Chapter 1,419 – Compass Factory

Limanta was a fellow member of the Imperial Magistrate who’d made it to Mercurial Court as an attendant. Not confident their shaky deal with Everit Draom would fulfill their goals, the magistrate decided to buy another slot from another sealbearer. It was a good thing they did because Limanta had proven more useful than Zac’s own attendants. She’d made the market district her permanent residence, using the constant flow of people to make money and connections.

Zac couldn’t spend all his time waiting for suitable materials to come on sale. Instead, he’d commissioned Limanta, who purchased the items when they appeared. She was also an information merchant who’d sniffed out a few places suspected to have opportunities related to his path. Without her, Zac would have been forced to spend at least 10,000 Imperial Merits on materials.

“Just take the compliment,” Zac said as he turned to leave.

“You’re really breaking through?” Limanta asked with a serious expression. “I’ve read your report. It’s too soon to aim for Perfected Lord.”

“Have you seen this place? We’re being pushed forward whether we like it or not,” Zac said.

“Maybe you Sealbearers. Us attendants will have to do with the scraps,” Limanta said, waving at her book.

“I’ll relay your complaints to the Head Librarian,” Zac grinned.

“I’m not kidding. It’s too soon. You’re not even 800 years old, what’s the rush?” Limanta urged. “Perfection is a major hurdle. We still have more than 60 years left in this place. Why not take a few decades to refine yourself first?”

‘Maybe you have 60 years. We’ll be lucky if we get one more year,’ Zac complained to himself. Naturally, he’d already prepared a better excuse to explain his rush.

“What can I do? There are no invaders left to kill and no other ways to make easy money. Even the Princess has disappeared from the face of the earth,” Zac complained. “Major breakthroughs have a good chance of exposing new fated encounters. That’s the only way I’ll make some real money.”

“Always money with you. Don’t think I haven’t heard how much you made unsealing that Goddess,” Limanta scoffed. “Is it the [Universal Tear]? You’d better give it up. That thing’s only put there to make you sealbearers work harder.”

“Sure, but if I collect enough, they’ll still have to honor the listing,” Zac shrugged. “And while they haven’t said how to become a permanent disciple, collecting more Potentiality surely can’t hurt.”

“You’re still on that? I know there have been some… disagreements between you and the bureau, but it is still your home. The Mercurial Court may have amazing opportunities, but we both know this indolent place doesn’t align with your path,” Limanta said with a frown. “Admit it, you felt the most alive in this place when you tracked down the fugitives and hidden invaders.”

“It’s in fate’s hands now,” Zac said, earning another scoff from Everit’s colleague as he turned away.

“Don’t forget to stop by. There might be more missions in the future, and I usually have some valuable information to sell,” Limanta called.

“Take care. I think we’re witnessing the calm before the storm,” Zac said with a wave as he headed for the Compass Factory.

The factory was one of the permanent fixtures of the market district. Different from most department stores, which were run by research groups or powerful alumni, the factory was managed by the sect itself. Its purpose was obvious from its name; it sold compasses pointing to most of the facilities hidden throughout the court.

Some of the compasses were manufactured by the sect and in limitless supply, such as compasses leading to certain cultivation grounds. These compasses were one-time use, and buying them was no different from buying access. For instance, the chance to study before [Second Singularity] came in the form of a premium compass. To safeguard against any accidents, that compass had already been bought and was now in Esmeralda’s possession.

Other compasses were generated by disciples. One could buy empty compasses and use them to mark a specific location in Citadel. These user-generated compasses were a gamble since the Mercurial Court only sold user-generated compasses unmarked and at a fixed price. Getting a good one was still a matter of luck and fate.

Furthermore, Citadel was ever-changing. The coordinates on user-made compasses would eventually become useless. There were no set rules, either. Some could last for centuries while others lost their value after a month. The factory kept submitted compasses for a decade before discarding them.

According to data collected over generations of disciples, only 20% of the tokens ended up yielding benefits greater than their cost. There was still a steady stream of willing buyers, thanks to the many anecdotes of disciples making extraordinary gains. After all, the main reason disciples sold their fated encounters was that they didn’t understand them or lacked the strength to access the valuable.

Esmeralda had tried to figure out the internal mechanics of the compasses as a way to steal the opportunities they held. It proved impossible at her current level. The compasses were daughter arrays to the court itself.

Zac wasn’t here to gamble today, though his extraordinary Luck usually led to a decent outcome.

“I need a compass to a Judgment Plateau on Dome Lake.”

With all prerequisites in place, the only remaining challenge was the terrifying tribulations brought by his core breakthroughs. They’d gotten worse every time, to the point it was more apt to call them Heavenly Extinctions. It wouldn’t wait for him to finish his breakthrough, instead attacking the moment it began.

Making strides with his constitutions and Daos wasn’t enough to directly endure the punishment. The first time, Zac barely survived by taking advantage of a Temporal Chamber. The second time, he relied on the lingering Imperial Faith of the Centurion Base. With his upcoming breakthrough being the last of Hegemony, Zac needed to come prepared.

As luck would have it, Zac found himself with more options than ever before. First off, he’d gained the protection of the Imperial Faith, courtesy of accepting his role as a Holy Son of the Empyrean Chalice. If the Heaven-eluding effect of his Duplicity Core was the first layer of protection, then Xiphos’ boon was the second.

Ultimately, these two could only be considered tricks to lessen the pressure, not enough to rely on alone. Zac’s true ace was the [Fuxi Mountain Gate], which had received another upgrade at the end of Sevona’s hunt. The Void Space still wasn’t fully recovered, and the bridge beyond the gate was still in tatters. Nevertheless, the space could entertain Zac for almost three minutes already.

Three minutes was enough to tide over even a tribulation with six punishments. Still, Zac hoped he wouldn’t have to use the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] for his Peak D-grade breakthrough. He had no idea how summoning the Heavens would affect the mountain gate. It might undo all the work he’d put in, maybe destroy it altogether.

Furthermore, Zac could only send one of his bodies there. There was a risk that his other body would have to face a double tribulation single-handedly if his other half suddenly disappeared. The [Fuxi Mountain Gate] was better left for his future breakthroughs when his bodies were in the same location. At that time, he could send both bodies inside.

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Ultimately, there was no point in taking the gamble when there were much steadier alternatives at hand. Why expend his own resources when he could use those of the Outer Courts? The Centurion Base had a specialized chamber that would have allowed the Kan’Tanu Pope to confirm his Dao if not for Zac’s intervention.

Naturally, the Outer Courts had even better breakthrough chambers. Such chambers could drastically reduce the threat, and one couldn’t forget that ancient cultivators faced more unstable breakthroughs. They wouldn’t just mitigate the tribulation; they were equipped with Core Formation Arrays that could help contain a Mortal’s explosive upgrade process.

With everything else done, Zac had chosen to spend the last of his Potentiality on a compass leading to the best chamber available to an Inner Disciple of the Mercurial Court.

“Current price is 7,800 Potentiality,” the clerk answered as she brought out a sealed chest.

“It’s gone up?” Zac asked with a frown. The cost quoted in his welcoming pamphlet was only 6,250.

“The demand has increased since you outsiders arrived. It’s put pressure on Dome Lake, forcing us to invite experts from the Radiant Court to perform repairs,” the clerk said with a smile.

“There aren’t that many of us, though. How could we possibly cause such strain?” Zac said, suspecting he was being taken for a ride.

“No, but the appearance of you outsiders has created a ripple among our elite disciples. How can they sit still while you’re seizing opportunities left and right?” the clerk explained.