Brigadier Shui was a striking woman. While she wasn’t ugly by any means – Jack had yet to meet an ugly cultivator – she was certainly more handsome than conventionally beautiful. A sentiment only reinforced by the woman’s massive biceps and imposing scars. To Jack’s eyes, she looked more akin to a blacksmith than a soldier in command of an army with numbers in the tens of thousands.

“They fight good, eh?” the massive woman asked, fuzzy boar-like ears twitching as she regarded him.

The pair of them were stood in the compound of the Iron Hoof Sect, watching dozens of women battle it out in in small duels across half as many sparring rings. It was an impressive sight to be sure, with what was essentially a small war between demi-gods going on before his eyes.

“It’s but a small taste of the strength of the sects of Ten Huo,” Shui continued proudly, arms crossed over her barrel chest. “While the Imperial Army might be able to lay claim to having the most guards within the city, it is the sects who command the most true warriors.”

That was actually true. According to Ren, peace within the city was maintained by a careful balancing of the different powers within it. While the Magistrate held direct control over both the Red Guard and the local Imperial army garrison, equating to just under eighty thousand soldiers drawn from across the Empire, those numbers contained little in the way of cultivators. By contrast, the Sects commanded something close to forty thousand guards between them, of varying quality, but they also commanded significantly more cultivators.

Under normal circumstances that would have put the balance of power strongly in the hands of the Sects, mortals being little more than roadblocks to a rampaging cultivator.

Then one took into account the presence of the Magistrate herself. A woman who had recently wiped an entire sect from the face of the earth singlehandedly.

Her presence alone meant that the balance of power shifted strongly in favor of the Imperial clan.

Still, that didn’t mean that her power was unchallenged - politically, economically or militarily. The Sects were still a powerful force within the city, and while none of them were a match for the woman individually, they had the means to threaten her monopoly when they banded together.

Which of course, almost never happened. Cultivators being cultivators. He’d once heard Lin say that if you put two cultivators into a room together, you’d have three ancestral blood feuds declared before one walked out of it – with the other never leaving at all.

Nothing he was seeing right now gave him any reason to doubt that saying.

He watched as toward the back, a group of women seemed to take offense at the defeat of their compatriot and streamed onto the field. Which resulted in the other woman’s supporters streaming onto the field too. Based on the different colors they were sporting, he figured they were from different sects, and as he watched, it didn’t take long for the argument to turn into a small scale war.

He used the word ‘war’ rather than brawl or fight, because… demi-gods.

Naturally, the conflict soon spilled out into the areas cordoned off for other duels, drawing more combatants into the ongoing battle.

The only good thing he could say about the whole thing was that no one had drawn steel yet. Swords remained sheathed – or were sheathed when former duelists entered the fray. In that regard, it sort of reminded him of a gang fight. The kind where you were more interested in making a point than putting the other guy in the ground. There was an unspoken etiquette to that kind of thing. An ultimately fragile one, but not any less binding for it.

“There seems to be a bit of squabble going on there,” Jack deadpanned as he gestured in the direction of the growing fracas.

If he’d expected Shui to be in anyway embarrassed by the appalling lack of discipline being shown by what were nominally ‘her forces’, she didn’t show it.

Instead, she smiled broadly. “Just girls being girls. With most of the seniors headed up North to give the Arch-traitor a whipping, the new bloods are still figuring out the new pecking order. Such as it is, before their seniors return to remind them of their place.”

Lovely, Jack thought sarcastically.

“Plus, it’s hard for a lady to not want to show off when there’s an attractive young man in the audience.”

Jack sighed as he wondered exactly what about the shitshow he was watching was supposed to impress him. Of the traits he looked for in a potential woman, the ability to brain someone at the drop of a hat certainly wasn’t one of them. Or if it was, it was far down the list.

“I’m hardly the only one.” He inclined his head towards the three other men in attendance.

Dressed like peacocks, smothered in makeup and surrounded by no less than three women who were undoubtedly cultivators themselves, each seemed to regard the ongoing war with much the same degree of disdain he felt.

Then again, that seemed to be the default expression of every male cultivator he’d seen – though he’d yet to speak to one – so that wasn’t exactly abnormal. For all he knew, they really were interested in seeing which of the women present was best at skull cracking.

It would certainly fit with his own experiences where cultivators were concerned, because he doubted either An or Ren’s interest in him came from his winning personality.

