Chapter 122
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Chapter 122
Nobody was entirely willing to relax until they were several days from the border and in more populated areas. At that point, only the most suicidal of cultivators would be willing to make any attempt on their lives. Anton still kept the services of the mercenaries until the end of the week just in case. It was only money for peace of mind, and he couldnt use money to buy that back if something happened.
Then it was time to settle all of his debts. Anton shook his head at the exceedingly large amount of money that had been flowing through his hands since he became a cultivator. Even in terms of productivity it made some amount of sense, but he had been ignorant of how much wealth disparity there could be between people. Instead of finding rumors about cultivators being exaggerated they had almost been undersold.
Ayotunde, Ross, Lera, and Elisa were paid partly with shares of loot from the mercenaries who attacked them. It was a not insignificant amount of money, but only two of them had enchanted bags of any sort. Though there was some appeal to carrying the entirety of ones wealth on them, most cultivators actually didnt do that. That was even true of Anton- some of his payment was drawing on bank accounts set up through the Order.
Kohar had been paid in an ongoing manner during her legal work, including expenses incurred for legal fees, most of which were bribes to make the process not take years or decades. Though theyd managed to legally emancipate a large number of people and force the Iron Ring Slavers to pay huge penalties, those penalties had ironically mostly gone towards the slave owners and not those wrongfully enslaved. Only small amounts were actually awarded to people insufficient to even begin to cover the wrongs committed- if money could cover such wrongs. Anton had set aside more funds to help set people up. Nearly everyone was planning to move to Windrip, where the first wave of freed slaves mostly resided. They had the option to go elsewhere, but most preferred to return to some sense of the former community theyd possessed.
It wasnt possible for Anton to forget his friends from the Order. If he were to pay them mercenary rates for the entire duration of their efforts, he would bankrupt himself. They werent unwilling to help, but he made sure that the rest of the profits from sale of looted weapons and armor would go to them. If he ended up with just pennies to his name he didnt care. He could just work for more.
He did have one more expense he had to pocket, but it was perhaps one of the most important. He wanted to throw a giant celebration. Enough mourning had taken place to last the entirety of everyones lives, but a celebration of those who still lived and were now free once more was absolutely critical. It would symbolize the end of the first step of making things right. Anton planned to clear his mind of thoughts of the rest. Revenge would be found and he still had to confirm if Annelie was able to be happy, but such a momentous success could not go uncelebrated.
-----
The previous group in Windrip had been anticipating the arrival of more kindred spirits, freed slaves whether they were from Dungannon or elsewhere. There was enough room for everyone to settle in, though it wouldnt be comfortable long term. For the first week nobody would be spending time in their quarters anyway as everyone was busy with festival preparations.
Though they were under no obligation to help, Ayotunde and the other mercenaries were instrumental in transporting goods from the nearby city of Stregate and helping to set up temporary pavilions for the celebrations. There were even a few more permanent structures flung together like they were nothing. When Ayotunde could support the frame of one wall of a building by himself and they had dozens of other cultivators more than a single stage into Body Tempering, labor was quick.
Every person who was even vaguely a chef from the little cultivation haven in Windrip was involved in cooking, and even more people from the town itself and the nearby Stregate. Stew cooked for days, and tables were laden with pies, roasts, and dishes of every sort.
Despite the accelerated timeline for planning, the concerted efforts of everyone made everything work, even if it was a bit early in the year for the sort of celebration they were having. Spring crops had barely begun being planted, but the abundance of willing hands brought everything together in a timely manner.
Ayotunde also lent his powerful body to the cause. Anton could see he was no stranger to such work, but he was missing decades of experience if he wanted to keep up with Anton himself. You worked as a farmer? Anton asked.
For a while, Ayotunde admitted. I was not too fond of it, but Western Steel Body understand that working the body is just as important as circulating energy.
