Chapter 82 The Warehouse
After two minutes of walking, Meira materialized, her ringing cell phone in her hand. She checked the screen to find it’s Elizabeth. They rushed toward a quieter area down an alleyway so Meira could answer the call. She talked for a few minutes while Evernya sipped on a smoothie from her backpack.
“So Elizabeth found us a car and is on the way?” Evernya questioned, despite hearing the entire conversation.
“Yeah, so you heard everything?” Meira inquired with a curious expression.
“I did. These ears are incredibly useful for eavesdropping, even if I don’t intend to do it,” Evernya admitted while twitching her ears to draw attention to them.
“Yours are especially so. I even enchanted my cell phone to be noise-canceling beyond a certain range. Since, as you said, it isn’t hard for a shifter to eavesdrop on conversations.” Meira revealed.
“I forget I’m not the only one with sensitive hearing. You need to add that enchantment to my cell phone. I would hate to have a random person nearby listening to my calls.” Evernya insisted, even fishing her cellphone out of its tight home.
Meira waved the offered cell phone away as she explained, “It’s not worth adding it to the prepaid phone of yours, but I will add it to your next phone. Besides, you need more than the cell phone for noise canceling.” Meira fished out her still-activated cube device from the side pocket of her backpack. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this cube has an enchantment preventing sound from traveling further than its current setting maxing out at three meters.”
“Fascinating the enchanting class is so versatile,” Evernya commented while eyeing the slightly glowing cube with interest.
Meira beamed a smile at her kitten for her interest as she boasted, “Of course, what we sacrifice in combat potential we make up for in creation. I suppose you could call enchanters the engineers of Magicals. Anything running on mana or has any magical functions requires an enchanter to design and create.”
“The enchanting class will be fun to dabble in if I awaken it. Though for now, I think I should work on my combat potential.” Evernya commented while watching Meira put away the noise-canceling cube and her cell phone.
“It isn’t a matter of if, but when. But you’re right, as much as I would love to see what your Psionically enhanced mind is capable of with enchanting you need to focus on growing stronger.” Meira stated, looking almost physically hurt as she forced the words out.
With a headache already weighing on her mind as they exit the alleyway, Evernya begged, “can we leave now? I don’t think we have much of a chance of finding my stolen weapons. They could be anywhere. I hate wasting over two thousand crystals, but I just need a break from the crowds of people.”
“If that’s what you want, we can leave now. Don’t worry about wasting crystals, your black moons alone more than make up for your losses, and that’s not even considering your priceless acquisition. Besides, I doubt you would have much use for those weapons anyway.” Meira consoled as she turned right down the street leading towards the taxi station.
“True, I just wanted those weapons to look at and occasionally experiment with. I wanted a spear too, but I couldn’t find one that fit me.” Evernya pouted, despite her worsening headache.
“Wow, this is coming from the girl who said she probably wouldn’t buy anything.” Meira teased.
Momentarily forgetting her headache, Evernya shot back, “Hey, you spent a ton more than I did at Jason’s stall alone. Why did you drop sixty grand on those four swords?”
“Partly as an investment, but mostly because those swords were of high quality. Depending on the enchantment, I could easily sell any of those swords for over fifty thousand each. I did the investment part to butter up Jason to accept my offer.” Meira explained.
“Why would someone spend fifty thousand on a sword? Wouldn’t it be better to buy a steel sword and save your money for other things? Why don’t most people just use their magic to fight?” Evernya questioned.
Unfortunately for Evernya, her question prompted a lecture from her elf. “First of all, a steel sword has limited enchanting potential. Typically, the most you can force into a steel sword is enhanced durability and or an enhanced sharpening enchantment. These enchantments work just fine for training or starting out adventurers, but are inadequate for most other things. Weapons are essential for mages and non-mages alike if you are out in the wilds, because relying on your magic alone isn’t always enough. With the right enchantments, even a weak human can be deadly with a weapon. Of course, their magic is their primary focus, but what if you are low on mana or are in an area that negates magic? Only a fool would rely solely on their magic. Now fifty thousand for a weapon may seem like a lot of money, but if you properly maintain it, the weapon will last forever, unlike a steel sword, which is essentially a throwaway weapon. Even if the weapon or enchantments get damaged, a sword made of mithril or adamant is worth getting repaired. Most adventurers use a cheap steel sword until they save up for a real primary weapon, which they will probably use for the rest of their career, maybe even pass it down to their children.”
