Gaia still had to address the most important problem: how could humanity create genuine mana veins without relying on her assistance or natural treasures? Giving people a book filled with knowledge was one thing, but ensuring that they could actually put that knowledge into practice was an entirely different matter. After all, understanding the principles behind something did not automatically grant someone the ability to reproduce it, especially when the process involved supernatural energy and structures that humanity had barely begun to understand. In the end, the answer came down to runes, which were essential for constructing the formation required to create a mana vein.
The formation itself served two crucial purposes, both of which were necessary if the process was to succeed. First, it needed to contain the mana released by the mana stones, preventing that energy from dispersing into the surroundings before it could be used. Second, the formation had to guide the released mana into the correct positions, gradually shaping its flow until a genuine mana vein could be established. Without the containment circle, the mana would simply escape, while a formation that could not properly guide the energy would be unable to create the structure required. Consequently, the runes were not merely decorative symbols or convenient tools, but the foundation upon which the entire process depended.
Unfortunately, humanity was still struggling with the runic technology it needed for another project: the communication devices that one of the research teams was developing. Gaia found their efforts rather cute, especially because she knew there were several other ways to create functional phones if the researchers possessed the necessary materials and knowledge. She had deliberately hidden those materials from humanity, however, because she wanted to see whether humans could successfully develop their own solution instead of simply discovering an easier alternative. Their current approach interested her, and she wanted to give the idea a genuine opportunity to develop before circumstances pushed it aside.
The natural alternatives she knew about were cheaper to produce, but they were ultimately less convenient than the communication devices humanity was attempting to create. Gaia understood the direction in which the researchers were heading, and she recognised the long-term potential of their work. If she allowed humanity to discover the natural equivalent of a communication device too early, economic considerations would almost certainly determine which option became dominant. Companies and governments would naturally favour the cheaper alternative, particularly when the more advanced device required expensive research, specialised materials, and considerable investment to manufacture. As a result, the project that the researchers were pursuing might be abandoned, only to be rediscovered thousands of years later rather than continuously improved upon throughout the intervening centuries.
That was precisely the outcome Gaia wanted to avoid. She had calculated that allowing humanity to develop its own communication technology could lead to a much more convenient result in the long run, provided the researchers were given enough time to overcome their current difficulties. She was therefore willing to withhold certain natural alternatives, even though she knew that doing so would make the researchers' work considerably harder. It was not that she doubted humanity's ability to innovate, but rather that she understood how easily economic pressures could prevent a promising idea from reaching its full potential. Sometimes, giving people the opportunity to develop something themselves required ensuring that an easier alternative did not immediately make their efforts seem pointless.
Nevertheless, the creation of mana veins presented a different problem. Even if humanity possessed the necessary knowledge, the researchers would struggle to construct the formation required to guide such enormous quantities of mana. They would need to understand how the runes interacted with one another, how their individual functions combined into a complete structure, and how the entire formation could be made stable enough to withstand the energy released by thousands of mana stones. Furthermore, the formation would require an enormous number of runes carved into the ground, each one placed correctly to ensure that the entire structure functioned as intended. Given humanity's current level of runic expertise, attempting to construct such a formation independently would be an impossible undertaking.
Gaia therefore decided that she would handle that part of the process herself. Rather than forcing humanity to spend years studying runes and attempting to construct a formation that it was not yet capable of producing, she would use her own power to establish the necessary structure. The humans would only need to provide the mana stones and fill the completed formation with the required resources. This arrangement would allow genuine mana veins to be created immediately, while also giving humanity access to a technology that could benefit its development for generations. It was a practical solution, although Gaia had no intention of providing the service without receiving something in return.
Naturally, she expected payment for her assistance. As part of the reward she had promised the trade families, however, she was willing to waive the cost of creating their first formation. That exemption would allow them to establish their first mana vein without paying the usual fee for Gaia's work, although they would still need to provide the mana stones required for the process. For the rest of humanity, the arrangement would be considerably more expensive. Gaia intended to charge a substantial amount for her assistance, and she saw no reason to offer the service for free simply because genuine mana veins would also benefit the planet.
After all, although Gaia possessed an abundance of cultural energy, that did not mean she intended to waste it. Cultural energy was an important resource, and the universe collected a portion of it as a kind of tax. By accumulating as much as possible, Gaia could build up the resources she needed to influence the universe in ways that suited her own objectives. She therefore had every reason to protect her reserves and carefully consider how she spent them, even when an expenditure might provide benefits to Earth in the long run. Creating mana veins for humanity was useful, but usefulness alone did not justify turning every request into a charitable undertaking.
