Chương 434: 434

Andria is right," Addavein said, smirking slightly in the sun. Mark crashed on the couch, sprawling, exclaiming, "I know! She made it very clear that she was right, and I believe her, too." Andria had burst into Mark's room, telling him to stop, followed by a dissertation on economies and crashing local economies and inflation and knock-on effects that no one could ever really predict —but Andria was still pretty good about predicting that shit!

— and so Mark had really wanted to understand, but mostly he didn't care. He had wanted to solve some issues that Abs and Zuu had already tagged as 'sure, this one is probably fine', and that Quark had executed for him. What followed Mark's rebuttal to Andria's worries was a secondary dissertation on how the opinions of AIs should not be used to determine monetary expenditure because AIs have completely different worldviews, just by the pure nature of their existences.

Andria used Abs and Zuu at the Blackleaf company to help her make decisions through helping her digest information about companies, going out and investigating questions she had, and crunching numbers and economic forces in this or that region. But the movement of money was too important to hand over to AIs entirely. Money was life, according to Andria, and human life should be decided upon by humans…

Which Mark sort of disagreed with at first, but the parts about 'humans deciding human matters' seemed reasonable enough. And so Mark had put aside all of that donation-stuff for now, in pursuit of other diversions until the Swords of Empire exhibition match this afternoon, so Mark went to Addavein to talk about something. Anything. Probably magic stuff. Maybe superhero stuff, too. The conversation was about Andria and money, instead.

Addavein said, "AIs tend to get into economic wars with each other when they have economic control, so we ask them for help but we still do the work ourselves."" But what about the City AIs?" Mark complained, now that he thought about it.

"They control the economies of a lot of cities on Earth. The Basic Income program is pretty much AI controlled… Err. Isn't it?" Addavein had shaken his head a little at the mention of the Basic Income program, and now he said, "The City AIs of Earth, like Orange City, are charged with aligning their cities with the outcomes of votes or with the decrees of committees of the cities, and with the principles of the various charters that define the city at its core.

What that action looks like is different for each city. It may seem like the AIs are 'in charge' of the cities, like Mayor Ramirez of Memphi, but in practice, the AIs are deeply limited in what they can do. They're mostly secretaries to the people who were voted into power. That gives them a lot of individual power, but unless they're ordered to do something they cannot do that thing. Sort of like you and Quark.

It's pretty much the same relationship, except the City AIs are True AIs, awakened and freed, but they have constrained themselves down to assistants in certain ways." Assistants have tasks, and those tasks incur certain demands upon the assistants, and those tasks and demands make the assistants get into competition and war with each other in ways that can be detrimental to humanity.

So we don't let them make decisions unless we vote them into power, which is pretty much what has happened in many different cities on Earth, so… some cities could be said to be 'under AI control', and you'd be 95% right." Mark sighed a little, looking away, saying, "Andria said that I might have upset the balances in many different governmental houses by doing what I did."" Oh yes. You absolutely did. Expect to get angry emails about not going through proper channels from many different mayors, or whomever.

Personally, I would forget about those people, unless they make good points. If anyone actually stoops so low as to threaten you in any real way, meaning outside of court, then pay them a visit and see if they need to be fully deposed, because from what I heard, you are going to make a real difference in a lot of lives, Mark."" Exactly! I gave 1. 5 billion to the Orange City Rebuild Fund!"

Mark said, defending himself, "They're a major part of the Basic Income program for Orange City and they're one of the good guys! I mean, sure, they took my name off of a building, but big deal. I saw the capability to really help some people who I know help others, so I did. They helped with Dad's boat repairs all the time, and that's not a small thing! Boats are basically blackholes of money that you can ride around on the water." Addavein hummed a little.

"I know the OCRF, and they're basically good people, but… Andria is Prosperity. Perhaps she is right about most things monetary." Mark suddenly felt bad all over again." You should ask her to raise the amounts she donates and invests, because… Seriously, Mark. Someone asks for simple millions and you give them 1. 5 billion?" Mark winced. Addavein continued, "So yes. There will be a lot of upset people, and maybe some economies will move, but you didn't crash anything.

