“Thank you for seeing me, Baroness,” Dav Edd said as he bowed in greeting. “I represent Ching Le from the town of Oyoto.”

Dav’s appearance was nondescript; nothing stood out to draw attention to who he was or how important he might be. He had that type of face that seemed familiar, someone you vaguely remembered meeting, yet easily overlooked. I had postponed the meeting with him a few days longer once I returned from the bat cave.

I didn’t have an excuse, I could have made an effort to see him sooner, but I was more concerned about my Fief. Although I had dealt with the cave, the missing hunters were still a concern. Anything that could hide from Storm’s perception or move fast enough to leave the territory she scanned was a potential threat.

I knew that an isolation policy for my territory was not healthy for its growth and that I needed to meet with and broker deals with other towns. But I also knew that most of my focus had to turn inward. At least the lion’s share of my attention for the next few decades needed to be on building and expanding.

I needed trading partners for our economy to flourish, but I was still coming to terms with what resources I had available and what could be crafted or spared for trade. It was hard to make trade agreements or worry about trade routes when I wasn’t confident about the type or amount of resources I would need to govern effectively.

I’d rather have this conversation with the representative from Oyoto in a year, once I would have gotten a better understanding of who my people were and what they were capable of. It would also give Storm the time needed to finish mapping out my territory and give me a chance to do a more thorough investigation into the areas of interest she was discovering.

She had found several areas that were Qi saturated, areas that might point to herbs, ores, or gems that would come in handy. I knew I had jade I could trade, and Xiwang had managed to stay afloat by trading coral, but those two items weren’t enough to sustain the rebuilding and expansion I was determined to see.

“Would you like some tea, Representative Edd?” I asked, motioning him to join me at the low table I was sitting at. I decorated my office with accents and furnishings with the same nod towards Japanese aesthetics that Patriarch Umbra used. The tea table I was motioning him towards was a Chabudai style table. It was designed with short legs and required those using it to sit on mats placed on the floor.

I had grown fond of the structure and tradition of the tea ceremony. The motions and meaning behind the process of crafting and sharing the tinctures and types of tea were almost meditative. It was soothing to perform the Sado; for me. It was as calming and rewarding as enjoying the flavors and characteristics of the tea itself.

“I would be honored, Baroness,” Dav replied, joining me, sitting with a fluid grace that most Elves enjoyed.

I wasn’t sure if he enjoyed tea or agreed out of a sense of duty and the need to be polite. I was too new to my role as Baroness to fully grasp the political and social expectations between those I met. Those expectations were only more confusing when I tried to understand where my role as Baroness and Cultivator complemented each other or diverged.

That I was willing to participate in a lesser tea ceremony might be considered a contrived affectation on my part. But in reality, it was an effort to offset any offense Dav or those he might represent may have taken at being forced to wait.

The sharing of tea with a Baroness and Qi Gathering Cultivator was a sop to injured pride, one I could make without risking others believing this meeting was more important than it was. This chat was a friendly discussion between two people, not the working for negotiation and alliances.

I wanted no assumptions made. I didn’t plan to make concessions during this chat. Still, I needed a safe way to project my intent for those watching, a way for them to gauge my actions and understand my motives. I was not above signing trade treaties with other towns, but I would only sign those agreements after my people and I had done our due diligence.

I wanted to know who I was dealing with and how any products or resources we sold or bought would impact my Fief. Only when I was completely satisfied with the vetting process would we move on.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I can’t spare much time,” I apologized, “but it would be rude not to meet with you when you’ve traveled so far. I wonder what Fief Myche might be able to do for Ching Le and the town of Oyoto?”

“Lord Ching Le was hoping he could prevail upon you and your connections with Four Element Sect to host an awakening ceremony in his town. He has spoken with dozens of other towns, and each of them is willing to offer trade opportunities for your service,” he explained.

