"Right, Lilian, show us the way," Ria Sonnenberg said with a warm smile as she watched the boat approach the shore. The family had asked her to inspect the Stillwater Lotus and help the Great Houses understand how to care for the rare plant. Choosing her for the task had been an easy decision, as she was recognised as the best botanist currently available within the Sonnenberg family. Given the importance of the discovery, they wanted someone who could explain the plant's requirements properly rather than leave its cultivation to guesswork. Ria was particularly excited about the opportunity, although her enthusiasm was beginning to make it difficult for her to remain patient.
"Right away, Grandma, but I think we should wait until the delegations from the Great Houses arrive first," Lilian replied with a sigh. She could already see that her grandmother wanted to reach the lake as quickly as possible, preferably without wasting another moment on formalities. Unfortunately, they had been assigned the responsibility of leading the visitors to the lotus, and abandoning the meeting point would only create unnecessary confusion. The delegations needed a clear route through the forest, especially since not everyone present would possess the skills required to navigate the Black Forest safely. Lilian therefore tried to keep Ria occupied while they waited for the remaining visitors to arrive.
The Sonnenberg family had decided to share the discovery with the other Trade Families and Great Houses, despite the lotus's considerable value. Their decision was not motivated by a sudden desire to distribute every rare treasure they encountered, but by a practical assessment of the situation. The family simply lacked both the manpower and the willingness to devote enough people to protecting the lotus indefinitely. Although they could have attempted to keep the discovery secret, doing so would have required them to maintain a permanent presence around the lake while also managing their other responsibilities. Sharing the information gave them an opportunity to divide the burden of protecting the plant among several powerful factions.
There was another advantage to involving the other factions, as the lotus provided an excellent excuse for their representatives to visit the region without attracting unnecessary suspicion. The mana stone mine was already drawing the attention of influential groups, and their activities around it needed to be handled carefully. By presenting the expedition as a joint effort to protect and study a rare magical plant, the participating factions could conceal some of their other intentions behind a legitimate undertaking. The arrangement gave everyone involved a reason to cooperate without requiring them to disclose everything they knew about the mine. For the Sonnenbergs, that additional benefit made sharing the discovery even more worthwhile.
In truth, the family no longer regarded the original lotus as something they needed to possess at all costs. Their primary concern had been ensuring that the plant survived, and they had already secured ten perfectly healthy seeds during Arin's successful restoration of the flower. Those seeds were now being planted and cultivated, giving the family an opportunity to introduce the lotus's benefits into their own forest. With the original plant recovering and the seeds safely in their possession, the Sonnenbergs could afford to let other factions assume responsibility for its continued protection. If they had not already secured the seeds, they might have been far less willing to share the discovery with anyone else.
The decision was especially sensible because their forest had begun showing signs that its water supply was no longer sufficient for its needs. The small stream running through their territory originated from an underground river whose volume did not increase significantly as the surrounding vegetation continued to grow. Although the forest was currently healthy, the Sonnenbergs had started considering whether they could improve its long-term water conditions before the problem became more serious. A Stillwater Lotus offered a promising solution, since its ability to refine water-attributed mana could improve the cultivation environment surrounding a suitable lake. The ten seeds therefore represented an opportunity to strengthen their forest rather than merely acquire another valuable magical plant.
Of course, the Sonnenbergs had not obtained those seeds without making certain concessions. As part of the agreement, they were required to share their cultivation data with the other participating factions, allowing everyone involved to learn how the lotus could be raised successfully. This meant documenting the plant's growth, observing its requirements, and making the results available rather than keeping every discovery within the family. For the Sonnenbergs, however, that was a small price to pay for avoiding years of arguments over the original plant. The other families were also satisfied with the arrangement, since the Sonnenbergs were accepting the initial risk and expense of cultivating the seeds while everyone else could benefit from the resulting knowledge.
"Right, please show us the way, ladies," Fritz Herzfeld said with a smile as he approached Ria and Lilian. He had arrived with approximately one hundred guards who had been recruited to provide permanent protection for the lotus, at least for the foreseeable future. Their presence demonstrated that the Great Houses were taking the discovery seriously and had no intention of leaving the plant vulnerable to opportunistic treasure hunters. The guards were also expected to maintain order around the lake and ensure that the various delegations followed the agreed arrangements. With their arrival, the task of protecting the lotus would no longer rest on the shoulders of a handful of Sonnenbergs.
You have to give them credit; their foundation is still as impressive as ever, Ria thought as she examined the arriving guards. Her attention settled on the three leaders responsible for commanding the protective force, all of whom were at the Mortal stage. That fact alone was not particularly unusual, since capable individuals could be found in the service of many organisations. What impressed her was the willingness of the Great Houses to assign people of that level to a task that required them to remain in one place for an extended period. Such an allocation of manpower was expensive, and many factions would struggle to justify it when they had so many competing demands on their resources.
For an organisation that was not a government, having the ability to spare three Mortal-stage individuals for a single protective assignment was remarkable. Most factions needed their strongest people to secure their own territories, oversee important operations, or respond to emergencies that could threaten their survival. Sending them away to guard a rare plant would mean sacrificing considerable flexibility elsewhere, particularly when the situation around mana stones remained uncertain. The Great Houses, however, had the resources and organisational depth to treat the assignment as a manageable expense. Ria could not help admiring the scale of their foundation, even though she understood that such power came with its own complications.
