The Shadow that Engulfs Everything

Once again in bed, James simply dedicated himself to recovering.

Meanwhile, preparations for war were taking place rapidly and frantically in other parts.

"Miss, your older sister Rose demands that you quickly find qualified individuals for the next expedition," said a woman in a butler's attire.

The visibly stressed girl pounded her fist on the table. "Tell her she'll have it," and dismissed the maid.

"Isabela, how is the recruitment process going? How close are we to filling our positions?" the young girl asked.

"Miss Jasmine, unfortunately, the local government has surpassed us by a wide margin. Although we managed to find some artisans willing to join our group after promising extensive benefits, we still don't have anyone to fill the roles of rune smith and enchanter," Isabela replied.

"Damn it! After the great triumph of providing new knowledge to my family, it was clear that they would try to sabotage me. They probably even handed over classified information about all the artisans we had gathered. Otherwise, I can't explain how they were so quick," Jasmine exclaimed.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. "Miss Jasmine, it's Aura. I request permission to enter," a voice came from outside.

"Come in," Jasmine replied.

A young girl slightly younger than Isabela entered the room, with exactly the same facial features.

"We finally convinced an enchanter to join our expedition," the young girl responded from a safe distance.

"We only lack a blacksmith. What has the information department said about it?" Jasmine asked.

"We have combed the streets and searched everywhere, but there doesn't seem to be any certified rune smith in any known association," Isabel answered.

"What about the unofficial ones?" Jasmine asked, slightly angered.

"There are some, but none of them allow us to evaluate them, and based on the impression they give, I don't think we can find one that meets our minimum requirements," Isabela replied.

"Damn it! Are there only bad news? Did you really accomplish nothing?" an angry Jasmine asked.

"Well, to be honest, there is something that might interest you. Remember the man we were asked to investigate, James? It turns out we found someone with the same name under the care of Master Strom," Isabela responded.

"Why don't the names ring a bell?" Jasmine asked.

"Miss, Master Strom is a renowned rune smith. He has no contact with any faction, and it is difficult to influence him. It is known that this smith has a powerful inheritance from the grand master Skell, although we don't know what it is. He also seems to have a great rivalry with his ex-wife, and we are still finding out more about her," Isabela summarized.

"And the other individual?" Jasmine asked.

"We haven't been able to confirm that he is the same person who sold us the information. He rarely interacts with anyone in the city and hasn't made any moves to join the expedition yet, so we don't know his intentions," Isabela said.

"Let's wait a few more days. We need to know a bit more about his intentions. But if someone else tries to take him, act quickly," Jasmine concluded, and she continued reviewing documents, reports, and giving orders.

Similar meetings were taking place in other parts.

The high command of the Republic of Shirstan had made every effort to attract the largest contingent possible. They had also contacted the independent forces living within their territory. The idea was to coordinate the efforts that would be made within the plane to obtain the maximum amount of resources and train their human capital more effectively.

They knew that portals would open in many places, and it was very likely that they would encounter a large number of races within the portal. There were several distinct cultures among some races, and even religious differences. If the humans could present a united front, it would be much easier to obtain what they needed and preserve their forces, as they were risking a significant portion of their younger forces.

Similar meetings could be seen in other nations.

To the south of the Republic of Shirstan were the Bhurk tribes. What had once been the lands of a prosperous elven empire were now a wasteland ruled by scattered orc tribes. It could hardly be called a government, as these tribes followed the famous rule of "strike first, ask questions later."

Here, too, a portal would emerge. The important thing was that it would appear near the border areas where there were still plenty of remaining elven forces in seclusion. Both groups planned to enter the plane and fight to the death for resources.

To the east was the Skalese Empire, an elven empire of trow culture, also known as dark elves. They were in conflict with all their neighbors, largely due to their failure to intervene during the orc invasion. However, disputes had already existed before that.

"My queen, the preparations are complete. We have a large contingent ready, extensive plans, and we have ensured that there will be a large Azulite crystal within the portal," said a pale elf.

"Good," the ruler replied. She then addressed her gathered followers from a platform. "My subjects, we have inhabited these lands since ancient times. We have worked and cultivated them. Our cultural development is deeply connected to these lands. However, those wretched Quenians have slowly taken away our rightful lands. Now, the time has come to show our power. We will take the conflict to their lands and reclaim what is ours. Dear subjects, it all begins with the appearance of this special plane. I hope you rise to meet my expectations."

The crowd was fervent, shouting the name of their ruler, A-SHA-RA, in unison.

In the nearby kingdom of Himlar, a similar scene was unfolding. Since the fall of the ancient elven empire, this kingdom had been a prominent candidate to take on the mantle of elven unification. However, their continuous defeats in dealing with the trow had weakened their standing among the various elven theocracies. This time, they were determined to acquire advanced resources to manufacture ultimate weapons and surpass the combat power of the elves at a high level.