“Perhaps,” the Brigadier allowed. “But you are the only unattached male in attendance. With no prior commitments. As I understand it, you are the only man in the city to have that privilege. That fact would certainly go far in explaining the sheer enthusiasm on display from the girls down there.”

Jack nodded absently, but to be honest he wasn’t really listening. It was nothing he didn’t already know. And to be doubly honest, despite the sheer spectacle of the violence in front of him, he was actually rather bored. For him, violence was a tool he employed to get the things he wanted. As a person, he had less than no interest in the artistry behind it.

He couldn’t just leave though. In addition to being a Brigadier in the Imperial Defense Force – which was a shortform for any Sect Forces not directly under command of the Imperial Army – she was also the selected representative of the combined Sect Leaders in the city.

In short, despite the simple happy-go-lucky charade she put on, there was a zero percent chance that the woman to his side wasn’t possessed of some razor-sharp political instincts in addition to her skills as a combatant.

Which was why, when she’d summoned him, he’d been compelled to answer. To do anything else would have been to deny her face.

So here he was, watching a bunch of morons feign attempts at killing one another in an attempt to impress either him or any of the other peacocks watching.

“Well, they are very skilled.” He spoke truthfully. They were very skilled to his eyes. All fancy and shit. Unfortunately, he had no fucking clue what he was talking about. “For being the more junior members of the sects.”

Shui nodded along happily with his words. “Aye. The sects do not lack for talented youngsters. Especially with the plethora of materials we have recently found ourselves saddled with as a result of these recent beastie attacks. It’s almost enough to make this older sister want to thank the Arch-traitor for her unintended generosity.”

Ignoring the woman’s words, Jack found himself wondering what the cultivators attached to the Imperial Army were like? Were they more disciplined than the mob before him or worse?

Supposedly when one signed up, they swore an oath to the Celestial Court. And that required that the cultivator surrender all ties to their sect of origin until such time that they were discharged. How true that was in reality, he had no idea. Likely little. Still, the cultivators under the Magistrate’s command would have been brought in from other cities, so they’d have no ties to local sects.

A very deliberate move on the part of the Imperial Clan, no doubt.

“Still,” the woman across from him said leadingly, with a voice that had Jack wondering if she was finally going to get to the real reason why he’d been called out here. “While I have no doubts in the preparedness of the noble scions under my command, I cannot help but find the strength of my more mortal forces lacking.”

Ah… Jack had a feeling he knew where this was going.

“Mortal strength,” he chuckled. “Isn’t that a paradox?”

The Brigadier laughed along with him, but there was no missing the intensity in her gaze. “As you say, Master Johansen. Which I think speaks to the impressiveness of your crafting talents. As enamored by your ability to construct a castle in but a night as my compatriots are, I can’t help but find myself far more interested in the weapons held by your people.”

She inclined her head to where Ren and Jack’s militia guards stood. “A weapon capable of allowing a mortal to match a cultivator.”

There was a certain gravitas to that statement.

“Match?” he said. “Hardly. Get fifty of them together, in the hands of steady men, and put them on open ground with clear sightlines – and then maybe I could claim they had that ability.”

“A situation that would not be hard to arrange for a decent commander.” Went unsaid was the fact that Shui thought herself such a person. “Even if it weren’t, I would still want those weapons.”

“Really? I thought the training and armament of mortal warriors to be beneath the Sects?”

What went unsaid was the fact that the Magistrate would be interested because she had less of them and thus had to rely more on her mortal soldiers.

“Certainly, there are some amongst my subordinates and peers who share that sentiment. I am not so foolish. The cultivator that underestimates the utility of mortal warriors is the warrior that finds themselves finishing a duel wounded, overextended and soon filled with spears held by mortal hands.”

Yet again, Jack had to remind himself that the locals weren’t stupid. Or at least, those that floated to the top weren’t.

“The rifles are spoken for,” he finally allowed. “At least those that I can produce in the next six months are. And likely, once they prove their worth, any production runs afterwards as well. For years at least.”

The pig-woman winced. “Well, it seems our beloved city leader wasted no time in taking advantage of you.”

Jack didn’t miss the double meaning inherent in her words and was quick to shut down any insinuations that he’d be willing to go back on the deal he’d already struck if she threw the sects’ support behind him.

The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in a game of tug of war between the two most powerful factions in the city. No, he’d be better served by becoming indispensable to both.

