Chương 74: B2—Chapter 7: Achievement and Reward

Once we wrapped up all the workshops, I set Mahya up with a laptop, a reloadable credit card, and links to Udemy and Skillshare so she could earn more Ability Points between her study sessions with Lis. For my progress, I tracked down the book Mana Body—Supreme Control Lis recommended and started working with it. The introduction claimed the techniques could boost mana regeneration and sharpen control over both mana and the body, and the promise sounded pretty damn tempting.

To enlarge the main channels, the initial technique involved fashioning a tendril of mana and directing it into them. The second, to create a ball of mana and roll it down your main channels. I skipped the first and went straight to the second; my channels were too wide for the tendril. That evening, while we sat in the living room, I turned to Lis and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about this book when I started training my mana channels in the UK Gates?" Lis looked up from his project.

"Your method is twenty times faster and less painful." I quickly understood why Mahya had screamed in pain when I tried to open her channel, and what Lis meant. Forming a ball of mana was the easy part. Rolling it down my channel and stretching it made me want to scream, too. Regular stretching with boosted mana regeneration only felt like an itch, and I could control the intensity.

But with this technique, the ball had to be bigger than the channel, and forcing it through felt like shoving a ball of lava down each one. I tried adapting the Anesthesia spell to numb my arm, but it was a lost cause. The moment I channeled it into myself, I knocked myself out and came to shortly after when the spell cut off. Nothing I tried made it behave differently, and in this case, Minor Spell Adaptation was useless—probably because the change I wanted wasn't minor at all.

I even asked Mahya to help by being the Anesthesia target, but that didn't work either. Mana Dart had been easy to tweak because its core was its shape, making changes straightforward. Here, the core was sleep, and you can't reshape sleep. There's no such thing as half-sleep or some alternate version of sleep, so the spell refused to budge. And to make matters worse, the spell list didn't offer anything like Local Anesthesia or any viable alternative. Bummer.

After three days of excruciating pain, I widened one channel in my right hand by maybe a tenth of a millimeter and decided the result wasn't worth the pain. Skimming ahead in the book didn't help; the next technique was the same, just applied to the thin secondary channels running throughout the body. First a tendril, then a ball. Just imagining the pain of doing that with hundreds of tiny channels made me shudder.

I shoved the book into the farthest corner of my Storage with every intention of pretending it never existed. Instead, I focused on learning Mana Constructs for Spell Creation. It was much more fun, despite the usual awful writing. Between study sessions, I explored different parts of Paris and visited bakeries, restaurants, and patisseries to fill my Storage with all kinds of delicious treats. I also went through the Paris flea market several times and picked up a ridiculous number of things.

After I discovered the fabric area in Montmartre, I more or less emptied their inventory on three separate occasions. When I got home, I always found Lis and Mahya either surrounded by huge blueprints and sketches or tinkering with parts of the mini radio. The blueprints were so massive that even the big dining table that seated ten wasn't enough; the pages hung over both like a tablecloth.

I had no idea how those enormous plans connected to that tiny radio, but whenever I tried to ask, they waved me off and told me to be patient. After over seven months in Paris, one night I shot awake in a panic when someone jumped onto my bed. Blinking against the darkness, I saw Lis glowing with happiness, bouncing as if he'd just won the lottery.

"I got it!" he exclaimed.

"Whah?" I mumbled, still half-asleep and completely confused.

"I got the class!" he repeated, vibrating with excitement. That woke me right up. I sat up fast, eyes wide.

"You got the Magicaneer class? Congratulations!"

"Even better! Much, much, much better! I have no more words for better! Look!" He made a screen visible. Magitech Inventor & Engineer I pulled him into a tight hug.

"Wow! Amazing! Congratulations!" He was so thrilled that he kept bouncing even while I hugged him. When I let go, I asked, "How did you do that?" He froze mid-bounce and stared at me as if I'd grown an extra head.

"Studied like crazy for over two years!" I shook my head, grinning.

"Not that. How did you show me your screen?"

"Oh. Intention and mana. Push with your intention to show me your screen and add some mana into the intention." Curious, I tried it the way he said. My screen popped into existence.

