The Green Wolves run in the distance, the birds sing and fly, while the small animals continue with their lives, indifferent to the rain. Only the insects are the exception, who hide under rocks or amidst the plants.
Life in the personal dimension is no longer in danger, Lawrence no longer hears the cries for help from this world. Everything has partially returned to normal.
"This is the seventh day, when will it stop?"
Lawrence sighs and then continues to assess the state of his personal dimension. After discovering that the small streams he created to withstand the rain are working, he is relieved to know that this storm is not all bad news. Thanks to it, he has been able to adjust this small world to withstand storms.
If there is a next time, he won't have to act personally.
Stoic Compass and his men have returned to work. They are not mortals, for them, the rain is not an obstacle. They see Lawrence approaching, and after watching him for a few seconds, they return to work. From his attitude, it's clear that he is not heading towards them.
And they are not mistaken, he heads towards a particular room within the building. Inside, there are dozens of magic artifacts, weapons, and medicinal pills in a specific order. The order is important because from this room Lawrence can withdraw items through his Dimensional Rift or establish a direct connection with a magic artifact through his personal dimension.
From a certain point of view, this small world is nothing more than a gigantic storage ring for him, but in life-or-death situations, it would be impossible to find hidden items here, it would not be viable. For such situations, this room exists.
"The cup is about to overflow, it cannot stay in this place."
This is the magic artifact he bought at the previous auction, a magic artifact that constantly generates mana, but only when it naturally overflows does it begin to spill immense amounts of mana outward. Thanks to his privilege as the owner of this dimension, Lawrence is able to sense that this magic artifact does not consume mana and then multiply it, but somehow is able to contact the laws of the world and generate liquid mana in the process.
Carefully, he lifts the cup and prepares to leave the room when he notices a very particular magic artifact.
"Demon Veil."
Demon Veil is the magic artifact his wives acquired on that fateful day to conceal his innate ability from the war artifact. They had to fight with its original owner and kill him to obtain it. A sacrifice they were willing to make.
Both the cup in his hands and the magic artifact Demon Veil were created at their maximum potential. No additional steps are necessary to unleash their true potential, unlike the magic artifact that conceals his level.
Lawrence looks at it for a few seconds and then leaves the room, proceeding to place the mana-generating magic artifact in a secluded spot away from the construction works. Mana plays a very important role in a hunter's growth, both in everyday life and in battles, it's not an exaggeration to say that without mana they couldn't be considered immortals.
"Sky Petal..."
As he moves away, he notices his second wife, Sky Petal, in the distance.
"Working despite the rain?"
Around Sky Petal are various boxes, ponds, and cages, with seeds, animals, fish, and insects inside. Everything necessary to foster life.
"When I'm not traveling with Serene Will and Coldness Divine, refining pills or being in this place are my two favorite pastimes. I don't consider them work, they're too simple to be so."
"Refining pills is simple, eh."
This woman's affinity with spiritual herbs is too high, because she herself is a plant. Adding her innate ability, her Way, and her ability to speak with plants, she was destined to be a pill refiner.
"And Ryan?"
She feigns anger, "It's so obvious I didn't feel the need to mention it."
Lawrence smiles, knowing her response beforehand. The silence between them lasts for dozens of seconds, only the sound of the rain continues uninterrupted. Lawrence looks at Sky Petal, this woman delicate as a fairy, and voices his thoughts, thoughts that need to be spoken aloud.
"You don't love me, do you?"
Sky Petal stops looking into the distance and looks him in the eyes.
"No, I don't love you, Lawrence."
Her words have not a hint of a lie in them.
She looks back into the distance and says: "I've been watching you and... I've realized that even Coldness Divine, who shouldn't have emotions or feelings as intense as a human, does."
Sky Petal may always have a smile on her face, but it's simply because she has no worries, because very few things are important to her.
"In contrast, when I look at Ryan, I know that when he can survive on his own, I will lose all my love for him, because that is my nature."
Unlike races that reproduce for survival, she was born of a miracle. She lacks such instincts, for her, affection for others is just temporary.
"I don't want to be like this, so even when that moment comes, I'll try to love him, because it's my duty as a mother. But I don't know if I can ever regain this love I feel for him today, its intensity."
