Resonance stones and energy stones were different. Resonance stones were crystal cores that pulsed with pure energy, found in Somnivores and high level beasts. They were the most precious resource on Earth and seekers had to go beyond the veil to get them.
They were used to create resonance serum, strengthen the veil and multiply the power of a Soul maiden.
Without them, a human’s bond with their half-life beast would weaken, and the beast would turn feral.
Resonance Stones kept the armies strong.
Energy stones were different colored crystals which were cores found in medium to low level beasts. Usually, they were easy to get. Governments even set up hunting grounds to raise beasts for this purpose.
Energy stones had different properties vital for survival.
The white ones emitted steady light when exposed to air, so they were used for lamps and torches.
Purple ones could store charge when exposed to air, so they were used as batteries in button operated phones other small devices in a world without electricity.
Red ones could store heat when exposed to the sun, so they were used for cooking and warmth.
Blue stones, when crushed, released ions that purified water.
Green ones, when crushed into a powder, could be mixed with other things to form a fertilizer.
Gray stones could be combined with resonance stone powder to power mechanical motion. They were used to power cars, which were mostly used by the military and the rich. Most people just traveled on the backs of their half-life beasts.
The human economy currently functioned on three currencies, resonances stones, energy stones and rare minerals like gold and diamonds. But it was mostly the stones.
The worth of the stones could be measured with a silver bracelet that didn’t cost much. Stones were divided into three grades.
Low grade stones could be used to buy low quality clothes, bread, pay rent for single room housing. For most people, the tragedy with these stones was that they could not be used to buy meat!
Mid-grade stones could be used to buy better quality food, meat, nicer clothes, rent in two-bedroom apartments, academy tuition or entry into a clan.
High grade stones were at the top of the tier. They could be used to pay for energy rich foods, button operated phones, cars, nice houses, eggs of powerful half-life beasts, high tech weapons, entry into prestigious academies and clans.
High grade stones could change a life, the same way a high-level half-life beast or bloodline could. These stones circulated in top tier cities mostly. It was rare to find them in small towns like the one Zyra lived in.
The economy here was so stagnant that there only ten cars in town. Three were used as taxis, and the prices charged were exorbitant. The rest were split among the clans.
One was owned by a hunter’s guild and the other belonged to the dean of the local academy.
Resonance and energy stones were so precious that humanity evolved around dungeons. Guilds had risen, factions formed, small clans, academies. All rose on the power of these stones.
The map of the world was no longer the same. The planet had fractured into four distinct countries mainly separated by vast oceans and deep political mistrust.
The Aurora Dominion in the East, with its mega cities, major academies and highly disciplined military.
The Iron Vale Confederacy in the West, with its rugged formation, It was the land of practical survivors, absolute masters at salvaging and retrofitting old world technology to fit the current times.
The Zenith Republic in the North, with the largest number of clans in the world and the biggest surviving forest. It had more Soul maidens than any other nation and harvested more half-life beast eggs. It was a market driven nation with a strong economy.
The Jersey Republic in the South. It had humid jungles and vast hidden sprawling dungeons with unknown mutated beasts in hiding. It was famous for cultivating rare monster eggs and high-grade energy stones. It was home to some of the strongest Soul maidens and clans. Mining was the heart of its economy.
At the center of these four countries was the main shared capital city, called Concordia. Concordia was like a huge market city where everyone from these countries came to buy and sell goods. It had a museum of earth’s history and the biggest academy.
It also housed the biggest labs, formed under the leadership of Eve Johnson and first soul maidens. It was a city where scientific research mattered more than the level of beast one had.
Most importantly, Concordia was the home of the great Divine soul maiden. She was the absolute leader of all the soul maidens in the world. She lived in the capital to do the most important job on Earth, using her massive soul power to keep the protective veil strong, keeping the dangerous Somnivores from breaking through and destroying humanity. It was for this reason that all countries gave a percentage of their collected resonance stones as taxes to the Divine soul maiden.
Because it was so important, every country built a large embassy building there to protect their own business and political goals. To make sure everything stayed fair, Concordia did not belong to any single country. Instead, it was run by a mayor who was voted into office by all four nations.
And then, right on the strong border of The Jersey Republic, lay the vast, lawless, and completely unnamed Wild Lands.
"Well," Zyra muttered to herself, adjusting the hood of her cloak as she walked through the commercial district of Myrtle City. "If I’m going to exile myself to a literal wasteland of monsters and criminals, I’m going to need a lot of supplies."
She paused at the bottom of a flight of white stone steps. Rising before her was the imposing facade of the small branch of the famous Armitage bank.
Taking a deep breath, Zyra carefully wrapped a silken scarf tightly around her head, pulling it up high over her nose so that only her sharp, determined eyes were visible. Satisfied that her disguise would hold for at least ten minutes, she pushed open the heavy brass doors and walked straight into the bank.
It was time to withdraw every single stone that she had saved.
She retrieved everything from the safety deposit box, including the betrothal letters, her parents’ house deed and a glove her mother had saved there for some reason. With the documents safely in hand, she headed to Maysoon village where the Ophira clan grand elder stayed.
Of course, she wasn’t welcomed with open arms. Gone were the days when they would look at her like she was a walking pot of gold, beaming with fake smiles and asking if she’d eaten.
Today? The air in the room was so cold it could have preserved a fish.
The guards and servants stood stiffly, their arms crossed, glaring at her as if she had just kicked their half-life beasts. Zyra completely ignored them. Her skin had grown thick enough to withstand a
spiritual tribulation, so a few dirty looks weren’t going to kill her.
Her main obstacle right now was Moses, the Grand Elder’s personal helper. Moses was currently puffing out his chest, trying very hard to look intimidating despite being a head shorter than her. His half-life beast, an ugly old turkey with a head the size of a football puffed out its feathers, locked its eyes on the target, and prepared to attack."
"Zyra, I am telling you for the last time," Moses snapped, his voice tight. "The Grand Elder is frail! You have traumatized the old woman enough for one day. Have you no mercy left in your bones? Leave!"
Zyra blinked at him, completely unbothered. "Moses, for the third time, my ears work perfectly fine. But my legs don’t seem to want to move until I see her. So, are you going to move, or should I help you move?"