Demon beast manure turned out not to be nearly as useful as I had hoped.

After a week of experimentation, I had no idea how it could possibly be useful in herbalism. When I looked at it in qi vision, all I could see was a large pile of toxic energy. Herbalists must have some way to utilize energies that alchemists couldn’t, or maybe just energies that I couldn’t. Either way, my research into manure ended only shortly after it began.

Over the next couple of months, the factory began producing new types of pills, and my karmic energy reserves were swiftly reaching the point where I would feel comfortable making my next breakthrough. However, even though I would have sufficient karmic energy, I would still need to delay this breakthrough because I didn’t have enough qi. I had used too much during my alchemical pursuits.

So, I set alchemy aside for a time, buckled down, and got to work filling my core with qi.

With the help of the City Lord’s Complex’s Qi Gathering Formation, I amassed the energy I needed in only a few weeks. However, before I could break through, my seclusion was interrupted.

It was time for the selection of the new Thunder Groom, and I had promised Minister Jin that I would be in attendance.

The night before the Groom Selection, all the current and former Rulers of the kingdom gathered atop the mountain at the center of Hundred Flower City for a quaint ball.

I delayed my arrival so that the hall would already be full when I arrived. Then, when I did enter, I did my best to remain unobtrusive and slip in unnoticed. I was extremely uncomfortable in this type of gathering, so I just wanted to be in and out with as little fuss as possible.

The hall was arranged in the pattern of the Eight Flower Kingdom, with a black and blue area for North Lake City at the far end. So, I had to cross the entire room while deftly avoiding anyone who wanted to approach me for a conversation.

When I reached my designated area of the hall without incident, I breathed a sigh of relief.

However, my relief was quickly cut short when a handsome man dressed in fancy dark blue robes approached me. “Lord Su, you’ve come! Excellent. I expected you to only send your Flower again.”

I looked at the man and was surprised to recognize him. “Lord Situ, a pleasure to see you here. I didn’t realize you were a former Water Groom, though maybe I should have.”

He chuckled lightly. “I was your immediate predecessor. I did my best for the city, but I’ve been amazed at what you have accomplished in only a couple of years. With any luck, you’ll be able to advance much further than I did.”

I dipped my head to him. “Thank you for your praise, but I must credit everything to my excellent ministers. Without them, I’m sure the city would have been in shambles by now.”

Lord Situ tapped his temple knowingly. “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. Delegating matters to your ministers and only focusing on implementing your most important policies is the correct course of action. You have done your job admirably, and your Flower has done an excellent job of implementing your vision.”

I nodded in acceptance. “Lord Situ, it has been quite some time since we discussed business matters. I trust things have been prosperous on your end. Have you managed to scale up production recently?”

“Lord Su… Yes, we have, but this is not the proper place for such discussions. I hope you understand.”

This comment destroyed the budding eagerness I had begun to feel for this event. If business could not be conducted here, then what was the point?

I made a little more small talk with the Herb Lord, then excused myself. I wandered to a far corner of my section and just stood there to observe the festivities. Since I wasn’t paying too much attention, I was surprised when Mei approached and grabbed my elbow.

“We have an audience with the queen,” she said in a quiet, rushed voice. “Don’t worry too much. Just act natural. She wants to thank you for the improvements to the kingdom. She may make an offer of some kind, but you should be hesitant about accepting it. Don’t outright reject it, but consider it carefully before moving forward.”

Mei hauled me by the elbow to the center of the ballroom where the Eight Flower Queen was waiting for us. She was dressed in a bright yellow robe that had been embroidered with teal dragons and red flowers. While her body retained the same ageless quality of all cultivators who had yet to enter stagnation, her face was stern, and her hair was done up in an ornate, silver-encrusted bun that gave her the aura of someone far older than her youthful appearance would suggest.

When we arrived in front of her, we both gave deep bows, but we did not speak.

“Lord Su, nice to meet you. Flower Mei, a pleasure as always.” The queen’s face was impassive, and her voice seemed devoid of emotion.

Mei gave her a pleasant smile. “Queen Duge, it is my honor.”

“Queen Duge,” I acknowledged.

“Lord Su, the Nutrition Pills from your domain have been a boon to this kingdom. Not only have they improved the lives of our people, but they have also provided a welcome increase in tax revenue. I thank you as both a queen and as a cultivator.”

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

“You are welcome,” I said, giving her a slight bow. I wasn’t sure what else to say in this situation.

“Lord Su, are you aware of my background?”

“No, Queen Duge. I have not had time to study the other Rulers of the kingdom thoroughly.”

“Then you may be surprised to know that my family is not of this kingdom. Since you were not at the Queen Selection”–her eyebrow raised, and she gave me a meaningful glance–“you may not know that I was allowed to hold this position as part of an exchange between the Eight Flower Kingdom and the neighboring Brilliant Sun Empire. It was your own Flower Mei who was the most vocal in support of this arrangement.”

I didn’t care too much about why she was chosen, but why was Mei involved in any of this? Was her blessing trying to open a path for me to enter the empire?

I needed to see where this might lead. “Oh? Are you from one of the major clans in the Brilliant Sun Empire, then?”

