But you found it, right? The origin of the mana stones?" Tilly asked eagerly, unable to hide the anticipation in her voice. Ever since the discovery had been announced, every television channel had been talking about the stones, their incredible properties, and the frenzy they had caused among merchants and governments alike. If even the merchants could not stop discussing them, then the discovery had to be worth an unimaginable fortune. Looking at her brother's tired face, she became even more curious about what he had spent the last year doing.
"We found it about half a year ago," Arin replied with a proud smile despite the exhaustion still lingering in his eyes. "It wasn't just a few scattered stones either. We found an entire mountain filled with mana stones." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Several experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources estimated that the mountain alone contained enough wealth in mana stones to buy the entire European Union three times over. You can imagine how happy everyone was when we finally reported its location."
Tilly's eyes widened in disbelief as she tried to picture a treasure of that magnitude. Even by the standards of the new world, that amount of wealth was almost impossible to comprehend. If the estimates were even remotely accurate, the discovery would completely change Europe's future for decades to come. Still, she quickly noticed something that did not quite match the excitement in Arin's voice.
"But I take it mining those stones wasn't as easy as finding them," Tilly said confidently. Although her brother sounded proud of the discovery, she could also see the fatigue hidden beneath his smile. The dark circles beneath his eyes and the way he unconsciously rolled his shoulders told her he had not spent the last six months resting. Whatever had happened after the discovery had clearly been far more difficult than the search itself.
"Oh, don't even get me started," Arin groaned with a defeated sigh. He rubbed his forehead as though the memories alone were enough to give him another headache. "The Black Forest is the most beautiful place I've ever seen with my own eyes. Imagine towering mountain ranges covered in dense forests, their snow-covered peaks melting into crystal-clear lakes that feed countless waterfalls before eventually flowing into the Rhine. That breathtaking scenery was only the area surrounding the mana stone mountain, and we stopped exploring almost immediately after making the discovery."
"The forest itself is enormous now," Arin continued as he looked into the distance, vividly recalling the landscape. "It was already one of the largest forests in Europe before the world expanded, but now it stretches farther than the eye can see. Every mountain and hill is blanketed by ancient trees whose canopies almost completely block the sunlight. Once you step beneath those branches, it feels like entering another world entirely."
"It isn't just beautiful either," he said with a bitter smile. "The place is overflowing with wildlife. Every predator that once lived in that part of Europe now exists there in greater numbers than ever before, and many of them have become much stronger after absorbing mana for years. Wolves, bears, lynxes, wild boars—you name it, they're all there, and they're no longer afraid of humans."
Arin shook his head before letting out another tired sigh. "Even our family had trouble navigating the forest. Once you're beneath the canopy, the sun practically disappears, making it incredibly difficult to keep your bearings. During the last six months, our real mission wasn't discovering more mana stones. It was finding safe routes that mining teams could actually use without getting themselves killed."
"The mountains are filled with steep cliffs," he continued. "The rivers become violent torrents after only a few hours of rain, and one careless step can send someone tumbling hundreds of meters down a rocky slope. Half the expedition became devoted to mapping routes, reinforcing dangerous crossings, and making sure nobody disappeared into one of those rivers. Honestly, danger was everywhere."
Tilly listened quietly as her brother described the expedition. She had expected the mission to be dangerous, but she had never imagined it would require an entire family of hunters simply to prepare the area for miners. It made perfect sense now why he looked so exhausted despite returning with such incredible news. Finding the mountain had only been the beginning of the job.
"But what are mana stones actually good for?" she asked after thinking about it for a moment. "The news only gives vague explanations, and they never really explain why everyone is so excited. You must know far more than what they're telling people on television." She looked at him with pleading eyes, silently asking him to satisfy her curiosity.
Arin chuckled at the expression on his sister's face before pointing a finger at her. "I'll tell you," he said, "but only if you promise me one thing first."
"What is it?" Tilly asked innocently.
"You have to promise not to send Grandma after the next principal who annoys you."
Tilly puffed out her cheeks before answering with complete seriousness. "Fine... unless he deserves it."
Arin stared at her for a few seconds before laughing helplessly. "Somehow I knew there would be a condition attached to your promise. Fine, I'll accept that."
"The usefulness of mana stones is enormous," Arin explained as they continued walking through the forest. "Each mana stone naturally accepts and stores only a single elemental attribute. That means there are fire stones, water stones, earth stones, wind stones, and even nature stones, although those are incredibly rare. Because each stone stores only one attribute, the mana inside remains pure instead of becoming contaminated by unwanted elements."
"That alone changes everything," he continued. "Until now, people could only cultivate efficiently inside magic filtering circles because those arrays purified the surrounding mana. Outside those circles, the mana contains too many mixed attributes and harmful impurities to absorb efficiently. Mana stones solve that problem by providing a stable source of purified elemental mana, allowing people to cultivate almost anywhere."
He smiled as another possibility came to mind. "They're also perfect as energy storage devices. Instead of constantly supplying mana yourself, you can charge a mana stone in advance and let it power magic formations, equipment, or even future weapons. We haven't even begun exploring all the possible applications yet, which is why every government is treating the discovery as priceless."
Tilly's eyes sparkled with excitement as she imagined all the possibilities. If mana stones truly worked the way Arin described, they could completely transform daily life as well as military technology. No wonder every merchant, noble house, and government seemed obsessed with obtaining them. The future had suddenly become far more interesting than anyone had imagined.
