Chapter 212 212 - Iron
It would take at least two months for the lizards to reproduce, so Ryan had thought of a way to speed up the process. The creatures constantly ate energy crystals, so if the amount of crystals in the lizards' diet increased, they would probably grow faster.
"In the old days, farmers used to do this with chickens," Ryan said as he looked at the barn.
<Chickens? Those weird birds?
Ryan nodded, "Before mana's food revolution, it was common for chickens, pigs and oxen to be the main source of protein. So farmers encouraged the animals to grow faster, sometimes using mana"
<And this only stopped because of nature magic?>
"People still eat meat all the time, but when the first world famine was solved, many people began to prefer only vegetable protein," Ryan said, as he walked off the island.
If Ryan's theory is right, at least the development of the chicks and the speed of the reproduction process could increase. With that, he went down to the forest and started digging up as many crystals as he could find, one after the other, putting those items into his inventory.
When his inventory was finally full, Ryan asked Nyx to throw all the items onto the island floor. That way, he could easily teleport those materials into the sky without worrying about the weight or the effort of creating a portal. nove.lB.In
After about an hour, there were already four tons of crystals to feed the animals. The huge pile of crystals was stored in a small wooden hut.
Looking from afar, Ryan seemed to be worried about it, "It all just barely managed to fit in," he said.
<I... I need to rest...> said Nyx, who was lying on the grass with one of her hands next to her head.
Ryan sat down next to the succubus, one of his hands on his chin, thinking. "This won't be too big a change in their diet, and the lizards don't seem to be very aggressive, maybe I can let them free to eat the grass on this island"
Most of Ryan's knowledge of second-world animals came from one of the courses at the Neodrazzil travelers' academy. The "biology and monster analysis" classes taught how second-world creatures work, the idea being to understand their habits and how to hunt and protect themselves effectively, as well as extending his studies to creatures that don't exist in the first world.
But Ryan hadn't heard much about these kinds of lizards, which in a way was a good thing. The production of materials with monsters was something that was lacking in the first world, which would greatly boost the Silvermoons' cash flow.
After a short rest, the sun was beginning to set. Sunset Village lived up to its name. The houses glowed with the orange color of the sunset, as the intense light came closer and closer to the horizon.
The peasants then began to come out of their houses, one after the other they stopped to look at this daily spectacle. Various rainbows began to appear due to their proximity to the clouds and the waterfalls that fell from the smaller islands, creating a spectacle of colors that warmed the hearts of those women who had never been able to see the sun in peace before. That sight was like a symbol of the peace and freedom that the people had finally received.
* * *
When night fell, the village found itself immersed in a spectacular sight that seemed to have been woven from the threads of magic itself. Lamps of mana, delicately hung around the village, began to glow in unison, like newborn stars appearing in the celestial vault. In a matter of seconds, the village was immersed in a profusion of white lights, an experience that many peasants had never imagined they would witness in their humble lives.
"Wow, is that a magic torch?" exclaimed one of the younger girls, her eyes wide with amazement.
Maki, with a delighted smile, stroked the little girl's head. "No, dear, that's a mana lamp," she explained tenderly, "and you can thank Master Ryan for this gift."
The little girl ran towards Ryan and humbly bowed her head, whispering in a low tone, "Thank you, Master Ryan."
Ryan, seeing the gratitude in the child's eyes, took a step back and, kneeling in front of her, said, "If you want to thank me, just be a good little girl and help your village, okay?" He smiled gently, conveying a sense of responsibility and generosity.
The girl nodded happily and, with a beaming smile, ran back to Maki. As she hid behind the elf, two other children approached.
"Master Ryan is amazing," one of them commented. "He looks like a prince," added the other.
As night enveloped the village, something surprising was about to happen. Ryan stretched out his hand, casting the spell "Judgement of the Sun" into the community's skies. Immediately, the firmament came alive with an incredible symphony of colors and light. Tiny spheres of light, like shooting stars, appeared and began to dance among the clouds.
The Wisps, graceful and radiant, floated in a serene movement, creating shimmering patterns that caught the gaze of everyone, from exhausted peasants to curious children. It was a truly dazzling sight, as if dozens of luminous fairies were performing a nocturnal choreography in the sky, spreading joy and magic with every movement. They left a shimmering, ephemeral trail, as if the sky itself were telling a story of enchantment and mystery.
The children, unable to contain their fascination, approached the spheres of light, cautiously reaching out to touch these magical Wisps, which seemed to be made of pure, glowing energy. When they touched them, instead of being burned, they felt a soft, cozy warmth, like warm hugs. The light show continued for a few more minutes, filling everyone with a sense of wonder and belonging to a magical and welcoming world.
The whole village gathered to witness this astonishing phenomenon. As the spheres of light began to disperse, taking with them some of the magic they had shared, the villagers shared smiles and animated conversations, knowing that they had experienced something truly special. Ryan, with a modest smile, headed for the portal
Finally, Ryan said goodbye with a wave of his hand and started walking towards the portal.
"Wait!" shouted the same girl as before. Ryan turned and found her panting in front of him, her arm outstretched as she held a small stone.
"Here! A present!" she said, Ryan took the stone in his hand and widened his eyes.
"Thank you very much! Is it a present?" He asked.
The girl nodded in confirmation.?As Ryan appraised the stone, he realized that it was something a little more special than the girl had imagined. Stroking the little girl's hair, he asked, "Where did you get this?"
The girl turned and pointed behind her "After the village, near the beginning of the forest. There are lots of rocks like that, some of them about this size" she said, as she held out both arms in an attempt to show Ryan.
"Thank you very much for telling me, and thank you for the gift" Ryan said, and then the two of them went their separate ways.
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<What is that stone?> Nyx asked, confused.
As Ryan stepped through the portal, his eyes glowed with a red light as his Demon Sight was activated. "I have no doubt, that's magical iron," he said.
The stone was a little heavy, made of a shiny material that looked like silver. As Ryan passed his mana through the material, it was easily absorbed and stored within the composition of the material.
'The children were probably attracted to the shine of this item, when they touched it the children's unstable mana flow made the metal shine even brighter,' he concluded.
A smile appeared on Ryan's face as he walked.
'I'd never heard of magical iron reserves larger than a human child'
<Wait... that means>
Ryan nodded, turning to look at the portal again.
'This is probably the largest reserve of magical iron ever found. There's no doubt about it, the Silvermoons' economic sovereignty is now guaranteed.
Magical iron was an extremely important material in the First World economy. A pure magical iron sword was extremely expensive and hundreds of times more efficient than an artificial magical iron sword. Most of the magical iron used in buildings or weapons was made from alloys of materials combined in a chemical and magical process.
Quickly, Ryan walked towards Kyouko's office, where Rin was now working on the paperwork for the transfer of ownership of the family representation. Running down the corridors, Ryan opened the door with force, startling the girl.
"Ryan?! Did something happen?" Rin asked, confused.
Ryan's red eyes stared into Rin's face, "How much money do we have in the clan coffers?"
"We have a few billion, do you need it for the village?" the girl replied confusedly.
Ryan said in an extremely serious tone of voice, "We're going to buy the entire stock of pure magical iron on the market."