The transformation was instantaneous— from the bitter chill of the outdoors to an almost balmy warmth, from bustling streets to a placid lobby filled with a bunch of people moving around from various wings, carrying boxes or folders or just walking, their every step purposeful. A long line of desks filled one end of the hall, each of them marked with the characters for assessment overtop them and manned by a receptionist.

The receptionist of the desk they headed towards gulped in faint fear as they approached, her eyes locked onto Avyr as he slunk behind her. “H-hello, and welcome to the Association! Are you here to sell, or seek an expert opinion? We’re—” she stuttered to a pause as Avyr finally came to a stop right in front of her, not more than a foot or two away— pretty much at head height for her, given she was sitting down. “We’re the premier purveyors of fine goods for cultivators in the city. We even have connections to the other Associations, if we can’t satisfy your needs.” She started to grow slightly more confident as Avyr didn’t immediately try to eat her, her voice transforming into the smooth cant of a well-trained saleswoman. “Perhaps you would be interested in some of our products? I have a catalog here, though refined cultivators such as you no doubt understand exactly what you need. Perhaps a qi gathering pill, to help with a breakthrough? Or a bloodline-enhancing dan for you beast here?”

Lily glanced over at Avyr, barely managing to restrain her amused smirk. “Well, what do you think? Want a bloodline-enhancing dan?”

Avyr hissed in good-natured annoyance… though the annoyance was clearly pretty heavy. “My bloodline is perfectly mortal, and you know that.” The receptionist flinched back with an audible eep, wide-eyed glancing between her and Avyr with an almost frantic reassessment of her assumptions.

It was almost funny, watching her panic like that. With the way he was looking so smug, she was pretty sure Avyr was enjoying his comeuppance too… “I, of— honored customers— I apologize for the misconception— the Association extends its warm welcome to the both of you. Are you searching for anything in particular?”

“We wanted to know some information about the Dragonspine Mountains. Location information, for the most part.”

“I’m… not authorized to sell information relating to any cultivation treasures, natural wonders, or harvesting locations. Those are, unfortunately, limited by regulation to only the members of the Explorers branch of the Association.”

“Well, it’s good that I’m not asking for any of those. I just want to know the location of a mountain with high yang energy.”

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“Planning on searching for Fire Eating Grass, or Scourberries?” Lily neither confirmed nor denied the receptionist’s guesses. “I suppose… I don’t think it would be against regulation to sell you that sort of information, but it is going to be a sale. And you’ll have to wait here— I’m going to need to speak to one of my superiors.” She gave them a brief bow and a rather strained smile, then darted away into the back, leaving them alone.

Avyr huffed softly, glancing her way. “That was… interesting, certainly. I don’t think I’ve ever been mistaken as a spirit beast before.”

“Don’t you technically count, though? In the most exacting of senses, you’re an animal that’s managed to advance along the path of cultivation.”

“Under those definitions, you’d also be a spirit beast.”

“Nope.” She popped the p, smiling smugly. “I haven’t cultivated yet, so I can’t be a spirit beast.”

“Just a beast, then.”

She pouted. “Yeah yeah, fine…” they bantered a little longer, until— after a while, the receptionist returned alongside a far more noble-looking elder. She wasn’t sure if he was just affecting the style to look better, or if he actually believed he held that sort of position, but he looked like what she’d imagine a manager of a cultivator’s association would— voluminous robes, a long white beard, a stern expression… the only thing that broke the illusion was the dataslate he was carrying in his hands instead of, she didn’t know, a supreme cultivation scroll or something. That’s what she’d have expected an elderly cultivator to have.

“Customers, young lady and… cat.” He gave a brief nod to both of them— not so deferential as to imply any sort of subservience, but still polite. “Junior Member Lin here informed me of your interesting request. Typically we don’t deal in the information trade— understand, this is entirely for the best. Our members are trained in both wilderness survival and conservation techniques, to protect the mountains they harvest from. The other Associations are much the same. However…” for a brief moment, he let his cultivation level show— not pressuring them, but merely suffusing the whole world abounding around, a heavy presence of self. Late Foundation Establishment, she was certain. “Perhaps we could make a compromise. Follow me.”

So she followed him. What else was she to do? Try her luck with one of the other associations? Junior Member Lin had already made it plenty clear that they all had communication between one another— and if they had Foundation Establishment members, they clearly weren’t a faction to scoff at. Even in East Saffron, the capital of cultivator power on Ca Cao, Foundation Establishment cultivators were the very cream of the crop. Out here? They might very well be the overlords of Chongtian.