"So, if I understand correctly, we can create mana veins by using the knowledge contained in the tome, provided that you help us with the formation," Fabian Bingen said, carefully confirming the details. "How much would it cost, and are there any additional advantages, such as the possibility of creating mana veins that focus on a particular mana attribute?" His expression was somewhat concerned as he considered the implications of Gaia's explanation. The reward was undeniably valuable, but the fact that his family would still need to spend a considerable amount of money to take advantage of it was not exactly what he had expected when they first came to receive their reward.
Nevertheless, Fabian was a patriarch, and he understood that personal disappointment was not a sufficient reason to reject an advantageous arrangement. He had to consider the situation objectively, taking into account what the reward meant for his family and faction rather than focusing on the immediate expense. Even if the additional costs were frustrating, the knowledge they were receiving could remain valuable for thousands of years, giving the Bingen family opportunities that would otherwise be impossible to obtain. Once he looked at the matter from that perspective, it became much easier to set his personal feelings aside and recognise the true value of what Gaia was offering.
In fact, Fabian realised that he had very little reason to complain. Many nations and powerful organisations would be willing to fight wars over the knowledge contained in the tome, and his family had been given the opportunity to obtain it as part of their reward. They could also sell the knowledge to others, allowing the Bingen family to earn substantial sums while ensuring that the information did not remain exclusively in their possession. Sharing it would help them compete with the rest of the world, reduce the likelihood of being isolated by their rivals, and demonstrate that they were willing to cooperate with the broader development of humanity. Most importantly, making the knowledge available to others would likely please Gaia, which was itself a valuable consideration when dealing with an entity of her importance.
Of course, Fabian had no intention of treating the knowledge carelessly. Genuine mana veins would be extraordinarily important for the development of any nation, providing a resource that could influence everything from cultivation to long-term economic and military strength. Allowing such knowledge to circulate without considering who might obtain it would be comparable to sending a small child across a busy street while carrying a bar of gold in their hands. Someone would eventually notice the opportunity, and there would always be people willing to take advantage of those who were unable to protect what they possessed. In Fabian's eyes, the knowledge was too valuable to distribute without a plan, especially when so many powerful groups would prefer to steal the results rather than pay the price of developing them independently.
While Fabian rapidly worked through his changing emotions, he failed to notice that Gaia could observe his thoughts and feelings with remarkable clarity. In their current location, his soul was practically an open book to her, allowing her to recognize the disappointment he initially felt when he learned the reward would still involve considerable expenses. However, she also noticed how quickly he moved beyond those feelings and began evaluating the situation from the perspective of his family's long-term interests. That ability to set aside personal dissatisfaction in favour of a rational assessment was relatively rare among humans, particularly when the emotional shift happened so quickly. Gaia found the response impressive, even if she had no intention of offering the trade families anything more than what she had already promised.
"I'm glad you asked," Gaia said with a smile. "The cost of creating a single mana vein is ten thousand mana stones, and the formation itself normally costs one million silver coins. However, as part of your reward, I will waive the formation fee the first time your factions establish one." Her explanation made the arrangement considerably clearer, separating the cost of the mana stones from the price of the service she would provide. Although the trade families would save a significant amount of money through the exemption, the resources required to create the mana vein would still represent a substantial investment.
"Know that the vein will take roughly a month to be created," Gaia continued, explaining the remaining details. "If you fill the formation with ten thousand mana stones that all contain one specific attribute, the resulting mana vein will be heavily focused on that type of mana." The process was not quite as simple as creating a vein that contained only one kind of energy, however, because a functional mana vein also needed to produce other types of mana. Those additional types were necessary to help maintain the balance of mana in the surrounding area, preventing the vein from becoming an isolated source of a single attribute. Even when one type dominated the formation, the other forms of mana still had an important role to play in keeping the system stable.
That is a lot of money, Karl thought as he heard Gaia explain the price. Ten thousand mana stones was a considerable expense in itself, but the additional costs and the time required to establish a mana vein made the undertaking even more demanding. Based on the family's earnings from the secret realms, the expenditure represented roughly a quarter of their total income from those activities. If he considered only the expected income from their own secret realm, however, the cost amounted to approximately half of what they anticipated earning. For something that would take a month to establish, it was a substantial investment, and Karl immediately began considering whether the family had enough resources available to proceed.
The most pressing concern was the supply of mana stones. Before making any decision, Karl would need to consult Bennie, who was responsible for keeping track of the mana stones held by the Sonnenberg family. They had to account for their stockpile carefully, as he didn't know if he even had anywhere close to 10,000 mana stones; he hoped none had been sold yet.