Elder Cultivator

Chapter 936

Domination, Velvet said simply, addressing those gathered in front of her. A mysterious stage, even for those of us who are merely one stage before it. Yet what is it, besides an increase in power?

She looked around at the gathering, all of those in Augmentation and those who were soon to be, but no others. Often there were assistants or others who should be involved in the dissemination of information. But in this case, it was kept to a relatively select group.

Even if we truly had the answers, most likely we would be unable to beat the next cycle, Velvet explained. Here, we should expect direct interference either before or after the cycle of the tides of the world. Or alternatively, that is when we will have our opportunity to make some moves both to protect our lower realm brethren and to advance our own interests. But this is not about that subject. This is about Domination. And our studies have made it more clear that higher tier cultivation is inextricably tied to devotion.

Members around the room nodded, but if they had something to say they were waiting for Velvet to finish her introduction.

Devotion sped the path to Augmentation for most of us, and indeed it might have been a necessary component. It is logical that it should only be moreso for Domination. But while advancement of our cultivation is a concern for many here, a bigger concern is if we could even match those we have seen even if we were in Domination. Zaur Beridze and Ratna are the only Domination cultivators anyone in the Scarlet Midfields has witnessed, as far as we are aware. At least, those who survived to the current day. Assuming them to be of typical power raises some concerns about our ability, but assuming them to be exceptions in terms of power is a risk we cant afford to take.

Tauno nodded. Pushing to advance a Domination cultivator of our own might not be the solution, then. We might manage to force it at great expense but he shrugged.

We would have to know how to begin with, Velvet agreed. Mere cultivation of energy, time, and devotion seem unlikely to be the complete picture. There would be some level of insight that we cant guarantee is naturally gained or not. But importantly, we find ourselves concerned with the power of those in Domination. We already had high estimations, but they were far exceeded. So far, we have not met an Augmentation cultivator we could not defeat, often with a single cultivator of our own. So how then are Domination cultivators so much stronger?

I assume that you have the answer for us, Zazil replied. Her actions during the war had already been reviewed- and that she had confided in Prasad was greatly helpful to her case. The best way to convince her enemies that she changed sides was to fool her allies.

I have information to present, Velvet said. Whether it is an answer or merely speculation remains to be determined. Devotion. We know that it is vital, we can feel it flowing into us. But until recently, we had not been able to measure it. She waved her hand, and a three dimensional image appeared in front of her. Here is a map of devotion flowing within the Scarlet Alliance.

The map had clear hotspots for Xankeshan as well as the headquarters of every major sect. Between systems it was a relatively equally dense fog.

And then, here is a map showing connections between something in the Scarlet Alliance and the outside world. She brought up a second image, showing a much greater flow, dense sheets going east and west.

Alva frowned. Thats concerning. Does that mean?

Velvet shook her head. Im not implying that the Scarlet Alliance is full of disloyalty or anything like that. Actually, though these two images are similarly displayed, theyre not actually graphs of the same thing. Generally, the first one is positive devotion, and the other is negative devotion. This theory has been advanced previously, especially with regards to Everheart.

Vari furrowed her brow. Theres nothing in the second one flowing towards the Everheart system. Does that mean?

Maybe, Velvet said. I say this with the same certainty of any speculation that Everheart is dead. Though that is a valuable observation that brings us to one final view. Keep in mind the value of this third image is purely speculative and could have any number of explanations.

Another image popped up, using similar coloring. It looked quite similar to the first image, though the concentrations were somewhat less on major planets and the density extended further beyond the borders of the Scarlet Alliance.

This is the limit of our observations, Velvet noted, gesturing to the edge of the image. It can quite easily be presumed to continue. We intend to extend our observations as far as the borders, though the devices that can do so are limited in number.

So what does this one represent? Zazil asked.

Directionless devotion, Velvet replied. Especially, but not exclusively, the negative sort. And weve managed to verify that this is what happens to devotion directed towards Everheart.

Vari pondered. I remember it having directionality before?

Thats right. Which is another indication that Everheart is actually dead. Or, the safer theory that Everheart determined the flow of devotion was a weakness that could be used to pick him out and somehow made this happen. Relatedly, we cant determine what portion of this is misguided devotion in general and what would otherwise be directed towards him.

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Tauno sighed, I think its fair to recognize that that asshole is probably in Domination. But either way, what do we do about all of this?

We build our knowledge, Vari said. Here is the point that Ratna stopped chasing Zaur.

Thats the border, isnt it? Zazil pointed out. The practical one for the Exalted Quadrant, which is slightly different from their claims.