“It depends on how you look at it. My Duge Clan is a branch of the imperial Du Clan. We rule a small kingdom, but we are not held in particularly high esteem by the current Emperor.” She spoke about this dismissively. “The exchange that brought me here was to allow me to learn from this kingdom and bring new ideas back to my own. At the end of my eleven-year rule, I will be returning home, and a young lady from Eight Flower who is spending time in my kingdom will return here to marry the new King.”

“I see. I hope that this exchange will benefit both kingdoms.”

“I believe it already has.” Her impassive face shifted into a smile. “Lord Su, your term will end shortly before my own. When I step down, I would like you to consider venturing to the Brilliant Sun Empire with me. We would be exceptionally pleased if you could build a pill factory for us as you have in North Lake.”

That was the ask that I had been expecting. However, while I did want to build a factory in Brilliant Sun, this wasn’t the way to do it. Such a factory would be looked on favorably by the empire’s Rulers, but if I built it, then the Duge Clan would almost certainly sideline me before my involvement was known to the Du Clan.

“Queen Duge, I don’t believe that this is within my powers. I have sworn Oaths with the Hu Clan. I cannot share any information about formations, not even the ones I helped design. They have complete autonomy in this matter, though, so they will be able to provide you with any assistance you may require.”

The corners of the queen’s mouth dropped slightly. “I see. So, you will not help me?”

“Your majesty, this is beyond my power. I am bound by strict Oaths which prevent me from sharing the relevant information. This matter must pass through the Hu Clan.” I paused briefly, trying to remember Mei’s advice. “I can help facilitate a meeting with them, if you wish.”

“Thank you for your candor.” Queen Duge’s demeanor turned downright frosty. “Please, enjoy the festivities.”

Mei pulled my arm and led me away.

The next day, I met Mei in our private box to watch the selection of the Thunder Groom. The focus of the questioning centered around feng shui and how to build proper residences. I tuned it all out and spent my time thinking about how I would proceed with my cultivation. I was at the peak of Martial Lord 2, and as soon as I returned to North Lake City, I would enter seclusion for my breakthrough.

During the competition, I only noticed Mei glance at me a single time. She didn’t say anything, and her eyes quickly darted back to the stage. Internally, I was shaking my head. I had no understanding of how to deal with this situation. Her blessing had too firm a grip on her, and trying to talk with her would be pointless.

When the competition finally ended, I didn’t pay any attention to who was chosen. My focus was entirely on advancing my cultivation base so that I could return to my work with alchemy.

My ascension to Martial Lord 3 was extremely smooth, and since I had an abundance of karmic energy, I didn’t need to deplete my small supply of spirit stones this time. With my newly advanced cultivation base, I wanted to see how I could advance as an alchemist, but Minister Lu requested an urgent meeting, and I was required to attend.

I expected a small meeting between the minister, myself, and maybe one or two others, but instead, it was a gathering of my entire council, Mei, her Seeds, and a couple of the Hu Clan’s representatives.

Minister Lu was the first to speak. “Lord Su, the pill factory has encountered a problem, and we are having a hard time solving it.”

I gestured to her to continue.

“It’s the herbs for the Nutrition Pills. The production lines consume them at a prodigious rate, and we require constant deliveries to keep the factory working at full capacity. Because–” The minister hesitated. “Due to recent events… Many of our suppliers have decided to end their cooperation with us. If this continues, it will severely limit the number of pills we can produce.”

I furrowed my brow. “Isn’t the needed herb cheap and common? Can we buy them from elsewhere?”

“Lord Su, the necessary herb is the seed pod of a common weed. The weed grows nearly everywhere in the kingdom, and when it’s ripe, someone just needs to pluck it. However, these weeds are scattered across the entire kingdom, and we need strong supply channels to gather them for us. Our current suppliers are refusing to work with us, and they will likely block us from approaching anyone else.”

I could feel that Minister Lu wanted me to ask a question here, so I obliged. “How can we solve this problem?”

“The… pressure that we are facing should be limited to suppliers from either this kingdom or the Brilliant Sun Empire. In the short term, we can begin trying to source them from other kingdoms. It will raise our costs, but this will have a negligible effect on our returns. Relying on supplies from other kingdoms and empires is not sustainable in the long run, though.”

“What do you suggest?”

“We need a farm–several farms, actually–to focus on the production of the seed pods. We need growing formations to speed everything up, high-quality roads to transport materials, enforcers to make sure everything runs smoothly, and countless other things. Only by providing the ingredients ourselves will we no longer be tied to the whims of our suppliers.”

I considered the idea, and it was something that would need to happen eventually anyway. “How are we going to pay for this? As you know, I cannot fund it personally.”

“Lord Su, the factory makes sufficient profits to fund such projects by itself. Putting everything in place might temporarily stretch the budget slightly, but we should be able to handle this with only a slight increase in the price of pills.”

I waved this away. “You are the minister in charge of these things. Do what you think is best.”

“Thank you, Lord Su.” Then, she stepped back into line with the other ministers.

“You have all heard the proposal on the table,” I said, addressing the room. “I would like everyone’s input on this and suggestions for improvements.”

This began a long-winded debate amongst the various members of my council. Everyone could agree on the broad strokes, but countless small details touched upon other interests.

I only listened for a short time before tuning out the discussion and only listening for my name. Mei seemed more than willing to control the discussion in my absence.

Creating this farm was necessary, and understanding the process would be beneficial to my plans, but worrying about the details was a distraction. I wanted to return to my workshop and focus on more important tasks.