Book 3 – Chapter 7 – Louella Barclay – Edible Tributes
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-Louella Barclay-

Sitting down across the table from Robert, Mita, and Ras, I could tell how nervous they are. With the rest of the Goltinium Spellman Nine currently scattered around Final Cut Caketopia and the other half of my Selstylie housemates, their presence came off a show of force against the trio of blackzone managers and not like a show of solidarity for him like they were intending. If it wasn’t for the fact I had brought the makings of an Aux core and promised to give them enough resources to triple the amount of winning slots for their sweet tooth race advancement raffle, I was sure that I wouldn’t even been let in the door and instead be dealing with reinforcements from their allies. I told the others their display would be misconstrued, I internally sighed as I watched the three of them deliberated and continued to ask questions.

“So you’re telling us that if we don’t accept you? Some other spellman or pinnacle of mages is just going to pop up and ask to become a blackzone manager instead?” asked Robert with a worried almost panicked look on his face; I could see him clenching his fists even with him crossing his arms.

“Yes, the places of learning, Great Houses, and Factions all take interest in blackzones that have potential or have already notably grown in size. There is a reason why it is not uncommon to see spellmen, stargranted, spirit kings, and realm conquerors amongst underling blackzone managers,” I answered, accepting the tinge of info-karmic retribution and watching the others wince from it. This explanation would have been much easier if they accepted my offer beforehand, but now we were going to have to deal with the info-karma until they relented or completely rejected me.

“That would explain why all the blackzones we know have one of them as an underling blackzone manager. Even Magio just got a realm conqueror as an underling barely over a month again. And we all know Daphne’s stance on spellmen and the like, but even she has multiple of them now,” noted Ras as he already began to piece things together. There was little info-karma and all the wills of the metaverse could do to stop an astute person like him from figuring out the way of things.

“Still having a spellman join us? I don’t like it,” remarked Mita with a frown. He is still holding a grudge over Margaret’s quest isn’t he? 

“I understand you don’t like it, but you will end up with a subrace pinnacle of mages sooner or rather. If not me, something else, potentially by force and potentially by a group with no real allegiance to any of the organizations. And if that happens, you will have many more problems than you are currently thinking of.” Another ripple of info-karmic retribution: I had always hated the fact that the nature of spellmen, stargranted, spirit kings, and realm conquerors as special race-hybrid subraces was obscured by metaverse, it wasn’t exactly uncommon knowledge amongst the scholarly circles that studied them, although that probably more to the merit of those circles than the capabilities of common man.

“And what, keep getting slammed by info-karma and god knows what else by keeping you around? How much of this stuff are we going to end forgetting because we got on the metaverse’s bad side anyway?” 

“Likely none of it as you all are pinnacles of mages also and I am willingly divulging this information. The wills of the metaverse, the will of knowledge, in particular may be cruel at times, but they are not without their digressions,” I sighed before looking over to Ras, hoping our similar background could draw him over to my side. “Ras, you’re a noble also. You understand that some decision must be made… or they can be made for you with potentially dire consequences.” 

“I understand that. Honestly, I’m fine with you joining us, especially with all the resources are you promising in both the short and long run. But it’s the others you have to convince on this,” replied the Glyirian blackzone manager.

“Is that I’ll be giving plenty of resources and the Goltinium Guild will provide under the table support and protection as you become a technical asset of theirs.”

“That does sound nice… but it’s you guys still wig me out,” commented Robert awkwardly before continuing, “And I mean, there are eighteen of you lurking around right now. It’s not exactly fun to find how many secret spellman friends you have, especially those two brutes…” Brutes? He must be referring to Chad and Delia. Those two are very much physical one-trick ponies, I mentally agreed before shifting gears a bit. Ras was already won over from the looks of it, Robert was apprehensive because how our presence made him feel, and Mita was harboring grudges toward spellmen, likely from the invasion last year: I was going to have to sweeten the pot again using all the resources the Goltinium said they would provide me.

