Mark of the Fool
Chapter 659: The Name ‘Roth’

“Did you know that most members of our wizard-council have been regular customers of yours for months now?” Kartika, a councillor in the city of Generasi, asked Alex.

He raised an eyebrow. “No, I didn’t know that…”

Alex remembered Kartika well; she and some of her fellow councillors were with Baelin the day of the grand opening of the Roth Family Bakery. The six-armed wizard had been partly responsible for Govert Beerensteyn’s arrest after he’d bungled his sabotage plan.

He remembered her and her companions enjoying a meal with the chancellor at the bakery, enthusiastically complementing the food, which was why Alex was a little surprised when he'd never seen her there again.

He’d assumed that she and the other councillors already had favourite places around the city to visit, and were spoiled for choice considering how long they’d been on the wizard-council. Truthfully, he hadn't really spent that much time thinking about it since the bakery had attracted a lot of loyal customers from the hundreds employed by the city.

“You look a little confused,’ Kartika said. “Surprised you didn’t see us again?”

“Well, I didn’t really think about it too much. I just assumed you already had your preferred restaurants,” Alex said. “Or probably had servants at home to make your meals.”

“Hah!” Kartika laughed. “If only my kitchen staff could make a custard as delicate as yours. It has a certain flavour that always leaves me wanting more, but happily, I haven’t had to deny myself more. That’s one of the perks of having an intern.” She smiled, stretching like a contented house cat.

“Ooooh, well that makes sense.” Alex said, remembering regulars who came in every work day to pick up big orders to takeaway. He’d thought they were buying for themselves and their co-workers, it hadn’t occurred to him they were buying meals for the wizard-council.

“I’m glad you enjoy the food,” he said smoothly. “If I’d known, I would have brought some treats for our meeting today.”

“Ah, well that’s too bad, but don’t worry, my intern is never far away.” She laughed. “And besides, all treats would be more than welcome in any future meetings we have.”

‘That’s a good sign,’ Alex thought.

“Well, I’m happy to hear that positive news about my bakery's been spreading,” he chuckled.

“Word’s been spreading about more than your baking, Mr. Roth,” Kartika said. “To be honest, our department of commerce is rather interested in your progress within the city. The fact that you are so young, have come from a war-torn country, and are already starting different, and so far, rather successful businesses before you’ve even graduated from the university, is something that’s being watched with great interest. And commerce is not alone. Research and development has samples of dungeon core essence that has their lab staff simply buzzing with excitement at the thought of having the opportunity to examine your golems. Preferably, Claygon, but any one of them would do.”

Alex blushed, embarrassed, but excited. “Really, now?”

“Of course. Then there’s the shipping company you’re presently associated with. That business is much like you, if you’ll allow the analogy—coming out of nowhere with few if any referrals, and becoming a success on its own merit without letters of introduction from any established merchant houses. It’s quite remarkable.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Alex said, pleased with the direction the conversation had taken.

“Absolutely,” she assured him. “You’re…what, twenty one? Twenty two?”

“Just turned twenty.”

She whistled. “Even more reason for people to pay attention to you. Baelin has told me all about your accomplishments at the university and on the research team in Thameland; he isn’t a man who often exaggerates, but I still had a spot of trouble believing half of what he was telling me about you. But, after your victories at the Games of Roal, and how successful you’ve been in establishing two rapidly expanding businesses, I couldn’t help but become a believer and see that your future looks very bright. You should give some thought to working for the wizard-council once you graduate, young man—with your accomplishments—you’ll likely have a spot ready-made for you.”

Toraka raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to poach my business partner?”

“Maybe,” Kartika said. “I would not mind having him among my staff, it seems he’s very good at handling multiple careers at once.”

“Well, I’m very flattered,” Alex said, lowering his head slightly. It was important to show humility; from what he understood, the average age of the wizards on council was…ancient. They wouldn’t allow foolishness and arrogance in the younger members among them, especially those with exceptional talents.

At the same time, he couldn’t show false humility. No doubt, lots of people had tried that before, hoping to look like something they weren't.

“Thank you for the kind words, I’m very very flattered,” he continued. “But I feel it’s too early for me to talk about employment yet. I have another two years before I finish my undergrad, in spite of everything I’ve done so far. Planning what I’d like to do after I get my degree is important, but who knows what could happen between now and then, and I wouldn’t want to be so arrogant as to think you’d still be interested in me if my fortunes suddenly changed.”

“Of course,” Kartika paused. “Wisely said; what is the highest spell tier you can presently cast?”

“I can cast up to fourth tier-spells right now,” Alex said. “But, I think I’m getting closer to casting a fifth-tier summoning spell.”

“Very good, you have nearly mastered the tier most university students have mastered when they graduate and you’re still two years away from that; I look forward to hearing more about your growth and progress, Mr. Roth. But, I’ve let us get distracted.” She looked over the operations budget proposed by him and Toraka. “Your price is high.”

“Our golems are worth every copper coin,” Toraka assured her. “Trust me, once you begin using one, you’ll never have the need, or dare I say desire, to patronise other golemworks ever again.”

“You may very well be right, from what I’ve seen. If you can meet the proposed timetable—and of course, the golems are of the expected quality—then we will be most pleased to develop a long-lasting relationship with your company,” Kartika smiled. “Shall we sign?”