"Cool!" Lis laughed, shook his head, and kept bouncing. He had way too much energy for five in the morning. I went back to sleep. At five a. m., I was not bouncy. When I got up in the morning and walked into the living room, a strange mini-radio stood on the table. Runic script covered it completely, and sitting on top was the crystal I had aspected to lightning. The crystal looked empty, so I poured some mana into it to help Lis. The radio came to life, playing"Losing My Religion" by R. E. M.

When the song ended, a French broadcaster thanked the listener who had requested it and moved on to the traffic report in Paris. I gaped at the thing. Lis had built a mana-powered radio capable of receiving Earth stations. His extraordinary achievement deserved a proper celebration, so I sat at the computer and booked us a vacation to the French Riviera. It was August, perfect beach weather. I rented a car, found a fantastic villa, and couldn't stop grinning at the confirmation email.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Over dinner, I raised my wineglass for a toast.

"To celebrate your new class, we're going on vacation to the French Riviera. I found and rented a luxurious villa for us." I couldn't hide the excitement stretching across my face. Lis and Mahya exchanged hesitant glances.

"What's the problem? Why the faces?" I asked. Lis set his wineglass down and looked apologetic.

"Thank you for the surprise, but I assumed that after I get the class, we would start visiting Gates to advance our Gate count, as we planned."

"No arguments," I said, tapping the table for emphasis.

"You can do your blueprint thing anywhere, and I really want to celebrate your new class. You deserve it. Yes, we wanted to Gate-hop, but we can do it after the vacation. Two weeks won't change anything." It didn't take long to convince them. The villa looked great in the pictures, but it was even better in person. Two stories, a vast living room, a fully equipped kitchen, four bedrooms with balconies, a wooden deck wrapped around a pool, and a perfect sea view.

As soon as we arrived, I pulled out my purifying aluminum blob and tossed it into the pool. Lis and Mahya both gave me the same raised-eyebrow look. Lis stepped closer and leaned over the water.

"What is that?"

"A purifying blob I created in Shimoor. I hate chlorine," I said, waving a hand toward the pool.

"Purified water is way better than chlorinated water." The lump sprang from the water and landed in Lis's hand. He turned it over, inspecting every angle. I blinked.

"You have Telekinesis?"

"Of course," Lis said, rotating the lump between his fingers.

"It is a psionic ability." He ran a thumb along its surface, studying the texture.

"How did you make it?"

"I read in the Archive that low-mana worlds don't use runes. They melt the metal and cast spells on it while it's still liquid to embed the spell inside. I tried it, and it worked." Lis nodded slowly, brows drawn together in thought.

"The spell will wear off with time."

"Yeah, I read that. But I can always melt the metal again and recast the spells."

"True," he said, and threw the lump back into the pool. After choosing rooms, we headed down to the beach and were in for a severe shock. The place was packed. People covered every inch of sand and spilled into the streets, making it hard to take more than two steps without bumping into someone. We exchanged a look, turned around, and went straight back to the villa. Our pool instantly looked like a much better choice. That became our routine for the entire first week.

We spent long hours stretched out on the deck under the sun or floating in the pool while Lis's magical mini radio played music. Every time it switched songs, I stared at it again, still amazed that he had actually built the thing. I didn't feel like cooking, and the villa had an entire drawer full of takeout menus, so we let the delivery service handle the food. Rue claimed one of the lounge chairs whenever he wasn't paddling in the water. It always surprised me how much he loved the sun, considering all that fur.

He looked like he should melt, but he lounged there as if it were his natural habitat. After a week of doing absolutely nothing, boredom crept in. Lis and I exchanged the same restless looks before giving in. We grabbed our books and settled by the pool again. I went back to studying Mana Constructs for Spell Creation, flipping pages while the sun warmed my shoulders. Lis opened a textbook on schematics as thick as a phone book. The mere sight of it made my head ache.

Mahya grabbed her towel with a determined expression and marched toward the crowded beach as if preparing for battle. At dinner, Mahya played with the food on her plate and casually said, "I met a new friend." She paused and glanced between us with a small smile.

"She's also a Traveler. I'll introduce you in a few days." Lis leaned back in his chair, his expression tightening.

"Be careful," he said, his tone serious. Mahya waved a hand, brushing the warning aside.

