"Today is the last day, right?" Bertho asked as he made his way back towards the circle where the family had been gathering for the past month. Everyone had grown accustomed to the routine by now, as they had been spending their days cultivating and nurturing the mana vein that was slowly taking shape beneath their ancestral forest. Since they could only properly cultivate for two hours each day, the remaining time was spent guiding mana through their bodies and practising their breathing method. Whether this additional exercise actually helped their cultivation was still uncertain, but there was no evidence suggesting that it could cause any harm.
Besides, there was certainly no shortage of mana to work with, as the amount flowing through the forest had become absolutely enormous. The family had initially struggled to get used to the sheer quantity of mana surrounding them, but after an entire month of following the same routine, most of them had become considerably more comfortable with the process. They had also discovered that there was not much else to occupy their time while waiting for the mana vein to finish developing. Consequently, practicing their professions had become one of their favorite ways to pass the remaining hours.
Unfortunately, even that activity had started presenting its own problems, particularly for the family members who practiced bow-making. They had produced so many bows over the course of the month that they had practically run out of space to store them. While practicing their profession was certainly productive, there was only so much room available for finished equipment, and constantly producing more bows without having somewhere to put them was becoming rather inconvenient. At this point, several family members were beginning to look forward to the end of the nurturing period simply because they wanted to return to their ordinary routines.
"Yes, it should be," Arin replied, confirming Bertho's question as he glanced towards the surrounding forest. The mana concentration had continued increasing throughout the month, and according to the information they had received, today should be the final day of the nurturing process. If everything proceeded according to expectations, the mana vein would finally complete its formation and begin operating independently. That would mark the end of their rather unusual month-long cultivation arrangement and the beginning of an entirely new stage for the Sonnenberg family.
"Still, to think that Grandpa has kept this information from us for so long," Arin remarked as he looked towards the circle filled with family members who were currently cultivating. He had been thinking about it for some time, particularly after realizing how much effort had gone into preparing everything without most of them knowing the real purpose. It was not that he disliked the secrecy, but discovering that the patriarch had been keeping such important information from the family was still somewhat surprising. After all, this was not exactly a small matter that could be dismissed as an ordinary family project.
"Well, can you really blame him? The fewer people who know this information, the better," Bill replied, sounding rather unconcerned about the matter. From his perspective, there was little reason to complain about the patriarch taking precautions when the information involved something as valuable as a mana vein. Even a small leak could potentially attract unwanted attention from people who would be more than happy to interfere with the family's plans. Keeping the number of people informed to a minimum was therefore a sensible decision.
"That is true, but don't we have those contracts now? Shouldn't they prevent people from revealing certain things?" Arin asked with some confusion. The family had already introduced loyalty contracts for a considerable portion of its recruits, and he had assumed that those agreements would provide sufficient protection against information leaks. After all, the contracts were specifically designed to prevent people from betraying the family or disclosing information that they had been entrusted with. It seemed reasonable to him that such measures would make keeping secrets considerably easier.
"We have those, but hints and tips can still be given out," Karl explained as he overheard his grandson's conversation. He had apparently been close enough to hear the discussion, and rather than ignoring it, he decided to provide Arin with an explanation. "That is precisely why I decided to play it safe and only let a select group of people know what was happening. There is no reason to make things unnecessarily complicated when a little caution can prevent a considerable number of problems."
"How do you know that information, Grandpa?" Arin asked, turning towards the patriarch with genuine curiosity. He understood the general idea behind Karl's explanation, but he was interested in knowing how his grandfather had discovered the limitations of their loyalty contracts. It was not as though such information would have been immediately obvious when the contracts were first introduced. Someone must have investigated the matter before the patriarch became confident enough to make decisions based on it.
"Simple. I had it tested," Karl answered without changing his expression. He had clearly put some thought into the matter before deciding how much information could safely be shared with people under the contracts. "If you are dealing with a clever individual, even a few hints and suggestions can be enough for them to work out what is happening. Yet you can do all of that without actually breaking the loyalty contract, which is precisely why I decided not to take unnecessary risks."
"Okay, that is interesting," Arin replied as he settled down and prepared to resume cultivating. He had initially been tempted to ask a few more questions, but the expression on his grandfather's face made him reconsider rather quickly. Karl looked as though he might start giving him another lecture if he continued the conversation, and Arin was not particularly interested in becoming the target of one. He therefore decided that returning to his cultivation was probably the wisest course of action.
"Hmm, that's better. Cultivate well," Karl remarked before turning around and leaving the conversation behind. He seemed satisfied that his grandson had understood the explanation, and there was no particular reason to continue discussing the matter. As for the other recruits who might have overheard their exchange and started drawing their own conclusions, Karl was not especially concerned. The limitations of loyalty contracts were already being investigated and discussed quite extensively, and he was confident that the family would discover any spies before they managed to cause serious damage.
'Right, let's cultivate properly,' Arin thought as he returned his attention to the mana flowing through his body. He was in a rather good mood, especially since he could already feel a considerable improvement in his cultivation speed. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, the mana was moving through his body at a pace that actually made him feel as though he was progressing. It was a welcome change from the frustratingly slow cultivation he had experienced throughout the previous weeks.
Previously, it had hardly mattered where he cultivated, as his progress had remained painfully slow regardless of his surroundings. Although he had no reliable way of measuring precisely how little progress he had made, there was one rather obvious indication that something was wrong. His status panel had not updated at all, and it continued to display his stage as Mortal without showing any further advancement. Considering how much effort he had invested in cultivation, this was becoming rather frustrating, especially when he knew that other people were making considerably better progress.
