The first day at the satellite campus was chaos, but discipline had reasserted itself by the second day. Meanwhile, Hat Island was scoured by environmental experts. The police CSI teams searched every nook and cranny they could find. The area underneath the meditation courtyard where the beasts were housed was undisturbed, hidden as it was by a formation, but every other bit of the school was checked. By the end of the week, they’d found nothing, though some tests would take longer to receive results.

Specialists were also called in to check for infectious agents. They examined the children quite thoroughly and did any number of tests. It seemed they were quite determined to find some infection or virus which had caused this rather weird medical condition. Samples were sent out to various labs. They found nothing. All of the tests came back the same - the children were remarkably healthy.

After an entire week of having his school closed and his plans interrupted, Master Zhao was feeling irritable. His students were mostly awake by that point and all seemed unharmed for the experience, yet the investigators simply would not budge. He knew that he had to play along with this farce, but the Earth mortals had no frame of reference for understanding what was truly happening to the children, making this whole process a gigantic waste of time. When they began to insist the school stay closed for a second week he’d had enough.

Zhao Gang was tempted simply exert his Qi to send the mortals away believing everything on the island was as normal as could be. He knew that if he did that he would have to follow the many, many trails that their investigation created and deal with each person and report individually. Not that those reports would show anything, but how would the investigators explain not waiting for the results before declaring the island safe? While it was possible, it would create future problems and undermine the whole point of playing along in the first place. No, there was a much more efficient option. Rather than exert any mystical might, Zhao Gang did something wholly out of character - he made a phone call.

The next day Zhao Gang, accompanied by Rejya Xinasa, appeared in the office of the Washington State Governor. Those in the know were stumped. How had this character, who had come out of seemingly nowhere, managed to get the Governor to rearrange his schedule at the drop of a hat to meet with him. The answer, it turned out, was quite simple - money. During the construction process for the school, he had made sizable contributions to various political entities, hoping to smooth out the bureaucratic wrinkles. In cultivator culture, he would have just visited, had a cup of tea, and paid the bribe directly, but in this culture, the customs for such things were much more complicated. Despite his considerable largess, he had not met the Governor, nor any of the other parties, in person. Hence the confusion.

Zhao Gang wore a crisp and perfectly tailored Armani suit, while Rejya Xinasa wore a demure business jacket and dress combo. Both looked quite in their element as they entered the office, though their vaguely Asian features looked mildly out of place among the predominately white office. Rather than blend in, however, their presence seemed to dominate the office as soon as they entered. The women, in particular, paid quite a bit of attention to the pair. Not because they found Zhao Gang particularly attractive, though he certainly wasn’t ugly, but rather because they were measuring themselves against Rejya Xinasa. They wouldn’t have paid the pair much attention normally; visitors, even powerful visitors, came and went all the time. What made this time different was an instinctive, and distinctly female, reaction - to a woman they found themselves feeling diminished. Xinasa was stunning, radiating a simple beauty that mocked the efforts of all the social climbers. Her long black hair seemed to drink in the light of the office while her ivory skin glowed. Her understated clothes only emphasized her natural charms, leaving the women feeling utterly unable to compete. It grated on the nerves of each one. These women had built their careers and reputations on just such competitions, though they were subtler than they had been in the past.

The jealousy and admiration they attracted only seemed to make the pair’s presence more dominant, making them the unspoken focus of the entire office as they passed through. The Governor’s receptionist, who was quite used to making important people wait as a power play, immediately buzzed the Governor and allowed them to enter his office. Something about the pair made her instincts shout that such ploys would not only be unwelcome but unwise.

“Mr. Governor,” said Zhao Gang, offering his hand as he entered the office. The Governor was a white man in an expensive suit that he managed to make appear casual, the jacket draped carelessly over a chair and his shirt sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. He appeared to be in his mid to late sixties, with short-cropped white hair and a bit of paunch that had crept up on him with age despite a regular workout routine.

“Mr. Zhao,” replied the Governor, accepting the handshake firmly before offering it to Xinasa. “And who is this lovely young woman?” Xinasa choked back a laugh at the ‘young woman’ comment since she was older than this man’s country, but not even a flicker of emotion crossed her face.

“This is my assistant, Ms. Rejya,” said Zhao Gang formally. It had taken him only a tiny effort to learn the formal courtesies of this culture. The truth was that, compared to cultivator culture, they had remarkably few.

“Can I offer you something to drink? I’ve got this wonderful scotch that you might enjoy,” said the Governor.

“That would be welcome, thank you,” said Zhao Gang.

“And you Ms. Rejya?” asked the Governor politely. The pair had been expecting the offer, had experienced it several times in fact, but it still caught them a little off guard. In cultivator culture, no person of power would acknowledge an assistant after they had been introduced, much less offer to serve them something with their own hand. More, as a woman, even a powerful cultivator, Xinasa could be expected to be completely ignored, treated as a showpiece, save if she had some special status or importance that warranted putting effort into including her. This Governor, however, had not only spoken to her directly, but he had also offered to pour her a scotch, a traditionally male drink in their culture. It appeared that the progressive stance he had taken was not just for show.

