Chapter 934

Chapter 934

Much of the information coming into the Scarlet Alliance flowed through Velvet. She had access to most of the rest, if she had a need for it. For the most part, however, she simply kept herself updated on things necessary to perform her duties. She needed to know enough to pick out what was important if she could only scavenge a limited amount of information on a mission, and she still was personally involved in information retrieval.

Indeed, though she was able to oversee many aspects of their spy operations, a single person both couldnt and shouldnt manage everything. Though on the first point, that was only true outside of the bounds of cultivation. There were many who found their skills lay in management and information processing, developing those skills parallel to their technological systems processing data.

The upper realms was more or less in the midpoint of a period of calm, at least where it concerned the lower realms and the tides of the world. Obviously they couldnt expect any groups so large as the titans on either side of them to actually have periods of nothing at all happening, and indeed the war with the Exalted Quadrant had still been fresh in peoples minds when the latest Everheart incident had taken place.

Long range sensors and scouts had determined that the Everheart System remained intact, another point towards Everhearts survival- though it was entirely possible that this time he had actually perished and the system would simply continue to exist without him for some time. However, nobody who had actually approached had returned to report any information, neither spies nor fortune seekers. Clearly, something had changed.

Though both major forces had withdrawn after the incident, the Scarlet Alliance remained wary of their neighbors. They could act at any point. And the subfactions within them seemed to be growing more aware of the budding relevance of the Scarlet Alliance itself. Obviously they had no Domination cultivators, but even holding off Zaur for a time had marred his reputation. It was hoped that his wounds were deeper than imagined, but their sources had not yet revealed anything regarding that in the following years.

The war with the Chaotic Conglomeration was still ongoing, and while one or two Augmentation cultivators wouldnt make or break their chances against the Exalted Quadrant, Velvet had received encouraging news from Runa and the Spirit Slicing Sect. They were not in frequent communication, but there were things in play to allow at least a general picture. The Sprit Slicing Sect had personal achievements against the Exalted Quadrant as of late, even if the overall picture of the long war had not changed significantly.

Less encouraging was information from within the Exalted Quadrant itself. It was not information about any of the sects in particular, but rather the news came that there was a new variety of ships within the Exalted Quadrant. That was nothing particularly alarming on its own, as cultivators would always be seeking to develop new things. The problem was that they had a suspicious familiarity in some components, and seemed to be first attempts at partial technological ships.

It was not unexpected that eventually their neighbors would begin to develop technology, and with various ships and people missing during their various conflicts- especially some older ones- it wasnt unbelievable that they could replicate some of it. However, the mere existence of non-formation based technology was not a huge concern by itself. It was unlikely they could even replicate some of the more advanced pieces as they would be missing all of the manufacturing techniques.

Still, it was an issue that bore paying attention to. Would these new additions be a danger, or would they provide an interesting vulnerability in the enemy forces? They were missing the many centuries of experience held by Rutera and then their allies, so even if they could replicate the form in a somewhat functional manner, they might have all sorts of weaknesses they hadnt yet considered.

For example, computer security was unlikely to be something they had considered beyond a basic level, and if they had remote access through any means the tech focused cultivators of the Alliance could likely wreak havoc among those ships. Said security was constantly developing within their own borders, as the Scarlet Alliance was not a monolith of perfection with no criminals.

Wherever there was wealth people would try to seize it for themselves in ways they found the most expedient, especially if they thought they could avoid the consequences. Vulnerabilities existed in formations, technology, and people themselves. With all of that said, higher cultivations tended to trump everything else, and the Scarlet Alliance kept a relatively low crime rate overall. They simply recognized that no system was perfect. But internal crime was not Velvets area of activity.

Establishing even a basic spy network within the Trigold Cluster had been more difficult than the Exalted Quadrant, as they were more strict with the movements of even their own citizens. New people appearing mysteriously were obviously more suspect. Of course, local cultivators were always willing to take bribes to pass along information- it was getting useful and true information from local agents that was more suspect. Such understanding and trust simply took time to establish.

Today, he was on the southern route, between Ceretos and Inistra. But Anton was not alone. Indeed, the particular star they had chosen was of little importance just in case something catastrophic happened. Not that he expected it.

With Anton were Varghese, and of course Three Squeaks. Both had taken the same path to Assimilation as Anton, and this was their first test of a triple bound star.

Three Squeaks had already bound the star, making use of one of his limited free stars. This was not a project where they wanted to spend a decade or more for the three to attempt to bind the star sequentially.

Varghese was currently in the process, having started after they determined the star was stable following Three Squeaks binding. A properly done binding was quite safe, but Three Squeaks was still the youngest and newest among all of them so caution was best.

Calaminda was a simple red star, quite pleasant but not particularly special in Antons opinion. It didnt take long for Varghese to complete his connection to the star. Anton could feel the energy of the two intertwine, much like the stars he shared with either of them separately.

Varghese had enough experience that the star only required a few minutes to settle down, and that was due to an abundance of caution to make certain there were no odd internal reactions. Nobody wanted to destroy a star or damage their cultivations after all. This was more of a confirmation than anything else.

I suppose its time for me now, Anton said. The others nodded as he reached out. He could feel their connections, drawing power from the star while at the same time strengthening it in turn. The addition of will and order among a stars power and chaos far made up for any energy an individual could draw from one.

Reaching into the star was simple, and the connection inside of him unfolded naturally. When he completed his efforts, there were a few moments of silence and stillness. Anton could feel the pulse of the star, but that was only natural. He sensed no imbalance, which was exactly as intended. They practiced a cooperative method, after all, but there were always risks involved where things could become unbalanced.

Three cultivators bound to one star might have pulled against each other unevenly, but instead the balance came naturally. That boded well for future practitioners who would do the same, as they could fairly well extrapolate that it would remain stable. Perhaps there would be a maximum limit, but they didnt expect one to appear suddenly. And while the One Hundred Stars produced Assimilation cultivators often enough, there werent many who chose the particular path they had. It was powerful, but not without risks. And those who had the wrong temperament were encouraged to seek other methods.

We did it, Three Squeaks celebrated. Now I can go to that fancy magnetic one.

Varghese nodded. Indeed, Azun would be a good choice. And I imagine we should spend time adding our own touch to core systems. It would be better if none of us were strictly confined to a particular area, since we can overlap.

I am quite pleased, Anton agreed. Even hearing of Domination cultivators while I cant guarantee we could take them on as we are now in three centuries? The Lower Realms Alliance wont be easily stepped on.

Anton just hoped that they wouldnt run into too many problems before then. Obviously he couldnt expect such a long stretch of time to be completely peaceful, but it would be nice if it were better than their previous ones. He could hope, and more relevantly work towards the future he wanted to see.