"Now," Zeke said, his tone becoming more businesslike. "For my plan to work, there are three things we need." The Chimeroi also turned serious upon hearing his shift in tone.
"The first thing we need is a space to operate out of—a place to make a headquarters," he explained.
"What are the requirements?" Ash asked.
"We don't actually need much. It should merely be spacious. Also, it would be ideal for it to be in a secluded location. I don't want people constantly watching us."
There was a moment of silence as the Chimeroi racked their brains. They had inspected the village earlier that day, but they hadn't been looking for such a place.
"I might know something," Vulcanos said suddenly. All eyes turned toward him. "There is an abandoned mine at the edge of the village. When it ran dry a couple of years ago, the place was completely deserted."
Zeke's eyes lit up. "Ash, I want you to look into that. Find out what it would take for them to sell us the mine."
Vulcanos looked between Zeke and Ash, a somewhat displeased expression on his face. "Why not me?"
"Haven't you already noticed?" Zeke asked. "The people are wary of us. You, Gravitas, and especially me—we are outsiders in this place. However, they don't treat Ash the same way. Care to guess why?"
Ash squirmed a little as both Vulcanos and Gravitas scanned him from top to bottom. It was probably just to make him sweat, as the reason wasn't hard to guess. With his gray hair, beard, and two furry ears on top of his head, Ash looked just like the people of the Icefang Tribe. As a descendant of a wolf-type Monster, he could even be said to be loosely related to them.
"Until we hear from Snow or the situation changes, Ash will be our spokesperson," Zeke explained.
Vulcanos furrowed his brows. "Aren't we all Chimeroi? What's the big deal?
Zeke shook his head. "This is not Korrovan, and we are not on the continent anymore. Here, Chimeroi are fighting Chimeroi, and most prefer to stay in their tribe. Naturally, they would be wary of outsiders."
Vulcanos was still a little disgruntled but didn't protest anymore.
"So, what's the next thing we need?" Ash urged eagerly.
"We need to get our hands on the method the people here use to preserve their food."
"That won't be a problem," Ash said right away. "They use a type of crystal to turn the temperature in a room to below freezing. Apparently, they have quite a few of those. I saw them being sold everywhere."
Zeke nodded. That solved one of his worries. "The last thing we need is manpower."
"Don't you have us for that?" Gravitas asked.
Zeke shook his head. "No. This is not something you three can handle if we want to supply the entire tribe. For my plan to work, we need at least a dozen people who will permanently stay outside."
"That many?"
Zeke nodded seriously. "The way my method works, it would be best if the meat was already prepared before I bring it into the tribe."
The Chimeroi exchanged meaningful glances. "And that method is…?" Gravitas prodded.
Zeke smiled. "You all have seen me use my [Transposition] spell to send letters back home, right?" They nodded. "Do you know how that works?"
"Aren't you just using your Magic to make stuff disappear from one place and appear in another?" Vulcanos asked.
Zeke smiled at him. "That is essentially true, but it's a bit more complicated than that."
"How so?"
"For one, if I want to 'make stuff appear' somewhere out of sight, how do I know if the space is currently occupied?" Zeke questioned, causing the man to frown. However, Zeke didn't wait for them to answer as he continued on. "There is an even more important point: How do I even find a spot I cannot see?"
After a moment of silence, Vulcanos decided to surrender. "I've got no idea."
"The answer to both of these questions is the same: By creating a [Beacon]," Zeke explained. "[Beacon] is a spell that leaves a magical imprint on a location, allowing a Mage to sense it even if they are far away. I created three of them while we were sneaking around the foot of the mountain."
The Chimeroi looked at each other, amazed. They had been with Zeke the entire time, yet none of them had even realized what he had been doing.
Gravitas frowned. "Why don't you create these beacons wherever you go? We could even travel back to Korrovan and get reinforcement that way."
Zeke nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Didn't you just answer your own question?"
Gravitas looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"As you said, you can use them to get reinforcements. A single beacon is enough to stage an invasion," Zeke explained.
Her eyes widened. "Then, how do humans defend against it?"
"It's actually not that much of a threat," Zeke explained. "Beacons are easily discovered, especially during their creation. Even I can tell when a beacon is created or used anywhere near me. Now, imagine how much easier it would be for an Archmage to discover them. Every city has people on standby for exactly that purpose."
Gravitas nodded, slowly grasping the concept. However, one question remained. "If they are so easily discovered, how do you plan to use them?"
Zeke smiled widely. "Who can stop me?"
"What?"
