White Moon Palace

Biodata

Background / History

White Moon Palace is one of the two major sects operating around Southern Sun Town, Treasure Flow River, and Maple Fragrance City. It is in an increasingly tense trade conflict with Azure Sun Hall; the palace's “Stock Immortal” threatened a spirit-stone tax increase, triggering a market collapse that ruined many families, including Lu Li's 2 19.

The palace controls Maple Fragrance City, where its Wood Crows patrol the streets and its influence protects Lu Li from immediate pursuit by Azure Sun Hall debt collectors and disciples 25. It also maintains an elder in the city, operates the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and administers artificer examinations through the local Artificer Association 27 32 38.

White Moon Palace heavily controls regional spirit-material supply. Azure Underworld Demon Fox materials are bought up by White Moon Palace and Azure Sun Hall before reaching the open market, while the sect's conflict with Azure Sun Hall has redirected spirit tin toward higher-revolution spirit-core production 26 31.

Operations

Spirit Ore Trade

White Moon Palace disciples purchase ore from gold panners at Treasure Flow River. A disciple identifies Lu Li's exceptionally pure blue lead through a modified respiratory tract capable of analyzing spirit ore by scent 15.

• Purchased Lu Li's blue lead for 2.5 spirit stones per catty 16.
• Its disciples compete with Azure Sun Hall cultivators for access to river ore and mineral-site information 19.
• High-purity blue lead is treated as a rare and valuable resource 15.

Automaton Artifacts and Spirit Cores

The palace manufactures and circulates automaton artifacts and spirit cores, including cores produced by White Moon Palace Yushui Academy 24 26.

• First-Turn, Type One water spirit cores found in mechanical apes were manufactured by Yushui Academy 24.
• A First-Revolution, Type Four Gold Spirit Core bears the manufacturer mark of Yushui Academy, a production date, and a serial number 26.
• White Moon Palace produces at least several thousand—and potentially over ten thousand—first-rank gold spirit cores per month 26.
• Its Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion asserts that it sells firsthand cores, whose spirit-tin crystal chips can be inspected for prior use 26.

Artificial Artifact Spirits

White Moon Palace is implicated in extracting living souls and refining them into artificial artifact spirits. Lu Ling was sold to the palace under false pretenses, after which her soul and essence were allegedly used to create an artificial artifact spirit within a metal spirit core 21 22.

Wood Crows under the palace's control are also feared to be mechanisms made from living souls; Lu Li believes that, had he died with his inferior divine sense, he might have been refined into one 22.

Automaton puppets are used in the palace's examinations. The Earth-grade artificer examination's blade tester is an automaton puppet programmed to reproduce precise swings, force, and angles 43.

Institutions

• Yushui Academy — Manufactures spirit cores and is a potential destination for talented artificers 24 26 42.
• Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion — White Moon Palace enterprise that sells spirit cores, spiritual materials, tools, books, and forging services 26 27.
• Artificer Association — Registers candidates for the palace-administered Pincersmith Seal examinations in Maple Fragrance City 32 33.
• Maple Fragrance City branch — Oversees Wood Crows, local assessments, commerce, and law enforcement within White Moon Palace territory 25 36 38.

Artificer Assessments

White Moon Palace administers Human-, Earth-, and Heaven-grade artificer assessments in Maple Fragrance City. Passing the Double Seal assessment may provide a direct route into the palace 36.

• Palace disciples inspect contestants' spirit materials for compliance and market value before examinations 47.
• Disciples and deacons supervise assessments, with deacons observing from Drunken Fragrance Tower 38.
• The palace seeks talented artisans; Zhong Wenbai considers admitting Lu Li to Yushui Academy after observing her ability 42.
• Its officials tolerate entrenched favoritism and dangerous off-rule tactics by powerful middle-reach families. During the Heaven-grade assessment, Zhong Wenbai refuses to stop the Zou Family's soundwave formation, stating that “It has always been this way.” 48
• Palace disciples eventually intervene with protective equipment after the Zou Family's formation causes deaths and severe injuries among contestants and spectators 49.

Notable Members and Associates

• Ying Wange / White Moon Stock Immortal — A powerful figure who controls stock markets across the territories of White Moon Palace and Azure Sun Hall. He crafted the automaton guardian Heartless 46.
• Heartless — Automaton guardian created by Ying Wange; identified as a White Moon Palace protector and known by the dharma name “Heartless” 46 48.
• Zhong Wenbai — White Moon Palace deacon overseeing artificer assessments in Maple Fragrance City 38.
• White Moon Palace ore-buying disciple — Uses a modified conical nose and respiratory tract to analyze spirit ores 15.
• White Moon Palace disciples — Operate Wood Crows, conduct material inspections, purchase ore, and supervise examinations 15 25 36 47.

Relationships

• Azure Sun Hall — Rival major sect engaged in a trade conflict and escalating tensions with White Moon Palace 19 26 31.
• Maple Fragrance City — Territory under White Moon Palace jurisdiction 25.
• Mo Family — Neutral local mechanism family whose political alignment is sought by White Moon Palace amid the approaching conflict 38.
• Lu Ling — Allegedly sold to White Moon Palace and refined into an artificial artifact spirit 21 22.
• Lu Li — Seeks to enter and infiltrate White Moon Palace to uncover Lu Ling's fate; participates in its artificer examinations under the alias Deer Pear 32 36 46.

Trivia

• White Moon Palace's Wood Crows are used both for surveillance and aggressive advertising, including promotions for academies and artificer-examination preparation materials 25 36.
• The palace's hidden foundation is known to Mo Zheng, though Zhong Wenbai appears unaware of it 48.