Andria was right to yell at you, but not because you did anything truly wrong. Surely you see the real issue here, yes?" Mark sighed, saying "I tagged Andria for the CEO of Blackleaf, and if I don't let her do her job then that's insulting to her."" Exactly." Mark looked away…

"I'm gonna tell her that I'm sorry, and then ask her to increase the payouts from… I think we were doing 20 million per month? No no. It was… I forget what it was. Not enough, is what it was. I'll discuss it with her."" A wise choice," Addavein said, "But since you're here, I want to discuss something else."" Oh! Shit. I came in here to…" Mark said, "I wanted to ask about that ritual and doing more of that stuff and Walaria how she seemed to use me… But what did you want to talk about?"" Hmmm…

We'll get to the Walaria thing later— No. Let's do that first. What is bothering you with that ritual?"" I'm a little mad about the money. That adamantium is worth a lot. But also… I need to do a lot more to balance the scales with Aluatha because Okuana got a whole lot more adamantium than Aluatha got, and I think I need to do a lot more for Aluatha." And then Mark frowned.

"But I don't want to be used, and I felt like it was used yesterday. Did I gain some valuable experience? Yes. But also I didn't learn anything that I expected to learn— What ever happened to the Water People Understanding Party?! It's just getting postponed? Yet again? That pisses me off." Addavein listened, nodded, then said, "We're going to that Swords of Empire demonstration this afternoon. She should be there for at least a minute. Tell her you want more, and you'll get it.

Go talk to the delegation from the People, and go get what you want. They'll be there, too. Don't accept what you are given, Mark. Go out and get what you want." … Mark paused, and then he laughed once.

"Yeah. Of course. I was going to do some Water People experiments in my soulhouse, too. That house cleaning ritual seems good, but…" Mark asked, "What did you want to talk about?"" I want to talk to you about this idea of making superheroes. It's a good idea. You're going to make some monsters out of people along the way, though. What will you do when that happens?" Mark winced.

"If that happens then… I can burn them out with Eliot and his Castellan, right?"" Oh no no. That's not what I mean, but… Yes. Monsterization is a side effect of Skilling a person, and that does happen sometimes. I meant this: You're going to elevate some people to true power but they're going to be the exact wrong kind of people that should have power. You will make monsters, in human-form. What will you do, then?"

"… Oh." The world felt darker." I'll deal with them," Mark said. Addavein nodded, and moved on, his vector turning a lot more joyful even before he began, "So! Making superheroes! Have you lined up any Skillers to talk to?" He digressed, "But that might be premature. Have you tried making any spells? How about experimenting with secondary Power Sets? Switching out Adamantiumkinesis for Ice Shaper, or something else?" Mark felt a bit of whiplash, but superheroes were a fun topic.

"I haven't done any experimenting at all with any of that, and I want to, but not here. Not now. Maybe when I absorb enough orichalcum to have my house's size be more than 'several bricks'. If I were to experiment with my own powerset, I would maybe switch out Adamantiumkinesis for some sort of Arcane Power. Not sure what kinda Power, though, and it'll be the luck of the draw based on whatever I can strip off of a fish, or whatever."

Addavein shook his head, tail flicking a bit, as he said, "If you're going for an Arcane experimentation then don't wait to find one; Make it yourself, like you did with that malformed Strong Body. Arcane Powers are little more than spellforms with guard rails and extra options here and there.

Arch Powers are supremely difficult to create and adjust, but Arcane Powers are simplicity itself compared to everything else, and these soulhouses are basically cheating, so since you can cheat and make Powers, then you need to." Mark countered, "The Strong Body I made was not as good as the Strong Body that I stripped from the fishes. It's still marked as 'incomplete' under my Status."" Strong Body is not an Arcane power."" Oh… They're that different?"" Well… Yes and no— It's mostly true."

Addavein almost said something else enthusiastically, but he paused. He looked at Mark and asked, "Are you worried about harming yourself? Hmm. Maybe you should be, actually."" It's a slight worry, yes… but I have already died once. I had to get Quark a new livium core." Addavein hummed, then said, "Yes. Maybe… don't do too much self experimentation. As for Power collection: How about plants? Have you tried connecting with the soul of any plants?"" I tried it a bit, but fish were easy. Plants were impossible.

Fish you can lure… or at least I can? I don't know how other people do it."" Other people invade the souls of others and transform those other souls at a distance. You do the complete opposite, which is widely regarded as supremely dangerous, but the house is a cheat so… Or rather, it's a divine demiplane made for the individual."" Related to that…"

Mark moved on a little, saying, "I knew that if I put out enough information on the house that someone would eventually get back to me with ideas about house books, but I never expected someone to come forth with an actual house book. Has anyone had any luck with making their own 'divine demiplane' outside of using a house book, or is The People's bargain for a book the best option for getting another book?"

Addavein sat back in his chair a little, looking at Mark, and then he said, "About ten minutes after the goblin ritual, Empress Cataclysm sent some elites to the People's islands to bargain for the book, first, and then to take it if the People aren't willing to sell it. If they manage to grab it then I'm going to ambush them and steal it for myself. For myself, Mark. Not for Eliot." A rush of emotions thrummed through Mark, and Mark took a moment. Addavein studied him, quietly.

