After walking inside, Sage asked the host to take him to a private room. The room was just large enough for the one booth inside it and Sage took a seat. A minute later a waiter came into the room and Sage ordered a drink, “A bottle of stonemoss extract, nice and hot.”

The waiter bowed his head, “Forgive me, but stonemoss extract is supposed to be served ice cold.”

Sage nodded, “I’d like it hot.”

Nodding to him, the waiter left the room and a few minutes later someone different entered the room and took the seat opposite of Sage. They both stared for a moment, each carefully examining the other party. After some time the man waved his hand to Sage, in a gesture as if to say, ‘go ahead’.

“I have a little information to sell along with some technique manuals.”

“What makes you think I need the information of an outsider?”

“Well, that’s because I have a grudge with the Mu Clan. Selling you this information will give you a leg up on them.”

The man leaned forward, smiling widely, “Please do tell me more.”

About half an hour later, Sage left Lu Tavern. The Lu(Green), Lin(Forest), and Mu(Wood) Clans were known as the three major clans of Green Plateau Province. Outsiders only knew that Green Plateau Province was controlled by the Cult of the Woodlord. For those in the province, they knew otherwise. Over the years, the Holy Flame Sect had learned enough to know that the Three Clans were just as much in control as the Cult of the Woodlord.

More than half of the Cult of the Woodlord’s members were members of the Three Clans. The Cult was in charge, but if the Three Clans were to band together they controlled the Cult of the Woodlord. At most times, the three clans were at odds with each other so the Cult was free to operate as it wished, with the various clan members squabbling amongst each other to sway the Cult to the benefits of their clans.

Quite some time ago, Sage’s business in Red Knife City had been disrupted by the Wen Clan. Sage had learned that the Wen Clan of Red Knife City was related to the Mu Clan by marriage. After doing a little more digging it became apparent the Wen Clen interfered to support a business run by a branch family of the Mu Clan. They just so happened to run a teahouse and brothel in Red Knife City. They interfered with the potential rival either by the Mu Clan’s order, or to curry favor with them.

Now that he had an opportunity, he chose to make some money and also cause trouble for the Mu and Lin clans by assisting the Lu Clan. The Mu had messed with his business, and the Lin had been unfortunate to fight over a treasure with him. He’d killed Lin Bao, the grand nephew of the Sect Leader. The Lin Clan was currently in charge of the Cult of the Woodlord, so boosting the Lu Clan would not only benefit Sage, but also the Holy Flame Sect.

It took some convincing, but Sage told the Lu Clan about the cost and capabilities of his Airships. Most importantly, he told them a few secrets to give them a head start. Mainly, that the Airships could be fueled by either Spirit Stones, Fire Stones, or Flame and Water Cultivators. They were soon going to be very common and he was giving them the chance to set up the first support facilities. As long as they didn’t mess it up, they would become the most popular place for Airships docking and repair. Sage even offered them a discount on replacement parts.

Each of the engines, along with the device that filled and repaired the envelope, were fully contained and had anti-tampering arrays. If anyone tried to open them up to see how they worked, they would self destruct. When damaged they would have to be swapped out for a new one. Sage even told them that these Engines would become a huge commodity outside of Airships, explaining a few of the most basic uses. He certainly didn’t want them to know them all, nor to learn about how a factory worked. In addition to the deal on replacement parts, Sage negotiated an order for basic model Airships. He gave them a discount, charging 8,000 per unit and they were kind enough to forward him half the amount up front.

On top of that, Sage sold them a full set of techniques. It was one of the five wood natured sets he had got from the Timeless Master’s Library. If he just tried to sell them a few scattered techniques they probably wouldn’t care. The Lu Clan was large, powerful, and had a long history just like the other two of the Three Clans. Instead he sold them a complete set of complimenting techniques. Some of the component techniques were known to the Clan, but they didn’t have the main Cultivation Technique, nor the full matching set.

Sage chose to sell them the ‘Roots of the Resolute Heart’. A wood and sword cultivating set, used to cultivate an upright and virtuous heart. If the person cultivating it didn’t follow the path of a righteous hero, they would be very weak. The way he saw it, the Cult of the Woodlord was a rival to his own sect, but they never entered open war. Helping them train a bunch of people who had to be good guys could only improve the Cult of the Woodlord.

Sage regretfully returned to the VIP booth where Jin Shih and Cui Shufen were already waiting. Sage was a slight bit late, having missed the first few creatures up for auction. He greeted the two personal disciples and make an excuse about sleeping in. Jin Shih gave him a look of contempt, the look on his face apparently saying ‘of course you did’.

Cui Shufen poured him a glass of grapeflower wine, the goblets still as exquisite and exotic as before, “Welcome back. I knew you wanted to see the beasts most of all, so its a good thing you made it back in time!”

Sage thanked her and they made some small talk as bids were going on underneath them. There was a very small tiger in a cage on the stage. It had a scrawny body and massive paws. Cui Shufen gave Sage the quick description, “That’s a Snowshoe Tiger. Its only a baby, but once it grows up it will be as large as a horse. Its a powerful fighter and the perfect mount for the cold. Not only can it run across fresh powdered snow without sinking, it can even run across water as long as it doesn’t stop.”

Those feats weren’t all that amazing in comparison to a cultivator, but the Snowshoe Tiger could do all that without using any Qi. A cultivator could fight on top of a body of water for a few minutes, maybe a few hours, but that Tiger could run all day if it was raised well and reached a high enough rank. On the other hand, Sage had no use for it, so he thanked Cui Shufen for the information and they talked about the Tiger and others they’d seen before.

Jin Shih got jealous and joined in the conversation, pledging to get Cui Shufen whatever beast she wanted for her own personal mount. The next item up for auction was an extremely cute little white fox with fur that looked soft and fluffy even from so far away. It was basically a vanity pet, a designer monster to keep ladies company. Cui Shufen expressed her interest and Jin Shih immediately started bidding for her. The other VIP booth jumped in and competed with him, raising the price once again. Jin Shih eventually won the little fox, but he was still annoyed at having to spend quite a bit more for it.

Hmm… I have an idea.