Elevation of Mana Chapter 58 First Employee

Chien and I found a nice spot where we could sit and eat the basket of clams I'd bought.  It wasn't anything fancy, but the seller had managed to roast them inside the container with plenty of water and fragrant herbs.  Oddly the meal was probably better tasting than most of what I'd had on Earth, less fat, but the way it was done was just right.

“Alright, so what is it that you want?” the boy asked while leaning against a wall.

“Mostly I need someone to help me figure out where I can send my inventions, and how to spread how to make them well,” I answered.

“You're just going to tell people secrets?  What are we talking about anyway?”

“Lots of things, back in my village we did pottery and copper, along with a few other things which are a little less known,” I replied, turning to watch his reaction.

“I've heard of pottery, neat, if not particularly useful.  I mean, what's the point of pretty cups and stuff?”  He seemed doubtful.

“They can hold water and are easier to make than you'd think.  You can also make larger ones for cooking and the like, or just storing things that don't keep in baskets easily,” I explained.

“Okay, but if they're so good, why don't you make them?”

“Chien... there are a lot of things that I want, but I don't want to mess with making.  Like maybe you enjoy food like this, but do you want to cook it all the time?” I said, pointing to the meal we were sharing.

“Not really, looks like a lot of work,” the boy answered after some consideration.  “I can also do things that make me more money easier.”

“Exactly.  I don't really want to mess around with a lot of things, but that doesn't mean that I don't want them to be made.  The problem is getting those into the hands of people who might want to make them.  I also need someone who generally knows the area and can help me find the materials and people I need.”

“That all sounds like things you could do yourself, and without much effort,” he answered with a frown.

“Ah, but there's a problem, and that's that I don't want everyone knowing where it all came from.”

“Why?” he said, looking at me like I was slightly mad.

“Because if too many people follow too many paths to the same place others will come looking.”

Chien took a few moments to consider, eating several more of the shellfish as he thought.  “People will eventually figure it out though.”

“Yeah, but that's fine.  If you're worried about how long I'll need your help I can help you with your magic a bit, depending on what kind it is.  Just because things change doesn't mean I won't need more help anyway.”

“Why me?” he asked.

“Because, you'll be helpful now and I like your attitude.  You went out and found a place for yourself at your age, not everyone does that.”  I then brought up the one issue that might arise.  “Your parents won't care though will they?”

“Never knew dad, and mom doesn't care about much of anything,” he replied flippantly.

That was kind of depressing, and while I couldn't be sure, with the company he kept it wouldn't surprise me if his mother was a working girl.  Not that it mattered, I may want to use the kid for my benefit, but he'd surely gain too.

“Look, I understand if you're doubtful, but I'd like you to give it a chance.  I know of some things I already know some of the gathering teams want, and if you come by in the next day or two I'll show you.  It'd nothing hard, so you'll be able to put the info out there pretty quick.  I'll even pay you to do it, a bit when you first go out, and more when I see others using it.”

“I'm still not completely following the why here.  Why do you want stuff spread around?  I mean, if you were getting something from it I could understand, but you won't be.  Your whole explanation about wanting it around doesn't really follow either, you could just make it for you.”  He sounded like he thought I was a complete weirdo.

“Maybe I could explain, but honestly does it matter?  The goal is to make people happy,  and I'm willing to pay you for it.  Do you need to know much more than that?”

The kid shrugged.  “No, I guess not.  Where are you showing me this stuff?”

“Come by my place for now,” I rattled off some basic directions.  He already knew the city better than myself, and with our memories finding it shouldn't be an issue.

I'd just finished my breakfast and was still putting some of the basics for the day together when I heard a call from outside.  “Oi, weirdo, you there!?”

“You know you can just call me Justin right?” I asked the boy, looking down at him.

“Got you out, didn't it?”

“Fair enough, hold on and I'll grab the pieces we need.”

The first thing I was showing him was my sled design.  Those women had been interested in it, and it was so simple to make that really all you needed was to see one working.  The magic was all in the joints, the little bits that fit together to make it so I didn't  need to tie everything three ways from Sunday with vines and ropes.

I had to give it to the kid, his eyes flashed over it with heavy scrutiny, looking at each part in turn.  He wasn't just judging the item either, but my work, and seemed pleased with what he saw, a small smile creeping up to his lips.

“How'd you get such clean holes and cuts in it?” he asked.  “I don't see any marks from tools or places where the wood was worked down.”

My explanations here were brief, but I soon found that Chien was the same kind of caster I was.  With a bit of effort I made the same planes I used for cutting and drilling, letting him take a good look at each before showing him how they were used.  I even handed over some of the wood I'd be using for fires later so he could get a bit of practice.  After all, he needed to be able to show people how to do what I wanted them to.

'I like it,” he finally declared as we finished, just before lunch.  “And I can see why others will too.”

“Payment, as promised,” I said, handing over some shells.  My research had payed off and I knew that this was about a weeks worth of wages for someone doing basic magic.  “And more will come if I see others using it.”

“What's your part of what I get for selling the idea?” he asked, broaching a subject I knew he'd be most interested in.

“Nothing, you sell it, you keep the money.  Now head out kid, you might catch some of the gatherers coming back from their work and I have things I need to do today,” I laughed as I sent him off to put this into the world, knowing that small things would send ripples.

As he scampered off I turned back to my own work for the day, two simple clay pots were hidden inside crude looking baskets.  I didn't really want to advertise that I had those yet, but I needed a container for small particles.  With a quick move I picked them up and headed for the beach, because it was time to take things up to the next level.