While the entire world was working itself into a frenzy over the announcement that was scheduled for the following morning, Arin was doing something considerably less exciting. Rather than following the news or worrying about what Orazio Vassevilliers intended to reveal, he was diligently cultivating in the Crimson Forest. A quiet but astonishing number of people were seated around the circle, taking advantage of the extraordinary amount of mana that had gathered there. With the establishment of the mana vein, the mana throughout the forest was gradually being drawn towards its location.
Arin was particularly interested in observing this process because he could feel the changes taking place through his connection with the forest. He knew that the mana was gathering around the newly established vein because the forest itself was communicating that information to him. However, there was another indication that was even more useful for his personal cultivation. With every rotation of his breathing method, the amount of mana he could inhale was gradually increasing, making the difference between cultivating in an ordinary location and cultivating somewhere with an abundance of mana immediately apparent.
The improvement was not merely a matter of having more mana available in the surrounding environment. It directly affected the efficiency of his breathing method and, consequently, the time required to complete each cultivation cycle. One of the biggest limitations he faced when refining the mana absorbed by his body was the amount of time spent inhaling it. The more mana he could absorb with each breath, the less time he needed to spend repeating the inhalation process, allowing him to complete his cultivation cycles more efficiently.
This was particularly important because his breathing method required him to carefully manage the flow of mana throughout his body. He could not simply inhale continuously and expect the process to work, as each stage required a certain amount of control and refinement. Every unnecessary repetition meant spending additional time on the parts of the cycle that did not directly contribute to the refinement process. Therefore, cultivating in an environment where the surrounding mana was plentiful offered a considerable advantage, even if the improvement in each individual breath seemed relatively small.
I wonder how much everyone's cultivation will improve through this, Arin thought. Through his shared vision with the forest, he could observe every person sitting around the circle and see them diligently cultivating. The gathering had brought together a considerable number of people, and each of them was benefiting from the mana accumulating around the newly established vein. It was an opportunity that would have been difficult to reproduce under ordinary circumstances, especially for those who had previously needed to cultivate in locations with considerably lower mana concentrations.
Arin continued observing the situation while maintaining his own cultivation. The forest remained unusually lively, and the mana gathering around the vein continued to provide an excellent environment for everyone present. He could feel the difference with every completed rotation of his breathing method, which made it difficult not to become curious about the long-term benefits. However, there was little reason to interrupt his cultivation when he could continue improving while the others did the same.
Time passed surprisingly quickly. Before long, the appointed moment arrived, and the world was finally ready to hear what Orazio Vassevilliers had to say. While Arin and the others had spent the previous day cultivating, newsrooms, governments, organizations, and investors across the world had been preparing for the announcement. Now, the man responsible for delivering the information was about to address them through a live broadcast.
"Good day, everyone. I am Orazio Vassevilliers, the patriarch of the House of Vassevilliers, and I am here today on behalf of the Trade Families of Europe to make a declaration," Orazio announced. He wasted little time with formalities, speaking directly to the world through a livestream broadcast from his ancestral land. He had no intention of traveling somewhere else merely to make this announcement, especially when his own ancestral territory was about to become the birthplace of a mana vein within the coming month. There was little reason to leave a location that was about to become considerably more valuable.
"Roughly seven months ago, the Trade Families received a reward from the System for their assistance in fighting against the corrupted creatures in the United States," Orazio continued. He explained that the reward had been a method for establishing a genuine mana vein, something fundamentally different from the treasured lands that already existed in the world. The distinction was important. As every one believed that they already had mana veins as they were needed to build Proving Grounds. Which turned out to be false.
"Now, why am I telling you all this? The reason is quite simple. The Trade Families have decided to share this method with the world." Orazio allowed his words to settle for a moment, giving the audience time to process the announcement. He was well aware that this was the part everyone had been waiting to hear, and he had no intention of hiding the decision behind unnecessary explanations. However, there were conditions attached to the offer, and those conditions were considerably more important than his opening declaration suggested.
"Because they are concerned that many people will not possess the ability to defend a mana vein after establishing one, they have decided to request a payment of one million silver coins for the tome," he explained. "They want to make certain that only factions and individuals with the strength to protect such a valuable resource will be able to purchase it." His expression remained calm as he explained the reasoning behind the decision, presenting it as a matter of responsibility rather than a way to restrict access. The Great Houses of Europe had been given the privilege of selling the tome to interested parties, ensuring that the method would be distributed through organizations capable of evaluating potential buyers.