Id like to hear more about it, if its not secret. My body is a bit lacking especially at the current moment. The cultivation method of the Ninety-Nine Stars didnt do anything in the way of cultivating the body in the first half of Spirit Building. While having completed the first ten stars would make a cultivators body sufficiently powerful, Antons use of Candle Wax had let his age catch up, and the first thing it hit was his body. He was able to compensate with energy and he wasnt weak, but he didnt feel like someone whod cultivated his body so much either. He also sort of wanted to use that bone bow still, but that was looking even more unlikely with his current bodily power.
There are many secrets I cannot share, Ayotunde admitted, But I still have things I can share that should help an old man like yourself.
I will do my best to respond in kind, Anton nodded. He was getting more experience studying other cultivation techniques from working with Devon and Kohar. While he couldnt alter their fundamental natures at his current level of experience, he still saw certain patterns that could be adjusted to better suit specific needs.
-----
It was Antons desire to settle all of his family in Windrip, or possibly in Carran with Catarinas family. He wouldnt even mind if they wanted to stay in Edelhull or some other big city. He had more than a handful of adult descendants who were happy to choose a peaceful life. Anton knew he wouldnt be able to spend as much time with them as he wanted, but he didnt need to control their lives anyway. His great-grandchildren werent all able to be reunited with their parents, but in turn some parents had lost children. Everyone found new homes, and everything was basically as good as could be, given the circumstances.
Given his lingering injuries Devon settling down to live a quiet life would have been quite sensible, but Anton hadnt really expected that. Devon was still intent to grow stronger in cultivation, and joining the Order was the best way to accomplish that. While the Ninety-Nine Stars was the primary cultivation method and usually superior to other choices, it wasnt impossible for a cultivator to keep their old technique and be an official member. Devon had chosen to do so, though he intended to continue working with Anton to improve the basic method hed grown accustomed to.
All of that was fine. The one thing that Anton didnt want was to have a great-granddaughter not even in her teenage years declare she wanted to be just like him. Alva didnt simply mean a cultivator, but she wanted to be a fighting cultivator. No matter how many times Anton explained that he would have preferred to live a peaceful life, she wouldnt listen. It didnt help that she was almost inseparable from Fuzz and that Catarina encouraged her decision.
For that, Catarina was the one who had to keep Alva in her home. Their courtyards merely had a single wall separating them, but he thought it would be better for Alva. He would still do his best to help raise her, but he was quite worried about that. Even if she had already completed the first star, cultivating too quickly at a young age could damage her. Anton paid very careful attention so that she would not harm herself, but he couldnt be around all the time. That was as both a cultivation instructor and as a surrogate parent. He also couldnt just bring her along with him, because she was exactly the kind to throw herself into danger when it appeared instead of staying somewhere safe. Her injuries in the battle hadnt dissuaded her from that at all.
Anton sighed. Why did his descendants have to be so willful and difficult?
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Chapter 122
Nobody was entirely willing to relax until they were several days from the border and in more populated areas. At that point, only the most suicidal of cultivators would be willing to make any attempt on their lives. Anton still kept the services of the mercenaries until the end of the week just in case. It was only money for peace of mind, and he couldnt use money to buy that back if something happened.
Then it was time to settle all of his debts. Anton shook his head at the exceedingly large amount of money that had been flowing through his hands since he became a cultivator. Even in terms of productivity it made some amount of sense, but he had been ignorant of how much wealth disparity there could be between people. Instead of finding rumors about cultivators being exaggerated they had almost been undersold.
Ayotunde, Ross, Lera, and Elisa were paid partly with shares of loot from the mercenaries who attacked them. It was a not insignificant amount of money, but only two of them had enchanted bags of any sort. Though there was some appeal to carrying the entirety of ones wealth on them, most cultivators actually didnt do that. That was even true of Anton- some of his payment was drawing on bank accounts set up through the Order.