“That is something you are going to have to learn to deal with, even if you don’t accept me as an underling blackzone manager. And since I do want you to accept me, I am willing to meet a request from each of you using the resources that Goltinium will give me upon becoming an underling blackzone manager. This includes procuring and or creating mandala inscriptions.” 

Weren’t we going to save this until after you became a blackzone manager to give as gifts?” asked Osyris from within her personal space. I could feel the other spirits nodding in agreement, all making use of the shared space provided by my Grand Thesis: Chain Lightning of the Barclays’

Drastic times call for drastic measures. If I don’t land this deal, we won’t get the resources to begin with and we’ll be entering the third year with no real sponsorship from the Goltinium Guild, Selstylie Great House, or the Golden Roads of Rome Faction,” I telepathically replied, watching the three blackzone managers before me shift stance. My offer to meet their demands with Goltinium’s backing was straw that broke the camel’s back and what finally won all three of them over. Surprisingly it was Mita who agreed to it first, I wasn’t expecting that, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

“Well if we’re making requests for stuff, I guess I’ll go first,” exclaimed Robert, looking over at his companions. “I want you to get phylactery racial features for Mita and Ras, and I guess Neo Draceld Z too.” 

“For her too?!” half-shouted half-gasped Ras as he shot up.

“Yeah, I mean she is going to get one sooner or later, better to get it for her so she has a harder time deciding to do something shady that would hurt us. Besides, since I am sort of all you guys’ boss… I need to look out for you.” 

“That is fair, the Goltinium Guild has one slated for me, it should not be too hard to acquire three more of them despite their cost,” I explained with a nod, making a mental tally of all the costs. Luckily the Goltinium Guild had deep pockets when it came to acquiring blackzones, especially those with Interconnection to giant ones like Ignae Automata. The guild wouldn’t miss up the chance to gain greater access to Reagan Road and the multiple artificial world clusters he oversees: artificially lesser stabilized worlds were almost always rife with unique resources. Mita was the next up in making requests,

“A synthesis mandala for wellbeing and treating diminished lifespan. It can’t use features or attunements though.” 

“I didn’t take you as the type to be interested in that sort of spellcraft.”

“I’m not… it’s for someone else.”

“If it is for someone else, I’ll need to know who and what class specialties can be used for mana source connections,” I pointed out, curious to who this person was and why Mita was wanting such an expensive set of mandala inscriptions for them. 

“It’s another blackzone manager I know… his class specialties are Unity, Fey, Mold, Time, Low-Attribute, Iogem Glyphs, Sweets Cast, Weapon-Implement, Constitution, Mirage, and Feral-Shape.” Interesting, three extra class specialties, and similar to Robert’s class specialties if my information is correct. The fact I can’t get feature or attunement mandalas for this is a strange restriction too… I’ll have to get more information on this mystery person later.

“I will see what I can do.”

“I guess that means it’s my turn,” noted Ras, tapping his fingers on the table in thought. “I guess since everyone is being altruistic, I’ll keep the trend going. The sweet tooths have been worrying about their health lately, I’d like it so the Goltinium Guild sets up a fund to help them acquire wellbeing and vitality improving mandalas, particularly for immune systems. We don’t need to get features for all of them, sub-features can be enough.” Unsurprisingly Ras’s request was both the most reasonable and the hardest to handle: the immune systems of trapped subraces were tricky to handle and bolster, not any old mandala would be wholly effective. The mandala inscriptions will likely have to be made from scratch to some degree.

“I can have something arranged,” I reassured the noble before we went onto the more formal procedures, including some simple enchanted contracts provided by the Goltinium Guild. I knew I would likely have to sign more with the Glyirian government, but these would make sure the Historie Pastoria Sweets and the guild were on formally amicable terms: that and help make sure that Reagan Road couldn’t threaten the guild with his connections to the Nierelf School.

