“It’s a perfect combination, don’t you think?” Adam asked. “Masonry from Naqokan, and wood stuff from you and Laygak. I’d say the future buildings of my business are sorted out. Kitool could assist with making anything to do with leather, Uwajin with smithing with metal. Jewellery and glassworking would be great for enchantments.”

Jurot slowly nodded, understanding Adam’s thought process.

“It seems so… convenient,” Adam said. “Though, I suppose if you had other abilities, I could probably say the same thing.”

Once it had been settled, the various groups sat with one another to relax. Adam’s face was scrunched up in thought, causing the children to look his way.

“Adam needs to poop?” Katool asked.

“No,” Turot said. “It is worse.”

“Adam is… thinking.” Raygak inhaled deeply, before shaking his head.

Katool looked up at Adam. “Oh.” She inhaled deeply and shook her head too.

‘Jewellery is good for enchanting,’ Adam thought. ‘Walking around with rings and necklaces which provide either spells or defensive magic. That’s probably best, right? Defence? Jewellery to defend oneself, maybe with the ability to cast Shield, or a general protection for Defence and Saves.’

Adam twitched, opening his eyes suddenly, as the thoughts flooded his mind. “Jurot.”

“Yes?”

“I’m a genius.”

“Yes,” Jurot replied, knowing that much.

Adam held onto his head, trying to settle his thoughts. ‘I could create a standardisation of equipment, not just across my employees, but even across all of us. General things which will held us in day to day life. Rings which grant a bonus to Defence and Saves, that should be simple enough. I could make my workers wield certain weapons, those which would be useful in most scenarios, each with a basic bonus. They could have the weapons after a generation of work, on top of their normal pay. After twenty years, they could claim the basic weapon as their own, but usually they have to borrow it.’

“Adam,” Vonda eventually called, approaching him at his table. “You think too much.”

Adam snapped up to meet her gaze. “Well, yeah.”

She smiled with her eyes towards him, before bringing him a small gourd of fruit wine. “Your Granduncle asked me to pass this to you.”

“Oh?” Adam said, looking down at the gourd. He picked it up and uncorked it, before sniffing it. It smelled just like normal fruit wine, but so did the sour fruit wine. “Thank you. Did he tell you why?”

“He said if you were going to take his granddaughter, then he should at least reward you,” Vonda said, simply.

Adam was about to take a sip, but stopped. “Why don’t we all share?” It was partly to have everyone suffer from the wine, but it was to share the wine with all those who assisted him thus far.

He poured each a small amount, a half cup or so, and kept the rest for Jonn and the others for when he’d meet them.

“To us, and our future,” Adam said, bringing up the cup, before sipping the wine. He winced at the oncoming sourness, but after the first moment of phantom sourness, it turned sweet. ‘Thanks, Granduncle.’

“So we have more Iyrmen accompanying us now?” Vonda asked, looking to the teens.

“Yeah. My cute, adorable Cousins,” Adam whispered, daring not to say it so they could hear.

Vonda stifled a giggle.

“Did you speak with the Great Elders about the… you know.”

“I did,” she said. “They say they know, but they cannot tell me.”

“Why not?”

“I am not a Master.”

“You can’t be a Master, right?”

“For now. It may change if I have my own temple.”

“Then I guess we’ll need to get on that soon.” Adam tapped his table. Vonda’s temple would need to be set up fairly quickly, perhaps during the same time he made the building for his workers. ‘Would it be okay on the Iyr’s land, though?’

“You’ve already returned to work?” Vonda asked. “Yesterday and the day before…”

“I was just really lucky, and I needed to help the Iyr with something…” Adam tried to refute her statement.

“Even Filliam is working hard.”

“Filliam?” Adam whispered. ‘Why does that name sound so…’ He almost dropped his head onto the table. “I haven’t spoken to Filliam in so long!”

Filliam was hunched over his desk, wearing a set of glasses which allowed him to magnify what he could see. As he placed the spring into the watch, he pulled back with a sigh. He was as thin as before, with tired eyes, but a large smile on his face.

“Filliam,” Adam called.

“Adam?” Filliam turned to look, seeing the Half Elf who has rushed to Filliam’s cabin, which lay at the side of the blocks of shared family estates.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen you in so long. How have you been?”

“Good,” Filliam replied. “I’ve been tinkering with watches. The Iyr has allowed me to make as many as I please for them!” He grinned wide, a crazy smile across his face.

“That’s good, that’s good…” Adam could feel the guilt begin to eat at him. “What are you working on?”

“Look,” Filliam said, revealing a pocket watch. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yes?” Adam replied.

“Do you see how small it is now?” Filliam asked.

Adam stared at the pocket watch. He recalled his own pocket watch, which was slightly bigger. “Oh. Nice.”

Filliam continued to stare at Adam.

“I’m glad you’re having fun, Filliam. If you need any help, let me know.”

“Okay,” he replied, before looking down at Adam’s torso. “Why are you wearing a leather tunic in this noonval heat?”

