Chapter 4: Real Business
He had also managed to catch a glimpse of magic once more. As he was walking past a construction site, where large chunks of unprocessed silver were laying on the ground, he witnessed a huge chunk of silver rise into the air as if guided by an invisible hand. Slowly, it made its way atop another cube, a blinding light flashed as the two blocks were magically connected. Some parts were cut off while others were mended, seamlessly integrating the new block into the structure. A towering building with brutalist architecture materialized within minutes.
There were 4 Existence Ranks in total, from Rank 0 to Rank 3. Rank 0 were the average citizens while generally incapable of magic, the inhabitants of this universe had increased physical constitution and longer lifespans. Isaiah's best guess was that their bodies had evolved to better adapt to mana. People who were on the brink of reaching Rank 1 could use mana in small quantities. Isaiah guessed the woman that had come to his shop, Allie, was on the brink of reaching Rank 1.
His customers' knowledge about magic was rather shallow, and they viewed people above Rank 1 as above human. Most didn't even dare speak about Rank 3. He found it fitting, as the ruler of the Silvershine Empire he currently resided in, Jacob Silvershine, was a Rank 3 powerhouse, a god-like figure in the eyes of a average citizen.
As he was rummaging through the storage, Isaiah had found the cafe's business journal. He noticed the last entry was three whole years ago! He also figured out the name of his new body, Tresr Dominus. He thought the name lacked taste and chose to introduce himself as Isaiah Dominus instead to all his customers.
The journal entries weren't written by him though, but rather his father. Considering the last entry was three years ago, it seemed ominous as to the fate of his father.
Not that he really cared. What he had to do now was find a way to access magic. The fate of this body's father was irrelevant to him.
Closing the shop for the day and saying his goodbyes to his neighbors, he made his way up the stairs. After taking a quick bath then changing into comfortable clothes, he sat on his bed with his legs crossed.
He inquired from his customers that a person could try to feel mana in the air with intense concentration. For hours, all he did was sit cross-legged with his eyes closed, trying to feel the mana around him. Then, nothing!
He fell back to his bed, his body ached from sitting cross-legged for hours. Not once did he feel any traces of mana, not even a fleeting feeling.
"I seem to have a lack of talent for mana," Isaiah however wasn't surprised at all. He still remembered the bloodied condition he found himself in when he transmigrated. There was bound to be side effects of such an extreme process, so even if he did have it, he could have lost his talent for mana.
He looked at the ceiling. 'This will slow my plans even further,' he thought. He wasn't worried about his lack of talent, as he was the man who constructed the Soul Gate. If there was a will, there would be a way as well.
He slept through the night and opened his shop early, tunes from street performers ringing in his ears. There was a joyous atmosphere present around the town.
The chime bell rang. A middle-aged man walked in, draped in a sleek red suit, sunglasses rested on his head. His blue eyes found Isaiah, a large grin formed on his face. "Nephew!" the man went behind the counter and hugged Isaiah.
Isaiah, his acting spot on, gave the man a large hug. "Uncle? It's been such a long time. Did you forget about this nephew of yours?"
Louie patted Isaiah's shoulder and smiled. "Of course not, Tresr." He looked around the café and smiled. "You really pulled this place together. I'm proud of you."
Isaiah smiled, taking a seat. "Thanks, also I go by Isaiah these days."
Louie's expression turned weird but he didn't say anything about Isaiah's name change. "I'm glad you managed to pull yourself together after the passing of your parents. I arrived as soon as I heard you started to operate the café," his tone was solemn.
"So my suspicions were correct," thought Isaiah to himself. "Losing your parents is hard but life moves on..." he said in a melancholic tone.
Louie changed the subject. "Tell me, how is your mana training going?" He inquired. "Your existence rank is essential to getting deals if you ever want to expand your business."
Isaiah nodded, he had already figured that much. Now that he took a closer look, the aura around his uncle was pretty heavy. It seems his uncle was Rank 1!
"Uncle, I'm indeed interested in expanding my business. However, due to being in a depressive mood after the passing of my parents, I happened to slack off my mana training," he sighed, putting the blame on the death of his parents rather than his poor talent. "Would you know a way I could reach Rank 1 soon?"
"Lily!" Louie called. A beautiful young woman with pitch black hair and gem-like purple eyes came rushing in. "Yes, sir?"
"Give my nephew the files." Lily opened the suitcase she was holding and passed the files in it to Isaiah. "These are?", he asked while flipping through the files.
"Those are my congratulations gift to you for reopening the café," he smiled. "Those are information not available to the public."
As Isaiah flipped through the pages, he noticed all of them were about magic. He found numerous files about methods to reach Rank 1.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone