I chose to let a few days pass, mostly sticking to the room and getting used to my new body, considering I haven’t been so… medically free in years. To my surprise, I was fully healed within a few days, but I was certain the injuries were far worse considering the pain that they gave off. But I decided, with the guidance of Edward, I was to try and begin understanding the mansion layout… until even that felt impossible. This mansion was massive, I couldn’t even determine what the place was meant to be outside of the home for my father and his family. Halls seemed never-ending, there were duplicates of many rooms, and the overall size of the mansion seemed ludicrous. I looked to Edward after we hit the fifth bar like room and asked, “This is unbelievable, are you sure we haven’t looped the mansion at least once?” Edward shook his head, “No sir, as I mentioned before, it’d be better if you remembered the areas you need to know, as you’ve yet to understand the… status of nobles such as yourself.”

He began to lead me down the halls, his tone shifted to the educational one he took whenever he discussed things, “I believe you recall the nobility system, yes?” I nodded, “Yes, from the lowest to the highest, it’s Baron, Viscount, Count, Duke, then Royalty right?” Edward said, “Mostly correct, only that there’s Marquess between Count and Duke, but the rest is otherwise correct.” He stopped and looked to me, “So, how large do you think this mansion is? It doesn’t have to be perfect; any guess is fine.” I thought, even though we walked a while, I couldn’t even guess the true size. I threw out a guess, “I assume the size of a small town? At least in distance, size I can’t guess since I haven’t seen a window yet.” Edward chuckled, “I hate to say it, you’re off the mark. The mansion is roughly the size of a large city, so much so that in many places it requires a mode of transportation to get from place to place.”

My jaw dropped; this building was as big as a large city? I spoke, stuttering a lot of my words, “But this is a nobility system, if this mansion is this large for a Count, then how big is a Marquess’ mansion or a Duke’s? Is there even any place for the common man?” Edward looked at me shocked, but quickly realized he made a blunder, “Ah, right, I forgot you haven’t remembered yet.” He bowed to me, “Many apologies sir, I’ve been running off of the fact you had your memories from your first six years.” I quickly spoke, “It’s fine! Don’t bow for such a simple mistake, if you knew something as one thing for some time, it’d be hard to act on it without conscious thought.” Edward straightened himself out and said, “You’re too kind sir.” He motioned for me to follow, so I did, and he eventually led me to a room with something akin to a table in the center.

Edward sat me down and said, “Give me one moment sir, I just need to get the hologram working.” Edward went to the other side of the table and pushed a few buttons, and before I knew it, a sphere appeared on the screen, and it had many buildings all along the surface. Edward, with a pad in hand, walked back to me and said, “This is where we currently reside, the capital of your father’s domain.” I nodded for a moment, then said, “Wait, is the whole planet the capital?” Edward nodded with a smile, “Yes sir, that is the case.” After a few pushes, many other planets came up, numbering around nine in total, “Your fathers domain consists of nine planets at the moment, due to the development of them, he’s currently working on a tenth planet as we speak.” After a few more pushes, five planets took the screen, “While these planets are under your father’s control, they’re being used by his other children, and your step siblings. Chances are you won’t meet them since they’re quite busy, but I believe you should know at least this much.”

After I processed this, I had to know, “I can infer by this that we’re a spacefaring nation of some sort, but are we an empire on the galactic scale?” Edward nodded, “Yes sir, you’re currently the son of a noble in the Avalon Empire. Despite everything you know about empires, Avalon is a meritocracy, so if you don’t preform well as a noble, you status can be taken away. So do keep that in mind.” Edward powered the hologram down and put the pad back to where it was, and we were soon walking the halls again. As I processed what I just learned, I heard the faint sound of what I called a “mech’s muscle” snapping. I turned to the hall the sound came from, my senses as a mech creator and manufacturer had been set off, and I needed to determine the source. I immediately ran down the hall, hoping to find the source of the sound, but before I got far, I was lifted into the air rather easily by Edward, “What has gotten into you sir? You can’t just run like that; you could get lost again.” I struggled as much as my body could, “I heard it! I heard the sound of mech muscles breaking! I need to know if this universe has mechs!”

