She made a face at that splash of cold, hard reality to the profit motive. “And what exactly would these Pyramids do?”

“Draw in all the Dark Mana over an area with a radius twice the number of layers in miles, and burn it all into vivus.”

Sama whistled despite herself. “Okay, that sounds really impressive. Real effects?”

“The Mana in the area would eventually become like the Beast Realm. It would become an absolute paradise for Beasts, and the Underworld would be providing the juice to do it.”

“I gather that would be far, far more efficient than filling the world with braziers of Vivic Eternal Lights?” Sama asked archly.

“It would create two massive holes of Dark Mana in the Manasphere, which naturally the Dark Mana would diffuse towards by osmosis. That would create a steady flow and drawdown of Dark Mana around the planet, as well as creating massive Domains where Dark Mana can’t be used.

“Then it would turn right around and use the converted Dark Mana to reinforce the Land and the planet’s resistance to the Underworld’s influence. They’d collectively be worth tens of millions of the Lights, and much, much harder to shut down.”

“Not the least because they’d be so hard to get to,” she agreed. “Okay, I like the idea of it, suitably epic. Do you think you can do it?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. I should be able to get an audience with the Fire Phoenix Emperor. If I can do that, I should be able to make the Pyramid there. Once it is done, I should be able to use Him as a reference to Antarctica, and build another one there. Just doing the first should seal the deal, but doing the second one is where it’s really at.”

“Is this all going to have any effect on your ability to break through?” she asked calmly. “Everything I’ve heard is that the younger the better on breakthroughs, especially if you want to become a Sage.”

“I’ve already informed all the wizards below me of my error in becoming a Ten while a Mage. Nobody else is going to make the same mistake. There’s nothing slowing me down as far as talent, Caster Level, or cultivation. There’s the Karmic acknowledgement sufficient to break the Third Ceiling. By simply delaying their last Wizard Level until they break into Archmage, this will not be an issue for anyone else.

“All my Karmic accumulations will still continue, and no doubt I’ll be able to pop a bunch of Secondary Class Levels once I do break through.

“I’m not in danger of slowing down, Sama. My barrier to Archmage is quivering when I look at it. It wants to let me through, I don’t need some odd inspiration, my Caster Level is already on the other side dragging me forward. I need that fist to smash the Third Ceiling.”

“So... if we let you run off to the Firelands right now, you could probably smash right on through inside a month, and it would be smooth sailing to Legendary and beyond.”

“With a product roll-out like this coming up? That’s not happening,” I snorted. “We’re just seeing the first wave of people hitting Five in Wizardry and Artificing. They still can’t meet this kind of production demand, only the more custom stuff at a slower pace. It’s a lot, even for me, but I can do it as long as it all gets arranged properly.”

Sama just smirked. “You’re the best telekinetic among any of us. I’ve seen some videos on how you handle some of the higher Will tests. Your coordination of targets and control of projectiles is insane. As long as it isn’t over your Ring’s weight limit, you can arrange the entire batch of things to target, right?”

“Not quite!” I raised a finger, Zeben gleaming there. “The number of discrete items a telekinetic effect can handle is equal to its base Caster Level. Bundles of small things are considered one discrete item if clumped together. So, on those videos I was using active TK of my own if there were more than twenty Spheres at play. Telekinesis also has a short duration.”

“Which is why you’re using Zeben’s ongoing effect.” My Ring glowed golden for a moment in acknowledgement. My Ring had been enhanced to a Twenty Caster Level in anticipation of future upgrades. Damn pricey, but that was what Naming Karma and all the days at the Boonies were for. “If I was a Ringlord, I could use my own Caster Level, but I would need to be a Twelve to do that.”

“Effectively an Archmage in raw power, and can’t Create a true Ring.” Sama shook her head in mock wonder. “Magic makes so much sense!”

I just shrugged. “Magery is considered a bonus Caster boost to PoT’s Valence magic, even if it’s considered an integral raise to Magery on the other side. I didn’t make the rules, I’m just dealing with them. Red is the closest to being able to really help. He just needs to break Nine, buy up Chain Spell and Paired Spell, and he can start going for some Practical and Efficient reps big time. Glenn should follow soon.”

“Fire won’t do it, eh.” Sama shook her head.

“It would, but Eternal Flame produces heat and is a IV, not a II, otherwise it would be considered Light Element, not Fire.” I just shrugged. “Affects the recharge Mana. No way around it.”

“Except we can offer it as another Brazier option for even more money?” Sama hazarded.

“There is that!” I agreed with a knowing smile. Which, incidentally, was a fine house-heating and/or cooking option. “Other than that, just need some people or some sophisticated conveyers that can put the braziers in place as discrete targets, otherwise I’m going to have to waste time positioning them myself.”

“That should not be an issue. We can probably even have some students do it for extra money. It isn’t like the profit level on them isn’t off the charts,” Sama agreed. “And they’d probably like the chance to earn some spending money.”

“When would you like to meet those kids?” I inquired, pointing at the screen of names.

“I’ll make a few calls. You got some time tomorrow or Thursday?”

“After Boonie time, sure.”

“It’ll be one or the other, I’ll call you.” She patted my shoulder. “I imagine you’re going to head out and make an arseload of braziers now.”

