There was a period of tense and slow waiting between further messages. There were, in fact, further messages received in fairly short order- the problem was they hadn’t really communicated yet. Originally there had been more than a dozen different potential communication methods, and of those three received usable messages… all of which basically said she was trying to make things work. Their responses didn’t seem to mean anything.

That led to quite a bit of confusion over the next few months before they finally got something like a response, and then some clear messages. Catarina carefully worded several of her messages and indicated they were all sent at the same time- and they also arrived at the same time within a small tolerance.

By that point, they had discovered a property that couldn’t be overcome. Messages took approximately two months to travel in either direction, though multiple messages appeared to remain in transit on their own without interfering. In short, it was close to four months to send out a message and receive a reply, assuming the reply was instantaneous. Yet instead of anyone being disappointed by that news, they were elated.

Clear communication between the upper and lower realms requiring only a matter of months? That was far better than had been anticipated. It wasn’t instantaneous like their communications between the continents, but it worked. The limitations meant it was nearly impossible to have any sort of discussion, but simply relaying information was possible.

There were more limitations. Unlike the messaging plates, it didn’t require someone to be looking at something to get information, but there was only so much any one message could hold, and a limit to the number of messages that could wait to be viewed. So it still required someone- or several people- constantly on duty monitoring for incoming messages. But that was a small price to pay for the communication.

Ultimately, Catarina and Timothy had arrived safely. They arrived on a world not terribly different from their own. Language was somewhat different, but it didn’t take long for high level cultivators to resolve the differences in speech. It did appear that they arrived in the Scarlet Midfields, which was about as good as they could hope. The Exalted Quadrant was unclear in terms of hostility, while the Trigold Cluster was strictly hostile. As for more detailed information, it was still forthcoming. There was only so much that could be said at once, and working out if the communication had worked at all and how had taken more than half a year. But at least the local cultivator groups appeared to be non-hostile, if not exactly friendly.

And there was one more piece of information that had been come across almost by accident. Information about Everheart, which was both unexpected and unsurprising in the end. Everheart had a tomb. The only surprise was that instead of a large number of them, there appeared to only be one… though it seemed to occupy a rather large portion of a barren world.

As for getting between worlds in the upper realms? That information was yet forthcoming along with many other details people were curious about. It did seem to be possible though.

Meanwhile, Catarina had excitedly mentioned dozens of ways she could think of to improve their communication… except she would need to work on both ends of their communication system. And while traveling between worlds in the upper realms seemed attainable, traveling from the upper to lower realms seemed impossible except in certain key situations.

-----

“At least they’re fine,” Anton said. “No news on Fuzz yet, but apparently they’ll be looking out for him.”

“I can’t believe he ran off and left me here!” Alva complained. “That’s so… like Fuzz.”

Anton nodded, “He wasn’t willing to let himself hold you back. At least we should be able to get some information about the upper realms before you go. Others are eagerly awaiting that as well… plus working communications. It seems only a few formation masters can put those together, and we’re still trying to keep it secret. Everything’s kept in very secure areas so the Exalted Archipelago can’t steal our information.”

“I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually,” Alva said. “If it’s going to be used more, they’ll inevitably steal it.”

Anton nodded, “There was some talk of selling it to them before that point. It’s not my work, so I was only able to offer my opinion of caution. Though if we can move from our current situation to something like useful trade partners, it would be good. At long as we aren’t seen as some sort of emerging threat. Though perhaps only a small part of those in the upper realms are really aware of us…” Anton shrugged.

“Who knows…” Alva shook her head. “Hopefully we can learn enough before I go. As for you, grandpa… I’m sorry we’ll be leaving you behind.”

“I have dealt with such before,” Anton smiled softly. “Why, Catarina’s own grandmother was a similar example, though perhaps we departed on not the best terms. But people have to move on, they can’t be just tied down to one place. Unless they want to be,” Anton added. “Personally, I am not upset that my place has widened to a world… or at least two continents and some portion of the rest. I’m quite content to stop there.”

“Only because you have to be,” Alva said.

“Perhaps,” Anton admitted, “But having seen the development of the world in the second half of my life, I am truly quite pleased. And though I may be resigned to my place here, I do have an idea on how to cross the next threshold of power.”

“You keep saying that,” Alva said, “But you’ll never talk about it.”

“I just want to make sure that nobody foolish tries it before me,” Anton said. “For a number of reasons.”

“Seems dangerous.”

“Of course it will be. It’s something new… and the traditional method of ascension is not exactly a trivial pursuit.”

-----

Given the opportunity, Anton was quite eager to go meet with Sect Head Treloar of the Worthy Shore Society. Acting as a diplomat was a nice change of pace from being some sort of warrior or enforcer, and the more similar conduct he could manage the happier he was. Though a simple exchange of information would be much more efficient in another manner, this allowed some level of secrecy in the details while making sure the information didn’t get seen by the wrong people.

Anton had no way to know that Treloar had something secretive to discuss, except perhaps that was the only sensible option. So after getting settled in for his stay and exchanging formalities, he found himself in the first discussion with the man. “So, why did you request a visit?”

