After completing her monthly healing ceremony, the busy of life the Saintess continued. Fae led Maven straight from the grand hall of the church to a small meeting room on the second floor. On this particular day, Maven had scheduled meetings with the Alchemy Guild, Dawn Guild, and some members of The Wings of the Saintess.
*Sigh*
Maven couldn't help but sigh at the name of her group of followers. Not only did Henna manage to name the core membership as the Let's Save the World Club, but Fae somehow named the wider group of her supporters as The Wings of the Saintess - supposedly reflective of her determination to lift Maven to greater heights. Even after breaking the bindings of Fae's soul all those years ago, she never quite outgrew her zealotry.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Kannon asked excitedly, her chipper voice lifting Maven's mood as she flitted through the air.
"You've finally got that old man on your side... You can't walk in there all depressed, now can you?" Henna said in a teasing voice.
Taking advantage of her newfound ghostly nature, she had been feeding Maven intelligence steadily over the last ten years. According to Henna's information, the Sage of the Alchemy Guild was one of the few good men to be found in the capital - though he was a bit touched in the head. He was married to knowledge and his research, valuing it above any money, political influence, or power. Though this nature of his was a bit odd, his lack of interest in connections or wealth also made him trustworthy. Lately, it was Maven's unique magical power that had captured his attention and was the focus of his research.
That Sage sat in the meeting room, staring at Maven with stars in his eyes and fidgeting in impatience.
"Ohhh!! I'm so happy to see you, little Maven!" The bald old man said with joy, long and flawless beard quivering as he spoke. "Please, please, sit with me!"
Seating herself across from the always high-strung old man, Maven psyched herself up for the conversation to come. This 'Sage' was just as much of a pain to handle as Fae used to be, but not due to any strange mental interference. He just tended to get swept along by his interests and ignored the people around him.
"Thanks for coming, sir Taris. I'm always honored that the Sage of the Alchemy Guild would visit an unimportant girl like myself." Maven said primly. The best way to deal with this passionate old man was to keep him at a distance and not get swept away by the flow.
"Don't be so cold! I came to collect some more samples of your fascinating magic power. My research has produced some very promising results and I just couldn't wait another day to see you." The Sage said as he leaned forward across the desk. The enamored gleam in his eye caused Kannon to draw back and Shayna to twitch.
"Promising results? Please, tell me more…" Maven said while calmly resting her head on her chin. "Last I heard from you, you were investigating the possibilities of using my magic to improve some potions and create magic items. Made any progress?"
"Indeed I have, Saintess," The Sage said. "Whatever makes your magic so special, it has allowed me to create so many interesting things! I've made several breakthroughs in the field of medicine, all thanks to you!"
"Oho... This is one talented old man. It's not easy make one breakthrough, let alone several." Henna secretly said, impressed. Perhaps because she had to remain out of sight the vast majority of the time, she always felt the need to make her presence known through running commentary.
"What kind of breakthroughs?" Fae asked joyfully, always happy when something good happens due to or because of her Goddess.
"Before that, could you just fill up the magic gems you lent me while I'm here?" The Sage said excitedly while pulling highest quality crimson gems from his bag, indicating he'd like Maven to store her magic within. "I'm sorry for always asking you for this, but my research burns through the reserves you give me awfully fast."
Maven stared at the old man putting his most innocent expression with disbelief. She had given him enough magic to blow a small town to pieces if used for destructive purposes. The quantity and purity was more than could be output by a hundred court mages... And he somehow used it all in the span of a mere week?
Sighing, Maven obliged the Sage and filled the empty magic gems to the brim. She was very careful to only fill it with light magic, though she did drip the teensiest drop of her divinity into each gem. This was the secret the Sage's miraculous success. Kannon and Henna assured her that it would stay undetectable regardless who looked at it. Maven's divinity was so alien that no individual find it with their own senses and there was no equipment in the world with sensors that could possibly pick it up.
"It's a miracle! Just by infusing the potion making tools with a small amount of your gift, any potion made with those tools would have its effectiveness and shelf-life raised at least 20%. This will cause a revolution in the medical field!"