And Tony wasn't the only one being busy. Barton, with the help of crowns, opened a new dye shop. Dye shop to paint the clothes and though dyes were present in Oxenfurt, it was costly and thus raised the prices of clothes. Tony had advised him to affect one of the basic necessities of human beings.
Clothes.
And thus he had opened the first dye shop which was much cheaper. Though the business took time to take off, but it was finally ready to start after 3 months of Barton running around.
Oxenfurt was their epicenter to bring influence to the world and thus Tony and Barton were progressing very fast in their mission.
------
The wooden tub was filled to the brim, steam rising from the heated water as Keira lounged comfortably within. The dim candlelight flickered across the room. The scent of herbs and oils filled the air, remnants of whatever mixture she had added to the bath for relaxation.
Outside the tub, Liam sat on a wooden chair, a thick alchemical tome resting in his lap. His eyes were focused on the text, occasionally flipping a page and surprisingly not even bothered with the sight on the tub.
"I must say, I'm a little offended. A beautiful sorceress, completely naked before you, and not even a flicker of interest? Are you, perhaps, infertile?" Keira didn't hold back her thoughts at all. It had been almost 4 months since Liam had started living with her.
At first she was very cautious and though she did allow Liam to live with her, she had put enough protection against him so that she would never be ambushed. Even now she had a bit of fear against him, especially the armor that was sentient.
She had secretly tried to investigate the armor and understand the magic inside but no matter what spell she tried on it, everything would rebound with nothing. And she was not crazy enough that she would destroy the armor as she knew that Liam might prove to be a tough opponent even without the armor.
She was a mage that circled around benefits. If something didn't benefit her, she would avoid getting engaged in that. Years of living among politicians taught her that. Liam sighed at the question of Keira, not bothering to look up from his book.
"No, I'm not infertile. But you are my teacher, and you deserve my respect. Besides..." He finally met her gaze. "I don't find it appealing to look at a woman who clearly has her sights set on another man. And I am pretty sure that you have no such interest in me. You might have some about my origins, but that's just curiosity."
"How very noble of you. A rare trait in men of any world." Keira blinked in surprise. Though she also thought that Liam was so indifferent that made him resistant to such temptations, that was because he had somehow detached himself from almost all emotions. The only emotion she had seen till now was a bit of frustration and not even proper happiness after mastering some alchemical process. Liam was a very odd ball, and seemed more like a witcher, than an actual witcher. Such kind of person was dangerous, since a man who was ruled by emotions could be manipulated and Liam was not one of them.
"I just think there should be a boundary, that's all. Now, you were saying something about the sources of magic?" Liam shrugged.
"Fine, let's talk magic then." She stretched her arms above the water, the movement causing ripples across the surface. "Conventional magic in this world draws power from four primary sources—the elements. Earth, water, air, and fire. Each holds a vast reservoir of chaos magic, which a sorcerer can tap into and shape according to their will."
"So, it's less about creating magic and more about borrowing it?" Liam said as it made sense. Since that was same principle in MCU too. But Liam was also confused about his magic from Forspoken. The magic which he was able to do, came as an instinct and not as a knowledge.
"Exactly," Keira confirmed. "One must harness the chaotic energies within these elements and mold them into structured spells. However, there's a reason magic is not accessible to everyone—it requires precision, talent and understanding."
She dipped her fingers into the water, lazily swirling them around.
"Earth is stable and reliable. It's the foundation of protective spells, reinforcement magic, and even certain types of healing. Water is adaptable, fluid, and crucial for restoration magic. Air is the fastest, often used for speed-enhancing spells or manipulating objects from a distance."
"And fire?" Liam glanced up and she could see the perky breasts poking out easily. Even for Liam, who had been stoic all this time, gulped down his throat. No wonder Geralt didn't stop himself having fun with her in the actual story. Even he was tempted.
"Fire is the most dangerous. The hardest to control, the most volatile. It is pure destruction given form, and once unleashed, it's difficult to rein in. Many ambitious mages have tried to master it fully—most of them are nothing more than ashes now." Keira said with a darkened expression.
This was true. Because Ciri once tried to use the source of fire to fuel her magic, only to get sacred and sever her relationship with the elements. Though it didn't matter to her by the end, because she herself was a source of huge magic of space and time. Of course, Liam didn't have knowledge about this at all as he hadn't read the books.
"Then why use it at all?" Liam asked.
"Because power tempts. Fire is raw strength, immediate devastation. For those who seek dominance, it is often the quickest path. But it always demands a price." Keira leaned back, resting her head against the edge of the tub.
"Then what about the lightning spells that you tend to dish out. Where do they come from?" Liam asked.
-----
Read 85+ chapters on my p@treon,com/thelightedghost