Edward spoke, “First, stop struggling. I can take you there if you so wish, but you need to calm down.” I quickly stopped struggling, my excitement had my blood rushing, something Edward seemed to notice as he put me down, “Follow me sir, if anything, I’m surprised you even heard anything related to a machine here.” After around ten or so minutes of walking, Edward opened a door to a massive room, one with machines everywhere, and mechs sat in what seemed to be their maintenance bays. I couldn’t contain my excitement, “It’s a mech! I can’t believe it, it’s a real, genuine mech!” I was so excited that I noticed people turned to look at me, but I didn’t focus on them as I scanned the area for the sound of the mech I heard break. Soon, I noticed an arm completely dislodged from its mech, so I asked, “Can I go down there? That seems abnormal.” Edward seemed hesitant, but sighed, “If you wish sir.”

After yet more time, and a hard-hat and other personal protective equipment, I was looking at the broken mech. Engineers were looking at it with dismay, complaining that this would be a pain to repair. I picked up one of the shards, Edward saying, “Sir, that’s dangerous!” I looked at the part, then shook my head, “This has been overworked, how in the world did it even last this long.” The conversations around me stopped, Edward seemed to have stopped before coming to me. I looked to the arm that was detached from the machine and said, “Open the arm, let me see the inside.” I noticed the engineers looking to Edward in confusion, but after noticing who I was, they quickly got to work on removing the outer armor. Once the outer armor and other parts were removed, I found the issue.

I pointed to the metal cords running through the arm, “There’s the problem, these muscles are straight, it’s putting horrible strain on them when picking up heavier loads.” A voice of a different looking engineer to the others said, “What would you know kid? You may be the Count William’s boy, but I can’t have you blurting whatever you wish without something to back up your statement.” I nodded, “I understand, so let me make this as simple as I can.” I took a bunch of smaller metal strands, made two sets of them, and took one in my hands after ensuring that they were straight, “This is the current setup you have for the muscles in the arms, I’m also assuming the same to the legs. When you do something like this, the strands are weaker since they’re like this.” I handed the strands to Edward, then requested, “Pull the strands please.” Edward did as I wished and pulled the strands, the sounds of strain were evident before the broke, turning the attention of many nearby engineers. I was surprised that he managed to do that, but I continued, “As such, they couldn’t withstand the stress, and broke when overexerted. However, if I do this.” I took the other group, this time, carefully twisting them.

I handed the new, twisted strands to Edward, “Do the same as you did before please.” Edward did as I said, this time, the strain didn’t cause the strands to break, much less cause the same straining noise it did before. The engineers let out gasps of surprise as they watched this, I looked to the engineer who asked me to prove myself, “Make one of the mechs with this kind of muscle layout and you’ll see massive improvements to the mech overall.” The engineer looked to the strands; his eyes seemed to have that glint of someone who was just shown many possibilities. He looked to one of the engineers, “Get me a pad, I want to get permission from the Count before I try this. If this is as good as shown, this could give House Flameheart the upper hand in future engagements.” One of the engineers were quick to run and get the pad, but I wasn’t paying attention to him, my eyes and hands were all over the arm of the mech, my mind running through my knowledge of SGO.

My mumblings were likely incoherent, but I knew something seemed odd. We were in a spacefaring intergalactic empire, but mechs like this would be very obsolete in my standards. I turned and asked, “How good is this mech in comparison to other mechs on the market?” The engineer who I was speaking with before said, “Nearly the best, why ask?” I looked back to the arm, then back to him, “Even in other nations?” The engineer nodded, “Yes, is there something wrong?” I felt my brain rush to life, if tech on the mech was like this, ships were likely the same considering they were in nigh the same region of technological development. Despite the odds, I was in a world where what I knew was worth it’s weight in whatever the rarest ore on the market was. I said, “Edward, I want permission from father to take a team and a singular mech to show the best state I can get this mech.” Edward seemed confused, “The best state? Sir, this seems far outside your capabilities.” I looked back to him, his eyes met mine, my voice filled with excitement, “Edward, I wouldn’t say this for no reason, I’m staring at my passion laid before my eyes, there’s no way I wouldn’t push for the future I want to achieve.”

~~~

I looked to Young Master Aurelian; his eyes had that sparkle in them that he didn’t have since he awoke in his bed. He lacked the sparkle of a dream, that desire that kept man moving forward, but now his eyes seemed filled with it. Before I could say anything, I heard Master William’s voice break through the bay, “Aurelian Stella Flameheart! What are you doing in the mech bay!?” Before I could do anything, the head engineer spoke, “Your son enlightened me on the metal strands within mechs my Lord, if anything, he seems to be a prodigy if he figured something like this out at his age.” Master William looked to the head engineer before turning to me, “Is what he said true Edward?” I nodded, “Yes Master William, he even had me preform an experiment to prove his claims. However, he did ask me for the permission to…” I wasn’t sure how to state this, but Young Master Aurelian spoke for me, “I seek to modify the one of these mechs, I can make something far stronger than just simply twisting some mech tissue. I could make a unit that can surpass every mech in this bay if you wished, father.”

I could tell Master William was contemplating what he was just told, he knew Young Master Aurelian was a reincarnate, but to everyone else, he was merely six years old. After some time passed, he spoke, “For now, I’ll have to deny that request, you’re still far too young to commit to this. However, if you work hard and prove to me you can handle the responsibility, I’ll allow you to commit to this plan of yours.” Aurelian smiled, “You have a deal.” With that, he spoke briefly to the lead engineer, likely about what needed to be done to handle the changes, and came to me, “Let’s go, I want to prepare for the future.” I began to lead the way, Master William seemed to remain, likely to speak with the head engineer, but it only made me curious to what both Master William and Young Master Aurelian had on their minds. While I could understand Master William to an extent, considering my longstanding employment under his family, Young Master Aurelian seemed beyond my reach. My curiosity of this reincarnation only made me want to follow him, just to see what heights he can reach.

