Ray

Ray contemplated the future as he walked home. The dean's offer was something else. Ray did not have any deep relations with the rebellion, but if he gave this potion recipe to them, there would be.

In fact, he would be surprised if he did not become an honored member after he gave it. But it came with its own considerations. Did Ray want to part of a rebellion? The rebellion would presumably be under attack now that the Xnarthan were pouring into the city. But at the same time, this was a good time to join the rebellion.

The rebellion was sure to be grateful to someone that came to their aid in their time of need. But the decision was not his alone, Marcus and the others lives would also be affected by this situation. So, Ray could not, in good conscience, take the decision alone. The prudent decision would be to take a detour to the warehouse after going home. Marcus and the others needed to be clued into what was going on.

Ray stepped into the bakery, surprised to find it mostly empty. The bakery was rarely empty these days. Did something happen? The things Ray knew of would not have any effect on these things. Ma stepped onto the stairs soon, clearly she had seen him coming. Or one of her new powers was detection.

"I have something to share. A little request." Ma said.

"I have news too, "Ray replied, going up the stairs. The conversation was too sensitive for a public bakery.

"Antasia, the Rebel Queen that is, wants you to conduct searches for a group of Satyr children that got lost in the city. " Ma said. Now that was a shock. A bunch of Satyr chidren got lost in the city? Ray could see why the Rebel Queen wanted to find them, but it begged the question: What exactly were a bunch of Satyr children doing in the city?

"Ma, why we're there Satyr children in the city? Is that not like asking to be caught? " Ray asked.

Ma sighed, "Yes, you are right. The Satyr children should not have been there. As far as Antasia can tell, there was a mishap in the Satyr portal system and the kids exploited it to have some fun. Antasia would be very grateful if you and your people could help with this. The Xnarthan are your enemy too... "Ma said.

Ray sighed, things were getting more complicated as time went by. "I have news of my own. I got you a new necklace for one. " Ray said, handing Ma the emerald necklace.

"Ugh, it's nice to look at? But a bit random, did the Dean scam you again? " Ma asked.

"Not quite, I got this vest. " - Ray hoisted his bag that contained the vest-" And this necklace after I did a service for him. "

"But that's not the only thing. The Dean wants me to do it again, many times in fact. And he's willing to give a few very good rewards for it. " Ray said.

"And what exactly is this service?" Ma asked, her eyes narrowing.

"The Dean wants me to document the artifacts in his treasury. The Fae stone there has been collecting information that he needs to know what they're about. But I am the only one that can access it... cause I am Fae. " Ray said. " Though it might be the high mana affinity too. I can now see mana somehow... it’s hard to tell."

"Did you say, see mana? As in, mana is a physical, visible component to you? " Ma asked.

"I wouldn't call it physical, though it is certainly visible. " Ray said.

"What a curious thing. I wonder what prompted it. " Ma said, the Scholar seeping out.

"Norman,” Ray said. “Norman is behind it, as far as I can tell. “

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"Norman? Now, that is even more curious. But enough of that, I hear something about rewards? " Ma said.

"Yes, the Dean has offered to give me the recipe for a potion that increases the likelihood of a child having a combat capable element. " Ray answered.

Ma' eyes widened in shock at the statement. " The potion... it would change the way society works if it's publicized. The Emperor must have a monopoly on it. "

"Yes, but the Dean said that the potion used some rare materials and can't be mass-produced. " Ray answered.

"Yes, that would be a worry, but even then... I think this is a very good deal. Though at the same time it comes at the risk of breaking your cover, which I don't feel we should risk for any amount of money. What Tier is it? " Ma asked.

"Tier 15. The Dean also asked that I arrange a meeting with the Scholar, though that is apparently optional. " Ray said.

"The Dean is acting very strange in all this. Is there something else that I am still unaware of?" Ma asked.

"The Dean also wants me to be his lab assistant. The fact that I can see mana is apparently very helpful to him." Ray answered.

Ma's eyes widened as she realized something. "The research. I forgot that he was one of the leading figures in inventing new recipes. The fact that you can see and predict the effects of mana could save him hundreds of thousands of mana coins, not to mention the time saved...yes, I see now. The Dean wants you to stay. The task, it will take long, yes?" Ma asked.

"Yes, it would take weeks easily. Though I I'll try to speed it up somehow. Perhaps I could use telepathy or one of the artifacts to quickly note down the information I get?" Ray asked.

"Yes, as it may be, it would force you to be there for a long while. The dean would benefit from that, of course. The deal sounds better now." Ma said. Ray had to agree, the Dean getting some extra benefit. But he had to wonder, what was stopping him from just leaving. The Dean's power of teleportation, he supposed.

But it still left the question of why the dean didn't just force him. Aunty Ariana? Or did the Dean secretly have a conscience? Had the Dean ever actually been cruel? Hmm, the high charges for the lab building were done by the professor that the Dean quickly dropped.

And the understudent thing was also not too unfair. The price for paid students was also doable for the rich brats that usually enrolled. What was up with this Dean... Ray had to wonder. Was he just greedy, a normal noble, or something else entirely? But he could wonder later, now he had to go talk to Marcus and the rest.

"What do the rebellion offer for helping them in the search?" Ray asked.

"A few guards, with the Xnarthan coming in, you'll need them. " Ma said. "Ariana is providing a few though. So it's not urgent. I can ask for something else if you like."

"I will have to talk to Marcus and the rest first." Ray said, heading down the stairs.

"Are you going to take the vest with you?" Ma asked, coughed.

"Oh." Ray said. "No, ugh, could you keep it?"

"Yes. And thank you, for the necklace." Ma said, awkwardly.

"Yeah...just send mana into it, the thing should work naturally. '' Ray answered, going down. The conversation was as awkward as it had been since he'd found out Ma was the Scholar. The two of them had other things to do...other responsibilities. And sometimes they even took them in different directions.

Ray exited the bakery and headed towards the warehouse. The roads were the same as usual, dirty, and noisy. But there was a palpable feeling of fear in the air. The Xnarthan were in town. Not out and about yet, as far as Ray knew, but it had already spread throughout the city. The reason they were here was clear.

The rebellion had been making moves. The Emperor did not like that. And that meant that the Xnarthan would be coming to the Commoner's district, the most rebellious part of the city. Ray sighed as he entered the warehouse. The sanitation mechanism working as he was cleared to pass.

The warehouse had changed much over the past few weeks. The building had been painted white, and looked like a real lab building, at least on the inside. A bunch of cubicles occupied the first floor, each an independent lab.

But Ray was not here for the labs. The meeting point would be on the second floor, the cafeteria to be specific. Ray would just have to wait for people to come around after that. The cafeteria was packed today, a good and bad thing. The good was that Ray could get Marcus easily, the bad was that it made it a terrible place to hold meetings.

The people here were trustworthy, but whether they were trustworthy enough that Ray could share information like the recipe with them was in doubt. The existence of the recipe was top secret, it becoming public would not be a good thing. At all. Ray beelined for Marcus, who was busy eating some kind of folded thing.

But that was not what caught his attention. What caught his attention was the people he was talking with. Torrin and the Shadow Princes. Did he die on the way in? Just what was the world coming to?