If someone viewed the capital city of the Elves, Elfaven, from above, they would see a single clear, yellow line stretching from one end of the almost flat mountaintop to the other.
Only, the center of this line would be visible as a large multi-colored circle.
Enveloped by a transparent dome, this was the Palace where the ruler of the Kingdom resided, along with all the officials who took care of all the tasks involved in running Eldinor.
Unlike the Palace of Lanthanor which had a large single-storied complex with towering spires at certain locations, the Palace of the Elves had multiple towers of varying heights-all designed to flow seamlessly, with each tower smoothly transitioning into another.
In one large bedroom located inside the palace, Eldra was sitting by the window and gazing out at the beautiful capital city.
She had a wooden hairbrush in her hand, which she gently ran through her hair almost unconsciously.
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door, breaking her out of her reverie and making her rush to answer.
A male elf greeted her with a small bow and handed over a sealed envelope. As was the case with most elves, his figure was lithe, as if it were built for speed and elegance rather than strength.
Opening the envelope, a parchment fell out.
Both message trinkets and communication trinkets came in the form of parchments, and this was clearly the former.
"Today, I had excellent luck. Imagine my surprise when I found out that-"
Cutting off the message playing in her mind, Eldra cast a special spell which made a small ball of silver fire appear.
Instead of the one which had devoured the spy in the Lanthanor Kingdom, this one seemed docile, hovering over her fingertips while waiting for her command.
Igniting the parchment, she watched as it burned away leaving behind a small square metal coin the size of her fingernail.
This was a special parchment which had this secondary trinket inlaid cleverly along with the engraving. If a regular fire was used, the coin would be destroyed, leaving no trace behind.
Listening to the message inside the coin, her expression turned into one of consternation as she hurried out of her door, walking towards the Assembly Room with quick strides.
Unlike traditional Kingdoms which had Throne Rooms, as a democratic nation, Eldinor had an Assembly Room in which the ruler would discuss with the elected representatives to reach a consensus regarding matters related to its well being.
Of course, there were different types of Assemblies.
Right now, Eldra had called for an Assembly with the Queen and the top strategists and enchanters of the Kingdom in order to address the information that had been delivered by the spy.
As she entered, she found that the rest of the representatives had already been dismissed in the few seconds in which she had sent the message.
After waiting for them all to leave, Eldra entered and bowed by bending her upper body to an angle of 45 degrees with the floor. This was the standard official greeting in Eldinor, mainly due to the individuality and dignity of the Elves which made them scoff at the notion of bending on one knee, like those in Lanthanor did.
"Speak.", said the Queen, after closing the doors with a wave of her hand.
The Assembly was an enormous room with 100 seats on either side of the path from the doors which lead to the Ruler's Chair, which looked like a simple high wooden chair. Yet, if someone looked closer, they would be able to see that there were many, many fine patterns etched into the wood. All in all, if one stared long enough, they would find themselves being lost and trapped in the maze of delicate lines and drawings which could steal one's soul with their beauty and sophistication.
Eldra stood in front of the Chair, while 6 elves stood in front with their gazes fixed on her.
"My Queen, our source tells us that the King ordered a long table to be made on which multiple engraving benches were fixed at regular intervals. Then, he had a meeting with the enchanters and blacksmiths he recruited, after which they all exited the room with shock on their faces. Although what happened inside exactly has not been determined, I brought this to your attention because you asked me to prioritize any and all information regarding this matter."
Eldra had been expecting a regular report, thus she had been shocked when she received news that the King of Lanthanor had met again with the new Research Division which the Kingdom of the Elves considered a major threat.
Although she couldn't figure out anything else and was puzzled regarding the use of such a peculiar setup, she simply did her duty and reported to the Queen.
Yet, when she saw the expressions of surprise on the faces of the 6 elves and the Queen in front of her, she knew that they must have already gotten some clue regarding the matter.
"Master Zenbar, please bring out the prototype.", said the Queen after a few moments, prompting one of the elves to nod and disappear from the room.