~~~

I was, thanks to Edward’s assistance, able to look at the blueprints for the best ships and mechs at the current disposal of the domain. To make a long story short, the technology was incredibly far behind compared to everything else like guns and armor for ground troops. While none of the other techs outside of base construction were my area of expertise, this was still abnormal to me. When one area of tech grows, other areas are supposed to follow, so a majority of tech completely bypassing something like this was nigh impossible. For now, though, I had to wait before I could, which meant proper training. I did, however, write up the blueprints and sent them to father, so he could at least have it made to prove my knowledge and to not waste time. I could easily write this up, since the initial best mechs were the bane of my existence for a time.

Edward said, “Sir, I did send the blueprints you drew up to your father, but are you sure it’s safe?” I nodded, “Of course, as long as they follow the blueprint to the letter and don’t try to go against it. This tier of mechs is incredibly difficult, and with the materials currently accessible by the mechanics make it rough to even attempt to modify it. Tier two however breaks into the freedom of modification, so as long as the initial hurdle is overcome, we should be able to make it that far.” Edward seemed confused, but I waved him off, “I’ll discuss that later, I’m not even allowed to enter the bay for the time being, so it wouldn’t be right to explain it before it even happens.”

I looked to Edward, asking, “So, what should I do first? I need to gain information, but I’m not exactly sure where to start.” Edward spoke, “I believe you should enter an education pod sir; it would greatly enhance your overall knowledge and strengthen your body.” I put my hand to my head, “I can’t believe that concept of sci-fi actually exists in this universe.” I returned to my usual focus and asked, “How long would I need to be in there?” Edward thought for a moment, then said, “You’ll have to go in several times, mostly as over strengthening your body would be horrible for future development, not to mention it could overwork your mind. As a start, a whole year would be the longest you can go, if you wish to remain within as long as possible.” After a more complicated explanation, the whole gist was information is the machine implanted information into ones head while strengthening the body, but overdo it, and it harms the body rather than strengthening it. I’d learn key information within it though, things for daily life, along with some nobility related items further down the line.

I processed the information, then asked, “So, overall, it’s akin to sleeping for a year, but I get stronger and learn information far faster than regular learning?” Edward nodded, “As a short answer, yes, that is correct sir. We can begin within the month if you wish to.” I thought for a moment, then nodded, “Let’s do it, I can’t do much until I get the means to understand the world.” I understood I wasn’t going to get far without proper logic, the only reason that metal strands worked in my favor was because I knew that by twisting it as such made it stronger. If I wanted to properly work as a mech creator, I’d need the means to understand metals, melting points, and mathematical terms and techniques before I even attempt to make things myself. More than that, being a noble, I likely had a plenty of responsibilities waiting for me in the future, so I needed to be able to handle my education before my wishes to make mechs.