"That's amazing, but what did our family actually gain in exchange for helping them find the mana stone vein?" Tilly asked as she immediately shifted her thoughts toward the practical side of the discovery. "The army would probably have found it eventually, but they simply don't have the experience or equipment needed to move through a forest like the Black Forest. Especially now that the wildlife has completely lost its fear of humans, I can't imagine ordinary soldiers searching that place efficiently." As she spoke, she was already trying to calculate just how much such a service would be worth.
Arin smiled proudly at his sister's question. Rather than becoming dazzled by the treasure itself, she had immediately considered what their family had negotiated in return. It was exactly the kind of awareness every member of the Sonnenberg family was expected to develop from a young age. Their family had survived for centuries because they understood that knowledge and leverage were often worth more than gold itself.
"I'm glad you're already thinking about what benefits the family received," Arin replied with a grin. "You don't have to worry. In exchange for locating the vein, the government agreed that fifty percent of every mana stone filled with nature attribute mined from that deposit belongs to us." Even after saying the words aloud, he still found the agreement almost unbelievable. It was also the reason why everyone had willingly spent nearly a year searching one of the most dangerous forests in Europe.
Tilly came to a complete stop as she stared at her brother with wide eyes. Fifty percent was an absurd amount by any standard. Considering the experts believed the mountain alone could be worth several times the wealth of the entire European Union, the Sonnenberg family had essentially secured a fortune that would last for generations. No wonder everyone had been smiling when he returned home.
"It wasn't charity from the government either," Arin continued as they resumed walking. "They knew perfectly well that they needed us. We were the only ones capable of locating the mana stone vein within a reasonable amount of time because no one else possessed our experience in reading forests and tracking the behavior of wild animals." He shrugged casually. "Without those skills, they might have spent decades searching."
"The soldiers are excellent fighters," Arin admitted. "But fighting and surviving in an ancient forest are completely different things. They don't know how to read broken branches, identify animal territories, or recognize when the entire forest has suddenly gone silent because a predator is nearby. Those instincts can't be learned from books or military manuals."
He chuckled softly before adding another example. "Even hiding is an art in a place like that. We can move through the forest without disturbing the wildlife because we understand how the animals think. An ordinary scouting unit leaves tracks everywhere, scares away the creatures, and unknowingly announces its own position to every predator in the area."
"The wolves alone made life difficult enough," Arin continued. "They're far stronger than they used to be, and unlike before, people can't simply rely on modern firearms to solve every problem. Well…" He paused for a second before smiling awkwardly. "That's not entirely true anymore, but explaining that would take far too long, and it isn't important right now."
While talking, the siblings gradually emerged from the forest trail and approached the family's headquarters. The massive estate blended naturally into the surrounding woodland, making it appear as though it had grown there alongside the ancient trees themselves. Guards nodded respectfully as Arin and Tilly walked through the outer gate without slowing their pace. The familiar sight immediately eased the weariness that had remained on Arin's face ever since he returned.
"So..." Tilly began again, unable to contain herself any longer. "We really made a fortune from discovering the mana stone vein?"
"Yes," Arin answered without hesitation. "An unbelievable fortune." He looked toward the main residence before continuing. "Although, to be honest, the government didn't really have much choice. Traces of mana stones and their deposits were not only discovered on this continent. But we were the first to find an entire deposit.
"The government desperately wanted to be the first to announce such a discovery to the public," he explained. "People still haven't completely recovered from everything that happened after the prime ministers across Europe were prosecuted for their misconduct. Public confidence has improved, but morale is still fragile. A discovery like this gave everyone something hopeful to focus on."
"Because of that," Arin continued, "they rushed almost every part of the operation. They wanted the exact location of the mine, accurate surveys, estimates of the reserves, and confirmation that large-scale mining would actually be possible. They needed all the information before making the announcement so no one could question its authenticity."
Tilly nodded thoughtfully as everything suddenly made sense. The government had not only purchased a valuable resource but also a symbol of hope for the people. After years of uncertainty and constant bad news, the discovery of an enormous mana stone deposit reminded everyone that humanity still had opportunities waiting for them. In many ways, the announcement had been just as valuable as the stones themselves.
Arin glanced at his sister before smiling mysteriously. "Would you like to see one?"
"A real mana stone?"
"A nature-attribute mana stone," he corrected proudly. "I managed to bring one back with me."
"Really?" Tilly exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Of course I want to see it!"
Her excitement was impossible to hide. Ever since the System had appeared, new discoveries had become increasingly common, yet each one still filled her with the same childish curiosity she had possessed years ago. Growing up during such uncertain times meant that almost every month introduced something humanity had never seen before. To her, a mana stone was not just another valuable resource but proof that the world still held countless mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
She also found herself far more interested in discoveries like these than in anything happening at school. Ever since the Sonnenberg name had become widely known, her classmates had begun treating her differently. Some admired her, others envied her, and many simply kept their distance because they believed she was beyond their reach. Before the family's fame exploded, her surname had meant almost nothing to ordinary people, but now it carried expectations that made everyday life increasingly uncomfortable.
As a result, Tilly always preferred spending time with her family whenever she had the opportunity. The forest felt like home, while the town and its school still felt strangely foreign despite the years she had spent there. Recent events with the principal certainly had not improved her opinion of the place either. Compared to dealing with politics, gossip, and stubborn teachers, exploring a mysterious mana stone alongside her brother sounded infinitely more enjoyable.