Entering the valley which Boreal Night Hall was contained in, Aki had to again realize that he was truly in a magical world. From the outside it did not look too unusual, but upon passing through the boundaries of the formations surrounding the edge of the valley, the pleasant summer sunshine instantly disappeared, replaced by the gloom of a wintery night. It was not pitch dark however, for the night was lit by an aurora borealis which hovered high above the valley’s central lake, dancing around as it was reflected on its surface.

Aki had read that Boreal Night Hall was kept alit by the light of a captured aurora, but reading about it and seeing it in reality were two very different reactions. Despite having lived quite far up north, Aki had not actually ever properly seen an aurora before. Of course, he had always planned on eventually getting to it, but sadly his time on earth was cut a bit short. Now however, seeing the sight made him gasp with childish wonder for quite a bit before he remembered himself.

An endless night lit by a stolen aurora... It is quite the romantic setting. Whoever set this up originally clearly had a nice sense of aesthetics, I can approve. The way the dancing lights are reflected on the mirror-smooth lake... This would definitely be a top tourist attraction! If I someday truly manage to become a wise sage, could I set something like this up? Maybe I should start my studies on large-scale formations early...

While musing on his grand future plans, Aki followed Passionate Seeker deeper into the territory of the Hall. The disciples here practiced arts of stealth and illusion, so Aki did not expect to see anyone out and about openly. He was hoping to run into elder Boreal Night, who was the last of the three elders currently taking care of matters in the sect. He flew over the lake into the central hall, which was located on an island in the middle of the lake.

The hall resembled an eastern dojo, the type that Aki had often seen in ninja movies. It was surrounded by a sparse grove of pine trees. The colours of the scene were rather hard to make out accurately, as the erratic light of the aurora was shifting constantly from colour to colour.   

As he moved closer, Aki spotted a few disciples sparring amongst the trees, mysterious lights flashing as they duelled with their knives and flitted through the shadows. Their robes resembled the one Winter Gale had worn, perhaps the sect had a standard stealth variant of their robes?

Aki’s senses were not quite good enough to keep track of the fight, so he decided to go to the main hall in the hopes of finding someone who was in charge of matters there. He grabbed hold of the main door and swung it open.

Aki was not sure what he had expected to find within, but an empty hallway connecting to other dark halls wasn’t quite it. Is there nobody in at this hour, or do they just keep up this perpetual darkness for the sake of the mood? Aki realized that his task of finding a guide may be a bit more difficult than he had expected. He decided to carefully call into the empty halls, hoping someone would show up.

“Hello! Elder Boreal Night! Are you out there!?”

Aki waited for about a minute before a core disciple materialised from some shadows nearby. The man was rather nondescript looking, Aki even had trouble memorising any features at all from him. The disciple walked over, an apologetic look on his face.

“Apologies Elder Thousand Lakes, we have not managed to find the Elder for the last six months.”

Wait, what? What exactly is going on here?

“You have not seen her for six months?”

“Indeed, after her last lecture she gave us the task of finding any traces of her while she evaded us inside this building, which we have shamefully not yet succeeded at. Us core disciples have been taking care of matters until she is found again or chooses to reveal herself. The notes she has left in the time have made it clear that she is unsatisfied with our efforts so far.”

Aki felt a headache coming. What nonsense is this? This seems suspiciously like evading work, but maybe it’s just some form of ninja training or something? Do I really want to deal with this?

Aki stared at the empty halls in front of him with dismay and sighed, the things a sect leader must put up with. I guess I’ll make this quick.

“Disciple, I will postpone my detailed inspection until elder Boreal Night deigns to show up again. Are there any issue currently occurring here? Are matters proceeding well?”

The disciple thought for a moment before responding.

“Inner Hall matters have been proceeding as usual, but our scouts have made some concerning discoveries. The elder left us a note to prepare a report, but it is still being compiled and should be ready soon. Would you wish for them to hurry things along?”

“No, rushed work is poor work. Make sure your report is comprehensive and deliver it when it is ready. You are dismissed, disciple.”

I’m definitely not coming back here without bringing Winter Gale or some other stealth expert along.

The lone disciple bowed and returned back to where he had come from.

Aki turned an eye to his apprentice, who had been diligently writing down the conversation. I did not make any decisions or plans regarding this place yet, I wonder if she has any thoughts on the matter.

“Apprentice, what are your thoughts on the role of Boreal Night Hall in the sect?”

She turned up from her notes and idly bit at her pen in thought for a moment, before answering.

“They have traditionally been the eyes of the sect and a large part of our fighting force. I think they’ve been doing their duties well recently, but I have heard some inner sect disciples complain that the entry requirements are too unreasonable.”

Interesting, the entry requirements of the different halls could be a good thing to investigate later.

“Come. Let us be off from this place.”

Their next stop would be Midnight Sun Hall which was located just on the other side of the hills bordering this one. The sunlight that should have entered Boreal Night Hall was actually channelled over the hill to the other side, giving the other hall its distinct endless sunlight. Aki flew into the air and began to fly over the hills.

