The plans are already in motion.
The list of chores today:
Make the RailSetter more efficient.
Yeah, that's all. After this it's just vibe and drive.
I deconstructed the RailSetter, turning it back into information, and in terms, refunding the materials. After that I put the base, where all the mechanisms would be, then I set an engine in the back, no reason to have it in the front when it would hinder my view. After all, this train is not designed to do wheelies, it is going slow.
The the mechanism was pretty simple, one half lays the rails and the other nails stuff together.
With all of this done it was time to move onto the more comfortable part - the lounge like design of the stuff above the mechanical layer.
I made the far end corner I made a pretty nice resting area, a bed that elevated from the floor. Under it was a desk with a lamp, a gramophone that I created just now and drawing equipment.
Going a bit towards the entrance of the train, one can see a couch, wide enough for one to lay comfortable, before it was coffee table, not any taller than the couch's actual seats. Other than that there are windows on both sides with curtains for optimal privacy. On the far right corner as one enters in the train cart is a door, which leads to the controlling room, one must spin the valve for quite a few seconds to make the mechanism that sets the rails move to either side - basically this is the stirring system, which uses an absurd gear ratio to achieve this and also to allow one to spin the valve in the first place.
One can lift anything given enough time and enough gear ratios.
There's also a normal table on the opposite side(left to right if one looks straight towards the train) of where the couch is. Cuz who wouldn't want a romantic dinner with a nice view in a moving cart.
And that's about it. The mini kitchen was turned into a more compact portable one... As if I can't make everything portable.
Back to laying more rails, this time I am capable of doing it quadruple at maximum, fast enough to be compared to a person, who is jogging.
The moment the train began moving a wave of peace washed over me, the air that moved around the train played with my hair and coat as I stood on the edge of the iron mesh that was infront of the door.
This is more acceptable than the other speed, and honestly - I think I will not add any more upgrades to the train, it's laying the rails perfectly, and with the enchantment there shouldn't be any dents should the weather become warmer.
I am now able to relax... And think...
Hmm, back during the ride towards the Capital with Eris, she said that she's starting to understand Aqua's belief better. I do wonder what my dear's beliefs were for her to say that. Perhaps I could go tomorrow to Axel and check their holy scriptures - I could even go and see my friends while i'm at it.
Yeah, a bit more rest in the morning would be lovely...
I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes, all while casting my instant lucid dream spell.
My eyes closed, and after a while of not doing anything but pretending to be asleep I was genuinely asleep.
I don't even know why i'm here... Maybe just to enjoy looking at the empty field that held all of my schematics...
I tilted my head as I looked at the snowfield resort of this inner world. It had something missing... Ahah, a home is the thing missing. The pattern is pretty clear, my first plot of land has a home in the multi-crop farm, the desert has the Oasis fortress, and now for the snowfield forest... Why not make a winter wonderland mansion, given that this would be better than to live in one of the apartments with my dear Eris - what if someone recognises her?
But where exactly... I played with my beard, which has grown quite a bit since I last shaved. Then I pointed directly where I want it to be. In the middle of the forest, near the wall of the resort. The Mansion would have a little track specifically for it, and with it comes the sign that tells people to not enter, of course I am going to ignore it, i'm the boss of the place... or would be, once it's fully built.
This goes in my to-do list for tomorrow - to place the info-print for automatic building.
So what now... My body's just laying in the cart, while my mind is creating an info-print. Then I got an idea - music. Let's make music.
Memory lane, here I come, to make my favourites into discs and then for the gramophone.
So I got to it, digging deeper and deeper into memories considered long forgotten, into cravices my mind couldn't focus on without this ability of mine. This is truly wonderful - jazz, drum and bass and many other stuff. All into neat discs, hundreds. I even got a few songs from back home, not a chalga, that thing is a cheap imitation of the original bulgarian music, those which were singing about love, beauty of nature and all that, and not for sex, money, and "oh, look at me, just how important I am"... Fucking morons...
With that I got up and got to printing, as well as packaging them into paper folders. I made myself a custom desk to hold the disks, and for fun - I made it have a built in system that has to be wound up to play music, all with the help of an infinite spring, the memory enchantment keeping it permanently in that version of self.
I decided to go full classy. While my foot was cranking the spring mechanism I seached for a nice jazz to listen. With my search coming to an end, i placed the disc where it must be, and let the needle touch the surface. Perfect.
I sat down at the table and ate some sweets along with some coffee, removing the caffeine altogether, because I'm just trying to enjoy the flavour...
A bit more of this later and i'm bored, so I put up some music to get my heart pumping, and I trained a bit, occasionally checking on what is happening outside to adjust the movement of the contraption.
