“What sort of investment?” Mu Xuehua asked quickly, her dark eyes intent now. She’d been the one who’d driven the development of Guanzhian into the Fortress City it was today.

“A very large warehouse, directly over a train spur that will show exactly the amount of traffic that you want it to, along with clear access to roads and secondary transport methods locally and distant.” I looked from one to the other as they processed that, a bit unexpected at the simplicity of my terms. “The inside of that warehouse is going to need to be able to move exactly as much cargo as you want to be able to trade. Ergo, the size of it is up to you.”

Xuehua was clearly visualizing something. “This is something that can start smaller, then be built larger as trade increases, then?” she inquired.

“Of course. We can provide some excellent construction guides, architects, and even workers if you need them, for suitable recompense, and probably under the table, since we don’t want to deal with customs. Our Earth Movers are the best in the world at what they do, and they have direct experience in this kind of thing.”

“What exactly do they do?” Mu Fuxian asked directly.

I flicked up a Holo on the table in front of them. Neither had the Light Element, so they couldn’t do the same, although they likely could have approximated it with the Ice Element.

“What we have is a section of tracks, basically side-by-side.” I drew in railroad tracks. At the front and back of the parallel strips that merged into one on the far side, I placed an Archway. One track ran in from the archway, while the other came in from behind and parallel to it, merging in just before reaching the exit Archway, while the first rail also had a split leading off to the side. “What happens is a train pulls through the Archway.” A fake Portal opened, and a very modern steam engine, with various kinds of cars attached, pulled through and stopped before reaching the other Archway. “It is decoupled, and the engine pulls ahead, and then reverses to the already pre-loaded train there.”

The train engine pulled ahead to near the Archway, then backed off and was switched to the other track. Then the Portal ahead opened, and the train was pulled through the Archway to the other side. The Portal closed as the first train’s cars were pulled out and away from the delivery track, to wherever they were meant to go.

“The logistics of personal deliveries versus through traffic are something to be worked out and arranged electronically. Basically, you’ll have trains that will simply exit the Portals and continue right on out of your storage area, and then you’ll have trains that will go right to your private warehouses and be unloaded for your own use.

“The one restriction on this will be no living traffic. These permanent Archways will dimensionally rend anything living that passes through them, save for the conductors. So, there will be no insects, pests, or stowaways living through a transfer through the Portals.”

“Gods,” muttered Fuxian, staring at the Holo as the events replayed before him. “How often can this Portal be used?”

“If sufficiently reinforced, it can stay open all the time, or open as often as needed. Volume of traffic will be the deciding factor, I would imagine.”

In other words, all the business they could handle... and either hide from their government, or get approval from it. Large amounts of trade would naturally require government sanction, as it couldn’t be completely concealed.

But steady, under-the-table trading at whatever level they decided was certainly possible!

“You are not worried this Portal technology will not be stolen?” Mu Fuxian asked directly.

“No. When you see it, you will know why,” I shook my head.

Mu Xuehua pulled out a list from her pocket and laid it on the table. “These are the items we have available for trade of our own assets. If we can buy and resell commodities, this list is naturally much more sizable.”

I received the list of what they had to offer in trade, going through it quickly.

“What you have here we do not personally need, but we can resell it all readily enough through third parties. In terms of value, these are your best assets.” I underscored three of their tradables. “Of course, that is not the primary value. What do you desire to acquire and resell on? That is where the real money is, and will determine what you will actually be able to get your hands on.”

“Electronics,” Mu Fuxian said instantly. “Your Vaccine series of phones are the hottest thing among the wealthy set, along with the accessories. Only the very wealthiest people have been able to acquire them. We will be able to sell any amount of them at a substantial mark-up. Combined with cameras, radios, and televisions that work and do not upset the Great Beasts, even if we must sell to the military, they are still our best bet.”

“It should not surprise you both that there exists a worldwide interest in that equipment, especially from mages of all levels, and that includes all militaries,” I noted to them.

“And you are looking to expand that market here,” Xuehua said firmly, and I inclined my head at her point. “The quantity you can ship will naturally be under your control, but we will be able to take anything you can allocate to us.”

“The factories to produce more have naturally been slow to put into service, given our other diversions... and there are raw material requirements you may be able to help with,” I informed them, which brought a smile to both of their lips.

“Is there any chance of our being able to, perhaps purchase some of the Coralost technology?” Xuehua asked very cautiously.

I half-smiled. “If you are asking for electronics or firearm technology, no. However, Coralost is willing to set up a White Mana Zone in your territory, and open a College and Academy to teach your people Typeless magic.”

That made both their hearts skip a beat. They were totally aware of what that had done for the Indian Families who’d signed on with Cameron Dow, and the hundreds of thousands of Indians now trained to use Typeless Mana and working on various aspects of Coralost technology that were providing them a very good standard of living.

