Calculating Cultivation

Looking up above me the ceiling had to be at least 10 meters or 32 feet above me. There was soft white lighting everywhere. Not too bright like the Life Light of the Great World. The space I was in appeared to be some sort of large empty cargo area, since it was just a large empty space with metal doors on the various walls. There were no windows, writing, or displays.

“Greetings,” a reflective silver egg that was twice the size of my head lowered down from the ceiling in front of me. The voice sounded human which was surprising. I had been expecting something robotic. This silver floating egg was very smooth and advanced looking. Still it made sense for how long this Administrator had been around. It wouldn’t use something cheap to communicate with others while making it clear that it was the Administrator.

“Hello Senior,” I hesitantly said, not sure of the proper protocol.

“I am the Administrator of this Free Port. You can address me as Administrator,” there was no mouth or other features on the silver egg. It wasn’t reflective, just a blurry polished silver. There was no energy use in it either. I set the golem and the cannister I had brought along with me down on the floor.

“Thank you for allowing me to enter your Free Port Administrator,” I said with a deep head bow. I had no idea how powerful this thing truly was, but there was no need to give offense. I did note that it was talking to me in the language of the Heavenly Alliance.

“The folk of the Great Tree informed me of your situation. However, I must go over the rules that govern this Free Port. While it can be frustrating, ignorance is not an excuse to break the laws that govern this place.” I nodded at this statement from the Administrator. “No murder. No stealing. No damaging the structure of the Free Port. No attempting to interfere with my functions.”

Those rules were simple enough on their surface, but I knew there would be nuance to them. “I am free to travel?” I asked.

“If an area is restricted you will be informed. But the vast majority of space is unrestricted for movement. Long term occupancy of certain structures can be purchased. Just be aware that I am always watching. A guide should be arriving at your location shortly. I however greet all new arrivals that arrive at the Free Port to inform them of the rules. And your guide is now here,” the door across the empty area opened, and a human cultivator came through wearing martial robes. I was shocked. The silver egg rose up towards the ceiling and disappeared through a hatch.

“Heavenly Alliance, right?” the young man asked me. He was dressed in a martial white robe. While age could be deceiving, he appeared to be a young teen.

“I am Cultivator Yuan Zhou,” I replied. This young man’s cultivation was less than mine, barely anything, which was another reason why I considered this person young.

“I am Bai. Come on, grab your stuff, I will get you sorted out,” he said. He was being incredibly casual by not using a term of respect for me or bowing. I wasn’t sure if this was some weird cultural thing about this place or if he had some powerful backers. I picked up the golem and the cannister and followed him.

“Does the Heavenly Alliance have an outpost or embassy here?” I asked as we made our way across the large empty area to the door Bai had come through.

“Nah, we are just the descendants of people left behind in various conflicts that ended up here. They had children, then those children had children, and so on. Most of the immortals have left due to the increased expenses. Now we are just one of the many societies of the Sphere. That’s the inner part where people live, the outer part is the Free Port,” Bai explained. I thought they were called the Inner Sphere and Outer Sphere, but I would take believing a local over second hand information.

“I am surprised the Administrator didn’t show me around, why you?” I asked trying to understand what was going on.

“Luck of the draw. Meet and greet jobs are the easiest, and they pay well. Ah, how much do you know about this place?” Bai asked.

“Only some basics, not much,” I replied. More information was never a bad thing. We reached the door across the large empty space, and it opened into a short hallway. After passing through we came to what could only be described highway. There were a large number of vehicles floating above the ground carrying a range of beings and goods zipping past. The strangest part was the lack of sound. I noticed there were colored markings on the ground but no labels.

“Well welcome to the greatest Free Port of the Firmament controlled by the ever watchful Administrator. A small detour of a few minutes but seeing one of the main arteries of this place with your own eyes is always interesting. Come on, follow me while I explain,” Bai said, and I nodded like a bumpkin. I had expectations of this place, but it was surprising. We made our way on the walkway to the side of the twenty-lane highway.

“The Administrator hands out jobs. Every living being in the Free Port is guaranteed work to pay off its living expenses once they come of age. For humans that is six cycles old,” Bai said. I noticed he used the word cycles instead of years. That was a sign he was from the Heavenly Alliance more than anything else. The fact a similar method of time keeping was used.

“That young?” I asked in surprise.

“Well the living expenses are small, but everyone works, or at least has to pay their way. Most communities will pay beyond this period. I am covered until I am twenty five cycles, but it is never to soon to earn some units, that’s the currency,” Bai answered as we reached a set of doors to the side of the walkway. We entered, went through a hallway, and then were in another large room, but this place had a lot of shelves and various goods on those shelves.

“Couldn’t the Administrator do everything?” I asked.

