The fact that shots were thundering was actually good—it meant that a migrating wild crystal hadn't suddenly grown nearby, and there were no monsters above B-class. Both of these, if located close by, change the structure of gunpowder, which leads to misfires at best and explosions at worst.
In general, the only thing I don't quite like about this era is ranged weapons. There's a whole saga with gunpowder: first produce it, then deliver it to the location in a special container, and there pray that nothing else goes wrong. And firearms based on magic haven't yet come into common use.
By the way, the family or clan that manages to be the first to make them and establish more or less mass production will be on top. And I'm really hoping that this will be my clan.
"Pteras! About ten of them!" shouted a fighter and immediately fired at a creature that flew over us.
Pteras are dangerous. They're nocturnal creatures and indeed resemble flying dinosaurs, except they have no eyes, and what they love most is magical heat and, consequently, mages.
"Your Grace, into the house!" roared Veldor and tried to push me back with his shoulder.
But no way. Of course, the guys could handle it without me. But I need to create the image of a protective master, and this is a great opportunity, especially since practice in real conditions improves magical channels better than anything else.
"Cover me!"
I stood by the wall of the house and spent about five seconds accumulating a ball of energy in the center of my chest, then abruptly raised my hand and released it outward.
Yes! Though not very quickly yet, but exactly as needed. A yellow pulsating sphere hovered ten meters above the ground. It radiated heat and magic, and the pteras simply couldn't fly past such a delicacy.
My ears were again assaulted by a screech, and the creatures that had been flying around the area sharply turned and rushed toward the very appetizing target for them.
"Ready!" yelled Veldor. "Fire in sequence."
It was a pleasure to watch the work of a well-coordinated group. Everyone knew what to do, and there was no disorderly firing. As soon as another ptera flew into the circle of light, one of the fighters fired a short burst. Then the next one shot.
The monsters fell one after another, but still, the sphere I created didn't last until the end and, flashing one last time, went out.
Three surviving bastards screeched and sharply turned around. They managed to take down two, but the third escaped. From the shooters, but not from me. I raised my hand again. This time there were no visual effects; I simply enveloped the retreating creature with force and clenched my fingers. The crunch reached even us, and the broken body crashed to the ground.
Excellent! Besides my people, the negotiators who hadn't left yet and several other curious heads appreciated what had happened. Now the main thing is that they don't see the recoil.
"Until tomorrow!" I nodded casually and went into the house, where I literally collapsed into Svylthor's arms.
Yes, no normal mage would ever use pure magic, as it's simply outrageously energy-consuming. But what can you do if, from elemental magic, I could only temporarily enchant weapons and armor, and create a fireball the size of a cherry.
"What's wrong with y—"
"Quiet! Drag me to my chair!"
I didn't choose the chair's location randomly; it stood directly above the crystal located in the basement. After all, as is known, the closer to it, the better.
"They've left!" reported Veldor, entering the house.
"Maybe we should eat?" Svylthor suggested with a broad smile.
Instead of answering, I looked at Kalthyra, then shifted my eyes to the fox sitting on top of the trapdoor to the basement.
"What about her?" I tried to mentally ask. "And the others?"
"The redhead would jump off a high-rise for you right now. The warrior doubts your abilities but definitely won't betray you. And the girl... she's curious, determined, and she likes you as a man. If you manage to impress her, she's practically yours too."
Impress—that I can do easily.
"Is everything calm in the village?"
"If you mean whether someone is planning to cut off your head tonight, then apparently not yet. They're sitting around discussing what to expect from you and how to squeeze more gold out of you."
Right! I forgot to tell the elder that the house as a wedding gift was a one-time show of extraordinary generosity. Well, tomorrow.
"Eating is a worthy idea," I nodded. "Set up guards, take the food, these two bags with fragments, and let's go downstairs."
※※※
Viktor Serjeon's left hand lazily drummed a beat on the wooden surface of the table, while the fingers of his right hand skillfully counted the bills in his trouser pocket. The experienced government official didn't even need to look—he could tell the denomination by touch and could even distinguish a counterfeit.
One hundred and thirty-five!
Not bad for a day! Of course, compared to the gratuities received by the capital's "distributors," it was nothing, but Viktor Serjeon didn't despair; he knew how to look to the future. That's precisely why he didn't refuse when offered to take charge of distribution in the area of the provincial old Kansas.
Yes, so far no one is rushing to pay money for crystals appearing here, and no one is cutting in line. But in a few years, when the empire begins to annex this region, real work will begin. By then, he'll already be an old-timer here and won't lift a finger for less than a thousand imperial dollars...
There was still half an hour left until the end of the working day, and with nothing else to do, Viktor Serjeon decided to count the money again. Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the corridor and an outraged young voice, and then the door swung open.