After taking a few seconds to digest the new information, Evernya replied, “I suppose that makes sense. Fifty thousand crystals isn’t a crazy amount of money if the weapon will stay with you for the rest of your life. If I was in a situation where I couldn’t use my magic, I am probably fucked either way, but for most people, it makes sense to have a backup method of fighting.”
While nodding enthusiastically in agreement, Meira added, “If you were low on mana, you wouldn’t be doing much fighting or anything. Even during your training, you never dropped below fifteen percent of your mana reserves. I think anything below ten percent would cause your body to shut down. Luckily your mana reserves are at least quadruple that of someone your age.”
“Really? After some of those training sessions, I felt depleted.” Evernya questioned in surprise.
“You can check the data on your suit computer if you don’t believe me. It’s good that your body lets you know when you are getting low on mana. It isn’t uncommon for a young mage to run out of mana accidentally and pass out while training. Young mages rarely have the attunement to tell when they are getting low. Worse things would happen to you if you run out of mana so I would listen to your body.” Meira advised as they took a left down the main road a few blocks away from the taxi station.
Upon reaching the taxi station, Evernya had a thought prompting her to ask. “How did you get me out of here so quickly? If what you said about my condition is true, I doubt I would’ve survived a taxi trip to the exit.”
After finding two open seats, Meira reactivated the noise-canceling cube before responding as the taxi rolled into the taxi-only lane. “I flew as fast as I could. It took me less than a minute to get to the exit, but I burned through a ton of mana to make it. I can float in the air for hours but moving at over 400 kilometers per hour while carrying someone is really draining.”
“Then how did you fly in the wilds while carrying Maylin?” Evernya questioned.
“Maylin was feeding me her mana through our bloodline bond, giving me two elves’ worth of mana. Plus, as I’m sure you noticed, mana in the wilds is much denser, promoting faster regeneration.” Meira explained.
“Well, I’m glad you can fly,” Evernya commented, shivering at the thought of dying in the middle of the street.
Meira gave her kitten a quick hug before stating, “Me too. I may get a fine later for unauthorized flying, but it was worth it to save your life.”
“I’m sure you can afford it,” Evernya commented without worry.
“Easily, but it’ll be a hassle because I have to go to the Mage’s council building to pay it off. Though I could take care of it when we get you a driver’s license.”
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“So, you need a permit or something to fly? I’m assuming if laws prevent running too fast that there are similar laws preventing flight.” Evernya inquired, in case she stumbled upon the ability to fly in the future.
“No one can fly within city limits, unless you’re registered in a field requiring fast response times or are a Mage’s council member. If Elizabeth could fly, she could because she is a doctor, but I’m not allowed. Of course, if you are from an old family or have a bloodline, you can skirt the law too. Those old families could get away with murder if they wanted to.” Meira replied.
Evernya became confused, prompting her to question, “But you have a bloodline now, aren’t you exempt?”
Evernya’s question locked Meira up, forcing her to think for a minute before responding, “Technically yes, but that’s only if I register it. If I try to play the bloodline card without it registered, they would hit me with a double fine one for the unauthorized flight and another for failing to register a bloodline. For Maylin’s sake, I’ll register mine when she does, since the registration scan will show my name as the head of the bloodline. But for now, I’ll keep it secret.”
Now feeling better away from the crowds on riding the taxi, Evernya continued her question barrage, “Do flying vehicles exist?”
“Yeah, but they are expensive to purchase and operate. It is much cheaper to fly and keep all the items you need in a storage device. They aren’t practical to use unless you are moving something too large to fit in a storage ring.” Meira replied, this time better prepared to answer.
