My soul magic lesson can't come soon enough, but I have projects to start in the meantime, such as the mental experimental room. I have begun all my preparations. With the slight relief the mages gave, I am confident enough to attempt it. The only material I had to acquaint myself with was a variety of woods more common in the south and accessible in the capital. These woods compose a portion of the runes.
From a meditative state on my bed, I materialize in my house. This next part will be difficult. I have to create a room that doesn't exist in this shrine. Doing this to a place I am so familiar with feels like a betrayal, as even a slight shift will change its outward appearance, leading me to make a room outside of visible space, a concept that Shannai explained to me: pocketing space. If she can do it externally, I should be able to do it internally.
I conceive of a door that goes to a room large enough to contain the experimental runes, a half sphere five meters in diameter. The entry is in a fashion of the sanctum, with the crenulations coming quickly under my finger. I push them outside of my mental palace, into a place that isn’t until I thought it could be. I can feel the space in my head contort, wrenching a grunt from my mouth— causing me to stop. I take my time, as this isn’t going to be easy. I have to push at the same rate that I pull in the ambient mana.
I freeze— my thoughts— slowing the process as weakness stutters my body with twitches. Just like that, I lose it again. If I don’t restrict the flow somehow, it’s drawing on my magic too fast. I am fashioning every facet simultaneously, which wouldn’t be so hard if I wasn't also convulsing. It is a faint thing that I can’t grasp. And I have it. It’s in my fingers, but the strain might snap it. I can feel the pressure as that string feeds from me again, slow, slower still, there it is. And now the space around the string wrinkles and contorts. Then, a quick snap as the space anchors to the door.
Looking around my room, I find the door where I want it. I walk outside my mental projection with worry, yet no protrusions mar my home, only an entry in the wall of my room. I open the door with a smile as I step into a barren stone dome. A shell is a good start, but there is still much to do. The outermost barrier rune is the first rune I form after my magic recovers. It's the most magic-intensive, composed of materials in a balance of affinities and a half-meter width. I have to stop ten times before I can complete it. After that, the rest is more manageable. I constantly reference my notes, copying more than understanding the most complex formations woven from the three foundational runes.
I notice certain commonalities in placement, such as the inductor and transference runes in portions of the room where mana coalesces. The inductor runes fill the barrier runes through transference runes. But the inductor runes do something else when placed near runes with similar affinities, concentrating the mana. I finish in six hours.
Looking at my new experimental room in hopes this effort isn’t a waste, as I imagine a gem. A clear crystal appears in my hand, and I step into the cleansing trough. My first idea for making money is glow gems. This idea came relatively quickly after seeing the concentration effect. More importantly, I know the cost of the silver components, and they sell for a couple of gold, a great opportunity but also a risk. I will have to find a way to mitigate that.
Once cleansed, I engrave the runes while also infusing them. Light is categorized under creation magic, making the material for one of the inductor runes obvious. I test for an optimal combination, revealing light manas favorability towards elemental runes, a likeness I had guessed at makes for a reassuring confirmation. I am in the middle of considering the reason for this when someone disturbs me.
“Hm?” I yawn, coming out of my trance.
“You have to get up, or you will be late for your classes. I am not staying around to keep you up. I have to get going,” Shannai informs before walking out the door.
“Well, fuck.” I curse, gathering my things to start my day.
I have a decision to make once the first payment for my tubes comes in. Invest these profits to make enough for the next bimester or wait to see if my tube productivity will make up the difference. I’d be five gold shy of the cost at my current pace. With time, my productivity will increase, but I also have no idea how long Crucus needs my help. If I risk it now, I can make more to invest in my other projects while also losing the reliance on Crucus, but if anyone catches me, I will lose everything. Assuming I can find a safe place to source the materials necessary to craft, I have to invest.
My decision solidifies by the next day after class, prompting me to sprawl the contents of my drawer across the bed. How do you disguise yourself? The key is not to draw attention, so something plain. I have three sets of fine cloaks, their matte black lotus silk matching the stone that underlines the city, good for hiding from sight but offering little to discourage interest. Instead, I’ll probably use the one I brought from home: well-made cotton with nothing to gander at. The day is cooling off, so a cloak will be less familiar, yet hiding is paramount.
“There you are, Vesh, ready to head out?” Jer asks as I approach our meeting place, a tea shop outside the sanctum.
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“I am. Thank you.”
“Have you made progress on your plan yet?”
“Well, what do you think this is?” I defend, gesturing around.
“Experimenting,” Jer guesses.
“I have overcome that and found a productive workaround. We will move forward with funding sooner than expected.”
“And that’s what we are doing? Finding investors.”
