Thorin went through it briefly then handed it to Clay and Quin.
The gist of it lay in the expansion of the street market. The mana spring that supported the market was about to grow. It would soon evolve from a Sequence-0 mana spring into Sequence-1. The surge in mana density and volume aside, the development would bring in some strong Magi. Since the grown mana spring could support Sequence-1 Magi, the market would see an influx of their numbers. To capture that opportunity, the Greysnow Guild looked to expand the street market towards the forest behind.
How much of it was true, however, no one in the room could verify. Nonetheless, time could easily validate the information. So, unless Frederich’s group intended to lose their credibility with the Ashfall Society or even turn them into enemies for twelve mana shards, the likelihood of deliberate deception was low.
“How will it affect us?” Quin asked in a whisper to his brothers, scratching his head.
“The bad, we’ll have to be more careful with anyone we come across,” Thorin said. “Though it’s not that big of a problem for us because whether it be a Sequence-1 Magus or a Sequence-0 Magus at a higher layer, both can wipe us out easily. We just have to be more mindful from now on.”
“The good from it is that we’ll have access to more resources,” Clay said. “The higher mana density will also benefit us. But the premise of all that is if we can afford it.”
“We also have some information we’d like to sell.” Jorgan, a man from another group, raised his hand. “It’s about the encroachment of the Direwolves into the safe zone by the street market.”
Yet again, the information garnered curiosity from everyone present. But most of the society shot down the ask of fifteen mana shards from the man, even when Lanthern proposed to pay the extra three mana shards himself. The men in the room chose the platform where strength and numbers decided the weight behind the voice. If they allowed Lanthern to pay, he would become their creditor. So, they killed his attempt to gain leverage.
His smile waned again.
In the end, each group of the Ashfall Society chipped in one mana shard to buy it at the price of twelve mana shards. The two purchases at the same price also established a pattern that the groups would sustain from now on. The cost of any information could only equal an amount that the groups interested in buying could share equally.
“What’s this one about?” Quin asked when Thorin received the paper.
“The Direwolf that attacked us is related to this,” Thorin said. “It seems the old leader of the Direwolves died. The new leader, who won the battle of succession, chased away everyone who was against him. These lone Direwolves don’t have a pack and are now wandering in the safe zone where we usually hunt. This might create a problem for us.”
“There’s politics even among the wolves? Shit,” Quin quipped.
“Direwolves are one of the smarter Faes, and they tend to bear grudges,” Clay said. “They might even start fighting among themselves near the street market. Or worse, the wandering wolves could come together to form their own pack and challenge the new leader. If the situation spirals out of control—”
“The guild should handle it,” Thorin cut in. “But they might be too busy with the expansion of the market. Worst case, they start conscripting the rogue Magi to clear out the Direwolves and send us to our death.”
“I think we should consider going to the Southern Whispers earlier,” Clay said. “We can continue to earn by hunting the Ghosts there and also avoid the mayhem here.”
“Let’s discuss that when we go back,” Thorin said.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“By the way, should we also sell something?” Quin added. “Recoup what we paid.”
“Do we have anything to sell?” Clay asked. “Whatever important information we have is something we bought from the information bank. I doubt it would sell here.”
“We do have one thing,” Thorin said. “The anomaly that we saw in the valley where we hunted the bear. But let’s not sell that for now. Without the specifics, it won't earn us much anyway.”
“If it’s a treasure, it’s our treasure,” Quin said. “Let’s not sell that for mere pocket change.”
“It might be something dangerous,” Clay said. “And since when did a dozen of mana shards become pocket change?”
“The greater the risk, the greater the reward,” Quin said, closing his eyes with content.
Thorin clapped his balls and made him curl in agony. “Stop acting like you said something smart,” he said while Quin groaned.
Lanthern cleared his throat to grab the attention. “Is there anyone else who wants to sell any information?” he asked, but no one replied anymore. “Let’s continue then. As you all may have experienced by now, the Greysnow Guild or any other guild for that matter keeps a tight leash on all strategic resources. Be it any blueprints, recipes, or important materials. So, I hope we can make the Ashfall Society a place that can meet those needs. I hope you all consider trading those strategic resources if you have them in future meetings. It will not only benefit the society as a whole but also benefit you in the long run. Eventually, the society will become capable enough to support you. Anyway, that’ll be all for today. Let’s adjourn for now.”
They all shared the cheapest spellcards they could find for communication, and the meeting ended with the clinks of the glasses. The ale splashed and spilled as they cheered.
……
After a brief discussion back at the shack, the three cousins decided to approach the information they bought today with some skepticism. Deliberate deception from the sellers was unlikely. But even if every bit of it was authentic, it didn’t guarantee that their situation in the street market would worsen. The guild should also act with a certain amount of tact in mind when dealing with a large number of rogue Magi. If it forced them all into a deadly situation, its street market would lose the traffic.
And so, they decided on the stance of ‘wait and watch’ and resumed their everyday.
Before long, news of injuries and gruesome ends due to Direwolves’ attacks trickled into the market one after another. The number of hunters who went out to the forest shrank by the day. The only Magi who went on hunts and missions now were those who had the death of a Direwolf attributed to their names. None of them belonged to the early stage of Sequence-0 though. So, the three cousins followed the herd and stopped going out of the market as well. They minded their own business while engaging in rumors to stay up to date.
Clay and Quin focused on mastering their classes while Thorin delved into his spells and continued his regular meditation. Over the days, his mastery over his spells increased, and so did his ‘Spirit’. 2.71, 2.72, 2.73…
When the accumulation from his meditation pushed his spirit to 3.10 with the months gone by, his
Nevertheless, Thorin persevered, one step at a time. He avoided any glance at the peak, the final destination, and focused on his next stride with his head down. Bit by bit, he crossed each level of the mastery stages. From neophyte to pathfinder then to its highest level. Even his ‘Spirit’ made strong advances and reached 3.43. But before he could take his final spell to the adept level, he and his cousins confirmed one phenomenon that they observed over the months. The mana around the shack was getting denser.
This validated the information they’d bought in that meeting, so they rejoiced. The dense mana would increase the efficiency of their meditation. It would slash the time they needed for the breakthrough by a good chunk.
However, the guild couldn’t allow such a handout. The next day, the rent of the shack tripled. Not only for the months they would now stay in it, but the guild also demanded arrears according to the increased rent for the months they already lived in it.
The representatives from the Greysnow Guild marched through the alleys and the streets and announced the new rules amid the grumbles and the cries. They gave the rogue Magi three choices. Either pay the increased rent and stay, either clear the dues and get out, or answer the conscription call of the guild and avoid all excess payments.
?