“So, there isn’t a flight service to other cities?” Evernya inquired, despite having a good idea about the answer.
“No, a public flight service would be too costly and dangerous to maintain. Unless it is heavily armored, which is only available to the mages council or the old families, the vehicle will get destroyed by mana beasts from the wilds between cities. Not only can some mana beasts use magic to hit you from range, but some can even fly, so even the skies above the wilds aren’t safe. In a pinch, someone could fly to another city if they bring enough MEL or mana potions, but unless it’s an emergency, the portal system is a better option for most. Not everyone is a damn ghost like you are. It was a miracle you made it as far as you did.” Meira explained while staring enviously at her kitten.
Having nothing else to do on their third taxi ride, Evernya continued drilling Meira for more answers to her curiosity. “If it’s that hard to travel to the wilds, how were these cities founded?”
Meira replied, while mentally wondering what else the textbooks skimped out on. “If you travel with a large enough group, passing through the wilds is doable as long as you avoid any areas with higher mana concentration. Groups of adventurers or explorers placed a marker on a good settlement spot, allowing teleporters and portalers to transport supplies and non-combat personnel for the founding of a city. However, without a mana barrier, a settlement is tough to sustain, so typically, a lot of the first settlers are combat-oriented until the establishment of a barrier.”
“No wonder there aren’t many cities. It sounds like a lot of work and very dangerous to settle anything.” Evernya commented.
As they neared the halfway mark passing the area, Evernya first smelled the wild-sourced material section Meira added, “For that reason, Sespina doesn’t focus on establishing settlements much anymore. Instead, they slowly increase the diameter of a city’s mana barrier. Jason had a lot of issues finding a spot for his own store, since space comes at a premium. The major drawback of slow expansion over creating new settlements is that the mana barrier requires a ton more mana to sustain. You can’t just expand the barrier, you have to reinforce it, as a large, stretched-out barrier is useless.”
“Is that why bigger cities have thinner mana in the air?” Evernya inquired.
“Partly yes, but one of the conditions to living with any settlement is a mana tax. Typically, residents of a city need to donate three-fourths of their mana once a month as a tax. Also, one of the most common punishments for a minor crime is mana siphoning via a locking device, taking a certain amount of mana daily. Between this and the lay lines running through a city, they can usually maintain a barrier with enough surplus to withstand a direct assault until backup can arrive.” Meira explained.
“Why not just use MEL?” Evernya questioned.
Meira glanced at her kitten as if she’s stupid as she answered, “That would be pointless. You need mana to make MEL. Why go through the effort when it’s better to just inject the mana directly into the giant mana crystal, powering the barrier and any other essential infrastructure?”
Evernya ignored Meira’s look in favor of improving her knowledge of the world, asking her next question with a worried tone. “Will I have to give up my mana too?”
“Eventually, unless you live outside of a city, as I do. I can run a small barrier like the one around my property solely off of a lay line.” Meira replied, confirming her kitten’s worry.
“What about when I attend college?” Evernya inquired with a slight shake in her voice, terrified of having her mana taken from her.
Despite seeing her kitten’s increasing panic, Meira continued to answer truthfully, knowing she should know. “College students only need to donate once every six months because, in theory, they will use their mana to train themselves to be better citizens in the future.”
With each answer, Evernya felt less inclined to go to college as she commented, “Crap, that means I’ll have to do it at least once, maybe twice if I only stay for the required year.”
Seeing her kitten on the verge of a panic attack, she attempted to ease her worries. “You should be okay as long as you drink or eat something directly after.”
“I’ll just have to suck it up. It isn’t painful if I voluntarily push my mana into something so it shouldn’t be too bad.” Evernya muttered, trying to reassure herself despite not believing her own words.
They lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip, arriving at the entrance gate ten minutes later. Eager to get out of the crowds as fast as possible, Evernya unbuckled herself and hopped out of the taxi as soon as it stopped retrieving her Black Moons from their resting place on the roof. Upon seeing her kitten moving toward the wrong gate, Meira jogged to catch up. Evernya followed her past the entrance gate to another gate two blocks down.