“It can, but it doesn’t like to. It tries to not interfere as much as possible. Some say there are computational limitations. Others say it was designed that way. Regardless, the less you see of the Administrator, the better. If it decides to act, well it is not a good thing. Don’t break the rules,” Bai said.

“They are simple, but they have to have nuance. Like training techniques wouldn’t be considered fighting, or spars?” I asked.

“You are talking about exceptions. Well, don’t worry. We will get you sorted out with the basics. One interlink pad that connects to the main database of the Sphere. But everyone calls it a pad,” Bai pulled a pad off a shelf and held it out, but both of my hands were full. “Ah, sorry. Let’s get you a cart to put your stuff on.” We made our way back towards the entrance we had come into this space from and there was a small pushcart. I put my stuff down on it after Bai suggested I do so and took the pad.

“This pad will only work if you are holding it,” Bai said. I tapped on the screen and there was a search option, an app option, settings, a store, time, and a messaging function. It was basically a large smart phone that was the size of two of my hands put togeather. “You can add on additional features through this icon,” Bai began to explain before I cut him off.

“I know how these things work. There isn’t a more user friendly or smaller version?” I asked.

“If you want to purchase them. I have the eye overlay myself. But those require a lot more steps and units. I am just getting you set up with the basics so you can handle things yourself. Also, don’t lose your pad. You need it for everything. It will act as your ID in the Sphere. If you get something new, you can transfer your settings over. The Administrator makes sure it is user friendly. Now come on, let’s get you the rest of your stuff,” Bai said. I tucked the pad away in my robe.

“Translation glasses and ear pieces. You will need these if you travel about,” Bai handed over the equipment and I put it on my face and in my ears.

“This place is just open?” I asked.

“I have access since I am on a job right now. This is a humanoid docking arrival area, which is why everything is nearby and just a short walk. Otherwise, it would be way too costly too travel across the Free Port for a job like this. You wouldn’t want to be in debt right away,” Bai said with a chuckle.

“And these items are free?” I asked.

“Yep, along with your first cycle staying in the Sphere. After that you need to pay. The Administrator is fairly lenient and helpful with new arrivals that are staying long term. Do you need new clothing?” Bai asked me.

“No. My martial robe is superior,” I stated.

“Energy crafted?” Bai asked.

“Yes. I don’t understand your attitude about everything? Aren’t you a cultivator?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Bai asked.

“You seem fairly laid back, and from what I can tell, your cultivation is a bit lacking for your age,” I said. I didn’t point out his rudeness since he was helping me. Being polite cost me nothing in this circumstance. If he had been more of a cultivator, then I would have played into expectations with my actions.

“Ah cultural differences. I was warned about those. You see, the Sphere is incredibly peaceful compared to the rest of the Firmament. Now the Free Port can get messy, but it fairly safe. There are still some crimes and beings try to subvert the Administrator.”

“But what about resources? Energy? The drive for immortality?” I demanded. This wasn’t a cultivator, this person was a mortal. Bai also couldn’t understand the long journey and the amount of suffering it had taken to reach this point.

“There is a direct exchange between units and energy. The price of things does fluctuate in order to maintain the Free Port and to prevent overcrowding. Basic supply and demand. While there is a lot, there are also a lot of beings in the Sphere. Most communities and beings stay to their own plate or sector. Some cultural differences if you travel but not much. As for immortality, well you get increasing taxes the longer you stay. The Administrator doesn’t like immortals, of any types,” Bai said.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

I was shocked. The Forever City had packaged immortality. Even though it interfered with cultivation, people still lived forever as wage slaves. “Why?” I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice.

“The Administrator likes growth for the most part. That is another reason why we only have a couple of immortals left from the original group that arrived from the Forever City. Some occasionally come like yourself, but they either leave or died. As for cultivation, well that is what I am doing right now,” Bai said.

“You are getting paid,” I hesitantly said, and Bai nodded.

“Which can be exchanged for energy. The background energy is decent, but it isn’t high. Everyone is trying to make units to live. But there is a clock on everything in the Sphere and the Free Port. The longer you live, the higher your tax. I wouldn’t worry about this. It doesn’t matter unless you live for over a thousand cycles,” Bai replied.

“How old do you think I am?” I asked out of curiosity. Bai froze up a bit at that and looked me over. He then smiled.

“Well according to the Administrator you were just born on your arrival. Otherwise probably pretty old compared to me since you came from the Firmament by yourself. Normally there are large groups arriving rather than single individuals who are planning to stay here. For you to be by yourself, well, it says you are quite skilled to make it this far,” Bai replied. I nodded at this. “Just remember, you can’t fight your way out of situations here. Fighting is bad. I can’t repeat this enough. The Administrator loves peace and fighting is a quick way to get its attention.”