With everything sorted, Mita left with the making of the Aux core to turn it into a rogue monster magnet for Black Imports: the influx of rogue monsters would not only allow for more bounty for delvers, but serve as good way to stem the amount of black licorice orthruses that flooded the sublayer and sometimes even surrounding areas in ebbs and flows. Seems that corrupted monsters wouldn’t be an issue for the Enigma anymore, but I’ll have to make sure to pick up the slack of the others, I mused as I finished the work needed for the day. The ritual to turn me into an underling blackzone manager would be in two days after I finished up signing contracts and background checks from the Glyirians: Robert and the other already decided that the makings of a mobile core and Aux core that the Goltinium guild would be providing would be used for a Roving in the Digital Realm of Sins of the SteelStar and a proxy service access Aux Core.

Stepping in the ritual site, I watched as mages from both the Goltinium Guild and Glyria, including various pinnacles of mages, work to add the finishing touches to the ritual. Only amongst the blackzone managers of Historie Pastoria Sweets, only Ras was around as Mita still didn’t want to be around me, Robert was greater gaming, and Neo Draceld Z was holded up her Roving doing managerial work for the Mocktail. As for my housemates, I made sure they kept their distance for this, it was only fair that I gave everyone time to acclimate to each other.

This is going to be exciting isn’t it?” asked Anayris giddily as she watched through me to see all the complex magics and spellcraft being used.

It is, a nice change of pace and direction,” I replied, thinking about all the famous blackzone managers not just from Mugin but across the superworld of Oonn. Hopefully with enough time and effort, I could even have this Enigma forge Interconnections and expansions not only to Mugin but elsewhere in the upper universe groups; of course a lot of preparation would have to be done before I could even bring up the idea to the others.

“Madam Barclay, the ceremony is ready for you,” called out one of the guild mages, motioning to the multi-coloured octahedron at the center of the ritual site: the mobile core that I would become a blackzone manager through. Nodding, I thanked him and the rest of the mages present and began to walk to the dungeon core as the ritual started up. As the levels of mana actively surrounding us rose and the levels of mana in the ambient dropped, I crossed the threshold of the barrier keeping the dungeon core in place.

I felt the flood of mana that was pouring back and forth from the dungeon core and the surrounding spellcraft: lightning instinctively rolled off me in crackling waves. Composing myself, I quelled the lightning and lowered the defenses around my mandalas, letting the ritual reach toward them. Tendrils of mana and magics snuck their way through my Sea of Phenomena and moved straight to my uninscribed feature mandalas. With a painful but pleasurable tug, I felt the process of inscription begin, turning me into an underling blackzone manager.

With the ceremony continuing its course, my body started to quickly acclimate itself to the sensation as the torrents of mana started to form more organized pathways between the Enigma’s dungeon cores, the surrounding spellcraft, and myself. Flexing my expertise as tier 5.1 spellman who made sure to do her research, I carefully guided the inscribing of my mandalas to create a result that was more toward my preference.

Congratulations Louella Barclay, you have become a blackzone manager for Historie Pastoria Sweets,” suddenly rang out a monotone unisex voice as I felt inscriptions of the two features mandala be completed. Space bent as I smiled, the mobile core moving to its designated position in the Cyber universe group with me along for the ride.

Thank you,” I intoned back to the voice, already knowing it as my newly found system assistant. Shifting through my thoughts, I settled on the name I wanted to give her, “Iris.

“Thank you for my name. Connection to Historie Pastoria Sweets has been secured. Position in hierarchy has been designated as underling under Robert Fayn. Would you like to formalize the name of this mobile core’s Roving?

“Yes I would,” I replied aloud, looking at my new surroundings: the top of a moderately sized spaceship that had definite architectural and structural tones of Historie Pastoria Sweets. Looking at the parks and buildings dotting the spaceship of a Roving and the star filled skies out of outer space, I continued, “Let’s call this place RV Dazzling Desserts.”

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