"That’s none of our business," Litha replied quickly. "We already told you we’re not interested in joining you."
I nodded along with her, but I knew there had to be more. Thayer wasn’t the type to keep pressing a dead issue. And he won’t have appeared before them if it was that simple.
And, as expected, there was.
Thayer pulled a map out of his ring and spread it across the table and pointed to a red circled area. "This is Calan, the town you’re currently in. The zones here spread eastward, but what lies beyond those zones? What lands?"
Litha looked at . I shrugged. Might as well hear him out. It’s not like we can just throw him out... yet.
Thayer continued, tapping the map. "The wastelands. A region mostly devoid of mana and far from active towns. If you go a bit deeper, you’ll find so scattered zones, but they aren’t rich in valuable resources. Non-affiliated Awakeners usually fight over them."
"If they’re not valuable, then why are you here talking about them?" I asked. "Sothing must’ve changed."
Thayer grinned. "You bet it has. Zones are ford by the buildup of mana concentrating in one place, right? The wastelands barely have any mana, so logically, they shouldn’t have good zones."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming. "But that’s wrong. The most powerful and unique zones are found in the wastelands."
"How?" Litha demanded. "If there’s no mana buildup, then how does space warp enough to form zones?"
"Most wastelands in the Tower contain ruins of a civilization that existed before the different beings began climbing the Tower," Thayer explained. "Very, very little is known about them, but what is known is that they were powerful and wielded incredible weapons."
He paused, clearly enjoying the suspense.
"How zones form in the wastelands is still mostly unknown. But once in a while, strong zones appear there. The prevailing theory is that mana builds up inside those ruins, eventually triggering the manifestation of a zone. And since they manifest within lost ruins like that..."
"The resources and benefits are massive," I finished. I wasn’t entirely sure where this was going yet, but I am beginning to show interest.
"And dangerous," Litha added flatly, though there was a glint in her eyes.
"Yes, and yes!" Thayer pointed at both of us. "But you’re missing the most important part. Control of such a zone. You can mine precious stones and rare tals. Farm unique monsters. Rent access. It’s an unexplored gold mine, an uncut gem. And I want it."
Litha frowned. "Even so, why are you telling us this when you know we can’t have it? If such a zone exists, it already has an owner."
"Wrong," Thayer said, raising a finger before taking a sip from his cup.
My stomach growled as the sll of fried at and noodles drifted in from the kitchen. And in perfect timing, Temur ca out carrying a tray stacked with seven plates.
"Do you rich kids even eat noodles?" he asked dryly.
Thayer smiled. "I eat anything that keeps going. And that sll..."
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one hungry. The others dug in just as fast, wolfing down the food.
"Temur," Thayer said after finishing, leaning back with a satisfied sigh. "If you ever get tired of climbing, co find . I’ll open a big restaurant for you. We’ll be business partners."
Temur actually considered it longer than I expected. "We’ll see."
Litha gathered the used plates and carried them off. When she returned, she fixed Thayer with a sharp look. "You were saying sothing about ownership."
"Ah, yes, yes. You assud the zones would already be claid, but that’s not always true," Thayer said. "Owning a zone is complicated. You should know who actually owns each floor of the Tower."
I frowned slightly.
"Generally, floors belong to their original owners," he continued, "but that changes once a floor is conquered."
Litha glanced at and explained, "Each Dungeon Tower floor has an owner. When you climb for the first ti, the floor owner is the final boss. But all floors up to the fifty-second have already been conquered."
I did the math quickly. "That ans every original owner up to floor fifty-two has been defeated."
"Exactly," Thayer said. "When a floor is conquered, one of two things happens, the original owner surrenders or is killed. Either way, ownership transfers to the conquerors."
"You’re saying the floors belong to people now?" I asked.
"Yes, but not so simply," he replied. "When the climbing first began, sponsors from different worlds sent representatives. No single Tower was conquered by just one group. Ownership is fragnted, it doesn’t belong to a single Guild or individual."
"That’s not entirely true," Litha cut in. "So floors belong to single beings. They’re just rare."
"Correct," Thayer said with a nod. "Which brings back to my point. Zone ownership is ssy. You can buy land from a floor owner, and if a zone later manifests there, congratulations. That’s the usual thod."
"So people target lands they believe have a high chance of spawning zones," Litha murmured.
"You’re right, Litha dear," he said, ignoring her glare. "There are artifacts that can estimate zone probability. Lands like that are extrely valuable. But what if a zone manifests in unclaid territory?"
He leaned forward again.
"Technically, it belongs to the floor owner. But due to alliances and disputes, there’s a simpler solution.....bidding."
"Bidding?" I echoed.
"Anyone interested bids for the right to claim the zone. It’s expensive. But if you win, you can form a team and race other contenders to the site. Whoever secures it first negotiates ownership with the floor owners."
I blinked. I hadn’t realized how absurdly complicated zone ownership was. Definitely a problem for Guilds, not individuals like .
Thayer smiled slowly.
"Which brings to the good part. Three new unclaid zones have appeared in the wastelands."
He paused.
"And I won the bids for all three."
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