"I can live with that." One of the three Tinkers agrees. At this, Dora signaled to her team that were standing in a different group further to the side and all five of them took position around the hole; Dora included, they now cover all areas of the room below. All busy preparing their crossbows while they wait.

"Well, ready when you are!" Dora said to us, taking her spot in the circle, loading her crossbow and taking practice aims.

"Alright! Let's power em' up!" The same Tinker yells enthusiastically, beeping and bopping the button on the one console before us. "Prepare to be amazed!"

The first signs to tell me that the machine is coming to life is the loud noise it began making, screeches of metal on metal and the humm of power. Moments later all sounds die down, "it's done with self-maintenance. Greased its moving parts and all"

It then begins moving silently; any part that moves does, those that spin, pick up speed, while any that maintains a high temperature starts to heat up. et al. Soon after, the stones placed within a massive connected input container above the machine begin sinking, a Gnomelem is on the way.

By the time our new sun falls below the horizon, we have determined the machine to be capable of producing three variant Gnomelems, the exact three we have encountered while exploring their mines previously; a Worker, a Guard and an Overseer. Each takes 15, 60, and 360 minutes respectively to construct. Not to mention it takes more stone to create stronger variants, I suspect compressing materials to be at play here, confirmed very quickly by one of the Tinkers. So, by the end of the day; we have determined it most effective---cost and time wise---to create workers for level grinding purposes. More experience overall due to higher numbers of Gnomelems produced and with much less time required to destroy them. While the original owners needed the stronger variants to better protect their Territories, thus making them worth the wait, we do not.

"We need to procure more of these machines!" I tell them the moment we conclude our experiments. I could barely withhold my drools at the thought of having these thing setup within our Territories, oh the experience points it would bring. Our average level would rise like economic inflation!

"You think it's that easy?" One of the Tinkers reply to me with a grin. "This one ran on our largest Reinforced Earth attuned Core. Do you know how much mana it contains?"

"No, of course." I humor him.

"Well we found one containing 2300 mana, and by making use of our clan's method of reinforcing and attuning the Mana Core; we managed to boost its pool by 1700 mana and improved its regeneration by 4 times its initial rate, attuning it to produce pure Earthen mana. Not to mention how fortunate we are that this machine is well received for using Earth attuned mana. Otherwise the cost would be much-much higher." The same Tinker replies.

"I see," I am struggling very hard to stop myself from laughing out loud right now. "Where did you find the Core?"

"In the mine below of course!" Another said, "that day, we celebrated for a whole 3 days. Everyone but the guards on duty was drunk!!"

"Very fortunate of you!" I agree with them.

"Yes! Yes. Our experiments just now had consumed 80% of the mana contained within in the span of approximately five hours of use." The last of the three said after busying himself with the console while we chatted. "Our core should be capable of sustaining the expense indefinitely, bar various unforeseen difficulties, if any. After all, even I admit, the Gnomes are only slightly below us in terms of technological advancements and tendency for details, if not just barely a hairline below."

"How much would the machine cost to run using unattuned Mana Cores?" I ask.

"Ehh, maybe an increase of 50%, give or take." One answer.

"I see, thank you." That's 6000, maybe 7000 mana. Not impossible in a few weeks but still quite significant investments. Cores with 2500 mana, on the other hand, are quite manageable. "Are your Reinforced Earth Cores for sale?"

"The smaller ones, sure."

"Do you seriously think those are the Core I'm talking about?" I replied to him in an unamused tone.

"The big one is not for sale. Didn't you hear me say we only have one!?" He talked back equally unamused.

"Give me a price, we're pretty rich." I didn't back down, even purposely speaking with a provoking tone. "Might as well get the whole machine. Come on! Give me a price!"

"Not selling. You think I was born yesterday boy..." He ended the topic calmly. "But if you can obtain a Mana Core that contains at least the same amount of mana, and pay us one that contains at least 1000 mana, we'll reinforce and attune it for you. I'll even include the machine. Of course, you'll be required to help procure it from the Gnomish ruins."

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"This includes fabricating right?" I negotiate further, not willing to let them dictate the final price just yet. "And Is that deal a long standing one or just a one time thing? What if we find one with more than 2300 mana"

At my question they huddled up, and after a moment of discussion they finally reply with, "we'll reinforce and attune any Core with a pool larger than 2300 mana, as well as fix and fabricate the machine at a location of your choice for a Core that holds half of the one you need processed, and for your assistance in capturing the machine itself."

"Half is kinda expensi---"

"You think the materials for processing the Core and fixing the machine comes out of our butt!?" One claimed.

"---v-ine… Fine, okay." I relent, "let's make a System Contract."

