Agent047
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830 - Buying Mana Stones for Pennies
🕑 Added 2025-01-19 20:39:55 +0000 UTC“Now that I’ve delivered the emperor’s decision, we can move on to the barter trade of mana stones. Once that is settled, we’ll address other matters,” Lanesra said.
Immediately, holographic displays appeared in front of each Astral Conclave representative. Each display was visible only to the individual it was intended for and showed the total amount of mana stones prepared for their civilization, matching the previously agreed quota.
The representatives began entering the details of the materials they had brought for barter. The displays instantly updated, with the number of mana stones fluctuating based on the quantity and quality of the materials offered, showing them precisely how many stones they could receive in exchange.
……………
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” The Zelvora representative’s laughter echoed through the mental network, drawing the attention of everyone connected to him as they glanced at the hologram visible within the network.
“What is it, sir?” one of the individuals in the mental link asked, curious about the reason for his outburst.
“We’re essentially getting these mana stones for free,” he replied smugly, his gaze fixed on the list of materials he had entered for exchange.
“They’ve stumbled upon one of the most valuable resources in the galaxy, have it in abundance, and are trading it for basic goods that are practically worthless,” he added with a tone of disbelief. “This is the curse of ignorance—diving into trade with counterparts without fully understanding their value system or the worth of their resources.”
He still couldn’t wrap his head around it. They were about to acquire an enormous amount of mana stones—resources that would normally require intense bidding and competition among civilizations to obtain. Yet now, within mere hours, they were poised to receive a hundred times what they could normally acquire in a year, for less than a tenth of their usual expenditure. The sheer thought of it left him reveling in their good fortune.
“Unfortunately, it won’t be long before they realize this and raise their prices,” another individual in the mental network remarked, his voice tinged with slight disappointment at the thought of losing such an advantageous opportunity.
“Yes, but how quickly they discover or gain that knowledge depends entirely on us,” the representative responded, his tone calm and calculated. “If we take care to hide this effectively, we can stretch this advantage for a long time. By then, we’ll have accumulated enough reserves to weather any protests or trouble they might cause before we settle things and resume trading with them.”
As he spoke, he completed inputting the materials for his exchange, the system approving the entry and leaving only the final step—the actual transaction. His confidence was clear, underpinned by the belief that their foresight and subtlety would ensure their continued gain.
“They’re not going to declare war,” another individual within the mental network said, his tone calm but carrying a hint of disappointment. “With the mana stones we’ll have in our possession, we’ll be able to bring a much larger number of fleets compared to the previous time. Besides, they can’t completely stop selling mana stones for long. They’re bound by the mana oath to continue selling to us, and their friendly relations with the Astral Conclave hinge on that condition. If they break the agreement, it would leave them exposed—no restrictions would protect them from the actions of the Conclave’s members, and all the Conclave rules related to their empire would be suspended until they fulfill their side of the deal. That alone should be enough of a deterrent to keep their retaliation in check.
“The moment they break the agreement, we could refuse to return to it and instead demand a new one—one that’s even more favorable to us,” he added, though his voice betrayed a sense of resignation. He realized that the empire would likely not take any drastic measures, which meant his civilization—and the Conclave as a whole—would probably never get the chance to seize the mana-rich star system outright. Their gains would remain limited to purchasing cheap mana stones instead of fully owning or controlling part of the star system, a prospect he found less satisfying.
“But the timeline depends entirely on how long it takes them to decrypt the Trinairians' knowledge and make use of the technology within it,” the advisor who had accompanied them pointed out, his voice measured but cautious. “If the Trinairians buckle under the pressure of seeing other civilizations increase their quotas while they can’t until they hand over the decryption keys, it would give the empire a clear path to accessing that knowledge. Once they do, they could finally have the means to enter the Conclave more easily and gain access to the information we’re exploiting.
“There’s also the risk that one of the civilizations might reveal this information to the empire in exchange for favorable terms,” he continued. “This could include an increase in their mana stone quota, maintaining the current low prices, or even as a way to break the empire’s retaliation of withholding quota increases for those who provided encrypted knowledge. Some might even use it as an opportunity to get closer to the empire, seeing it as a chance to strengthen ties.”
His words caused the mental network to fall into an uneasy silence, as everyone reflected on the precarious situation. While keeping the knowledge secret was beneficial to all the civilizations involved, it was clear that not everyone would act in unison. The potential to exploit this knowledge as leverage with the empire could tempt one civilization to betray the rest. By doing so, they could gain significant benefits for themselves while simultaneously disadvantaging their rivals—an opportunity too enticing for some to ignore. It was the inherent flaw of an organization like the Conclave, where a lack of centralized leadership left each member vying for personal advantage while striving to keep others in check.
“Call for a meeting immediately after this one is done,” the Zelvora representative finally said, breaking the heavy silence in the mental network. He had devised a potential solution and wanted to present it to the other representatives. If his plan failed, however, he was prepared to resort to the worst of the available options. His tone carried the weight of the stakes at hand, and the urgency of his decision was clear to everyone listening.
Comments
Sol_Invictus
90/100🥳
ismail hamisi salum
Hope it went well
Sol_Invictus
No, I even came back to write this. I just want to gloat, HAHAHA. We're waiting for reverse engineering and mass overproduction on an atomic printer. We'll flood the Enclave's economy with their own goods, hahaha. By the way, good luck with your exams. I just defended my diploma project myself.
Sol_Invictus
TYFTC
ismail hamisi salum
The first half which is done went well, with the second half starting tomorrow
Jade
Haha, TYFTC!!
GripenSupremacy
how did your exams go?
GripenSupremacy
TYFTC!! FIRST!