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Once again, she looks at Lawrence.
"You're right, Lawrence, I don't love you, but you're the man who has stayed by my side the longest. If one day I will love someone, you're the most likely to be it."
He walks over to her and caresses her cheek, because for him, these words are something he expected. Just as this world can contain a thousand wonders, there are also people who will never love anyone in their entire life. Because for them, the concept of love does not exist.
He only wishes one thing from her.
"The only thing I expect from you is that you'll stay by my side and never betray me."
"I won't betray you. Because everything you value, it’s not something I need. Our ideals will never interfere with each other."
Though there's still much to clarify, for today, this is enough. Lawrence approaches her face and kisses her, both hugging with the rain falling on their bodies.
When they part, he smirks teasingly.
"When you lose your motherly love, should I get you pregnant again?”
"Hmph!"
The relationship between a simplistic woman and a calculating man should last a long time. The keyword is 'should,' because nothing is eternal. Someday the sun must fall.
The atmosphere between them returns to normal, and Lawrence plans to watch his wife's work before leaving, but then Sky Petal remembers something.
"By the way, can you feel the beings hiding in your personal dimension?"
Her words immediately wreak havoc on Lawrence.
"What beings are you talking about? I know nothing about them."
Sky Petal explains that before the construction work began, she was able to sense the presence of small beings. She's not exactly sure what they are, since she had never seen anything like it. But lately, her encounters have become more frequent, and she hoped Lawrence would know more about this, but it seems that is not the case.
"I'll bring Absolute Prominence, you'll understand faster through a demonstration."
She walks away, leaving him alone in the place.
Lawrence closes his eyes and tries to sense all the beings inhabiting his personal dimension. Humans, animals, fish, birds, insects, and countless other creatures appear in his mind, but he only finds those he was already aware of. Nothing similar to what Sky Petal was describing.
Minutes later, two women approach him.
"To be honest, I don't know much about them, since it's not my affinity. But one of my shadows, someone you know well, might have the answer you're looking for."
Absolute Prominence extends her hand, and a shadow rises from the ground before her. Like a liquid, this shadow takes the form of an old enemy.
"The qilin...?"
Disdainful Tempest, the guardian beast of the Forbidden Area Cloudsea.
Absolute Prominence nods, seeing that her husband has figured out what she will do. She commands the shadow of Disdainful Tempest, and the qilin obediently executes her order, soon attracting dozens and then hundreds of small light spheres around it.
This is a magical affinity possessed by only a few.
Spiritual magic.
"Spirits? But how? When?"
Lawrence is unable to comprehend how these small beings infiltrated his personal dimension, not even he, the owner of this dimension, was able to perceive them.
"I wouldn't know how to answer..." Absolute Prominence wishes she could help her husband more than this, but her shadow lacks thoughts, unable to respond to her questions. "But if I had to guess, I'd say the number of spirits in your personal dimension is abnormally low."
Outside, the shadow of Disdainful Tempest can easily summon a sea of spirits. Its magic is unrivaled once this happens.
"So few that I can't sense them, eh."
It's not unfounded logic, especially since now that they have gathered in one place, he is able to detect them. The problem is, like the spirits, there might be another existence thriving within his personal dimension that he is unaware of.
'Wait...'
The moment the dilemma arises, he finds the answer.
He closes his eyes, and the next second a message is transmitted to all beings inside the personal dimension.
Sky Petal, Absolute Prominence, the workers, the Green Wolves, the animals, the fish, the insects, the spirits… absolutely everyone receives this message. What they convey are not words, but an intention that can be translated regardless of the listener.
This message is specifically directed at those beings Lawrence is unaware of, so if any being was ever seen by him, they need not follow this order.
"This rule should solve the problem, as it will force new beings to reveal themselves. If they do not comply with this rule, they will be destroyed in body and soul by my personal dimension. I have also considered future generations, the order is not as simple as it seems."
He notices the astonished looks of Absolute Prominence and Sky Petal and smiles confidently.
"Did you forget? In this place, I am like a god."
If only he could deal with his enemies in the same way, he would not hesitate to throw them all into his personal dimension, but that is not the case.