“Mind telling me the whole story?” Victor inquired, perking his ear.
“Sure!” She then told him that transferring the money had been successful, albeit it wasn’t without its own challenges.
Victor’s sister — or Simon’s sister in this case — was initially skeptical of the money offered by unknown sources. Even after an elaborate story about it being investment funds that Simon had given his overseas friend in the past, she remained unconvinced, believing it to be an elaborate scam. It took a series of legal documents and assurances for her to finally believe in the legitimacy of the funds. Yet, she refused to accept the money, insisting she needed no external assistance.
That’s so like her… She’s always been fiercely independent. Victor closed his eyes, momentarily lost in memories of the past.
Eventually, through various attempts and a bit of subterfuge, they managed to discreetly transfer the funds into her bank account without her knowledge. This was all possible thanks to the connections provided by Auralise’s company. The advantages of wealth on Earth certainly proved beneficial in this case.
With this action, Victor’s regret in his past life had been resolved since he didn’t want to intrude into his sister’s life any more than this. Compared to his family in this world that was colder and more calculating, perhaps the one back on Earth was not bad at all.
It was worth noting that while Victor’s father was the head and patriarch of the Asteriscus Magus family, he had numerous wives and concubines. Despite Victor’s mother being one of the main wives, he had many half-brothers and sisters, leading to fierce competition for resources and positions within the family. This intense rivalry often resulted in scheming and, occasionally, clandestine acts of violence or even assassination attempts among family members.
After noting the report with a thanks and a nod, Victor left the office.
***
Under the vast canopy of the starry night sky, Victor meandered through the academy grounds, enjoying the tranquil beauty of the night. The air was crisp and cool, carrying with it the faint fragrance of night-blooming flowers. The place, which was usually bustling with activity during the day, now lay in a serene hush.
Illuminating his path were two softly glowing light orbs that he cast. And as he inspected the whole area, he encountered several individuals who had light orbs around them, just like him. These people were of course players; they, which had advanced to become true acolytes, had learned many tricks about magic through trial and error and upon seeing the many bizarre things he had shown them.
“Good evening, esteemed Headmaster!” one greeted him respectfully.
“Sir Astralium, greetings.” Another did the same with a professional bow.
Victor, feeling rather satisfied by their greetings, nodded his head and waved at them before continuing on his way.
Despite the late hour, these dedicated players were still actively engaged in their tasks. He could see that most of them were transporting different kinds of building materials toward the walls.
Victor’s walk led him along a well-trodden dirt path toward the first destination of the night: the industrial zone. Currently, there were only rows of several kilns, a blacksmith workshop, and Aphrodite’s specialized workshop in there. Still, he was hoping to let the players have the chance to have their own workshops in the future to enhance the academy’s industrial strength.
Nevertheless, there were not more than a dozen kilns of varying sizes and models here. With more bricks being produced, more and more kilns ended up being built. The daily output had also impressively reached more than five thousand bricks, with cement production to thousands of kilograms.
In fact, there was already a literal mountain of bricks and cement at the side, awaiting use in various construction projects. The supply was so abundant that it could easily construct a three-story dormitory. However, Victor’s immediate plan was to reinforce the earthen walls with bricks and cement before anything else, which was what the players just now were doing. Plus, he wanted to use better materials like marble from the ravine for that.
Gazing back at the two workshops, Victor decided not to disturb their occupants. Aphrodite was probably offline at this hour, and Eleanor would be deeply engrossed in crafting the magic tool, especially considering the reward he had promised was something she couldn’t refuse. With this in mind, he continued his stroll towards the northern wall.
As Victor approached his destination, there were more players diligently working under the night sky, each pausing to greet him respectfully. It wasn’t rare that Victor had taken a walk to inspect the players in the day, but it had been some time since he had conducted it so thoroughly and during the night at that.
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Now standing near the northern wall, he could see that a section of the wall was now reinforced with bricks and cement, and a portion was being remodeled to incorporate a wooden gate. Both of these improvements were actually part of side missions, which offered five progression value points for each of the four wooden gates built, and ten progression value points for each part of the four walls that were reinforced.
Victor then scaled the wall using the newly constructed brick stairs. While he could have easily jumped or flown to the top, he chose to savor each step, enjoying the gradual ascent. The segment of the wall where he stood was the one that had been reinforced and taller than the rest, approximately five meters in height and about three and a half meters thick.
