Nyx wiped sweat from his forehead as he finished casting another Mana Construct. The see-through figure shimmered in the sunlight as it started sweeping the farmyard. Nyx felt tired but happy. His new ability was really helping with the chores.
Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey," he called to his clones, who were working nearby. "Let's try something. Can you guys cast Mana Constructs too?"
The clones looked at each other, unsure. "We don't know," one said. "We've never tried."
"Well, let's give it a shot," Nyx said, grinning. "What's the worst that could happen?"
The first clone stepped forward. He closed his eyes and focused, just like Nyx had done. To everyone's surprise, a glowing shape appeared in front of him. It wasn't as clear as Nyx's constructs, but it was definitely there!
"I did it!" the clone shouted, jumping up and down with excitement.
Encouraged by this success, the second clone tried too. Again, a shimmering figure took shape. It was a bit wobbly, but it was real.
Nyx's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "This is amazing!" he said, his voice full of wonder. "I didn't know you could do that!"
The clones looked just as surprised as Nyx felt. They stared at their constructs, then at each other, then back at Nyx.
"What does this mean?" one clone asked.
Nyx's mind was racing. If each of his clones could make Mana Constructs, that meant he could get even more work done. He could have an army of magical helpers!
"This changes everything," Nyx said, his eyes shining with excitement. "Think about how much we can do now. We can have constructs working all over the farm, all the time!"
The clones nodded, starting to see the possibilities too.
"We could have them watering the plants," one suggested.
"Or cleaning the house," another added.
"Or even helping with simple parts of potion-making," the third chimed in.
Nyx felt like his heart might burst with happiness. This discovery was going to make their lives so much easier. And who knew what else they might be able to do?
"Okay, team," Nyx said, clapping his hands together. "Let's practice. We need to get really good at this. The better our constructs are, the more they can help us."
For the rest of the day, Nyx and his clones worked on making and controlling their Mana Constructs. By sunset, the farm was buzzing with magical activity. Shimmering figures were everywhere, sweeping, carrying, and helping in any way they could.
"Well," Nyx said to himself, "the Mana Constructs are not as great as I hoped."
His clone, working nearby, nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty bad at the hard stuff. We can't trust them with picking herbs or making potions."
Nyx sighed, running a hand through his black hair. "True. But hey, at least the house and yard have never been cleaner."
Even though the Mana Constructs weren't perfect, Nyx couldn't deny they helped a lot. He didn't have to do as much physical work now, which gave him more time and energy for the important jobs that needed his personal attention. And when he found out that each of his clones could also make the constructs, he got even more excited about what he could do.
That evening, as Nyx sat at his desk writing another letter home, he thought about how far he'd come. He'd reached his first big goal of sending some money back to his family. The 10,000 gold he'd sent wasn't the full 12,200 he'd first figured out, but it was a good start.
As he wrote, memories of his childhood came back. He remembered his parents whispering about money problems, family treasures disappearing, and everyone having to be careful with spending. With a sad feeling, Nyx realized that he had probably been the cheapest child to rise. His brother and sister, who were way better at magic, likely needed even more money.
He stopped writing, his quill hovering above the paper. "Hey," he called out to his clones, who were cleaning up after dinner. "Can we talk for a minute?"
The three identical figures gathered around the desk, their violet eyes showing the same mix of emotions Nyx felt.
"I've been thinking," Nyx began, "about the money we're sending home. Why are we limiting ourselves? We could afford to send 10,000 gold each month!"
The clones looked at each other, then nodded slowly. "You're right," one said. "Our parents aren't getting any younger. They deserve some comfort."
"And there's Lyra's future to think about," another added. "A proper marriage will be expensive."
Nyx nodded, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Then it's settled. We'll send 10,000 gold home each month. And we'll write more often too at least once a week."
With new determination, Nyx finished his letter and sealed it with a drop of wax.
The next day, Nyx went into Arcanum City. His first stop was the Mage Guild, where he hoped to make a deal like the one, he had with the Adventurers Guild. The guild officials seemed unsure at first, but Nyx's confident attitude and his history with the guild finally won them over.
"Very well, Mr. Shadowbrook," the guild master said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "We'll agree to a 60-day contract. 50 gold per bottle, with you covering all delivery fees."
Nyx nodded, careful not to show how excited he was. "Agreed. And I'll use the Adventurers Guild to help with deliveries to bring the potions here."
That night, Nyx stood in front of his Mana Trees, ready for their regular feeding. He took a deep breath and started to pour his mana into the first tree. But after a few minutes, he frowned. Something felt off.
"I don't have enough mana," Nyx said, surprised. He looked at his clones. "Can you guys help?"
The clones stepped forward, but they too found their mana pools nearly empty. Nyx scratched his head, puzzled.
"Let me try something," he said. Nyx sat down and began to meditate. To his amazement, he felt his mana refilling much faster than usual. In just a few minutes, his mana pool was full again.
Excited, Nyx jumped up. "That was so quick!" he exclaimed. Then a thought struck him. He turned to his clones. "Hey, check your mana. Did it refill for you too?"
The clones closed their eyes, focusing inward. Their eyes snapped open in surprise. "Yes!" they said together. "Our mana is full too!"
Nyx's mind raced. If he and his clones shared knowledge and could use the same spells, maybe this made sense. But the idea that they all shared the same mana pool, just divided up, was hard for Nyx to understand.
"This doesn't make sense," Nyx muttered, pacing back and forth. "How can we all have the same mana? We're separate beings... aren't we?"