The reason behind this situation was already relatively well understood within the family, as they had discovered quite some time ago that their chosen mana attribute was exceptionally rare. Their suspicions had been confirmed when they examined the records from the mana stone mines and realized just how little nature-attributed mana was naturally available. There simply had not been enough mana of the appropriate attribute to support the cultivation of so many family members simultaneously. Consequently, even though the Sonnenbergs had an excellent cultivation method, they were struggling to make meaningful progress because the surrounding environment could not provide the resources they needed.
Fortunately, the patriarch had assured everyone that he was already dealing with the problem, and the current situation was proof that he had not been exaggerating. The mana vein was almost ready to be born, and once it completed its formation, the family would finally have a reliable source of nature-attributed mana. This was precisely why Karl had been so confident when he announced that everyone should participate in the month-long nurturing process. He had known that the family's cultivation difficulties would eventually be resolved, even if most of them had not understood what was happening behind the scenes.
If Gaia had been able to hear their complaints, she would probably have laughed at their misunderstanding of the situation. The amount of nature-attributed mana they were using to cultivate was not something that should have been available in such quantities under ordinary circumstances. Even a healthy planet would struggle to produce enough nature mana to support so many cultivators, particularly when the ecosystem responsible for generating it was still developing. Yet the Sonnenberg forest was producing considerably more nature mana than should have been possible, especially considering its relatively small size and incomplete development.
The reason behind this unusual abundance was the Nature Heart tree that the family had been using as the foundation of their magic filter circle. Its presence had created circumstances that allowed the surrounding ecosystem to produce and refine considerably more nature mana than it otherwise could have. Without that particular tree, the Sonnenbergs would have struggled to cultivate using their chosen attribute, and establishing a mana vein would have been considerably more troublesome. Gaia certainly did not regret giving them such an opportunity, as she had deliberately provided similar advantages to several other factions throughout the world.
In fact, Gaia was rather pleased with the results, as humanity had demonstrated a much closer connection to mana than should have been possible under ordinary circumstances. The various miracles that humans had performed throughout history had left traces within their bloodlines, and those traces had persisted across countless generations. Although most humans had long since forgotten the origins of those abilities, the connections had never entirely disappeared. Now that mana and cultivation were returning to the world, those ancient traces were beginning to reveal their usefulness once again.
Gaia was certainly not going to complain about that development, as the more people explored a particular mana attribute and the laws connected to it, the better it was for her as a planet. Every new discovery, experiment, and interpretation provided another perspective on the underlying laws governing the universe. Even when someone failed to understand the complete picture, their attempts could still contribute something valuable to the collective understanding of a particular attribute. From Gaia's perspective, humanity's creativity was one of its greatest advantages.
A particularly good example was the development of the laws associated with swords. Those laws had become exceptionally well explored over the course of history, largely because countless swordsmen had spent generations studying and practising their chosen weapons. Their experiences, discoveries, and personal interpretations had gradually expanded the available understanding of swordsmanship. However, the actual swordsmen were not the only ones who had contributed to this development, as the fictional swordsmen found in stories and fantasy literature also counted.
After all, even an imaginary swordsman could introduce a new perspective on a particular concept, regardless of whether their techniques could actually be performed in reality. A fictional technique might inspire someone to approach an existing problem from an entirely different direction, while an imaginary sword technique could encourage someone to explore possibilities they would otherwise never have considered. It did not matter whether the original idea had ever been tested or whether the fictional character could genuinely exist. What mattered was the new perspective it provided, and Gaia was perfectly happy to benefit from every additional interpretation humanity could produce.
Meanwhile, Arin remained completely unaware of the thoughts occupying Gaia's attention, as he was far too busy concentrating on the enormous quantity of mana flowing through his body. He had been cultivating for approximately an hour when something unexpected happened beneath his feet. At first, he felt a faint tremor passing through the ground, almost as though something enormous had shifted beneath the forest. Before he could properly understand what was happening, a tremendous boom echoed throughout the surrounding area.
Immediately afterward, a massive wave of green mana erupted from beneath the small sapling at the center of the family's preparations. The energy spread outwards like an enormous wall, rushing through the forest and washing over everything in its path. It was so sudden and powerful that anyone who had not been concentrating on their cultivation would probably have been startled out of their position. Yet the people gathered around the circle were still busy refining the enormous quantities of mana entering their bodies.
The sapling itself had finally begun to change, and the difference was immediately noticeable to anyone who happened to be watching it. After remaining almost completely motionless for so long, it had finally grown by approximately two centimeters. That might not have seemed particularly impressive to an ordinary observer, but considering how long the tree had remained unchanged, it was an extraordinary development. The tiny, seemingly immovable sapling had finally demonstrated that it was capable of growing.
Unfortunately, Arin was not in a position to appreciate the spectacle, as he was currently concentrating too hard on refining the incredible quantity of mana flowing through his body. The sudden increase in available nature mana had created an opportunity that he could hardly afford to waste, especially after spending so much time struggling with his cultivation speed. His attention remained focused on controlling the flow of energy and ensuring that his body properly refined what it absorbed. If he had looked up at that moment, however, the sight unfolding throughout the forest would undoubtedly have caused his jaw to drop.
For the mana wave had not simply affected the sapling or the immediate area surrounding the cultivation circle. Everywhere it passed, the plants throughout the Sonnenberg forest were responding to the sudden influx of nature-attributed mana. The entire ecosystem was beginning to undergo a transformation, and the changes were considerably more dramatic than anything the family had witnessed during the previous month. Yet Arin remained completely oblivious to the spectacle, continuing to cultivate while the forest around him entered an entirely new stage of development.