Chapter 196: Debt and Payment
Benton was happy with the techniques he’d given Fatty Ren. The flying sword technique would allow the big guy to travel between Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town and the village in well less than an hour, and the weapon technique would make his attacks much stronger. He wouldn’t truly be a powerhouse until he developed his Concept, but in the interim, he was more than a match for lesser Golden Cores and, depending on how far away Benton was, might be able to hold off against those higher in minor realm long enough for help to arrive.
“Are you satisfied with your choice to join the Rising Tide Sect?” Benton said.
Fatty Ren cupped his hands. “Very much so, Friend Su. Everything I’ve been given has been of a quality that the Righteous Rain Sect couldn’t begin to provide, and I don’t know if I would have ever broken through my bottleneck without that trial. I owe you and the sect a debt.”
“Good, because you may be called on to pay it.” Benton handed him a large stack of spirit coins and another bundle of blank papers primed to be converted into origami message dragons. “I’ll keep you informed of everything that happens with the Jade Chameleons and any other threats as well as getting you instructions as soon as possible. Be prepared to either defend the town or come here on a moment’s notice. Keep your people ready to move as well. If things devolve into an all-out war, they may need to relocate here fast.”
“Of course, Friend Su.”
Benton frowned. Now that he’d said that last part out loud, he began to consider the situation, and the more he thought about it, the riskier it seemed to have so many vulnerable people so far away. It would be so, so much better if all those people joined him here.
For one, they’d be safer. It was easier to protect one big group than two smaller ones. Another benefit was that they could integrate into the pavilions a lot easier. Finally, they were much more likely to develop loyalty to him if they actually saw him on a regular basis.
But the counterargument was just as strong. If he wanted more people in the main sect, he could have simply added more villagers. He hadn’t done that for a reason. The sect main branch simply wasn’t established enough to handle huge influxes. They hadn’t even moved into the building yet.
In a way, leaving the two hundred people in the branch sect more or less to their own devices was a jerk move, but it gained him needed sect members without hurting the main sect. His best bet was to continue on as he planned. Accelerate recruitment as much as possible without jeopardizing organization and morale and simply do his best to make sure the branch sect was safe and did right by its members.
“Is something the matter, Friend Su?”
“Just thinking. Sorry,” Benton said, returning his attention to the actual purpose of the conversation. “It should take the new recruits around three weeks to reach Qi Gathering minor realm three.”
Fatty Ren looked skeptical.