“Thank you, Governor, that would be appreciated,” said Rejya Xinasa. Both watched as a flicker of surprise passed across the Governor’s face. He had just been offering to be polite, expecting Xinasa to refuse. Whether that would change the tenor of their meeting, Zhao Gang was unable to say, but it was certainly worth noting.

“Please have a seat while I pour,” said the Governor. They waited patiently while he returned with three glasses and a crystal decanter filled with dark amber liquid. He sat and poured the three drinks. They all sipped for a moment before the Governor continued. Zhao Gang had to admit that, for mortal liquor, this scotch was quite good. “What brings you here today, Mr. Zhao?”

“Well, I seem to be having some small issue at my school. You’ve heard of it, I assume? The Immortal Mysteries School?” Zhao Gang’s voice was soft and confident, pointing out that the Governor didn’t need to play dumb while avoiding potentially embarrassing topics. Upon accepting the meeting he would have had his office do a thorough background check on both Zhao Gang and the school.

“Of course,” said the Governor. “When you made your appointment I took the liberty of familiarizing myself with your endeavor. Quite the charity project, I must say. Building a school with the faculty and facilities of an Ivy League prep school and filling it with orphans is not something I’ve seen before. Most who delve into philanthropy try to do the most good for the greatest number of people.”

“And often accomplish little,” said Zhao Gang. “I was not interested in polishing up my public image, Mr. Governor. This is a serious attempt to change the lives of a few students with potential. I will not pretend to be interested in saving the world from itself.”

“A very practical view, Mr. Zhao, one I find commendable. It is as you say. Far too many try to accomplish grand things and come up short. Those attempts occasionally bear fruit, however, resulting in serious progress.” The Governor’s tone hinted that Zhao Gang shouldn’t give up his current project, but rather divert some funds to help others on such missions. In essence, it was a subtle request for a bribe.

“I do not doubt their worth. I simply chose to take a different approach. However, as I’m sure you’re aware, my school is currently experiencing a rather troubling issue.” Zhao Gang’s deflection didn’t go unnoticed. This push towards addressing his actual concerns wasn’t a rejection but a probe of his own. If the Governor couldn’t, or wouldn’t, help with his issue, then there was no further need for negotiations. Zhao Gang was far too canny to get stuck in the trap of offering incentives before he’d even found out if such inducements could succeed.

“Yes, I’ve heard of it. Quite strange. It seems that your students are experiencing spontaneous comas only to wake up days later with no ill effects. Nobody has been able to figure out why.” Zhao Gang almost snorted at this obvious attempt at fishing for information.

“It is quite troubling. I’m considering having the school moved. In the meantime, however, the investigators have closed the school for a week with nothing to show for it. The students are unharmed yet they want to keep it closed for another week. What exactly am I supposed to do with three hundred children in temporary housing?” Zhao Gang let some false distress leak into his tone along with the subtle threat. The threat was to move his school out of Washington, to deprive the Governor and his cronies of his substantial contributions. At the same time, he offered bait to the Governor in hopes that they could cut this negotiation a little shorter. In truth Zhao Gang didn’t care about the cost of getting the investigators out of the way, so the price of his ‘weakness’ was immaterial.

“Due to the potential health risks I’m afraid it is quite impossible to simply order them to desist their investigation,” said the Governor. Zhao Gang blinked slowly, a deliberate sign of distress. A pause ensued as both men took a sip of the scotch. “However,” said the Governor finally, “I might be able to negotiate with the investigators to allow your school to function while they continue to pursue the matter.”

“I’m quite happy to have them looking into the issue, Mr. Governor. All I ask is that the students be allowed to return to their normal routine while they investigate. Children need order and certainty to thrive. This type of disruption is bad for their development.” The Governor’s face flashed a smile so quickly that a normal person might not have seen it. Zhao Gang had just quite kindly stuck his neck out so that the Governor could chop it off, metaphorically speaking. In his mind, he had just gained the absolute advantage in these negotiations.

“Of course, of course. I quite understand. I have three children of my own you know.” Zhao Gang almost snorted at this coarse ploy. To him, it sounded like a merchant at a stall saying ‘I couldn’t possibly sell it any lower. How could I feed my children?’ So far this Governor had been quite adept, which made this unsubtle tactic stand out like a glass full of piss. “How about this, I’ll make some phone calls and see if I can’t get them to play nice?”

“I’d be quite appreciative, Mr. Governor. And I’ll take your words under advisement. While it isn’t, strictly speaking, my style, it wouldn’t hurt to give those large idealistic projects some consideration. Any suggestions on which organizations look like they might do some real good?” Now that the Governor had offered to intercede on his behalf it was time to hold up his end. The Governor was sure to take a big bite.

