"Okay, and what kind of tree is it?" Karl asked, the intrigue in his voice impossible to miss. He had gradually moved to the edge of his seat during Arin's explanation and was now leaning forward in anticipation. Any plant capable of serving as the heart of such a grand formation had to be something extraordinary. Judging by his grandson's expression, the answer was likely going to be surprising.
"It is called the Nature Tree," Arin replied, his voice noticeably heavier than before. "Although, according to the book, it is more commonly known as the Nature Heart." The moment those words left his mouth, Karl nearly fell out of his chair. Several of the elders also stiffened in surprise, as though they had just heard the name of a legendary treasure.
"What do you mean, Nature Heart?" Karl asked with an incredulous expression. Even someone as composed as him struggled to maintain his calm after hearing that name. Although he had never seen one himself, he had read enough ancient myths to understand just how extraordinary such a tree was supposed to be. If the book truly required one, then this project had just become far more serious than he initially thought.
"According to the illustrations and descriptions in the tome, the trunk of a Nature Tree contains something that resembles a living heart," Arin explained. "The tree is considered a living entity in its own right, almost as though it possesses a will of its own." He carefully opened the book to one of the illustrations and turned it so everyone could see. In the center of the trunk was a glowing shape that indeed looked remarkably similar to a heart.
"Okay… interesting," Karl muttered as he forced himself to calm down. There were more important matters to discuss than the tree's appearance. If this magic circle truly worked the way Arin described, then they still had one major problem left unsolved. The old man narrowed his eyes and tapped the drawing of the formation.
"But how do we keep the nature mana inside the forest?" Karl asked seriously. "Right now, this looks like building a walk-in freezer and then leaving the door wide open." He pointed at the various lines on the diagram. "I assume these are supposed to contain the mana somehow, but I have no idea how that is supposed to work."
"The book describes several methods of containing the mana," Arin replied while flipping through the pages. "Unfortunately, only one of them is currently available to us. The others are either far beyond our capabilities or require resources that simply do not exist on Earth yet." Even while saying those words, he could not help feeling a little disappointed.
"The most convenient method would be the use of runes," he continued. "If we were capable of inscribing runes onto the nodes of the magic circle, we wouldn't have to do anything else to keep the nature mana contained." He shook his head a moment later. "Unfortunately, rune crafting is far beyond our current level, so that option is completely unavailable to us."
"The last method described by the book is considered the proper way of establishing a true nature cycle," Arin said. "According to the author, it is actually superior to the rune method in some ways." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "The only problem is that it's also the most expensive option."
The moment the word expensive was spoken, Bennie practically jumped out of his chair. He already considered the project outrageously costly as it was. Hearing that there were cheaper methods that they simply could not use filled him with despair. He looked at the book as though it had personally betrayed him.
"The best way to prevent our nature mana from leaking into the outside world is to connect every node of the hexagram and the surrounding circle using Boundary Mycelium," Arin explained. He then turned the book around and displayed another diagram, this one showing an intricate network of fungal strands spread beneath the ground. The picture looked surprisingly beautiful despite its complexity.
"What exactly is a boundary?" Lilly asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun. Until now she had simply listened quietly, but this part had finally piqued her curiosity. The others also looked toward Arin, waiting for an explanation. None of them had ever heard of such a thing.
"It is a special type of fungus that naturally marks the borders of a space," Arin replied. "According to the notes, this particular mycelium likes to surround trees that release attribute mana." He pointed to several small illustrations showing roots and fungal strands intertwined with one another. "It absorbs the excess mana released by those trees and returns it to them as nutrients, creating a mutually beneficial relationship."
The more mana the fungus returned, the more it could absorb in turn. Over time, that process became a perfect cycle, with both organisms helping each other grow stronger. According to the book, if they planted the mycelium exactly as shown in the diagram, it would gradually form a dome around the entire forest. That dome would separate the mana inside from the mana outside, preventing the refined nature mana from escaping.
"It is essentially a natural barrier," Arin said proudly. "Instead of using force to trap the mana, it creates a living ecosystem that continuously recycles it." The idea fascinated him more than almost anything else in the book. It was elegant, efficient, and completely in harmony with nature.
"Good," Karl said after studying the diagram for a while. "Now, you specifically mentioned that the magic circle could function properly for one hundred and fifty thousand silver coins." His expression became serious once more. "I have the feeling that there is more to that statement than you initially told us."
"That's correct," Arin admitted calmly. "The magic circle we're discussing can indeed operate for that amount of money." He then raised a finger to emphasize his next point. "However, it is important to understand that this is only the most basic version of the formation."
The room immediately grew quiet again.
"There are many additional symbols and formations that can be added to make the magic circle far more complete and efficient," Arin explained. "But those upgrades are only relevant for the future. At the moment, we neither possess the resources nor the need for such an elaborate setup." He smiled slightly. "Even the basic version will benefit us for a very long time."
"Shall I list the costs of the materials?" Arin asked.
"Please do," Bertho replied immediately, already holding a pen and paper. The old man looked determined to eliminate every unnecessary expense he could find. If there was even a single silver coin that could be saved, he intended to find it.
"Very well," Arin said with a nod. "The sapling of the Nature Heart will cost one hundred thousand silver coins."
Silence filled the room.
"How much?" Bennie finally asked, his mouth hanging open. The pen and paper slipped from his hands and landed on the floor with a soft thud. He barely noticed.
"It's one hundred thousand silver coins," Arin repeated.
"What kind of sapling costs one hundred thousand silver coins?" Bennie asked in disbelief.
"Actually, it's incredibly cheap," Arin replied while pointing at the illustration of the tree. "You have to remember that we're only buying a sapling. Compared to a mature Nature Heart, this price is practically a bargain."
"But if we buy that thing, won't I have to bow to it as though it were one of our ancestors?" Bennie asked weakly. "At that price, we can't allow anything to happen to it." The treasurer immediately imagined dozens of disasters that could destroy such an expensive tree and nearly felt faint.
"Well… you could say that," Arin admitted while scratching his head awkwardly.
"As for the remaining fifty thousand silver coins, forty thousand will be spent on the various trees and shrubs required by the formation," he continued. "The final ten thousand are needed to purchase the Boundary Mycelium." Compared to the Nature Heart, those prices almost sounded reasonable.
"Okay," Karl said after looking around the room. "I assume no one has any major objections to this plan?" He was met with complete silence. No one seemed eager to reject the opportunity despite the terrifying cost.
"Good. I'll make sure we obtain the money," Karl declared as he rose from his chair. "Arin, you are going to bed immediately, and the rest of the elders will read the entire tome tomorrow." The old man looked around at everyone once more before dismissing the meeting. It was already midnight, and after everything they had learned that evening, everyone desperately needed some sleep.