Alex was surprised to see the interior.
"I have placed the exchanged cores inside, together with the mana crystals you need as a gift. If you wish, you can ascend in the palace; there's a room there made for it," Sylvana said, smiling slightly at his expression.
"Thank you, Sylvana. I'll take your offer, but I'll be there tomorrow morning. I have to get the books for the new elements first," Alex replied.
"Do you already have in mind what elements you would like?" Sylvana asked. She couldn't help him choose—her entire family consisted of martial artists; even the king was one.
"Yes, but only two of them. Space and Healing. I'm still wondering about the third one," Alex replied honestly. As a legendary being, Sylvana had an ocean of knowledge regarding cultivation; if she was willing to help, he was willing to listen.
"Hm, not a bad selection, but you leaned heavily into defense. You need to balance that out, so I would recommend something like Lightning—mostly offensive, actually the most offensive of them all," Sylvana replied.
Alex thought about it and found no fault in her reasoning, then nodded.
"Okay," he said.
Sylvana smiled, then added, "Also, you know that with the Healing element, when you ascend to Tier 3, besides the normal requirements, you will also need Healing at that requisite as well, right?"
"Yes, I've read about it. That's why, from time to time, I was going to the library to learn anatomy," Alex replied.
"Well, when you get the Healing element, talk to me. Maybe I can place you in a hospital so you can learn it properly. But I do have a question—if you're an alchemist, why Healing?" Sylvana asked.
He had easy access to potions; Healing seemed redundant.
"Well… I found pretty early that potions are limited. They can heal without the need for mana, but most of the time their effect isn't enough to fully heal oneself, so you end up relying on several. Besides, it's not like I can heal other people at a distance with potions," Alex said after thinking carefully.
"Also, there are some more personal reasons, but that's private," he concluded.
Sylvana didn't press for details, but she sensed the melancholy in him and guessed it was related to his family.
"Well, I've kept you long enough. See you tomorrow then, Goodbye," Sylvana said.
"Bye, Sylvana. Until tomorrow," Alex replied.
Sylvana cracked space open with her hands and vanished.
Alex wore the ring—it had ten times more space than the pocket watch, totaling ten cubic meters.
'Now I can leave the pocket watch only for emergency supplies,' he thought.
He then went down and found Susan looking at him, asking with her eyes what had happened.
He briefly explained what happened to Susan, skipping the apology since that meant explaining his nightly trips.
"Oh, she is quite kind, but my instincts tell me there's another reason. So tell me, was there something else?" Susan asked. She believed in kindness, but that gift was a little too much.
"Alex," she suddenly said somberly, "she is three thousand years old; there are younger ladies who are pretty." She gave the warning bluntly.
Alex choked on air. "What!?" He looked at her strangely and continued, "It's not like that. Remember the one-month trip I took? I ended up helping her, and she's returning the favor since she heard I'm about to rank up."
"Uff, you scared me. Please, if you want to charm a princess, choose Vanessa," Susan said, patting his back.
"I don't want to charm ANY princess; that sounds bothersome," Alex replied.
"Well, I want to see my grandkids someday, and you have no friends, so let me dream a little," Susan said indirectly.
"There's still plenty of time for that. Remember, we live longer lives, so there's no rush," Alex said.
"For you, maybe, but I still want grandchildren," Susan insisted.
Alex shook his head with a smile and walked past her, returning to help Eve.
After they finished the quota for the day, Alex went to the shop district and entered the magic shop.
He had no choice but to pick novice books, since Tier 2 ones were much harder to find—they were considered household treasures.
'My only chances to find Tier 2 mana-gathering books are to create them myself, explore, or attend auctions,' Alex thought.
He had backed out of exploring the world for two reasons:
First, he didn't want to leave his family unprotected—but with shadow guards now assigned, that problem was gone.
Second was his own strength. In more than one book, he had read that exploration was recommended only after reaching Tier 2, since it was the most common level for the environment.
'It's said that the real path of magic begins at Tier 2,' Alex thought as he walked home.
He had spent a fortune on books and obtained Static Sense, Spatial Concept, and Healing Mind, all novice manuals.
When he returned, he cooked dinner with Susan, and the three of them ate together. Afterward, he did his usual meditation with the light on, in case a pleading letter came.
And after a while, the specific knocking sound came.
Alex opened the window and exchanged the letter the kid handed him for some copper coins. After that, he changed and quickly left—but now he had to head to the palace first, as per the contract.
He teleported in and showed the contract with Vanessa to the guard. This would last until she finally gave him a special ID that allowed free entry to the castle.
Once inside, he asked a maid to lead him to Vanessa's office.
He knocked.
"Come in," a voice replied.
Alex opened the door and saw Vanessa looking at him.
"We have work to do," Alex said, showing the letter.
"Oh! Give me a minute, I'll change," Vanessa said, excited.
A little while later, she came out looking like a spy—the black attire accentuated her body very well, making her look quite alluring.
Alex quickly looked away and walked out.
"Let's go," he said. "We don't have all night."
Vanessa looked at him strangely, noticing something was off, but didn't ask—she simply followed.
They teleported back toward the capital and made their way toward the target location.
This was the last hunt he would have as a Tier 1 mage.