ALL NOVEL 64. A World With Mana
“So this is what, a magic circle? How does this help us?”
A menacing grin slipped onto Aurora’s face as she started to explain, leaning forward in her seat with enthusiasm.
“What you are holding, is knowledge. Hard to come by knowledge that countries worldwide will be after. That is the beginning of a runic formation that will create a barrier that repels monsters.”
Gareth's eyes lit up in realisation again as he looked back at the crude sketch with appraising eyes.
“And with the manufacturing capabilities we will have at the time everything goes downhill, we will be the only company worldwide with the ability to make them. At least for a time, anyway. That is just one of many examples, another will be the skilled blacksmiths I have had Harold hire who will be capable of forging advanced magical weaponry. These are just a few examples of the many monopolies I plan on creating. Granted, they will not last forever, but they will put us in the best position to grow and have a large voice nationally, and if we play it right, globally.”
Leaning back again, Aurora eyed Gareth as he mulled over her words, his mind processing everything she had told him. After all, it was his sharp mind that was what had first brought him to her attention all those years ago, and thus his meteoric rise through the conglomerate.
After a few minutes of Gareth looking at the magic circle with a thousand-mile stare, he nodded to himself as his eyes refocused and his attention focused on her.
“Well, I have to admit that everything you had previously discussed with me lines up with the new revelations, but in all seriousness, can we go back to the point where you became a woman instead of dying in a car crash? And became a wizard? Well, I guess witch would be more accurate?”
Aurora let out a slightly exasperated sigh as she began to give a more in-depth explanation of her time entering Caelus, briefly being interrupted as their food was served. By the end of her explanation and the use of some less intensive magic that had Gareth enamoured, Gareth asked the next big question of the evening.
“So, Chester- sorry, it's Aurora now, despite the changes your old appearance still overlaps with our interactions over the last few weeks. Anyway, you gave a rough outline of what happened in the UK, but what about elsewhere?”
Aurora let out a long breath, she knew that particular question would need to be answered but was unenthused but the headache-inducing topic of global politics.
“Ah yes, Global politics, that is a mess to begin with. Well, I will give a brief summary I guess. Initially, there was a worldwide economic pause as the world scrambled to deal with the new security problems. For countries with a higher population density, this tended to take less time as governments coordinated with their citizens and their capable armed forces and Caelus players to quickly contain any Dungeon rifts. Of course, higher population densities also faced higher casualties, either from panic-induced stampedes or the monsters themselves. However, countries like Australia with large swaths of uninhabited land took a lot longer, tending to fortify their cities and towns since it would take large amounts of manpower to cover the entire country.”
Taking a moment to have a forkful of her duck, Aurora continued with a thoughtful expression.
“The majority of Europe, The Americas, India and South East Asia became relatively stable quite quickly, returning to some sense of normality within the new changes the world endured. China itself faired quite well at first, with the People’s Liberation Army moving to secure and then abuse what effectively became XP farms to maintain their power over the country. Of course, there was a major uproar from the younger generations, but in general, the country remained the same to begin with. Russia faired quite well too, with the previous gulf in relations from a few years prior between the military and citizens being put aside as they united to face a national threat. It helped that there were large swaths of uninhabited land and they needed the extra manpower.
Aurora looked over to Gareth as she took another bite of her food, smiling as she saw him enjoying the dish she recommended.
“So I will skip the Middle East, the region was a mess before the Upheaval, and with mana and the world gaining a system… well, you can only imagine the extent of the chaos given the heavy influence of religion all tied up with national policy and western interests. Africa faced the most pressure, suffering from lacking communication, lower population density, and for the nations that border the Sahara Desert, a constant threat of wandering monsters. That said, globally, the levels of those who did not play Caelus were much higher per capita, but in contrast, the deaths were also higher.”
A sombre look appeared on Gareth's face as he spoke out, his concern over Aurora’s answer evident.
“What about the areas that were not in the majority you mentioned?”
Aurora let out a hum as she answered.
“Well, let's see. Central South America struggled a bit, the Amazon hindered many monsters that appeared from rifts, however, due to the nature of the rainforest, it gave the local fauna the opportunity to grow, easily becoming one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Thankfully, the animals that grew in power generally remained there, meaning that the area effectively took care of itself. That said, the Andes runs the length of South America, so the monster risk was quite high from any rifts that were not dealt with. As for Europe… I guess one of the major issues was Armenia. They get the majority of their power from an old powerplant which lacks modern containment structures. Throw in mana, and you have a nuclear meltdown with little stopping it from leaking.”
Gareth’s fork paused mid-movement as he looked at Astaria with a look of horror.
“You're telling me there will be a second Chernobyl?
Aurora let out a sigh as she answered, her expression glum.
“Yes. Thankfully however, the extent to the spread of radiation was not as bad and was thankfully contained much faster, which I must admit was quite impressive given everything going on at the time.”
Aurora took another bite from her duck, noticing it had started to go cold from where she had been talking instead of eating. Deciding that she could pass on other important details later on, she changed the subject.
“Well, enough about the future for now, while it is important, I can give you further information at a later time. For now, let's move onto the important topic of my supposed death and how we move forward…”
Aurora spent the rest of her meal and some time after discussing her third time taking over her families conglomerate, thankful that the majority of the process was the same as she had gone through the prior week, even more so that all of the plans and projects she had organised prior would not be impeded.
****
Following her meeting with Gareth, Aurora returned home, her mind swirling from the mental strain of all the day's activities and the emotional turmoil that had plagued her throughout. Upon seeing the grand steps up to her front door from the window of the Rolls Royce as it stopped on the gravel driveway, she could only let out a deep breath as she felt some of the tension leave her now she was home.
As she stepped out of the Rolls Royce, Aurora spotted Harold standing at the recently opened front door of the manor.
With careful steps as she walked the short distance across the gravel to the stable stone slabs that lined the ground in front of the building, she approached her butler who gave a warm greeting.
“Good evening your grace, I presume the shopping trip and meeting went well?”
Aurora gave a pleased smile as she walked through the door, placing the strap of her handbag onto Harold's offered hand.
“Yes, quite. Now that Gareth is aware of the situation and that the current change in ownership in the Branford group won't impact any of the prior arrangements we had made, he seemed significantly relieved. Things should hopefully go smoothly, especially with the board of directors.”
With a nod, Harold spoke his thoughts aloud, the only hint of emotion coming from his stoic figure in his tone.
“I am pleased to hear it. You seem to be more at ease compared to this morning which reassures me to no end. On another note, Marie returned home while Roxanne and Ben are now on the outside patio of the west wing waiting for you along with Tyrell who arrived half an hour ago.”
With a slight giggle, Aurora smiled as she responded.
“From the aroma on the wind when I returned, I could tell.”
Harold let out an exasperated sigh as he handed her bag to a passing maid, stepping forwards as he spoke, opening the ground floor entryway doors to the west wing for Aurora.
“Ah, yes. Please remind Ben to close the doors to the games room when he uses them, I needn’t remind you of the complaints I received from Head maid Hilda the last time.”
Aurora let out another giggle as she remembered walking in on a particularly annoyed Hilda complaining to Harold with the backdrop of multiple maids using air fresheners on the games room's fabrics.
