"The tracking signature on the ley-lines was remarkably precise," Lucien agreed, his left hand tracing a slow, deliberate line across the continental chart spread over the heavy oak table. The parchment map crinkled under his touch, the jagged lines representing the arteries of the world's mana glowing with a faint, residual violet light.
"The siphon did not activate when the common merchants or the lower-tier laborers entered the plaza. It did not flinch at the presence of unrefined magic. It triggered at a highly specific threshold—the exact moment the carriage of Lord Corin, the former Master of the Southern Treasury, reached the secondary gate. He carries a silver staff lined with raw northern focus crystals. Under normal circumstances, it is a tool for personal stabilization. In this environment, it would be an ideal, high-frequency relic for an alchemical relay."
