Back at the construction site, Sokram finished sealing the runes with another layer of moonstone. He altered his chant once more, using hand signs to accelerate the casting.

  When he completed it, the enchantment, between the layers of moonstone cladding, activated, pulling Aura, Vitha, and Magi from the environment and concentrating them in one spot.

  The energy density soared.

  The moonstones absorbed and amplified ambient mana, creating a self-sustaining loop that also enriched the city’s atmosphere with the three energies, making the environment in Eversnow optimal for cultivation.

  Licarus observed with approval. “He’s giving the city a gift, too, huh?”

  Sienna nodded. “With that potency, the energy will spread citywide in a month or two.”

  Feeling satisfied with the results so far, Sokram began raising the support pillars, spaced precisely every 20 by 20 meters in alignment with the glowing runestones below.

  These towering columns rose steadily from the lower levels, reaching just above ground level before solidifying into place.

  Each one was clad in a double layer of smooth moonstone, with a thin core of blood-ink carefully embedded between the slabs. However, Sokram left their enchantments dormant for now.

  He constructed seven hoistways in total. Of these, three were positioned directly beneath where the main house would stand.

  These lifts would serve as direct access points: one leading down to his new laboratory, and the other two connecting to the training grounds reserved for family and guests.

  The remaining four would be used for the employee training grounds and the greenhouse.

  Next, Sokram turned his focus to the lowest underground floor.

  Here, he shaped rows of small, windowless rooms that bore an uncanny resemblance to prison cells, perfectly isolated and secure.

  Then, surrounding the hoistway leading to his laboratory, he formed a massive chamber measuring 40 by 40 meters.

  This would be the lowest level of his laboratory, where the most dangerous experiments would be kept.

  Moving up a level, Sokram built the outer walls of his laboratory precisely above the previous one, then he split the remaining space into two halves.

  The half on the left side, which at ground level would eventually house the staff quarters and greenhouse, he further subdivided the area into two sections.

  Within the staff quarters area, Sokram created rows of compact cultivation rooms. Each was exactly 3 by 3 meters. Equipped with his refined Runic Energy Gathering Formations.

  These formations pulsed faintly with ambient mana, creating optimal conditions for speeding up cultivation and Tier advancements.

  He repeated the same layout on the floor above, ensuring each resident had private access to high-quality cultivation space.

  The remaining two floors above housed numerous training stages, clearly marked by reinforced flooring and protective runes along the walls, leaving no doubt about their intended purpose.

  On the greenhouse side, Sokram enchanted each of the four levels with adjustable glass ceilings that responded to his command.

  These ceilings could filter and intensify sunlight, dimming or brightening to suit the needs of various plants and fungi cultivated there.

  Instead of traditional flooring, he suspended woven walkways made of reinforced crystal-threaded vines, allowing easy access to raised planting beds that lined each level, resembling shelves in a grand library.

  The air turned thick with the scent of damp soil ready to receive seeds and fungi.

  But it was the right side of this underground complex that remained strictly off-limits to anyone outside the main household.

  First, Sokram completed the lab’s foundation, then he made the fourth underground floor accessible only through it.

  Then he modeled the space by clearing it entirely, leaving it free of unnecessary walls or pillars.

  His family thought he was creating a storage room, but his intentions were different.

  The third underground floor became a network of isolated cultivation chambers and spell practice rooms, accessible only through the lifts and stairways on the main house's ground floor.

  Each cultivation room featured his upgraded Runic Energy Gathering Formation, far more efficient than versions he gifted or commercialized.

  Those formations drew in and condensed ambient energy at a tripled rate in comparison to standard ones.

  The spell practice rooms, meanwhile, were layered with enchantments designed to heighten focus, sharpen mental clarity, and stabilize magical output, making them ideal not only for mastering spells but also for crafting new ones.

  Finally, Sokram merged the last two floors into a single, sprawling training ground.

  Within its vast expanse, he constructed three enormous sparring stages, each capable of hosting multiple combatants simultaneously.

  The walls shimmered with protective wards, ready to absorb and redirect stray attacks.

  After that, in the hoistways, Sokram installed runic-powered lifts seamlessly integrated into the architecture.

  Though not Magitech, these elevators operated with near-perfect smoothness, their mechanisms vibrating softly with controlled energy flows.