Edward asked me, “Is there any time period you’d wish to start the process?” I checked my body, still thinner than a normal person, so I made a choice, “I should build up my body, being as thin as I am, it could bring other risks.” Edward thought, but replied, “I concur sir, I may not have heard of such incidents of a weak body entering a pod, but it could be concerning if a weak body is an issue. I’ll check, but you should be able to gain some mass before entering the pod rather easily sir.” Due to the status of my father, food was never an issue, and from what I can see, he runs his domain rather well. I can’t compare this is with other domains, but the whole point is that in terms of money, we wouldn’t be lacking for anything. I looked to the mirror, looking at the face I’ve yet to grow accustomed too, knowing that my future was more confusing than anything I could’ve imagined.

~~~

Two weeks after the education pod discussion, I was going through the curriculum of what I’d learn over a year. The content of this year long “curriculum” was enough to put me through high school, not only that, but it also had some beginner domain management information as well. I recalled my concerns of having to learn all of that before entering the world, knowing even attempting the learning with what could’ve been my last moments would’ve been a waste. Edward, knowing we were alone, said, “You’ve been rather quiet, is this a lot for you sir?” I replied, “Back on Earth, everything excluding the domain running was considered everything including high school. I’m learning everything from the beginning of my country’s education to the twelfth year, which is over twelve years, in one. It feels… unreal to see this be a fact of life in this universe.” Edward looked at me with sadness in his eyes, he knew this whole reincarnation thing had been a heavy weight on my shoulders, “It’ll become easier with time, I promise sir.”

I smiled, letting him know I was slowly getting used to everything, but I made a point to address part of the curriculum, “I do have a question, why am I learning domain management? I’m currently the youngest in the family, so I’m more likely to not inherit the domain.” Edward seemed surprised I asked, but quickly seemed to understand my former life wasn’t like this. He said, “Since this Empire is structured via imperial standards, the same goes for nobility. If the family head passes, the ruling of the domain is passed on, as you know. The reason all members of the family take domain management is because there was a major case in the past where many of the ones who had a high likelihood of becoming family head were killed, forcing the unprepared to take headship. In fact, that issue is still something the Empire is recovering from to this day, especially in the nobility.” He motioned to the pad I was holding, “The particular case is under “Empire History”, so we can have a more thorough discussion about it once you’re out of the pod.”

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I looked to the information, my curiosity wanted to know one last thing, “Edward… does this universe have Earth? Most sci-fi stories end up calling it Sol since calling it Earth is a little off.” Edward thought, then shook his head, “I cannot say sir, it’s not a question that’s been asked, as most reincarnates sought to live in their new lives, forgoing their past life. If you’d like, I can see if this universe does.” I smiled, “I’d like that, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. I don’t have any wish to return to Earth, there’s nothing left for me there anyway.” Edward’s eyes shifted to sadness once more, he knew many things about reincarnates, and one of those facts were that not all of them had a life that was considered a good one. Once I finished reading over the information I’d be learning properly, I signed off that I’d be tested on them constantly until they stick, since I’d need to apply the information to remember it.

Edward asked, “With that finished sir, I’ll state to hold any questions until after your time in the pod, as quite a lot of information will involve many questions you may have at this time.” I nodded, not needing more than that. I recalled I wanted a report, so I said, “Edward, when the mechs are properly made and tuned, I’d like a report to see if it was properly made. If done incorrectly, it could seriously injure the pilots since it’ll take time for me to incorporate stronger safety measures for the pilots.” Edward seemed momentarily surprised, but nodded, “Of course sir, it is the mech you designed after all.” I felt a tinge of excitement, a mech I personally designed being brought into the world… despite it not being my mech since it really just used the existing design to maximize the potential they have.

A medical professional came in with a few machines and a gown you’d see patients wear in hospitals. He said, “I just need to connect some machines to you so your vitals are properly observed, the first time usually points out any issues one may have with the pods, but a majority of them can be rectified before the second use. Don’t worry my Lord, you’re in good hands.” Edward watched as the machines were properly put on my body, and we were taken to the pod, which seemed pretty advanced, not to mention costly, for just one pod. Edward said, “I’ll see you in a year’s time sir.” I smiled back as I was put into the machine properly, “I hope your health remains well in the meantime Edward.” After a mask covered my eyes, nose, and mouth, the pod closed, a green liquid filled the pod, and I felt my eyes grow heavy as I fell asleep.

