“We also need to make a mana pool,” Fulginanis said. Cal wasn’t entirely sure what the mana spirit meant by that, but he suspected it had something to do with the pools the spirits tended to be found in.


    “So I’m not really sure what that is, and I’m guessing if I don’t know, no one else does,” Cal explained, getting several nods from the others around the table.


    “I know Cal is at least aware of the concept, it’s where my kind are born and grow, but there’s more them than just that. Mana is the lifeblood of places like this, and the more we expand it the more we will need our own internal pockets of it to help hold this all together. It will also allow new mana spirits to be born. I cannot say what they will be like being born outside of the normal flow of time, though,” Fulginanis answered. Their explanation made a lot of sense. Cal had actually been a bit worried about what kind of expansion was possible, but if the only limitation was the growth of mana, that was something they could work with.


    “Okay, and how hard will these be to build?” Harold asked.


    “Building them won’t be hard. Identifying the best spots to do so will require some finesse. Excalibur may be able to help there, but so much magical knowledge is still missing from this world. I can feel the connection to it deep inside me, but there is something blocking me from fully grasping at it. It is infuriating and the most like Cal I have ever felt,” Fulginanis answered. That was new. They hadn’t brought that up before. Cal knew that Earth had some weird mana shortages, but the blocking of knowledge was a strange and potential issue.


    “Do you have any idea what’s causing that?” Cal asked, worried about one of his bonded partners.


    “No, it’s always been there. I had hoped it would grow easier to get through after my maturation. Perhaps another harmonizing will help. I am sorry for the outburst,” Fulginanis answered, going back to their usual collected tone. Cal didn’t buy it. This was really bothering them, but he didn’t want to push it in front of the others. They could have this talk later in private. He could use a meeting of the mana spirits anyway. It had been a very long time since they had one.


    “Alright, so getting back to just the mana pools, how do we fill them? Is this something the channels will need to make mana deposits in, or will they just naturally fill?” Cal asked, internally laughing at the idea of making daily mana deposits in a pool.


    “No one will be required to, but the more variety of mana that circulates in the pools will help them grow and stimulate a better ecosystem for young spirits,” Fulginanis answered.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    “Okay, well, we have a lot of different types here now, especially with the children, so I think we can work on strengthening those pretty quickly. That should help us grow this place nicely as well. Now, the gardens, does anyone know how their growth is maintained?” Harold asked.


    “No, and I didn’t want Ethel at this meeting yet. She’s still not doing great. Fulginanis, can you see if Oakbert is willing to give us a rundown?” Cal asked, unsure if the mana spirit had the time or not. He had been incredibly busy tending to several areas in Ethel’s realm since their return.


    “One moment, I’ll be right back,” Fulginanis said before disappearing for a few seconds and repairing with a small green mana spirit in tow.


    “Oh, hello, I’m not really used to doing this without Ethel. How can I help?” Mr. Oakbert said the moment he appeared alongside the much larger mana spirit.


    “So we’ve been discussing the expansion of the realms. How exactly does that work with the gardens? Are they growing larger as well?” Harold asked. It also hit Cal just how many people there were with mana spirits now. Was it possible to connect more realms if they established their own? Wait, could this place be its own fully functional world? He filed that idea away for another time. That was a topic he wasn’t ready to discuss, but he thought he caught a knowing smile cross Fulginanis’s face when he first had it. What was that spirit up to?


    “Oh, the root network is attracted to the mother tree, and as her roots expand, so does the land. I’m currently working on spreading her saplings to the edges of the gardens in order to help secure it against future collapse. We don’t want what happened to Gus to happen again. This should also let the mother tree’s roots begin to expand across more realities than just our originator. Well, once she wakes up, at least,” Oakbert explained happily.


    “Wait, are you saying a tree is about to be sentient?” Harold asked.


    “Well, another tree. Though Frank is a bit different. But yes, this was always the plan to truly bring the gardens to life and give the room needed for the grand expansion,” He answered.


    “I ''m guessing the grand expansion is building an ecosystem for every plant and animal Ethel thinks she can replicate?” Cal asked, pretty sure he knew where this was going. Ethel would save every single animal she could, and he couldn’t blame her one bit.


    “Not just thinks, Ethel wants to build a universe that’s safe for animals from everywhere. That’s her grand goal, and why she’s been working so hard at all of this, to make sure it lasts well past her,” the spirit answered.


    “Well, I think that at least answers the question of the gardens expands, even if it leaves a whole lot of other new questions. But we can answer those once we expand this to a bigger meeting. Are you all ready to meet the ogres?” Harold asked.


    “Yes, we’ve been putting it off for too long anyway,” Cal answered. He needed to see just how deep the control went.