It was not a long flight, as the two halls were practically side by side. Soon they were over the hills and exited the gloomy night, arriving in the realm of never-ending sunlight.

Midnight Sun Hall was something of a mirror image of Boreal Night Hall, another valley surrounded by formations, in the middle of which lay a lake containing an island, which held the main hall facilities. This place was however not silent and gloomy, but rather brimming with activity. Disciples of the hall could be seen all around, tending to the many trees in the valley.

As Aki had experienced with the building of his [Sauna], the disciples of this Hall were rather adept at woodwork. The specialties of this hall lay in using wood to create magical items. For example, the talismans that Aki had used on his forest trip were manufactured here. As they neared the central hall, Aki could spot disciples sitting on benches outside, intensely focused on their knives and the pieces of wood they were carving sigils in.

Aki was actually rather interested in learning about creating magical items, though currently injecting data into jade slips was the extent of his knowledge. There was just something about carving mystical symbols into an item until it became magical that spoke to him.

Once I have more time and my cultivation studies are in a better place, I’ll definitely look into formation carving. Just imagine a magically enhanced sauna, or a supernaturally comfortable bed. Why do the crafters here only focus on weapons of war so much, and not stuff that would actually see daily use?

In the end, Aki had his desires. Though the simple appeal of carving away with one’s knife was also a factor in his interest. That would however have to wait until later. Perhaps Aki could one day craft the [Divine Bedding] of his dreams.

The central building here was perhaps the most decorated thing Aki had seen in all of the sect; elaborate carvings which hid magical symbols inside their designs, life-like statues that Aki suspected might actually come to life, all painted in brilliant colours. After landing, Aki had to take a few seconds just to appreciate the sight, however he was not on a tourist outing here so it was soon back to business.

Aki opened the grand hall, and actually entered the hall itself. It was just as brilliant inside as it had been outside. A large workshop took most of the space, in which disciples could be seen doing careful work with small, precise instruments. Perhaps this is the spot for the fine-tuning of the talismans?

Spotting a woman in a core disciple robe, Aki headed in. As the woman was engaged in fine-tuning some sort of talisman and Aki did not want to disturb her work, he decided to wait behind for her to finish. He waited, waited and waited, but the disciple made no note of him, and continued her work. Passionate Seeker stood next to him, distractedly fiddling with her hair pin. Eventually she leaned over for a cover whisper.

“Master, why exactly are we waiting here?”

At this point, Aki was not quite sure himself. He was beginning to regret his decision and was considering going looking for someone else, but that would have made all the waiting until now pointless, so instead he stood his ground.

“Apprentice, there is much to be learned from patience.”

He whispered back, stroking his beard thoughtfully. His whispering was not actually that quiet however, perhaps in a calculated move, perhaps not. The results were still the same, as the core disciple nearly jumped out of her skin and looked behind her.

“E-e-elder Thousand Lakes!”

She stood up in a panic, throwing her work away without a speck of gentleness. Aki winced as he watched the carefully tuned talisman tumble onto the floor. The woman steadied herself and offered a proper bow.

“Disciple Steady Branch offers greetings! How may I serve you, honoured elder?”

Aki covertly watched her slightly trembling figure. Steady indeed.

“At ease disciple, I hope I am not disturbing your work. I would like to discuss hall matters with a core disciple if possible. Would you have time for a quick walk outside?”

The disciple performed the most enthusiastic nod Aki had ever seen in his life and assented quickly. Soon the group was walking outside the hall in the warm sunshine. Aki had wanted to keep the meeting outdoors as he found the atmosphere here rather pleasant. It was one of the most lively places Aki had seen in the sect, as disciples could be seen working on their own projects all around.

“Elder Midnight Sun is still in closed door cultivation, so I was rather curious about how things have been going. Have there been any issues?”

The disciple had calmed down by now and thus gained an aura of competence.

“As there have been no new orders from the elder, we have been maintaining things as usual. No changes have been made.”

Aki had to pause at that for a moment.

“You only maintain the current state of affairs unless you receive a direct order from elder Midnight Sun?”

“That is correct.”

Aki stopped and turned a sceptic gaze to the disciple.

“The same elder Midnight Sun, who has been in closed door cultivation for what, three years now?”

The disciple did not seem to notice the confusion in Aki’s gaze.

“Naturally. Do not worry, we have not strayed from our duties.”

That’s not the problem here! Or wait, that’s exactly the problem! You can’t stray from the current state of affairs at all without an order from the elder, who is currently in closed door cultivation! What the hell is going on here?

Aki sighed deeply. Now that he thought about it, didn’t that match what he had seen at the other halls, too? They had been very eager to tell him how well they had been maintaining things as usual. Core disciples did most of the actual work in the sect, but how much authority did they have to actually make decisions? Perhaps this should be the main issue he should be tackling.

“I think I’ve heard enough. Disciple, you may return to your crafting. Apprentice, let us go.”

With information gathered, it was time for Aki to start forming his plans.

zechamp

This was actually the hardest chapter for me to write so far. I finished chapter 23 like a week ago, but this only yesterday... It's strange how these things work.