Kohar had been paid in an ongoing manner during her legal work, including expenses incurred for legal fees, most of which were bribes to make the process not take years or decades. Though theyd managed to legally emancipate a large number of people and force the Iron Ring Slavers to pay huge penalties, those penalties had ironically mostly gone towards the slave owners and not those wrongfully enslaved. Only small amounts were actually awarded to people insufficient to even begin to cover the wrongs committed- if money could cover such wrongs. Anton had set aside more funds to help set people up. Nearly everyone was planning to move to Windrip, where the first wave of freed slaves mostly resided. They had the option to go elsewhere, but most preferred to return to some sense of the former community theyd possessed.
It wasnt possible for Anton to forget his friends from the Order. If he were to pay them mercenary rates for the entire duration of their efforts, he would bankrupt himself. They werent unwilling to help, but he made sure that the rest of the profits from sale of looted weapons and armor would go to them. If he ended up with just pennies to his name he didnt care. He could just work for more.
He did have one more expense he had to pocket, but it was perhaps one of the most important. He wanted to throw a giant celebration. Enough mourning had taken place to last the entirety of everyones lives, but a celebration of those who still lived and were now free once more was absolutely critical. It would symbolize the end of the first step of making things right. Anton planned to clear his mind of thoughts of the rest. Revenge would be found and he still had to confirm if Annelie was able to be happy, but such a momentous success could not go uncelebrated.
-----
The previous group in Windrip had been anticipating the arrival of more kindred spirits, freed slaves whether they were from Dungannon or elsewhere. There was enough room for everyone to settle in, though it wouldnt be comfortable long term. For the first week nobody would be spending time in their quarters anyway as everyone was busy with festival preparations.
Though they were under no obligation to help, Ayotunde and the other mercenaries were instrumental in transporting goods from the nearby city of Stregate and helping to set up temporary pavilions for the celebrations. There were even a few more permanent structures flung together like they were nothing. When Ayotunde could support the frame of one wall of a building by himself and they had dozens of other cultivators more than a single stage into Body Tempering, labor was quick.
Every person who was even vaguely a chef from the little cultivation haven in Windrip was involved in cooking, and even more people from the town itself and the nearby Stregate. Stew cooked for days, and tables were laden with pies, roasts, and dishes of every sort.
Despite the accelerated timeline for planning, the concerted efforts of everyone made everything work, even if it was a bit early in the year for the sort of celebration they were having. Spring crops had barely begun being planted, but the abundance of willing hands brought everything together in a timely manner.
Ayotunde also lent his powerful body to the cause. Anton could see he was no stranger to such work, but he was missing decades of experience if he wanted to keep up with Anton himself. You worked as a farmer? Anton asked.
For a while, Ayotunde admitted. I was not too fond of it, but Western Steel Body understand that working the body is just as important as circulating energy.
Id like to hear more about it, if its not secret. My body is a bit lacking especially at the current moment. The cultivation method of the Ninety-Nine Stars didnt do anything in the way of cultivating the body in the first half of Spirit Building. While having completed the first ten stars would make a cultivators body sufficiently powerful, Antons use of Candle Wax had let his age catch up, and the first thing it hit was his body. He was able to compensate with energy and he wasnt weak, but he didnt feel like someone whod cultivated his body so much either. He also sort of wanted to use that bone bow still, but that was looking even more unlikely with his current bodily power.
There are many secrets I cannot share, Ayotunde admitted, But I still have things I can share that should help an old man like yourself.
I will do my best to respond in kind, Anton nodded. He was getting more experience studying other cultivation techniques from working with Devon and Kohar. While he couldnt alter their fundamental natures at his current level of experience, he still saw certain patterns that could be adjusted to better suit specific needs.
-----
It was Antons desire to settle all of his family in Windrip, or possibly in Carran with Catarinas family. He wouldnt even mind if they wanted to stay in Edelhull or some other big city. He had more than a handful of adult descendants who were happy to choose a peaceful life. Anton knew he wouldnt be able to spend as much time with them as he wanted, but he didnt need to control their lives anyway. His great-grandchildren werent all able to be reunited with their parents, but in turn some parents had lost children. Everyone found new homes, and everything was basically as good as could be, given the circumstances.
