Lith's biography was public and everyone knew he had grown up in poverty and with little food, making his early life a constant famine no different from the one that Garlen was currently experiencing.
Mothers from all over the Kingdom traveled to Lutia in order to ask Elina to share her communication rune with them and teach them how she had managed to grow her children into powerful mages despite the little they had.
At first, she had considered it a minor inconvenience and exchanged her rune, thinking that there was nothing wrong in helping someone in whose shoes she had walked many miles.
After the Royals granted free first-time travel to Lutia's Gate, however, her Tablet was covered in so many runes that the silver beneath them had become nigh-invisible.
Due to time zones and to not be bothered at all times, Elina had disabled the calls and left only messages available. She would record a cooking lesson or type down a recipe and then forward it to everyone so that they could access it at their convenience.
"I can't believe I'm kind of famous." Elina said while looking at her own Tablet and the hundreds of still-unread messages.
"I can't believe you're not getting paid for this." Lith replied. "You are investing your time and energy into those cooking lessons and for what? A few thank yous?"
"How can you say that?" She was flabbergasted. "If I can give those people a little hope during these difficult times then gratitude is reward enough. Besides, it's not like I have much to do while you guys aren't home.
"Saying a few things while I cook for my family is hardly a grueling task."
"I'm sorry, dear, but I'm with Lith on this one." Raaz grunted. "I don't like that any weirdo can get your contact rune nor that you are working for free. I think that you should do like Senton and find a way to profit from your talent."
"And how should I do it, exactly?" She asked.
"Write a cookbook?" Raaz shrugged.
Senton had exploited the Tablets and the free Gate travels to invent advertising. He paid the Mage Association a discrete sum to put an ad banner of the Proudhammer shops and their most famous products on the first page of the local news.
The communications amulets allowed people from every corner of the Kingdom to discover the shops' existence so that when they visited Lutia, Derios, or any city where Senton had opened a retail branch, they would pay it a visit.
Tablets helped the game of chess to become more widespread since now it was possible to play with people from different regions. Distant players would share the chessboard thanks to the holograms and, in case the game was interrupted, a picture would record the position of all pieces.
"Paper is expensive and if those women could afford to buy a book, they would use that money to put more food on their table!" Elina replied.
"I get it, stop arguing you two." Lith stood between them. "I'll talk with the Royals about purchasing your book and putting it into the free library, Mom. This way, you can keep helping people but you'll be compensated for your work. Okay?"
Both his parents nodded, making him sigh in relief.
***
A month later, Lustria County, Verhen Mansion.
It had taken a lot of time, two pairs of Eyes of Menadion, the combined effects of the Armory and the Sage Staff, and many heads working together, seven of which belonging to Faluel, but in the end, Glemos' code had been cracked.
The original tomes written by the past Magi and Rulers of the Flames were already a priceless addition to the Ernas library, but once the Tyrant's bloodline legacy began to unravel, it turned out to be a gold mine for Jirni and Orion.
The books meant to teach true magic to young Tyrants before and after becoming Awakened helped both the Ernas with their respective magical education.
Vastor went to their home as often as he could and whenever he wasn't available, he sent his hybrids to teach Jirni true magic. They would all go visit the Erans under the guise of Healers tasked to follow her pregnancy, yet they could dedicate her only so much time.
Vastor was a leading figure at the White Griffon academy, its vice principal, and the Head of the Light Department. In addition to this, he was also the Arch Duke of the newly promoted region of Essagor.
Between the new Gates he was allowed to build and supervising the effects of the Tablets on the population of the capital, he had so little free time that no one would ever believe that he was also the infamous Master.
Every medium-sized city in the region believed to deserve the Gate and the boom of the Tablets made the matter even more relevant.
Free travels meant more money left to spend during the visits and many merchants were copying Senton's idea and using the Gates to open retail shops in the cities where their merchandise was more sought after.
They still had to pay shipping fees but doing it in bulk instead of piece by piece allowed them to save lots of money and improve their bottom line.
Vastor was absent for so long and so often that the Organization would have been disbanded if not for the new influx of Eldritch-monster hybrids making up for the absence of the Master, Bytra, and Zoreth.
The Shadow Dragon spent her time either escorting the Fourth Ruler of the Flames during Council duty or with Kamila. Zoreth was always glad to help build a new model of a crib, choose a color for the nursery, and install high-powered mana-fuelled plasma cannons.
Bytra had created them almost for fun, to be used as self-defense weapons by Zinya and her kids due to their lack of magical powers.
Tezka was offended by her allegation that he might let even a fly pass through him undetected, but he also liked anything that could punch a hole through solid steel with a flick of a trigger.
"Are these things really necessary?" Kamila asked while Zoreth taught her how to activate the many weapons she had disguised as toys and placed throughout the room. "After all, a Guardian is always following Elysia. She's going to be safe even after she's born."
"I know." The Shadow Dragon nodded. "These aren't for her but for you. The protection of the Guardians extends to you only while you carry the baby so unless you plan to have two kids back to back, you need to be prepared.
"Awakened or not, you are as weak as a child. If Meln or any of Lith's enemies wants to hurt him, you make the perfect target."
Kamila swallowed a lump of saliva and said no more.
As for Bytra, she was working half the time on the Harmonizers and the other half cramming Body Sculpting. She hoped to master the collars' Forgemastering process while also stealing as much knowledge as she could from Faluel's side of the work.
'I don't care what the Council says or wants. We deserve the Harmonizers. No, we need them for our survival!' She thought.
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