Sunny, still in his God Space, began to meticulously check the talents of these elves.
Aside from the previously observed agility, perception, and marksmanship talents, the elves now possessed many talents specifically related to magic.
He checked his human tribe too and found them also beginning to manifest similar, albeit rarer, magic talents.
Is my world evolving into a magic world? Sunny thought, pondering the implications of this natural mana absorption, recalling the mana veins or wells from the novels he used to read.
He messaged the God who had asked him to replicate the Tear of Mermaid earlier.
His God name was Zir.
Cosmos: -I have an offer for you. I don’t know if you would be interested.-
For Sunny, Zir was not the only option available; he had contacted Zir specifically because Zir had provided him with what he considered the most valuable item (the Tear of Mermaid) till now, offering a glimpse into magic-world mechanics.
If Zir was not interested, Sunny could always ask other Gods from magic-infused worlds, excluding Kairos, of course.
The reply from Zir came shortly, almost instantly.
Zir: -Sure boss, I am interested.-
This immediate, eager reply stunned Sunny.
He was utterly oblivious to the fact that, in the hearts of many Gods, he had already become a figure surpassing even Kairos and Strategist in terms of sheer perceived power and potential.
Cosmos: -I want to know how mana is generated in your world.-
Zir: -Mana is generated through mana veins, boss.-
Cosmos: -Can you provide me with one?-
Zir: -In my world, there is only one mana vein, boss.-
Sunny immediately understood Zir’s concern.
Zir was afraid of damaging the fundamental foundation of his entire world, which was its sole mana vein.
Cosmos: -Do you know my title?-
This simple, loaded message silenced Zir.
In about 30 seconds, a trade request from Zir appeared on Sunny’s interface.
Sunny accepted the trade, and in his divine hand, a complex network akin to a human’s neural network appeared.
Though it was manifested perfectly in Sunny’s hand, the actual size of this mana vein was enormous.
If connected with a world, the thickness of each individual ‘vein’ would be more than a human’s waist.
The System notification showed the clear description of this newly acquired vein.
Item Name: Mana Vein
Grade: A
Description: The foundation for a magic world. Directly starts a cycle of mana generation in the world and provides a constant mana supply in a 100,000 km radius.
Sunny could roughly guess the price for manifesting this colossal mana vein.
He noticed a clear pattern: the more inherent energy an artifact or item contained, the higher its production cost would be.
That’s why ordinary weapons like bows and arrows were relatively cheap to manifest, but items imbued with energy or specific magical properties, like the Tear of Mermaid, were somewhat costly.
The cost of manifesting one A-grade Mana Vein was a substantial 1,000 Faith points.
If Sunny were to upgrade the grade to SS, which was similar to the grade of his mask and the highest grade he could manifest with his current capabilities, the price would skyrocket to 10,000 Faith points.
Sunny manifested one S-grade Mana Vein for his own world.
Then, displaying his newfound generosity and cunning, he traded back the A-grade Mana Vein to Zir.
He also gifted Zir an additional S-grade Mana Vein, a gesture that cost him 5,000 Faith points.
Zir had helped Sunny immensely by providing his only mana vein blueprint, a profound show of trust in Sunny.
So, Sunny was not stingy with this divine gift.
He now had more than one lakh (100,000) Faith points, and he was not lacking in this crucial resource, at least for now.
Zir was immediately overjoyed after looking at the completed transaction and thanked Sunny wholeheartedly, his gratitude radiating through the System.
Sunny thought of something new and immediately created a group.
The name of the group was ‘Cosmic Alliance.’
He directly invited Zir into his newly formed group.
Zir joined the group and was immediately dumbfounded by looking at Sunny’s first message within the alliance chat.
Cosmos: -All the members of this alliance will get a 10% discount on every transaction.-
Though a 10% discount was not a significant financial loss for Sunny, for other Gods, it represented a huge potential saving on their vital transactions.
For example, if Zir were to ask for five Mermaid’s Tears again, it would not cost him 750 Faith points but only 675.
This would save him 75 Faith points, which was a considerable amount for Zir, as he had previously spent all his accumulated Faith for the initial five Mermaid’s Tears.
Chapter 20: Ch 20: Seeds of Power
Chapter 20 - Ch 20: Seeds of Power
The thought behind forming an alliance, for Sunny, was purely pragmatic and highly profitable.
He wanted to connect with Gods from different worlds who could easily share precious items and knowledge with him for a mutually beneficial profit.
Zir was a prime example of this strategy.
He had given Sunny his only mana vein , which Sunny desperately needed for his own world.
It was a symbiotic exchange, a mutual benefit for both of them.
But the benefit Sunny ultimately got was much more substantial than Zir’s.
Next time, if Zir wanted more Mana Veins, Sunny could easily demand 15,000 Faith points or more for an S-Grade one.
Even with a 10% alliance discount, the profit margin would remain enormous.
Sunny began infusing his world, Veridia, with an SS-Grade mana vein.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
In just a few seconds, Veridia now boasted five colossal SS-Grade mana veins, constantly pumping divine energy into its core.
-No world can compare to my Veridia,- Sunny declared, a quiet, confident assertion, -even if there exists a world that can compare, I will surpass them with ease.-
He spoke as a matter of fact, already picturing his world’s glorious future.
Sunny then slowly descended to the outskirts of the elven forest, his Mask of Cosmos firmly in place.
He noticed the Faith consumption; it was currently at 10 Faith points per second.
-Affordable for now,- Sunny murmured to himself, even as he considered the potential future price of descending, knowing it would only increase.
Sunny looked towards the largest tree, a magnificent elder of the forest, observing the many elegant tree houses nestled within its colossal branches.
-I was late, I guess,- Sunny said, a hint of amusement in his tone, as he saw the elves who were already guarding their tribe.
These elves were holding rudimentary bows and arrows, and some were even clutching knives crafted from sharply chipped stones.
Sunny, a figure of silent, cosmic majesty, walked directly towards the guards.
As the guards gazed into the impossible depths of his eyes, they instinctively bowed, their minds overwhelmed by the sheer, unyielding power.
Sunny walked directly to what he perceived as the leader’s house, a grander tree-dwelling structure.
The leader’s will was noticeably higher, stronger than that of the other elves.
He didn’t immediately bow but struggled valiantly, his entire being straining to break free from the invisible compulsion.
But an SS-Grade artifact, forged using the purest divine energy (Faith), was not something an ordinary mortal, even an elf leader, could endure for long.
So, in just a few seconds, the leader of the elves, his body trembling, eventually kneeled.
There was no complex concept of language in the elven tribe yet, only simple sounds and gestures.
But due to Sunny’s previous subtle interventions, the human tribe had already begun to develop a rudimentary language.
The elves, unlike humans, did not choose their leader according to talent or raw strength.