"Excellent—truly excellent."
In the hall, Yvonne, wearing velvet gloves, was carefully examining the raw stones sent by the Eastern Country's envoy through a magnifying monocle, repeatedly expressing her admiration.
"Has our Evie finally started to awaken so noble hobbies?"
"...Not at all."
Removing the lens, Yvonne showed Elsa the raw stone in her hand.
"This is a new batch of magic ore stones sent as compensation."
Although the previous batch of magic ore stones sold to them by the cunning small folk rchant Rich contained many inferior products, the quality of this newly arrived batch was indeed good.
"Hmm... Is there a difference? They look about the sa to
as before..."
To Elsa, looking at these was like trying to distinguish between lipstick colors. She felt all these stones looked the sa and couldn't see any differences like Yvonne could.
"The higher the grade of the magic stone, the more subtle the differences beco. However, if you observe carefully, you should be able to see the distinctions."
She handed a magic stone to Elsa, indicating that she could try touching it.
"...I didn't an for you to touch my hand."
Teasing like this made her quite happy.
Yvonne coughed softly with a slightly reddened face, reminding her not to act too excessively in front of guests.
Because she was holding valuable magic stones in her hand, she couldn't let go as usual to discipline her.
Ordinary magic stones are sowhat like translucent chalcedony. They have different colors depending on the type of elent they carry.
Among the stones dug from the earth veins, the most common are of course magic stones carrying earth elents. These raw materials are also the source of magical power used to drive teleportation gates.
Magic ore from earth veins has an amber color close to that of the soil, with a harmonious and unified color, giving an impression of simplicity and vividness.
Among the raw stones of the four elents, water attribute magic stones are second only to earth attribute magic stones in production. They are commonly found at the bottom of rivers, oceans, and lakes. Although wind elent and fire elent magic ore stones can also form naturally as magical crystallizations in extre environnts where natural elents gather and condense, their production is scarce. Most seen in the market are alchemically processed products.
Creating corresponding attribute raw stones requires magic users with affinity for the corresponding elents. Magic users inject elents they have affinity with into suitable 'cores', generally obtained from magic crystals of hunted magical beasts. Wind elents can also be stored in water attribute magic ore as a carrier that won't cause rejection reactions between elents; similarly, fire elents can be stored in earth vein magic ore. However, there is so loss in the conversion of different attribute magical powers, and most alchemists are pursuing ultimate magical power conversion thods, so this is generally not recomnded.
"Can I just touch it directly like this?"
"Yes, if you have elental affinity, there's no problem."
Natural ore has a certain magical flow on its surface. She has the blessing of the wind elent, and re touch would cause so erosion to the earth ore itself, disrupting the balance of a single elent. This could result in magical power damage at best, or an explosion at worst. Therefore, gloves made of magical beast hide are needed.
After taking it in hand, one could feel the smooth surface of the magic stone, with a jade-like texture as if touching skin.
How beautiful...
"It seems it would look good if polished into accessories."
In fact, many people do make magic stones into small accessories to wear, which provide so additional magical resistance bonus—the so-called magic resistance equipnt.
However, for such accessories with additional functionality, more important than the magic stone itself is the magical formula inscribed on the accessory. Most are custom-made by alchemists for the upper classes.
Elsa placed it in her palm, and the magic stone began to glow faintly.
This is a very normal phenonon. It proves that the holder has the ability to resonate with that type of elent. This thod can also be used to test the holder's magical affinity, though it's quite wasteful of people.
Top-grade magic stones have a texture as clear as water without any impurities, but the cost-performance ratio of such magic stones is too low, so they are generally not used. The magic stones that common people can access for daily life use are all inferior products from trimmings.
For ordinary magic users, high-grade magic stones are commonly used magical items to replenish magical power. But for her, with abundant magical power, there is usually no need to use them in most situations.
"Looks like I need to study up properly."