“Well, I’m sorry to say that our most promising project here in Washington State is losing its funding. The Clean Water Initiative is dedicated to developing low cost, low power systems that can purify water from nearly any source. They’ve got some very promising prototypes. Deploying them could provide adequate clean water for millions of people for less than it costs us to take a shower. Truly amazing.”

“Oh, such a promising project is running into financial hardship? I’ll have to take a closer look. If it’s as promising as you say I wouldn’t be against offering some small assistance.”

“It would be appreciated,” said the Governor. “My secretary has the details on the project and their contact information. If you find that too idealistic she’ll also have some other recommendations for you.”

Meeting over, the Governor stood up and offered his hand. “Thank you so much for coming to see me today. It has been a pleasure.”

“Your time is most appreciated, Governor.” Zhao Gang shook hands with the Governor again, then the Governor shook hands with Rejya Xinasa. They wasted no time taking their leave after that.

“For a country that prides itself on the rule of law,” said Xinasa once they were back in their car, “That man was surprisingly adept at asking for a bribe.”

“The rules change but the game stays the same,” said Zhao Gang. “Honestly, I am quite surprised at how little graft there is on a personal level in this country. On the other hand, their Corporations are all quite corrupt and are often used by the officials to facilitate such deals. It’s more covert than what would happen in our society, but also more dishonest. To attain their position each of these politicians has to claim to be a morally superior being, a patent falsehood. Making it work requires ingenuity. I think I prefer our system in this regard. At least you can say plainly what you are buying and how much you are paying for it.”

Xinasa nodded her head. “Though you must admit there are advantages to the system. The organization the Governor recommended is quite real. Regardless of how he benefits from such a ‘donation’, the proceeds won’t simply line his pocket. Maintaining the illusion requires at least a little progress.”

“And that argument is exactly how they justify it, both to themselves and each other. In truth I quite like their system. It forces those with real power to gather more power by doing actual work, even if that work is just funneling their bribes through organizations that provide some tangible benefit.”

Silence descended for the rest of the return trip. Once they were back at the satellite campus, and thus more assured of privacy, Xinasa brought up the issue they both knew had to be addressed. “How are we going to handle the mortals? We could simply replace the teachers with disciples.”

“True, but we would be avoiding the snake to fight the tiger.” Zhao Gang shook his head. “The goal is to keep them close to the mortals, not put further distance between them.”

“Then what do you propose?” asked Rejya Xinasa.

“We have little choice. It is early, but we will have to bring them into the fold.”

“So soon?” asked Xinasa. “Their attitude towards the students will change, as will their behavior. It won’t go unnoticed.”

“It is unavoidable. No matter what we do, the students will realize they are special sooner or later,” said Zhao Gang.

“Yes, but we’d hoped to delay. The longer they remain ‘normal’, the more solidly they will be aligned with the mortals.” Xinasa’s tone showed a hint of worry. It was true that they had known from the beginning that they would have to tell the mortal staff the truth eventually, but doing so this early would change how they treated their students during a very important period of their development. If they sowed the seeds of a superiority complex now, the chances of the students remaining faithful to the sect’s core tenants in the future would be slim.

“I’ll speak to the principal first. He, at least, I’m sure will be able to accept the truth when I show it to him. Once I convince him, we can solicit suggestions from him as to how to proceed.” Zhao Gang’s voice was confident and unruffled. Despite that, he couldn’t hide his innate discomfort for this part of the plan. The idea of entrusting mortals with their secrets ran contrary to everything he had been taught or believed in. It would mean keeping a constant eye on the staff for the foreseeable future. He could force them to swear heavenly oaths, but it would likely cause more problems than it would solve. Previously, the plane had been utterly bare of natural energy, depriving the plane of any power to enforce such oaths. Within the school grounds, however, there was abundant energy, meaning that the consequences of oath-breaking would be both immediate and lethal. He wasn’t willing to let some disbelieving mortal swear such an oath only to break it later and get themselves killed. A rash of dead teachers would look very bad for the school.

“A solid plan, but what if the principal can’t be convinced? Who will go next? And who will take his place?” Xinasa’s questions were ones Zhao Gang was considering himself. It was quite possible that he would be replacing the entire staff of the school here shortly. But then who would he recruit to replace them and how? He could make accepting the truth of their mission part of the interview process, but that would mean altering the memories of every failed candidate. Memory alteration was far from a precise process and he could hardly guarantee there wouldn’t be issues. Again, it was nothing he couldn’t clean up if it happened, but it meant expending more time and resources on things that weren’t directly related to the school. His disciples would quickly grow resentful if they were forced to spend all their time on such tasks.

Silence fell between them as they both started considering plans and contingencies. They exchanged the occasional idea but largely remained lost in their thoughts.