Having obtained the qualifications to go on the ‘special excursion’ with the Harmonious Citadel, Vari found several features that worried her even more than her normal negative interactions with her old sect. Like having to give up all communication devices. The old Vari would have accepted it without question- it was a good way to prevent spies from leaking information, after all. And also a good way to isolate people and a clear sign of lack of trust in their disciples, for all their ‘harmony’.

It was a good thing some form of this had been anticipated. Vari gave up all her forms of active communication- there was little of interest among them. After all, if she had been captured, revealing anything from Xankeshan would not only make things worse for them but also herself. Though if her own position were compromised Vari understood there wasn’t really any chance of survival- it was simply best if they thought she was unimportant and quickly finished her off.

The only thing she retained was an inconspicuous token, the formations woven into it using very little energy and only transmitting a small amount of very important information- her location. More than that, she could infuse some of her own energy into it to provide a signal- though that was only for emergencies. To keep the device simple, there were only two options depending on how she did it- one to warn people to stay away, and another to ask for a group to come aid her. The former basically meant resigning herself to death, and the latter she only hoped to use to disrupt whatever the special excursion was.

Vari was packed in with all of the others on ships that had just enough space for a short time of travel, maybe a few days between systems or a couple weeks if they were going further. But after two weeks, they had not heard any further news of their progress, nobody getting off at the stops to refuel and resupply.

If it had not been a rapid form of suicide, Vari would have sought out those who seemed discontent with the Harmonious Citadel among those on board and trying to turn them to her side. However, not only was this particular group selected for those with greater devotion to the cause- Vari had to do a lot of pretending to still believe everything was fine and normal- there was nowhere for her to go if something backfired. Even so, she still kept track of potential individuals. Those with bruises and cuts from ‘sparring’ and individuals who suffered from less physical forms of abuse. It seemed to be always those who practiced the subordinate Holy Harmony Technique. That was the way of things.

Vari did her best to remain unnoticed, to not stand out or appear weak. She kept her spear on her at all times, even though in truth she would be deadlier if she set aside that weapon and just chose to kick people with the fancy boots she got from Everheart’s Tomb. Even on a ship with only allies, carrying a weapon at all times was seen as a reasonable act, proper wariness rather than paranoia.

When they finally arrived at their destination, it was entirely uninteresting. A barely livable planet with nothing going for it. Yet it was the same place every other ship destined for the ‘special excursion’ arrived at, so it wasn’t as if Vari in particular ended up with the worst location. This was just what it was. She had some suspicions- her contact with the others had been minimal since she began her operation, but she still knew about the invasions of the lower realms. She just couldn’t verify anything right away.

-----

Life on the new planet was simple and boring. Training, either in groups or individually- but without the beneficial facilities that the major planets of the Harmonious Citadel provided. There were at least instructors of some talent- individuals in Integration, some more advanced than others. Vari felt she could really learn something about the spear from spearmaster Jafet, but she knew she wouldn’t improve her actual strength training with them.

It took some time for their goal to be clearly stated, during which time Vari spent as much of her free time as possible low key spying. First she determined how many Integration cultivators were present- more than two dozen at first, increasing over time as new ships arrived. They had a real army present, which basically confirmed her suspicions before the actual revelation.

Jafet was one of those with the greatest influence present, a man who clearly showed his age but had the strength to maintain a position. He had some potential to step into Augmentation- but clearly he was not a supreme talent, or he would have done so a century prior at least. Either way, he was respected enough to give the official announcement.

“As I’m sure most of you are aware,” the man began slowly, “There are many materials difficult to obtain in the upper realms that are quite prevalent in the lower realms. These can bestow certain properties on equipment or improve the training of cultivators, especially those below the Integration stage- but it is not exclusively limited to them.” He looked over the gathered crowd, hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators gathered from many planets. “Ascended individuals might bring some amount of those with them, but they are hardly selective. It is difficult to secure a consistent supply… but word has reached the Harmonious Citadel of certain opportunities. A mere few decades from now one of those will arise. But this involves descending to the lower realms. Thus, from now on we will be acclimating ourselves to lower energy to fight at our optimum capacity.”

There were many exclamations of surprise. Vari did her best to at least look pensive as if she didn’t already know. She hadn’t known that the Harmonious Citadel possessed this particular information, but it was not crazy that they would have it. There were many ways it could have come to them, between informants or ‘lucky’ individuals who ascended from lower realms after their worlds had been invaded. Like Alva, but most would be properly swept up in the Harmonious Citadel. The truth was they were a strong sect with a powerful cultivation technique, so the loss of some autonomy would have been acceptable for many even if they knew everything.

In fact, if Vari had been chosen to practice the Glorious Harmony Technique, perhaps she would have been part of them still. Instead, the Harmonious Citadel fostered a class of the downtrodden- those to weak to rise up and overcome their oppressors… but that wouldn’t stop them from trying forever.

-----

“I see you have some talent,” said spearmaster Jafet to Vari. “However, you seem to have run into some roadblocks in your training. I can provide personal guidance, if you wish.”

Vari kept her expression as neutral as possible. “I appreciate the offer,” she said. “But enduring the struggle for growth might be best, for now.”