He looked at Gravitas for a long while before shaking his head. "Haven't you realized it yet? You, of all people, should know."
"Know what?"
"Gravitas… have you forgotten that you have a Space Affinity as well?" At first, his words didn't elicit much of a reaction. After all, the human system of Magic was so far removed from the Chimeroi that it didn't make much sense for them to use the same terminology. However, as she slowly began to realize the implications of his words, her eyes grew to the size of saucers.
"D-Does that mean…?"
Zeke nodded, satisfied with her reaction. "You tell me. Did you feel it when I created the beacon?"
"…I felt nothing," she admitted.
"That means," Zeke concluded with a wide grin, "that even Chimeroi with Space-related abilities are unable to detect the presence of beacons."
His declaration plunged the scene into silence, with each of the Chimeroi lost in their own thoughts.
"I've long wondered why the Chimeroi never involved themselves in human conflicts," Zeke mused aloud. "With people like Snow's father around, they should be able to fight the strongest Mages on the continent on equal ground. However, this puts things into perspective."
"What do you mean?" Vulcanos asked.
"Think about it. We've been here for only a short while, and I've already discovered such a fatal flaw. And I'm just a True Mage. Who can say what methods the strongest Mages have at their disposal?"
Chimeroi had an intuitive grasp of their abilities, but that came at a cost: Flexibility. Unlike Mages, who were able to learn spells, Chimeroi were far more limited. Their skill set was determined from the moment they awakened their powers. This would create weaknesses for which they had no method to compensate.
Now that Zeke had become aware of this flaw, he found it surprising that he hadn't realized it sooner. It wasn't a secret that Chimeroi couldn't perceive ambient Mana. After all, they didn't have a Core. Their entire method relied on internal power. However, he had not considered the full range of implications this brought.
Zeke could already think of a dozen ways to exploit such a weakness, and Akasha likely knew a hundred more. However, now was not the time to consider this. He had to address his most pressing concerns first.
Now that he was certain that Gravitas was unable to detect his beacons, many possibilities opened up. As long as the Frostscale Tribe didn't hire a human Mage or a very specialized Chimeroi, they would be unable to stop him from coming and going as he pleased. This meant that the longer the siege lasted, the better it would be for him.
From that perspective, the faction that best aligned with his interest was the faction led by Elder Fang. However, it was likely not a good choice to join forces with them. After all, the elder faction was already a sinking ship, and Zeke had no intention of tethering his fate to a lame duck. If anything, he would absorb the remnants of their faction after their inevitable collapse…
As for Snow's siblings, Frost and Polaris, Zeke would have to deal with them soon. If either of them achieved their goals, his entire plan would crumble. Whether the tribe died fighting or negotiated to leave, he would be at a loss. The plant he needed likely grew on this mountain, and he couldn't afford to lose access to it. Not after coming so far. It was crucial he established himself before they gained more support.
The last piece in the puzzle was Snow. Establishing a faction in her name without her presence might be challenging, but not impossible. After all, he had never intended for her to take an active part in his organization. The plan was to use her name to project an image of legitimacy—nothing more. As long as she didn't publicly contradict him, it likely wouldn't be a problem.
As for the exact stance his faction would take, that would be decided once he had a better understanding of all the players.
Though it might have seemed like a long time had passed, all these thoughts and calculations took only a moment. Zeke turned to Ash. "I need you to secure that abandoned mine as soon as possible." Everything hinged on that.
"Understood," Ash said.
"By the way, what do they use as currency in this place?"
Ash shook his head. "There is no official currency, and most trading relies on barter. However, the most sought-after goods are weapons and... food."
Zeke smirked. That was the best-case scenario. "Don't take no for an answer. I want you to buy that mine, no matter how much it costs."
Ash nodded, a determined look on his face. "I will not fail you, Master."
Zeke was satisfied with his response. "I trust you. Also, don't worry if we are not home by the time you return."
"Are you going somewhere?"
Zeke cast out his senses, feeling the presence of all three beacons he had left at the foot of the mountain. With a smile on his face, he answered Ash's question. "We are going to make sure that you have the funds to back up those claims."
Ash's eyes sparkled with understanding, and he didn't waste any more time before leaving in search of the owner of the mine.
Meanwhile, Zeke faced the two remaining Chimeroi. Gravitas appeared to be nonplussed, but he still managed to detect an eager glint in her eyes. Vulcanos, for his part, didn't even try to hide his excitement. Ever since learning the Blood Boil technique, he had been enthusiastic about fighting.
Finally, Zeke spoke the words the two had been waiting for. "Who wants to go hunting with me?"