Mage And Wolf
Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Chapter 100

I’ve been gone for too long. It’s great being back at the Pack, but I miss Arcana City. I wonder how things went during the week I was away?

I gather up all the ladies and we say our goodbyes after breakfast, loading into the Pack bus for the trip to Drakon.

A great change happened this morning, Hui’Jin awoke in a Junior Priestesses plain wool robes. She’s an actual full fledged Junior Priestess now, only days before her 12th birthday. I borrow Alpha Petros’s phone to call the base and have an advancement and birthday party arranged for the evening after our arrival.

Karl sounds stoked, congratulating her over and over. Lala and the twins are super excited for a reason to plan a party. They haven’t gotten to really be part of the planning so far, but this one is exactly their specialty.

They’ve been looking for an excuse lately to break up the monotony of an entire week of "boring paperwork and errands without any of your shenanigans" as they put it.

I knew I was the fun one. Take that Karl.

But on a serious note, everyone else is so busy with official duties that I feel like a bit of a slacker, playing evil cultivator for half a year, going on vacation, clearing dungeons all the time while everyone else is working hard at running city functions.

Now, that might have all happened this week in their perception, but not in mine.

As we travel in well fed silence, catching up on last night’s missed sleep and meditation, it occurs to me that something is off. The energy isn’t as sparse here as I remember. It doesn’t seem to be limiting me to Fortification Realm either.

"Sect Master Becky, how strongly is the limitation of this world affecting you?" I ask curiously. I now she’s well into the Immortal Realm, but I don’t know how bad the changed limit is.

"I’d say it’s cut my power by two thirds maybe? Definitely into the Mortal Realms" she says hesitantly. "There’s no restriction to the peak of Condensation, but I can force more past that point. Like pushing a cart up an increasingly steep hill."

"I’ll ask other Priestesses when we get to the city and see what they say. Maybe the change in this world is what caused the portal to start to collapse."

By the time we get to the city, everyone is ready to stretch their legs, chattering excitedly about the joys of automobile transport, moving as fast as a Condensation Realm cultivator runs without having to leave your chair is amazing to them.

They want to stop for snacks, but the Travel Gate is nearby.

"There’s good food on the other side too ladies" I inform them, taking a place in line.

"The sooner we get through the sooner you see your new home." That gets them moving into a double file line.

We’ve only been in line a few minutes when an attendant comes up with a servile smile on his face. "The High Priestess and her party may use the VIP access if you would like, Your Highness".

The line is moving at a steady pace, we will be at the front in less than 5 minutes, but why not.

"We thank you for your hospitality then." With the High River disciples and Hui’Jin our party is an even 30 members, so I grab 3 silver coins from my storage.

I drop them onto the counter when we’re escorted through a closed teller and the attendant at the next booth chuckles. I’m quite certain they didn’t intend to make a High Priestess pay for a city service, but I don’t like taking advantage of the system.

Traffic this time of day is almost entirely pedestrians, the merchants all set up already.

"Is this the usual traffic through the gate?" I ask the man willing beside me.

"No Highness. Saturday the open air market is set up in Arcana, so it’s a lot more busy than usual. Most days there has been very little lineup with most of the booths open." He bows deeply the entire time.

"Thank you God sir. Enjoy your Saturday."

So it’s been exactly a week? I don’t recall that much time passing on the other side. Another thing to consider later.

There’s no stopping the ladies from getting their snacks now, the exit to the tunnel faces a collection of food carts. I dig out coin to buy everyone lunch and we settle in on an open patch of grass a bit back of the courtyard.

Everyone is looking around in wonder. "What is this place?" Becky asks "The last city had huge buildings, but it looked like a city. This, it is something out of a daydream of the higher planes."

"Thank you Sect Master. That’s what we were going for when we designed it. This entire city has been built within the last half year, using almost entirely magic."

"Do you want to walk the city now, or tomorrow when we have a full day and get the formalities out of the way today?" I ask her.

"Either way, you’ll be staying near my suites tonight until I can arrange lodgings for the sect, and a means to make a living."

Lelou has found us, honing in on the bright fabric like the fashionista she is.

"Greetings High Priestess Lovely dress you have on. Fashion of another world? " she smiles "Are these the friends I was told to expect?"

"They are, and thank you. It was made by an Elder of the Shadowed Blade Sect in a world I visited while away. Sect Master Becky, meet High Priestess Kal’Elouet, servant of the God Of War and a Red Dragon herself."

Becky looks panicked, but manages a polite greeting.

"I came up with a proposition earlier this week that I think might work out well for your Sect, Mistress Becky. The underground is rapidly emptying, in favor of living within the city. We could set them up with their own floor, 3 is empty now, to use a a Sect compound."

The Forbidden Treasure Sect looks stunned. Almost to the point of fainting in fact.

