“Sounds like things are getting pretty rough. Thanks for keeping me updated, Nuya.”
Aksai responded thoughtfully after Nuya finished reporting a few things to him. Although he hadn’t planned everything when he set out to get his hands on an Aether Beast, he had basically expected things to take such a turn when he finished killing Loshaar and Zeesham’s forces. As such, even though the conflict between the righteous and demonic factions had gotten bigger than he had previously estimated, he wasn’t worried.
“Hehe, you don’t need to say thanks, Aksai. It’s my responsibility to tell you all this as a co-owner of the Emerald Cove,” Nuya replied, a hint of warmth in her voice. “I didn’t want you to be caught off guard when you returned.” Nuya then took a deep breath before addressing the core reason she had called Aksai so late at night. “By the way, I have been contacted by the Purple River Sect to deploy some of our Spirit Refining cultivators at the sites of the conflict. What should we do?”
Aksai shook his head before responding. “Let’s not get involved. This time, the conflict between Kalingoot and the righteous sects isn’t as simple as you imagine it to be. Things are bound to get out of everyone’s control soon. We don’t want to be caught between a rock and a hard place in the future.”
Aksai knew that the righteous sects were no different from demonic sects in that both factions wanted to make use of the people and organizations under them. It was just that the way they went about doing those things was a bit different.
The island owners in the Dadangar Alliance were like private militia owners associated with the righteous sects through various connections. Even though the righteous sects couldn’t directly make use of the private militia, they could ask the island owners who controlled the militia to cooperate with them in exchange for benefits.
It was a lot like bigger nations coercing smaller nations to fight wars in someone else’s backyard. Although the smaller nations received some meager benefits from the bigger nations, the outcome of such dealings wouldn’t be good for the smaller nations in the long run.
It was the borrowed knife that would lose its sharpness and dull over time when someone made use of it. The treatment the knife received before it was used would not be useful when it lost its sheen.
Although Emerald Cove might offend some people in the righteous factions and make a few enemies in the Dadangar Alliance itself, Aksai knew that the hot and cold war conflicts happening all across the Dadangar Seas will surely deplete all kinds of resources on both sides. As such, there was no risk for the Emerald Island in the short turn?
As for the long term? Aksai didn’t think much about it. He knew that every “yes” and “no” in such dealings had their own set of benefits and consequences. So it was useless to avoid future troubles. As long as he took the right steps in terms of his personal growth, the political matters could be easily handled in the future.
***
At first, Nuya was tempted to accept the Purple River Sect’s offer. Because of her connections with the sect, she was bound to receive bigger and better rewards than all the island owners in the Dadangar Alliance.
She was sure that other island owners in the Alliance would say yes to the offers made by the righteous sects. They would send their own people to the conflict sites, which would then be controlled by the sect elders deployed at the scene. With this, the private militias of the islands would act in perfect harmony with the members of the righteous sects, creating a chain army that would deal a heavy blow to Kalingoot’s foundations.
Unlike Aksai or Nuya, some island owners didn’t really care about what happened to their subordinates after the deployment. As long as they received tangible benefits from the sect, everything else was acceptable.
Nuya feared that some island owners would receive huge benefits from the righteous sects during this period of conflict. They would then be able to raise the foundations of their own islands. There was a chance for them to covet the Emerald Island’s resources as well when their greed grew in the future with the increase in their individual powers.
As such, Nuya had another reason to accept the offers made by the righteous sects. After all, she was fine with not receiving any benefits, but she could certainly not allow someone else in the Alliance to have designs on their possessions.
However, Nuya still decided to trust Aksai’s instincts. Since Aksai didn’t want to accept the formal proposal made by the righteous sects, she would not force him to.
“Alright. I’ll manage things from here. Just be careful out there, Aksai.”
Nuya could still use her uncle in the Purple River Sect to politely decline the offer. Although her uncle wouldn’t like it, he wouldn’t make things too difficult for her.
“I will,” Aksai promised. “And you take care too. I’ll contact you when I have some time.”
With that, the communication ended, and Aksai sat back, contemplating the challenges ahead. He shook his head, thinking to himself.
