Master Mercer straightened up. His mechanical arm emitted a faint clicking sound, and the shadow cast by his towering frame completely enveloped Allen.
"Ideals are the foundation of a tower. But for the tower to stand tall, you also need knowledge and resources."
Mercer's voice was even deeper than before. The resonance in his metallic chest became increasingly pronounced, as if every word was forged from the depths of a furnace:
"Listen well, apprentice. First, my advanced Meditation Method—Resonance of Ten Thousand Machines—is priced at one thousand five hundred Low-Level Magic Stones. This is the price of knowledge.
"Second, the tuition for specialized courses at the Black Tower of the Forge, along with permission to use the tower's public facilities and basic resources, is two thousand Low-Level Magic Stones per year.