“Briggs is setting up a conveyor system for them, but hasn’t worked out all the mechanical bugs. The artificers and gearsmiths are going bizongo over it, knowing how much money they are letting slide by not having the system up. More Karma lost every day it’s not up, woe is them!” I grinned.

“Karma is such a wonderful motivator,” Sama agreed. Because naturally they got Karma getting productive things into production, even if they didn’t work on them directly. Little slivers spread across multiple platforms of production added up to a steady stream of Karma and advancement for civilian production, on top the active stuff they could do every day...

---------

Two days later...

The looks on their faces as they came into the conference chamber pretty much said it all. Astonishment, wonder, hero worship, amazement, disbelief, sudden realization, crushing concern, fear, anxiety, and often a case of the shakes that nearly had them falling down.

I just pointed them to a seat, almost all the record-keeping and note-taking being done mentally, just crossing them off an attendance sheet without needing to ask their names.

The chairs were arranged in quadrants of four, with a single red chair in the middle of them. At the front of the room, I was sitting behind a simple table, and Sama was stretched out lazily next to me, watching them all come in with slitted eyes that instantly fixated on anyone making a peep of a sound or motion, like getting your soul hooked.

Nobody said anything beyond half-panicked looks.

“Everyone is here!” I said brightly, as the last young fellow, Pavel Ramishandaly, took a seat, his brown skin notably paler than normal. I pointed at the red seat. “Jurgen Aktberger, red chair, please.”

The tall blond kid with the stolid face slowly got up out of his chair, plainly nervous as all heck, just as all the chairs in the room and the kids in them swiveled to face the center, instead of the front. Swallowing, he carefully sat down in it, facing me and Sama.

His expression did not improve when the Rune Circle appeared around him, and then around all the other chairs in the room, too.

“This room is now under Word and Seal. Nobody in here save Sama and I will be able to convey anything that is heard or spoken to anyone once outside this chamber. Thus, whatever you say will be known by all those here, but they can tell no one else.

“Once you sit in that chair, you are obligated to tell the truth, and you will not be able to stop yourself from speaking it.” I fixed Jurgen’s eyes calmly, as everyone else in the room also swallowed right along with him. “Jurgen, you’re first because the alphabet starts with A.”

He clenched the arms of the chair hard. “Yes, Lady Fae,” he managed to answer.

“As you probably figured out by your seating arrangements, I know that most of you know one another, and most of you are friends with some of the others here. Given your backgrounds and families, I find that kind of strange, given how widely the areas you come from are, but you all definitely met some of the others before coming here. Only three of you are native to Michigan, and only seven to the United States.

“All of you are capable of going to the Spellhouse of your choice and opening the Element you want. Or taking a random Awakening Stone and popping more randomly. Yes, students, we really are that good at measuring your potential. We know that all of you can become mages, and instead, you are coming here.

“We want to know why you are here. Here, and not at some finishing Academy, probably for elites given the backgrounds of most of you. Twelve of you are from established Families, the other four of you have full Mages for one or both of your parents.

“Jurgen, you came here all the way from the outskirts of Berlin. You are a descendant of one of the side families of the Akt Family, the Masters of Eight, one of the Houses in Berlin with the most solid foundations. The history of your family goes back a thousand years. The ‘Eight Elements’ philosophy of your Family is known throughout Europe.

“Explain to Sama and I, and your fellow students and peers in this room, why you came all the way across the Atlantic to this school, which is barely a year old, to learn Typeless Magic, which is not only outside the remit of your Family’s philosophy, it is far, far below its very status.

“Take a moment to consider your answer. Do not be blunt, do not be defensive. Merely tell us and everyone in here the truth as you know it. Unless you came here with truly malicious intentions, we are not judging you. We want to know, as likely do your peers, why you are here, and not in some institution that has been training your ancestors for fifty generations or more.”

My tone was polite, sympathetic, and earnest, and he could not help but loosen up despite himself. It helped that I didn’t look that much older than he was, I gathered.

“Well,” he admitted rather awkwardly, “I really cannot lie.” He actually looked down at his own mouth as he said it. “It’s because of you, Lady Fae.”

“Me?” I repeated politely, not unprepared for that answer.

“You’re a Typeless Mage, aren’t you?” Jurgen asked quickly, eagerly.

“I am,” I admitted without batting an eye. I did not miss the hands clenching in vindication all around the room.

“And you come from a powerful Family?” he asked quickly. Even Sama popped open an eye and gave me a glance at that one.

“That is a very loaded question you are best off not knowing the proper answer to,” I replied calmly, which as far as they were concerned meant yes, I could tell by the way their eyes flashed.

He took a deep breath. “I, I am the fourth of five children. I am the only one out of my brothers and sisters who does not have a Talent, however minor.”

The winces and nods and head shakes of the other students showed how much they understood that... and his position in the family.

“I can neither measure up to my older siblings, nor am I doted on like my younger sister. I am simply the fourth child and third son, no better a mage than any talented person not born of a Family or ancient Bloodline. I will not inherit my father’s status in the branch family, nor will the resources be made available to me that will be offered to my siblings. In the eyes of the family, my greatest use would be possibly used as a husband to lure in a powerful and talented mage to join the family.”