I took that in. It meant massive change to the world, to me, to everything. The power balance would be reshuffled, and the species with it as well.
How exciting.
I have always felt that I am not meant for this world. The only fun parts of my life I can remember were when I got to cast magic, fight a creature outside the mortal world, or study something new. But I ran out of those not long ago. However now the world would become a shit show, a very entertaining one I hoped.
“Well, ok, so when will the return happen, and do others know?”
“The answers are we don’t know, and we don’t know, " the cat smiled. “We should operate on the premise that no one noticed anything for now and move really carefully not to alarm them.”
The cat’s face changed into a smug look.
“Well, we might get to know something, buuuut information like that costs”
“Out with it.” I groaned internally, dreading the coming negotiations.
“We want you to make an exclusivity contract with this branch. Don’t worry, I can guarantee the best information for the best price. If our reputations are tight together, we can trust you won’t abandon us, and you can be sure we will not change sides in the future.” The previously mysterious cat now sounded more like a sleazy car salesman.
“Well, that would be making a statement to the world. Not only would I tie my reputation with yours, but you would tie yours with mine. Are you sure you want that?” I chuckled.
“Yes, we are willing to take that risk to make our cooperation smoother in the future, with both parties benefiting.”
“Sure, but that also puts me as your official backer, meaning if you pull something, people might pester me about it.”
“Even if we, as you say, ‘pull something, ’ shouldn''t you help anyway? Or do you prefer to get your info elsewhere if something happens?”
“Well, you are not completely wrong.”
I had to think a bit. It would mean tying myself to this branch of frumentarii, but then again, they never failed me before.
“Throw in a clause that if you can’t provide something, I can seek out other brokers and that you won’t go beyond market prices.”
“Deal!” My broker and now new partner, shouted excitedly.
“That was quick,” I said, surprised at the lack of the lengthy negotiations the brokers were known for. “Did you scam me in some way I’m not aware of? because that would be a nasty way to start a partnership.”
“No, I would not do that. But, if your infamous family makes a return, then that is the best deal of my life. You know how this world works. It’s not about the money. It’s about who your backer is.”
“Using my name to threaten the opposition? How nice”
“Exactly,” The cat purred, pretty proud of itself, not even trying to hide the bad intentions.
“Ok, so I made the deal. Now, what info are you offering?”
“Well, I sent a couple of people, or rather cats, who know how to keep their mouths shut to the site to study the vein, and we have some initial info. We got our paws on some research into mana veins, and although they were a mystery even thousands of years ago, the healing process was theorized about after the war. And if the theory is correct and they were right about the mechanism, just not the timeline, then it would go like this. First, the smaller veins, much like the blood vessels in your body, will connect. The rise in mana caused by that will be minuscule, but in around a year, the overall level of mana should be felt everywhere, even though barely. Like that, the mana will slowly but steadily rise until the big event.”
The creature made a dramatic pause.
“The main pathways connect and shit will hit the fan” I finished absentmindedly “When?”
“Hard to say, the main pathways are big. Much bigger than the veins, so our timeline for now is around two to three years. When that happens, the mana level will rise dramatically worldwide, quickly archiving the level of the mythical era. And you know what will happen then?”
“All the hibernating creatures will wake up and start fighting to establish new territories, a lot of seals on tombs will awaken, allowing for exploration and… Oh shit”
“Oh shit indeed, any seal on a demon, plague or anything from the war that was eroded by time if activated will most likely brak releasing whatever was inside. Also, any artifact that needed to pull mana from the environment will be ready to use.” We both paused, thinking about what that might look like.
“Well, that''s gonna be interesting to witness.” I could imagine the world after that. Would humans even be the dominant species afterward?
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“More like the apocalypse.”
My mind raced through possible dangers, but the list was so long that it was an exercise in pointlessness. Basically, preparing for anything and everything was the answer.
“Do others know?” I need to know, the race for resources will soon start.
“For now? No, we don’t think so. There were no unusual movements from other groups. You only noticed it because you ran into a creature that only lived in mana veins. For now, any mana that bleeds through those will be localized, so anyone would have to find one randomly and check for magic energy in the surroundings. But sooner or later, the mana around the vein would be strong enough to be sensed on instinct. Also, even if the amount compared to the old level is like that of a puddle compared to the ocean, the puddle is constantly growing, and sooner or later, someone will step into it. Especially as more and more hauntings and artifact awakenings take place. Once someone gets a case of an artifact that needs ambient mana to function, they should arrive at the same answer as we have.”
The cat stretched a bit, repositioning on the pillow.
