Chương 21: The Human Mana Battery

Sieghart discovered that one week could pass remarkably slowly when money waited at the end of it. He continued studying, maintaining the farm, and experimenting with his spells, but he watched Edric more closely whenever the old man appeared lost in thought. His grandfather didn't mention the conversation again during the first few days. Whenever Sieghart considered asking about it, he remembered that adults frequently responded to impatience by extending the waiting period.

He therefore remained silent, which required considerably more discipline than launching fireballs. Edric left the farm once during the week. He borrowed a horse from one of the workers and disappeared shortly after sunrise, carrying a small bag and several letters. When Sieghart asked about the trip, Edric said that he needed to speak with an old friend. That sounded promising. It could also mean absolutely nothing. Sieghart tried not to become excited before receiving a definite answer.

His previous life had taught him that expecting good news was the most efficient method of arranging an appointment with disappointment. Exactly seven days after their original conversation, Edric approached Sieghart while he practiced Water Creation near the irrigation channels. Sieghart was dividing one stream into several smaller lines and directing them toward different sections of the field.

"You have good control," Edric said. Sieghart closed his hand, causing the streams to disappear.

"Thank you."

"I spoke with my friend." Sieghart's attention sharpened immediately. Edric smiled at the reaction before sitting beneath a nearby tree. Sieghart followed him and sat on the grass, waiting for his grandfather to explain whatever arrangement he had managed to create.

"My friend owns a shop in town," Edric began.

"He sells and loans magical weapons and tools. Most of his merchandise is old-fashioned, but it remains useful."

"What kind of tools?"

"Farming equipment, enchanted lamps, heating plates, preservation boxes, cutting tools, and several other things. He also keeps weapons suitable for hunters, guards, and adventurers who cannot afford newer equipment." Sieghart had seen modern magical tools on the farm. Those devices consumed blue mana stones, which supplied the energy needed to activate the enchantments inside them. Once a stone became empty, the owner removed it and purchased a replacement.

"What makes his tools old-fashioned?" Sieghart asked.

"They don't use mana stones." That answer immediately caught Sieghart's interest. A magical tool without a mana stone required another source of energy. Unless the shop owner had discovered electricity several centuries early, only one obvious possibility remained.

"They use the owner's mana?" Edric nodded.

"They can be charged directly. Someone channels mana into the weapon or tool, and its internal enchantment stores that energy until it is needed. Many older magical items were made that way."

"Why did people stop using them?"

"They were inconvenient." Edric picked up a dry leaf and turned it between his fingers while organizing the explanation. The subject was clearly more complicated than the basic descriptions Sieghart had found in his books.

"A person might spend half an hour charging a tool before using it for only a few minutes," Edric explained.

"A weapon could drain most of its owner's mana before a battle even began. People with large reserves could charge several items, but they were rare." Mana stones solved that problem by allowing magical devices to carry an independent source of energy. A farmer no longer needed to exhaust himself before using an enchanted harvester. A warrior could replace the stone inside a weapon instead of sacrificing the mana required by his Aura.

"Directly charged equipment was common long ago," Edric continued.

"It was especially important during periods when mana stones became difficult to obtain. Mines were lost during wars, roads became dangerous, and merchants couldn't deliver stones to distant settlements."

"People charged their equipment themselves."

"When they could. Some towns employed workers for that purpose. People with larger mana reserves earned money by filling weapons, tools, lamps, and heating devices for those who couldn't charge them alone." Sieghart understood where the explanation was heading. He also understood why Edric had described the idea as respectable. Charging magical equipment sounded less like farm labor and more like working inside an enchantment shop.

It might not impress House Emberhart, but it probably wouldn't embarrass them either. Nobles used magical equipment, armies required charged weapons, and old-fashioned devices remained valuable during wartime. Lord Alaric could hardly complain about his son supporting a useful local business without sounding unreasonable. Most importantly, the work suited Sieghart's greatest advantage perfectly. Ordinary workers became exhausted after charging a few items.

Sieghart could theoretically continue forever, although revealing that fact would be unwise.

"My friend still keeps a large collection of those items," Edric said.