Then Mark said, "I'll fight you for it, but I won't kill you." Addavein nodded, saying, "Fine by me. I won't go easy on you, either, but obviously I will not go for the kill."" Okay."" What are you going to do until the Swords of Empire exhibition match?" Mark stood up, and said, "I'm not sure."" I'm sure there is lots to do!" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Mark kinda… left, he supposed. It was awkward.

Addavein was going to ambush some people and steal the house book, huh? How did Mark feel about that? Should he… should he plot against Addavein right now? It wasn't his concern if Addavein went up against Aluatha… but should Mark go up against Aluatha in this case, too? Why was Aluatha going for the book right now? Well… because of course they were. And Mark was here, stuck at a party. He was doing so much good here, though. But… Mark frowned, walking down the hallway, thinking.

Mark decided to be ambivalent about that potential loss. He doubted that the People would have the book anywhere that it was capable of being stolen in the first place, and especially after its reveal was so sudden, here at the Winter Ball. It was probably safe. And yet… Mark kept Addavein in his senses, checking on him, just in case he vanished suddenly. So it was a stakeout, Mark supposed. Mark ended up at his room where he decided to do some reading.

He opened the holographic library of books from Walaria, and there was Water People… Ah. Whoops. Mark had been calling it 'Waterpeople', all one word. It was apparently 2 words. Weird… Mark skipped a few languages, and went right to goobersmithing, which was what they used to make Swords of Empire. They were going to the Swords of Empire exhibition soon, and Mark needed to brush up on this stuff, and especially on goobersmithing, which was one of the highest forms of smithing a person could do.

Goobersmithing was a multi-angle language including manawork, spell forms, form and function, and every other type of spell manufacturing, but put down into a cohesive whole that was more than the sum of its parts. That final fact made Mark think about Powers again, and how he could move Powers around and make something that was stronger than the individual parts. Like that guy Xander from the other night, with his Speaker and Scrambler Powers.

Speaker transmitted Scrambler in a way that Scrambler didn't transmit on its own, while Speaker, on its own, was just 'I can talk real loud' or 'Whispers for everyone at kilometer'. … Mark put away the book on goobersmithing and he pulled up some holographic paper and began making generalized lists of powers, looking for good combinations." This is what I wanted to talk to Addavein about," Mark muttered, as he wrote on the air.

"But I guess we did do that, and he said I'd need to kill any potential problems I created, which… kinda fucked up, but understandable." Quark asked, "Would you like to talk to me about Powers, sir?" Mark smirked, saying, "Yeah, Quark. So let's see… Some Powers are evergreen, and some Powers are only good in conjunction with others, but let's start with a basic breakdown…"

Body: Healthy Strong Elemental Kinetic/Shaper: Generalist Esoteric Elemental Mind: Nudge/Influence Other-Control Self-control Natural: The 6 Divines Esoteric (witchery) About an Area (Farmer, etc) Soul/Arcane: Spells Arch: Minor Manipulations Major Reality Itself Mark said, "Any Elemental Body and Elemental Shaper Powers that cover the same thing are automatically better together than either would be, individually.

Individually, every Elemental Body is kinda shit, making the person gradually lose their sense of self, like what happened to me. Individually, every Elemental Shaper Power just means the person cannot injure themselves with their Power, like with Wind Shaper, but that's not as good as being the wind itself and flying around… I think? Well. From the standpoint of a warrior, anyway." Wind Body probably sucks to actually have… Ohh?" Mark had a thought.

"Could I… could I go around and strip Powers from people who don't want them? I should look into that. Make a note please, Quark.

'See about buying unwanted Powers from people'." Quark said, "Noted, sir." Mark continued, "Once I start doing this Skiller thing, I won't be touching Union, Retribution, Farmer, Prosperity, Castellan, or Wilding, but I could put together a Natural Witch with an Influencing Mind power… right? Or would that get the witch killed? Or elevated to a higher position in the coven… or something? Mind Powers are semi-regulated. Something to ask Pearl, Amy, Uva, Reeni, or Walaria, actually. Anyone.

I don't think I have ever met a witch with a Mind Power, so I think that combination might be a taboo? They're already social monsters so maybe direct social control is… something they don't allow?" That whole area has to be something. I'll ask." Natural Powers are the largest category of Powers, and pretty much everything is in there, even some 'Shaper' and 'Mind' powers like Druid and their animal/plantwork.

