Origins of a Guild Master: A Thaumorian Legends Novella by A.M. Eno

Author:A.M. Eno [Eno, A.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798989339013
Published: 2023-12-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Eu practically inhaled the sandwich Malachi had purchased for him. He had had it topped with everything the skeletal boy requested, resulting in an absolute mess that Eu licked off his fingers (after Malachi insisted he wash his hands, of course).

Their hour was almost up, and the two returned to the Mistress’s building, talking the entire way.

Eu was curious, asking questions about the City of Kinetics, Malachi’s life, and everything in between. The various inventions from the City of Kinetics and the development process particularly intrigued him.

It was clear to Malachi that, despite having little connection to the Kinetic way of life, the boy examined the world the way a Kinetic would. With pinpoint curiosity, striving to understand the way things worked and how to fix problems with a strategically logical approach, the boy asked questions about the internal mechanisms of train engines, curious how magic and science worked hand-in-hand.

By the time the Mistress’s building came into view, they had moved on to the daily operations of the mines.

“So, your family runs the mines?”

Malachi shook his head. “No. Technically, the mines belong to the city and the council that runs it. My family purchases a share of one of the mines and what comes out of that section. We then sell that back to the city to supplement further innovation or to business owners and inventors in other cities. That profit pays our researchers, who tell us the most profitable sections of the mines, and various other employees who extract the material, refine it, and more.”

“Wow…” the boy whispered, lost in thought. “And what do you do?”

“I read over contracts, business statements, and other forms of paperwork to ensure all the technical aspects are taken care of.”

He did not mention that he would have preferred working in the mine as part of the research team. After all, that was how his family had started in the mining business. They were so successful at what they did, coming from a long line of powerful and sensitive Kinetics, they eventually funded an entire branch of the mining operations.

However, businesses worked better when their wealth was distributed equally, meaning they had an obligation to employ as many people as possible, returning their profits to the community. That meant the family stayed in their place, behind desks, making sure others had their fair share of work and opportunity.

As much as Malachi understood that, and all the other economic theories, it never stopped him from dreaming of the mines. Of walking into the dark and letting his magic mix with his instincts, feeling deep into the rock in search of the precious metals they desired.

Eu’s face screwed to the side. “Well, that sounds boring. You should get a better job.”

An unbidden laugh bubbled out of Malachi. “Maybe.”

The two stopped when the door to the building came into view. Dread filled Malachi’s belly, making him sick, but Eu seemed indifferent. That was home to him; he had walked down the narrow street hundreds of times and had nothing to fear.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.