“I am a loyal subject of the Imperial clan.” He paused. “With that said, I am also a merchant in addition to a crafter.”

Shui’s eyes widened, before a slow grin spread across her lips. “Truly? That would explain why Lady Ren was so quick to throw her lot in with you.”

Behind them, Jack could well imagine the dog woman’s ears twitched at the mention of her name – and not for the first time Jack knew she’d be wishing she could be up here with him to give advice. This was after all her domain rather than his.

“What else could you offer us if not more rifles?”

Knowing the locals, the Brigadier was probably thinking of some kind of super enchanted sword or something more ‘normal’.

“What if I were to give you the means to craft rifles of your own?” he leaned forward. “For a reasonable cut of the royalties?”

Shui’s smile became downturned. “Ah, while our clans possess many talented individuals, few enough are crafters. And those with the talent will be busy for the immediate future.”

Jack nodded as this was something he already knew. Apparently crafting had fallen out of favor amongst cultivators. Or rather, the onus of responsibility had shifted. In the modern era, it was seen as more of a male thing. Which made sense. Males weren’t allowed to fight but they were still cultivators. So naturally they contributed to their sect by spending their time crafting. As a result, the invaluable service quickly came to be seen as only a male thing, not unlike sewing or… whatever else used to be a woman only thing back in the day.

And with the average male cultivator being… not particularly powerful, the crafting ability of the Empire had slowly diminished over time.

Ironically, the Empire still had a very alchemical culture, but that was because pretty much all cultivators were alchemists by necessity. They needed to be in order to refine the materials they used to cultivate. By contrast, a sword was a sword. An enchanted blade was nice, but hardly necessary for the average cultivator. More to the point, they lasted forever and could be handed down from generation to generation.

Put simply, the need for dedicated cultivator crafters certainly existed, but it was considered to be more of a luxury than a requirement. The woman holding the sword was more important than the sword itself, so the Empire focused on producing warriors.

Jack grinned. “Then it is fortunate for you that while my weapons are fantastical, the components that make them up are entirely mundane.”

“Truly?”

“Truly.” He nodded. “Weapons like the ones my people hold are more often than not, made by mortal hands.”

Which was both a lie and a truth. He was the only one to make them, but he was a mortal.

“…May I hold one?”

Jack nodded, summoning one into his hands. An older model, like the one he’d presented to the Magistrate. One of the break action designs.

Shui took it, almost reverently, though a frown came over her features as she beheld it. “It is. Truly.”

He shrugged. “It was a weapon intended for mortals. Thus it only made sense to design it to be built by mortal hands. All it required was a little imagination on my part.”

Shui handed the weapon back to him with an indecipherable expression on her face. “You are a terrifying man, Jack Johansen.”

Then the look twisted into a wide grin. “One I would be happy to get to know better. Please, join us for a feast at my estate tonight. We are celebrating the advancement of one of my nieces to the profound realm. Then afterward, we can have sex.”

Jack almost missed the last line from the woman, as unexpected as it was. He definitely didn’t miss the audible crack that came from behind him.

Did Ren just snap something?

“Excuse me?” he asked.

To her credit, the woman didn’t play coy – though perhaps she might have benefited from a little coyness with her earlier statement.

“I said we could have sex. I would pay you well for the experience. Doubly so if I get with child. I feel my line would benefit from your genes. You are also not uncomely.”

…Ren had warned him this might happen. Scratch that, she had flat out told him it would. He… hadn’t really believed her though. Despite his experiences with An and Ren. Sure, the pair had been obvious about their desires, but they’d been rather passive about it.

Apparently, that was to be expected from a male’s subordinates. For peers, well, he doubted they’d all be as forward as Shui was, but they’d certainly not be shy about it either.

“Ah… I’ll think on it?”

He definitely didn’t wince at the way Ren twitched behind him. He’d have to explain to her later that he was just humoring the woman. She’d likely shatter his spine if he got down and busy with her. It was an issue he had plans to rectify, but they rather required that any busyness happened on his home turf.

Not that the Brigadier seemed to see it that way, the woman laughing confidently. “Ha, you plan to play coy? That is fine. This Shui is more than happy to wait. Just you wait though, one night with a pig-woman will have you yearning for nothing else.”

Was that like the equivalent of a man saying that ‘once you go black you never go back’? The woman certainly seemed crude enough for it.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with some finality.