  Once the underground levels were complete, Sokram surfaced to finish constructing the greenhouse, followed by the foundations of the main house and staff quarters.

  Then, as a final flourish before calling it a day, he reassembled the grass and trees on the surface, restoring the land to its natural state.

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  As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting golden light across the newly formed estate’s foundations. Sokram summoned the last of his strength to raise a sturdy perimeter wall around the entire block.

  At its front gate, he inscribed the Sigil of the Dracnakrid family, fulfilling his promise to Brunhild, who would officially hold ownership of the property.

  To prevent the wind from blowing away the remaining material particles in the pocket black hole, he reassembled everything in giant blocks. Each of them was 3 by 3 meters, and he spread those blocks around the perimeter.

  After sustaining such an intense spell for nearly ten hours, Sokram was surprised by how well he was holding up.

  His head throbbed, yes.

  But the pain wasn’t nearly as unbearable as it had been the first time he used this spell.

  It seemed his mind was adapting.

  And if his brain could withstand this kind of strain now, and once he grew stronger, there would be very few limits to what he could achieve.

  Seeing the black hole closing, Hannah dispelled the fog and was prepared to pick him up if Sokram passed out. But he stood there, only rubbing his temples.

  Hannah was surprised.

  “Are you fine?” Hannah's voice sounded with a tinge of extra concern, “That spell seems heavy on the mind.”

  “Yes, what is even that?” Brunhild asked, exasperated. No longer able to contain her curiosity.

  The carpet began to lower itself toward the grass inside their newly expanded property.

  Some onlookers were peeking through the gates, amazed by what little they could see and the change in the scenery.

  The space transformed from an entire block housing eight mansions to an enormous empty yard with a greenhouse and the foundations laid for some enormous buildings, not to mention what was hidden below.

  “That’s my adaptation of Paragon Ariana’s Destruction.” Sokram grinned at Brunhild, who was left stunned after hearing that Sokram had just mastered a Paragon’s Legacy Spell.

  Hannah approached Sokram, linking one of her arms with him, and caressing his arm with a coquettish look, “Do you have it written? You know Nana loves complicated spells, right?”

  “Yes, I do. But I have to warn you, I can only use it because I lifted two of my mind locks.” Sokram summoned a scroll and handed it to her.

  As soon as Hannah let go of him to study the spell, Sokram felt someone embracing him from behind.

  “And what about this auntie here, can I have a look too?” Sienna’s voice came like a flirty whisper into his ear as her breath tickled him.

  “A-Auntie Sienna!” Sokram looked at her, completely caught off guard, especially with her body pressed against his.

  But all it took was only a look from Margiory and Brunhild, and she let go of him, flashing them a naughty grin.

  “Yes, I was going to show it to you and Great Uncle Sahvus anyway. I guess this counts as an Achievement, right?” Sokram grinned at her, quickly recovering from the surprise.

  “Great, it definitely does.” Sienna smiled greedily as Sokram handed her a scroll.

  “Achievement? For what?” Brunhild approached, standing between Sokram and Sienna.

  Margiory stood on the other side, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, also waiting for his response.

  “They keep the most precious knowledge on the tenth floor of the tower, but only after presenting three achievements that I can enter,” Sokram explained, without giving away any extra information about his becoming a Seeker candidate.

  “Oh, but that should count as more than just one achievement, as this isn’t a single spell, but a Spell Chain.” Hannah, who had overheard the conversation, lifted her eyes from the scroll briefly, casting an inquiring look at Sienna, who nodded as she read the scroll.

  “I agree, this is amazing, the load from reading and comprehending alone is mentally taxing.” Sienna licked her lips, glancing at Sokram.

  This made him feel conflicted as she was a stunning beauty.

  Still, her ties to Mentyr and the fact that Mentyr’s fanatics could be insane made things very complicated.

  “Stop flirting with my grandson! You never change, you see someone with a little bit of magic knowledge and start behaving like a… like that.” Brunhild crossed her arms as flashes of the past crossed her mind.

  “All right, I’ll take my leave then, since he isn’t of age yet, but I warned the younger ones already. The moment he becomes a man, it’s game on.” Sienna stored the scroll back into her ring and took off, flying.

  But casting one last look at Sokram, she winked at him, “See you in the tower, cutie.”