His mind then drifted away, immersed in the serene beauty of the night. The recent troubles and strategic planning seemed distant, overshadowed by the night’s tranquil majesty. For a brief moment, he stood alone, becoming a solitary figure beneath the endless sky while finding solace in the night’s quietude and the awe-inspiring view of the cosmos above.
“The time is nigh.”
After a while, Victor let out a long breath and stared deep into the forest before his figure disappeared into thin air, as if he had never been there in the first place.
----------------------------------------
Deep within the forest, right before a cave that had various fortifications at its entrance, the space warped as Victor appeared from it. He stared at the depths of the cave and began walking inside with steady steps. His footsteps echoed all the way.
The remains of the battle between players and the inhabitants of the cave could still be seen even now, despite having been somewhat cleaned up by the players. Deeper inside, the spider silk that once blanketed the cave walls had been mostly harvested, and even the eggs were not spared. Yet, at the heart of the cave, the striking red egg enveloped in intricate layers of spiderweb had no signs of having been disturbed.
It was pulsating rhythmically as the creature inside was struggling to break free from its membranous prison. Cracks had started to form on its surface, widening with each passing moment — the time of its hatching was quickly approaching.
Unperturbed by the imminent hatching, Victor conjured several mana crystals and turned them into dust before drawing a circular magic formation right around the egg. He then approached the egg and gently placed his hand upon it, channeling his infused mana into the shell. Standing close, he realized the egg was larger than it appeared from afar, roughly the size of a fire hydrant. His objective here was clear: to tame the creature within, and this was exactly the process to do that. After all, it wasn’t like a baby chick, wherein it would recognize the first being it saw as its mother.
Still, this wasn’t the first time he tried to hatch and tame an egg; he had done so with Lumen. So, it wasn’t a stretch to say that he had a bit of experience. Besides, he was more prepared this time — having read a book about this specialized topic. Coincidentally, there was a side mission to tame this creature that appeared shortly after the players had claimed victory over the cave.
Mission: Do You Have What It Takes to be a Magical Spider’s Mommy?
You knew there is a treasure trove hidden inside the Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid’s lair: the special egg of their queen. It is within your interest to tame and subdue the creature within and add it to your arsenal of pets.
Type: Side mission
Reward: One chance to pull the Elemental Adept lootbox or ten chances to pull the Initiate Attunement lootbox
Just when he thought his days of indulging in gacha pulls were over, the System presented him with a mission that rekindled this old craving. No matter what, he couldn’t shake off that desire to do a harmless form of gambling like the addicted gamer he once was. Still, what the heck’s wrong with the title of the mission? Just who the fuck designed it?!
As more and more mana flowed into the egg, the rhythm of its pulsations intensified, and the hatching process became faster. Victor was cautious, ensuring his mana was not overwhelming the creature within as he sought to forge a bond with it. Thankfully, his mana control had become much better compared to back then.
Seconds turned to minutes.
The cracks on the egg’s surface expanded. Victor could feel a connection forming between him and the emerging creature. When the egg’s membrane finally gave way, it revealed the being that had been hidden inside covered in green goo — a creature with the lower body of a spider and the upper body resembling a human child, complete with scales. Its head, though largely human-like in appearance, bore subtle, non-human traits like pupil-less red eyes, sharper earlobes, and white hair.
The creature appeared perplexed as it swiveled its head, finally fixing its gaze on Victor and blinking its large, curious eyes. “Skree?”
“Hmm…” On the other hand, Victor had a pretty mixed feeling. He was, after all, the one who killed its mother as well as the perpetrator who ordered the annihilation of its kin. Suffice it to say, by the nature of its species, this creature should be seeking vengeance against him, relentlessly pursuing him to the ends of the earth.
However, as a Magus, Victor possessed the means to subdue extraordinary life forms, as he kept accumulating knowledge by reading all the books available freely on the shelf of his office. With the contract established, it would be almost impossible for it to rebel against him as long as it wasn’t mind-controlled by another more powerful Magus or overwhelmed by resentment strong enough to break the contract.
“Skree. Skree, skree?” It stared worriedly at him.
Dispelling his contemplations with a shake of his head, Victor gently patted its head, offering a proposal: “Sorry, little one. How about you become my contracted beast?”
To his relief and slight surprise, the creature responded with an enthusiastic light screech and readily accepted the offer, nuzzling his hand affectionately.
“Alright then. How about I name you… Silka?”
The creature, now Silka, expressed joy at her name as she smiled broadly. For Victor, it was quite menacing…