This continued on until the sun was setting, signalling me to shut down for today and return home.
With a simple thought I chanelled my own body through the informational stream, or one of mana, not sure, magical shit for sure. This landed me back home to the teleportation anchor that I had set a while back, I went to the winery and got myself some wine manually, honestly felt more fulfilling than having everything at an arms reach.
The smell of roasted meat filled the air as I made my way towards the castle home. Oh, today's dinner is going to be great. I opened the door and walked in, taking my shoes off and then walking into the kitchen.
"Good evening, my dear." I said, by my tone alone one could say i'm happy.
She turned to face me, a smile painted on her face, she needn't say anything. Instead, she came to me and hugged me tightly, pulling me lower to cuddle into my neck. "Welcome back."
After she had to go back to cooking, I went beside her and helped with the rest. With grace, the rest of the meals were cooked and served beautifully.
A light conversation here and there, I explained how my day went, she did the same, and so I came to tell her my plans for tomorrow, simply because.
"I'm planning on going to Axel tomorrow. I was thinking about what you said while we were on our way to the Capital... about Aqua's belief."
"Hm?" She looked at me with curiosity.
"I'll get your holy texts to see what you believed in." I continued, aware of how much she must have changed because of me.
"That won't be necessary. You can ask me anything about my belief." She said, although I could catch hesitation in her eyes, uncertainty.
"Could you tell me the basics?" I asked softly.
She nodded once and began - about kindness, about forgiveness, truly the basic stuff.
"Still, I will go and check it out." I said.
She chuckled lightly. "Then i'm curious as to what conclusions you will draw about me."
And from there, the night went as smooth as usual, bath, and then sleep.
The morning that came after was the same as yesterdays, something unchanging, something worth it all. The guarantee, the cycle that brings comfort and puts us together in love. But it alone does not exist, for it is our choice.
Within my capability, I teleported to the unfinished snowfield resort, my mind moving to the task at hand as a bunch of little workers departed from me. The trees within where the walls would be quickly became information, pure energy, for it is everything and everything is it.
A single thought later and the printing process began, the beautiful design of the wall, similar to one of an old house from back home. The wall was made of stone bricks, uneven, yet they look good and are stable. There are pillar like construction coming out of the short stone wall, and between them were wooden planks to prevent anyone from crawling through the gaps. And on top of it, roof bricks put at an angle, mirror like.
The house itself looked like a cozy cabin with windows here and there, within the living room: a large couch, a fireplace, a coffee table. The place also has a dinning room, with cabinets to the opposite side of where the kitchen joins the dinning room, between them is a counter with a top made of polished wood, the texture being smooth to the touch. Behind the counter, and behind an empty space is a sink, a box that access my astral storage and a stove, along with drawers with dining utensils. There is also now a gramophone, unlike in the Oasis fortress. There are also the bathroom, the bedroom, balcony under a elongated roof, wooden supports on the edges that kept the roof standing.
By the end I was satisfied with my work, so now I allow myself to entertain myself a bit with studies.
I drove to Axel with my Acat, and to the local church, which was quite grand. I straight up asked one of the priests about their holy texts and they lead me, because I didn't plan on actually taking it home. I was here just to satiate my curiosity.
And that's what I did, a lot of it. On the surface the lessons in this book are put into stories, which brought me to the conclusion that this is a scuffed version of the Christian bible, to the point that Eris is even born on Christmas...
My darling truly represents the virtues written in this book, even the marriage part. Guess she took it that I proposed back then... Nevertheless the vows are given, it can be called a marriage because we have entered a covenant.
Man, I am blessed to have her.
I left the church with more appreciation in my heart than what I've entered with.
Now to the more casual stuff - checking up on my friends. First stop: Wiz's shop, cuz they are closer than the mansion.
A quick walk was all it took... Besides, I'd prefer not riding Acat in towns, no need to bring the road quality from home.
The bell above the door rang as I opened the door to Wiz's shop.
"Hey Wiz!" I announced myself.
Her head poked out from behind the counter before she fully emerged. "Oh, Hi, Svetislav, how have you been?" She greeted me with a warm smile.
"It's been great, checking up. You?" I replied, looking around the corner in the backroom for any signs of Vanir.
"I'm doing good as well..."
An awkward silence settled quickly as neither one of us knew how to continue the conversation... Except, I had a ace up my sleeve. "So... Where's Vanir?"
"He said he goes out for business this morning," she tilted her hear slightly to the right and placed a finger to her chin in a thoughtful expression. "Though he didn't say where or what."
"Do you know when he's coming back?"