“I’m more than fine with that.” Shale grinned.

Hope rose in Alex’s chest.

He was another step further from being dragged home in chains.

“So am I,” he said, fighting the urge to snatch up the pen. “You’ll have your golems faster than you can blink.”

Kartika blinked.

“...okay, maybe not literally,” Alex said quickly.

“Uh, it’s quitting time partner,” Shale called from the other side of the lab. The golem crafter yawned, her eyes bloodshot. “We’ve been working a lot of overtime anyway.”

“You go ahead, Toraka,” Alex said, connecting a mana vacuum to a crucible. “I want to see if I can forge another pair of legs before leaving.”

“Really?” She frowned. “Alex it’s not ‘night’ it’s morning; three hours past midnight.”

“I know, I know,” he said gently. “I’ll be alright.”

“Don’t you have an early morning class?”

“I only need two hours of sleep, anyway,” Alex said. “I can finish these up, teleport myself and Claygon home, get some rest, grab my supplies, say hello to Selina and Theresa, teleport them to campus, then get to class.”

“That sounds like a lot,” Toraka said. “Even if you only need a little sleep, you’re piling on stress and strain, my young partner. You should quit for the night.”

“It’s okay, if I finish the legs now, we’ll shave a day off the timetable,” Alex said. “Not only would we finish the order for the city, we might save enough time to take on another order before the end of the month.”

“Another order?” Toraka gaped. “Alex, you’re going to overwork yourself.”

He smiled gently, heating up the crucible. “It’ll only be temporary, isn’t that right, Claygon?”

The golem, who had been reading a book on the other side of the lab, looked up. “I will stop father before he becomes ill.”

Toraka sighed. “Alright, well, I’ll leave you two to lock up. Goodnight then!”

“Night!” Alex called, slipping his mask on. “And say hello to Sim for me, if he’s awake!”

“I will!” Shale said, closing the door behind her.

Alex was left to work in the laboratory, operating the massive, mana-infused crucible as Claygon read his book. The machine—nearly as big as the entire kitchen at the bakery—allowed for precise metallurgy by using a combination of internal magnets, mana charges, and tiny constructed internal hands to shape metal with precision.

While watching the process through the window of hardened crystal, Alex could control the shape and composition of any raw metals inserted into the crucible by holding two mana conductive spheres which allowed him to operate the machine through pure, precise mana manipulation.

The process drew a lake’s worth of mana from his pool, but he had more than enough to spare.

“Alright, another pair of legs coming up,” Alex said, calling on the Mark. “Let’s see if I can refine the process; make it just a little more efficient.”

“Father…what Toraka said…is right…you should take more time to rest…” Claygon warned Alex.

“I will.” The young wizard said, pouring his mana into the machine. Through the window, liquified iron ran into a waiting vessel. From the inner walls of the machine, hundreds of tiny tungsten hands emerged.

“When…father?” Claygon asked. “You train…and work…all the time…Selina…and Theresa….hardly see you.”

“I know, I know,” Alex said. “But it’s only temporary. I need that order for the city finished. We need their golems in their hands, let them really appreciate them, then we need them to approach us for another contract.”

The tiny hands reached into the liquified iron, running a mana current through it. Some of the hands added little blocks of pure carbon, mixing it into the metal. Numbers flashed on a screen beside the window, displaying the iron’s carbon content.

“There’s going to be a fight over me when who I am comes out,” Alex said. “And I need as many powerful people as possible to have a deep interest in keeping me here, especially with Baelin off somewhere helping his cabal among the stars.”

“You…are right…but if you do get taken…I would come with you father…” Claygon said. “And…if you are taken…Selina would not be happy that you are not here…”

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” Alex said. “No way I’m letting them drag me back in chains. With Hannah’s power, let them try to catch me. One problem is that they could make it very hard to complete school. With enough pressure from Thameland, the city might even officially say that I can’t stay here—like a mini-exile—unless I’m too useful for them to boot me out.”

“Even if you escaped…Selina…would not see you…for a long time…” Claygon said.

“And that’d hurt,” Alex agreed. “Traveller knows how much it’d hurt, but the best way for me to make sure that doesn’t happen is to become too important for Generasi to let me go when the fight begins.”

“I…see…” Claygon said. “When…do you think…the fight will happen? I will protect you.”

Within the crucible, the dozens of tiny hands began stirring the liquid, separating it into two parts within the internal vessel. They then set about shaping them into what would become a pair of powerful legs for a new iron golem.

“It could happen tomorrow, it could happen next year…” Alex said. “But I think it’s going to be sooner, not later. Our enemies aregoing to regroup, and after that? They’re going to come after us in a way that hurts.”

“I…see…well…please…take care of yourself…it is already a couple of weeks into the semester…and you are already working so hard…father…”

“Like I said, it’s temporary, Claygon. Soon, I think I’ll be ready for when the fight comes. And besides, tomorrow I won’t be coming to the lab until late at night.”

“Oh?” Claygon paused. “Are you going to rest…after class?”

“No.” Alex looked at the golem. “I’m going to the Cells. I’m getting better with the Traveller’s power, but I’ve been putting less effort into my spellcasting than I should.”

The young wizard set his jaw. “It’s time I break through to fifth-tier summoning, then fourth-tier in my other spells. I’ll need every bit of power for what’s coming.”