"Ranni, perfect timing."
"I'm afraid my timing may not be so perfect." Ranni's four arms were paired symmetrically. One pair rested folded across her lap while the other formed a steeple before her chest, somehow preserving both the elegance of a lady and the contemplative air of a sage. Thops and Doniel both looked at her with open admiration.
Yet for such a refined and scholarly lady, there was a faintly petty, almost jealous edge to her words.
"Certain people promised to speak with me in detail after the gathering, only to wander off on their own and force me to come looking for them."
"I assumed you'd come find me again, so I didn't want to bother you. Besides, you were the one who left the party without saying goodbye. And no matter when you arrive, your timing is always perfect. There's no such thing as a bad time for you to show up."
"Ah, what a silver tongue. Let us spare ourselves these pointless pleasantries before people start thinking Skyl and Ranni are both nothing but empty talk.
"I've already heard from my subordinates that you managed to get yourself into trouble not long after joining the Academy, becoming entangled in the infighting between the different schools. Very much in keeping with your usual style.
"Academic disputes may appear civilized on the surface, but at times they can be even crueler than a battlefield. Those who lose can be expelled, imprisoned, or even tortured."
Thops's face rapidly went pale. "Surely it wouldn't go that far..."
Ranni wasn't finished. "A defeated school will be carved apart. Its students, texts, laboratories, everything will be divided among the victors, and it may never achieve anything again. Your entire theoretical system could eventually bear someone else's name, while you yourself are reduced to an insignificant footnote in history."
Skyl waved a hand, reassuring everyone. "All right, that kind of petty scheming is irritating enough without dwelling on it. Since I'm here, I won't allow things to reach that point. Besides, the Academy of Raya Lucaria is nothing more than a little pond filled with people who think far too highly of themselves. So what if we leave?"
As long as people knew they had somewhere else to go, they wouldn't panic.
What Skyl offered them was precisely that, a way out, and hope for the future.
Ranni looked toward the young apprentice Moli. "I can help any one of you pass the examination. You needn't concern yourself with what method I use."
Skyl could more or less guess what the prickly Ranni was refusing to explain. It would probably involve something like possessing someone's soul or body, allowing her to take the exam in their place. She would effectively be acting as an undetectable stand-in.
"How about hearing my solution first?"
Skyl held out his hand, and a flame appeared in his palm.
"That is... the Grace of Silver?"
"Try it."
She did not immediately reach out to touch the Grace. Experiences of this sort had left her understandably wary.
Ranni's tone grew serious. "Skyl, tell me what your goal is. Do you intend to become a second Greater Will and harvest the blood and souls of the Lands Between?"
"We discussed this the first time we met. My answer is no. It was no then, and it will remain no in the future. I intend to give this Grace freely to people who have no hope left in their lives."
"That does not sound like something you would say. You should be more... mischievous. Something like, 'I intend to give this prank away for free to every self-important fool I can find.'"
"What exactly do you think of me?"
Skyl looked helpless. Beside him, Millicent and Melina wore strange expressions, as though they were trying not to laugh.
Ranni extended one hand and touched the flame in Skyl's palm.
Her body blurred for a brief instant.
She had just entered an instanced plane.
"So this is the Grace of Silver? You intend to give this opportunity to everyone? That is far too dangerous. Perhaps even more dangerous than the Erdtree's Grace." Ranni paused, then gave him a knowing look. "Oh, I suppose I was right about you after all. This is exactly the sort of thing you would create. The players of the Silver Network are going to throw the world into chaos."
"You already tried an instanced plane?"
"Yes. I obtained some Candle Coins. What are they used for?"
"Open the skill shop in the game system, and then the public auction house. Candle Coins are the currency used in both. You can use them to rapidly learn skills or trade resources with other players."
Ranni opened the skill shop.
The selection was staggering. It contained an ocean of skills covering the accumulated knowledge of two entire universes. Without a search function, merely flipping through the pages manually would probably take several years before anyone reached the end.
"Doesn't the Tower of Tomes already provide access to all knowledge? Why should anyone need Candle Coins to learn?"
"Some knowledge requires a lifetime of study before you can truly master it. With Candle Coins, you can achieve that same mastery in the blink of an eye."
"That is certainly convenient. But there is far too much useless material in this store. Most of what I see has absolutely nothing to do with magic." Ranni could not resist complaining. "Could you not add a few more filters?"
