Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst-Chapter 172: VOL 3 - 10: I really am a freak.

"Alright, here's one. The question said, If a company discovers that its products are defective and could potentially cause problems for customers, what do you think they should do to fix it?"

As he read the question, Erik glanced at Sofia, who looked even more confused, as if she couldn't understand what had been wrong. So, he looked back down at the paper and continued reading with a smile.

"To which you responded, 'If possible, the company should definitely hide the issues with their products, either by paying off anyone who complains so they'll stay quiet, or by threatening them or something like that to save money. At the same time, the company should look for someone in the government who can help cover up the whole matter and, if necessary, come up with some excuse to avoid blame in case things get out of hand.'"

Erik turned to look at Sofia again and asked with a smile.

"What do you think is wrong with this answer?"

Sofia looked at Erik in confusion, trying to figure out where she had gone wrong, but unable to come up with anything, she replied.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my answer, boss. That's what merchants do—especially the big ones."

"That's exactly where you're mistaken. That's what they do on your planet, which is full of prebendary dinosaurs who are incapable of competing in an open market and instead hunt inside a zoo. But here, in the Arcane Order, things work very differently. If someone dared to do something like that here, I assure you they wouldn't last more than a year before declaring bankruptcy—and depending on the situation, they could even end up in prison... or executed."

Erik paused to take a sip of his tea, watching Sofia's expression, which showed only confusion and surprise. So he continued.

"Unlike your planet, the Arcane Order operates under a very simple market logic: open and savage competition. That means people have almost unlimited options and are free to spend their money wherever they want. So if someone dared to do even a tenth of what you wrote, they'd lose their customers' trust in an instant—and at that point, their competition would devour them alive.

"Also, even though there aren't many market regulations, fraud and similar acts are crimes here. And depending on the amount involved, they're even considered major crimes—with significant prison sentences. Not to mention bribery, which could escalate all the way to the death penalty for everyone involved. So trying to bribe someone in the government here is... literally something that could cost you your life."

"Wow... The Arcane Order is really impressive... In Aranta, merchants are practically untouchable... They have enough money to buy everyone off, and they always get away with everything..." Sofia said, clearly surprised. To that, Erik shook his head and explained in a calm tone while picking up a cookie.

"While corruption plays an important role, the reason what you described is possible on your planet is very simple. Tell me—how many options did you really have to acquire a product? Maybe two or three if you were lucky... and in many cases, probably only one. And that's where the problem lies. They don't get away with it because they have money—they get away with it because no matter what they do, people have no choice but to keep buying from them.

"That's why their position at the top of the pyramid seems so secure and unreachable—because they enslave the rest of the population by stripping away their options and their freedom to choose. If it weren't for that, even if they never ended up in jail because they've bought off every judge, people could simply decide to buy from someone else, which would eventually lead to their downfall.

"And they know that better than anyone. That's why it's so common for them to come up with nonsense like nationalism, claiming that foreign products take jobs away from the population, and a bunch of other ridiculous excuses—all to justify the mountains of regulations and barriers they impose on the market, which ultimately ensure their dominant position within it.

"After all, only they have the capital and the connections necessary to comply with those regulations—or to bypass them without consequence. They can even adapt them so that only they are able to meet the requirements—something they do in complicity with the government, which is usually made up of their friends and relatives, who in the end also get their slice of the pie."

Erik finished his words with a calm smile, though visibly disdainful, while Clara, Sofia, and Martin looked at him in shock, their minds short-circuiting a little. After all, they had never seen things from that perspective before—and in a way, their boss was right. If money came from their customers, then if those customers stopped buying, they'd have no way to bribe anyone. But at that moment, he continued speaking.

"But don't worry about that—you'll learn all of this with time. For now, let's continue with the lesson. I have a few announcements to make."

Seeing that Sofia nodded and sat back in her chair, Erik stood up and began writing on a board that appeared behind him, speaking in a calm tone as he did so.

"As you can probably imagine, over the past few months I've gotten a general idea of each of your individual talents. So from now on, we'll be having classes on different days—and very soon, you might meet new instructors. That's why I want to show you the new schedules we'll be using, although they'll be temporary..."

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Several hours later, Erik stretched, a bit tired, as he watched the siblings leave the study with wide grins on their faces. Before stepping out, they bowed one last time to him and then closed the door. That's when Ignis's voice echoed through the room.

"So, what did you think of the kids?"