After scanning their wristbands on the gate, allowing them to walk through a giant warehouse with a banner stating purchase pickup area greeted them. Before entering the warehouse, Meira stored away the swords and box of black moons into her now usable storage ring.
They yet again scanned their wristbands at the door to prove they were at the festival and entered the warehouse. Once inside the warehouse, Meira flagged down a worker to fetch her other purchases. The young man looked up Meira’s name on his tablet, then ran off to a flatbed vehicle. The women sat down on the provided chairs in the waiting area to wait.
Upon spotting the two by three-meter flatbed filled with various wrapped items, Evernya stared in shock, exclaiming, “How much did you buy!?”
“What I said before, I bought a bunch of weapons and armor pieces to resupply my stock,” Meira replied nonchalantly, before standing up from her seat.
“And how much would that be?” Evernya questioned as she joined Meira in inspecting the contents on the flatbed.
“I don’t remember exactly how much I bought of each item, but I think I spent around two hundred thousand crystals. None of them were as good of quality as those four long swords though. Hopefully, this lasts me through the winter. I hate having to restock midwinter.” Meira replied as she finished up with her inspection.
“If the margins are anything like what you estimated on those long swords, I’m guessing you will make at least half a million from these alone,” Evernya muttered half to herself.
As Meira walked around the flatbed to the driver, she replied, “Yeah, around there, most of the time, people bring me the item they want me to enchant or repair. Typically, I make around ten million crystals a year from enchanting and maybe another five in investments.”
Upon hearing the number, Evernya froze in shock, muttering, “Holy shit, that’s a lot of money. No wonder spending as much as you have today is no big deal.”
“That’s what I keep telling you, but you keep freaking out,” Meira stated with a smile as her kitten finally got it.
“Well, from where I’m from, I made around seventy thousand a year. From my estimate crystals are nearly a one-to-one ratio to the currency I am used to, so to me, this is a ton of money.” Evernya explained.
Meira glanced over her shoulder at her kitten in shock. “What did you do? With that much, you could live in a Tier 3 city, but not overly comfortable. That’s about the minimum you would need to live on your own, in a small apartment. I suppose you could get a roommate to save money though.”
Upon hearing what seventy thousand a year gets you in this world, Evernya revealed, “Damn cost-of-living here is much higher. Where I lived seventy thousand a year would allow you to live comfortably owning a decent house, though I rented a nice apartment instead. However, I suppose it makes sense with the limited space, larger cities had similar cost-of-living.”
“One hundred thousand a year is the baseline to own your own place in a Tier 3 city,” Meira added after scanning her wristband on the provided tablet, confirming her purchases.
“How much to have your own territory outside the city?” Evernya inquired half, dreading the answer.
While storing away her purchases in her storage ring, Meira answered, “Depends on how far out you want it, and how big the territory is. The largest cost is having a mana barrier set up. Construction isn’t too bad. To have a place like mine, you would need around ten million, but I am pretty far out and my territory is twenty square kilometers. My house and yard only take up a small portion of my territory, as I leave most of it undisturbed. The upfront cost is much greater, but you don’t have to pay any taxes. You are technically an independent settlement, but that also means you will not receive any aid from nearby cities, nor will they cover your place with insurance. Basically, you are on your own. You have a greater risk of being attacked by mana beasts, but in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. To minimize risks, I have multiple fail-safes in case I get overran, which is essential if you are living alone near the edge of the wilds.”
To Meira’s surprise, her kitten didn’t freak out, instead calmly commented, “Well, I won’t be able to afford my own territory anytime soon, but I like the idea of independence from the Sespinian Mage’s council. Plus, it is so peaceful where you live.”
“You have plenty of time to plan out your future, so no rush. Anyway, let’s get going. I’m sure Elizabeth is here by now.” Meira directed, confident in her kitten’s future success.
In agreement, Evernya eagerly followed her elf back out of the warehouse toward the street to search for Elizabeth’s acquisition.