"Have you been to the Sub-Realm?" the lady asked, turning around as she inspected their bodies using Divine Sense, noticing how dense their physique was, concluding, "It seems you are indeed from there. That makes things simpler."
"They are the very same Black Demons you might have seen in Layer 2 of the Sub-Realm," she replied.
"So, this is how they look." Tina nodded, having not seen one while she was in Layer 2. The highest she saw was a Red Demon. Her physique, back when she was in the Sub-Realm, was as strong as a Red Demon.
Gegrafikan was the same, possessing physical strength on par with a Red Demon. Now, they gazed at the sheer presence oozed by the Black Demons, honestly surprised at how strong they were.
Upon seeing more than thirty Black Demons in one group, they were alarmed. However, upon seeing the white tattoo of a mountain on their foreheads, Tina and Gegrafikan visibly relaxed.
"They have appeared a couple of months ago. So, they're also new disciples," the lady said, finally introducing herself. "You can call me Alfa. I'm a Monster Gecko in charge of taking care of all the sect's needs. I'm a regular Monster Gecko. And all female regular Monster Geckos have the same name."
"You're aMonster Gecko?" Tina was surprised when Alfa reverted to her Monster Gecko form for a second before returning to her human form.
"All of us look the same since we're a product of Master Feifei's ability. Hence, we share the same name," Alfa explained. "As for our male counterparts, they're addressed as Azra. The stronger a Monster Gecko, the prettier they become while in human form."
"Also, they are addressed accordingly. If they're a female Mutant Monster Gecko, they're addressed as Mutant Alfa. It follows the same order for a King, Emperor, and Supreme Monster Gecko." Alfa said, concluding, "Over time, you'll be able to differentiate our strengths and appearances."
She then led them towards a building built like an inverted honeycomb, entering one of its rooms to show a forging room."This is where you can forge any item that you wish to create. You can borrow all the necessary tools here."
She then pointed at a certain place, switching on the formation to cause a flame to flicker into life. "You can adjust the intensity of the flame, the type of flame it generates, and other variables. You'll be charged contribution points based on how much you spend. There's a meter nearby to show you how much you're spending in real-time."
She then showed them to another building, one that was shaped like an igloo. The moment they entered it, an intense smell of herbs wafted to their nose as Alfa explained, "This is where pills are created. All the herbs you need could be requested. There's a list of everything in the lobby, similar to the forging building. The cost of each herb is given based on contribution points."
"Anything you create would be inspected and priced accordingly by the Emperor Monster Geckos in charge of the place. Of course, you can use them on your own or sell them to the allotted price," Alfa added.
"This is amazing" Tina said in amazement, asking in confusion after some thought, "Thought, why are there so few people everywhere?"
"That's because the sect is only a couple decades old since its establishment," Alfa explained. "At present, the only disciples we are recruiting are those from the Sub-Realm. So, this is for the better. Quality above quantity. A couple of centuries later, the sect would be fully populated."
The next building she led them to was one where Talismans could be created. The environment was peaceful, pleasant to aid in the creation of Talismans. "The formations in each room allow you to imitate various environments. This way, you can use them as inspiration to create various Talismans."
She then brought them to what was apparently the biggest building in the entire sect, telling them, "This is the market where everything is sold. There are also auction houses of various sizes here that open up accordingly to the items that arrive."
Tina then entered the market, noticing numerous stalls placed everywhere. However, very few of them were filled. There was a small crowd of people surfing through things, clearly familiar with all the people in place.
She observed that the items sold at the place ranged from mundane things like jewelry to important items like pills, weapons, and so on.
After giving a brief recount to everything in place, Alfa led them towards a heavily guarded building, saying, "This is where all the Godly Abilities are stored. They are present for every cultivation realm. As long as your realm matches the condition, and you have enough contribution points, you can exchange for any technique from there."
She then arrived at a building around which a lot of Outer Sect Disciples had congregated around, saying, "This place is by far the most important for the Outer Disciples. This is where you can buy Quasi Spiritual Marks."
"Quasi Spiritual Marks?" Tina was surprised. "Are they the same as the Spiritual Marks present in the Sub-Realm?"
"Yes, only weaker." Alfa nodded. "Their creator can only create them up to this level of power. But in the future, once she becomes an immortal, she can create Spiritual Marks without trouble."
"Spiritual Marks" Tina sighed, having seen everything. "The Mountain Sect is prosperous in resources."
"Of course." Alfa nodded in agreement. "That brings us to the prime location in the sect, the central tower. Though, you'll only gain clearance to visit there once you become Core Disciples."
She then brought them to a certain district within the sect, saying, "This is the residential district. As an Outer Sect Disciple, you'll only get a 1BHK apartment for your use. An Inner Sect Disciple would have a 3BHK apartment while a Core Disciple gets a villa."
She then brought them to their respective apartments, leaving them after a word. "Your coral tablets are the key to your apartment. Don't lose it. If you wish to purchase some storage rings, you can head to the market. Look through the book I gave you for further details about everything else. There's a lot that I haven't shown you around."
After she left, Tina and Gegrafikan looked at each other, bursting into laughter.
"This place is on a whole other level."
"And to think five people established it. That's simply unbelievable."