A White Mana Zone would draw in a constant flow of recruits eager to embrace the new magic and form a solid foundation for the more powerful, established Elemental mages of Cold Rice Mountain. I had already proven how deadly and powerful a Typeless mage could be, and how far one could rise.

“I... do not know how the government will react to a White Mana Zone here. They may wish to confiscate the towers that generate it,” Xuehua admitted unwillingly. “If not, they will certainly have mages crawling all over it, trying to ascertain how it works.”

“They have already consulted with certain parties among the Indians multiple times, who have also come up lacking with their theft of technology, and have proven amazingly unable to bribe or coerce the Typeless artificers who know something.” Often with the sudden mysterious disappearances of those doing the coercing, and their immediate superiors. “If you have no experience with a White Mana Zone, most mages are completely unable to wield magic there. A few friendly Contracted Beasts of strength around is more than enough to keep almost any human on their best behavior.”

“And no magic cuts down on their ability to learn anything in the first place,” Fuxian nodded slowly. “It appears we must take precautions that such things are not shut down arbitrarily, or requisitioned out of arrogance.”

“The towers can be shut down within seconds, and remain inert as long as you desire. They would effectively have dominion over nothing if they attempt to take anything by force. It may be somewhat odious to have to have backup jobs for your workforce to undertake in the event of such a thing happening, but all they can really do is shut down your production, which, if you’ve made the right connections, is shooting themselves in the foot.”

As had been proven repeatedly in India. Without the proper workforce, nothing got done. None of the needed magitech worked outside a White Mana Zone, and it could all be tracked, meaning those who stole it were living on borrowed time. There had been a lot of blood spilled over Coralost technology in various places, and the same things happened over and over again as greed and overconfidence did their work in thinning out the herd.

Kept Sama and her teams busy. Former peasants from the farming Coralost Communities were especially gifted at the task of making the wealthy and powerful regret leaning on the poor and weak. If they were turning against the benefit of humanity, they had no more place in society than any other mad dog, and Sama’s little trainees took the lesson to heart.

“Let me give you an idea of what is prepared for opening a White Mana Zone, and you can see if you want to make that leap,” I said, another Holo opening up on the table between us in the form of a blueprint. Both of them leaned in with interest to examine everything, and began to ask questions about what they were seeing.

------

“Xuexue! Fuxian!”

The loud and enthusiastic call brought the heads of my hosts up. I could see a flicker of dismay and hesitation on Xuexue’s face when she glanced at me, and dread and resignation on Fuxian’s.

Amused at the implications, I turned to regard the young man striding eagerly and without inhibition towards us, as if he owned the place... which technically he did, being the other half of the commanders here. While he didn’t do much of any of the logistical or administration stuff, he was the unchallenged champion and acknowledged most powerful mage of Cold Rice Mountain.

Mok Fan, the strongest young mage in all of China, and frankly in most of the world. Eight Elements seethed quietly around him to my eyes, all of them full or nearly full, making him a Great Archmage by any measure. He was a bit over average height, lean and fit, radiating a level of physical power that belied his build, with average to fair looks and a happy-go-lucky attitude that matched just about all the reports about him. He was maybe a couple years older than me, of exactly the same age as Xuehua and Fuxian, actually.

We all rose as he invited himself into the gathering, which was his right.

“Lady Fae, may I introduce Mok Fan, the Champion of Cold Rice Mountain,” Xuehua said diplomatically as Mok Fan wandered up in his street clothes, which, if well-made and branded, still looked very out of place. “Mok Fan, this is the real Lady Fae of Coralost, not a cosplayer,” she said as his mouth opened.

He looked like he’d wandered right into that, and for a moment he floundered before smiling widely, reaching out to sweep up my hand, “Oh! The real one! You are very popular among the cosplaying crowd here-”

He grabbed my hand, and there was an instant discharge of The Light.

With a crash and blast, he was hurled backwards into the surrounding pool, his hand smoking and burned and his shirt torn to shreds, hitting with a great splash.

I blinked as Xuexue froze in shock, and Fuxian tensed, then realized what had happened. I froze the spray in midair without effort, making sure we weren’t splashed as I turned to meet the anger starting to rise in Xuexue’s eyes. “My apologies. I warned Fuxian here that my shaking hands with a Dark Mage might cost him his hand. Your Champion was a bit too enthusiastic, doing so before I could warn him.

“I’m only glad he didn’t try for a hug.”

Xuexue’s lips worked for a moment, and then clear amusement at the image flashed through her dark eyes. “I am surprised he didn’t try for one,” she admitted drolly, the anger draining away as a glance at and nod from Fuxian confirmed my words.