They continued to discuss plans, timings and backup plans in case something went wrong.
An hour later they all seperated and returned to the Arcanium.
As Storm was only scheduled to start work the next morning, he returned to his office and studied the notes that the Nogitsune managed to steal from the real Sebastian.
By the time he finished, it was already late at night.
He got up and went to bed, but continued to toss and turn throughout the night.
He missed Aurora's warmth by his side and couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way.
He briefly considered seeking her out, but quickly shot down the idea.
Leyocan advised that everyone keep their distance from each other while at the Arcanium.
Eventually exhaustion claimed him and he slept.
The next morning, he returned to the tea house for an early breakfast, before reporting to the Lich's office.
"I've been considering how to best design this facility for you, when I realized that there is still too much I do not know about your project. " started Storm.
"Ohh? Then please ask your questions and I shall do my best to answer them." Magister Calderon replied.
Some of the questions Storm intended to ask he already knew the answer too, but he hoped that by asking them anyway he could minimize the suspicions the questions that he wanted to get to later on would cause.
"We'll start with the obvious one. How many dragons are you expecting to house in this program?"
"We currently have 2 females and 3 males. Were hoping to expand that number in the next month or two."
"I see. And where exactly are you finding these dragons?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Asked Kaiden .
"It's more important than you realize. Though it is true that all dragons share the same abilities.
Certain bloodlines have developed unique features and coloration over several generations that makes them more accustomed to that particular climate.
A dragon bloodline that spent centuries being raised in the Volcanic Ashlands for example would be more accustomed to warmer climates and may have difficulty adjusting to a colder climate.
This could drastically affect their ability to produce healthy offspring.
The Lich seemed to consider it but his grandson seemed unconvinced.
Storm had exaggerated the facts a little.
Though it is true that there was a period of adjustment for dragons that switched climates.
It wasn't nearly as drastic as Storm had made it sound.
He was hoping to feed doubts into their minds and hopefully delay the project.
Dragons migrated between nesting grounds all the time after all without any serious ill effects.
But he was hoping they didn't know that.
"What nonsense is this!!
We had several different such programs set up and we never encountered problems like this!!" Exclaimed Kaiden.
"Ohh, really?! And how many healthy eggs have these programs produced?!" Asked Storm.
Kaiden gave no reply and averted his eyes.
"Thought as much! This is why you need a proper expert to run these programs, instead of an amateur.
I can't do the job however if I don't know all the facts, so I need to know what bloodline your sourced dragons are decended from, and are you planning to build your program here? Or somewhere else in the world?
The Magister was silent as he considered his options.
His grandson leaned in closer and whispered in his ear.
Storm's heart was beating at twice his normal rate and he was silently praying that he didn't overplay his hand.
After a few tense minutes he spoke up.
"I can't promise that I'll be able to give you all the information you requested.
But I'll do what I can.
The dragons we are sourcing comes from an cold climate, and the location of the program is in the fringes several days away from the Wyrm Tooth mountains.
Storm nodded his head.
"It is as I feared.
The climate from your program is incompatible with the climate of your dragons.
You'll need to adjust the climate in your base"s location to better match the incoming dragons.
I believe the Wizards in Northburg should be able to assist you with that.
But I doubt their aid will come cheap."
The Magister nodded his head.
"Do whatever you have to in order to get it built. Cost is not an issue."
They continued to talk for the next hour or two.
Storm continued asking questions in the hopes of narrowing down the search area, but the Lich was clever and dragging information out of him without arousing suspension was getting increasingly difficult.
The Magister looked at the time dial on his wall, before he interrupted Storm.
"Forgive me, Mister Hawthorne. But I'm afraid my time has run out.
Can we reschedule this for tomorrow?
Draw up some rudimentary plans and I will review them tomorrow and see if they're possible to implement. "
Storm nodded head.
"I'll need to inspect the construction site at some point.
And I'll need a closer look at the dragons once you've acquired them."
"I'll see what I can do, Mister Hawthorne. But I make no promises. "
Storm and the other two left the office together and Storm walked in the direction of his office.
He knew that the two Calderons were scheduled to meet with Aurora at noon to discuss the expedition preparations and he was intending to use that time to search the Magistrate's office.
As soon as he passed the corner, he sent a mental message to Aurora in order to warn her that the Magister was on his way.
Then he settled down to wait for her confirmation that he had arrived.
Once she gave him the all clear, he returned to the office and pulled on the door knob but found it to be locked.
"Kalipso! Can you help me with this?!"
The small purple fairy dragon left his body and floated in front of the key hole.
She changed into her spirit form and flew into the key hole and began to mess with the lock's inner workings.
After a few minutes, Storm heard a 'click' as the door flew open.
"Piece of cake!!" Replied Kalipso.