Ethan returned to the village market the next morning with a plan. It was simple at first. Observe measure and understand. Every good business strategy started with data and he needed as much as he could gather. Lyra met him at the entrance carrying a bundle of parchment and a quill. You asked yesterday how prices form so I gathered some records
Ethan blinked. You actually wrote things down
Lyra smirked. Someone has to
They moved between stalls as Ethan asked dozens of questions. How many stones do you sell per day Where do you get them How long do they last What affects their glow Why does this one cost five and that one eight

Most merchants simply shrugged. Some guessed. A few admitted they had no idea and simply copied whoever sold next to them. Ethan kept notes. He drew columns. He drew rough demand curves. He listed factors like mana purity output rating and decay time even though none of the merchants understood those terms. Lyra watched him with growing fascination.

You treat magic like a commodity
Magic is a commodity Ethan replied. Your world just has not figured it out yet
Lyra frowned. But magic is sacred
No resource is sacred when people depend on it

As they walked Ethan noticed a commotion near the end of the street. A tall robed noble was yelling at a merchant. Your stones are overpriced fool I should confiscate your entire stall
The merchant bowed repeatedly terrified. My lord I only follow the rates I hear from others
The noble scoffed. Then others are fools too

Ethan stepped forward before he could think. What is the issue here
The noble turned sharply. Who are you
A traveler Ethan said calmly. And someone who sees that the real problem is not the merchant but the lack of price structure
The noble sneered. Price structure A street vendor should not speak of such things
Lyra stepped in front of Ethan. He is not a vendor my lord. He studies trade principles
The noble looked between them. Trade principles mean nothing in magic

Ethan held up the mana stone the merchant had been selling. Then explain why this stone is eight copper here but three copper at the next stall
Because I said so the noble snapped
Exactly the problem Ethan thought. Arbitrary power not market logic. Inefficiency at its purest.

Ethan addressed the noble with measured tone. If you truly wish for stability you should allow clearer rules. Standardized grading. Verified mana output. Transparent pricing
The noble huffed. Magic cannot be measured by commoners
Ethan met his gaze. Everything can be measured
The noble looked ready to argue but Lyra whispered something in his ear. He grumbled and walked away leaving the merchant trembling

Lyra turned to Ethan. You should be careful. Nobles do not like being corrected
Ethan shrugged. They will like losing money even less
Lyra stared. Losing money
Ethan nodded. When markets are broken someone always loses without knowing why. If nobles manipulate prices then eventually someone smarter will use their chaos against them

She looked at him with a mix of confusion and curiosity. You speak like magic and gold are the same
Ethan smiled faintly. They are

They spent the next hours interviewing miners who harvested element stones from nearby caves. Ethan was surprised by how inefficient the process was. Miners collected stones randomly sorting them roughly by color. Purity varied wildly. Some stones had high mana density others were basically useless. Yet all sold under the same vague names. Fire stone. Wind gem. Earth shard.

Ethan asked a miner how they judge purity. The miner shrugged. You shake it. If it hums it is good
Ethan wrote in his notes. Shake based evaluation is not a system
Lyra laughed. What would be a system
Measurement tools Quality scale Output index
Her eyes sparkled. You think these can be made
If mana exists Ethan said then it interacts with physical properties. That can be measured. Once measured it can be graded. Once graded it can be priced correctly

Lyra whispered almost to herself. You might change everything
Ethan shook his head. I am just trying to make sense of this world
But the truth was he felt something deeper. A pull. A spark of possibility. This world had a hole in its logic and holes begged to be filled.

They returned to the village center where Ethan asked permission to set up a small table. The elder agreed mostly because he wanted to see what the foreigner was planning. Ethan placed stones he had purchased at different prices on the table. He held up a piece of charcoal and began writing on a flat plank.

Stone A low glow low heat cost three copper
Stone B strong glow high heat cost eight copper
Stone C medium glow medium heat cost five copper

Lyra stood beside him as villagers gathered. What are you doing
Creating comparisons Ethan answered. People need to see differences. In your world magic is treated like mystery. I want it treated like a product
One man pointed at the plank. Why does the second stone cost eight
Because the merchant guessed Ethan answered honestly
The crowd murmured. That answer bothered them

A woman stepped forward. How should it be priced
Ethan felt the moment click. The market was primed for information but no one had given it to them before. He looked at the crowd. Price should match value. Value should match output. Output should match quality
They stared at him in silence. Magic users nobles and merchants all listened. No one had ever put magic in such clean simple terms.

Ethan held up Stone B. This stone glows bright because it contains more mana. If we can measure that we can set a base price. If a stone is weaker it should cost less. If stronger it should cost more. Right now you guess. But guessing helps no one
The elder stroked his beard. We have always priced by tradition
Ethan nodded. Then it is time for new tradition

Lyra whispered. They like you
Ethan looked around and realized something important. The crowd was nodding. Villagers were discussing among themselves. Even a few minor nobles looked thoughtful rather than angry. In a world where magic was everything their world was unstable because no one had created rules for magic trade.

Ethan realized this was not simply a place where he could survive. This was a place he could shape.

He stepped back from the table and addressed the people. I want to build something new. A board that measures magic quality. A group that tracks how many stones are mined. A place where prices are listed clearly so no one is cheated. If we understand magic we can build a stronger market. And if we build a stronger market the kingdom becomes stronger
The villagers clapped. Even the elder smiled. Lyra looked at Ethan like she had just found something incredible.

She leaned close and whispered. Ethan Mercer you are going to change our world. I can see it
Ethan felt his heart beat faster. Not from fear but from momentum. He had found a system with no structure and that meant opportunity.

But he also knew something else. This was only the beginning. A market needed transparency. After that it needed fairness. After that it needed innovation. Auctions insurance futures budgets projections

He chuckled to himself. A world of magic had no idea it was about to learn economics.

Lyra asked softly. What is next
Ethan looked at the sky. Next we measure everything. Then we build the first true magic market

And in that moment surrounded by glowing stones curious villagers and the promise of something bigger Ethan Mercer took his first step toward becoming the father of magical economic reform.