Chapter 141: The Age of Warlords

"I am so proud of you," Mama Sarfowa said, kissing Zane on the cheek.

"What’s there to be proud of? I didn’t do anything."

"How many people in your position can resist such a large amount of money? Too many people have sold their souls for less."

"That’s because I’m confident I don’t need them; I can build my own wealth," Zane replied. "If it were me before the tower, I probably would have accepted."

"Even with your abilities, not many can resist easy money," Mama Sarfowa insisted. "The fact that you rejected them shows who you are as a person."

"Alright, alright, ma, he’s the greatest," Ali said, rolling her eyes.

"Why are you jealous? We all know who’s the favorite in this household."

Mama Sarfowa hugged them. "I love you all equally."

"Ma, do you have to drive so late at night?" Zane asked.

"If I want to get to the hospital in time, I have to."

"Now that I’m somewhat financially stable — or I will be — you might consider staying in New York. All that driving is detrimental to your health." If his mother had mana or natural energy, Zane wouldn’t say anything. But not only does she not have these things, but her mental energy is also sealed, meaning she can’t even use mental channeling.

"I’ve thought about this, and starting next week, I’ll stay in New York."

"Good," Zane said, nodding. "By the way, how much is our debt?"

Mama Sarfowa subtly glanced at Ali, and only after the latter nodded did she speak. "I’ve paid a third of it, but there is still over $220,000 left."

"A Flame Wolf is worth 60 grand — that’s only 4 of them. No, if I consider other expenses, I would need 6 or 7 — I can do that in one 12-hour period. Better, I can hunt even more valuable magical beasts."

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself."

"I won’t," Zane replied. "Oh, by the way, Ali, I have the money I borrowed. I’ll transfer it to you right now."

"No need."

"Uh?"

"You still need money for your training, right? Keep it, and you can pay me next week."

"Alright."

"I have some savings —"

"No, keep your money, Ma," Zane said, shaking his head vehemently.

"Fine."

The family spoke for a few minutes before standing up from the couch to accompany Mama Sarfowa to her car. After she rode away, Zane drove Ali home before returning to his studio. It was close to 7 in the afternoon, which meant it was time to return to the academy. Zane went to the bank to exchange for 30 magic crystals; he still had 12 crystals from the real combat class, for a total of 42.

Time was running out, so Zane rushed to Lysana’s shop to pay for 2 language potions and ask her to preserve them for him. While he was there, he asked her about enchanted items usable by regular individuals.

"There are, and many nobles buy them," Lysana said.

"But why haven’t I found anyone selling them?"

"I don’t know."

"You don’t know, or you won’t tell me."

"Is there a difference?"

Zane was immediately speechless. "Fine. How do they work exactly?"

"It’s simple: some ores can store extraordinary energy. If you use them correctly, you can store both mana and mental energy. Then, add an activation enchantment. However, those are the lowest-tier items, and they usually have a lot of issues. The true ones are the soul-bound enchanted items, which require a soul or an Energy Engine or Battery."

"I see."

"By the looks of it, are you planning on entering the market of magiteck?"

Then, he rushed to his dorm.

"Magicteck?"

"It’s the industry that focuses on making magical items accessible to mortals — I mean, regular, no, non-magicals."

"Oh, I am."

"Then, you better hope you have the talent."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have any idea of the skills required to fuse a soul with a non-animate object? How hard is it to learn or build Mana Engines? Even the lowest level of magiteck —the kind that only relies on mental energy — is not something that 99% of Enchanters or Alchemists can do."

"I won’t know if I don’t try," Zane replied. He thought Lysana was exaggerating, but even if she weren’t, he wouldn’t mind trying.

"Well, good luck. If you do succeed, I can open Akira’s market to you."

"I’ll remember your words."

After the chat, Zane rushed back to the academy. The last thing he wanted was to miss the return time, be dragged back, and have a blemish on his record. However, as soon as he walked into his room, a surprise welcomed him.

"Hmm? What are you guys doing here?"

"We came for the knight’s report," Keesha said as she ate some pistachios. Evelyn, next to her, crushed the pistachios and put a handful in Keesha’s hands while eating the rest.

"Want some?"

"Thanks."

Tom Nguyen was already here, so the four of them sat and talked while eating. It didn’t take long for Zane to notice something was wrong with Keesha. Her legs jittered; she wasn’t as talkative as usual, and more importantly, she often glanced at her soul crest.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted," Zane asked.

"I-I’m fine. I’m just waiting for an important email."

"I see."

Evans, James, and Sanjay walked in a few minutes late. Evans sat directly at their table, but the other two headed for their rooms. Zane glanced at Evans: another one who seemed emotionally on edge.

