Zaya stood up and was the one who answered while bowing:
"I'm sorry, Master of the Order, but we were forced to close the Sage Store…"
"Forced? Was it the Garden of Beasts?"
"No… It all started a few months after you disappeared… Someone who was on the expedition leaked the information to the many groups in Asshai. Among them, Master Baron Bones began to frequently ask to meet with you…"
"What did he want?" Rafael asked, already suspecting what it was about…
"He insisted on buying the Sage Store, including all the ingredients and exclusive products we sold there… We kept refusing his proposal, but soon, the entire city underwent rigorous changes, stores that were not affiliated with any of the Alliances*[1] were forced to pay taxes to the city's Aristocrats, something never seen before… Of course, many refused to do so, and their stores began to be attacked and threatened. This was also the case with the Sage Store." Zaya said in a guilty tone.
"We defended the shop, and even killed some of the troublemakers, but that only fueled the conflict between the two sides, escalating from a fight between apprentices to a fight between Masters," Vitarys concluded.
"At that time, I left the Dungeon of Distortion and revealed my identity as a Master, fighting some of them. Furthermore, the new Masters of the Adventurer's Alliance also appeared and fought on the Order's side, and this caused them to retreat." Master Shadowmancer Yuri concluded.
"Shortly after, someone representing Baron Bones appeared again, asking to speak with you. We told them that you were still conquering the Dungeon of Distortion, and we even delayed the conquest for a few years to reduce suspicions about your disappearance… But in the end, it was no use. One day, we were surprised by several apprentices who had left the Order, all of whom worked at the Sage Store. They were the ones you entrusted with some of the processes of creating protein and milk powder." Zaya said again.
"Let me guess, they went to work for Baron Bones?"
"Yes, all their stores started selling our products, and at a much lower price. Stealth attacks and threats were still used, but this time the target was the customers who visited our store. The profits decreased a lot after that, and since Omar's mining business was doing well, we decided to close the store and focus on the sea trade of these high-value metals… Our fleet has also increased a lot since then, and we have ships and allied fleets arriving at the port every month. But the tunnel is not finished yet, so we are making a smaller profit due to the time it takes to bring all the metals here using the caravans with apprentices and magic bags…"
"You all did well, the apprentices leaving the Order is acceptable, but taking our secrets is not… So we have to make sure that all of them meet a tragic end to set an example for others who are thinking of doing so…"
"I can take care of that. I suggested killing them at the time of the incident, but Omar and the majority disagreed…" Jack said.
"It was because the secret had already been revealed, and revenge was secondary…" Omar finished apologetically.
"Okay, Jack, I permit you. Make sure everyone dies on the same day, and at the same time if possible. I want them to know that it was planned and not a coincidence. Also, reinforce the blood contracts of everyone who might know about the tunnel… Speaking of which, what is the situation there, Omar?"
"Only eight apprentices work in the tunnels. And not even the miners and other human workers know about it… I have already made all the arrangements to ensure that there is no betrayal with these eight after what happened… It should take another 15 years to complete at the current rate. But if Vulcan helps us, it should be possible to complete it in maybe eight. Besides, we have a very large stock of iron and copper ingots accumulated. I am only transporting the most valuable metals, such as gold and magical alloys that are refined right here."
"Continue storing, create a giant underground vault if you need to. Once the tunnel is complete, we should be able to transport everything quickly. As for Vulcan, he's deep within the Shadowlands, I couldn't find him while I was returning… Oh yeah, what about the oxygen problem inside the tunnel? What solution did you use?"
This time it was Jhon who stood out:
"I helped create a type of moss that is very efficient at absorbing harmful gases and converting them into oxygen. The base of this moss was the Ghost Grass itself, so it has already spread across the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. Best of all, it also provided natural lighting in the dark place."
"That's brilliant, Jhon! Not only did it save us on the use of filters and magical wind stones, but it also solved the expenses we would have had with lighting… If possible, I would like to buy the data from this moss for my research on the Ghost Grass…"
"Yes, of course, I will send a copy of the scrolls later…"
"Natasha and Laura, and the Dungeon of Distortion, did everything go well? Did we find anything of value, or some natural treasure?"
Laura nodded to Natasha, letting her explain…
"We haven't found any animals or plants that have a similar effect to natural treasures, but all 11 floors are providing a 2x bonus to meditation and 2x to learning any spells, plus two of them are being used for cultivation and we even have a small city inside them, but it needs to be developed over time…"
"That's good, let's leave the city plan for later, I believe you all learned a lot of spells with this new benefit, I hope most of you have mastered at least 1 advanced spell."
"Everyone has mastered at least 1, with some mastering 2 or more…"
Good, very good! With that alone, we can call everyone here Combat Masters… Did you say 11 floors? What about the 12th?
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Master of the Order, remember that key that was the reason for White Shadow's murder?"
"Yes, did you find any part of it?"
"No, on the contrary. We found the door that opens, and it's on the 12th floor of the Central Tower of Asshai[2]… The problem is that there's a creature that prevents us from even getting close enough to study it in more detail…"
****
Special thanks to the Patreons:
Sage's Supporter: Jan, Vinnie, frimorigo, Leery Falcon, Parsa, Scott Robertson, and Pato Senalima!
Magic Apprentice: Axel Bour, Gabriele Sulpizio, Takatchi, mandeep singh, Austin, Kobe Robertson, Paul Gaslac, Niteo akuma, and 704Corleon!
Senior Magic Apprentice: Cole Bromley and Avacus!
[1] Commercial and Aristocratic Alliances
[2] The Tower of Distortion, for those who don't remember, is in the center of Asshai...