"And what might the catch be?" Sect Master Becky asks, knowing that nothing in life is free.

"We have one city Dungeon, rife with mana stones. Monster Cores your world called them. We need it cleared daily, the process takes 4 people about 2 hours including cleanup. The dungeon belongs to the city, as does the contents, but you will be awarded ten percent of the cores as compensation."

"That’s roughly 8 grade 2 cores and 70 grade 1 cores a day as your cut" I clarify for her and her eyes go big.

"The rest of the stones and the meat of the boars goes to the city larder, but your lodging, including food and the magical amenities of the underground base are at your disposal, free of charge."

"We only got 5 cores each every month as cultivating materials" one of the High River Sect ladies complains.

"Us too" One of the Forbidden Treasure disciples notes. "Can we expect a raise Sect Master?"

"There are still clothes, pills, training materials and maintenance to consider ladies" Sect Master Becky says "But I think you might be able to go to 10 each every month."

"I’m glad you agree Sect Master. City rules forbid selling sexual services, to prevent issues with human trafficking." Lelou notes "But as dual cultivators, I won’t forbid you from accepting gifts, as long as you don’t require them of your partners."

"The cultivation alone is enough reward for most cultivators" Sect Master Becky agrees. "I was already told of your laws against using force and coercion."

"Glad that’s all cleared up. We’ll get you settled into the third floor then, and I’ll take you to the dungeon just after midnight when the contents reset" I tell her, leading the way to the underground entrance.

I stop the elevator to gather Lelou and the twins from the lounge, so I can introduce them to our new downstairs neighbors. The demi humans are a big hit with the girls, which is awesome, I was really worried they would carry the prejudice the humans I first met in their world did.

But who could hate something so cute?

The floors are meant to comfortably hold about 250 occupants each, so the 25 remaining members of the Forbidden Treasure Sect aren’t even enough to fill a wing.

"As long as the dungeon stays cleared, you’re free to seek any employment you want." I tell them.

"I have an idea" one of the disciples shouts, before covering her mouth to silence herself.

"Speak, there are no bad ideas, only impractical ones." I tell her.

"Well, I know we decided not to become a huge Sect again, so we don’t really need this much space. But what if we used the rest as a resort?"

Everyone looks at her intrigued.

"I mean, guys are into a lot of things, and a resort experience, with pools, lovely gardens, exotic food and beautiful, scantily clad women is popular pretty much everywhere?"

"We could pick cultivation partners from the guests" another suggests, making Lelou frown. "Not as a requirement or service. More like when the waitress at the bar wants to take you home, you see? Just as a convenience for the sect."

"We could redo one wing as resort amenities for you. Leaving about 100 rooms to the resort." Lelou says after thinking a while. "But if your activities become a social problem we will shut you down"

"Thank you High Priestess. Just one more question" Sect Master Becky adds "We can do every other service at a hotel, from cleaning to wait staff, musician and masseuse, but we will need High end chefs. No fancy resort is complete without an equivalent restaurant."

"We can hire you top ranked chefs from the Drakor Empire, that’s not a problem. And the city can get all the magical beast meat and ingredients they’ll need. It will cost a premium though. As much as a grade 1 mana stone each daily for the chefs."

Wow, quality chefs don’t come cheap. The equivalent of one thousand dollars, or a gold coin a day.

"We will need two. One for breakfast service one for dinner" Sect Master Becky states firmly.

"Find her 4" I insist "12 hour shifts, 4 days on, 4 days off cycle. That way they don’t burn out, and they still get 4 gold coins a week in compensation."

Lelou smiles. "I’m not sure even a high class chef on our world has seen such relaxing work terms. Usually one chef runs the kitchen the entire day."

"This city doesn’t really sleep though" I note. "Having food and drink service open every hour of the day will be vital to maintaining the luxury of the resort. The restaurant can do just breakfast and dinner seatings if they prefer to remain exclusive, but the resort will need food available any hour of the day."

"The food creation spells are good, but not able to do magical beast meats which cultivators prefer, and they’re the ones with the most money." Lelou agrees.

Much wrangling and design planning ensures, even bringing in the base architects. It’s decided one wing will remain as is, to be used as the Sect quarters.

Another will be renovated into 30 high class suites, a third will be nothing but amenities and an artificial pond with beach.

The central area that currently houses the common areas will be divided, the resort areas separated and sound proofed away from a high end lounge and steakhouse, but with a separate access to a private dining room in the restaurant reserved for resort patrons. Experienced servers, all Bunnies and Fox girls, are hired for the restaurant from the available employee list in the base job bank.

They’re slowly taking over the service industry just by being adorable.

So is born The Forbidden Treasure Resort and Fine Dining Restaurant. A name that will rapidly become synonymous with gentlemen living a luxury lifestyle in the city, with wait lists extending to months at a time.