cha Ming said, changing his tone. “I would never presume to employ you to perform duties you are already honor-bound to perform. Consider me a patriot – I simply cannot stand the sight of fiends and the devastation that follows them, and would like to provide encouragement to the members of your sect in way of material rewards. If that is acceptable to you, the sect master, and you, the elders, of course.”

Their indignant expressions eased up, and the sect master cleared his throat. “Well, it’s not like there’s anything wrong with offering incentives.”

“We do it all the time,” Elder Choking Tide added. “It’s how our sect merit system works. Who’s to say that good behavior can’t be rewarded?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Cha Ming said. “I would personally do it, but I am just one man. But you – you are an entire sect! You control a large piece of territory, one that contains many void rifts! It’s thanks to you that the mortals can sleep safe and sound, and its for that reason that I chose you out of all the sects in the Azure Tempest Region.”

At this point, the sect master was positively glowing. “Well… I wouldn’t be one to refuse such an honor,” he said. “Of course, I wonder if there are any conditions attached with such rewards. Not that it is anything less than a generous offer, of course.”

“My only hope is that these fiends be dispatched as quickly as possible,” Cha Ming said. “Therefore, the rewards will emphasize speed. As for the rewards, we could set something up like your merit system. I could provide you a framework, and you, as the sect masters, would decides on how the system works internally, and even combine it with your sect’s merit system! I am not in this for any public recognition, after all – I just want to make sure that those who do good work are rewarded.”

The sect master had been around for a long time and would naturally understand the implications behind Cha Ming’s careful wording. As for what Cha Ming’s rewards were, he wouldn’t care. After all, he was the one offering rewards for something they should already be doing in the first place.

“Now I don’t want to dissuade you in any way, Daoist Clear Sky, but I want to make sure you are aware of how valuable such items are on the Chasewind Plane,” Sect Master Raging Tide said, motioning to the sword and the other items.

“I am aware of how rare these items are,” Cha Ming said. On the Chasewind Plane, a law-stitching artifact or pill was about as rare as a middle law-stitching treasure on the inkwell plane. “I simply have access to a few craftsmen with an excess of time and energy.” Specifically, he could use points to directly purchase items from craftsmen or the Rewards Hall in the Heartforge Realm.

The sect master nodded. “Then I’ll be frank. Treasures like these can only be obtained through Tier 2 sects. The sect master and perhaps an elder or two would be able to obtain one. Craftsmen with enough skill to create these are monopolized by the Tier 1 sects.”

“Are you you’re afraid these items are too valuable and would cause trouble?” Cha Ming asked.

“There’s that, and there’s the fact that their worth is difficult to assign,” Sect Master Raging Tide said. “Half-step law stitching treasures are treated as heirlooms for Tier 3 sects. Even if we did want such things, only a few would suffice. Middle to peak rune gathering artifacts, on the other hand, and a complement of cheaper items would be much more suitable to offer as rewards.”

This was extremely good news or Cha Ming. If it was law-stitching artifacts, he would need to spend points to obtain them. As for lower quality items, he could hire cheaper craftsmen in the Heartforge Realm and have them create lesser artifacts for transcendent jades. And even if he didn’t have enough jades, the was an exchange rate between these and points.

Initially, he’d planned on spending 20% of the points he earned on rewards, but if it was just transcendent jades he needed, he could probably get away with spending 10% of his points.

This naturally brought up another idea. “If craftsmen are in short supply, does this mean there are natural resources around here that you have difficulty processing?”

“There is naturally an abundance of naturally resources to be found, most of which we ship off to the Xuan Dao Sect and the Azure Tempest Sect,” Sect Master Raging Tide said. Then his eye narrowed. “Are you saying you would accept raw materials in exchange for these items?”

Cha Ming coughed uncomfortably. “We were talking about rewards for slaying terrible fiends, I believe. I wouldn’t want to do anything that would impact the battle against fiendish forces.”

“Of course, of course,” the sect master said. “But if you happen to have a surplus of items, or know of anyone who does, I beg of you to facilitate exchanging raw resources for them. The war against the fiends has been most… difficult over the years.”

“Why didn’t you just say so, Sect Master,” Cha Ming said. “If it’s something that can help the war effort, I’d only be too happy to facilitate such transactions.”

“Then I am overjoyed,” Sect Master Raging Tide said. “As for your initial question, about how many fiends kills would be appropriate to obtain such a magnificent weapon as a reward…”

“Just remember that we’re looking at a forty-eight-year partnership,” Cha Ming said. “I don’t have a large stock of reward items to give you right now, but I can periodically deliver items to your sect as encouragement. As for these treasures… pick one of them. As a reward for services rendered thus far.”

“Then I can only graciously accept,” the sect master said. In the end, he picked the sword out of the bunch, only to sigh regretfully as Cha Ming put the others away.

There were a lot of items to discuss in implementing the rewards system, and now that euphemisms and face-saving language were no longer necessary, they got down to the nitty-gritty. It wasn’t just the strength of fiends that needed to be considered. There needed to be incentives for killing them quickly, and penalties for letting fiends run rampant.

They finalized an internal rewards list, and Cha Ming let them do whatever they wanted with their sect members and award system. He had a feeling that the sect would be turning in a hefty profit.

Negotiations took a full day. Not only did Cha Ming obtain the Raging Tide Sect’s cooperation – they also managed to work their subsidiary Tier 4 and Tier 5 sects into the agreement. This meant that from now on, unless a particularly difficult situation popped up, he wouldn’t need to waste time in this region.

In the end, another mission alert appeared, forcing him to leave the sect in a hurry. Two days later, he arrived at the gates of a Tier 3 Clan, the Storm God Clan, which was a body cultivation clan with about ten intermixed god bloodlines.

A week later, he reached an agreement with the Purple Sieve Sect in the southern region before calling it quits. The response of the Tier 2 sects to these lower-level agreements would determine how far he took this.