Two days after the Data Guild formed a thunderous clanking echoed through the city. Elves stopped what they were doing. Mana birds scattered into the skies. Even the trees seemed to vibrate in curiosity.

Lyriel glanced toward the main bridge. “They have arrived.”

Evan followed her to the city entrance where three dwarves marched across the vine bridge wearing thick stone armor pulsing with faint runes. Their boots hit the vines with so much weight the bridge creaked in protest.

The lead dwarf had a beard braided with glowing gems. His eyes were sharp and suspicious. When he reached Evan he crossed his arms.

“So you are the human who makes numbers spit out secrets.”

Evan blinked. “That is one way to describe analytics.”

The dwarf grunted. “Name’s Brumdir Ironforge. We heard you predict storms and beast movements. We heard you make crystals sing truths out loud. And we want to know if your methods can help us with something… dangerous.”

Lyriel stepped forward. “What do the dwarves seek”

Brumdir lowered his voice. “Mana quakes.”

The elves gasped. Mana quakes were legendary disasters. Bursts from deep underground that shattered caverns and melted stone. Most believed they were caused by unstable mana veins. But dwarves lived in caves and suffered the most from them.

Evan frowned. “You want me to predict quakes”

Brumdir nodded. “If we can track the pulse before it blows we can save entire cities.”

Evan thought for a moment. “Do you have data Logs Anything”

Brumdir grimaced. “We have damage lists. Stories. Rumors. But not what you call… structured records.”

Evan rubbed his face. “Then we start fresh. You track every tremor. Every glow in your cavern walls. Every pulse in your mana stones.”

Brumdir grunted. “We can do that. But can your crystals survive underground”

Lyriel answered. “With proper shaping yes.”

Evan took out a set of mana crystals and placed them on the ground. “We build a prototype dashboard for underground mana pressure. A pressure array. It will record pulse magnitude and frequency.”

Brumdir stared at the crystals as if they were relics of another world. “Will it work”

Evan shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

He placed crystals in a small circle and connected them with carved shallow runes the same method the workshop elders taught him. Once activated the crystals glowed softly and synced to the local mana.

Brumdir watched the glow flicker. “They pick up surface pulses… interesting.”

Evan nodded. “If we calibrate them deeper underground they can detect larger fluctuations.”

Lyriel added, “This would be the first dashboard shared by elves and dwarves.”

Brumdir huffed. “History will choke on that sentence.”

Evan stood. “Let us gather more data. I need to visit a dwarven cavern.”

Brumdir’s expression softened into something like respect. “Not afraid of underground darkness human”

Evan smirked. “I have worked in windowless offices. How bad can it be”

Brumdir burst into laughter. “Good. You will fit right in.”

The elves around them exchanged amused glances.

Lyriel looked at Evan. “Are you certain you want to travel now The Elders barely accepted your dashboards.”

“That is why I must go,” Evan said. “If I show the Elders that my work helps other races too it becomes harder for them to oppose it.”

Lyriel considered this. “Then I will send a small escort.”

Brumdir waved a hand. “No need. The dwarves guard their own.”

Evan gathered his crystals and bark templates. Brumdir pointed toward the forest path. “Our tunnels are a day’s march west. We leave now.”

As Evan walked with the dwarves the elves watched silently. Some hopeful. Some uncertain. Some fearful of how far this new discipline would spread.

Lyriel called out softly before he disappeared from sight. “Return safely. The Data Guild awaits you.”

Evan nodded. “And I will bring back the world’s first dwarf-elf dashboard.”

Brumdir grinned. “If it works you will save thousands of miners.”

Evan adjusted his pack. “Then we will make it work.”

Thus began the first journey beyond the elven kingdom not for war not for trade but for data.
The age of cross-race analytics had begun.
And Evan’s Data Empire was already spreading beyond borders.