Utopian System

Elio looked directly at the soldiers, fatigue overcoming his stage fright.

His voice rose for all to hear. "What we're offering here is something none of you thought possible. Summons for every soldier, for every citizen willing to defend our city!"

A murmur of amazement and excitement rippled through the crowd. People's eyes shone with disbelief and longing.

"Could each of us really have a summon?" someone in the crowd asked, their voice trembling with emotion.

Elio nodded firmly. "That's right. The power once reserved for a few will now be in everyone's hands."

The square erupted in a clamor of excited voices. People pushed, trying to get closer to Elio, extending their hands as if they could grasp the power being offered.

"I want one!"

The crowd that moments ago demanded explanations now begged for the chance to obtain a salamander.

Lucien, seeing the growing agitation, raised his voice. "Calm down, citizens! There will be summons for all who are willing to serve and protect our city. But we must proceed with order."

Selene stepped forward. "We'll start with active and retired soldiers. Then, we'll extend the offer to all adult citizens."

These words, instead of calming the crowd, seemed to fuel their enthusiasm even more. People began to press forward, eager to be the first to receive this unexpected gift.

Tarec, still processing everything that was happening, turned to a group of nearby citizens. "Aren't you concerned about where all this power comes from? Or why it's being distributed now?"

A woman looked at him as if he were crazy. "Concerned? It's the opportunity of our lives!"

"Think about it," added a man beside her. "We could defend ourselves, our families."

Tarec frowned. "But the Founder, the families..."

"What does that matter now?" interrupted another citizen. "If they're giving us this power, it must be because they trust us. And if not, who cares? We'll have invocations, together we can defeat them!"

Tarec watched, amazed, as the crowd transformed before his eyes. The initial fear and confusion had vanished, replaced by an almost palpable greed.

The promise of personal power had eclipsed any concern about politics or justice.

Elio, sensing the change in the atmosphere, raised his voice again. "Citizens of our great city! What we offer today is not just power, but the opportunity to forge our own destiny. With these invocations, we will free ourselves from oppression and fear."

His words were met with cheers and applause. The crowd chanted his name, "Elio! Elio!" as if he were a long-awaited savior.

Tarec found himself backing away, overwhelmed by the scene. He saw Lucien and Selene exchanging glances. Clearly, the people's reaction was more intense than they had anticipated.

"This is madness," Tarec muttered to himself. "They're so blinded by the promise of power that they don't even question the consequences."

But his words were lost in the roar of the crowd. The city was on the brink of a radical transformation, and the vast majority of its inhabitants were more than willing to embrace the change, regardless of the cost.

♢♢♢♢

Lucien stepped away from the crowd, seeking out Selene. He found her overseeing the distribution of cores.

"Selene, we need to talk," he said in a low voice.

Once in private, Lucien shared the news:

"One of our loyal soldiers in the central building managed to escape. He informed me that many women from the harem and some soldiers fled when they learned what was happening."

Selene frowned. "And Fathoran?"

"He's arming his most loyal followers with the city's highest-level equipment. He's emptied the reserve chambers."

"That could complicate things," Selene murmured. "Although with the salamanders Elio is distributing, we still have an overwhelming advantage."

Lucien nodded. "True. Level 5 equipment on some hundreds of soldiers doesn't surpass the power of thousands of summons. However, it could mean more casualties on both sides if his soldiers decide to fight to the end."

There was a moment of silence before Lucien continued, his voice laden with regret:

"There's something else. Varick's mother has learned of her son's death."

Selene closed her eyes, feeling the weight of that news. "How is she taking it?"

"She's devastated," Lucien replied. "Her pain is... palpable. I couldn't help but feel guilty seeing her like that."

"It's a tragedy," Selene said softly.

Lucien nodded, his face somber. "We must prevent more losses, more pain like what Angela is suffering."

With those words, they both turned their attention back to the task at hand.

♢♢♢♢

After hours of distributing cores and invocations, Elio finally succumbed to exhaustion.

His body, still recovering from the brutal battle against Fathoran and the feat of climbing the wall from the monster sea, demanded rest.

While Elio slept, Selene, Lucien, Ivan, Zara, Kriz, Brok, Ren, Micah, and Lena, Elio's mother, continued the task of delivering 100 cores to each soldier.

The news spread like wildfire in the city. Active and retired soldiers flocked en masse, eager to obtain their salamanders. The process unfolded smoothly, the excitement palpable in the air.

♢♢♢♢

Hours later, Elio awoke, feeling renewed but aware that much remained to be done.

He gathered his inner circle to discuss the situation with his book and the urgent need to gather a million mana points.

"We need a decisive advantage against Fathoran," Elio explained. "My book has revealed a new page that requires a million mana points. I believe this could be the key to getting his armor."

Ren frowned. "A million points... It's an astronomical amount, Elio. How do you propose we gather it?"

Elio took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask the population, I've already discussed it with Lucien. Just for today, we need every citizen to contribute what they can."

The proposal was met with concerned looks. "Elio," his mother intervened, "asking for more mana from the people could be risky. Many barely have enough for their basic needs."

"I know," Elio replied, "but it's our best chance. I'll promise more summons in return. Even to women, although that will have to wait until we defeat Fathoran."

With the plan agreed upon, Elio addressed the gathered crowd.

His voice resonated throughout the square:

"Citizens of our great city! We've taken a giant step towards our freedom, but we still face a threat. Fathoran, the founder, remains a danger to us all. To defeat him definitively, I need your help. I ask you, just for today, to contribute the mana points you can spare. In return, I promise that every citizen, man or woman, will receive an invocation once the threat has passed."