“We can certainly expect that once a couple of groups know, this will finally reach the Vatican. And once that happens, we all will get an invitation to an actual Common Sabbath. Once the invitations arrive, it will confirm it is practically common knowledge.”
“A Sabbath, really. Do we have to go?”
“Are you actually asking that question? It will decide how we all deal with what’s coming, probably the most important sabbath since the “See no evil, Hear no evil” law was passed. And our branch can’t show up without its backer, now can we?” He finished with a smile.
“So we have to go, I take it. But you handle the politics. I don’t do well in negotiations.”
“Yes, I know, they tend to end up in violence when you are involved.”
“Not my fault.”
“Was the incident with the cultivators also not your fault?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. It''s not my fault that some people have titles too long to remember.
“If your skin was any thicker, you would be a dragon. We don’t want you anywhere near politics either, so don’t worry.”
“Good to hear.”
The cat locked his eyes with me, becoming unusually serious. “Anyway, no movement from any church was made, so we have the advantage now. And we should use it.”
“You want me to claim a place with a mana pathway connected to it before the race begins,” I said, thinking about our next move.
“Yes,” both of us smiled.
Before the war, places like those would have been fought over like crazy, but now, it was free real estate—well, not entirely free.
“You need the formal ownership of the land to have a claim so that anyone trying to take it away from you will have to use violence.”
“And they call me the evil one,” I chuckled.
“That''s the best case. Once you formally own the land, the ownership recognized by the mortal world will also be recognized by the Vatican based on law from the 134th Sabbath.” Said the cat in a know-it-all voice.
Thank the Dark Gods I had him, as my knowledge of law was not the best, to say the least. It ended with how not to commit war crimes by accident and which permits to get if I needed to commit any on purpose.
“After that, we can protect you from any tricks with a good lawyer team. Sitting on a treasure pile will attract more unlawful attempts, but I assume that once you have enchantments powered by a mana pathway and the weird things from your family''s storage, the attacks won’t be a problem.”
“Oh, I can''t wait for someone to try.” I practically giggled thinking about all the nasty enchantments possible if powered directly by something that big.
I heard my grandfather once made a spell that would replace people''s motor controls with those of a slime. He would then tell them he would spare them if they could get through the doors and watch them flop around. I wonder if the spell was in one of my books.
“Looking at that nasty smile, I''m assuming you''re thinking about something horrible. But first, you have to localize where the mana pathway ends and buy the land.”
That wiped the smile off my face.
“I’m not exactly rich or connected when it comes to the mortal world.”
“But you know of one connected mana vein.”
“Sure, that widens my magic options considerably, but making a fortune by magic is not exactly allowed by the status of secrecy, from what I understand.”
“Not exactly. Using magic and leaving a usable proof is illegal or making a big commotion. You know that some actual magicians work as showmen, like David Blane. Also, make sure no mind control in gaining resources, we don’t want any lawyer to have any way to make a case stick in a court. But if you do something that doesn''t leave much evidence and the person giving you money or land is not influenced by a spell, then no problem. Buy it with cold hard cash, preferably.”
The cat’s tail tip danced in a couple of runes, and a scroll levitated from one of the bookshelves towards my lap. “We can provide you with a map of old mana pathways, but through so many years, they would have moved, so you need to get a big stretch of land around the place to be sure.” My expression dropped even further.
“That will cost millions.”
“Yeah, get to work then.” Chuckled the cat. Even though that was a challenge, I couldn’t help but grin thinking about it. Finally, something fun, and with even a tiny vein connected to the universe, my magic just got an upgrade. Now, I need to think of a way to get the money.
“Also, you should try going through the judgment ritual. You are not an appraiser, but knowing your skill level and strengths and weaknesses is always good.”
“Right, I did not think about that. The ritual should be somewhere in my family books.” The judgment is a ritual asking He-Who-Knows, the god of records, basically for an appraisal of yourself. Before the war, everyone would use that to check their growth, appraisers were a big part of the magical world. This was interesting. Using ancient magic is always exciting.
“Well, good luck then. Tell me when you have the land, and we will register it with the Vatican as your family''s new estate and get all the permits for enchantments and stuff. Anything we should be aware of?”
“Remember the permits for sacrifices and rituals. Also, if you can push through a permit for the undead, then do it, but if it slows things down, we can get it later.”
“Don’t worry, I have some people who owe me favors, but we need to move quickly. If everyone all of a sudden starts moving onto old mana pathways, then they will figure out something''s not right.”
“Sure, I will get to killing and plotting when I get home.” I started planning, and I needed a good plan. I needed to make a couple of millions as quickly as possible without too much law-breaking and buy land that’s probably not for sale. Yeah, a really, really good plan.