“It’s nightval bear leather,” Adam said, looking down at the white leather, brushing his hand across, it feeling how cool it was. “It keeps me cool in this blasted heat.”

“Oh.”

Adam nodded, before making his way out. ‘Didn’t I forget about someone else?’

Once Adam returned back to the family estate, he found two familiar faces. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Jarot asked, holding Lanarot to his chest, the girl staring up at her grandfather, sucking on her thumb.

“Hey, Churot,” Adam called, ignoring the old Iyrman. “How are you?”

Churot revealed his book, which was full of mathematical equations. “Good.”

“Nice. Are you having fun with maths?” Adam asked, noting all the different calculations.

“Yes.”

“Cool, cool…” Adam cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’ll figure out a way to teach you magic soon, alright?”

“Okay.”

Adam sighed. ‘Damn. Bell, how am I meant to teach him magic? It’s not like I can reveal you to him, right?’

[You may unleash his inner potential through spending XP.]

Adam remained frozen for a long moment, long enough that the others glanced his way to see what he was doing.

‘You what?’

[You may spend XP to unlock his ability to cast magic.]

‘That’s a thing?’

[Yes.]

‘How do I do that?’

[The process requires great effort. It requires a total of 5000 XP and 100 Mana to unleash someone’s potential.]

‘What does that mean?’

[They will gain the first Level of a class.]

‘Oh…’ Adam remained silent for a longer moment. ‘Oh! Really?’

XP Total: 15 300

Adam whistled.

“What is wrong?” Jarot asked.

“I think I’m going to die.”

“What?” called the older Iyrman.

‘Is it painful?’

[For you.]

‘Not for Churot?’

[Yes.]

‘Yes, as in it is, or it won’t be?’

[It will not be painful for Churot.]

“Adam?” Jarot asked.

“Give me a second,” Adam said. “I’m talking to myself in my head.” ‘How painful is it?’

[For each Mana, you will take 1D6 damage.]

Adam whistled again. ‘How long will it take?’

[One hour for each session.]

The adult Iyrmen glanced between one another as Adam’s face twitched.

“I think I can teach Churot magic,” Adam said.

“You can?” Jarot asked.

“I think so.”

“How?”

“I need to give him my Mana.”

Jarot frowned, but Churot quickly appeared in front of Adam.

“Now?” the young Iyrman asked.

Adam slowly nodded his head. “Let’s do it.”

Jarot let Lanarot down, but she squirmed and coughed, trying to reach up for him. “Would you like mama?”

“Mama,” Lanarot called, and Jarot passed the young baby to her mother.

Adam sat down within a private room, and Churot sat opposite. He placed his hand on the teen’s head, but then turned him around and placed his hand against the back of the boy’s head, since it would be more comfortable.

“Are you ready, Churot?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” the teen replied, his heart pounding in his chest.

Mana: 18 -> 8

XP: 15 300 -> 14 800

Health: 65 -> 23

Exhaustion: 0 -> 1

It was a long process, which caused Adam’s arms to grow hot, almost painfully, all the while his Mana travelled through his entire body and into Churot. Every other minute, Adam felt the searing heat pulse, causing his arms to twitch, but he continued to force his Mana through.

After an hour had passed, Adam fell back, gasping for air. He hadn’t expected the exhaustion to fill him, especially not without a Save. ‘Damn!’

“Are you both okay?” Jarot asked, holding Churot, who was sweating profusely, and was panting heavily.

Adam twitched from the pain. “I’m fine. Churot?”

“Okay,” the young Iyrman replied.

“Good, good…” Adam lay back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “We need to do that nine more times. Then…”

Adam’s light snoring filled the room, and Jarot sighed. He covered the Half Elf with a blanket, and made sure he had some thick furs to rest his head on.

Lanarot looked around during the night, seeing the lack of her papa. Jurot rested beside her, offering his hand. She grabbed his finger and sucked on her thumb, before sitting up.

“Papa?” the girl asked.

“He is sleeping, Lanarot,” Jurot said. “Go to sleep.”

The girl fell back to her pillow, sucking her thumb, slowly closing her eyes.

All the while, the Great Elders had gathered. It was once again, that the Half Elf had brought them together again.

Chief Iromin glanced between the other Great Elders. “I do not believe he knows.”

“Is it a coincidence?” Elder Forest asked.

Iromin bowed his head. “Yes.”

“Can we leave it at that?” she asked.

“We should wait.”

“The Blood Ritual is a right afforded to us by Baktu.”

“He, too, prays to Baktu.”

The Great Elders had never felt so close to wanting to kill Adam.

“He has earned that much,” Iromin said. Iromin had the feeling that Adam had no idea that his ability to awaken a Scribe Mage was almost the same as the Iyr’s ability to awaken a Blood Mage.

Another older Iyrman was also thinking of Adam that evening. Jarot looked at his grandson, his darling Churot, who was sleeping with a smile on his face. He wondered if he should stop it, but sighed, closing his eyes to sleep. ‘It is too late now.’