While Tsubaki and the others were making the arrangements for the Blood Heart mining operation, Gerard silently appeared on the twenty-first floor of Fyor, the everpresent winds whipping his hair from side to side. He looked out at the eternal storm, but simply shook his head, his figure flickering out of existence.

When he appeared again, he stood at the very center of the storm, the crystal spire for the chosen floor. “He said that it should be beneath the spires…” Gerard muttered, extending one hand. His skin seemed to shimmer and shift, countless blue patterns emerging and coming together in midair.

Without warning, the stone floor surrounding the crystal spire parted like a liquid. Anywhere he directed his arm, the rocks moved as if gently shifted aside. Until, eventually, he found what he was looking for.

The crystals revealed beneath the stone seemed to have an even deeper blue than the spire itself, allowing them to be distinguished more easily. Gerard nodded his head, flicking a finger at one of the crystals. Mana flashed, and a blade of wind emerged to cleanly cut the crystal off of the main body of the vein.

Rather than falling, the crystal that was cut flew over to land in Gerard’s hand. The magical entity turned to glance at the main spire, confirming that it had not lost any of its luster, before his figure flickered again. The next time that he appeared, he was at the fifth layer of Fyor. He glanced up at the rocky ceiling less than a thousand meters away from his position, and teleported once more to the nearby spire.

As with the twenty-first floor, he swept away the dirt and stone, revealing the Mage Heart veins. And once again, he cut off a piece of the main crystal. Now, he held two in his hands, each from two drastically different floors. This was an important part of his research for these crystals, as it would determine how they would be mined in the future.

“The mana density is… the same?” He muttered, clearly surprised by this fact. It was well known that ores from the higher level of Fyor were far more dense and powerful than those from the lower floors. However, at the same time this made them harder to work with. Clearly, he had expected the materials from the twenty-first floor to be far superior to the ones from the fifth floor, perhaps even by a dozen times.

“Hardness, structure, it all appears identical.” When he confirmed that there appeared to be no difference between the stones from different floors, he fell deep into thought. With the quality of mana within the crystals being the same everywhere, the question became about where the best environment to mine would be.

If there were any difference at all, it would be the fact that the veins in the higher floors were larger, even if they were not more potent. With that in mind… “Nexus.” He nodded to himself, teleporting again. This time, he arrived at the fifteenth floor of Fyor, where the Fairy Ring connected it to the other worlds.

As before, he teleported directly to the central spire. However, the spire for this floor was located at the heart of a great city, seen as a tourist location for those new to Fyor. Gerard pursed his lips when he saw this, wondering if he should change the location.

“Something I can help you with, son?” A human approached, looking like a city guard. He had seen how Gerard was eyeing the spire, and wanted to make sure that he didn’t have any malicious intent.

“My name is Gerard.” He answered calmly. “I’m the Sky Citadel’s general enchantment, research, and response director.” The guard’s eyes went wide when he heard that introduction. Gerard’s name was not unknown to the people of the world, as he had worked with a number of government figures to solve various issues.

“Well, then. What exactly can we help you with?” The guard’s tone became far more respectful as he asked that, to which Gerard nodded.

“The Keeper has created a new material that can only be harvested around the mana spires of Fyor. Would you mind taking me to see the town’s mayor? I have to discuss the possibility of harvesting from this floor.”

When the guard heard that, his face became a bit more awkward. However, he ultimately nodded his head. Turning, he guided Gerard deeper into the city. The mayor’s own office was only a few hundred meters from the spire itself, which was surrounded by a tall structure.

The pair were greeted inside the Mayor’s office by his receptionist, a halfling woman with deep red hair and a wide smile. “Something I can help you with, sirs?” She asked politely, grabbing her terminal in case she needed to make any entries.

“This man is from the Citadel, and needs to speak with the Mayor.” The guard answered, causing the halfling’s eyes to go wide.

“O-Of course, go right ahead. He’s currently in a meeting at the moment, but it should be fine.” When someone from the Sky Citadel arrived, you did not make them wait. This was a lesson most people were familiar with.

Gerard, as if understanding this principle, walked straight towards the office, which had a grand view of the spire. Inside was a portly human man sitting at his desk, and a young felyn woman sitting across from him. Both were shocked by his sudden entrance, and the mayor looked like he was about to erupt in fury before his face went white.

Gerard could sense the mana transmission that had taken place in that moment, how the halfling had warned him that Gerard was from the Sky Citadel. Almost immediately, the man’s attitude changed completely, and he stood to greet Gerard in a respectful manner. “This is an unexpected surprise. I’m sorry, Felicity, but would you mind coming back later? Our guest here has some rather important business to discuss.”

