The Scarlet Alliance had no intent to expand into the territory formerly upied by the Forest of Death. Preferably, someone from the Exalted Quadrant that felt fortable’ next to them would move there instead. That could be a valuable buffer zone.


    While more territory was better, in theory, the Scarlet Alliance already found they had too much. The Midfields were huge. Even if they didn’t extend quite as far as the Exalted Quadrant as a whole, their people were fairly thin outside of the core region. With the advanced spatial distortions they could rtively quickly reach and defend any spot, but they couldn’t simply extend into other areas.


    Nor was there a good reason to.s- oroids in the case of the Forest of Death- with ‘good’ upper energy were of little interest. To meet their standards, they would need at least a few centuries of developing the area. With the Forest of Death being as it was, it would require some time of purification first. Instead of weakening their defensive lines and putting a great amount of effort into a new area, they could expend an equal amount of time and resources for greater gains in territory they already controlled.


    Besides, even if it was ‘natural’, they didn’t want to appear as conquerors. They’d onlypletely taken over the midfields because it was necessary to drive out the great powers as they invaded. They would have even considered returning independent control to the systems they rescued… but the fear of those who survived meant they were desperate for that protection. And there were far more benefits than detriments to being part of the Alliance. Once they experienced it instead of believing it was overblown rumors, nobody wanted to go back.


    Just because they didn’t n to take over the Forest of Death’s territory didn’t mean they weren’t going to use it as a foothold for the moment. There were other sects that had so far gone unpunished- and they weren’t going to count the cultivators that perished within Scarlet Alliance territory. Previously, however, they hadn’t had the stamina to properly counterattack. The great powers were never <em>fully</em> unified, but if either group had been a concentrated attack with all of their Domination cultivators brought to bear would have spelled the end for the Scarlet Alliance.


    So why <em>hadn’t</em> they done so? Before a certain point, they hadn’t seemed to be a sufficient threat. After they first killed a Domination cultivator and proved that to be untrue, the reasoning was simply that everyone wanted to live. Even if they were annihted, the Scarlet Alliance would undoubtedly take down a few Domination cultivators with them. Nobody had wanted to be one of those to die. Yet people were still willing to attack them because up to that point their counterattacks had been quite limited. Their only real intrusion into enemy territory had been the strike force that took down Zaur Beridze of the Citadel of Exalted Light. One system, out of many thousands. A small matter, from certain perspectives.


    The carelessness of the great powers had weakened them beyond anything they could have anticipated. Most likely, they still had the advantage… but that was waning with each year. And though it urred over a millennium, the rise of the Scarlet Alliance was still like a sudden bloom from certain perspectives. Nobody quite wanted to believe it, and the Scarlet Alliance didn’t intend to tell anyone what a threat they were.


    They weren’t nning to provoke any Domination cultivators at the moment. Just take out some of those sects that provided lower level fleets that could harm them in the future, such that other people would hesitate. That was the n, at least.


    Except for theiring counterattack against the Fearsome Menagerie, but that would likely be a few decades hence. After they finished their ns with the Exalted Quadrant… or not quite. Once they withdrew, people would be watching for their next move, so taking action <em>before</em> that point would provide an advantage. Focusing on southern sects and carving out some safe territory for the Little Alliance was one of the main goals. Anton couldn’t always hang around… though Velvet could drive away pretty much anything less than another Domination cultivator. If possible, they were going to avoid her having to test herself against them.


    -----


    Back in the lower realms, there was a great movement of the strongest cultivators. Specifically, in the Shining Cooperative. And if all went well, the number who died would be… zero.


    That was a bit of a lofty goal. Anton’s true hope was that nobody died <em>inbat</em>. If they were able to uncover sufficient justification, a few people might be executed. For what? Gross mismanagement leading to mass casualties. Theft. Any number of other things that fit the Shining Cooperatives internal rules.


    Aerona was going to convince them that it was their own idea, and it wouldn''t be a lie. Besides, there was a small chance that nobody would need to die. Maybe everyone would recognize the error of their ways, how they were hurting their ‘own people’ by unfairly managing resources and knowledge.


    The only <em>real</em> leverage that the Lower Realms Alliance would be pulling, aside from the very presence of Devon and Anton which had been <em>requested</em>, was future cooperation. The very support that had made certain sects and systems prosperous could be withdrawn. Some people might not be afraid of that, as the information wouldn’t suddenly disappear. Nor would their wealth. However, that same support might go directly to others, and those groups would then outpace them.


    The funny thing was, if they had managed things properly from the beginning they wouldn’t <em>need</em> further support. They could have built up a vastwork of prosperous systems, robust and unbreakable. As it was, the Shining Cooperative could certainly continue to exist even if they lost the support of many systems… but it would be far shakier than it needed to be.


    -----


    A key part of their ns was Aerona, who could not only convince people with her words, but also provide internal reasons. Emotions, not created by her but instead drawn from within themselves- or from others around them. This was the n, and it was also something they couldn’t afford to refuse.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    That was because of all the people they gathered. There were a number of groups that had gathered more resources unto themselves, but they still couldn’t outmatch the <em>rest</em> of the Shining Cooperative put together. Thergest ‘faction’, if such a thing could be said to exist, were those content with the state of things but not in the upper ranks.


