Life continued its relentless march.
The daily challenges against the lvl 10 locus and core collection became a well-established routine.
Each day, billions of cores reached Elio's hands, which he distributed following a clear hierarchy: first to those who had risked their lives in battle against the artromus, then gradually expanding to new soldiers reaching higher levels.
However, Elio noticed a worrying pattern.
The visible sea of cores outside the city was beginning to show signs of depletion. Soon they would have to rely more heavily on cores generated daily in the two conquered deposits.
The wind and earth emblems found their place in the city's reward system, providing new forms of power for those who proved their worth. Although cleaning the second deposit proved to be a monumental task... The acid cauldron had left a mark that required considerable efforts to neutralize.
"The collection rate isn't sustainable," Mei observed during one of the planning meetings. "We need to establish a more frugal system of rewards."
"Or reduce the number of rewarded people," Taron added.
Elio knew they were right. The power they had accumulated was considerable, but when trying to divide it, it wasn't enough to balance everyone... Though not all citizens were so grateful and deserving so it wasn't so bad. Elio still hadn't completely gotten over the situation with Cassandra.
The coming months would require careful adjustments to their distribution and collection strategy.
The city was growing stronger, yes, but with that growth came new challenges that would require equally innovative solutions.
♢♢♢♢
Days filled with new responsibilities as Lucien gradually increased Elio's workload.
Now that he was in the city, it was a good time to learn about his responsibilities, which he had been comfortably delegating to Lucien.
Zara and the rest of the group dedicated their time to the arduous task of training to reach level 10, but Elio found his own growth coming from unexpected directions.
The only other direction for growth was an insanely expensive turtle that he had decided not to obtain yet.
Ren and Diana, who had witnessed extraordinary events shortly after joining the builders' group, had evolved from apprentices to teachers.
The transformation in their attitudes toward Elio was notable; where before they sought direction, now they provided it.
The city had a new level 10, and with it, the chances of survival against the next Artromus increased. The proud smile on Elio's face while watching Zara emerge safely from the challenge was as bright as the glow of her new power.
♢♢♢♢
The garden at night provided a peaceful environment to discuss decisions that weighed like mountains.
Elio, Lucien, and Ren studied the numbers reflecting the city's growth.
"20 points average per person," Ren reviewed the figures, still amazed by the progress. "Compared to the previous 3 points..."
"The general level increase has transformed the economy," Lucien nodded. "Though new programs and support consume a considerable portion."
Elio remained silent, his mind on the question that had really brought them together today: Tarec and Ivan. Age was beginning to weigh on these pillars of administration.
When Elio had allowed Ren access to certain classified information, recognizing his capacity to potentially substitute for Lucien or himself if necessary, he hadn't expected a decision like this would come so soon.
A truly important decision was the first in which the new substitute leader participated.
"The life potion," Ren murmured, numbers dancing in his mind. "A million per year. Ten million per potion..."
"Ten years of life," Lucien completed. "For each one."
The silence that followed was loaded with implications. Ten million mana points... The equivalent production of thirty people's entire lives, or perhaps fifteen with the new averages. But it was still an astronomical amount.
"In battle," Elio finally spoke, "the cost of weapons and armor is easily justified. Everyone's survival depends on victory."
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"But this is different," Ren understood perfectly. "We're talking about using the mana equivalent of an entire life... no, several lives, to extend one by a decade."
"They're invaluable to the administration," Lucien argued, though his tone suggested he himself struggled with the justification.
"But are 10 years of one person worth fifteen lives?" Elio posed the question weighing on everyone. "Even one? Can we justify such a cost?"
The garden remained silent as the three men contemplated the weight of deciding the value of one life in terms of others.