“Got it, fighting bad. Are we in the human sector? I notice the temperature and atmosphere are quite comfortable,” I said.

“The Heavenly Alliance sector. There are several human sectors. Humans have one of the larger species counts in the sphere. Tied in the top seven. The Administrator likes to keeps populations balanced so one group doesn’t crowd out another,” Bai replied.

“And it does this through economic means only?” I asked and Bai nodded.

“That and keeping a clear set of rules everyone has to follow. If you work, you can pay through your natural life fairly easily. It is only when you need energy or you live beyond your natural lifespan do the prices and taxes really start going up. I got to ask, what is the Heavenly Alliance like?” Bai asked with an interested expression.

“Stratified. If you are one of the few born into the Heavenly Alliance itself and not one of its subordinate factions or sects, then your life is set.” I was thinking of Yang Heng when I said this. Someone whose life had most obstacles and hardships removed from it. Even when he was stranded, he was afforded a personal rescue. “For anyone not born in such a rarified position, those outside the Forever City on the continents live a decent life. Far less knowledgeable and advanced than what you have here, but it is decent. If you are born in the Forever City it is most likely from a vat, and you will serve out the rest of your existence skipping past the boring parts until you eventually die in an accident.”

“Sounds rough,” Bai said.

“I have crawled my way up from one of the lowest possible positions.” No mention about how my family had been a rich mortal family on a continent. For cultivators that was as low as you could get. There wasn’t much difference between such a start and being a beggar. There were a lot of hardships after my initial start that I overcame personally. I was a cultivator that started at the bottom and had to work hard to advance. “How hard is it to earn a lot of units?” I asked Bai.

He smiled at that question. “Incredibly hard. While the Administrator will provide basic work for everyone and meet their other needs, to get energy is insanely hard. The prices are incredibly prohibitive, since everyone and everything wants energy. The Administrator releases a set amount for public trading each year while holding onto a reserve. The rest comes from trading through the Free Port in very limited quantities,” Bai said.

There was the exact same problem I had with the Forever City. Cultivator culture was post scarcity, except for energy. The Soaring Star Society had sought to correct even that and had been destroyed. Getting enough energy here would be a challenge, I could tell.

“Have any cultivators in your section advanced to immortality since they arrived?” I asked with a sinking pit in my stomach.

“No. About once every hundred or two hundred cycles, some being gets enough energy to reach such a stage and it comes up in the news. Most try to get enough wealth to get a vessel constructed for themselves and some companions and go off into the Firmament to seek their fortune or run trade routes,” Bai explained as that sinking feeling turned into a bottomless pit.

The more I learned, the more I realized the impossible task that now stood before me. I would need to someone accumulate enough energy through trade and business to advance to immortality. Bypassing any complex structures to build in my body. The simple answer that She Who Seeks Knowledge had given me, was incredibly insightful. While I would have had to try and get information to confirm this, it was logical. Just get enough energy in a high enough density and a certain purity to push one’s cultivation higher.

As I had seen with the micro cultivation of the Great World, enough energy would let things take their course without having to resort to complex mental models and intense focus. The problem was that the amount of energy needed was much higher. I didn’t know the next steps that the Heavenly Alliance used for their path, and Yang Heng indicated that certain items were required.

Returning to the Heavenly Alliance and asking Yang Heng for help might be an option, but that felt like a loss and giving up. I would also be indebted to the Heavenly Alliance going forward. There would be chains linked to me. While they might not be physical chains, there would probably be metaphorical chains linking my cultivation to whatever method of control the Heavenly Alliance had devised. I had heard Karma tossed about often enough, that it was clearly some kind of control mechanism for cultivators.

We reached what could only be an elevator and got on board. “Where are we going now?” I asked. Bai waved his hand and tapped the air. The elevator began to descend.

“Two levels down. The top level here is for transport, arrivals, departures, and defensive structures. The level below is mostly storage, some high end markets, including black markets.”

“Are any goods illegal?” Based on the rules I didn’t think so.

“Body parts. There is a large volume of trade in body parts. That is something the Administrator doesn’t like. While he won’t punish people trading in such goods unless they are caught butchering someone, it will seize them. Same thing with certain classes of weapons. Unless you are powerful, it isn’t worth the headache to take such risks,” Bai said.

“Then why do people trade here? Not just leave and trade somewhere else?” I asked.

“The guarantee of safety. This place is incredibly safe. While there are rules, the Administrator places the highest priority on fighting. And the people who do make such trades only stop here before heading off somewhere else in the Firmament. Often specialized containers that block scanning from the Administrator. Some people say it knows, but as long as the black market doesn’t make trouble then the Administrator won’t act. Still, not something I would want to get involved in,” Bai replied.

“The second level?” I asked.

