Lysara pulled a small device from her armor—a thin rectangular metal plate covered in etched diagrams. She laid it flat on the rock between them.
"The realm is living on these veins and the people are surviving thanks to the mana veins produced greater amounts for the realm. The Empire spent two centuries believing military conquest was the path to dominance. They were wrong."
She pointed to the diagrams—flow charts showing mana movement between species, territories, populations.
"Mana isn't just power. It's the fundamental resource that determines what's possible in this realm. Every significant ability, every bloodline technique, every magical construction—all of it runs on it. Control the mana supply and you control everything that depends on it. Which is everything."
Jorghan studied the diagrams. The logic was elegant and deeply troubling.
"You're not building an army. You're building a monopoly."
"Exactly," Lysara confirmed.
