Hmmph... this junior is a good seed [Cultivation Management Quest]

Sit, junior sisters and brothers.

You are Hong Xuan, as am I.

I am Hong Xuan Fang Zhi, a member of our mighty Clan, and tasked with your introductory lesson on the geography of the lands which we rule. Those of you who are found to have quick minds and strong talents might find themselves able to attend the Vast Choosing - or the Flood Tournament, as some have called it.

We are a mighty lineage, stretching back over five thousand years.

Of course, not the mightiest, but only fools look back on the past and concern themselves that their ancestors were not kings over all. We are mighty compared to most, and that a few are greater than us is merely reality.

Remember, the Golden Devils rule us. Oh, not formally. We are named allies, and merely pay for assistance in matters such as security and trade, tariffs levied on our goods and mercenary payments made, and so on. It is a light yoke, but it is a yoke. Do not offend them, or unduly insult them. When you understand the history of our people, you will understand it is a history entwined with the Devil conquest of the region, a master we would prefer to live without but cannot stand apart from.

Still, understanding will come in time. For now, a basic primer on the lands you reside in.

The map.

We will go around the varied territories, understanding our powers from the perspective of an outsider. For until you succeed in the Flood Tournament, you are truly only ever an outsider, no matter your name.

If you enter our lands from the north, you will firstly pass the Towers of Ruin.

Our grandest defensive work, funneling the rage and power of the Watchful Father and his children into a magnificent line of towers, pouring fire on all who might attack us. Even the Golden Devils when conquering these lands saw the depth of our defenses and preferred to leave us be, merely exacting tribute rather than ruining their forces further.

From there you will go south, to Pyre City. It is named such as it watches over all our volcanic territories to the west, and those who work the mighty Fire-Arrays are located there. Hot and unpleasant at the best of times, the volcanoes oft spit out Spirit Stones, and the groaning, shifting earth reveals new lodes of such quite often. Pyre City is the heart of our wealth, the true seat of power. Three million mortals such as yourselves live among our territories, yet only a hundred thousand strive in Pyre City. It is not much of a place for mortals, and those who live there tend to die early deaths, trading life for wealth. If you fail in the Choosing, perhaps you will be sent there.

The Watchful Father is the key spirit, the great animating soul of the volcano there. Our friendship with the Father allows us access to his bounty and power. From him we direct arrays of energy to the Towers of Ruin, and only cultivators who are nearly the Second Tier - what the Devils call the Seventh Heavenstage - can go there and survive. The Qi is potent and destructive, yet directing it has made us the second-most powerful Clan in the territories under the Golden Devils, eclipsed only by our masters.

The Sleeping Brothers are weaker, tired, old. From them we gain a great deal of Spirit Stones, and they are survivable even by mortals, for a time. Eventually the sulfur and gases will overwhelm and kill a mortal, but that is their lot.

The Weeping Children spit out all manner of wealth, yet are tremendously dangerous. Only condemned men and pigmen go there, but much wealth is made.

To the south further along the Scorpion Road is Seven Tourneys City. The Choosing is held there. Each year, seven tournaments, great contests held to establish the skill and worth of each Hong Xuan scion. You are trained and taught before them, but if you fail - you may find yourself mining among gases and heat. Only the finest and hardest-working can carry on the Hong Xuan name. For those who fail completely, you will be stripped of your Hong Xuan lineage, made mere peasants, though your children will be given one last chance to return. For those who perform well, you can find excellent skilled work - from smiths to warriors, all come from the tournaments. The greatest of you may walk the path of immortality, as I have done. Five hundred thousand mortals live there, the greatest city outside of the Isles.

Then west, to the Grand Stairwell. Our grand creation. Nearly fifty li in length, and wide enough for six wagons to pass side-by-side along the slope, with two staircases for those who walk either side. Much wealth, much labor is spent maintaining it, and it is honorable work. One who finds themselves to be a worthy craftsman in the Choosing may become a builder of the Grand Stairwell, a truly honorable trade.

We will return to the Isles lastly, but for now, we shall continue around.

Sunrise City contains two hundred thousand mortals, and is largely a city kept alive by trade. The road by Pyre City is dangerous, as fire-spirits and rockmen emerge from the earth to kill without thought, and for those who are not walking the path of immortality, taking the other road is wiser. It is a mere waystation on a road, and is taxed well enough to justify its existence. A poor performance but not a complete failure in the Tournament might be sent there to work as a trader, or a laborer, even.

The Low Forge is a work of some brilliance. It took four Golden Core Elders to build and maintain it, but it takes advantage of a massive amount of waste heat piped here through arrays from the towers. The heat is used to build truly impressive feats, mainly massive castings of iron and the like. The waste Qi is also infused into weapons and armor - though it is not overly strong, we are able to produce enough Spears of Flame to equip every immortal, as well as many skilled mortals.

Second-to-last are the benighted Pigmen Encampments. They are our servants, and we pay them for the tasks they undertake. Far stronger than a man, and more resilient besides, they are slow and ponderous, but excellent at difficult labor such as mining. Many die in the mines each year, and they serve as laborers across the entirety of Hong Xuan territory. They are the reason those who bear the Hong Xuan name are not given over to such terrible labor, and only those who fail in the tournament are sent to die in such a way, to remove the shame from our glorious clan. There are around eight hundred thousand or so pigmen, and they live everywhere. Of course, they are not permitted to walk the path of immortality or bear the name Hong Xuan.

Of course, you all live in the Hong Xuan Isles. The mightiest constructs in the world. Kept aloft by a direct link to the Watchful Father and his many sons, fire-Qi keeping the souls of the islands awake and our people far above the ground. Spirit Stones are used to help manoeuvre the isles, and they are green with growth, herbs and crops growing en masse here. One and a half million of us live here, though of course not all bear the name Hong Xuan. After all, we do need servants and laborers, woodsmen and farmers. It is this construct that left the Golden Devils unwilling to conquer us - to break through our towers and lay siege to our islands as they were weak and battered from two great wars? Unthinkable! And so we signed the Treaty of Misty Hill, that even today governs our rights and relations with the Golden Devils.

Now, you have your history books. Begin reading. I will return in three hours and test you on what material you have learned. If any of you find this too boring, or would prefer to ignore me... well, you can enter the Tournament without my guidance, if you wish. It would be my pleasure to see such lazy fools lose their name.

Well, what are you waiting for? Read!