Chapter 144: Tower of Yearning (1/2)

After she heard he was a rune master, Ruby became a lot friendlier compared to before. They agreed on a design and started talking about runes.

Arthur offered some of the runes he knew how to inscribe and she was captivated. As she had said, Telekinesis and Compress would make an excellent combination with technology. The two thought of possible uses before, as if waking up from a trance, Ruby got back to her work and shooed him away.

Leaving her to her work, Ivy and Arthur left the underground floor. Ivy mentioned something about a task Sier asked her to do, and she disappeared as well after dropping Arthur at Idris's office.

Arthur decided on a place to breakthrough. A place that was filled with runes and a mana-rich place. It was also the place where he was the safest from harm, his fortress.

However, he needed a large number of mana crystals to ensure his breakthrough would be, at the very least, world-changing. This was the first breakthrough he would have and he wanted to establish a proper foundation.

”Come in,” Idris's gruff voice answered Arthur's knock. Entering the office, Arthur found that it was filled with plants. There many kinds that Arthur didn't know and Idris sat on his chestnut desk, looking at him through a pair of reading glasses.

”Hey, Mr…” Arthur realized he didn't know his last name. Since the man was older than he was, looking in his forties, he had to address him politely.

”Idris is fine.” He said as he removed his glasses, looking at Arthur curiously through his hazel eyes. ”What can I help you with?”

It seemed he tried to ask gently, but it still came out a bit aggressively. Arthur pulled a chair and sat down, realizing that he had to look up slightly to meet the man's eyes.

”I want some mana crystals.”

”Yes, Master Sier has already informed me. We're going through our stock and scouting the market.”

”How many are you getting?” Arthur asked with curiosity. With this, he wanted to estimate the wealth of the Mistletoe.

”For the first batch, we're expecting a hundred inferior-crystals. Would this be enough?” Idris asked with a frown that implied he had no idea how much the fortress consumed.

The fortress also had some runes to draw mana from the surrounding, but the fortress was enormous. There were so many runes that even Arthur didn't know how much there were exactly.

From offensive runes, support runes, to space expansion runes, and even daily-life runes, one could tell that the fortress varied in function.

If the fortress relied solely on the crystals for mana, it would never be enough. That's why there were runes, like the ones in the mana chambers, that worked to supply the fortress expenditures. The mana-crystals worked as fuel to activate the runes and maintain their layered structure as they function.

Regarding the mana quality in a hundred inferior-crystals, it was about average for the fortress. It was enough to maintain the fortress going for a period of time, but nothing more. Each crystal was usually priced around 10 thousand Yalveran Dollars, give or take depending on demand and offer.

These crystals were usually imported from the Republic of Orlan, whose land had vast expenses of such mines. Cells were the purified and condensed forms of these crystals, and they worked as a better alternative for stable mana engines.

”Yes, that will do for now. Do you have any superior-crystals?” Arthur calculated that the crystals they would provide him with equaled to about one hundred thousand dollars. As for the superior-crystals, the ones he wanted for his breakthrough, were one hundred thousand each.

”Yes, however, we have other projects that require funding.” Idris mistook Arthur's question as a sign of displeasure regarding the number of crystals. ”A hundred crystals are only to keep the fortress sustainable for now. We'll deliver ten times that amount in the near future.”

Arthur shook his head. He was actually surprised that Broken Goods were able to gather this many crystals in such a small time-frame. After all, the crystals were rare. Even with their average price, it was disturbed among the giants of the kingdom.

”A hundred crystals will do for the fortress. I want to buy superior-crystals myself.” Idris looked at him silently and nodded.

”How many do you need?”

”Twenty.”

”…What would you use these for?” Idris's face showed his confusion for the first time. After all, twenty crystals would cost two million. Even for rune masters, who were called money printing machines, it was a sizable sum.