Chapter 1129
The amount of time it would take for a group to build up to a functional level of long distance travel varied significantly on the foundation that a group already possessed. In the case of Moturn and Unov, they had to put together a functional industry before they could start anything else. Thus it took quite some years before they could even think about more than survival. However, with the assistance of knowledge from the Lower Realms Alliance they were able to shave off centuries of development.
Anton observed genuine surprise when Alliance members began to withdraw from the system. No doubt they believed the ‘helpful occupation’ would be permanent. However, the Alliance firmly believed in freedom of choice… even if those choices ended up to be poor ones. In this case, the planets had not given any indication that they wished to formally join the Alliance- at least not as a whole- and thus those who chose to remain were left with just the extra knowledge they were given.
Of course, Anton couldn’t leave yet. Their star was quite stubborn. But with their civilization stabilized, Moturn was just about at the point that it could fully self-police, if that was what the people wanted. Which meant that Anton wouldn’t interfere in things that didn’t come into his sight.
As for the new power structures that were forming, the Twisting Spike Sect had more than fallen out of favor. Many of their members had undergone the difficult process of refactoring their cultivation into different styles to distance themselves from the negative feelings. Meanwhile, over the course of a few decades other cultivators had grown into their own power as the local natural energy began to grow.
Rather than sects being a single cultivation method, the new groups that had formed were around those with similar ideas, practicing cultivation methods both local and from the Alliance. A small but relevant group was one that Abder had slowly been forming unconsciously. From what Anton saw, it was focused on those passed over by the rest of society. Not just orphans, but also the crippled and the infirm.
Abder seemed to find great joy in finding cultivation styles suited to individuals that helped them overcome whatever they were dealing with. Food and shelter were provided only to the necessary extent, with people strongly encouraged to obtain what they needed for themself- but they were able to do so because they had others backing them.
Anton was pleased with his choice. It wasn’t exactly what he would have done, but that just made it better. Receiving help from one who had recently struggled was far more meaningful than Anton himself providing people with their needs from a place of plenty.
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Because Abder did not practice the One Hundred Stars, Anton didn’t establish a branch of the sect on Moturn. He believed it was possible to do so and still let them remain independent, but he needed trusted leadership. Nobody quite fit, as Draza wasn’t interested in that style of cultivation.