"Some customers purchase them because they are cheaper than modern tools. Others borrow them for short periods when they don't want to buy expensive mana stones."

"And someone has to charge them."

"Exactly." Edric explained that customers normally paid a charging fee whenever they borrowed one of the devices. Part of that fee went to the shop, while the person who supplied the mana received the remainder as payment. The amount wasn't particularly impressive. Charging one lamp might earn less than the price of a meal. A large farming tool or combat weapon paid more, but it also required enough mana to exhaust an ordinary person. Sieghart's reserve was anything but ordinary.

"My friend agreed to let you try," Edric said.

"If you can charge the equipment safely, you can earn some pocket money whenever we visit town." Sieghart considered the offer for several seconds. It wasn't the kind of job he had originally imagined. He wanted work that allowed him to develop new skills, improve his efficiency, and gradually increase his earnings. Charging tools appeared to possess a fixed value. The shop owner had already decided how much each item was worth, and no amount of skill would persuade a lamp to pay more for its mana.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Having his income limited by someone else's prices was annoying. If he learned to charge an item twice as quickly, he would still receive the same payment unless the increased speed allowed him to handle more equipment. His earnings would eventually hit whatever ceiling the shop's supply imposed. Still, Sieghart reminded himself that this was only the second job of his two lives.

His first job had been maintaining his grandparents' farm without receiving a wage, so almost anything represented an improvement. He also knew almost nothing about enchanted equipment. Working inside the shop would expose him to weapons, tools, storage enchantments, and charging systems. Even if the income remained limited, the knowledge might become far more valuable.

"I'll do it," Sieghart said. Edric smiled.

"I thought you might."

"When do I start?"

"First, you must learn how to channel your mana into an object. It is different from using elemental magic." Sieghart looked at his hands. When he cast a spell, he transformed mana through an emotion and gave it an elemental form. Anger ignited fire, serenity produced water, and specific intentions allowed him to influence wind or earth. Charging an enchanted object apparently required him to move mana without changing its nature.

He had attempted something similar while trying to discover Aura, but raw mana had always resisted external control.

"Can you teach me?" Sieghart asked.

"I can teach you the beginning. My friend knows more." Edric removed a small object from his pocket. It resembled a metal coin, although strange lines covered both surfaces. A cloudy crystal no larger than a grain of rice rested in its center.

"This is a practice charm," Edric explained.

"It doesn't perform any useful function. It only accepts mana and releases light when enough energy has been stored." Sieghart accepted the charm. The metal felt cool against his palm, and the crystal remained dull. He focused on the object before instinctively reaching for the calmness required by Water Creation.

"Don't use an element," Edric warned.

"Feel the mana before it becomes water, fire, earth, or wind. Guide that energy toward your hand and allow the enchantment to draw it from you." That was considerably easier to describe than to perform. Sieghart could feel the endless reserve inside himself, but he normally interacted with it through the paths unlocked by his magic. Separating raw mana from those familiar structures felt like trying to hold water without using a container. He concentrated for several minutes. Nothing happened.

The charm remained dark, and the only result was a growing pressure behind his eyes. Sieghart changed his approach, attempting to circulate mana beneath his skin the same way he used Protection. White Magic responded immediately. A faint layer of reinforcement covered his palm, but the charm refused to absorb it. Edric noticed the mistake and shook his head.

"You transformed it again."

"I noticed."

"Don't force the mana to do anything. Bring it close and let the tool pull what it needs." Sieghart tried again. Instead of ordering his mana to enter the charm, he guided a small portion toward his palm and held it there. The enchantment inside the metal responded with a faint tug. The sensation was so weak that an ordinary person might have missed it. Sieghart relaxed his control and allowed the charm to draw energy. The cloudy crystal flashed once before producing a steady white light. Edric's eyebrows rose.

"That was fast." Sieghart studied the glowing charm. The exercise hadn't unlocked a spell, increased a parameter, or produced a system notification. Nevertheless, he had successfully moved raw mana outside his body for the first time. That alone made the job worthwhile. Charging equipment might teach him the control needed to manipulate mana directly. If he improved enough, the same principle could lead to enchantment, Aura, barriers, or entirely new branches of magic.