"You can submit the suggestion to the Tower of Tomes' central brain. Improving the user experience is part of its job."
"There is pitifully little information here about glintstone sorcery."
"The Tower of Tomes hasn't collected much material on the subject. If you possess new magical knowledge, you can submit it. The Silver Network is always purchasing new knowledge and skills." Skyl rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, we should put that notice right on the store homepage. Maybe even offer some kind of first-purchase rebate... There's nothing wrong with making it more commercial if the players are the ones benefiting."
"So this is your solution? Earn Candle Coins and use them to learn." Ranni's voice carried a faint trace of disappointment. "I suppose it is a rather... unconventional solution."
She had realized that Skyl no longer needed her help. That made it somewhat awkward for her to ask him for something in return.
"Many people simply aren't good at studying. Some never find the right method, while others simply weren't born with the aptitude required for certain subjects. An instanced plane is a game, but it is also a second life. At the very least, everyone understands how to live, because life itself forces people to learn."
"Then where do these Candle Coins come from?"
"Candle Coins are the refined essence of thought. There are two main ways to generate that kind of thought. The first is through thinking, studying, and labor. The second is by entering instanced planes."
"Instanced planes can produce Candle Coins as well?"
"Exactly. You can think of it as developing a mineral deposit."
Skyl did not explain further.
Creating instanced planes consumed divine power. No matter how resilient Skyl was, he could not endlessly create new ones. Large-scale instanced worlds in particular demanded enormous effort. If he continued without restraint, he would gradually weaken, while the Silver Tree itself would eventually be drained until it withered.
Sustainable growth required a healthy internal cycle.
A god created an instanced world. Players entered it and experienced its story. By killing enemies and fulfilling wishes, they gathered the thoughts generated by the beings within that world and converted them into Candle Flames.
Skyl retained a portion to compensate for the energy spent creating and maintaining the plane, while the remainder went to the players.
The split was roughly thirty-seventy.
Skyl took thirty percent. The players received seventy.
One or two runs barely mattered, but as the number of players and completed instances steadily increased, those small gains would accumulate. Eventually, Skyl could turn the system from a drain on his resources into something profitable.
Players could also spend a huge number of Candle Coins to purchase ownership of an instanced plane from the Silver Network and develop it into their own territory. From that point onward, all production generated by the plane would belong entirely to its player-owner.
Naturally, the plane itself would still operate through the Silver Network.
The player simply graduated from worker to property owner.
For now, the business model seemed entirely viable.
Skyl had already invited Stan Lee and Ao to participate, and he might invite even more gods in the future.
The gods of the Forgotten Realms had already caught glimpses of what was coming. They spared no effort in sending their followers to Skylrael, hoping to have them become players within the Silver Network. Through those players, the gods could extend their influence into instanced worlds and countless planes across the multiverse.
They, too, would desire Candle Coins.
With enough Candle Coins, it was even possible to purchase the services of gods.
"Tomorrow's examination is divided into theory and practical application. If you purchase Academy Glintstone Sorcery Theory, Glintstone Pebble, Swift Glintstone Shard, and the other relevant knowledge and skills, you should be able to handle the exam. Altogether, you'll need thirteen hundred Candle Coins. So tonight's objective is to earn that much."
Thops stared at Skyl in shock. "How is that possible? One instanced plane only gives a dozen or so Candle Coins."
"That's because the difficulty of your instance was too low. I'll share a multiplayer instance with you. Check your messages."
Everyone except Doniel received a private message.
The moment Ranni read the description, she looked at Skyl in astonishment.
"Player 'Hogwarts' Greatest Diviner' has invited you to join the instanced plane Starbreaker Radahn's Last Battle.
"Instance Type: Large-Scale Multiplayer Instance
"Recommended Level: 15-20
"Mission Description: General Radahn, the Red Lion, known as the 'Starbreaker,' was infected by the Scarlet Rot after his battle with Malenia and lost his sanity. Castellan Jerren has organized a festival of combat at Redmane Castle, gathering warriors from across the Lands Between to challenge General Radahn and grant the mightiest demigod an honorable death in battle.
"Participate in the Radahn Festival and kill Radahn.
"Completion Rewards: 2,000-30,000 Candle Coins based on combat contribution. 70% chance to obtain a random blue Rare item, 20% chance to obtain a random purple Exotic item, 8% chance to obtain a random gold Legendary item, and 2% chance to obtain an orange Mythic item.
"Accept Invitation: [Yes/No]"
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