“Fooooooooood~,” Asami begged on their way back to town.

He glanced over at the sun and frowned.

“It’s not lunchtime, though?” he asked, wondering if he wasn’t reading things right.

“It is for me,” she said firmly, giving him an imperious look.

“Let’s find you something to eat then,” he sighed, then had to hurry to keep up with Asami as she began power walking.

An hour later, Asami was fed and he was a bit poorer. She’d eaten four servings of the street food, claiming that she couldn’t possibly insult the vendors by not trying their food. And at two bronze per serving, it added up quick.

“OK, so I’m going to head back to the forest again,” he said, looking between the gluttonous girl and the skulk. “If you want to come along, feel free. But it will be boring. I’m just planning on doing some work today,” he finished, trying hard to make it sound entirely too boring for them.

“I’ll still come,” Asami said, shrugging. “I don’t know about these kids, though,” she finished by waving a hand at the gathered spirit foxes.

Joram just shrugged before heading out of town, Asami and only a few foxes in tow, including the purple vixen who’d taken a liking to him first.

“Her name is Harumi,” Asami piped up as they went. “’Purple Vixen’ is a bit rude,” she finished, giving him the side eye.

“What else was I supposed to call her?” he asked, shaking his head. “It’s not like I can ask her.”

“You can’t?” Asami asked, looking confused. “Can’t you use [Telepathy]?”

“Not with-,” he stopped, then frowned.

Yes, there were indeed powers that would let him speak with animals and intelligent creatures and beings. Then shrugged. If he opened up that can of worms, who knew when he’d get another moment of peace and quiet.

“Rude,” Asami snorted, but still kept pace with him as they left the west gate.

It took him a little while to decide exactly where he wanted to build, but he eventually found the right spot.

There was a narrow stream that burbled by a relatively flat section of land that just called to him. It was also almost dead centre in a clearing, having five great trees on its borders. Smiling, he got to work.

First, he used his new [Telekinesis] Skill to start scaping away the underbrush, though he saved the fruit-bearing bushes by scooping them out of the earth and setting them aside for future replanting. He kept switching between the Power and the Skill, letting his power pool and mana pool each recharge while not using the other.

Once that was done, he then started measuring out the space, then placing markers for where he wanted things. After that, he used [Foxhole] liberally, creating a respectably deep basement area in no time. Unfortunately, the larger stones, and especially the boulders, were left behind in the hole. Though, that also helped save him time by having the stones there and ready to use.

After that, he created a ramp to the basement, as jumping down over seven metres wasn’t a healthy life choice. Once he was down there, he began using [Modify Matter] to first create thick stone blocks, then to create more decorative floor tiles. He thought about making piles and driving them down to help stabilize the structure, but then discarded the idea because the house wasn’t going to be that tall.

As he worked, Asami watched with him with great interest. The foxes, though, took off. Probably to hunt or play. Or perhaps to take a nap? Who knows?

Joram was also pleased that most of the stone turned out to be moss stone, though there was some that looked to be a black variation of the stone. Which, in the end, created some pretty cool patterns when he mixed the black stuff together with the green stuff.

By the time he was done for the day, he had most of a foundation laid, and the entire basement was thirty by fifty metres. To say that he was a bit burnt out from the constant manifesting, let alone trying to expand his understanding of the Power, would have been an understatement. But it had been incredibly fulfilling.

He had once again left his notifications to pile up, but didn’t bother checking them on his way back. If he was right, he could feel the slight difference in his Skills whenever they levelled up now, so there wasn’t much urgency to constantly check on his progress. Maybe he’d start checking every other day?

Then they arrived at the Manelle’s place and had dinner with the family. Asami happily munched down her food before getting back to her tea & biscuits, while Joram answered more questions for Myra and Celys.

“What have you been up to today?” Myra asked, looking as though she’d needed to build up the nerve to ask.

“Well, I first paid for the rest of the land I’d reserved, then…” he said, explaining what he’d been up to, oddly content to talk about his day. Which struck him as a bit odd, because he’d never really liked doing that in the past.

Now? It didn’t really bother him at all. Actually, it was kind of nice to have someone genuinely care about what he’d done that day. The family was surprised when they heard that he’d paid off his land already, and more so when they found out that he was already working on his foundation.

“Can I come with you tomorrow?” Myra asked, almost shyly, but with a bit more force in her tone than she probably expected to be there, given the slight flush to her cheeks.

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” he said, looking from her to her parents who shrugged. “It’ll probably be a bit boring for you though. Even the foxes all took off while I was working,” he explained, remembering when they’d all finally returned.

“I don’t mind,” Myra said, looking away slightly as she spoke. “Besides, if the foxes come tomorrow too, then I’ll have plenty to do.”

Joram nodded, not seeing a problem with that. He’d felt vaguely guilty for some reason when the foxes had returned, as though he had some sort of unspoken responsibility to keep them entertained or something. Which was ridiculous, of course. But the ridiculousness of the sentiment didn’t diminish it very much.

After chatting a bit more, he excused himself and retired to his room where he did his nightly routine of [Cleanse] and creating his bed-time clothing. In preparation for Asami’s arrival, he also created a new set of PJs for her, as well as the changing screen.

For as awesome as it was to get all those Skill levels last night, he didn’t think that he’d survive another round like that. Well, it was more that he didn’t think he could hold himself back. Even though he was now a High Elan, his body still seemed to react as it did when he was a human teenager.

With all the prep done, he activated [Clear Mind] and got to studying Telepathy again.