“The inner sphere. It will take a while. It is a fairly large gap between the Sphere and the Free Port.” He waved in the air a couple more times and the walls turned transparent. In every direction I could see a vast space with a metal structure above and more structures far below. I noted other connections in other areas. There was illumination from various structures on the spheres, but the rest of the space was empty. I did note a large beam of light in the distance shining up past the inner sphere.

“Normally it costs quite a bit to travel between the inner and outer sphere if you aren’t on a job. We are going to the other trading and service level,” Bai said.

“What is that large amount of light over there?” I asked and pointed.

“The edge of the sector. The outer sphere doesn’t shift about. There are sectors, but they are rigid, interlocking with other nearby sectors. The inner sphere shifts about. Levels are moved around by the Administrator and there are shield plates that shift to block out the sun as needed.”

“But both spheres are connected like with this elevator,” I pointed out.

“It can be decoupled, which does happen. Shifts don’t occur that often, but the Administrator likes to move sectors about. There are a lot of guesses as to why, but the most common is that it doesn’t like stagnation. Same reason why taxes go up the longer you live,” Bai explained.

This entire place was smaller than the Infinite Ring Complex, but it felt larger seeing such mega structures while moving between them. It was the issue of scale and understanding. Being able to process how large certain things were at this scale was not something that came naturally.

“Where are we going in the Sphere?” I asked.

“An exchange shop. Often it is used for junk, but they will purchase anything. Don’t worry about being scammed they show the current market rates. They also sell common items you can look through, since you mentioned wanting a smaller pad. You don’t have to sell, but for most exchange shops you will get within one or two percent of the best possible price, unless you have something crazy unique,” Bai said.

“This golem and cannister aren’t unique?” I challenged. Bai shrugged at my question.

“Perhaps they are, but anything like that would be confined to the Free Port we just left.”

“What about goods and cargo? Are they moved between the spheres?” I asked. Bai pointed off to one side.

“Over there is the artery connecting them. Not as much traffic in the Sphere compared to the Free Port. Food and goods are produced, but there isn’t as much trade compared to cross trade. A lot of super organizations like to use this place to make deals or trade goods. That is why the traffic you saw in the artery was so much. Goods need to be moved all over the place up there,” Bai explained.

“And the Administrator handles it all, and also hires people?” I asked.

“Yep. That’s what keeps the units flowing. Also the Administrator would get overwhelmed with tedious tasks like greeting and escorting a new arrival.”

“Aren’t you concerned how much power it has over you?” I asked.

“Not really. It is fair and makes its rules well known. Ignorance is not an excuse.” That was something the Administrator had mentioned. It made me wonder how much Bai had been brainwashed by such a thing, by this calculator.

There was no use complaining or making a fuss, since it had so much power. The fact that it could toss out immortals clearly indicated how much power this Administrator actually had. I would put it somewhere in the class of super organizations, even if it wasn’t one exactly.

It was hard to create a clear definition and how the power levels of the super strong matched up. I did think it was weaker than the Heavenly Alliance and the Soaring Star Society since the energy it collected was probably limited due to the amount of space in the Firmament it took up.

The more space, the greater the ability to draw in and process energy unless you did something unique like the Soaring Star Society. Clearly this calculator was a caretaker of some kind. Yang Heng would have made a massive fuss, but I was on my own, charting my own path.

Out of everything else, the most promising part about this place was that the Administrator didn’t create a system of massive oppression. I had no idea what its goals were and I wasn’t overly concerned. If it was a place to trade that other super organizations used, then clearly it wasn’t a horrible place that would steal from others. Also, the fact the Administrator kept a sizable population and made them work was a good sign.

This wasn’t like the Forever City that was completely static. Trying to dig into the history of organizations was only possible if someone at the top was willing to explain like Nianzu from the Soaring Star Society. Otherwise, it was just not possible. I had no idea how long this place had existed, but I had no doubt it was for a very long time.

It made me wonder if this place came down through the layers or someone actually built it. It would be a clever way to get energy and protect oneself while also not becoming a complete hermit. If something truly valuable came through the Free Port I had no doubt the Administrator would seize the item.

My cannister might be individually valuable, but for a place that was near or at the level of a super organization, it just wasn’t worth the hassle. The Administrator was also sending beings out to explore and they would have a good impression of this place. If they found something they would probably come back to trade or get other goods. No doubt the ships or vessels made here were tracked as well.

It wasn’t quite at the level of a pirate haven, but it was close enough for how it dealt with things externally. Internally, everything was run by the Administrator. Which was confirmed over and over again by Bai. The respect in his voice was clear enough.

While I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my existence here, it was a good place to try and figure out how to get more energy that wasn’t controlled by a super organization while I was also protected. I really was grateful for She Who Seeks Knowledge dropping me off here. It wasn’t the best outcome, but it gave me a chance to fight for my future.