Chapter 173: Mana Tower

Silence enveloped the lounge like a heavy curtain drawn across the room.

Gregor leaned back, arms crossed, his earlier teasing demeanor replaced by a serious expression. Mina sat still now, her golden eyes locked on Sage instead of swinging her legs absentmindedly.

Even Valeria, who had been aloof and unreadable for most of their conversation, appeared sharper, her attention fully focused on Sage.

Sage exhaled slowly, allowing the weight of his words to settle before he continued. His gaze shifted, steady and deliberate, to Boren and Lyana.

“Right now,” he said calmly, “the Guild has expanded more rapidly than we anticipated. We have facilities and infrastructure in place. What we lack… is manpower.”

Boren straightened immediately, his posture stiffening as if summoned to the front lines of a battlefield. Lyana mirrored him unconsciously, her earlier gentleness was replaced with quiet determination. They both listened intently, understanding that what followed was not mere planning, it was the foundation of something monumental.

“The Adventurer Inn, the Restaurant, the Mana Cultivation Tower, and the Smithy,” Sage continued in a measured but firm tone, “are not just decorations. Each one is a revenue core, a self sustaining engine. But an engine without operators is just metal.”

Boren hesitantly raised his hand. “Guildmaster… what exactly is the Mana Cultivation Tower?”

Sage’s lips curled into a wicked smile as he took a moment before answering. His gaze swept across the lounge, lingering on Gregor, then Mina, and finally landing on Valeria and her mercenaries behind her. He could see their reactions beginning to form.

“The Mana Cultivation Tower,” Sage said deliberately, “is the most crucial structure this Guild has unlocked.”

He turned back to Boren. “It’s a dedicated cultivation facility with five floors. Each floor contains private cultivation rooms engraved with Mana Gathering Formations.”

The moment he finished speaking, Gregor leaned forward so suddenly that the couch creaked beneath him. Valeria’s eyes widened not dramatically or openly but enough for anyone familiar with her to recognize genuine shock.

Sage continued at an unhurried pace, fully aware of his impact on them. “The mana density on the first floor is ten times that of the outside world; cultivating there for one day equates to cultivating ten days in the wild. The second floor offers twenty times denser mana; the third, thirty times and so forth.”

The room fell into complete silence.

Gregor’s mouth hung open as he stared at Sage as if witnessing an impending disaster.

Valeria’s mercenaries exchanged sharp glances; their breaths grew heavier.

“Do you grasp what you just said?” Gregor finally asked hoarsely. “Do you understand what that means?”

Sage tilted his head slightly. “Of course I do.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers loosely interlocked.

“Mana,” Sage began, “is the foundation of all Warrior growth.”

He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if addressing not children but the future architects of power. “A Warrior absorbs Mana into their body especially Knights, refining it, circulating it, tempering flesh, bone, blood, and spirit. Every breakthrough, every rank increase, is a process of accumulating, compressing, and mastering Mana.”

He paused briefly before continuing. “But Mana is not evenly distributed.”

Sage lifted a finger. “Across Eldoria, Mana flows like underground water. Some regions are dry; others are flooded. The places where Mana naturally condenses are called Mana Veinlines.”

Boren’s eyes widened as understanding dawned.

“Mana Veinlines,” Sage elaborated, “are invisible currents where Mana gathers in unusually high concentrations. These areas produce denser, purer Mana. Cultivating there is faster, safer, and more stable.”

He glanced at Valeria. “That’s why no noble estate is built randomly. The great houses don’t choose land for its scenery, they choose it for its Mana potential. Their ancestral estates sit atop the strongest veinlines available. Their heirs grow stronger simply by existing within those walls.”

Valeria didn’t dispute this.

Sage exhaled softly. “But veinlines are limited; you can’t create them easily. Even if you could… the cost would bankrupt a kingdom.”

He leaned back slightly. “The only artificial alternative is a Mana Gathering Formation.”

Gregor clenched his fists.

“And those,” Sage continued, “are expensive. Even a first-grade formation requires a high-level Runesmith, rare materials, and constant maintenance. The price alone is enough to exclude ninety percent of Warriors.”

“And now,” Sage said calmly, “the Adventurer Guild has an entire tower built around them.”

Gregor swallowed hard; excitement flickered across his face.

“This isn’t just a cultivation facility,” Valeria said quietly. “This is… a redistribution of power.”

Sage nodded in agreement. “For the first time,” he said, “cultivation is no longer monopolized by nobles or ancient clans.”

He let that sink in before going on.

“An Iron Rank adventurer with enough coin can access the same density of Mana that once required noble blood or sect backing. A Copper Rank can grow at an unprecedented rate while Bronze Rank adventurers will refine their foundations faster and more effectively.”

He looked directly at Gregor. “This changes everything.”

Gregor let out a slow laugh tinged with disbelief. “They’ll go insane over this! Price won’t matter; you could charge a fortune and they’d still line up!”

“Exactly,” Sage replied.

He shrugged lightly. “It won’t be cheap not even for the first floor.”

“And they won’t care,” Gregor said without hesitation. “For a Warrior, strength is currency. Strength leads to better missions, and better missions bring in more wealth. More wealth translates to even greater strength.”

Sage nodded in agreement.

Valeria’s expression sharpened. “What grade are the formations?”

“First floor, 1st Grade. Second, 2nd Grade. And so forth,” Gregor replied.

Valeria took a slow breath. “When does it open?”

“Tomorrow,” Sage answered. “I still need to finalize pricing, scheduling, and usage restrictions.”

Valeria leaned back, her eyes cold once again, but something new flickered beneath the surface: anticipation.

Sage turned his attention back to Boren and Lyana.

“That brings us to staffing.” He straightened up and looked directly at Boren. “From today onward, you’re promoted to Head of Staff.”

Boren froze for a moment, then pointed at himself in disbelief. “W-what? Me?”

“You’ll oversee all non-adventurer personnel,” Sage continued firmly. “That includes hiring, scheduling, discipline, and coordination. The Guild doesn’t operate on ideals; it runs on systems.”

Boren’s hands trembled slightly at the sudden responsibility.

Sage then shifted his focus to Lyana. “And you’re also being promoted to Vice Head of Staff.”

Lyana blinked in surprise as her eyes widened at Sage’s announcement.

“Isn’t that… quick?” she asked.

Sage shrugged casually. “Speed is essential here, and I trust my judgment.”

She hesitated only briefly before nodding in agreement. “I understand.”

Gregor grinned proudly from the side and gave her a thumbs-up, prompting her to roll her eyes playfully.

Sage continued with a crisp tone that commanded attention. “Recruitment starts immediately: we need five hundred staff members, cooks, waiters, inn personnel, stable boys, cleaners, receptionists must be literate and blacksmiths of any rank are welcome too. Adept Rank or above will get priority; pay is negotiable.”

Boren and Lyana nodded vigorously, committing every detail to memory.

“Hang notices outside announcing the new facilities,” Sage instructed them further. “And don’t forget about the second floor announcement as well.”

Just then, Gregor cleared his throat and chimed in with enthusiasm. “Hey Shameless Guildmaster! I know an Adept Ranked Blacksmith, can I bring him here?”

Sage’s eyes brightened at this news as he nodded eagerly. “Absolutely! Just make sure he agrees to work for the Guild; payment won’t be an issue.”

Gregor’s smile widened as various ideas began forming in his mind.

Finally leaning back with a soft exhale, Sage reflected inwardly: the Guild had crossed a significant threshold and there was no turning back now.

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