The Order Of Salacious Hedonism was one large structure built like a stronghold, and it was at the heart of it all that the sect leader’s private quarters and office were situated.“Here it is, Young Master. The Sect Leader should be inside”
Hirmint performed a small bow before leaving. Anoteros glanced back to see the elder slapping the backside of his disciple. It seemed like they were going to be dual cultivating for a little while…
Edrick knocked upon the door and soon entered, meeting the leader of this sect for the first time. His attire looked a whole lot like bathrobes–Thin like the rest of the sect uniforms the scion had seen so far… The leader left the attire open, revealing his sculpted abs, whilst his chest remained hidden behind a long blond beard.
His hair was long like a street bum’s, but taken care of to the point that it seemed to be shiny and glowy. His eyes were of a peculiar pale yellow.
When the young noble came in, the sect leader had been busy writing something on an absurdly large blackboard. The room they were in was already very large, and it was of a rectangular shape, yet the blackboard actually took up the entirety of one of the long walls.
Upon it were written countless names alongside several things that seemed to be information. It quickly became obvious what this was all about. Especially as his eyes found a name he recognised.
Meloup - 65 - True Disciple - Master = Hirmint - Talent = Excellent - Commitment = Excellent - Spell Cultivator - Affinity = Wind - Infractions = None
It was all written in a straight, horizontal line. This was obviously all detailing information about the many disciples of the sect. The only unclear bit was the number that followed Meloup’s name. However, Anoteros could only assume–Considering the sect this was–That this was the amount of orgies she had participated in since perhaps the start of the month.
“Sect Leader Mendhis, it is a pleasure to meet you”
“Likewise, Young Master Anoteros! We haven’t had a proper visit in so long. My apologies if things look a bit messy”
“It is fine. May I ask about this massive blackboard's purpose? I suppose it is used to track the progress of disciples?”
“Indeed, I like to know how everything is going. As you know, we aren’t very regarding on who we accept in the Order Of Salacious Hedonism. Hence, there is a need to verify who is a diamond in the rough, and who will never amount to anything”
As he explained this, Edrick noticed parts of the blackboard changing. The chalk erased itself, and something new was written in place of the now-empty spaces.
“As you can see, this blackboard is a rather powerful refined tool. It is purely utilitarian, but it is incredibly handy to have”
“Huh… I’m surprised I didn’t see this at other sects before”
“That’s simply because no one was able to replicate this refined tool, Young Master. I got it on an adventure when I was a youngster… I had fun with humanoid subterranean people, and I guess they enjoyed themselves so much that they decided to give me a gift… I don’t really know why they gave it to me. We didn’t speak the same language at all. We just fucked like wild beasts without even attempting to communicate once”
“They sound like interesting folks”
“Right? It is a shame that I was never able to find them again. I’m apparently the only person to have ever documented meeting them. If not for this very obviously real blackboard, I would have questioned whether I merely imagined them after eating some hallucinogenic mushrooms–Which is something I used to do back in the day. I wouldn’t recommend randomly eating mushrooms directly off the ground like I was doing, though”
Mendhis laughed boisterously as he pointed at a series of bars at the end of Meloup’s line.
“I presume that she’s the one who gave you a tour? These bars represent instances of dual cultivation that are not orgies, and since Hirmint was in the orgy the elders and I were having, I can only assume that you’re the one who gave her a good pounding”
“That’s indeed what happened. This blackboard can be made to register quite a lot of things, can’t it? Does it automatically detect infractions, as well?”
“It can indeed do a lot, but no. It only counts infractions that were given out manually. When I set it up, I focused mostly on the dual cultivation-related matters, but if I hadn’t given it such a strong focus, it definitely could have detected infractions on the spot”
The sect leader brought his index finger to his lips, miming a shush.
“...Don’t tell that to the disciples, though. They think the blackboard knows when they commit an infraction… They get so spooked when they do something wrong that they come to denounce themselves in hopes of getting a lighter punishment. And those who do realise that the board doesn’t work like that keep quiet. They know that spreading the word would be a bad idea for them”
“An effective system, I see”
“Indeed! But let’s not waste your time, Young Master. I know you came here to conduct some business, so let’s discuss business”
The two men spoke at length about what could be done to assist the sect, make benefits by using the specificities of the sect, and the like… Of course, the Order Of Salacious Hedonism doesn’t exactly have anything to sell. What they have the most of are strong disciples, and some interesting designs for their rooms.
Their utility to the Elt clan is nearly purely militaristic, as they can furnish lots of competent cultivators on short notice, especially since they recruit in large batches very often.
However, when something is lacking somewhere, that too marks an opportunity. With how many disciples this sect can welcome, the crux of Edrick’s idea to boost the standing of the Order Of Salacious Hedonism was to actually introduce proper avenues for disciples to focus on craftsmanship within the sect.
Right now, disciples practised dual cultivation to supplement only combat-based cultivation techniques. There was nothing allowing them to explore alchemy, tool refinement, or any other form of non-combat paths.
So far, this sect has done well despite this. Many sects only focused on a single thing, but considering the size and status of this sect as a vassal of the Elt clan, it seemed like a missed opportunity.
“Frankly, this idea of mine is by far the most costly and risky I have offered during my visits to the vassal sects, Mister Mendhis, but I truly believe that this is the best path forward to further grow your sect. If need be, I can arrange something with Labyrinth Palace to allow for the creation of appropriate spaces”
“I’ll have to discuss this with all of the elders. I must admit to not being very bright concerning such matters. I’ll inform you of our decision via a letter. Is that alright?”
“Perfectly fine. You can copy and give this to the elders for simplicity’s sake. It explains everything I said to you just now. Regardless of your final decision, it was a pleasure to discuss with you today”
“Likewise, Young Master”
Anoteros leaned back in his seat, and the sect leader did the same on the other side of the desk.
‘This only leaves three vassal sects to visit. Two of which are a bit… ‘Special’...’
Xiaode Mountain Sect, Cult Of Asmodeus, and Cult Of The Heart Of Darkness…
Chapter 596: Risky
7 min read