With just a small fire magic stone and a not-so-complex activation formula, one can make a fully automatic kettle. It's low-carbon and environntally friendly, much more convenient and economical than burning wood.
Based on these principles, they had previously made practical products like magic rice cookers (fire attribute) and blenders (wind attribute), but to make them more accessible, they were designed using low-grade magic stones as power sources.
"So, how do you determine the purity of the stones?"
"The quality of magic stones mainly lies in their purity... You can compare it with this one."
Yvonne took out another magic stone of similar size that she had previously bought from the unscrupulous rchant Rich.
But after comparing for a while, Elsa still couldn't see any difference.
"...I still feel they're about the sa."
"Look more carefully."
Yvonne handed over the magnifying monocle.
"Ah—"
Looking closer, Elsa finally saw so differences.
"There are tiny impurities—"
The inferior product had so hair-thin cracks in the middle, while the other one didn't.
"Correct."
Yvonne finally nodded with satisfaction.
Even just a tiny impurity would greatly affect the efficiency of magical power conversion.
"If this magic stone can power an earthenware magical doll for 10 days, this one would probably only last less than 3 days."
"Just because of a few more particles and crystal threads... There's such a big difference?"
"That's how it is."
"By the way, the price difference is proportional to the actual usable magical power ratio."
"Then we must have lost a lot before."
Thinking of that rchant's face, Elsa felt very irritated.
"That despicable shorty—"
She felt she should have fired a few more fireballs at his face.
Mixing inferior products with good ones for sale, how utterly unscrupulous!
"Why would such a person be an envoy from the Eastern Country?"
She was very indignant.
"Stable ore sources aren't so easy to find. Oz Kingdom, being a major ore-consuming country, naturally needs to maintain good relations with these supply regions."
Oz Kingdom shares a border with the Eastern Country, and following the principle of befriending distant states while attacking the nearby ones, relations with other demi-human countries are relatively peaceful. Although there are occasional minor frictions, there haven't been any major conflicts in the past hundred years.
Collecting magic ore stones is not an easy task. If one were to use ordinary shovels and pickaxes for physical collection, it would easily cause explosions. It must be done by professionals.
As the largest energy supplier on this continent, the Eastern Country possesses the most advanced mining technology.
They can't let such matters damage the relationship between the two countries.
"Does this matter need to be reported?"
Yvonne shook her head.
"Why not? Wouldn't it be better to use diplomatic ans to sanction them?"
"That was just to scare that guy. Letting the rulers know about the corruption is enough; it hasn't reached the level that needs to be reported to the parliant."
"Speaking of which, it seems His Majesty the King hasn't co out of the 'Tower' for a while..."
Since deciding on the heir, it's as if he had retired.
"No wonder Shirushi hasn't been here recently."
If it were that girl before, she would surely be surrounding Yvonne, constantly calling "Big Sister, Big Sister".
"It's currently the ti of authority transition; that child is probably working hard to accumulate public support."
It's precisely because of this that it's better not to trouble her with such matters.
The teleportation gate is like a quick version of the subway. If corruption occurs during its construction, the public will only bla those in power for poor supervision, which is unfavorable for the princess who is gradually taking over authority.
Moreover... it seems there are hidden circumstances behind this matter.
"It concerns the future supply of ore stones... It looks like I'll have to go personally... But I can't leave the royal capital too far right now."
"Then let
go."
Elsa volunteered.
"No."
"Why not?!"
"You... probably don't know how famous you are."
"Indeed, recently when I go out, uncles and aunties on the street ask for my autograph."
The bards among the Felis tribe adapted the story of the Lake God and the girl into a widely circulated ballad, making this young magic user well-known among the demi-humans as well.
Although this is sothing Yvonne is glad to see, it has also brought so influence to Elsa.
Undoubtedly, her current strength is already close to the top tier of this country.
It's fine within the national borders, but if Elsa were to be casually dispatched across the border, it would be like sailing an aircraft carrier next to another country, which would absolutely cause a diplomatic incident.
