The next morning Ethan woke up with the same feeling he used to get before a big presentation back in college. A tight rush of energy. Not anxiety. Momentum. He washed his face in a wooden basin then stepped outside into the village street where people were already gathering around his table from yesterday. Lyra stood beside it organizing parchment like she had been waiting for him all night.

You are early Ethan said
Lyra smiled. You looked like someone who would keep working until the sun rose so I prepared a little
Ethan tried not to smile too wide. Good. Because today we build something new

He took a deep breath. The village market was noisy but beneath the noise he sensed the hunger for order. He placed several mana stones on the plank and spread them out by size and glow. People leaned in. Ethan tapped a stone with the charcoal. This is the beginning of something I call Mana Metrics
The villagers repeated the words like they were tasting something foreign
Mana Metrics What is that
Ethan nodded. A way to measure magic in a fair and clear way

He held up a glowing red stone. This one is a fire stone. It has brightness. It has heat. It has a hum. These are indicators of mana inside it. These indicators can be tested
A man asked How
Ethan pointed to a bucket of water nearby. If a stone heats water faster it has stronger mana output. If its glow fades slower it has longer life. If its hum is louder it has denser mana

The villagers whispered among themselves. It felt like he was rewriting their understanding of magic right in front of their eyes.

Lyra stepped closer. You think we can categorize them
Ethan grinned. We will categorize everything

He drew three letters on the plank. A B C
The crowd murmured
A stones are high purity. Strong glow long life high output. B stones are normal. Reliable. C stones are weak. Almost depleted
The elder rubbed his beard. You want to label magic
Ethan nodded. If we label it we can price it. If we price it fairly people will not be cheated. Merchants can compete with honesty. Miners will be rewarded fairly. Nobles will lose their ability to bully markets by shouting numbers

People clapped at that last part more loudly than Ethan expected

He lined up the stones in rows then tested them one by one. He placed each in the bucket to see how fast the water warmed. He timed the glow fade. He listened to the hum by placing the stone near wood. Lyra recorded everything with excitement in her eyes.

After an hour they had a clear chart
Stone A strong output fifteen seconds to heat the water
Stone B moderate output thirty seconds
Stone C weak output almost no reaction

The elder pointed at the chart. And how do we price them
Ethan tapped the plank. That depends on scarcity and demand. But as a rule higher output means higher value. Not because we guess because the stone actually performs better
The elder nodded slowly. This makes sense
A woman in the crowd asked So from now on we should buy A stones for strong magic and C stones for simple tasks
Ethan nodded. Exactly. And no one should pay full price for a C stone pretending to be an A

The crowd reacted like he had exposed a long running scam. Miners looked relieved. Merchants looked cautious. Nobles standing farther back looked annoyed. Ethan noticed but did not care. Markets changed when information changed and he was giving them information for the first time.

Lyra leaned toward him. Ethan you just changed a century old pricing habit
Ethan shrugged. Because it was wrong
Lyra stared at him. You say it like it is simple
It is simple Ethan said. Simple does not mean easy

When the crowd left Ethan and Lyra walked toward the elder’s hall to store the gathered data. The sun was high the air buzzing with conversation. Lyra finally broke the silence. Ethan do you plan to stay here
Ethan exhaled. I do not know. I miss home. But I also feel like I understand this world better than I expected
Lyra tapped her notebook. Because it runs on systems
Ethan nodded. Yes. And because the systems are broken
She smiled warmly. Then stay long enough to fix a few
Ethan laughed. That sounds like a dangerous promise

They entered the elder’s hall where the old man looked up from a pot of tea. I heard you caused a stir
Ethan set the parchment down. A good stir
The elder glanced at the charts. You have the eyes of someone who builds structures. If you keep going the nobles will either fear you or hire you
Ethan replied dryly. I would prefer they pay me
The elder chuckled. A true merchant spirit

Then he grew serious. Ethan. There is talk that nobles dislike outsiders who change things too quickly. Be careful
Ethan nodded but his mind was already three steps ahead. Nobles wanted control. Control came from confusion. Clear rules weakened their grip. Which meant conflict was inevitable.

But Ethan had dealt with corporate resistance before. Angry nobles were just medieval executives with extra sparkle.

As he left the hall Ethan felt a shift. He had created his first tool. He had proven magic could be measured. Now he needed the next step.

Markets needed transparency yes
But they also needed a platform

An auction
The thought landed so cleanly in his mind that he stopped walking
Lyra bumped into him. What is it
Ethan turned to her. How do your people trade rare artifacts
Lyra blinked. Nobles pass them among themselves
Ethan felt his pulse spike. So no public market
None
Perfect he murmured

Lyra stared at him. Ethan what are you planning
He smiled slowly. The first magic auction