    Normally, arge content poption would be willing to side with those with power, supporting the status quo. That was where the threats of things changing came in. If support was withdrawn, either those currently receiving the most resources would have to have less, or those in the middle of the pack. Neither would ept that easily.


    Then there were those such as the Pokorny’s, Izaak and Marianna, who weren’t part of the disaffected systems but would support them. The only reason something big hadn’t already happened was that things had been stable. The shakeup from the shift in the Tides followed by simple <em>awareness</em> spread by the Lower Realms Alliance diplomatic team meant many of them would support the disaffected systems naturally. Others were following the request of Anton and the others.


    There were thousands of Assimtion or equivalent cultivators present, with a much smaller quantity of Enrichment equivalent individuals. The Shining Cooperative should have had more of thetter, but the selfishness of trying to gain individual power actually hindered <em>everyone</em>, even those on top. At least, over the course of many centuries.


    Together, they were probably capable of being a threat to Anton and Devon. At least, with Anton being physically present. If he were outside the system, he could easily attack them and they’d never be able to catch him. Not that it was expected that they would fight- even the current controlling faction likely wouldn’t find that valuable, and they wouldn’t have the support of the majority. It was just a relevant factor. Anton was d that they couldn’t <em>actually</em> force everyone to do what they wanted.


    “As you are all aware,” Aerona began. “We were called here as neutral parties to try to deal with a certain issue facing the Shining Cooperative. Some number of systems within your borders found themselves displeased with the state of things. As they express themselves, I will help everyone feel what they feel. In turn, I will do the same for others who wish to provide their own perspectives.”


    The way she framed it, people couldn''t speak without her sharing their emotions. They would soon see how deep that went, how much conviction they needed. Any who were less than passionate would fall t… and any of those who had <em>intentionally</em> manipted the system would find themselves in a very awkward position. They hadn’t been able to clearly expose any viins, as that would have tipped their hand early, but they’d met with a great number of people over thest few years ande to understand many of the tangled strands ofmunity.


    Milosh was one of the first to speak. They had coached him to avoid any <em>usatory</em> tone, especially towards any individuals. Such as Kazimir. At the very least, it was unnecessary early on.


    Milosh exined the state Tanewen was in. And he had charts, helpfully developed with the aid of the Lower Realms Alliance. “Tanewen was asked to rely on the Shining Cooperative. And so we have, faithfully, for many centuries.” His frustration was evident. He would be followed up by those who were more calm, but they needed a strong start. “Our growth should have been strong and steady. With the options avable to the Shining Cooperative, it could have easily been so- at no cost. No, at greater benefit as we would have been more prosperous. The taxes we would have prepared would have been more abundant.”


    They had numbers. Charts <em>full</em> of numbers, including project growth capabilities, average growth projections, actual numbers, and rtive growth by base type. Some were naturally more fertile, but it had been shown that even subpars could be something amazing with proper techniques.


    If there were sides, the Lower Realms Alliance was pretty clearly on the side of these disaffected systems. While it seemed problematic for theoretically neutral parties, they couldn''t ept anything else. After all, the situation had reached this current state precisely <em>because</em> they stayed out of the ‘business’ of the Shining Cooperative. Perhaps too much. If they were going to be fully neutral, they might as well have done nothing at all.


    Ultimately, though, they wanted what was best for everyone and were disappointed that wasn’t what had been happening for so long.


    They soon moved on to a more positive message from Izaak. “Anton saved my life, and my.” Anton didn’t like to be overly praised… but he <em>was</em> the primary individual responsible for all of that. And it was better than touting the Lower Realms Alliance, because they didn’t want it to feel like a foreign intrusion. “Mazlerth has grown tremendously with the knowledge provided in the aftermath. Beyond that, all we needed was a few seeds.” He chuckled. “Alright, a lot of seeds. So many different kinds of seeds. But you aren’t here to listen to me talk about crops for ten hours.”


    He looked around the gathering, nodding.


    “Ten hours would be the condensed version. Anyway, the point is those seeds became nts that produced many times the number of seeds we nted. They provided food that filled our storehouses and bellies, and that food carried energy that improved our strength. All of this we passed on, because it was all able to be reproduced. We lost nothing.” He inclined his head towards Milosh. “If we had been better connected to the Shining Cooperative as a whole, we could have aided in the growth of other systems. We simply believed it was being handled.”


    There was still no usation, especially not against specific individuals. However, Anton expected that some of the greatest condemnation woulde from the people themselves. Unless they entirely refused to speak, but that would be difficult once they got to pointing out where an unbnced proportion of resources had gone… and not passed beyond. Sometimes, gathering resources to a central zone to be distributed was right and proper. Even if there was some waste, there could be efficiencies in distribution.


    But sometimes there was corruption. Anton carefully watched faces, and he was d to find that Ezhil was upset- and empathetic. He truly wanted peace… and seemed to not have known how things really were.


    Kazimir also looked upset, as various references to the Glowing Sun Sect came up. There were also others who seemed to have simr thoughts. But Anton was further along the path to believing that they only wanted peace because it would have been <em>convenient</em> for them. Not because they cared about people dying. But maybe they could convince people that wasn’t the case. The truth woulde out, though. Especially with Aerona’s abilities. And it was far toote to uninvite Anton and Devon.