Inheritor Of Magic: The Magi King

As it became clear that the undead were not going to breach the border, even if the defenders ran out of ammunition, the gathered guardians began to split into groups.

One was the border leaders, who had initially intended to fly back home, but now gathered around the barrier core, adding mana to it as needed and checking for signs that there were breaks in the line.

It was still slowly expanding, but not everywhere along the border was currently under attack. So, most of the portions going up at that moment were in areas that were currently safe, and just following the order to erect the barrier for future safety, while the passing Fae built a defensive wall along the border.

They were careful to add proper drainage, grates over rivers, and other environmentally friendly measures that the Fae felt were suitable to not disrupt nature to an undue extent. In time, in improperly drained wall would be undercut from below by the water that it stopped, so it was best that they just do the job right the first time, and then they wouldn't have to be back once a decade to make continual repairs.

It was on the inside of the magical barrier, so unless monsters were trying to get out of the Free Covens territory, it shouldn't be facing any direct attacks, and the only time that it might need repairs was when they fought flying monsters, or a mundane army that used artillery.

Wolfe landed beside the old woman and took a coin out of his pocket to create a Mana Purification inscription on.

"Now, you need to be careful with this. It will burn all sorts of curse damage out of a person rather quickly, so if you've cast too many curses in your lifetime, just holding it might be fatal if you can't heal fast enough." He explained.

"Now that's some side effect, Mister Wolfe." The old lady replied, while staring at the coin in his hand.

"I don't know if you want to call it a side effect, or a benefit. If you heal the recipient while the spell works, it will remove all the curse damage from their bodies. It will also block the activation of other curses in its radius, so have your great-granddaughter keep it with her as a protective charm. I'm certain that she is a lovely young lady that nobody would want to harm, but you can never be too safe."

That made the old lady smile.

"Of course, nobody here would want to curse my family members. They're the kindest and gentlest bunch of witches you're ever likely to meet." The old lady insisted, which made the Fae next to her laugh.

"She says that, but the day that I came to inform them that I would be watching over the city and helping to rebalance the mana in the area, she attacked me with a frying pan and told me to get off her porch." He explained.

The old lady shrugged, and Wolfe smiled at the Fae.

"It's a witch tradition. If the old lady doesn't try to run off strangers, there is probably something very wrong with the area."

A number of the other guardians nodded in agreement. They had all been the first to arrive and stake their claims on the various regions, and they had all met with at least some level of resistance from the locals, even if they politely explained that this was a coordinated effort for the common good, and that they weren't here to become the overlord of the town, as other wild Demons and Fae or escaped Familiars might have.

Since then, most of them had actually taken over the operation of their regions, in coordination with the local mayors or Coven Leaders. But it was more of a voluntary measure, as they had the resources to help the locals get what they needed.

The town leader led the old woman, presumably one of the town Elders, away to her family once she had the coin in hand, and Wolfe looked around in satisfaction, noting that the guardians were actually working together across species to keep things running smoothly.

But this situation actually gave him plenty of good ideas for what to do back home. If they expanded the underground highway system all over the Frozen Wastes, and not just nearby, they could make proper trade routes everywhere that they needed to be.

It wouldn't be as fast as sending an aircraft, but for regular supply runs, it would be much more efficient. Driving the truck took a minimal level of skill, and it was a tunnel wide enough for two trucks to pass each other.

In theory, there should be few accidents, but Wolfe was well aware that no plan ever survived the first day of its use. People would walk in the tunnels, drive in the middle, lose control while having a drink, or even just break down. All of those could lead to blockages, injuries and damage, but overall, it would still be better than having them bounce along the surface with the supplies for their neighbours.

"What are you thinking about?" Ella whispered in his ear.

"A highway system for the Frozen Wastes. The better connected we are, the more unity the people will feel when someone is having trouble. Right now, they rarely see each other, so there is a disconnect. But if they can easily get visitors, they will start to feel like a group, even when it's not a fight against outsiders." Wolfe explained.

"Like the villages in the woods. I would say and nearby, but the woods have engulfed most of those now. It makes sense, the trucks don't need huge amounts of mana dumped into them the way that the airplanes do, they can self recharge overnight and drive all day. Having at least one route between us and the other major centres would be great.

Maybe we could even extend it down to Sylvan Fortress City, since Priya is stuck there and sending daily letters about how bored and annoyed she is right now." Ella laughed.

The fortress city was right by the border, and relatively close to Forest Grove, so it would be feasible to just make a highway there underground.