"Can I practice with this?" Sieghart asked. Edric hesitated before nodding.

"Empty it before charging it again. There is a small switch along the edge." Sieghart found the switch and pressed it. The crystal released its stored energy as harmless light, shining brightly for several seconds before becoming dull. He immediately began charging it again. His supposed income ceiling suddenly looked less irritating. The work might pay a fixed amount, but the skill he acquired didn't need to possess the same limitation. For the remainder of the week, Sieghart practiced whenever he had free time.

The process gradually became easier. He learned to gather raw mana without allowing his emotions to transform it, guide the energy into his hand, and permit the practice charm to draw it away. The amount stored inside the charm was tiny, but Sieghart still exercised caution. Revealing that he could refill it continuously without becoming tired would raise questions. He planned to pretend that charging equipment required more effort than it truly did.

On the farm's next scheduled day off, Elara woke Sieghart before sunrise. They ate a quick breakfast, dressed for town, and walked to the main road while Edric carried a small traveling bag. A hired carriage arrived shortly afterward. The driver accepted several coins from Edric before helping Elara climb inside. Sieghart watched the exchange with a disapproving expression. They had to spend money before he could travel somewhere to earn money. That was an unpleasant design flaw in the employment system.

The journey required approximately two hours in each direction. Even if the shop provided steady work, part of Sieghart's payment would effectively disappear into transportation expenses. His grandparents also couldn't waste an entire day traveling whenever he wanted to charge a few tools. Sieghart sat between them while the carriage rolled away from the farm. The wooden wheels struck every imperfection in the road, causing the interior to shake constantly.

Suspension technology was apparently another field waiting for a reincarnated genius. He looked through the window and measured their speed. The horses maintained a respectable pace, but Sieghart suspected that Wind Magic could eventually move him faster. Unfortunately, flying two hours through the countryside would require control he didn't yet possess. The moving sand platform offered a more realistic possibility. He had already transported five monster corpses across the farm by moving the soil beneath them.

Carrying himself should be easy by comparison. Transporting his grandparents would require a larger and more stable platform. He would need to prevent the sand from separating, reduce vibration, and guide the platform across stone roads without losing contact with the ground. Turning corners would also matter. Accidentally launching his grandparents into a ditch would probably reduce their enthusiasm for magical transportation. Still, the idea could save money and provide excellent training.

Sieghart could begin by creating a platform large enough for himself, then practice moving it across the farm. Once he could travel without falling, crashing, or destroying crops, he could gradually add more weight. If the platform became fast enough, he could visit town without hiring a carriage. A reliable transportation spell might also become a service people would pay for. Farmers needed to move goods, merchants needed cheaper deliveries, and travelers disliked spending hours being shaken inside wooden boxes.

Sieghart stored the idea beside his plans for enchantment, healing, combat magic, and magical tools. His list of future projects continued growing much faster than his ability to complete any of them. The town's outer buildings eventually appeared beyond the carriage window. More wagons filled the road than during Sieghart's previous visit, and armed guards watched the entrances. The border attack had increased security, but it had also brought merchants, soldiers, and displaced villagers into the area.

Edric guided them through several busy streets after leaving the carriage. They moved away from the clothing shops and food stalls, entering an older district where blacksmiths, repair workshops, and magical merchants operated. They finally stopped before a narrow stone building squeezed between two larger shops. Tarnished weapons covered its front window beside enchanted lamps, farming tools, metal boxes, and several objects Sieghart couldn't identify. A faded wooden sign hung above the entrance.

THORNE'S ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS WEAPONS SOLD, TOOLS LOANED, CHARGING AVAILABLE Sieghart stared through the window at the collection of old magical equipment. None of the visible items contained mana stones. Instead, thin networks of runes covered their surfaces, waiting for someone to supply the energy they needed. Edric placed one hand on the door.

"Remember, don't show him everything you can do." Sieghart nodded.

"I'll try to look tired."

"That isn't exactly what I meant." Edric opened the door. A bell rang somewhere inside the crowded shop, followed by the heavy footsteps of someone approaching from the back. Sieghart tightened his fingers around the practice charm. His first paid job was about to begin.