“You might consider registering that Writ with the Hindel,” Gwen suggested.

Her suggestion was not without merit and not something I had already decided to investigate. I had already made moves that tied my territory and the Hindel together in an alliance closer than any other Elven territory had attempted. I knew the repercussions of too much success and the politics that could spring up when you maintained a monopoly on technology or cultivation resources. Ties to the Hindel would offset some of those issues.

One of the reasons Clement had remained behind was to discuss the share of profits owed the Hindel and me from the discovery of an extra-planar opening at the lake the Four Element Sect controlled. I had asked him to make sure the Hindel received the lion’s share of those profits and a fixed amount of slots for their people to make use of.

The Sect had conveniently forgotten our involvement in that discovery. Clement planned to address their oversight, and once I knew what agreement he had reached, I would reach out to the Alpha. I would use that opportunity to discuss the Clan Writ with her then.

“I have considered it,” I told Gwen. “It seems a good idea, but I want to discuss it with Clement when he returns. He is well versed in Empire law and will know if there are any ramifications for doing something like that.”

“It might be worth registering with the Hindel even if there are ramifications. It is better not to place all your eggs in one basket. The Empire is far away. The Hindel are near. It might be worth considering whom you pay allegiance to,” Aki pointed out.

“Are you suggesting severing ties with the Empire?” I asked in surprise.

“Not yet,” Aki replied, “but there might come a time. And the better your relationship is with the Hindel, the easier seceding from the Empire will be.

“You should also be exploring a way to establish economic, political, and personal partners with a polity that is not the Empire and are as powerful as the Hindel. They have already proven they have unique perspectives that have proven useful. They are the reason our coral reef fields are healing.”

It was something to consider. I had a meeting with Alpha scheduled. I would test the waters by hinting at aligning my territory more closely with the Hindel. I didn’t want to become a Vassal, but I would keep that as a last resort in case the Empire ever tried to force my hand. I’m not sure if it has ever been done before, but the Hindel did have the political power and might, such that attacking them would be ruinous for the Emperor.

“Is there any precedence for doing something like this, Aki?” I asked.

“Not where a Fief secedes and joins the Hindel, but there have been cases where territories have left the Empire to join a neighboring kingdom or Empire. Or establish their own kingdoms.”

“Did those secessions lead to war?”

“Only once when the Fief joined a neighboring polity. In every other instance, the Empire and the neighboring polity came to an agreement. Most often, it was agreements that allowed for free trade over a set period of time that eased tensions. Once there was another territory that was interested in joining the Empire, so an exchange was agreed upon,” Aki replied.

“The Hindel just agreed to cede this island to the Empire,” I said, “I think they might find it insulting to lose part of the island they just acquired to the same people that had agreed to the trade.

“It might look like bad faith bargaining on the part of the Hindel.”

“Except your selection of this territory could never have been foreseen. Your experiences with the Empire could never have been anticipated. And your decision to align yourself with another power is a decision that has been almost forced on you,” Gwen pointed out.

Gwen and Zui were my closest advisers. I had shared abridged versions of my interactions with the Sect and Empire, trying not to hide anything of substance. They knew that I had trouble separating my feelings of loyalty from Elder Shadow and the Sect. And that I had been deeply disappointed with both. Gwen knew my history, and her words had the weight of logic and empathy behind them.

“Honestly, before you consider which government you want to align with,” Faun Belize interjected, “you need to worry about more immediate issues.”

“Faun is right,” I replied after a moment of reflection. “We need to find a way to establish land trade routes between cities. Decide who will be my proxy in ruling the city that will soon be built and come under our sway as a vassal. And consider a short-term solution to having the Beast Tamers run additional routes.

“It is also imperative that we establish a group of recruiters with authority to offer new Cultivators incentives to join our territory, as well as visit other territories and attempt to poach their Cultivators.”

“You may need to wait until you have the Clan established before attempting to poach other Cultivators,” Faun warned. “You need to know exactly what you have to offer a prospective recruit so you can negotiate from a position of power.

