Chapter 22: Foundations 12

Elania stretched and cracked her neck while sitting beside Yolani in their room at the estate. The luxurious surroundings provided a momentary respite from the challenges they faced.

“I got 500 crit for the muskets,” Elania said.

Yolani sighed, leaning into Elania’s shoulder. “I hoped it would be more,” she admitted.

As they relaxed, Elania’s mind wandered to the mushroohums and their latest endeavor. “The mushroohums are going to try to grow glow moss,” she mentioned. “Do you know how valuable it might be?”

Yolani perked up, eyes widening with interest. “It could be good,” she said. “There are a lot of things we’re using in the workshops that could benefit from access to it. We have alternatives, but glow moss would be cheaper and more efficient.”

Elania frowned. “If it’s cheap, it might not be worth growing.”

Yolani turned to face her, expression serious. “The things they’re using now for some of the advanced alloy reagents cost thousands of crit per kilo.”

Elania’s eyes widened. “Maybe it would be hundreds of crit per basket, then?” A realization struck her. “Now I know why the Conclave monks sent gatherers to the mushroohums.”

Yolani’s face darkened. “I’m not sure what the Conclave used the glow moss for exactly. It might have been to do with their holy magic and the seraph, but I doubt they did any artifice.”

Elania nodded.

Yolani paused, brows furrowing. “Maybe we can consult an alchemist on any rare or valuable fungi that could be grown as a trade crop as well.”

Elania nodded, thoughts aligning with Yolani’s. “They could try growing edible mushrooms too,” she added. “Just maybe not… recreational ones. I don’t want to get the colony burnt out due to an ordinance violation.”

“Will running a mushroom farm high in the sky be cost-effective at all, though?” Yolani sighed. “How much [Divine Power] is it costing you to maintain?”

Elania pondered the question, assessing the drain on her resources. “The drain isn’t much after we established it, but creating it was costly.”

Yolani nodded. “That makes sense.”

There was another pressing matter. “It’s about the same with the airships, but a bit lighter.”

Yolani nodded, shoulders slumping. “We can’t possibly afford the repairs and maintenance for the airships. I’ll need to keep investing your [Divine Power] into repairing them. It’s really my largest time sink other than helping Ember.”

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Elania glanced at Yolani. “How are things going there?”

Yolani shifted, not meeting Elania’s gaze. “I’m learning a lot about the city's maintenance and how artifice is done here,” she said. “It’s more advanced than Neftasu in some areas, but I have lots of ideas for improvement.”

“Something bothering you?” Elania asked gently.

Yolani took a deep breath, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Ember mentioned something about [Regalia]. She explained they are powerful divine items created by demi-divine, imbued with their divinity and often associated with their sphere of influence.”

Elania listened intently.

“These items can come in many forms—like weapons, armor, or devices,” Yolani began. “We craft them using advanced artifice techniques or rare magical materials. They’re extensions of your power and authority. At first, you’ll only be able to sustain one, but as your power grows, we’ll be able to create more. We just need to approach each one carefully to make sure none of them get weakened.”

Elania nodded, absorbing the information. “We’ll need to think about this,” she said, voice carrying a note of caution. “Creating a [Regalia]… sounds expensive.”

Yolani looked away, eyes flickering with hesitation. “There’s one other thing,” she whispered.

There it was.

Elania’s heart clenched with concern. She waited patiently.

The longer the silence, the more troubled Yolani’s expression became. The other girl finally sighed, shoulders slumping as she looked at Elania. “There’s something else I need to tell you,” she began. “Ember has been… coming on to me.”

Elania’s eyes widened, a spark of anger igniting. “What do you mean?” she asked, voice tight with concern. “Did she hurt you?”

Yolani quickly took Elania’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “No, no, she didn’t,” she clarified. “But she was constantly invading my space, and it felt… sexually charged. I didn’t let her do anything.”

Elania glowered, jaw clenching. “You don’t have to put up with that sort of thing,” she said firmly. “You don’t have to go back, punishment or not.”

Yolani tensed. “But we really need the information and knowledge. And I… I like working there, especially when Ember isn’t watching. Plus, they’re paying me a considerable amount.”

Elania grappled with that. Yolani might have been right—technically, but that didn’t do anything to dampen the fire.

Yolani took a deep breath, eyes meeting Elania’s. “Maybe we can try talking to Ember together,” she suggested tentatively. “To make her know it’s not acceptable, rather than avoiding it completely.”

Elania ran a hand through her hair, letting out a tense breath. “Alright,” she conceded, voice strained. “We can try that first.”

Yolani nodded.

Elania frowned, a sudden unease running through her mind. The thought that Yolani might have enjoyed Ember’s advances flickered unbidden, causing her heart to clench.

Yolani’s eyes widened, shock and hurt evident on her face.

Elania blinked, realizing Yolani had just felt what she’d thought. She stammered, trying to find the right words. “I… I didn’t mean anything by it,” she blurted. “I don’t know why it even came to mind.”

Yolani trembled slightly, letting out a tense breath. “Being able to feel each other’s emotions and thoughts, even as muted as they are, might be harder than we imagined,” she mumbled.

Elania’s heart sank, guilt washing over her. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “I love you, Yolani. I truly am sorry for even thinking that.”

Yolani turned to face Elania, gently pressing her back into the soft sheets of their bed.

A flutter of excitement coursed through Elania’s body, overshadowing the tension.

“I know,” Yolani whispered, green eyes locking with Elania’s golden ones.

A blush crept across Elania’s cheeks, heart racing at Yolani’s words. “Kiss me already,” she breathed.

Yolani leaned in, capturing Elania’s lips with her own as she struggled to pull the hanging bed linens closed.