Then the elder said to all of them, "Follow me."
Elder Bloodhound took the path on the right and led them away. Behind them, another group of new members was about to reach the black stele.
The path they took was along the ridges of the mountain they were on. It led directly to another mountain in the distance. On the way, Elder Bloodhound pointed out various things to them.
He pointed to a marsh and said, "That there is the zone where we raise poisonous frogs. The water of the swamp is black and so acidic that it might kill you even before the frogs get to you."
He saw different biomes in the mountain range. He saw forests, tundra, lake, and desert biomes. Each area was large, yet they were prevented from influencing each other.
Elder Bloodhound also introduced the various arms of the sect.
He said, "I terms of service, we have the personnel hall. It is the largest and the most important hall in the sect. It is also were we are going right now."
"There are many personnel halls in the sect which do the same thing. So the one we are going to is not the only one. The personnel halls were scattered around the outer sect so that everyone won't have to travel a long distance and crowd a single place."
"The personnel hall is in charge of registering members, keeping track of our information, assigning benefits, and many more. We are going there now for you to register and get an abode. Our tour will end at the area assigned for this year's members."
"After the personnel hall are the weapons hall, the medicine hall, the technique library, the normal library, the mission hall, the plant raising hall, the animal rearing hall, the law enforcement hall, and lecture halls."
"Just like the personnel hall, there are many of each halls scattered around the outer sect. So you can access the one closest to you."
"Every hall will be important to you. But I believe that the one you guys will have more dealings with is the lecture hall. It is, after all, where there are elders teaching the various techniques that you will learn."
"The division of halls is in terms of service. Any one of you can serve in any of them, but it is mostly menial disciples and elders that serve in them."
"Apart from the division based on service is the division based on alliance. Alliance halls are created by members of the sects for helping each other. You can consider them as clubs or gangs within the sects. They are currently waiting for you in your accommodation area to recruit you."
When Arthur heard that, he remembered what he read in the dossier that Patriarch Calcetti gave him about how the children of the family who entered the Blood Skull sect had formed an alliance.
He doesn't plan to join the alliance immediately. In fact, he doesn't plan to join any alliance unless the benefits are significant.
Elder Bloodhound continued talking, "Joining an alliance will grant you various benefits. It is mostly in terms of connections to people and access to information. There won't be much in terms of physical and tangible benefits."
"An alliance can be loose and have few rules. But sometimes an alliance can be strict. Some alliances hate each other. So you have to do a lot of research before you join one."
"Beyond the division based on alliance is the division based on grade. There are four grades in the outer sect. There are the S, A, B, and C. The personnel hall will keep track of everyone's performance. Their assessment and the five-year battle assessment will determine if you get to stay in your grade or will be promoted or will be demoted."
"But not to worry, no matter how bad you perform, you won't be evicted out of the sect. That is as long as you don't break any rules. Even if you break rules, you can pay a fine for some and be punished for others. It will take a lot of genuine troublemaking before you can be evicted."
"But the division of grades is only for members in the outer sects. It doesn't account for elders like me in the outer sect, the members in the inner sect, the elders of the inner sects, the sect master, and the patriarchs. Those are currently beyond you."
"Right now, you've not even reached the foundation establishment stage. That is the third mortal coil. So you don't need to worry much about the other grades."
Elder Bloodhound was a good guide. He made the tour interesting by telling them stories along the way about various aspects of the sect.
From how he behaved, Arthur didn't feel the frustration he expected from someone who had no hopes of reaching the fourth mortal coil anymore. Elder Bloodhound didn't seem unhappy with his situation.
Unfortunately, not everything about the tour was pleasant. The distance between the mountains and the places they needed to visit was too large.
For instance, the distance to the personnel hall was over 50 kilometers. They had to run there to reach it quickly.
They ran at a speed of 36 kilometers per hour. This speed is just a bit slower than the world record for the 100-meter dash in his past life. But they didn't run for less than ten seconds. They had to sustain this speed for more than one and a half hours.
Even with their enhanced physique, this kind of strenuous exercise took its toll on them. It made them cherish the break they got at the personnel hall.
The personnel hall was built on top of a mountain. It was a stone structure that looked like a Greek temple.
Beneath the personnel hall and around the mountain were other buildings. They were occupied by many members of the sect. All of them were at the second mortal coil.
The 1,000 new members had to run to the top of the mountain to reach the personnel hall. It was tiring work, but it wasn't the only thing they had to deal with.