“The first matter you should consider is how you plan to structure your new Clan. You don’t have a host of minor families or any families for that matter, that can fill out the ranks of the Clan.

“You have House Myche, and that is it. Even if you decided to fold the Dojo into the Clan’s structure, not every Cultivator would be a good fit.”

“I’ve given some thought to how to organize the Clan,” I admitted, “and I’ve decided to structure it like a corporation.

“House Myche will serve as the main line, but what this means in practice is that the Head of House Myche will serve as CEO. Instead of minor houses, I intend to structure the Clan like a Sect.

“There will be divisions that deal with each of the professions, a division that concentrates on resources, a division that is populated by Beast Tamers, one that concentrates on professions, and one that trains and teaches both cultivators and non-cultivators.

“Additionally, I hope to establish a Cultivators at-large enterprise where traveling Cultivators can gather to cultivate, rest, and share experiences.

“Each of those divisions will elect a person to sit as a member of a board of directors. Each director will be elected to serve for a decade before retiring from their position. Although the board will have voting rights, the CEO, a permanent position, will have the ability to veto.

“I will see the Clan structured as a combination of Monarchy, Democracy, and Business entity. Hopefully, with members of the board willing to give opinions and honest dissent, the Clan will prosper.

“I will not see the Clan filled with young masters and misses that use the Clans status to take advantage of another. To gain membership is possible for anyone that fits into one of the divisions I have outlined, but to prosper, to move up within the ranks of each division, a person must earn their advancement.

“I will see a Clan built on merit, service, and dedication. Not on family squabbles, favors traded, or the cesspool of politics that invade even those Clans that have been long established.”

“The establishment and building of a Clan might address one of the concerns I had from our last meeting,” Bob said, speaking up and breaking the silence my final statement had produced. “The towering buildings you had envisioned, while possible to build, are going to be problematic for a few reasons.

“From an aesthetic point of view, those large constructs of stone and steel will ruin the Feng Shua of the city at large. The town was modeled with Elven practices that used Pagodas as building models. Wood and bamboo for materials. To change to the materials buildings of that height would require we destroy the Feng Shua already active and the ambiance it has managed to elicit.

“Towering buildings will attract attention. Flying monsters will swarm each building or, worse, attempt to use them to build nests. We can protect the buildings, but it would be a massive undertaking, requiring a constant presence of Cultivators and Beast Tamers to do effectively.

“That would be impractical. You may have the funds, but you lack the people required for something like this.

“And finally, I doubt you would be able to entice any non-cultivator into risking their lives in a building that might come under attack at any moment. Especially people with children.”

“What do you suggest instead?” I asked, realizing he had a point. A Griffon or Wyvern attack on one of the sky-scrappers I had imagined would be disastrous, even if I did have the staffing to defend that type of building.

“The Clan House you need to build will have to be placed outside the town limits. Ideally, it would be placed at a confluence of different land features, like the Dojo. So, somewhere where the river, forest, and ocean meet.”

“We’ve already claimed that area for the Dojo,” I pointed out. “Are you suggesting we convert the Dojo into Clan buildings?

“No,” Bob replied. “With the foot traffic in that area to gain access to the arena, converting the Dojo into a Clan would result in the same type of logistical and safety considerations your high-rise buildings would create.

“If you could create a map of the town and the area to the north, I’ll show you what I have in mind.”

With a simple flex of water, fog, and lightning Qi, I created the illusion of a map unrolling across the table with the Dojo, town, and landmasses clearly delineated.

“I suggest you build the Clan Hall here,” Bob said, pointing at an area on the northern coast where the caves that had already been cleared could be found. “This area between the town and the Clan could serve as the property to expand the town.

“This expansion won’t have the eight-trigram array or Triad of Spirits to add to the defenses, but that might be an advantage. You can build new defenses as you expand. With the new technologies embedded into the foundation of each expansion phase, you will be able to offer the latest in form and function to those businesses and homes willing to move.

“And if you build the Clan on this area, with the cliff and caves underneath incorporated into the Clan, you will have an intersection of ocean, forest, and earth. A powerful Qi combination to establish your Clan upon.”