Given his lingering injuries Devon settling down to live a quiet life would have been quite sensible, but Anton hadnt really expected that. Devon was still intent to grow stronger in cultivation, and joining the Order was the best way to accomplish that. While the Ninety-Nine Stars was the primary cultivation method and usually superior to other choices, it wasnt impossible for a cultivator to keep their old technique and be an official member. Devon had chosen to do so, though he intended to continue working with Anton to improve the basic method hed grown accustomed to.
All of that was fine. The one thing that Anton didnt want was to have a great-granddaughter not even in her teenage years declare she wanted to be just like him. Alva didnt simply mean a cultivator, but she wanted to be a fighting cultivator. No matter how many times Anton explained that he would have preferred to live a peaceful life, she wouldnt listen. It didnt help that she was almost inseparable from Fuzz and that Catarina encouraged her decision.
For that, Catarina was the one who had to keep Alva in her home. Their courtyards merely had a single wall separating them, but he thought it would be better for Alva. He would still do his best to help raise her, but he was quite worried about that. Even if she had already completed the first star, cultivating too quickly at a young age could damage her. Anton paid very careful attention so that she would not harm herself, but he couldnt be around all the time. That was as both a cultivation instructor and as a surrogate parent. He also couldnt just bring her along with him, because she was exactly the kind to throw herself into danger when it appeared instead of staying somewhere safe. Her injuries in the battle hadnt dissuaded her from that at all.
Anton sighed. Why did his descendants have to be so willful and difficult?
Chapter 122Nobody was entirely willing to relax until they were several days from the border and in more populated areas. At that point, only the most suicidal of cultivators would be willing to make any attempt on their lives. Anton still kept the services of the mercenaries until the end of the week just in case. It was only money for peace of mind, and he couldnt use money to buy that back if something happened.Then it was time to settle all of his debts. Anton shook his head at the exceedingly large amount of money that had been flowing through his hands since he became a cultivator. Even in terms of productivity it made some amount of sense, but he had been ignorant of how much wealth disparity there could be between people. Instead of finding rumors about cultivators being exaggerated they had almost been undersold.Ayotunde, Ross, Lera, and Elisa were paid partly with shares of loot from the mercenaries who attacked them. It was a not insignificant amount of money, but only two of them had enchanted bags of any sort. Though there was some appeal to carrying the entirety of ones wealth on them, most cultivators actually didnt do that. That was even true of Anton- some of his payment was drawing on bank accounts set up through the Order. Kohar had been paid in an ongoing manner during her legal work, including expenses incurred for legal fees, most of which were bribes to make the process not take years or decades. Though theyd managed to legally emancipate a large number of people and force the Iron Ring Slavers to pay huge penalties, those penalties had ironically mostly gone towards the slave owners and not those wrongfully enslaved. Only small amounts were actually awarded to people insufficient to even begin to cover the wrongs committed- if money could cover such wrongs. Anton had set aside more funds to help set people up. Nearly everyone was planning to move to Windrip, where the first wave of freed slaves mostly resided. They had the option to go elsewhere, but most preferred to return to some sense of the former community theyd possessed.It wasnt possible for Anton to forget his friends from the Order. If he were to pay them mercenary rates for the entire duration of their efforts, he would bankrupt himself. They werent unwilling to help, but he made sure that the rest of the profits from sale of looted weapons and armor would go to them. If he ended up with just pennies to his name he didnt care. He could just work for more. He did have one more expense he had to pocket, but it was perhaps one of the most important. He wanted to throw a giant celebration. Enough mourning had taken place to last the entirety of everyones lives, but a celebration of those who still lived and were now free once more was absolutely critical. It would symbolize the end of the first step of making things right. Anton planned to clear his mind of thoughts of the rest. Revenge would be found and he still had to confirm if Annelie was able to be happy, but such a momentous success could not go uncelebrated.