“Very well,” the man said. “It is your choice.”

As he left her behind, it seemed he meant it. While she still considered him scum, Vari still would have placed him above many others for that. Many cultivators would be glad to exchange their affections for a chance at power, regardless of their feelings for the individual in question. When it was actually a choice to get involved, it still vaguely fit in tolerable behavior. But Vari’s seniors on Xankeshan- mainly those from the Order of One Hundred Stars- freely helped people with training, when they had time. The stories of Anton indicated he was a great instructor, and Vari looked vaguely towards the lower realms. This was perhaps the closest they would come to ever meeting. After all, Vari had no intention of actually invading the lower realms.

The only reason she had waited to send the signal was to make sure that all of the forces that would be arriving in the near future were in place. If her companions properly determined that they needed to bring an army from the alliance with them, they could defeat them. Otherwise, she was still confident that a smaller group could extract her.

She just wished she knew how long it would take. So far, it had been six months. In some ways a short time for a cultivator, in others it felt like an eternity. Obviously Vari couldn’t expect them to just drop everything and come to her. They had other things to deal with, but the longer it was the more she was unsure if they were actually coming. She was unsure if she could keep her guise up indefinitely. Certainly, once they were in the lower realms she couldn’t expect to fight in a war while limiting herself. And though they might overlook her strength, she really didn’t want to help the Harmonious Citadel do that. But she also couldn’t just join the other side- even if they didn’t lose, would they really just trust that a random invader was a turncoat?

But she could wait. The journey from the Harmonious Citadel’s territory had taken more than a handful of weeks with logistics already dealt with. If her friends were gathering a proper army, she could only wait.

-----

Harassing the border planets of the Trigold Cluster had become a longer term project- not that anyone expected it to be short or easy. The important part was picking the right targets. Nobody wanted to accidentally attack a fort with an Augmentation cultivator present. Even if they managed to defeat them, it would come at a guaranteed loss of life. WIth the difference in stage, an Augmentation cultivator would be nearly guaranteed to take out multiple Integration cultivators no matter the odds stacked against them. More than a few if they weren’t severely outnumbered. That wasn’t even counting potential allies.

There had been just enough time to attack one training excursion and take out a few supply ships heading for Tatera when the message from Vari reached them. They didn’t immediately leave- they had to determine where they were going and how to get there. And who they should bring. As the matter involved the Harmonious Citadel, this wasn’t simply a matter for those from the lower realms. They could involve the rest of their alliance.

Though nobody wanted to linger long, they also wouldn’t have many opportunities to harass Tatera before Fajra arrived. Even if she were to show up late in the process she might still need a decade or two to properly acclimatize to lower energy again, so in the grand scheme of things she would be arriving ‘soon’. And since they had already begun their attacks, her arrival might be accelerated.

“Just wait for us, Vari,” Alva said to a friend who could not hear her. “We’ll be there.”

-----

“There’s no way this is a coincidence,” Catarina said after she had double and triple checked the location information from Vari’s token. “But even if it somehow isn’t what it looks like, there’s an isolated pocket of the Harmonious Citadel, some hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators and dozens of Integration cultivators- enough to deal a crippling blow to the Harmonious Citadel if they were lost.”

Timothy sighed, “Unfortunately, our allies might not believe us. If they think we’re making use of their forces for our own purposes…”

“Then they can get the hell off our planet,” Catarina folded her arms in front of her. “If they don’t trust us enough to follow through with a single assault at our direction, I don’t trust them to remain on Xankeshan. We can just huddle up there forever while they fight the Harmonious Citadel on their own.”

“He has a point,” Alva said hesitantly. “I have no doubt some people will join us, but we’ll still want to convince as many people as possible to participate. This isn’t just something we can try to match the enemy forces and hope everything works out. At best, even if we came out slightly ahead on losses… it wouldn’t really be a victory. And we don’t know if they had people there already.”

Catarina nodded. “I agree. We need to perform solidly. Once they arrive it will be clear the forces belong to the Harmonious Citadel, but we need enough for a decisive victory. I would prefer to solidify our position as more than just… the people with control of Xankeshan’s formations. But I’m not… much of a leader. Or a negotiator.”

Hoyt’s eyes turned to his grandfather, Prospero Vandale. “What?” Prospero raised an eyebrow, “You think that just because I was the leader of a sect for a couple centuries that I’m good for the job?”

“You were a good leader,” Hoyt said. “Even if I didn’t want to rely on your influence.”

“Maybe I was,” Prospero shrugged. “But I know how cultivators work. Right now I’m not even an Integration cultivator. Here, nobody will listen to me. So it will have to be someone else.” The grandfather in a younger body than his grandson didn’t waver in his gaze.

“... Me?” Hoyt asked.

“What? I’m not asking you to do anything apparently difficult like getting me great-grandchildren. Just rile up some cultivators to form an army and stomp their enemies into the dirt.”

Timothy and Catarina exchanged a silent glance while Hoyt sighed. “Fine. I suppose I might be the best for that particular task. Also you were definitely older than me when you married grandma.”