The Palace of the Elves did not have the same absolute space lock as Lanthanor. Instead, certain individuals had the authority to bypass the space lock and teleport. To this date, this was one of the proudest achievements of the enchanters of Eldinor.
A few seconds later, the elf reappeared behind Eldra. As she turned around, she saw that he had brought a round wooden table.
All around this table, there were 6 chairs with 6 engraving benches at regular intervals, reminding her of the report given by the spy.
Seeing her being startled, the Queen said, "This was made 20 years ago due to the theory of a 3rd Grade Enchanter. He said that if the process of engraving the symbols on a trinket can be broken down into multiple steps, individuals could take over each such step and become adept at it with repeated practice. Eventually, it would allow them to reach such a high level of efficiency that each unit of low grade enchanters could reach a level which would let them enchant a trinket at a speed akin to that of enchanters well beyond their level. It is common knowledge that it has been our dream to mass produce trinkets. This would enable us to do so, paving the way for the Elves to take control of the center of Angaria and aim to become part of the Big 4. Remember, Eldra. This is the ultimate goal of Eldinor."
Seeing Eldra nod listening to the statement that had been told by her many times, the Queen continued.
"Sadly, it failed. Master, if you please."
With a stoic expression, the elf who had brought the table took out a piece of parchment from the pocket of the robes he was wearing.
Starting from one of the engraving tables, he spent a little bit of time at each before reaching the final one.
If Daneel had been here, he would have been shocked to see the same demo done in 30 minutes instead of the three hours he had taken. This would mean that the man was actually a 3rd Grade Enchanter!
3rd Grade Enchanters were marked as the strategic resources of any country because of their ability to create trinkets for Exalted Human Fighters and Mages. In most cases, an individual equipped with a combat trinket matching their level would easily be able to defeat one who didn't.
With bated breath, the Queen watched as the elf pointed his hand at the parchment and cast the spell to activate the engravings, turning it red hot in the process.
Yet, this expectant gaze turned into frustration like many times before when she saw the parchment catch fire and turn into dust.
The enchanting had failed.
"My Queen, it is impossible. The only way is to modify the schematic. It is definitely the work of the man behind him who also has the capability to analyze the mosquitoes and obtain proof regarding their source."
The elf spoke with an expression of resignation on his face.
All this while, they had been hoping that the Young King of Lanthanor had been bluffing. This was bolstered by the fact that even with their exhaustive spy networks, they had found not even a trace of this mysterious man.
Yet now, from the reality that the King was somehow in possession of a modified schematic which was something only an expert at that level could create, they had no choice but to accept that they were in a very dangerous situation.
Sighing, the Queen looked into the air cursing her predecessors that had taken the decisions which had resulted in this position today.
"Remain cautious. Keep an eye on him. Obtaining the modified schematic will enable us to make our dreams come true, but then what? If he releases that proof, all of Angaria will devour us whole. From the products that he will soon sell, we will be able to know just which schematics he has. No matter what, I bet it is only a very simple one which, by themselves, take lifetimes to produce. Remember, none of the spies must be tied to us. Dismissed."
Eldra, who had just barely managed to control her emotions this time even though she had been reminded of that event jolted to attention and left the room on the Queen's command, vowing to redouble her efforts to find the King of Lanthanor's every move.
.....
Meanwhile, in an old sewer underneath the Palace of the Elves.
The man with the golden Lan was crawling through a pipe with feces and waste covering his body.
As he ignored the nauseating stench and focused on getting to his destination, he kept reminding himself what Commander Luther used to say during his training.
"As spies, it is your duty to do what no one else can do in service of your Kingdom. If you do your job well, millions will go to sleep peacefully in our Kingdom. Even if you are on your deathbed, remember this fact, as it will allow you to go into the great beyond with a smile of pride on your face."
With these words resounding in his head, he became oblivious to his surroundings as he trudged on, alone in the dark with the only light available being the fire in his eyes which urged him to fulfill do whatever was required in order to serve.