Book 9: Chapter 37: Parting Instructions
A mildly amused Sen trailed in Sua Xing Xing’s wake as she led him through the town. She was giving him detailed explanations of everything that was currently underway. Most of the repair in the town was complete, although he did see some sect members finishing things up here and there. Some seemed happy enough to do it, while others wore annoyed expressions, but everyone worked diligently. Sen was tempted to stop and correct those with less-than-enthusiastic attitudes but restrained himself. It was enough that they weren’t actively sabotaging the work as a lousy excuse to get out of it. He could only expect so much change in people’s attitudes at any given time.
The tour itself was another delay that Sen hadn’t planned on, but it would be the last. Uncle Kho and Glimmer of Night were literally waiting for him back at the academy compound. As soon as he returned, they would all leave. He’d spent the previous day fulfilling any outstanding obligations he could think of, including crafting an elixir for Shen Mingxia. She had finally decided that she was going to become a core cultivator and asked him to make her something to help her with that. He’d thought that was the choice she’d make, but she’d taken far longer to come to the decision than he’d expected. That was probably for the best, though, he thought. It means she really considered the decision. She’d been a little surprised that he asked her to wait until he got back to leave, but he’d promised to get her back to her sect safely and they didn’t have anyone to spare to go with her just yet.
The tour through the town proper went quickly, but then they moved outside of the established wall to the area where the town was expanding. There was honestly a lot more to it than Sen had expected. Sua Xing Xing explained what they were going to do about waste disposal, something he had never even considered, as well as explaining how they were organizing the construction. The original town was sort of a jumble of homes, tradesmen, and shops with only one central building where the town elders pretended to be in charge of things. It was a fiction that Sen let persist because it was easier to let problems, requests, and the like filter through that group before they found their way to Sen or his people.
Of course, everyone knew it was a farce. There was exactly one authority in the area. Him. A fact that the town elders despised but couldn’t do anything about. Everything from security to prosperity flowed through his, admittedly negligent, hands. He was just lucky that there were enough smart, driven, and talented people around him to make sure that the work was getting done. A fact driven home by Sua Xing Xing’s description of how they were going to loosely divide the new area. One section would primarily concentrate the craftspeople. One section would primarily house shops. The final and largest section would primarily provide housing.
“So, you think that this will be enough room for the next few years?”
Sua Xing Xing gave him an astonished look and said, “No. I’m just hoping it will be enough to last until next year.”
Sen came to a dead stop. That was not what he’d expected to hear. At all. He knew there were a lot more people in the town than there had been, but that kind of growth… He didn’t think it was sustainable.
“Patriarch?” asked Sua Xing Xing, a nervous expression blooming on her face.
“I didn’t realize there were so many new people coming here.”