She shook her head, hands Infront of her lap as she answered: "He said that he will be out for a while, so maybe after noon."
"Welp... Guess not today. Send my regards though, would you?"
"Yes, no problem. Have a great day!" She replied.
"You too."
And with that I left the shop, walking back towards the mansion brought back memories, how long had it been since I last spend an entire day with my dear comrades?
The sights of the mansion was quite nostalgic, though it would have been more if there was still snow.
Anyways, I walked in and headed straight for the living room, inside I found the four of them, Kazuma, Megumin and Darkness at the table and Aqua on the couch.
"Goodday Ladies and gentleman." I greeted with open arms as I walked through the doorframe.
"He is anythint but a gentleman." Aqua commented, not even bothering to look at us from the couch.
"Hey man." Kazuma greeted.
Darkness turned up to look at me, her voice soft. "Hello, Svetislav. It's been a while."
"It indeed has been." I looked down at her hand, surprisingly she didn't wore a ring. "How's the situation with the wedding?"
Darkness smiled. "The wedding..." She gestured to her side, in the direction of Kazuma, Megumin and Aqua. "They came and allowed me to flee the wedding, the debt is paid. Though Alderp has gone missing."
I am still sour about them not telling me about the rest of the debt, but since everything is fine in the end. "Well... That's two problems solved. What can I say? I'm glad you're back."
"Thank you..." Darkness said, softer now.
With that I took a seat and pulled out some cider and also wine, which Aqua, as if with a sixth sense, looked at immediately, but were too lazy to get up from the couch and come and grab the bottle.
"So," Kazuma began. "What have you been up to, nobleman?"
"Quite a lot actually," I replied "I went to get some more land from Iris and also began the building of a ski resort and a traintrack... I have yet to build the stations though, which would serve as markets. Either I join the economy with my goods or I rent stands in the markets... Either way, it's profit."
Megumin and Darkness looked curiously at me, particularly about the skis and the train.
"I understand most of what you just said, but what is this ski and train thing?" Magumin asked.
Darkness nodded. "Yes, I'd also like to know."
With a deep breath I began explaining in a very simple way, ski being a sport i 'invented" and train being a machine which is a sum of carts being pulled along by a steam engine, then I had to elaborate on what is an engine. Megumin seemed particularly interested in the concept, because I explained it as controlled explosions that are converted to motion.
"And that's about it."
After this it was their turn, cuz the conversation needs to keep going.
"Well... We stopped a hurricane." Kazuma said.
Huh?
"Yeah. By calming down a great storm spirit. And the best part." He leaned in and whispered. "The ladies were in bikinis. Wiz was there, Darkness also, but mainly Wiz."
"Bro, I don't need a mental image of her bombs." I replied.
After a bit more banter and treats, I finally decided to finish with my research, so I moved to Aqua.
"Aqua, what is your philosophy?" I asked.
She shot upright instantly.
"Finally decided to convert to the Axis faith?" She asked, her eyes sparkling.
"No, I just want to understand what your religion believes in."
She squinted at me, then held out her hand. "Then I want an offering."
I raised an eyebrow and laughed slightly, before pulling out another wine bottle from my astral storage.
Aqua grabbed the bottle, popped the cork and drank straight from the bottle, her eyes narrowed and she nodded.
Then she grew serious.
"Listen carefully. Anything done out of love - real love - and that doesn't hurt nobody, will be forgiven."
"That's it?" I asked, since that is just the thing Eris told me.
"That's it. If you do something out of love, and you are able to stand up again, you will be forgiven."
That explains why she is a professional alcoholic.
I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Aqua."
She grinned getting the appreciation she usually doesn't get. "Anytime... Now can you place a few more bottles right here." She pointed to the corner of the couch.
I just looked at her... Do I troll her and put rakia in one of the wine bottles?
Nah, I kind of respect her more.
With that I stayed a bit longer, for some more conversation and a reminder of how it felt being with my friends. I truly thankful to have them, even if they do get a bit quirky.
...
"Well, I should get going. My work has waited for me long enough."
Kazuma raised a brow. "Since when are you this repsonsible?"
I tried to form a sentence, but just couldn't so I put my index finger to my mouth and then traced my jaw line and just stood up and left.
He just looked at me confused.
"Anyways, bye guys!"
And from there, the casual, set rails, chill while doing so, and then finally, the best part of the day, though, honestly, the time I spent with my friends could rival it.
Since summer was coming, I thought of making some cold desert, like ice cream, but I wasn't really sure about the recipe, and I wasn't going to dig into my mind to find it, not right now.
So I just made us fruit popsicles, or frozen juice, which I made by freezing juice concentrate mixed with water.