On the other side of the continent, the Kobolds were preparing to defend their island. It had always been a sacred place for the giant races living on the continent, and since it was taken from them during the Great Exodus, they had been in a perpetual war. They needed to obtain a large amount of resources to build ships and necessary improvements to maintain their sovereignty. They would even be satisfied if they could sabotage the expeditions of the giants and ensure that they didn't acquire the resources.

There were other groups planning their rise and the downfall of others. The appearance of the plane cast a shadow of war that engulfed the continent.

In his room, James finally felt better. This time, he had taken the necessary time to recover and had received potions from his master to properly treat his internal injuries.

"Master, I believe I am finally capable of handling the orders for low-quality runic weapons mandated by the municipality. This way, you can focus on taking the best orders for higher-quality weapons that will aid in your development and bring more resources to the workshop," James said to his master.

Strom considered his disciple's words for a moment and then nodded. Both of them headed towards a desk where Strom kept his contracts.

"Let me see," Strom said, rummaging through the contracts. "The contract for this quarter requires me to sell at least 120 runic swords, but it doesn't specify the runes."

"Why is the contract so loose? It doesn't make sense if they don't specify what they want," James asked.

"This contract is with the government. It's more of a subsidy to my workshop. They provide me with resources, but in return, they demand that I allocate a portion of my time to making basic swords that I wouldn't otherwise make. If they didn't do this, people of lower levels would hardly be able to access quality weapons," Strom explained. "That's why there are usually dozens of disciples in the workshops, even if they can't advance to higher classes. Their function is solely to create low-level weapons."

"Understood. So, if this is just a subsidy, it's those merchants we've talked to a couple of times who purchase and decide the orders. What does the republic gain from this?" asked James, speaking from the perspective of an editor.

"The republic ensures that the nation's newcomers have a space to develop. If all the blacksmiths dedicated their time solely to researching and usually selling high-level weapons, there wouldn't be quality weapons available in the lower sectors. Of course, this is all in theory, as in practice, the runic weapons for the contracts are generally made by individuals with the lowest prospects of advancing or those who simply aren't willing to pursue perfection," Strom replied.

Strom compared the subsidy he had accepted with the current sales contracts and found one that was suitable for James.

"This contract is perfect for you. These weapons require normal quality and runes of medium complexity, suitable for a beginner. I'm sure it will help you get accustomed to your new abilities," Strom concluded.

They both had a brief conversation with James, asking some practical questions about how to fulfill the contracts, and then they got to work.

In the following days, James noticed a significant change in his abilities. This was due to the advantages he had received after his class upgrade. While most people received abilities that specifically helped them in their respective fields, he had received passive abilities, specifically two.

Material Mastery (Incomplete 1/5): As a world builder, you possess a fine mastery of materials and understand their composition, allowing you to assess the rarity of each material and its intrinsic capabilities.

Runic Smith (Beginner): Your mastery of blacksmithing and runes has reached a new level, enabling you to forge, inscribe, and trace runes more easily.

Both abilities were tremendous aids. Material Mastery allowed him to recognize and evaluate basic materials. However, the incomplete level indicated that as he increased his affinities, this ability could be upgraded. If his conjecture was correct, at the maximum level, he could recognize legendary objects and materials, which would give him a significant advantage over others. Many materials and resources could only be recognized by a master.

Furthermore, this was just the ability his class granted him upon partially entering the beginner range. Combined with the upgrade to his blacksmithing abilities, which allowed him to work with more complex runes, James felt very optimistic about his future.

The city was entering a state of war. Although there was no army marching on these lands, the outcome of the next expedition would profoundly impact the future of the republic and the composition of the powers that dominated it. Powerful clans and families from Earth who had found the portals and were mobilizing their resources to this world sought to enter the power game here. Although their troops and fortresses were still too weak to challenge the rulers directly, they had a significant advantage. Coming from another world, they had received a temporary bonus that allowed them to quickly train loyal warriors. Moreover, since these warriors had their families back on Earth, it was very difficult for the locals to try to recruit them, unlike the reverse situation. The clans from Earth were increasingly persuading more and more citizens of Elysium, which helped them increase their influence.

For the local nobles, this disruption was a real pain in the backside. In normal times, they would have fought and displaced them. However, the republic had fallen so low that if they were to do that, they would quickly lose the support of the citizens. Thus, they found themselves with their hands tied, having to compete sincerely. This had finally led them to commit to training and providing more resources to the young talents. In a way, it could be said that the arrival of the Earthlings in Elysium had caused a resurgence and renewal of the republic's spirit. Many people were now working hard and aspiring to increase their classes.

And so, James and Jazmín crossed paths again, but this time it would be she who would benefit.