One of the clones spoke up. "Maybe we're not as separate as we thought. We come from you, after all."
Another clone nodded. "Yeah, and we disappear when you dismiss us. Maybe our mana goes back to you then?"
Nyx stopped pacing, his eyes wide. "So when I meditate and refill my mana, I'm actually refilling our shared pool?" he asked.
The clones shrugged. They were as confused as Nyx.
Nyx sat down on the grass, his mind whirling with possibilities. "This changes everything," he said softly. "If we can all use the same mana pool, and refill it together..."
He trailed off, imagining what they could do with this discovery. They could take turns meditating, keeping their shared mana pool always full. They could cast more powerful spells, or keep their Mana Constructs going for longer.
"We need to test this more," Nyx said, standing up with new energy. "Let's see how far we can push this."
They took turns meditating and pouring mana into the tree. Each time, they found that no matter who meditated, all of them got their mana back. And when they poured mana into the tree, they all felt the drain equally.
"This is amazing," Nyx said after their fifth round of experiments. "We're like one big mana battery, and we can recharge super-fast if we work together!"
The clones nodded, looking as excited as Nyx felt.
"Think about what this means for our farm," one clone said. "We could keep the Mana Trees growing almost non-stop."
"And we could cast more powerful spells without worrying about running out of mana," another added.
Nyx's mind was racing with possibilities. This discovery changed everything. They could do so much more now, grow their farm faster, make better potions, maybe even try more advanced magic.
As the sun began to rise, Nyx and his clones looked at the Mana Tree they had been experimenting on. It was now twice as tall as when they started, its leaves a vibrant, healthy green.
"We did that," Nyx said softly, feeling proud. "Together."
"Let's get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Nyx said finally.
As they walked back to the house, Nyx couldn't stop smiling. The future of their farm, and of his magic, looked brighter than ever.
Over the next month, Nyx and his clones settled into a new routine. They took every third day off to study magic, reading deep into arcane books and magical theory. Nyx also invested in his property, spending nearly 2,000 gold on upgrades to his house and alchemy shop. He hired carpenters to expand and fix parts of the house, build stronger fences, and bought small luxuries like wide-brimmed hats and metal water bottles to make the daily work more comfortable.
As the month drew to a close, Nyx made his way back into the city to check on his accounts. The sight of his earnings from both the Adventurers Guild and Mage Guild left him speechless.
"This... this is incredible," Nyx muttered, staring at the figures before him.
From the Adventurers Guild contract, Nyx had earned about 14,400 gold pieces for the month. The math was simple: 60 potions per day at 8 gold each, for 30 days.
The Mage Guild contract, while newer, had made even more money. At 50 gold per bottle and assuming he made about 40 bottles per day for the 30-day contract period, Nyx had earned an amazing 60,000 gold pieces.
In total, his monthly income from both guilds added up to a huge 74,400 gold pieces.
As Nyx was processing these figures, the Mage Guild official cleared his throat. "Mr. Shadowbrook, given how well our current arrangement is working, we'd like to offer you a new contract."
Nyx's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh?"
"Yes," the official continued. "We're prepared to offer you a 3-month contract at the same terms. Your potions have been in high demand, and we'd like to make sure we keep getting them."
Nyx felt a surge of excitement, but he kept his expression neutral. "That's a generous offer. I'll need to think about it carefully. When would this new contract begin?"
"It would start right after your current contract ends," the official replied. "Which, if I'm not mistaken, has about a month left to run."
Nyx nodded thoughtfully. "And what about my contract with the Adventurers Guild?"
"We're aware of your arrangement with them," the official said. "We have no problem with you continuing that contract alongside ours. In fact, we appreciate the efficiency of their delivery system."
"I see," Nyx said, his mind racing with possibilities. "Thank you for the offer. I'll give you my decision within the week."
After sending another 10,000 gold certificate home, he deposited the rest in the bank, his mind reeling with the implications of his growing wealth. Even after accounting for his expenses and investments in the farm, Nyx was left with a profit that far exceeded his wildest dreams from just a few months ago.
That night, back on his farm, Nyx took a moment to assess his progress. He closed his eyes, focusing inward, and called forth his status sheet:
Level: 13
HP: 310
MP: 3,300
Strength: 23
Vitality: 27
Agility: 26
Intelligence: 65
Ability: Mental Clone (Level 8)
- Create up to eight mental clones during meditation
- Increases mana regeneration rate by 35% per active clone
Ability: Physical Clone (Level 3)
- Create up to three physical clones
- Divides current mana pool when active
Ability: Mana Construct (Level 2)
- Create simple magical constructs to perform basic tasks
- Constructs last for 2 hours per 100 MP invested
- Maximum of 4 constructs active at once
Skill: Mana Meditation (Level 9)
- Increases mana regeneration rate by 45% while meditating
Skill: Enhanced Magical Sensitivity (Level 8)
- Grandmaster-level ability to detect and analyze magical energies
Skill: Advanced Herbalism (Level 7)
- World-class knowledge of herb identification, gathering, and cultivation techniques
Skill: Advanced Alchemy (Level 6)
- Grandmaster-level understanding of alchemical principles and complex potion brewing
Skill: Advanced Farming (Level 5)
- Master-level knowledge of crop cultivation, land management, and magical agriculture
Skill: Advanced Business Management (Level 4)
- Expert understanding of business operations, contracts, and financial management
As Nyx absorbed the information, a mix of pride and unease settled in his stomach. His progress was undeniable, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind whispered warnings about the attention such rapid advancement might attract.