  “Haha, bye, Auntie.” Sokram waved her goodbye, but just then, someone slapped the back of his head.

  “Bye, Auntie...” Hilda’s voice came mimicking his, making the others laugh.

  “What was this for?” Sokram looked at her sheepishly and pulled her into a hug.

  “Hmph!” Hilda pouted but didn’t push him away,

  “Come on, Mrs. Hilda. You know you’re my first real love, right? No need to be jealous, you should be proud instead that I am amazing enough to make even a Grand Magus like her weak in the knees.” Sokram shot Hilda a wink before kissing her forehead and drawing in a few more jealous glances.

  But since it was Hilda, no one could say anything.

  “Get your naughty hands off my woman, you naughty dragon!” Miralyn rushed in playfully trying to break their hug, only for Sokram to pull her into his other arm, hugging her firmly.

  “Now that’s what I call a package deal, haha.” Sokram kissed Miralyn on the cheek and turned them toward the main house's foundations.

  “The house is going to get quite big,” Sokram mused, “I’m thinking five floors should be enough, what do you think?”

  “How big will my room be?” Hilda grinned.

  “Will my room be a suite? I want a big bath!” Astrid joined in.

  “Alright, suites for everyone with thermal big bathtubs, anything else?” Sokram smiled, making mental notes.

  The girls began pitching their suggestions one after the other.

  Leona, Karini, and Cecille only joined in once Sokram told them they would also have their own room or rooms if they wished.

  Cecille was still jealous of Sokram’s talent and sour because he passed her on the journey to become a Seeker. But she was dead set on following Leona on whatever came to their marriage, even if that meant joining Sokram’s future harem.

  And Sokram didn’t hide that he was looking forward to it as well.

  It wasn’t just Hannah who could feel his body rushing toward maturity.

  Sokram also knew that he would reach adulthood even earlier than in his past timeline.

  Each race has its own way to attest that their bodies are apt to reproduction, not only physically but mentally too.

  In the case of those from the racial group called Magni, Dragons went through Frenzy.

  When a dragon first comes of age, they would be overcome with a lustful frenzy. And if the dragon didn’t have a harem already formed when that happened, the responsibility to help him calm down fell on his closest kin.

  Elementals would have to endure a transition called the Call of Nature, which was like a frenzy, which would also be packed with lust, but much more emotionally charged than just physical desire.

  The races of the Andros group, High-Humans, humans, mermaids, and Aerys, had to endure the Desire Awakening.

  Before becoming of age, humans generally had no desire to be with someone. But after coming of age, that desire would awaken in them.

  The one from the Aefhery, which were all types of elves, and the Dryad. They went through Maturity.

  Both their bodies and minds would lose any physical signs or behaviors that showed traces of infancy, signaling they had reached marriageable age.

  Ferals of both Foxes, Feline, and Canine kinds had to face their First Heat.

  Brutus, which were the ogres, orcs, titans, and giants, had to face the Will of the Strong, which would make them want to challenge and conquer their mate through strength, even if the targets of their affection were already with someone, which made it a rite of passage among the Brutus Racial group.

  The Nethrians, Vampires, Succubae, and Nocturnals had to face the Call of the Night, which worked similarly to Frenzy. Yet, they would also be overcome not only with physical lust but also with bloodlust.

  The Faeries, which were the Fairies, Dwarves, and Gnomes, would face their Last Spur, which, like the elves, would change their bodies and minds, purging any signs of infancy despite their short statures.

  As for the seven nymphic races, which are the Tailed Fox-kin, Faries, Dryads, Succubus, Nagas, Sirens, and Mystics.

  Independent of the racial group they belonged to, they would also awaken their charming and soul-linking abilities, like the Charm and Devotion of the foxes and the Siren’s Voice, and Soulcall from the Mermaids and Sirens.

  Thus, Sokram’s worries about his coming of age involved more than just one racial rite of passage.

  Just thinking of having to go through his first Frenzy, Call of Nature, Desire’s awakening, while enduring the changes of Maturity. He knew it was going to be a very tiring week at the shortest.

  And after those came the awakening of the Curses of Lust and Blood, which would affect the behavior of many of the women around him as well.

  Sokram’s mind split in two, one reminiscing about this part of his future and remembering his struggles with it in his past timeline.

  The other continued to take mental notes of their desires for their future home.