~~~

I stood with Master William; his eyes laid on the three groups of mechs that stood in the training area. One was the standard mechs, those unchanged over the last six months. The second were the mechs changed to hold the twisted strands of metal wire in their muscles, a means to test the strength these new units held. The third was the mechs who’s designs were unchanged but made new via the interiors and changes to armor layout, courtesy of Young Master Aurelian. Each of these groups numbered three, mostly to get a proper understanding of the limits that laid before them. Master William said, “Despite nothing seeming different with the two experimental units, I can’t determine if they’re truly better than what we have now.” I spoke, mostly to assure him of their worth, “You aren’t an engineer sir, it makes sense you cannot see the difference. Even I require a showing to understand such a change, it’s why you accepted to make the changes to these units, am I correct?” Master William nodded, “Indeed, I know putting my trust into Aurelian seems strange, but that child is a reincarnation, and his eyes seemed to shine as he stood next to that mech.”

He seemed to struggle with the words he was thinking, even though we were alone mentioning this topic, “What I’m saying is, if he knows a means to change the entirety of mech based functions, I want him to achieve this dream of his. I want to know where this spark can take him, I want to see his mind laid bare on paper, his dreams becoming reality. This test will be to determine if my trust in his vision was well placed.” I smiled, but I quickly recalled what Young Master Aurelian said, “Did you relay that no changes were to occur from the blueprints? Young Master Aurelian was quite clear about no changes being made to his designs.” Master William looked to me, his eyes serious, “Yes, the head engineer was adamant to making no changes to my son’s design, he said “I want to see what that boy came up with, so if anyone messes it up, I’ll punish them myself!”. It was a strange sight to see, considering how he usually acts.”

I decided to state my theory, “I think it’s because this is something new Master William.” Master William looked to me, since they were still running checks on the mechs, “What do you mean by that Edward?” I spoke motioning to the mechs that laid before our eyes, “What’s one thing that the mechs Young Master Aurelian designed than those that had no changes? The answer is that it’s new, it’s not following the standard that’s been there since before our childhoods. I don’t think this universe has seen change in so long that the second something changes, the whole universe shakes with excitement. The engineers seemed excited to work on these units, because they could be the change that they’ve unconsciously sought for decades. It’s like a sommelier tasting a new kind of wine, a new wine is something they unconsciously search for, a change to their normal. These engineers are experiencing that, their new design is like a sommelier’s new wine, it’s a new flavor to enrich their lives for the better.”