"Are you alright?"

"Nothing’s wrong."

"...Well, if you say so."

Ahmed and Devonte arrived ten minutes later, both bandaged and carrying a large plate of food. After placing it on the table, they showered quickly before rushing to the table and devouring their food as if they were starving lions.

"What happened to you?" Zane couldn’t help but ask.

"10 hours — 10 hours before we finally kill that shit," Devonte cursed.

Everybody looked at them for more explanation, so Ahmed said, "The three of us decided to try an E-rank mission. Unfortunately, we chose an Earth sub-dragon. The creature kept digging into the ground to hide and sneak-attack us. More importantly, our weapons kept breaking because of his hard skin. Anyway, the entire experience was highly unpleasant."

"How much did you make, though?" Tom Nguyen asked.

"Our profit was about 120 each."

"Khadiha went with you, right? That’s over 360 magic crystals."

Ahmed nodded. "The beast was worth over 500 crystals, but after paying for other expenses, we were left with over 350 in profit."

Keesha’s eyes lit up. "500 crystals — that’s half a million dollars."

"How difficult was the hunt?" Zane asked.

"Highly challenging," Ahmed said. "The creature had both high magic and physical defense; its aura was terrifying, and more importantly, it had the cunning of a normal human. It ran when in danger, stalked us like prey, and even attacked us when we tried to rest and recuperate."

"Its spells were quick too."

"That too," Ahmed said, nodding. "Unlike other magical beasts who have a few seconds’ charge after each spell, this one could cast them one after the other."

"It seems we should stay away from E-rank missions for a while," Evelyn commented, and everyone nodded. The group chatted for a few minutes, with everyone else asking questions and the two knights answering; the session lasted until everybody was satisfied.

"By the way," Ahmed asked. "I heard about B.E.A.S.T. Any of you joining?"

"Not a chance," Tom Nguyen swiftly replied.

"There are too many things I’d rather do than be associated with the US military," Zane replied as he ate the last bit of pistachios.

"The US military? What do they have to do with anything?" Keesha asked.

Tom Nguyen looked at her. "Didn’t you read the fine print? Joining B.E.A.S.T. is basically the same thing as enlisting in the military — except you’ll probably have a bit more freedom."

"Oh, but what’s wrong with joining the military?"

"Are you serious?"

"What? Isn’t it a good thing to serve?" Keesha asked. Her youngest brother had just finished basic combat training, and he couldn’t stop raving about being a military man. As such, she didn’t think there was anything wrong.

"Joining the military means that at any point, you might be sent to kill children in the Middle East for oil —well, in the current situation, it will probably be gold. The key is it’s not a good idea to be beholden to them," Zane explained.

"Aren’t you exaggerating? We’re not even allowed to attack regular people."

Zane calmly glanced at her. "Do you think that rule will remain permanent? Right now, the tower protects us from Earth governments while also restricting our powers, all for the peaceful transition as we master our abilities. But when the time is right, do you think they will keep such a system? They’ve made it clear: they are here to help, not to control our civilization. At some point, they must be hands-off."

"That’s not mentioning how a country like the US, which is used to being in the dominant position, will not easily accept an overlord," Tom Nguyen added. "They will test the waters, and what better way than to have its members break the tower’s rules?"

Keesha frowned briefly before looking at Evelyn. "He’s exaggerating a bit by saying you’ll be beholden to the US military, but he’s right: it may not be a good idea to be associated with them. Canada hasn’t released their agency, but I wouldn’t trust them either."

Ahmed nodded. "Very true."

"I’m not even exaggerating," Zane continued. "It won’t be long before the US — and most global powers — realize they can’t control the transcendent with the threat of law or even violence. That will be unacceptable, so they will search for ways to control us. And there is an easy and accessible one: magic contracts. B.E.A.S.T. or any other agencies haven’t said anything, but it’s only a matter of time before they require a magic contract to sign. Well, that’s assuming they aren’t already planning to do so — just in secret."

"So, we shouldn’t join?" Devonte asked.

"I can’t tell you what to do," Zane replied. "But you need to think ahead. As soon as you become a Grand Mage or Grand Knight, you will become a walking military. If you master a Forbidden Spell or Ultimate Skill, you’re no different than a nuclear deterrent. Can you fathom how much the global geopolitical situation will change?

"Countries with nuclear powers will still have some deterrent, which is barely enough to keep the peace. However, for others, the appearance of advanced transcendent means chaos and —"

"An Age of Warlords," Tom Nguyen added.

"Exactly. When individual power supersedes a state, then it can challenge, control, or overthrow it," Zane said, nodding.