Eyes squinting at me in suspicion, they still agree. After all, Mana Cores don't grow on trees and they know how hard it is to mine for one, let alone two or more. Thus the contract is made anticlimactically. Promptly I grin and attempt to joke, "by the way, I would have believed you if you claimed to need your poop as one of the materials to attune the Core."

Only Dora laughed at that, to the amusement of everyone else and even I. "Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Maybe we'll come and request to use the machine sometimes..." I say still watching the giggling Markswoman.

"Sure, for a price." One of the Tinkers says… I turn to look at him silently. It's one thing that I want to have them provide one back at our base and they require me to pay. But this was a machine I liberated, they took it without asking me, I let them study it, let them keep it within their territory. They promised they will share the results and now I have to pay to allow my people to use it. Maybe I should--- "As you know, the Mana Core that powers it is ours, and it only has a limited amount of resources every day. And we'll also need to use it and…"

You shut up!" Dora intercepts... When did she stop giggling? "Zen, can you give me some time to discuss with our elders regarding this matter?"

I turn to look at her… "how precious are these Tinkers to your Clan?"

"Zen, give me time okay?" Dora said again, "three days at most. I'll try to talk to them old geezers today."

"Oh, I'm much more precious to us than you lowly human, that's for sur--- AHHHH!" A tiny piece of his flesh falls onto the floor beside my feet. A centimeter wide hole can now be seen on the speaker's right cheek. While he dramatically lies on the floor in pain. Invaseviction.

"I'm talking with Dora." The five other Marksman were quick to aim their crossbows at me, but was even more quickly waved away by Minedora. I ignore them and address the idiot Tinker. "It's just a small wound, shut up before I make a bigger one. Do you noble Dwarves die when a piece of your heart is missing? What about your brain?"

That shuts him up, decorating their faces with a look of abject horror. "May I remind you I was the one to acquire this machine. I allowed you to bring it back, to study and learn from. You are asking me to pay for your service in processing new Cores and new machines, I do not mind. But to pay for occasionally using a machine that was rightfully mine to begin with... as you said, that Core regenerates daily, it is as close as possible to infinite in the long run."

As I was leaving, I almost dropped one last threat. Before it occurred to me that I might need their services to process the Cores and fix more machines, can they tamper with it, turn it harmful somehow? Make it volatile after years of use? So instead, I decided to throw them an olive branch. Lesser Heal. The cheek wound visibly heals to the naked eye. "I was too emotional, I know power changes people but it is hard to keep track of myself. Though I still expect reasonable use of the machine. But feel free to take your time talking with your elders Dora. A week or two?"

"Of course. I remember taking it without consideration for you, the person who liberated it. But I will strive to rectify that to the best of my ability." She replies convincingly. I for one know that she first underestimated us, underestimated me, which was why she didn't bother to ask and just took the machine willy-nilly. Now that she understands us better, having personally witnessed my spells and our means. She, and by extension their Clan, feels threatened and has decided she would rather be allies.

"Alrighty! Thank you Dora. "But would you look at the time? It's way too late now. I should get back home, it's been a pleasure speaking with you all. See ya around!" I Blinked out of their Territory, having made use of Mana Sense to reposition the exit tunnel outside and out of view of their entrance guards. Just a little additional show of power. Once outside, I summon Gon and we fly home to the Tower together. It's about time I see our mining operations down below.

Currently, it is about two hours before midnight, which means everybody is either asleep or barely so. As a result, my inspection of the mines is postponed for the morning, though that does not stop me from exploring it on my own. On the lowest floor of my main Tower here at Quadpeak; 4 exits positioned at the cardinal directions may be found, each leads into the same square room; with corners that also points towards the four directions. From that room, in all four intercardinal directions; several different rooms may be found. One a staircase of sorts, leading down deeper into the mountains. The next three are, respectively; a corridor that extends to various residential rooms for the workers, then another that holds various utility rooms such as a kitchen, and lastly, an increasingly expansive storage room for excavated stones.

The stairs itself lead down for about 100 meters, all made of compressed stone by using Shape Stone using stones that are collected from the general vicinity. The same material is also used in constructing the square room and every other wall within. A depth of a hundred meter is about the limit of where Shape Stone may be effectively deployed, any further beyond and the spell would cost an astronomical amount of mana, or fail to work all together. Something we have determined to be caused by foreign mana found within the stones.

The minute of midnight came and passed, it is now Friday. Which—as The System had not mentioned an exact time for when the new limit is effective—I just assume that it is effective starting this week, which then means I have 60 levels worth of Devouring left this week. And, as I still have another 2 days to go, I decided to procrastinate Devouring anything for now.

Even so, the night is young. And it is about time I address my System Store sales for the last 40 or so days.