"Don't worry. I know how to be careful. I've been traveling for a long time." She met Lis's eyes.

"Lyura isn't dangerous. This is the first world she's actually traveled." Three days later, in the evening, two Travelers approached. I recognized Mahya immediately, but someone walked beside her. The second signature was much weaker. A few minutes later, they came into view, and the girl with her looked genuinely young, not just youthful like Lis and Mahya. She was a pretty blonde with glowing orange eyes and carried a shy, hesitant air.

"Hello. My name is Lyura Yadama," she said in a gentle voice. She looked at each of us with those bright orange eyes.

"I come from Kapadi, an archaic, unintegrated world four Gates from here." We introduced ourselves with friendly smiles and invited her to join us for dinner.

"We plan to travel between Gates to increase our Gate count. What do you think of Lyura joining us?" Mahya asked. She glanced at Lyura, then back at us with an encouraging tilt of her head.

"She plans to find a low-mana world to sell things in because she's starting to run low on money."

"You can go to Shimoor," I suggested, resting my elbows on the table.

"The mana level is seventeen, and I made a lot of money there. Just say you're from the southern islands. I know two Gates that lead there."

"Is it the place you told me about where you healed and met Lis?" Mahya asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Yes." Lyura's eyes brightened, and Mahya's expression softened.

"I might join you. I need some mental healing after Tír na nÓg, and I need to make some money."

"Buy linen, towels, fabric, metal cookware, soaps, and shampoos. Those sell best in that area," I said.

"Also, order a big batch of gaming copper coins online and exchange them for gold." Both of them perked up at the idea and started talking among themselves, planning their trip to Shimoor. Lis looked at me with a question in his eyes. I flicked my gaze toward the pool, and he gave a slight nod. After dinner, Lis and I stepped outside. The cool night air rolled over the deck, and I leaned against the railing, watching the water ripple under the lights.

"What?" I asked, glancing at him. He folded his arms and studied the shimmering surface.

"What do you think of her joining us on the trip between Gates?" I weighed it for a moment.

"I don't have a problem with it. She seems nice, and my Luck and Perception are quiet, so I don't think she's dangerous." I turned to him.

"I also feel like she's the weakest of the four of us." Lis nodded.

"I don't mean in terms of danger, but there will be five of us now. We will need a much bigger vehicle."

"I don't intend to drive all over Europe," I said, shaking my head.

"It makes more sense to fly or take the train and rent a van only if we really need it."

"You know, it would be much simpler if you bought Telepathy. That way, we could talk without relocating every time."

"Hmm," I said, rubbing my chin as the idea settled.

"I hadn't thought of that." I bought Telepathy and Telekinesis. If Lis found them useful, I figured I would too. We invited Lyura to stay with us since we had a spare bedroom, and she accepted with a grateful smile. A little later, we spread out a printed map of Europe across the dining table, and Lis channeled mana into his Traveler's Map to make it visible. Together, we planned our route between the Gates. The distribution across Europe looked strange.

One Gate in Portugal, two in Spain, two in France, two in Italy, two in Germany that led to Shimoor, two in Romania, three in Russia, one in Finland, and two in Sweden. I tapped the map and looked at Lis.

"Doesn't this Gate distribution seem odd to you? Look at all those empty areas." Lis drew a slow line across the map with his finger.

"There might be Gates there," he said.

"There might be fifty Gates in Europe or even a hundred, but if a Traveler hasn't gone through a Gate, it doesn't appear on the map."

"I thought Gates automatically showed up," I said. Lis shook his head.

"No. Travelers have to add everything by actually traveling through it, including Gates."

"Yes," Mahya added.

"In my exploration mission, I arrived at a new uninhabited world. The Map was a block of gray." Huh. After some deliberation, we decided to start with the Gates in Russia since they were the northernmost. None of us wanted to reach them in the middle of winter. From there, we'd fly to Finland, take a train to Sweden, and then fly to Romania. After Romania, the plan was to fly to Portugal and take the train north through the Gates, with Germany as our last stop, so we could drop off the girls.

During our last three days on the Riviera, we braved the crowds and actually explored the area. I wouldn't call it fun, but at least we saw more than just the pool. It turned out that August wasn't the ideal month for visiting a seaside vacation spot.