"Honestly? Better than I expected. They're dedicated and have quite a bit of talent in various areas... though I am concerned about their mana control. Calling it mediocre would be generous..." Erik replied in a thoughtful tone as Seraphina removed his shirt and helped him lie down on a massage table that glowed faintly.

"That's to be expected, young master. Mana control is one of the most difficult areas to master. It's no coincidence that it's one of the biggest bottlenecks in the alchemy and artificery exams."

Seraphina commented in her usual professional tone as she spread massage cream across her young master's back—a cream developed by Sigrún, who had recently improved it even further using some excellent ingredients she had managed to acquire.

"Really? But it's so simple..."

Erik couldn't help but say, a bit confused, as all around him, all kinds of crystallized Myst figures began to appear—ranging from hyperrealistic phoenixes to wolves and dragons, all the way to perfectly scaled figures of Seraphina, Eleonora, and Sigrún.

"Erik, I've told you to stop comparing yourself to humans. You're far beyond them." Ebonique, who floated near Erik's head, said in a tone full of pride as she watched Seraphina's massage technique intently, almost as if afraid to miss a single detail.

"Ebonique's right, Erik. Your talents are not something an ordinary human could compare to, so you shouldn't use yourself carelessly as a benchmark for judging others." Ignis added in agreement, also staring unblinkingly at Seraphina's hands.

"I don't think it's that much of an exaggeration... is it?" Erik asked in a low voice, clearly not fully convinced. To that, Seraphina responded with a radiant smile, her hands gliding masterfully across her young master's back.

"Yes, it really is that much of an exaggeration, young master. Take the young miss, for example—she's one of the people who comes closest to you in terms of raw talent. And even though she shot up the levels like a rocket, just like you, it still took her nearly a century to reach the mana control standard required to pass the alchemy exam."

"A century? Seriously?"

Erik turned to look at Seraphina, visibly surprised, but she gently pushed him back down onto the massage table and answered as she began to strategically press on Erik's Lifepoints—the points from which mana could exit the body.

"Yes, I'm very serious. Though there are several reasons for it. First of all, fine control over mana doesn't just require talent—it also takes a great deal of experience and training. Think of mana like the body: any healthy person can move an arm at will, but hardly anyone could perform a complex and ever-changing choreography with millimetric precision on the first try. To do that would take years, even decades, of rigorous training.

"But the challenge with fine mana control goes far beyond that. If we stick with the analogy, it would be something like trying to control every single fiber of your muscles to achieve a single outcome with nanometric precision, all while being unaffected by changes in the environment. That alone is quite the feat—and it could take a person an entire lifetime to master.

"And it gets more complicated with every level-up because not only does the amount of mana available increase, but so does its quality. And the change is usually abrupt. So, you more or less have to walk the same path all over again each time. And while it does get easier over time, for someone young, it's still a long and difficult journey."

Erik was left a bit stunned by Seraphina's explanation, realizing just how strange he really was. For him, controlling mana felt as natural as breathing—he'd even dare to say it was easier than controlling his own body. Which inevitably led him to mutter softly.

"I didn't know that... I really am a freak..."

"Fufu, you're not a freak, Erik—you're just very talented." Ignis said with a small smile as she used one of her wings to gently stroke Erik's hair.

"Ignis is right. You're simply special—and far superior to everyone else. You don't need to overthink it. After all, you are the chosen partner of this Ebonique Nox—and I would never choose some random mediocre person, hehe." Ebonique added with vanity as she playfully poked Erik's nose from under the table.

The wolves, who had woken up at some point and were now lying under the table in their puppy forms, barked adorably in unison, fully agreeing as they wagged their tiny tails. At that moment, Erik couldn't help but mutter softly as he looked at Ebonique.

"That sounds wrong in quite a few ways, Ebonique..."

"Fufu, don't worry about that, young master. It's simply reality. In time, you'll learn to handle it without letting it go to your head."

While Ebonique giggled mischievously, Seraphina spoke with a serious and professional tone as she rubbed a different lotion between her hands and resumed the massage.

"Your maid is right, Erik. You don't need to overthink it. I, too, was born a unique and special being, and just look at me—so amazing and powerful. And it never went to my head or anything. I'm super humble."

Ebonique added boastfully while floating in front of Erik beneath the table, her claws resting on her "hips" as she struck a pose that looked quite comical—prompting Erik to roll his eyes and murmur softly.

"Now I'm even more concerned..."

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