"Right away. Please follow me," Lilian said, finally setting off towards the distant mountains. She led the group along the route that Arin and the others had already travelled, taking care to keep the visitors together as they moved through the forest. The guards followed in an orderly formation, while Fritz remained close enough to ask questions without interrupting the procession. Although Lilian had only spent a limited amount of time in the region, she remembered enough of the route to guide the delegation safely. She also knew that the sooner they reached the lake, the sooner the Great Houses could begin their inspection and assume responsibility for the lotus.
"Lilian, you were here before, weren't you? How is the mine doing?" Fritz asked as they continued along the path. He wanted to understand the condition of the surrounding settlement, especially since the mine's productivity would inevitably affect the value of the entire operation. The presence of a rare magical plant was important, but the Great Houses had not come to the region solely to admire a flower. They also needed to know whether the existing infrastructure could support the work taking place nearby. Lilian considered his question for a moment before answering honestly.
"I cannot really say, because I left quite quickly after we discovered the lotus," Lilian replied. "However, the last time I was there, the village at the edge of the forest was not fit for humans to live in, so if that has improved, the mine should be doing fine." Her tone carried obvious disgust when she recalled the conditions she had witnessed. The settlement had been so poorly maintained that it was difficult to understand how anyone expected people to live and work there comfortably. If the situation had remained unchanged, the mine would have faced problems that extended well beyond its actual production.
"How interesting. So that miserable waste of space was even worse than the reports suggested," Fritz remarked, his expression darkening with disgust. He had already received reports about the village, but hearing Lilian describe it from firsthand experience made the situation seem even more unacceptable. The Sonnenbergs were not a family known for avoiding difficult work, and they were certainly not the sort of people who would complain merely because a task required effort. If even Lilian considered the settlement unfit for human habitation, then the conditions must have been genuinely terrible. Fritz found it difficult to understand how the people responsible for the mine had allowed the village to deteriorate so badly.
That did not mean Fritz believed his own family was above criticism, however. The Herzfelds had spent generations developing extensive training methods and educational courses designed to ensure that their children did not become arrogant or unwilling to perform practical work. Their descendants were expected to understand the realities of the tasks they managed rather than remain detached from the people responsible for carrying them out. The family recognised that authority was only useful when it was accompanied by competence, and that neither wealth nor ancestry automatically made someone capable. To Fritz, pride and greed were dangerous enough on their own, but arrogance could turn them into problems that eventually destroyed an entire family.
It seems they are not coming today, Arin thought as he glanced towards the sun. Its position suggested that it was already around five in the afternoon, and he was beginning to accept that the delegation would not arrive before the day ended. He was disappointed, although he could hardly claim to be surprised, considering how tight the schedule he had given them had been. Coordinating several factions, arranging a large protective force, and travelling through the forest were not tasks that could always be completed according to one person's preferred timetable. Nevertheless, Arin had hoped that the handover would happen sooner, allowing him to move on to something more interesting than guarding a lake.
Since there was nothing useful he could do about the delay, Arin returned his attention to the lake and enjoyed the sight of the wildlife gathering along its banks. Ever since the lotus had recovered and the water supply had been restored, the surrounding environment had gradually returned to a healthier state. Animals that had previously avoided the area were now coming back to drink, while the forest no longer felt as distressed as it had during the original disturbance. Watching the creatures move freely around the water was a welcome reminder that their efforts had achieved something meaningful. Even if the waiting was tedious, Arin could at least take satisfaction in knowing that the forest was recovering.
He was currently sitting on his tenth branch of the watch, having moved repeatedly as he searched for suitable places to rest. Staying in the same position for too long could cause a branch to bend or break beneath his weight, while remaining in one spot might also make his presence more noticeable than he wanted. By moving periodically, he could maintain a comfortable position without damaging the tree or leaving an obvious sign of his prolonged stay. The process had become routine, and Arin no longer needed to think very carefully about finding another branch. It was a small inconvenience, but it gave him something to do while he continued waiting for the delegation.
Even though he knew that nobody was currently watching him, Arin refused to become careless with his skills simply because he was alone. The Sonnenberg family had raised its members to maintain their standards regardless of whether someone was present to inspect their work. Allowing laziness to weaken a skill was considered a serious failure, because habits developed during quiet moments could easily carry over into situations where mistakes had far more severe consequences. It was one of the most important lessons the family tried to instil in its recruits, and even experienced members received regular reminders. Arin had no intention of ignoring a principle that had been drilled into him for so long.
Grandma Lilly was a particularly effective reminder of that rule. Whenever recruits were discovered neglecting their responsibilities or allowing their skills to deteriorate through laziness, she made certain that the consequences were memorable. Her reputation was enough to discourage most people from testing how much leniency they could expect, especially when the offence involved a lesson the family had already explained repeatedly. The Sonnenbergs understood that discipline was not merely about obeying orders when someone was watching, but about maintaining the same standards when nobody was around to enforce them. Remembering that lesson, Arin settled comfortably on his branch and continued practising his skills while he waited for the Great Houses to arrive.