“And what should we concentrate on instead?” I asked.

My question was ignored for the moment as those attending the meeting expanded. Zui and Gwen had both invited more people. I had recruited a few cultivators with apprentice-level secondary professions, Siam to serve as the leader of Hunter’s Hall, and a few of the more capable merchants, each bowing respectively, as they entered the room and took a seat. I was unaware the meeting would be so large, but it was probably a good idea.

“Lily,” Gwen said, calling our attention to a matronly Elf that had just filled in, “tell the Baroness what you reported and what that means for the coral farmers.”

Lily’s clothes, hair, and posture gave her a matronly appearance, not her age. Like all Elves, she would remain young looking until the last hundred years of her life when the aging process would advance dramatically.

I had yet to meet an Elf approaching the end of life, so I wasn’t sure what that meant. That wasn’t surprising. The Elves that reached such an advanced age were revered, protected, and treated as fonts of wisdom. Elderly ancestors always had influence. They often gained a new perspective on life as they reached their end were highly valued.

An Elf of that age was Grandfather or Grandmother to everyone. They wouldn’t be out doing chores, running businesses, or shuffled off to retirement homes and forgotten. They were content, happy with their lives, and only roused to involve themselves in the world when real emergencies occurred. And even then, they acted as a source of wisdom, a steadying voice to guide those younger than them and the more impetuous Elves, people that they still considered children even if they had reached their first century.

“Baroness,” Lily said, bowing a precise Dogeza.

“The coral reef is all but destroyed,” she began hesitantly. “The recent attack and defense of the town resulted in massive damage to the reef when the Spirits unleashed the Elementals. The ocean waters that were used to create water sprouts and tornados played havoc on the coral. Even more, than you would typically expect because so much of the water in the bay was used to create that wall of water to shield the town.

“We have collected the coral that was ripped from the seabed. Most of it has been sorted by grade and placed in warehouses for use. We salvaged almost ten thousand tons of dead coral and about a third more of that in living coral. We broke the still living coral into micro fragments to reseed the reef, but recovery will take hundreds of years unless we can get some arrays that will aid in growth. Possibly a thousand before it can be safely harvested again.”

I hadn’t realized the battle with the Nascent Soul cultivator had done any damage other than a few warehouses that had been burned because of the bombing. I also hadn’t been aware of the conditions of the coral reef, or the amounts gathered each year, the income from that gathering, or what was done with the harvested coral.

“How much coral do we normally gather in a year?” I asked, trying to understand how impactful this would be on the local economy.

“A ton, maybe a ton and a half,” Lily replied. “But the coral destruction not only impacts the coral farmers, but it also impacts the bio-diversity of our gulf. Native fish species will flounder, die, or move to areas with healthier coral. Certain seaweeds, protected by the coral reef from stronger ocean currents, will die out. And the damage to the coast and town will increase each year substantially until the reef has been re-established and healed enough to stem some of the waves that will pound against the shore.”

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“Bao, Ming?” I said, singling out the two cultivators that might be most helpful in resolving this issue. “Are there arrays or techniques that might help?”

Bao was a skilled herbalist, almost ready to advance to the journeyman level. She was one of many individuals the Sect was willing to use for staff. Talented, often just as gifted as those cultivators with more impressive Spirit roots, but languishing because no matter how talented they were, the Sect only saw that they possessed a Spirit root, considered inferior.

Ming was just as talented at array formation. Not on the same level as Cinder, who was striving to reach the Adept level but still capable. After discussing some of the new ideas and innovations I had for arrays, I managed to recruit him.

His eyes had glowed with an intensity that was easy to see. His enthusiasm for all things arrays, apparent when I had suggested that long-range communication should be possible. One of my goals was that the computer information network that the Sect had installed should be copied and used across the island. Once he realized that the Rift was located in my territory and he could delve for new materials at will, the offer to join my House was immediately accepted.

“It should be possible,” Bao admitted thoughtfully. “I haven’t spent time working with underwater growing techniques, but if they react like plants or spirit herbs, it should be possible. A few gathering arrays, focusing on their elemental affinity, and the coral should respond—enough to allow them to increase their growth rate without damaging the coral itself.

“The real problem concerns the coral itself. Coral isn’t a plant. Even though it can be separated and planted, though it seems to grow like one, those traits are superfluous similarities. Coral is an animal. A reef made up of a colony of interconnecting animals, so maybe an array construction geared more toward Tamer Hall would be suitable?”

“Siam?”

“We don’t often bond with water animals. They are too limiting, although it has been done. What knowledge we have concerning growth and feeding we’ve managed to trade or borrow from the Hindel,” he answered.

“I wonder if that might be our best solution? Contact the Hindel to find out what methods they might have to encourage coral growth. I can think of a few ideas that might work well with plant growth techniques, but why reinvent the wheel if the Hindel already have methods proven to work?” Bao suggested.

“If they are willing to share those methods or sell their techniques to us, we stand a much better chance of repairing the reef before too much damage can be done to the ecosystem and any real erosion of the shore can take place.”

“Gwen, do we have any way to contact the Hindel?” I asked.

“Not from here,” she replied. “Lord Chon refused to allow any Hindel to visit or trade while he was in charge. Any attempt at outreach on their part was met with derision and insult. The last time they arrived, he threatened to attack them if they returned. They haven’t attempted to contact our town since.

“But Sato-osa Haru Osaka in Kamakura Prefecture has a healthy relationship with the Hindel. She has managed to form a trading agreement that continues to flourish. Affirming her selection as town head and allowing her to lead the Kamakura Prefecture was a good choice. Her influence and dealings with the Hindel will be looked upon with favor.”

“Siam, now that you have bonded with Pluton, how long will it be before the two of you can fly together?” I asked.

“We’ve already flown,” Siam admitted smiling sheepishly at the admission. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The moment I had gained the ability for flight, and Storm had grown large enough to support me if my skills wavered, I had taken to the skies in joyous abandon.

Of course, Siam and Pluton would be the same.

“Is Pluton strong enough to carry another passenger?” I asked, ignoring the blush that was spreading across his face.

“He is,” Siam assured me. “Pluton is fully grown, a tier-two beast. He will have no problem carrying the extra weight. They need to be strong. Rocs often carry twice their body weight, attacking and killing beasts large enough to feed their mates and chicks.”

“Gwen, contact Haru Osaka and inform her of our need and our desire to restore a cordial relationship between the Hindel and this town. See if a meeting can be scheduled, cite the nature of the meeting, and the time-sensitive nature of repairing the reef.

“Don’t be political in this first meeting. Share everything we know, grovel if we need to. I hope that just explaining that Chon has been replaced and that the Hindel people are welcome within the boundaries of my territory will make a difference in thawing our relationship.

“Don’t try to hide our desperation and our determination to heal the coral. Make it known we are determined to save what we can, even if we have to use our own fumbling methods to make sure we succeed.”