“That’s fairly simple. We’re both interested in promoting peace and the exchange of information. There are some things best discussed in person. I’m sure you know the Exalted Archipelago is quite interested in what has been happening back on the continents. Much interesting news has reached us. It’s not really a secret that this generation of cultivators you have is quite exceptional. One would expect at least a few of them to ascend, and that seems to be the case.” Anton waited in silence, offering no specific reaction. “You seem to be cautious? Wondering if I’m probing for information? Good. But I can say we are quite certain of some number of ascensions. And an impressive wave following behind, shoring up any gaps that might have been left. Perhaps even you might ascend soon.”

“I don’t know if I have the talent for that,” Anton hedged. “I am… not young.” He didn’t want to let on exactly how many years he felt he had left. Some decades, certainly, but that wasn’t really the limiting factor if he continued with his current plans.

“Really?” Sect Head Treloar made a show of narrowing his eyes. “Yet when you first encountered the Worthy Shore Society, you were merely in early Life Transformation. That seems to be sufficient growth over the last handful of decades. But I won’t pry. Nor do we plan to disseminate that information to people who don’t need it. I simply thought to comment on what has been observed. A truly talented batch by any measure. Far more than some might have thought possible, and enough to make any sect jealous. Especially with the Trigold Cluster’s… previous actions. Then again, there is something special about this world.”

“In what way?” Anton asked. “I can’t claim to have been to any others.” He wasn’t counting the moon, of course.

“Now that is a question I don’t have the answer to. I personally have only lived here as well… but it seems to be something intangible. Enough that the Exalted Quadrant was keen to establish a permanent presence here. Though perhaps in some way we are also the cause of some amount of whatever happened here.”

The sharing of complete techniques and notes on ascension had certainly helped. It saved some trial and error or at least a few decades of sects bumbling around to make progress. But while it had been allowed, it also wasn’t encouraged for them to speak of it.

“I don’t want to diminish your own efforts, of course,” Treloar continued. “People don’t just stumble into Life Transformation and Ascension by accident, no matter what information is available to them. And the dedication to building up your natural energy levels was certainly a determining factor in your success. It has made a number of us quite interested in keeping an eye on you for some time.”

Anton hoped that meant there wouldn’t be any further interference. “Paying attention to what is going on in the world is always admirable,” Anton said.

“Indeed. Now, the next matter is simply a personal curiosity on my part. Feel no obligation to answer. It is about the organization of your Order. The Order of the Ninety-Nine- no, it should be One Hundred Stars. Is that alright, Grand Elder Anton?”

“I don’t think there’s anything particularly secret about our rankings,” Anton agreed.

“Well, it is simply a curiosity… but why do you not have a sect head? It seems that a council of Grand Elders has done quite well for you all this time, but in certain circumstances having a leader to call upon can be useful.”

“Well, I hadn’t thought about it all that much,” Anton admitted. “Traditionally, the wisest and most powerful Grand Elders have held more sway than the others. But I think that the actual reason is simply tradition. Ever since the founding of the Order… and the discovery of our deficiencies… we’ve only had the first Sect Head and a couple others. With nine Grand Elders and ninety elders, it fit quite well with the Ninety-Nine Stars.”

“Interesting,” Treloar admitted. “A reasonable enough result. And with your sect’s high internal unity, it was perhaps unnecessary to formally appoint a head. I’ll admit, my own position does command respect… but while I hold this position here, others are surpassing me. Gelens was a fine leader, but her talent didn’t exactly lend itself to long term stability. So here I am, expected to last for a good half century at least without ascending or kicking the bucket.”

“That sounds… less glamorous than one might expect.”

“Oh, I’m really not going to complain,” Treloar said. “The resources afforded to this position are considerable, and I do in fact have a greater chance to ascend because of it. The loss of time performing important functions is more than made up for by the benefits. Obviously in the upper realms things are organized differently since it is assumed everyone will stay around for the rest of their long natural lifespans.”

“Really? There’s no upper-upper realm that cultivators pass on to beyond that?”

“If there is, they’ve certainly done quite a good job keeping things secret from us down here. Not that anyone gets close enough to matter. There hasn’t been a Domination cultivator in living memory, I believe.”

Domination was new. Anton presumed that it should be after Augmentation, unless there were further unknown ranks. Perhaps he could find out. “Wouldn’t that mean that… Fajra, of the Radiant Beauty Sect would be among the upper levels of power?”

“There is still quite a gap between those within the Augmentation stage, and their personal abilities are a great factor,” Treloar said. There was a sparkle in his eye that said he was quite enjoying speaking as he was, and likely wished to say more but couldn’t. That was Anton’s interpretation, at least.

“I would not wish to run into one unbound by the shackles of the lower realms regardless,” Anton said.

“Nobody would.”

Though Treloar didn’t give up any information on the topic, the fact that ascension cultivators were weaker in the lower realms had been fairly obvious. The anti-ascension techniques helped further, but defeating the invaders didn’t really indicate they could fight them on a level playing field. And with only a disorganized group of ascension cultivators making their way into the upper realms, they might be at risk. Though that information had been assumed from the beginning. The call of cultivation was undeniable, however. Anton looked up into the sky wistfully.