Tell me why she would have stopped chasing him there.

Well, it would be foolish to chase him into allied territory.

Velvet shook her head. If they had stayed and fought above Lonkeon, would we have been able to influence the battle with all of our remaining Augmentation cultivators? Now, it is possible that the Exalted Quadrant would have gathered forces at the border to assist Zaur, but unless there were a great many Augmentation cultivators I dont know if that would dissuade someone willing to chase the man several hundred lightyears. Why not follow him a bit further and smash up some of the Exalted Quadrant along the way?

Politics, Zazil said. Entering their territory might be an act of war.

According to previous information, even having Augmentation cultivators in the Scarlet Midfields is long forbidden. But of course, they might simply choose to ignore that when inconvenient. If they want to fight but avoid a proper war Velvet shrugged. Then it is what it is. But I have the feeling that levels of devotion would rise greatly around the border. Though optimally we would want to measure internally, and the fact that it is the border is something we cant ignore.

Im not sure if I follow the point of all this, Tauno said. Devotion makes people grow more quickly. Why should that matter?

Ah, I see I left out that bit of information. We have good reason to believe that Domination cultivators can use the energy of devotion more actively. That means in areas where they are surrounded by devotion they would be stronger.

Then Zaur Beridze would be completely unstoppable anywhere within the territory of the Exalted Quadrant, Zazil said. He was nearly unbeatable here.

And this is why we have a smaller audience today, Velvet said. Keep in mind this is merely one factor of Dominations power, but weve had people working on this for decades. Though this is speculation, it is very well informed. There is no reason to believe that Zaur Beridze is anything but an extremely powerful individual. But being away from his base of operations should have weakened him. Yet I refuse to believe he is invincible, especially since that might make it true.

Tauno nodded. I think I get where this is going. The negative devotion directed towards him locally gave him power.

Yes, Velvet said. And its most likely my fault.

How so? Tauno asked.

I was the one who reported about his presence. I believe my discovery of his presence was not entirely due to my own merits in stealth.

If he wanted devotion negative devotion, Zazil shrugged. Whatever it is, would it not have been better to reveal his presence at the beginning?

I dont think so, Velvet said.

Fear of the unknown is greater than fear of the known, Timothy said, speaking up for the first time in the whole exchange. That is why he did not join their forces in battle from the beginning. We could have grown used to his strength, or measured fluctuations perhaps. It might have made him stronger but perhaps he was able to make use of the general unease in the area?

Velvet nodded. There are indications he might have used anything directed for the Exalted Quadrant in general. Though of course, we werent specifically measuring these things at the time so some of our data is echoes of echoes.

Timothy frowned. So then, what is our purpose here? As more powerful cultivators, we might alone generate worrying amount of devotion.

Simple, Velvet said. Dont be afraid. I believe I can manage that. But if you want reasons that are backed up by something, then we should consult your wife. Catarina?

Thank you Velvet, Catarina said, moving to the front. The intelligence division has been critical to our future plans. As for what those are, first we reassure the populace. No doubt they will always have some amount of fear, but excessive amounts would be detrimental regardless of the viability of this plan. Here we come to the contributions of the formations teams. Were going to cut off his access to outside devotion. It should be much more stable than attempting to seal the power of a Domination cultivator directly. And yes, we have tested the ability to constrain devotion. It is merely another form of energy, if a bit more obscure. It can be accomplished at the right scale.

So we just bet on this formation if another one should show up? Prasad asked.

Of course not, Catarina replied. We have many formations and many powerful cultivators. And were looking into opportunities to confirm this theory through testing. Information on Domination is kept under wraps within the greater factions, but their behavior is consistent with the findings. Of course, it could also be that Domination cultivators tend to enjoy attention. Ultimately, this is just one of many avenues we are exploring to handle the threat of Domination cultivators.

Catarina glanced into the distance, generally towards the system she knew Chidi was training in. As his mother she couldnt discourage him from his attempts to improve, regardless of the risks that might be involved. And as a leader of the Scarlet Alliance, she had to be even more approving. After all, his idea might actually work. Hed consulted her on improvements to his internal formation markings, and she had seen his talents do extraordinary things before. But she could still be worried about the risks.

Domination cultivators would likely be a source of worries for them long into the future but that very worry might be their downfall. However, there was no threat impossible to overcome. If they had to promote their own Domination cultivator they would do their best to survive long enough to do so. Of course, there was always a small chance that they would not be ready when the time came. In that case, they could only perish. But in that case, Catarina had a few ideas she was happy to co-opt from Everhearts playbook.

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