The other girl, Felicity it seemed, blinked at the change in attitude, giving only a small nod of her head as she stood to exit the building. Gerard didn’t know what they had been discussing, nor did he particularly care. He was here for one matter alone. “Thank you for taking the time to see me.” He said.

“Of course. Any business of the Citadel must be of the utmost import. May I ask what yours is?”

Hearing the mayor’s words, Gerard wasted no time getting to the point of his arrival. “The Keeper recently created a material, one which only spawns underground around the mana spires of Fyor. After careful consideration, I have chosen the fifteenth floor as the ideal mining location.”

The mayor blinked at that, glancing over towards the grand structure surrounding the spire. Although Gerard wasn’t aware, the mayor knew the significance of this museum, which was dedicated to the various achievements of the heroes of Fyor. “May I ask what this material is, first?”

Gerard nodded his head, casually tossing one of the crystals he had harvested to the mayor in an underhanded throw. “These are crystals which naturally store a large quantity of mana. According to my measurements, there is no major difference in their durability, potency, or general structure across different floors.”

The mayor’s eyes went wide, fumbling to catch the crystal. As soon as it landed in his hand, he could sense the vast mana within. If the mana in this small jewel were to be released, it could create a small-scale mana siphon. “A-And what made you choose this floor, might I ask?”

Gerard gave another nod, casually explaining his logic. “Ideally, I would have selected the Dawn Kingdom, as they are of a higher floor, meaning that the node itself would be larger. However, the location of their spire is unfavorable, being in the middle of the ocean. Similarly, the floors that are further above Dawn have numerous disadvantages to make mining infeasible.”

“At the same time, floors lower than this one will have a smaller node, making it unlikely that they would be able to meet the demand. The crystals will regenerate after one week of mining, so I require a vein large enough to endure being harvested by workers for six days.”

“As it stands, I will likely also visit the fourteenth and sixteenth floors, making a similar request to them. With these three nodes, I am confident that we will be able to meet the majority of the demand.”

“Finally, the fact that this floor is connected to the other allied worlds had an impact on my decision. This is the optimal floor from which to hold a large-scale trade operation, as the struggles of shipping supplies are greatly reduced.”

The mayor listened to Gerard’s explanation, gradually calming himself down. The explanation was completely logical, that couldn’t be denied. Although the mayor rarely left his own floor, he was aware of the struggles some of the higher floors had to go through. “What about the twenty-second floor?” He asked, seemingly puzzled. “It should meet your needs even more than us.”

Gerard gave a small nod. The twenty-second floor did not have many natural hazards, and its primary uniqueness was in the giant flaming domes that rested in the sky, giving it an eternal daylight. “Indeed, the twenty-second floor would have a vein several times larger than the ones on this floor. However, it also has to deal with a much higher gravity. When considering the floors, I had to accept that this was the floor in which the workers would be able to operate most efficiently. Those who are able to operate without external aid on the twenty-second floor are unlikely to be those proficient in mining.”

The mayor had to admit that Gerard was likely correct there. Still, he sighed. He set the crystal in his hands down on his desk, and moved over to his window. “Do you see that building? The one wrapped around the spire?”

“I would be quite concerned if I could not.” Gerard answered, earning a small chuckle from the mayor.

“That is something of an icon of Nexus… no, of Fyor itself. The Hall of Heroes, a museum dedicated to the greatest achievements in our history. The raid of the Council, the fall of the goblins, even Dawn’s hundred years of night, which ultimately gave birth to the Lightborn. All of these are chronicled in that museum. To ask me to take it down, and replace it with a mining operation… even one as profitable as you are suggesting…”

“I think you may be misunderstanding, sir.” Gerard interrupted, causing the mayor to look over. “There is no need to demolish any existing structures. All that is needed is an underground entrance from a remote location, and a fortified tunnel leading to the mining site. The ground layer on this floor is deep enough that such a tunnel should be no issue, easily going beneath any local sewage systems.”

“Once the tunnel has reached the necessary location, soundproofing equipment can be installed to prevent the disturbance of public peace. As the node itself regenerates every week, the underground facility can be powered by the heart of the node itself. For six days a week, miners can come in and harvest materials, and on the seventh day, they can rest to allow the node to refresh.”

“Make no mistake, it is not my will to disrupt the lives or history of the people of this world. It is merely my duty as a servant of the Citadel to carry out the words of the Keeper. If I can do so in an efficient manner without disrupting public order, then I will naturally choose to do so.”

The mayor glanced over, seeming surprised by Gerard’s words. “I had heard a lot of things about you over the years. The living magic of the Citadel itself. Everyone always said that you were logical to a fault. I’m… glad that they were wrong, and that you take public opinion into account when making your decisions. I apologize if my words were untoward.”

A small smile tugged at Gerard’s lips. “I’m merely doing my duty, sir.”