Orazio continued without giving the audience much time to question his reasoning. "To demonstrate our goodwill and appreciation towards the rest of the world, we have also decided to share some information regarding the recruitment process and the establishment of a mana vein." He smiled as he delivered the statement, clearly pleased with the way the announcement was progressing. Not every patriarch or matriarch involved in the arrangement would have shared his enthusiasm, however, and there were already several people watching the broadcast who were undoubtedly cursing him.
"What are the requirements, you might ask? Well, they are quite simple. To establish a mana vein, you need ten thousand mana stones, as well as another one million silver coins to pay the System for the establishment itself." Orazio spoke confidently, presenting the requirements as though he were explaining an ordinary transaction. He then clarified that the type of mana stones used would influence the resulting mana vein. "If you use ten thousand attribute-specific mana stones, you will establish a mana vein that strongly favours that particular attribute."
This was an important piece of information, as it meant that interested parties would not simply need to gather any ten thousand mana stones they could find. Those who wanted a mana vein with a particular attribute would need to obtain stones that matched their requirements. For organizations that already possessed access to suitable mining locations, this might be manageable, but for everyone else it would represent a considerable undertaking. Even so, the possibility of establishing a genuine mana vein was likely to make the expense worthwhile for many powerful factions.
"Now, when are we planning to open the sale of these tomes? That is quite simple. In two months, we will begin selling them to interested parties," Orazio announced. He presented the schedule with the confidence of someone who believed he was offering the world a generous opportunity. Two months would give potential buyers enough time to organize their resources and begin searching for the mana stones required to establish their own veins. It would also give them an opportunity to prepare the necessary silver coins before the sales began.
Throughout the entire speech, Orazio maintained a tone that suggested he was doing the world an enormous favour. He repeatedly emphasized the generosity of the Trade Families and their willingness to share information that could have been kept within Europe. Yet there was another purpose behind the way he had structured his announcement. By emphasizing the Trade Families' decision to share the method, while presenting the Great Houses as the organizations responsible for selling the tome, he was carefully directing the attention and potential anger of the audience towards the Trade Families.
"What an old fox. Does he think we cannot see what he is doing?" Karl thought as he watched the speech with an increasingly dark expression. He had no difficulty understanding the political manoeuvre taking place in front of him, and the more Orazio spoke, the less he appreciated it. The man was presenting the announcement as though he were personally responsible for granting the world access to an extraordinary opportunity, while quietly placing the burden of any criticism on the other organizations involved. Karl was not particularly interested in allowing such behaviour to go unanswered.
Right, he can say goodbye to his shipyard, Karl thought, already considering how to respond. He decided that he would send people later in the year to damage it heavily, making sure that Orazio understood there would be consequences for this little stunt. It was not a decision he made lightly, but he could not afford to let the matter pass without a response. If he simply accepted the insult, it would make his family appear weak, and Karl had no intention of allowing another patriarch to treat the Sonnenbergs that way.
Unfortunately for Orazio, he had underestimated just how much anger his actions had generated among the Trade Families. They did not consider his behaviour a clever political manoeuvre or an ordinary attempt to redirect criticism. Instead, they saw it as a deliberate betrayal by someone who had been entrusted with representing their interests. He had used their collective decision as the foundation of his speech, only to present himself as the generous party while leaving them to deal with the consequences. His family would eventually pay dearly for that arrogance.
One angry Trade Family acting alone might have chosen to avoid escalating the situation. Even if they were offended, confronting a Great House could create unnecessary complications, especially when the consequences of such a conflict might extend far beyond the original disagreement. However, the situation changed considerably when all the Trade Families were involved. Together, they possessed enough influence and resources to cause serious damage to even a powerful Great House, provided they were careful about how they responded.
Orazio, unfortunately, had not fully considered the people he was dealing with. He was accustomed to negotiating with opponents who understood this kind of political manoeuvring and regarded it as an ordinary part of doing business. Such individuals might complain privately, exchange a few threats, and eventually accept the situation if the benefits outweighed the insult. He had assumed that the Trade Families would react in much the same way, allowing him to enjoy the advantages of his announcement without suffering any meaningful consequences.
But the Trade Families were not ordinary political opponents. They were made up of craftsmen and highly skilled specialists who had built their influence through their work, knowledge, and ability to produce things that others could not easily replace. They were accustomed to demanding appropriate compensation for their craft, and they had little patience for someone who believed that a clever tongue could substitute for proper respect. Their skills gave them a different kind of influence, one that could not always be measured through political positions or military strength.