-----The previous group in Windrip had been anticipating the arrival of more kindred spirits, freed slaves whether they were from Dungannon or elsewhere. There was enough room for everyone to settle in, though it wouldnt be comfortable long term. For the first week nobody would be spending time in their quarters anyway as everyone was busy with festival preparations. Though they were under no obligation to help, Ayotunde and the other mercenaries were instrumental in transporting goods from the nearby city of Stregate and helping to set up temporary pavilions for the celebrations. There were even a few more permanent structures flung together like they were nothing. When Ayotunde could support the frame of one wall of a building by himself and they had dozens of other cultivators more than a single stage into Body Tempering, labor was quick. Every person who was even vaguely a chef from the little cultivation haven in Windrip was involved in cooking, and even more people from the town itself and the nearby Stregate. Stew cooked for days, and tables were laden with pies, roasts, and dishes of every sort. Despite the accelerated timeline for planning, the concerted efforts of everyone made everything work, even if it was a bit early in the year for the sort of celebration they were having. Spring crops had barely begun being planted, but the abundance of willing hands brought everything together in a timely manner.Ayotunde also lent his powerful body to the cause. Anton could see he was no stranger to such work, but he was missing decades of experience if he wanted to keep up with Anton himself. You worked as a farmer? Anton asked.For a while, Ayotunde admitted. I was not too fond of it, but Western Steel Body understand that working the body is just as important as circulating energy.Id like to hear more about it, if its not secret. My body is a bit lacking especially at the current moment. The cultivation method of the Ninety-Nine Stars didnt do anything in the way of cultivating the body in the first half of Spirit Building. While having completed the first ten stars would make a cultivators body sufficiently powerful, Antons use of Candle Wax had let his age catch up, and the first thing it hit was his body. He was able to compensate with energy and he wasnt weak, but he didnt feel like someone whod cultivated his body so much either. He also sort of wanted to use that bone bow still, but that was looking even more unlikely with his current bodily power.There are many secrets I cannot share, Ayotunde admitted, But I still have things I can share that should help an old man like yourself.I will do my best to respond in kind, Anton nodded. He was getting more experience studying other cultivation techniques from working with Devon and Kohar. While he couldnt alter their fundamental natures at his current level of experience, he still saw certain patterns that could be adjusted to better suit specific needs.-----It was Antons desire to settle all of his family in Windrip, or possibly in Carran with Catarinas family. He wouldnt even mind if they wanted to stay in Edelhull or some other big city. He had more than a handful of adult descendants who were happy to choose a peaceful life. Anton knew he wouldnt be able to spend as much time with them as he wanted, but he didnt need to control their lives anyway. His great-grandchildren werent all able to be reunited with their parents, but in turn some parents had lost children. Everyone found new homes, and everything was basically as good as could be, given the circumstances. Given his lingering injuries Devon settling down to live a quiet life would have been quite sensible, but Anton hadnt really expected that. Devon was still intent to grow stronger in cultivation, and joining the Order was the best way to accomplish that. While the Ninety-Nine Stars was the primary cultivation method and usually superior to other choices, it wasnt impossible for a cultivator to keep their old technique and be an official member. Devon had chosen to do so, though he intended to continue working with Anton to improve the basic method hed grown accustomed to.All of that was fine. The one thing that Anton didnt want was to have a great-granddaughter not even in her teenage years declare she wanted to be just like him. Alva didnt simply mean a cultivator, but she wanted to be a fighting cultivator. No matter how many times Anton explained that he would have preferred to live a peaceful life, she wouldnt listen. It didnt help that she was almost inseparable from Fuzz and that Catarina encouraged her decision.For that, Catarina was the one who had to keep Alva in her home. Their courtyards merely had a single wall separating them, but he thought it would be better for Alva. He would still do his best to help raise her, but he was quite worried about that. Even if she had already completed the first star, cultivating too quickly at a young age could damage her. Anton paid very careful attention so that she would not harm herself, but he couldnt be around all the time. That was as both a cultivation instructor and as a surrogate parent. He also couldnt just bring her along with him, because she was exactly the kind to throw herself into danger when it appeared instead of staying somewhere safe. Her injuries in the battle hadnt dissuaded her from that at all.Anton sighed. Why did his descendants have to be so willful and difficult?