“We have an interesting position allowing us to visit differently than planned.”
“You planned, and last I checked, we didn't have a plan A, so how are we already thinking about a plan B.”
“The hows and whats are yet to work out, but I don’t think it is too complicated. Once we have those, we can do what we need to. Otherwise, it is endless variables.”
“Maybe I can help you with some of those?”
“You know that I am the exposed one here. That’s how our roles have to work out.”
“I just worry about you.” Jer sighs after a moment, stretching his hand on his head.
“I know my stress— With what’s going on, it is hard to keep it all straight.”
“I feel you, and I am having a rough time figuring out anything about-”
“Jer.” I scold, interrupting.
“My bad. I am glad I don’t have your job.”
“I am, too, and I can't have yours. I tried, remember? Do you think we can pull this off?” I fish.
“You don’t?” Jer responds like a caught boot.
“Yeah, yeah, self-determination and that. With this step, at least we might be able to help someone other than ourselves.”
“Fine, I don’t care then.”
“That’s more like it.”
Our first stop is more of a hope than an essential part of the plan. Upon entering the city, I noticed a large population of people in poverty. They rarely merged in a meaningful grouping, mostly scattering about the lower districts. The largest of these coalitions is near the city's entrance and comprises nearly fifty houses of scrap lumber and trash. The construction leans against the wall a few blocks off the main road.
“There they are,” I announce, pointing to the young person I had met when I first entered the city.
“Are you sure about this?” Jer hesitates.
“It is a win-win; it will expose us, but we must,” I affirm, pulling him towards them.
They look the same as I remembered, gaunt bodies revealing every bone without modesty, countless struggles stain their torn clothes, and their face assures me again of my plan. It is okay to help people if you and they are both willing.
“Hello, I am Vesh’dan. It is a pleasure to meet you,” I greet, opening my hand to them.
“Piss off, don't snatch nuffin from ya.” They gruff, spitting at my shoe.
“I have a proposition for you if you are interested,” I began again after restraining my hot-headed friend.
“I said piss-” They rear, standing to defend their solitude before stifling at the gold piece peeking from my palm.
I affix a hush, “We can go over there, a quiet place to talk, then you will receive this.”
An acrid odor of piss moistens my eyes as the potential partner limps us to the narrow alley. Malnutrition squeezes them into a husk. Their only intact piece of clothing is a pair of shoes, old but well-maintained, newer than anything else on them aside from a hungry gaze with a glint of apprehension, and is that shame?
“We can do it here if you want,” they mumble while pulling off their shirt-
“No. Not that kind of— oh creation, here I think myself coy, and you thought-” I blush, looking to Jer for support.
“Please hear us out.”
“Oh?” They scoff, pulling their shirt back on. “Whatcha want then?”
“I want to hire you, I want you to recruit people like yourself, and I want to create a business.”
“Don’t know much about business, can't recon’ I’d be fit help.”
“You don’t need understanding. Instead, loyalty will suffice for everything we give,” I assure the young adult.
“I appreciate that, but what exactly is this job?”
“I will need you to acquire goods and manage your people in doing the same.”
“Goods?”
“The goods you will be acquiring are not illegal. You will buy them on the street,” I inform, hearing a slight shift from my stoic friend.
“And the gold piece?” they ask.
“I will give it to you with your word that you will only use half for yourself.”
“And the other half?”
“You will purchase the specified amounts from shops around the city.” I begin by pulling out a map of the city with my instructions. “There will be a different shop for each material that is purchased. They are all marked with colors on the map. Also, you will change the vendor you purchase from and the purchaser each day. That is why the key has seven shops marked for each material. Following so far?” I ask, looking at the stunned teen.
“Yeah, I don't get why ya’d be doin' this, but I can get what ya want. I know of these shops and can read just fine.”
“It is a business technique to keep our costs low, but it isn’t important to understand why. Can you do this?”
“For fifty silver? It’s nothing.”
“Yes, well, it is your money. I would appreciate it if you would spend some money cleaning yourself up. You will need to seem like someone who can do this.” I inform them, moving to leave the alley after handing them the gold coin.
“Why are you trusting me not to take this? What stops me from taking all of it and running?” they call at my back.
“If you are smart, you will realize that one gold coin is just the beginning of what we can make together.” I wager, leaving the alley with a smirk.
“Are you really that confident?” Jer asks as we clear the hearing range.
“Eh, I am about sixty percent sure they will help us,” I clarify.
“If it is a risk, why even bring them in?” Jer points out.
“We will assist them to gain their loyalty, which eases everything else. It’s not like they can finger us for anything. And if they don’t bite, someone else will,” I conclude.