"What the hell?!" shouted a tall, fair-haired young man of about twenty from the doorway.
Viktor Serjeon, just in case, wanted to jump up and start apologizing, but noticed in time the silver ring with the letter B on the uninvited guest's finger. This meant that before him was just a baron, and the absence of an ornament around the letter indicated that he was landless. And upon closer inspection, the young aristocrat's white suit revealed a not very enviable financial position.
"Do you have an appointment?" Viktor Serjeon asked in a stern voice.
The guy slammed the door shut with a crash and rushed to the table.
"Why the hell did you give the crystal to Draconis?! It was my turn!"
"Ah!" The distributor understood the problem and completely relaxed. "Pavel Genadrost?"
"That's me!"
"Well, when the crystal appeared, you weren't in the city, Pavel Genadrost."
"I was!" The flushed young man brushed back the fair hair sticking to his forehead.
"No! Look here!" A paper appeared on the table. "Our employee was at your apartment at your address on the eighth in the morning... And according to protocol, left a notice in the door. Within twenty-four hours, you didn't show up..."
"There was no notice!" The landless baron banged his fist on the table. "I was home on the evening of the eighth!"
"Mind your manners!" Viktor Serjeon raised his voice and stood up from his chair. "Or I'll call security!"
The young man exhaled loudly, then inhaled just as loudly.
"Fine! Cancel everything! I'll take this crystal!"
"It's too late! The new owner is signing the documents today." Viktor Serjeon looked at the large wall clock. "Rather, has already signed."
"What?! Already?" The visitor looked at the distributor in confusion.
"Well, you should know yourself, if a neutral crystal isn't quickly subdued, it becomes wild..."
"And if..."
The petitioner's hand went into his pocket, and soon two orange thousand-bill notes flashed in his fist.
"Damn! Where were you earlier, woodpecker?" flashed through Viktor Serjeon's mind. But instead of saying this, he proudly puffed out his chest.
"What are you doing?! In the future, you should study the rules for allocating crystals and lands. You missed your turn and now you're moved to the end of it."
"To the end?!" the young man squealed.
"What did you expect? Those are the rules!" feeling that the money could still be his, Viktor Serjeon allowed a bit of sympathy and doubt into his voice. "Hmm... Why did you do that?.. I could, of course, do something... but no, I'll be scolded..."
"A pity," the guy, as if having made some decision for himself, suddenly turned sharply and ran out of the office before the distributor had time to continue.
"Damn," Viktor Serjeon now said aloud. "Well, you can wait another six months!"
He took a deep breath and, to calm himself, again put his hand in his pocket.
※※※
"I bet it's fire, that is, orange!"
Svylthor pointed his finger at the crystal hidden under a thick cover, then grabbed a piece of pork and began to chew it with appetite.
"Any other guesses?" I smirked as I looked around at my supporters.
"Air," Veldor laconically made his bet and bit off half of a cabbage pie.
"I'm also for fire," feeling the concentrated gazes on her, Kalthyra couldn't resist and coquettishly flipped back a light strand of hair. "Although they're all good."
"Here I disagree; there's something that's better than the rest," I turned to Svylthor. "Put out the candles."
Svylthor jumped up, and soon we were left in complete darkness. I chewed a piece of cheese and pulled on the cover.
The material rustled, and in the next second, the basement was flooded with a bright red color.
"What is that?" Kalthyra jumped up, and her chair crashed to the floor.
"Your Grace, this is..."
"What is this?"
In general, the surprised exclamations of my companions didn't vary much.
"It's red," I stated. "And I think it enhances all types of magic."
And it does a lot of other things too, but more on that later.
"How did you do this?" With widely opened eyes, Kalthyra stared at my face without looking away.
"Just got lucky."
"I've never heard of such a thing!" Svylthor touched the crystal. "It's different! It's... I haven't figured out what it is yet... But power is just pouring from it!"
"And how much we still don't know about magic," Veldor said, barely audible.
Very much, my friends, very much. But if you stick with me, you'll be the first to find out.
"I think magic sensed my mood and decided to give me a chance." I carefully began to introduce my legend.
"What mood? What chance?" Svylthor was already sitting at the table and casually devouring pork with potatoes.
"Remember, a month ago, I was almost killed?"
Actually, I was killed, and that's exactly when I took over this body.
"Of course!"
"I don't remember, but I know about it," Kalthyra nodded.
"So." I looked at the faces of my companions, which appeared demonic in the light of the crystal. "Being between life and death, I made a promise to myself that if I pulled through, I wouldn't waste my life but would try to do something serious. And it seems magic felt this."
"Do you believe in the theory that it's alive?" Kalthyra immediately asked.
Ha! Even our mages and scientists haven't been able to answer this question.
One thing is known for sure: in both worlds, wild crystals appeared first.