Jim explained it like this; "Tim called Mandy and Mandy called Marakovichi and now Ashdale is buying tons of stuff from Libertaria."

Also, "I'm pretty sure that Ashdale's neighbors would soon discover what they're up to, and will make moves to do the same. Libertaria knows that too, and fully expect demand to rise accordingly."

At this point, the countries of the world had four options to deal with the present crisis.

First, do nothing and descend into anarchy. Second, revert to the iron age or thereabouts and settle for a life without modern amenities. Third, buy mana from the Dragon Empire, which was really expensive and would usually only be feasible if you were willing to either become a va.s.sal of the Dragon Empire in exchange for your crystal supply or join the Dragon Empire outright.

Fourth, they could ace to adapt to steam-engine technology. This was best achieved by buying parts and equipment from Libertaria outright. This was much cheaper than trying to buy mana crystals from the Dragon Empire, but demand and prices were about to skyrocket.

One thing was certain; the Dragon Empire and Libertaria were both about to become very, very rich.

Remian waved it away. "That's fine. In the long run, a stronger Libertaria will be more helpful."

Just having Jim around was a huge step toward developing electronics. Remian fully intended to use Libertaria's goods as a springboard to develop toward Cla.s.s-4 civilization technology.

Otherwise, what would be the fate of his people? Even if they could somehow gain control of the Spatial Rift and flee to Xiao Yan's world, who's to say their world would be any farther from the Mitigok swarms? Even if they were, what would Remian's people do? Settle down and a.s.similate? From what Remian understood of Xiao Yan's world, theirs was a backward-looking culture, venerating the past heroes and always exclaiming about how their current levels were lacking in comparison with their ancestors. Theirs was a culture and a mindset forever looking back and trying to go back to the old days. How were they to advance when their ambitions were about going back?

On top of that, theirs was a self-destructive culture, one that followed the laws of the jungle, the idea that 'might was right'. It was, frankly, a dressed-up tyranny where the strong and the powerful would do whatever they wanted and freely abuse their strength and power, and they thought that was as it should be.

Was it some sort of Quarin control mechanism? Remian wondered. That they would design such a culture in order to trap Cla.s.s-2 civilizations in their level of development, unable to advance themselves. Or was it a Draconian design, which meant that Xiao Yan's world was also within Draconian territories?

The existence of Quarin ruins in Xiao Yan's world suggested the former. Her people's veneration of dragons suggested the latter.

Anyway. That wasn't Remian's dream. In the past, all he wanted was a place for his family to live and prosper. But with mana disappearing, that was no longer possible. On top of that, his dreams had changed. His very idea of prosperity had drastically s.h.i.+fted.

Living in a small, backward planet like this one, already on the verge of destruction but not even realizing it… that was not the destiny Remian wanted for his family and friends. He wanted to bring them to safety, yes, but not to a world of tyranny where anyone with status or power could suppress and crush them underfoot at any time for any reason they liked. No, what he really wanted was… was…

Remian glanced up at the sky as the evening turned to twilight and the stars began to appear in his sight.

"I want to show my mother how I can cook with Psiorin Infusion." Remian mused. "I want to show my father how much better it is to teach through virtual edutainment than boring lectures."

But neither of these were within his current capabilities. The best Remian could do was muddle around with their education system a bit and maybe build an induction stove.

That was when he first encountered resistance and realized that trying to advance his people would not be as easy as he thought.

***

Upon hearing a few of his tentative ideas, Remian's mom said kindly, "Dear, we've been teaching for years now. We graduated from the Dragon Empire Expeditionary University, we know what we're teaching about. Trust us, even the Princ.i.p.al of the University was so impressed with us, he saw fit to give us private lessons on the weekends, just a special cla.s.s of six, of whom your father and I are part of. We are really well educated and well-qualified for our jobs. Don't worry about what we teach or how we teach."

"But there are so much better ways to teach… there's even the issue of what should be taught… a lot of what you're teaching is actually wrong…"

His dad wasn't so nice. "Forget that. You know nothing about teaching; I've been teaching for decades now. I know what to do. Go play with your animals and leave the school-teaching to us."

"But you're teaching the wrong things the wrong way! For example, the whole idea of four or five elements is wrong, both the four element system and the five element system! Even the chemistry element table with its hundreds of elements is wrong! There's actually only one element, and that is energy! Because within atoms are particles like electrons and protons which are both types of particles, and within particles are Sriske-eionbi, which I can't translate into our language, because our language doesn't have a word for it… and inside Sriske are Gyuvi-mas, which we also don't have words for, but, but…! In the end, it's energy! That's why, converting energy to matter doesn't actually exist, because matter IS energy! And that's also why it can be done! It's all very hard to explain."

