Chapter Thirty-Nine: Plans for the Future

The spell model was now fully constructed, and its mana consumption, compared to spells of the same level, was not high—completely acceptable. With growing proficiency, he could eventually create multiple Arcane Roses at once, expanding his casting range. Combined with the fire spells simulated by Arcane Mimicry, it could be said that the Blaze Entombment spell had been thoroughly improved and reconstructed. Not only were the drawbacks of high mana cost and long casting time smoothed out, but the area of effect was greatly increased, making up for the previous shortcomings of the spell. Progress comes from steady effort; shortcuts and complacency in battle are nothing but a disregard for one's own life.

There was a saying Patrick deeply agreed with: "Sweat more in peacetime to bleed less in war."

In the world of Azeroth, this saying was nothing short of a universal truth. After the Dark Portal opened, Azeroth was thrown into turmoil, with wars breaking out endlessly. Countless warriors, heroes, and demigods fell on the battlefield. The only way to survive was to grow stronger and seize opportunities.

Drawing his mind back from his thoughts, Patrick returned his attention to the Sunspire Tower. Arcane energy dissipated from within, and the magic vanished instantly. Outside, the elves sensed a surge of arcane wind, leaving them refreshed and elated for a moment.

Quelrenthis and Ethonis entered with the others.

"Chief Patrick, thank you for generously sharing your alchemical formulas and techniques with us," Quelrenthis said respectfully, presenting Patrick with a magical cloth pouch and a scroll. "Here are the profits from the alchemy potions and enchantment workshop during this period, after deducting costs. All earnings are in this pouch. Additionally, the scroll records a detailed statement of all income and expenses for the month for your review."

Patrick accepted the scroll and the silk pouch, which was filled to the brim with coins. Although there were no gold coins, the majority were silver—a considerable harvest. The "turnover" over this period had been quite good, with their energies devoted wholeheartedly to the alchemy and enchantment workshops.

Unrolling the scroll, Patrick was taken aback. It contained a meticulous account of all material consumption and production, even including losses due to operational errors. Excluding costs and daily expenses, they had netted over nine hundred silver coins in just a month—a truly commendable result.

"You've all done an excellent job," Patrick praised sincerely.

He had expected them to take some time to get the hang of things before producing magical items and potions, but he hadn't imagined they'd so quickly convert the alchemical formulas into economic output. He was surprised by the elves' efficiency.

"It's all thanks to the formulas and unique recipes you provided, Chief. The potions from Sunspire Tower are highly sought after and can't meet the demand among the ranger corps. Even merchants from Tower Quelin come to purchase our potions. Your generosity has allowed us to reap these rewards," Quelrenthis said, his gratitude heartfelt. Patrick sensed the genuine appreciation in the words of the four. All were relatively unknown, their families so small as to be nearly insignificant, with little to no family business and no backing from any major clans in Eversong Forest.

When all avenues to advance are blocked and social mobility is nearly frozen, severe social stratification and division result, making it nearly impossible for small families to rise. For elves who hadn't pledged allegiance to super-clans like Sunwing or Dawnstar, even decent education and learning resources were out of reach, further leading to the decline of commoners' lives.

Rising above was as difficult as reaching the heavens—a saying that rang bitterly true and prematurely aged those who heard it. To the four, Patrick's status was already considered high-ranking. Compared to their families, the Cabron family was considered a great house.

At the very least, the Cabron family was a council partner, with a family mage tower and land (property) in Silvermoon City. Yet Patrick had never looked down on them for their lower status; instead, he taught them his family's alchemy and entrusted them with their alchemical recipes. To the four, this was a tremendous boon that greatly motivated them.

For ordinary elves, the usual path was to live contentedly, hoping for Lady Luck to favor them one day—a fantasy too unrealistic. Or perhaps to be noticed by a master, rise above the ordinary, and achieve greatness—relying solely on such chances? One might as well give up and go to sleep.

"The elves lack an environment that encourages ambition," Patrick mused.

"Quelrenthis, you keep these silver coins," Patrick said, pushing the silk pouch toward him. "As we agreed before, the profits are split fifty-fifty between the mage tower and the individuals. Once you've divided the shares, just report the tower's portion to me."

"I also plan to appoint an elf to manage the mage tower's finances. Are any of you interested?" he asked.

The four exchanged glances, each looking to the other, until Quelrenthis stepped forward. "Chief Patrick, I've always overseen the daily operations of Sunspire Tower. Let me take on the financial management as well."

Patrick felt at ease entrusting Sunspire Tower’s finances to Quelrenthis. He had managed the tower well before, and the choice was both logical and popular.

"Chief Patrick, there’s another matter." Quelrenthis continued, "With the improved potions now being sold, more and more people are coming to the Eastern Sanctuary. Merchants fill the nearby dwellings, and some rangers are here to hone their skills in the Ghostlands. Should we consider building more housing?"

Quelrenthis was methodical and responsible—a good assistant. Currently, the Sun Sanctuary was crowded to the brim. Many merchants, spotting an opportunity, came to buy potions from Sunspire Tower to resell in the human lands or wait for council procurement—both lucrative and low-risk opportunities not to be missed by profit-driven merchants.

"We can construct some simple dwellings around Sunspire Tower," Patrick suggested. "Most of the eastern Sun Sanctuary is ranger encampments. Let's build some basic housing in the southwest for merchants and rangers to rent. This would make management easier and, more importantly, help ensure their safety."

The Ghostlands were nothing like Eversong Forest. While the Ghostpaw Lynxes and Mana Spring Hunters in the forest were similar in size to their forest cousins and, influenced by the Sunwell, were non-aggressive and gentle, Ghostpaw Lynxes were a different story. As large carnivorous felines, they were highly aggressive. Spending the night near the woods was simply unsafe.

"If we’re only constructing simple dwellings, our funds should just about cover it," Quelrenthis calculated, offering his advice. "However, we can’t provide a large number of high-quality residences right now."

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At last, he was home.