“I would be willing to make an effort and claim a favor for my effort if it weren’t for one item of information that will soon be made public. Elder Arthit of the Recruitment Hall at Four Element Sect will be sending out a host of Sect members to begin testing in every town and city that has been identified on the island,” I explained.

“There is no need to ask for our help in this matter. The Sect was pleased with the results of the awakening ceremonies in my Fief and planned to institute yearly events from now on. I would certainly be willing to inform the Sect of your desire and willingness to host a ceremony quickly, but I am not sure that will expedite your request.”

“And for those cultivators that the Sect awakens and aren’t willing to accept?” He wondered.

“What do you mean?”

“Would you be willing to train the young men and women that open a lower-tiered Spirit Root? There are no other Sects, no Clans on the island for the people that aren’t recruited to turn to. Lord Ching Le is hoping you might be willing to fill the void that the lack of Clans and lower-tiered Sects fill on the mainland,” he said.

It was an exciting proposal. The island was bereft of opportunities for the native population. That might change now that a high-tiered Sect has been established here, but that didn’t help those new cultivators that would be handed basic cultivation and martial techniques and dismissed because they didn’t meet the high standards of the Sect.

If I could find a way to attract at least this first crop of cultivators from across the island, it would go a long way towards creating the foundation my House and Fief might need.

Eventually, the rest of the island would be claimed by Barons, some of whom would form their Clans, Dojos, or Houses. The number of newly awakened cultivators that I could attract would shrink once the island was better governed.

“An interesting idea, one I’m not going to dismiss out of hand, but there are logistics and considerations that need to be addressed,” I replied.

“My resources are limited. For now, I am only accepting newly awakened cultivators that are willing to join my House. Would you be willing to send me the cultivators from your cities knowing that they would remain in Fief Myche, at least until they advanced far enough to consider branching out?”

“We would,” he assured me without pause.

“But with a caveat. For each cultivator who agrees to join you, we also hope to send one person you will train in one of the secondary professions. One person that will not swear to House Myche and will return to our town after they have reached the apprentice level,” Dav explained.

His idea had merit. Cultivators rarely became protectors or benefactors of towns. They were too often exploring, fighting beasts, or each other to advance to have any real impact on non-cultivator communities. But returning trained citizens, who were more focused on production skills than cultivation, would make a significant difference in the prosperity and safety of that community.

“That is possible,” I hedged, “but there would still be the issue of resources. Each profession requires its own set of unique tools and materials. Alchemy, for example, requires massive amounts of herbs to advance from novice to apprentice. Each person you send would have to be supplied with those resources.”

“And the products that were created while they train?” Dav asked.

“House Myche would own them as compensation for training your people,” I said, making it clear that this was non-negotiable. There would be a cost for training their people.

“I will tentatively agree to your proposal,” I said. “I will increase the number of people that each cultivator you send can sponsor as long as each person you send to be trained is willing to pay tuition. One beast egg of any type as an entry fee, and the spirit stones or beast cores needed to pay for food and lodging for that individual. Those costs will be negotiated each year.”

“I believe that is workable, Baroness,” he said after a moment of reflection. “I will take your offer back to Lord Ching Le for his consideration.”

“If there are any questions or points of clarification Ching Le might need, feel free to send messages to Gwen. She will see that I am kept apprised of any developments.

“In the meantime, I will send a missive to Elder Arthit informing him of Ching Le’s desire to hold an awakening ceremony as soon as possible.

“I will instruct my staff to draw up an agreement outlining the details we have discussed. Gwen will see that delivered to you tomorrow. As long as Ching Le requires no substantive changes, I will begin making preparations to house and train the people you will be sending.”

I began to consider where I would build the housing and Halls needed for the influx of people that might start arriving. Ching Le was just one person, the ruler of one town, but if he did have influence over other towns, that influx might grow. And if word spread across the island, I would not be surprised to find my docks soon filled with ships from every port seeking meetings to negotiate similar deals.