229 Daniel's Weakness
Cyrus Ashborn and The Golden Scale, two of the three Grand Councilors and the de facto leaders of The Hightower, stood just outside the magical circle, they discussed the awe-inspiring sight before them.
"The sheer amount of mana this Pactolus ritual is generating," Cyrus said with awe at the sight in front then continued, "should be more than sufficient to penetrate Envy's magic shield on her body. She should be susceptible to our magic for the next 12 hours if everything went according to plan."
The Pactolus ritual served as crucial support in transforming gold into mana. Given that gold was among the easiest magical metals to come by, The Hightower frequently employed this ritual to bolster their mana reserves for casting ancient and potent magics or for those times when they required an abundant supply of mana that the current magical environment couldn't provide.
With this ritual, The Hightower effectively exchanged their wealth for the power to invoke ancient and potent magics from bygone eras.
Golden Scale, considering the vast amount of gold required for the ritual, continued,
"Yes, we initially believed that we'd need at least two, if not three times the amount of gold to activate the ritual. However, the gold bullion Daniel used to pay Lucian for the city held an unexpectedly high concentration of magical energy.
It's possible that Daniel stumbled upon a gold mine on that island and purchased it to keep it hidden from the Tessia royal family and even from us. Thankfully, this is the time of year for our annual membership fee collection, or these precious gold reserves might have vanished without us ever realizing their significance in that seemingly unremarkable island."
"Indeed," Golden Scale continued, delving into further analysis. "And that gold mine must be located near a mana font. I've heard that Mr. Eisenhart encountered a live kraken, likely of the Era of Gods due to its humanoid form rather than the typical octopus appearance. We know that mana fonts are rare, and it's highly improbable that a small nation like the Tessia Kingdom would possess two mana fonts. Even large territories such as Russia and the Qing Empire, with their vast expanses of land, have only confirmed a few mana fonts."
Golden Scale emphasized the term "confirmed" because, even within the ranks of The Hightower, the exact number of mana fonts scattered across the world remained uncertain. The concept of a mana font referred to a location where mana was actively generated and concentrated, sustaining the presence of mana in the world.
Usually, if such a place was discovered by a significant mage clan or a relatively large mage family, they would often prefer to keep it a secret, recognizing that the high concentration of mana could enhance both magical and physical abilities. Residents near a mana-rich location would develop strength surpassing that of the average human. Thus, mages typically opted to maintain control over such sites rather than allow The Hightower to oversee them.
As Grand Councilors, Golden Scale and Cyrus Ashborn believed that the gold Daniel used to pay the Tessia Kingdom had likely been extracted from a mine situated near one such mana font. Furthermore, they assumed it was an exceptionally rich mana font, given that it had been capable of supplying an ancient kraken with mana since the Era of Gods.
This realization only heightened The Hightower's desire to claim it for themselves, as the Grand Councilors held the first right to access a mana font and harness its powers to enhance their own abilities.
Upon hearing Cyrus's analysis, he couldn't help but emit a disdainful snort. "Hmph! People call Daniel a genius artificer who has mastered Atlantean artifice. I say he's just a lucky individual who stumbled upon this knowledge. He might be associated with The Hightower, but, in truth, he's little more than an outsider whose name resides in our database without any deep understanding of our inner workings. I doubt he even knows what a mana font is, let alone has bothered to check the mana concentration in gold, as he's never undergone Hightower training," Cyrus said with disdain, before continuing his thoughts.
"And this is the weakness that will eventually lead to his downfall. If our plan succeeds, the only person who might supply Daniel with insider knowledge within The Hightower will no longer be on his side," Cyrus remarked, referring to Envy, the one higher-up within The Hightower who seemed to support Daniel.
Unbeknownst to them, what they perceived as gold with a high concentration was, in fact, gold that Daniel had transmuted from the sand commonly used in construction work. Daniel had purchased this sand from a completed construction site at a low cost and used his alchemical skills to transmute it into golden form, amassing tons of gold bullion.
As Daniel lacked familiarity with the inner workings of The Hightower and many of its common practices, he was aware that mages could transmute items into gold through alchemy but remained ignorant of the fact that modern mages couldn't simply transform objects into gold without stringent conditions. To perform such alchemical transmutation, they needed materials with equivalent or superior magical energy content, with orichalcum being the sole substance that met these criteria.
Orichalcum, however, was far more expensive than gold and boasted over ten times the magical energy content. Attempting to downgrade, from orichalcum to gold, was akin to replacing a cutting-edge PC with an older model solely to play outdated games that no longer ran on modern systems without emulation. Such a choice seemed illogical, even for mages known for their pragmatic, heartless mindsets.
Since Daniel had utilized ancient alchemy to transform the sand into gold, he had injected a substantial amount of his own mana into the material. Given that Daniel's mana was both purer and more concentrated than that of typical mages, as he drew his mana from a distinct source, this resulted in a heightened magical energy concentration in the gold created.
Due to his lack of common knowledge in these particular areas, as Envy had offered only general common knowledge, neglecting specifics related to alchemy, Daniel remained oblivious to these facts, leading to the two prevailing misconceptions.
This prompted Cyrus and Golden Scale to believe that Daniel had somehow discovered a gold mine in close proximity to a mana font with a high magical energy concentration, suggesting that he had bought the island to hide this fact.
The two conversed on this matter while awaiting the completion of the ritual that would transmute all the gold into mana. Both of them deeply regretted allowing Daniel to purchase Sector Alpha City by making a pact not to attack Lucian.
As Cyrus and Golden Scale required a substantial quantity of gold to conduct this ritual and expedite their plan, they needed those reserves. Consequently, they pressured Lucian into accepting the arrangement and taking 50% of the gold that Daniel had used in the ritual.
Half an hour passed, and the ritual was completed, successfully transforming all the gold into mana. The concentration of mana in the secret basement now exceeded tenfold, leaving Cyrus brimming with excitement.
Cyrus and Golden Scale then made their way toward the center of the extensive magic circle that encompassed the entire basement. Working in tandem, they commenced the casting of an ancient spell with the sole purpose of breaching Envy's magical protective shield.
Cyrus was the one performing the intricate spell, channeling the immense mana reserves that now enveloped the room. Golden Scale played a crucial role, acting as a conductor for the mana flow. His duty was to regulate the surge of highly concentrated mana, ensuring that it didn't flood into Cyrus's body all at once, a precautionary measure to prevent Cyrus's magic veins from overloading with the potent energy.
The spear that materialized above Cyrus's head, resplendent and golden, bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Gungnir. Its design was intricate, with runes and symbols etched into its surface, exuding an aura of ancient power. This mystical weapon seemed to bridge the gap between their mortal realm and the realm of deities, its presence dominating the chamber.
Golden Scale, struggling to control the torrent of concentrated mana, felt as if he were wrestling with an elemental force. It was like trying to hold back a colossal wave with just his bare hands, and it demanded his utmost concentration and finesse to prevent it from inundating Cyrus's magical pathways.
The room's atmosphere crackled with the intensity of this magical struggle, and both Councilors knew that their success or failure in piercing Envy's protective shield hinged on this precarious balance.
As the Gungnir-like spear reached its pinnacle of existence, it seemed to take on a life of its own. A colossal whirlwind of golden light spiraled around it, growing in intensity. It became an insatiable vortex, drawing all the mana in the room into itself, even siphoning the residual traces of energy from both Cyrus and Golden Scale. The Councilors watched, breathless, as the chamber transformed into an arid wasteland of magical depletion.
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