Lith nodded, discovering a rich underground vein of magical metals and a multi-branched crystal growth.
Alas, they were being already exploited by Salaark’s miners and Crystalsmiths.
“I can’t really see any difference with the old Watch- wait a second.” As Lith got used to using the Ears and directing its energy, he found more veins of metal and secondary crystalline growths that previously would have been eclipsed by the magical aura of the main veins.
The secondary deposits were deeper in the sands and too far away to be discovered during the mining operations
“Exactly.” Menadion said. “Now, unless you want Sally to charge me with treason against the Blood Desert, use the Tower Warp to bring us to any old disused mine you know and repeat the process.”
Lith moved everyone to the Snake Tongue mountain range, inside the old Odi ruins where Dawn had built her lab.
He took his time scouring the ground far and wide until he found what Menadion was talking about.
“There are some small veins.” He said. “Too small to be worth mining and in a position where they won’t be found for at least a millennium. The little bastards are almost at the heart of the mountain.
“Until they grow at least close to the underground tunnels, digging so deep would be too risky.”
“Kid, did you ever stop thinking about how I filled the Mine and the Crucible back in my day?” Menadion asked.
“I assumed you did it the same way I do.” Lith replied. “You bought silver and yellow crystals and waited for the tower to refine them into violet crystals and Adamant with the help of catalysts.”
“Yeah, right.” Menadion scoffed. “In case you’ve forgotten, my fame exploded with the tower and I succeeded in crafting it after Solus was born. I didn’t have a gracious grandma who recycled my creations every time I made a mistake.
“How could I craft so much stuff in less than two decades if I had to wait years for each batch?”
“Well, you…” Lith found no plausible answer but one. “Don’t tell me that-”
“That you stole magical resources too?” Salaark jumped up from her chair in outrage.
“Stealing is a big word.” Ripha shrugged. “I’ve never taken anything from your country, Sally. You have my word. At least after you established it. I took what I needed from the free countries, the Empire, and the Kingdom without the need to steal anything.
“I only took secondary veins that had gone undiscovered or were too dangerous to mine with conventional methods. Most of the time I just had to go to an abandoned mine and look for scraps. Like we are doing right now.”
The violet and white mana crystals were so small and spread apart that just the cost of reaching them greatly exceeded their value. Following Menadion’s instructions, however, Lith was able to collect them thanks to the tower’s ability to freely move through the ground.
“See?” Menadion said while holding an unrefined white crystal the size of her fist. “This is nothing to a country but a nice contribution to a mage. Send them straight to the Mines, Lith. If you collect them in this form they can still grow.”
“I have to concede the point.” Salaark grunted in annoyance. “Even once the crystal vein grows close enough to the surface to be mined, there would be no point going so deep for so little treasure.”
“Can I collect natural treasures this way as well?” Lith asked.
“Why did you find some?” Solus jumped with joy.
“You wish. He replied. “All the damn metal coating the corridors has choked the life out of everything that was supposed to grow down here. I’m just curious.”
“Yes, but it requires much more work.” Menadion replied. “First you must identify the type of natural resource you’ve found and how to pick them up without ruining their magical properties.
“After that, you have to find a proper way to cultivate them. If you rip them off the ground and plant them in the Greenhouse, they rot. If you don’t know what you’re dealing with and have no time for research, it’s better to store them in the pocket dimension as they are.”
“Too bad.” Lith sighed.
He left behind enough crystals for Solus and Salaark to practice with the Watchtower.
After they were done, they both wanted to Tower Warp to another location, but for completely different reasons.
Solus wanted to check the mana geyser in Lutia and see if there was any undiscovered treasure she and Lith might have missed.
“Aside from an accelerated mana flow in the ground, there’s nothing here.” She sighed. “Which is weird. It’s not weaker than the other geysers we’ve been to over the years yet there’s only a deep silver vein and weak crystals that- Mom!”
“Guilty as charged.” Menadion said. “The Council marked it as unproductive and I ensured it stayed so. Whenever I needed something quickly, I took it from here and I ended up cleaning out the natural reserves.”
“For once, Ripha is innocent, Solus.” Salaark said. “Remember that seven hundred years ago Faluel wasn’t even born. Your mother was the human ruler of the Distar region back then and many mana geysers, including this one, belonged to her.”
“I’m sorry. I should have thought about that.” Solus bowed, but to Salaark.
“Don’t apologize, Featherling.” The Overlord replied. “After learning about your mother’s numerous past misdeeds, it was a reasonable assumption.”
“I’m the aggrieved party, here.” Menadion grunted. “I should be the one saying that.”
Salaark ignored her and sat upon the stone throne. She moved the tower back to the Blood Desert, visiting the various spots she had sent Lith to train or rest during his stay as her guest.
“It’s a remarkable tool, Ripha.” The Overlord took note of what was where and how long it would take for the crystal and metal veins to become viable. “I’ve been wondering for a while whether to make myself a tower or not and this might be the final straw.”
“Don’t you mean, the final pitch?” Lith asked.
“I know what I said, Featherling.” Salaark looked at Menadion and snorted. “Everything she did pisses me off.”
“Look, Sally, I swear I didn’t take anything from your country.” The First Ruler of the Flames joined her hands in apology. “You can read my mind if you don’t believe me. I know you can.”
“I sure can, but that’s not the problem.” The Overlord stood up slowly, putting the Ears down before speaking again. “I believe you when you say you didn’t steal resources from me, Ripha. What angers me is the fact that you’ve been my apprentice and years later I’ve become yours.
“After our master-apprentice bond was dissolved, we’ve been friends for almost three hundred years and yet you hid from me every single valuable piece of knowledge you discovered thanks to my teachings.
“Things that I’m learning only today and that could have saved me hundreds of years of failures and my people countless hardships.”
“I won’t apologize for that.” Menadion stood tall. “We are both Forgemasters and those like us guard their secrets jealously. It’s how things have always been and will always be.”