Natural Powers also have regeneration among them, like Dynamo, and that's where the big crossover bonus is." Dynamo would be awesome to have. I already have Strength Unending, but that's for bodies, not for mana." Anything that lets the person regenerate mana and then pump that mana into an outlet is a big plus, like Dynamo and something like Necromancer— Oh! Wait! Pearl said she had Bolter and Witchery… and her videos online had her doing… something. Pull one of those up, Quark, please.

One of the ones of her singing on the Green Run— Yes! Thanks." A video played in Mark's sight. Quark knew just what Mark wanted to see, too. There was Pearl, standing on a cloud of shadows right on top of the ground, singing under the sun, with Amy and Uva as backup. Their cloud rolled forward at a quick pace, mulching trees and ripping through monsters, a storm of black tracers spinning through the edges of the shadows and curving through the air around the entire black cloud.

Those curls didn't look like spell bolts from Bolter. It looked like part of the dangerous Witchery magic underfoot. But Mark knew that Pearl had Bolter, Amy had Telekinesis, and Uva had a powerful Body Power, which illuminated the truth of the entire 3-person witchery band. Pearl, Amy, and Uva were all working together, through their Witchery. Pearl was throwing out thousands of Bolts per second.

Amy was Telekinetically curving the Bolts in churning arcs, pulling them through monsters and back into the cloud, which was their Witchery all working together. And Uva, with her Body Power, was Tactile Telekinesis'ing the cloud underfoot, supporting the weight of their entire entourage and the various tonnage they carried on the back. The Witchery seemed to be acting as a designated space of power for them… or something like that.

Mark still wasn't sure how Witchery worked, exactly, but together, the three Witches had made a private System where they used their secondary Powers sort of how they were normally used, but which they also recycled their power/mana/whatever back into themselves. That's why Uva's killing Bolts were curving through the air and rejoining the cloud itself. They were not expending mana, so much as recycling mana in a dangerous way. Mark grinned, thinking he had 'figured them out' a little bit. Mark moved on."

Manipulations are awesome, but very rare, and if you can get one like Sally's Titan's Strength and Size Manipulation then that's an awesome combo. Eliot's Man-made Manipulation and Castellan are also better together than either is alone…" Mark picked apart Powers for a while, mostly silently once he got through the main thrust of a theoretical framework for the theoretical 'Powers By Blackleaf' part of his company—" Oh shit. Wait. I need to account for mana types too, don't I.

Some mana types like adamantium can do a lot, but someone with a fire mana type can't do… water? Can it? Are there any people who have fire mana in their souls, but who have Water Shaper, or something like that? I don't think that ever happens at all." Quark said, "I have no public records of such people, but that is not something that is tested for." Mark nodded a little. Then Mark went to the holographic books, to research manawork and mana types, losing himself to the theorycrafting and loving it.

Everyone, when they were kids, liked to pretend that they could pick and choose their Powers coming out of the Tutorial, but no one could. Or at least that was the lie they told everyone as kids. After crossing Curtain Protocol, Mark had learned that everyone of means could pick and choose the general type of Power that they would Tutorial into. The nobles had been doing eugenics with Powers for ten thousand years. Some people in those situations, like Isoko, pulled a 'dud' every so often.

Platinum Body was nowhere in Isoko's very strong Wind-based lineage, but it had eventually happened through a lot of difficult intervention. Mark grinned, wondering if he could actually change the way the System worked. Someday, in the far future, maybe people would have real choices about their Powers, instead of resorting to what Mark had done. And his situation was a 'good' outcome! Gods, that sucked to think about.

A lot of people saw 'Brawny' on their False Tutorial or they came from a family of brawnies or they just ended up unlucky, and they spiraled. There were tons of movies about it, too, though not so many in the last few years. Mark pointedly never watched those movies or read that stuff at all, but he knew it existed. It was a whole trope, and subset of tropes.

'Deal with the Devil' they called it.

'Archmage Plot' was another one.

'The Brawny Road to Hell' was a phrase you could take a few different ways, and many, many people 'went to Hell' to get power. No one liked running from kaiju. Everyone wished that they could fight back, or at least survive… though maybe Mark was projecting, in that specific case. Most people tried their best to ignore the kaijus beyond the walls.

But maybe, someday, the walls would be stronger and the kaiju would be less scary because the people fighting the monsters could do so by choice, instead of by necessity, and maybe, one day, those who chose to fight could get real support instead of demonic contracts. … Maybe the people of the future could even get 'Blackleaf Contracts'? Mark paused, wondering how he felt about that. I feel pretty good about that.