I cleared my throat, “At least, that’s what I believe.” Master William looked back to the mechs, his eyes had a new look of understanding in them, “Something new… hm, I think I see the point in your words Edward.” The mechs of the three groups began to move, one mech from each group was to be used in what was dubbed “The Mech Stress Test” before one from each group would fight one from the other two groups. I took out a notepad, Young Master Aurelian’s wish remained in my mind. Master William asked, “Edward, what’s with the notepad? I didn’t expect you’d take notes.” I replied, “Young Master Aurelian has asked I manage to get the report, but I decided to take notes, just in case the test isn’t completely correct.” Master William smiled, “I see, do as you wish then.” With that, my focus turned to the tests, my goal was to assist Young Master Aurelian.

~~~

I looked at the report Edward had managed to retrieve, as well as his own eye witness reports to the whole event that occurred ten months ago. It’s been four months since I awoke from the pod, with the past four months being tests and physical training to ensure I could handle what I’d gained from the pod. I was in a stable position to begin other things before the next round in a few years. Reading both reports, I smiled, “The response has been better than I expected, and since it’s the same mech as before, the shift doesn’t seem to have the engineers in any disarray.” Checking the report about the design, I was relieved they didn’t try to change it, “Good, the design is unchanged, that means I can begin designing a tier two.” Edward seemed confused, “You mentioned such a term before your stay in the pod, what does that mean?” I turned and began my explanation, “In terms of strength, speed, endurance, durability, the higher the tier, the better the mech or ship is, unless it’s made to be a certain way. In a way, what I did was perfect the first tier of mech to the best capacity it can be, but that’s the best that mech can do.”

Edward said, his eyes shown his new understanding, “So you’ll make this “tier two” mech, one far stronger than the “tier one” mech we’ve been using since-.” I cut him off, “Since several centuries ago, yes.” I rubbed my head, “I can’t believe even father’s been using this since his youth, considering the anti-aging tech.” When I was in the pod, I learned that in this universe, someone found out how to make anti-aging technology, making the human lifespan ten times the one hundred years of life we once held, not to mention the means to make us look younger for it as well. The means to this millennia of life was a mixture of gene altering and, as mentioned, anti-aging medication and tech. So, since there was a long time before one dies, one is considered a child until the age of fifty to better balance the education period to an extent.

As of right now, I’m eight years old, so I had forty-two years until adulthood, and after that was a large amount of noble related teachings like military, governance, and noble etiquette. But that was for future me to handle, for current me, my goal was to just reach tier two mechs, since that would be a major game changer for any future event. Edward, however, seemed to remember something, “Sir, your father wishes to see you. I’m not sure what the contents of what he wishes to see you about though.” I nodded, “It’s fine, I wanted to see him anyway to get his personal opinion on the upgrades.” Edward rose from his chair as I did, “Then allow me to escort you sir.”

After a decent amount of walking, and taking an elevator up quite some floors, I found myself before father’s office. Edward knocked on the door, “Master William, Young Master Aurelian is here.” Father said, “Come in.” Edward opened the door, and I entered with a smile, “Hello father, it’s nice to see you.” He looked up from his work, a small smile graced his lips, “It’s good to see you as well Aurelian, come, have a seat.” After I took a seat, Father spoke, “I personally watched the tests of the mechs, not only am I impressed about that, but I’m also impressed you managed to impress the head engineer. I haven’t seen that man impressed by anything ever since I hired him, and I was around a century old at the time.” He chuckled a moment, quickly returning to business, “But that’s not why I wanted to speak with you. I wanted to speak with you about this.” He put a report of one of the many tests I took on the table before me, it was one about planetary development, a topic from domain running.

I was confused, I think I did rather well, “Is there something wrong? I don’t believe I failed the assignment.” Father shook his head, “No, you passed, don’t worry about that. It’s how you passed that surprises me.” He took out a remote and a hologram appeared between us, “Does this look familiar to you?” I began to read through what seemed to be a planetary sheet, land, size, resources, it was everything a planet would or wouldn’t have. I recalled these exact numbers, it was the same one from the test, “Are these the numbers from the test? Why are they being displayed here?” Father spoke, the numbers fading as a planet began to replace it, “Aurelian, those numbers weren’t pulled from any database for tests. The numbers were pulled from the planet I had just recently colonized, and you managed to display how to maximize the planet to the fullest while simultaneously keeping parts of the planet natural. Not only that, but you also minimized everything harmful to the environment, ensuring the planet would remain habitable for lifetimes. Son, you managed to prepare a planet in a way many your age wouldn’t be able to do.”

I was surprised, this sort of thing wasn’t really my skillset, but with some SGO knowledge and what was laid before me, I managed to make something that stuck out. Father asked, “How did you come up with this?” Knowing it was just him and Edward in the room, I said, “Well, there was a game I once played, it helped a little in the whole process. But with what I learned; I knew just the way to make any planet work to the best of it’s capabilities. However, to make it work like that, it would require plenty of oversight for several decades. I can show you similar works with other planets if you’d like.” Father shook his head, “That won’t be necessary, the other planets are already made as such, and changing its structure now would only cause issues.” He went silent, then asked, “How would you feel about taking control of the planet? I wouldn’t normally do this, but with what you can do, I feel like you could do something amazing.”