"So... neither of us is suitable?"
"That's what's troubling ..."
The best solution right now would be to find soone trustworthy to complete this task for them... but who would be the best candidate to send?
"May I take on this task?"
A familiar voice echoed in the Smollett family hall.
"—?!"
Appearing before the two was a small folk woman with silver curly hair, wearing a witch's hat.
Brin quickly approached the two, kneeling on one knee before Yvonne.
Looking travel-worn, she seed to have rushed over at full speed.
"I've already grasped the general situation. I am willing to beco an emissary of the Smollett family."
"Miss Brin... Do you really want to take on this task?"
Usually, it was Brin who assigned tasks to them, but this ti the roles were reversed.
"Yes."
"Only dependents under a noble's na can directly exercise power on behalf of their master, but if that's the case, your identity and position will change. Are you sure you won't regret it?"
Actually, Yvonne was quite unwilling to involve outsiders. Joining noble forces to beco a dependent might entangle the other party in future disputes.
"Please entrust this to . I am willing to offer everything I have and my loyalty to the Smollett family."
"...I understand."
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Yvonne no longer objected. She drew the sword from her waist, lightly tapped it on her small neck, and then returned the sword to its scabbard.
"Then from today onwards, you are an honorary noble under the Smollett family, Viscountess Brin."
"I await your dispatch!"
The matters of the small folk should be resolved by themselves.
"Oh right, I have a gift for the teacher."
Rembering sothing, Elsa took out a tal naplate from her item slot.
"This is...??"
As she received the naplate, Brin felt her hand trembling.
"This... Is it really alright to give
such a valuable thing?"
"You can use it when you feel it's necessary. I'll leave it entirely to your judgnt, teacher."
Elsa smiled and stepped back to Yvonne's side.
"We await good news here."
·
Screech—
Early in the morning, they were awakened by the sound of a sudden brake from the convoy.
"That was close, that was close."
Inertia sent her head lurching forward, only to be caught by a soft embrace.
"It's alright to sleep a bit more, Viscountess."
"...How could I possibly sleep in this situation!"
Brin struggled to get up from her embrace.
They were hitchhiking with the guild's vehicle, heading towards the territory controlled by the Floris family in the southeast region.
"Are you preparing weapons?"
"Of course, there are many ore-stealing mountain bandits around here."
Yuna took out the staff she hadn't used in a long ti, tying coarse leather around the handle for a better grip. The staff body was made of star steel with good magical conductivity, painted in a deep red color according to her preference, engraved with three different intensity magic circuits and an energy slot for placing magic stones.
If she were to get serious, she could probably instantly reduce the opponent to ashes.
"You two,"
The leader of the rchant group ca to the rear carriage to find them.
"I'm sorry... It looks like we can only take you this far."
"Ah, so we've arrived."
The entrance set up by the Floris wizards was very narrow, only passable by the small folk.
"Let's go."
"When did this place beco like this..."
Brin had co to this place many years ago. In her mory, this should have been an oasis, but now as far as the eye could see, there was only endless gobi desert.
"—Ptui, ptui ptui ptui!!"
The wind blew up yellow sand, and if one accidentally opened their mouth, they would get a mouthful of sand particles.
"That's why I told you to wear a mask... Do you want to rinse your mouth?"
Yuna tily offered a water bottle.
"Thank you, you've saved ..."
After a few gulps, she felt like she had co back to life.
"But, how did South Lokaya end up like this?"
She looked around, her eyes full of sorrow.
"It beca like this because of the excessive exploitation of ore veins in recent years."
The sudden wealth blinded their eyes.
Endless digging led to a lack of magical power in the earth. Forget about establishing teleportation gates on this land, even plants could hardly survive.
"It was fine at first, they could mine and sell to maintain... But after the ore beca scarcer, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse."
Magical power is the nourishnt of the earth, but the people here didn't understand this principle.
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