The Radiant Orrichalcum Gardens were so named, because a large portion of what they did was the growth and cultivation of essence rich goods.

Descending from a legendary cultivator farmer, they traded in rare medicines, tame monsters, and essence rich minerals, such as orrichalcum.

Outer-sect members worked in mass, working in large fields that grew large amounts of common essence medicine.

Inner-sect Members worked privately, taking care of private plots within their courtyards, where they’d concentrate on raised rare stock for the sect.

Core-sect members were given forests, in which they could raise or grow a grand many rare and mysterious sundries, giving most of it to the sect, and getting to keep a certain portion for themselves.

*****

Edwin Oedheim lay at the bottom of the Inner-sect’s ranks. Raising essence glass-petalled flowers for the sect.

Though Glass-Petalled flowers weren’t the rarest of medicinal plants, they were always in high demand due to their purifying effect on essence. A trait that was useful for both those who would use them in alchemical reactions, and those that would injest them directly.

Edwin was diligent when it came to taking care of the flowers that grew in his garden.

Taking the time to do a complete analysis of the species, and then doing a little gene splicing, and a few cross breeding experiments, till finally he’d created a variation, that showed the traits that the sect’s leaders were looking for, and would also grow more steadily.

Beyond the plants that he grew for the sect, he had others that he was raising in grow-rooms on his ship. Glass-Petalled Flowers with other traits that he was playing with, experimenting with their effects on essence as part of renewed interest in what the people of Embla called the alchemical sciences.

Doing experiments similar to those that the young man happened to be doing right then. Working on creating a flower that could convert one form of essence into another.

“Mhm...I guess it’s about that time.” said Edwin. Giving the ship a mental order to beam him down to the compound below. Unconcerned about being seen, since he had a known about ability to teleport, that was indistinguishable from the effects of ship’s transfer arrays.

As the one at the bottom-rung of the inner-sect’s hierarchical ladder Edwin, stood as the barrier between those in the upper-ranks of the outer-sect, and entrance into the inner-sect.

As to why the Sect hadn’t placed him higher up into the rankings, the bottom of the inner-sect was as far as they could go, without giving away too much of their face.

They’d correctly assumed that the youth’s esteemed master wouldn’t quibble with them over it. Reasoning that if he were going to be that hands-on he wouldn’t have let the youth join them at all.

*****

Just like clockwork, around noon, the youth would stand on stage, in one of the small areas of the sect.

Standing as the victor, while yet another loser lay at his feet, this one a young fox-eared lady. Another poor soul sent by Malcolm, the young man whose rank in the sect was directly below Edwin’s. Sitting at the top of the outer-sect’s rankings.

Malcolm Zhen was a square jawed man, who looked heroic, but was actually quite sly. He currently sat amongst those who were in the stands He’d spent the last few month’s quietly his peers in the outer-sects top ten rankings, and either through provocation or trickery, sending them against young man who stood on stage.

Using his juniors to harass the youth in between the duels. Trying to slowly chip down, Edwin’s strength, and growing increasingly frustrated as he found no sign of the younger man, weakening.

“Sh-, Shit...Shit...Shit!” said Malcolm. Spitting in the disgust as he made for the exit, hiding behind all the other members of the audience.

Malcolm wasn’t the only one vexed by disciple Edwin’s winning streak, there were quite a few of his seniors who weren’t quite sure what to do with him either.

At first there was some initial concern over whether the youth would be able to contend with the droves of fellows who’d seek to surmount him, using him as a stepping stone.

More than a few amongst the sect elders believing that such a situation would be just as well, as it would curtail any pride or haughtiness on the part of the youth, and lead to him falling into one of their factions, after he’d been defeated and forced down into the Outer-sect.

Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case, instead the youth had proven to be stronger than many amongst their number might have expected Crushing the droves of the disciples that came for his position, with ease.

Which led to a second sort of headache for the sect, because, the simple fact, was that status in the sect was competitive, with the stronger disciples climbing to higher heights, and those below working to follow behind them.

The strange youth seemed plenty strong, but for whatever reason he wasn’t climbing, which was somewhat of a problem for the sect, since this turned him into an insurmountable roadblock for all those beneath him, and the backers of those young cultivators, who were trying to cultivate those youths.

Considering that a powerful sect could rule a kingdom, it should come as no surprise that the sects were like kingdoms in that there were always at least a dozen factions of various sizes existing under a single sect’s banner.

For such Factions, an obstacle like Edwin Oedheim, was something that couldn’t be tolerated. He couldn’t be pulled in, he was too dangerous to overtly act against, he was simply just a headache.

Which lead to many seniors turning to their seniors the High-Elders, who in turn, turned to the sect Heads, who in turn found a junior to talk to, and set to the task of rectifying the issue.

One, Leon Skinner, who’d only recently been allowed back into the fold, and freed from the duty of recruiting for the sect.