I quickly threw my hands up and shook my head, “I can’t! I’m not even ten, how in the world can I run an entire planet!? The construction alone would take decades, no, centuries, and I’ll have to do many things during the process!” Father looked surprised, then laughed rather heartily. Once he finished laughing, he said, “Son, let me show you something.” He shifted the hologram’s screen, it showed the timelapse of a skyscraper being built. Once it finished, he asked, “How long do you think that was?” I thought, then asked, “A few years? Even I can’t fathom the length.” Father said, “That was three days. From foundation to the tip of the tower itself, all it took was three days.” I felt like I didn’t remember some of the information, but father spoke, seemingly noticing my slight embarrassment, “This information isn’t in any educational files, mostly as it’s considered unnecessary. You didn’t forget anything.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, and father switched back to the planet image, “So, let me ask once more, how would you like to take control of the planet? Your siblings are already doing so, it’s perfect on hand experience where I can be your safety net. The initial colony is set up, all you need to do is make the future happen. I’ll handle protection of the planet through naval strength at first, so until then, focus on this plan you’ve made.” I paused for a moment, needing to think of the situation properly. This is, based on what father said, is a colony, not a city, implying it’s the start of the planet’s growth. Based on the information, it seems the colony was where it was originally stated, and it’s begun to grow based on the initial plans I used, so it would be as if I had begun the plan outright. This was also the ultimate fallback as, if I end up failing or begin to, father will be there to help me.

I had the capacity, the means, and the initial funding for this, all to achieve hands on experience in running a domain. If I turn this down now, even at my age, I might never get the chance to do this again. I looked to father, my concerns alleviated by what he said, “I’ll do it. If I turn this down now, I might never get a similar chance again.” Father smiled, “Good choice.” He took out some initial paperwork, “You’ve got the layout for the future of the planet; however, you still need to establish two things. Your mansion, as it’s a sign of wealth, and staff, those who will help you in running the domain.” He showed me the bare minimum of wealth the mansion needed to have invested into it for my stature, which would be Baron, but I’d still be his son and a Flameheart. Looking at it, I felt my stomach drop, this mansion alone could fund the running of my initial colony, including the expansion, for a decade. Not to mention the size of the land I’d need to use, no matter what, I was going to go overboard to ensure I wouldn’t have to worry about it in the future.

There was no issue with the land, the colony had landed next to a spot that had land that had nothing of value on it, and not enough resources to mind below it, so the mansion was to be built there. The issue was the staff, I assumed not many would willingly work under someone who wasn’t even double-digit age, noble or not, I assumed they’d deny to do so out of dignity or concern over their livelihoods… at least until father put some profiles on my desk. He said, “These are people who are willing to work with you, go through them and tell me who you’d like as staff.” I realized this universe was definitely strange, who’d willingly work with a child to run a planet in any reasonable world? The conversation quickly went quiet as both of us were working on our own items, father likely running his domain as I began the process of preparing to run my own.

Going through them, many seemed to not value what I did, as most of them seemed older and could likely be doing this over me being young and ignorant. More than that, many of them gave me bad feelings that, if I chose these people, they’d screw me over somehow. But someone caught my eye, someone who, in the terms of age and life, was new to the whole governing scene. However, while young, they shown talent beyond their years, someone like him could be something of a prodigy if someone said so. Oddly enough, anyone who had connections to him seemed to be people of strong moral character, compared to everyone else on the list. If anything, compared to the others on the list, these individuals would be preferable to those who seemed to be after power or money rather than the wellbeing of the people.

I put the files of the people I had chosen, “I’d like these individuals to act as my staff father.” Father looked up from his work, then took the files and looked them over, “Hm, they’re promising, yet young, are you sure about this?” I nodded, “If the younger generations continue to rely on the older generations, change will never come. In my case, I’m young, so I need equally young or somewhat young individuals who are willing to accept change. Because my wishes won’t be stopped because others don’t wish to let the change I’ll bring come to fruition, I’ll get those who see my vision and can help me achieve it.” Father, after a moment of looking at me sternly, he smiled, “Good, you have the right process for this.” He motioned Edward over, saying, “Notify these individuals of their new positions, I’ll speak with Aurelian until you return.” Edward bowed and left the room, leaving me and father alone.

He looked to me, his eyes seemed to carry ease, “This was, in its own way, a test. Something I noticed was many reincarnates sometimes become… spoiled. I know that first hand, as your oldest brother is a reincarnate as well.” I was surprised, so I asked, “Why tell me this? I didn’t have to know that to do my work.” Father motioned me to him, so I got up and walked to his side of the desk, to which he put me on his lap and took me a window behind his desk. He spoke as we looked at the view of the planet from this office, “I’m telling you this as a warning, as reincarnates sometimes choose to ignore their people or rely on those around them, as his domain isn’t doing well. His domain doesn’t look like this planet, nor like the planets of your siblings who started after him. I’m not sure what it is, since I can’t observe him at all times, but his performance has left me uncertain about his future.”

He rubbed my head, “I don’t want that for you, as your life before this one was lacking in many areas from what you’ve told us, so I want you to thrive in this new universe.” His voice seemed lighter than usual, this wasn’t Count William Stella Flameheart, but William, father of children he holds dear. He said, “I just want you to know I’ll always be here for you, and once your mother wakes up, she’ll be rooting for you as well.” For the first time in ages, I felt tears begin to stream down my face. I hadn’t heard those words in so long I had almost forgotten what this feeling was, because with father looking over me, I knew I was going to be alright. I wrapped my arms around him, this seemed to surprise him since I hadn’t used a lot of physical affection since I was reborn. Before he could ask why, I said, “Thanks, dad.” I heard a sigh of relief, almost like he wanted to hear those very words, “You’re welcome, son.” For the time being, I was fine just looking over the city skyline in silence, because it was just time for me and my dad to bond.