That was the thing about learning things psionically through virtual acceleration. Some things that could be understood when introduced directly to his mind simply couldn't be expressed in his native tongue.

In response to his outburst, though, Damien Vin just snorted. "You don't even know what you're saying. Of course the world is made of five elements. All elements are in balance, the ancient scriptures prove it. The very highest academic minds in the Dragon Empire agree on this. How can you, who has never even been to university, ever understand? Stop spouting nonsense."

"No, it's you who doesn't understand and I who am unable to explain it…" Remian sighed.

Lisa Vin stepped in and stopped them both before a heated argument could erupt. "Remian, dear, you must be tired. Why don't you try some of my chicken bone soup? It's good, really, you should try it…"

"But Mom…"

"Hush, dear. Don't speak. Eat first. The soup will get cold."

Little by little, Remian was starting to understand that he would not be able to work with his parents on this matter. As time went by and he overheard his parents whisper in hushed tones over the poor distraught son who got muddled up after coming back from a weird world, he also understood that he might very well end up on opposing sides of an academic conflict with those who thought like his parents and refused to reject their qualified years of training in the light of new information.

As his mother turned the conversation to pleasantries, Remian also understood just how big a cost he was asking his parents to pay. Their qualifications were all-important to them, the only thing that enabled them to lift their heads high in the suppressed va.s.sal state of the Empire that they lived in. It was what fed their family, enabled them to even contend for office, and kept them alive for so long, and it was thanks to their hard work, their honestly earned academic qualifications through much dilligence and endurance. To deny their education, to reject their own teachings… it was too much to ask. Remian understood it as he left after dinner.

If he were to introduce new teachings and new ways of teaching… he would have to do it himself. If he tried to use their school to do it, he would have to destroy them entirely and take over everything to replace them. That, too, was too much for Remian.

No, he would just have to start his own school, and teach young ones his own way. There was no other way to do it.

How hard could it be? Remian was the Lord of Rocky Thorns territory. Craggy Falls and the entire town around it was his turf. In fact, he'd sort of started the Adventurers Guild, didn't he? He could start this too.

Actually, come to think of it, what happened to the Adventurers Guild? Wasn't Max running it, last anyone checked? What would happen to it now without Max?

Maybe he should look into that, and establish it in Rocky Thorns along with his new school.

***

Meanwhile, Mindy was facing an endless stream of troubles.

After she'd beaten up and embara.s.sed those three brats, they called a bunch of thugs down on her.

After she'd beaten up those thugs, their gang leaders showed up to challenge her.

After she'd beaten up those gang leaders, their elder brothers and cousins and uncles came to threaten her.

After she'd beaten up their elder brothers and cousins and uncles, the clan leaders of the original trio came along and turned their bodyguards against her.

By this point she was already getting trouble for everything she tried to do. Whenever she tried to buy something, the shopkeeper would suddenly jack the price sky high for no reason, or someone else would buy it first, or it would unexpectedly be out of stock…

Whenever she bid in an auction, someone would keep bidding higher and higher to ridiculous prices, and she could never win a single bid. Half the time it turned out the bidder for the item was actually the seller for the item and always, of course, affiliated with one or the other of the clans, gangs or inst.i.tutes involved with someone she'd beaten up prior.

By the third day, Mindy was getting shouted at, spat at, and glared at by practically everybody she met on the streets. Apparently everyone was a friend of a friend of someone or the other she'd offended, beaten, embara.s.sed, or defeated somewhere along the past three days.

Telepathically, she messaged Loh. [I can't do this. You'll have to handle the shopping list. Prioritize mana dust fuel.]

Loh, it turned out, was achieving much better success with the connections of the Tian Di Sect, who graciously welcomed him as a branch member since he was in Club Tian Di. It helped that the crippled Loh allowed them to inspect the Frame that he used to walk around.

Using Tian Di connections, he was even able to snag a few old military airs.h.i.+p schematics and cla.s.sified books on airs.h.i.+p construction. All of these designs, however, guzzled mana fuel like there was no tomorrow. If they ever built these designs they would definitely have to buy a lot of mana fuel from the Dragon Empire to use them. Maybe that was why they were allowed to get away with them?

[How much time… do I… have…?] Loh was new to the whole Psionic/telepathy thing, and was somewhat awkward in his sending.

[I want to leave tomorrow.] Mindy decided.

[Have… pa.s.sengers… wanting… ride…] Loh sent back.

[Pa.s.sengers? Where to?] Mindy blinked.

[To… the Wildlands…] Loh replied.

Mindy gaped. [Who would want to go to the Wildlands from here?]

[School mates… Isabella's friends… the whole Club…]

[What club is that?]

[Club Faith.]