When the AMAX team returned from the Council Tower they expected a quiet afternoon to recover from tension Instead they found chaos waiting for them outside the guild hall A crowd had formed but this time it was not merchants cheering nor apprentices curious It was a gathering split into two loud factions one supporting AMAX and another angrily opposing them Ethan stopped on the stone street taking a moment to read the energy Lorian clutched the fire sprite protectively Mira scanned the edges for danger Aria watched carefully noting mana fluctuations within the crowd Ten whispered This is bad Ethan nodded Stay calm Observe first The pro AMAX group shouted We want faster services We want safer deliveries Let AMAX work The opposing side consisted mostly of older courier guild workers and guild loyalists shouting AMAX breaks tradition AMAX steals food from our families Magic should not be for profit Ethan stepped forward raising his voice Citizens of Astravar please settle but neither faction quieted Instead voices grew louder and angrier A courier guild captain pushed through the crowd He was tall stern with a scar across his cheek and the guild badge stitched in dark thread He pointed at Ethan You bring chaos to our work You disrupt centuries of duty Ethan remained calm Disruption is not destruction It is improvement The captain retorted Your creatures bypass our routes Our apprentices lose jobs Our contracts lose value Mira stepped forward voice steady If your guild cannot improve that is not our fault The captain narrowed his eyes Lorian held his sprite closer Ethan gently moved Mira back then addressed the captain We do not seek to destroy any guild We offer new services and customers choose what they want The captain said Citizens want stability not experiments Ethan answered Then let stability compete with innovation The crowd erupted again The arguments began to feel like two storms colliding Ethan raised his voice again We will speak with your guild leaders if you desire cooperation not conflict The captain scoffed We do not cooperate with rule breakers Ethan nodded So that is your choice not ours The captain stepped closer You call yourself a builder but you build only trouble Ethan did not flinch Trouble is what progress looks like at the start Aria suddenly lifted her hand Ethan and the captain stopped A pulse of faint mana pressure moved through the air Aria whispered Something dangerous is forming Ethan turned noticing a group of hooded mages hidden in the opposing crowd Their mana signatures flickered irregularly unstable Someone summoned half formed magic A spark blew through the air scattering the crowd Several people screamed Ethan instinctively pushed Aria and Lorian aside Mira raised her summoning circle ready Smoke began to appear where a hooded mage had triggered an unstable spell Ethan shouted Enough The hooded mages froze shocked the spell fizzled dissipating into harmless dust Aria stepped forward reinforcing the mana field stabilizing the surroundings Lorian gasped She stabilized the entire street Mira nodded She saved us Ethan faced the crowd calmly This is why structure matters This is why we teach safe magic This is why AMAX exists The panic softened across the street People began to lower their voices Some stepped back ashamed of the chaos A merchant approached Ethan quietly Your work is good We support you Ethan nodded The crowd slowly dispersed Some glaring some thoughtful many uncertain but calmer Ethan turned to his team Today we learned that visibility is power but also danger Lorian said They fear us Mira said And some admire us Aria said Both reactions shape the future Ethan added And we must guide that future before someone else twists it They returned to the hall the door closing behind them Ethan looked at his founders This world is waking up We must be ready for the next step The first public revolt had been contained but it would not be the last AMAX had become a force in the marketplace and forces were always challenged

Chapter 14 The Accelerator Expands

The situation outside reminded Ethan of early stage startups that grew too quickly too loudly attracting attention before building enough structure to support the momentum So the next morning he called a serious meeting in the pitch room Lorian Mira Aria and the apprentices sat around the long table Ethan wrote three words on the slate Expansion Stability Defense Mira raised an eyebrow Defense Ethan nodded Yes because as we grow others will try to stop us or copy us or undermine us Lorian looked uneasy Do you mean we prepare for battle Ethan shook his head No We prepare to survive and survive by strengthening what we build Aria asked What is our first step Ethan said We expand the accelerator itself We take on new founders new ideas and build more services That is how we scale and stay ahead Mira said But the hall is crowded already Ethan nodded Then we build additional spaces Ten’s eyes widened Build how Ethan answered by converting nearby abandoned buildings There are three old exam halls next to us Two are empty one is damaged but salvageable Aria closed her eyes sensing the mana flows around the area The foundations are stable but the runes must be rebuilt Ethan smiled Then you and Ten will lead that project Aria opened her eyes Me Ethan nodded firmly You understand structural runes like no one else here and Ten has learned fast Aria lowered her head slightly I will do it Ethan turned to Lorian You will run training for new sprite handlers Lorian blinked Me Train others Ethan said Yes Your process is now repeatable Now you must teach it That is how a founder becomes a leader Mira asked And me Ethan said You will build SummonLogistics into a full service division You design routes creature classes and partnerships with merchants Mira inhaled deeply This is a lot Ethan said Growth is pressure but also opportunity Then he placed a new board on the table reading New Founders Wanted All magical innovators welcome No guild approval required Mira looked stunned You want more founders Ethan nodded Yes because one or two services cannot defend us But ten or twenty can Lorian snapped his fingers understanding A portfolio Ethan smiled Exactly Just like a venture capitalist builds many investments we build many magical startups Aria added And each startup strengthens the ecosystem Ethan nodded The more we support the harder we are to eliminate Ten stood excited So we create the first magic startup ecosystem Ethan said Yes And it begins today They opened the hall doors and placed the founder recruitment sign outside By midday mages lined up down the street Some were young some old some dressed in simple robes some in elaborate guild attire some carried scrolls others crystals others strange devices of unknown enchantment Ethan greeted each one personally asking the same questions What problem do you solve Why does your idea matter How will it help people Some applicants were dreamers with no clarity Some had dangerous unstable magic Some had impressive vision but lacked focus But a few stood out A potion maker who had invented self sorting ingredient bottles A rune engineer who created a floating ledger that tracked mana costs A young enchanter who designed armor that could reduce physical burden Ethan accepted five new founders that day The AMAX ecosystem had begun Lorian trained sprite handlers teaching them to read mana loops Mira taught summoners the basics of control anchors Aria led work on the expansion halls carving new mana conduits while Ten carried materials and learned structural runes with practiced focus Ethan walked through the hall watching his accelerator become alive with motion sparks and ambition Everywhere he looked a new startup was forming a new idea growing a new founder learning Even the once silent walls seemed brighter humming with mana alignment Ethan felt something he had not felt even in Silicon Valley A sense that this was not only a startup accelerator It was a movement The next stage of magic The next stage of this world Aria approached Ethan quietly The expansion halls will be ready within three days I will reinforce them to hold heavy mana flow Ethan nodded Excellent Mira walked up next Merchants want contracts for longer routes We need more summoners Ethan said Recruit them Lorian hurried over We found a way to reduce sprite burnout by fifteen percent Ethan clapped Brilliant Everyone was growing Everyone pushing beyond their limits He stepped onto the platform inside the hall called everyone to gather and said Today AMAX became greater than us We are building not a service but an economy A world where magic builds value where founders shape cities where innovation drives destiny The hall erupted with quiet cheers even the creatures seemed energized The accelerator had begun to expand into a network a collective force of magical entrepreneurship The courier guild was now only one of many obstacles Because something larger than rivalry had awakened A new era of mana innovation was rising and AMAX stood at the center of it