“Emerald Cove’s foundation is too shallow. Even though I have made some arrangements with my subordinates and the array formations, they are clearly not enough.
I need to increase my cultivation base quickly and enter the mid-stage Foundation Building realm. Only then will I feel a little bit more secure,” he thought to himself and sighed.
The Spirit farmer then took a deep breath before looking around. He spread his Spirit Sense in the surroundings and found everything to be normal. Nodding to himself, Aksai decided to enter his secret dimension.
***
With a thought, Aksai appeared in the secret dimension of his Enchanted Everwood Farm.
The air here was always crisp and filled with the earthy scent of fertile soil. The twilight sky stretched above, forever painted in hues of orange and purple, giving the entire farm an ethereal touch.
This eternal twilight made Aksai feel as if time had ceased to exist, allowing him to escape the pressures of the outside world whenever he entered this sanctuary.
He took a deep breath, feeling a sense of peace wash over him. The lush farmland spread out before him, filled with an array of cultivation resources and crops. Aksai couldn’t help but smile as he observed the vibrant life thriving all around.
Rows of medicinal herbs, shimmering with a faint glow, stood next to patches of rare spiritual plants, their leaves rustling softly in the perpetual twilight breeze.
His gaze fell on the Sentient Scarecrows diligently working the fields. These animated beings moved with exceptional purpose and efficiency. They were ten times more efficient and hard-working than regular rental Spirit farmers.
Even Aksai wasn’t this efficient as his puppets when he was a mere rental Spirit farmer on the Lakir clan’s estate. Compared to the previous him, his puppets were like farming superheroes.
The biggest advantage of employing the Sentient Scarecrows was that they could cast Spirit spells like regular cultivators. Even the weakest puppet here was as strong as a mid-stage Spirit refiner. Most of the puppets in the Everwood farm were as strong as late-stage Spirit Refining cultivators.
Something like this was unthinkable for the Lakir clan that had established its foundation in Wuyum County. For example, they would start recruiting the rental farmers into their private militia as soon as the cultivators managed to break through the 7th stage of the Spirit Refining realm. The clan would use all sorts of means at their disposal to turn the late-stage cultivators into their lap dogs.
However, Aksai was different. He thought that his puppets, strong or not, could all be utilized for his farmwork. The best part? Aksai didn’t have to give these workers their wages. They could work in his farm for free without ever uttering a word of complaint.
Aksai was amused when he thought that he was extorting his own puppets by making them work in his farm day and night. Since they hardly needed rest, he just employed them round the clock in certain cycles, making the best use of his secret dimension.
As Aksai observed, some puppets were chanting low, rhythmic incantations, their Spirit spells enveloping the crops in a soft, nurturing light. These spells accelerated the growth of the 1st-order resources, ensuring a bountiful harvest.
Other scarecrows were busy adjusting the intricate Array Formations set up throughout the farm. These formations glowed with a pale blue light, enhancing the quality of the yield in specific regions.
Aksai watched as a scarecrow carefully adjusted an Essence Equation floating in front of him, transforming a batch of 1st-order spirit herbs into their 2nd-order rarer variants. The transformation was subtle but significant, the plants shimmering with increased potency and vitality.
Aksai wandered through the farm, his eyes taking in the meticulously organized rows and the diligent work of his scarecrows. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that the techniques he had painstakingly programmed into the scarecrows’ neural link fabric were being executed flawlessly.
As he walked, Aksai occasionally paused to examine the crops up close. He marveled at the vibrant colors and healthy growth of the plants, running his fingers gently over the leaves and petals. The farm was not just a source of resources for his cultivation; it was a living, breathing entity that reflected his dedication and hard work.
He approached one of the scarecrows and observed its work. The scarecrow was skillfully manipulating the soil, enriching it with a mix of spirit-infused fertilizers. Aksai nodded in approval, appreciating the scarecrow’s meticulous attention to detail.
“Good work,” he murmured, more to himself than to the scarecrow. “This harvest will be exceptional. It’s about time I use Mao’s technique to imbue an artificial Spirit into the Myriad Worlds Painting. I wonder if this farmland can be upgraded after I give the artifact a soul.”