Growing Pains 331 Book 2 Chapter 25

“I worry that you are too reliant on the Hindel,” Clement advised me. “You will have to be careful that you don’t become a vassal state of their Empire.”

“I’m not sure what else I can do,” I admitted reluctantly, “I know it might be a mistake to rely on them for the long run, but until our people are stronger, using the Hindel as a shield seems the best defense.”

“I agree, but it would be best to find ways to leverage our strengths going forward. The Sect is a good idea, Trading knowledge of ice and lightning skills and techniques goes far in balancing the scales of Karmic balance you mentioned the Hindel profess to follow as it is a major boon for them.

“I think you made the right decision, but I worry about the precedent it sets when you approach the Hindel whenever you have a problem that you cannot solve.”

“I might have waited until the people you are reaching out to, made a decision about establishing a Sect on the island if it weren’t for my concerns about the safety of my brother and sister. I need them behind the walls of a Sect. And a Sect that won’t try to exploit them or dissect them to see what makes them tic.

“The Hindel were the best choice. Their young are born with the ability to cultivate. Having to teach and guide a ten-year-old girl and sixteen-year-old boy will not be the oddity it would be in any Elven Sect,” I replied.

I wasn't sure who was trying to convince, Clement or myself. I knew that I was motivated by my emotions. To say that I was scared of what would happen if a cultist found my brother and sister was an understatement. 

“Has the Alpha mentioned a time frame for starting and staffing this new Sect?” Clement asked.  “And have you decided on where it will be located, what it will be called, and who will be allowed to join?

“Will you still allow Four Element Sect to recruit new members at each awakening ceremony?”

“Alpha and I have decided to name the new Sect 'Three Waters Sect,'” I replied. “A reference to the types of water skills the Sect will be known for, ocean, fresh, and ice.”

“Storm has mapped a perfect location I plan to use. There is a lake that has formed close to the ocean. The two bodies of water are separated by a limestone cliff that allows run-off from the lake to enter the ocean via a series of waterfalls.

“Several streams and creeks feed the lake, helping to maintain the level of the lake. The cliffs are wide enough to build on, and Alpha has promised me that the Sect will be crafted and ready for use within the month.”

“And recruitment?” Clement asked, reminding me I had yet to answer his last question.

“Four Element Sect will no longer be given the first pick of the best from each crop, nor will I allow them to attend awakening ceremonies going forward. As more and more people gain access to awakening food, the chances of more people successfully awakening will increase; I want to take advantage of those numbers. 

“I won’t stop any individual who wants to find a place in Four Elements, but they will need to find their own way there and pass whatever standards Four Elements implements for accepting Outer Cultivation members on their own.

“Until we find out if there is any interest from those living in the Empire to form a Sect here, the Clan and Three Waters Sect will recruit the most gifted. I will open branch Dojos in each territory so that any Cultivator, regardless of their spiritual root, can receive training and earn contribution points to purchase skills, techniques, and advanced cultivation techniques.

“I also plan on establishing an army; one trained to deploy living formations. Those Cultivators that are willing to swear an [Oath] to serve for a hundred years will be given the resources they need to advance. Their service will allow them to earn the resources they need to pay for the techniques, pills, armor, and weapons that best suit them.”

“Even with all of that, Geon and Syha will stand out. Rumors have a life of their own. It’s bad enough that a Sect with a Hindel for a Patriarch will exist; one that only has two children as members will only increase that Sects scrutiny.

“You might think about what you can do to hide the children, maybe advertise what you are doing as an experiment to increase the chances of awakening spirit roots. 

“You would need to offer membership to a large pool of children. Perhaps, the first edition of the newsprint you plan to release can include an offer. A lottery that every family can enter with children between ten and seventeen can enter to register for a spot in Three Waters Sect,” Clement suggested.

“That isn’t a bad idea,” I agreed. “Let’s limit the first selection to children living in Xiwang. The leaders of the other territories that are members of the Four Element Sect still need to be tested. 

“I think it strange that they agreed so easily to my demands. Perhaps they realized they had no choice, but I want to monitor them, test their loyalties.”

“That might be prudent,” Clement acknowledged. “Although they each swore a Cultivator’s Oath not to harm you or the kingdom, they will test that oath and look for loopholes.

“They will watch and find ways to confirm your relationship with the Hindel. If they discover a weakness that can be exploited, they’ll use it.”

“I agree. 

“The only thing we can do is remain vigilant. That is one of the reasons I have rescinded Four Element Sect’s permission to conduct awakening ceremonies. Not only does it limit their ability to recruit the best, but it offers some protection against the Empire trying to plant Cultivators that are trained in espionage. Or give them access to information that makes it easy for them to stir up resentment amongst the populace.”

“What do you want to do with Ja Fiat?” Clement asked, turning to the topic that I had been trying to avoid.

“She will have to die,” I decided. “Once we have extracted as much information from her as we can, I will kill her and quietly dispose of her body.”

“You don’t want to make a statement by executing her publicly?”

“No.

“I don’t want to give any other Cultist that might be aware of who and what Ja Fiat is that we have stumbled across her. It is better to use their own secrecy against them and act on the knowledge she gives us to stage more surgical strikes against their numbers.”