He was soooooo close, he could taste it. So it was that he spent the next several hours going over the intricate and sometimes confusing nuances of Telepathy. That is, until he felt himself get shoved over.

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“Bedtime,” Asami grumped at him, already changed into her new PJs and sitting on the edge of the bed.

He looked at her, more than a bit annoyed, then spoke.

“Don’t do that; it’s not nice,” he said, cross with her.

“Don’t make a woman wait for over an hour then,” she replied frostily, then deliberately poked him with her foot.

A quick use of [Autohypnosis] prevented Asami from being tossed out his door, yet still got him a glare for his efforts. Taking a few more deep breaths, he got up and stepped over to the bed.

For all her annoyance with him a few seconds ago, she quickly scooted over to make room for him with a great smile on her face. He suppressed a sigh before laying down and shifting to get comfortable. Then Asami was on top of him again, wiggling around to find just the right position.

[Clear Mind] was indeed his friend, as it saved him the embarrassment of biology trying to fulfill the measure of its creation.

“What’s that chant you keep using?” Asami asked, tilting her head up so that she could look up at him.

Ignoring just how freaking sexy she looked, he explained.

“It’s an ancient chant from my home used to help calm and centre oneself,” he said, once again suppressing his physiology through sheer will.

“I know you’re not a stuffy monk,” she said, giving him a searching look. “So, why bother avoiding what nature intended?” she asked, for all the world not seeming to understand where he was coming from.

“Because I believe that we’re more than just bundles of biological imperatives, to act solely on instinct,” he said, shaking his head a bit. “Because, if I choose to be with someone like that, I want to make sure that it will be a lasting relationship.”

“You’re weird,” Asami said, shaking her head. “There are very few species that mate for life, staying with just one another.”

“Yeah, foxes don’t stick to one partner, do they?” he asked, remembering a bit about them from his youth.

“Actually, most spirit foxes do,” she said, giving him a challenging glare.

“And why are you so interested in me?” he asked, still very curious to hear the answer.

“That’s a secret,” she said, then stuck her tongue out at him before looking back down again.

He gave up and went back to using [Clear Mind], hoping to both forget that ultra-cute gesture and to get a breakthrough that night as well.

Alas, only one of those things occurred, he mentally sighed seven hours later as he watched the sky brighten outside.

Asami had moved very little during that time, much to his surprise. He found that instead of laying slightly on her side, she was now completely prone with her arms out and hugging him. Her head was resting right on his chest, her breath coming smooth and steady.

He wondered once more what she was about, but then gave up. Women were mysterious beings, let alone women who’d been an ancient spirit fox until just recently. Her obsession with tea biscuits was cute, though. And since the things weren’t loaded with sugar like the cookies back home, he needn’t worry about her gaining fifty kilos or developing diabetes.

Was that even a thing here? Do they have the same diseases as Earth? Or are our physiologies different enough that they’ve developed different diseases?

Many good questions, so few answers. He still wasn’t very good when it came to Psychometabolism, let alone the rest of the Disciplines. But when he was proficient enough, then perhaps he could start helping others. Maybe start up a clinic or something.

Sure, he’d finally been able to use [Restore Extremity], but his insights had been specifically for High Elans. It would take more time to get to the point where he could help others who’d gone through the trauma of losing a limb. To that end, he really needed to step up his research and understanding of [Delve]. From what he understood of the power, he could adjust the resolution of what he could “see” with it to a fantastic degree.

Which would then allow for a myriad of uses, from the basics of using it to get the layout of a structure, all the way down to examining the atomic structure of a substance. Any of those applications would be of tremendous help to him here. And what was better, it would also allow him to memorize the structure of various things. Things like food and various materials and substances from textiles to alloys to medicine. And once he had that, he could start replicating things.

Heheheheh, like a Star Trek replicator, he thought as a stupid grin spread on his face as his geeky side came out once more.

“Mmmm?” Asami grumbled/mumbled as she stirred, disturbed by his quiet chuckling.

Which once more did a few too many things to him before he could use [Clear Mind].

“Eh-heh~~?” Asami said, shifting even more as she fixed him with a mischievous look, an absolutely devastating grin curving her soft lips.

“Time to get up!” he said, then slipped out from underneath her as she tried to hold onto him.

Which resulted in her being half dragged out of bed, her torso laying on the floor while her thighs rested against the side of the bed, her tails hanging limply over her back and head.

How the hell can she even make that look sexy?! He thought as he quickly ducked behind the screen and got changed as he put [Clear Mind] through the ringer. He even prepared a kimono for her, white with red trim. Taking her tails into consideration, he’d made the back of the garment split so that you would have to pull it up, thus leaving room for her tails. Then, above that split, he’d included a few ties going up the back, to make sure that the back wasn’t left open.

He’d even experimented with the kimono’s fabric by trying to add some cloud designs by shifting the direction of the weave by about thirty degrees in those places. He wasn’t sure how it would look, but he didn’t quite care at the moment. He then tossed it, as well as a pair of shorts and another tank top, over the change screen at her before slipping out of the room.

It was still early enough that only the baker lady was up and about, happily making some tasty bread.

“Do you mind if I watch?” he asked, nearly causing her to drop her bowl in fright, her tail even going so far as to poof out.

“You scared me!” she breathed, clutching her chest as she stared at him, wide-eyed.

He felt a bit sorry for having scared the fiery redhead, though, for she was one of those genuinely lovely people.

“Do you need to sit for a bit?” he asked, reaching for a chair.

“No, deary, I’ll be fine. I just hadn’t heard you coming, is all,” she said as her colour visibly improved.

“Ah, sorry about that. I guess I make a lot less noise than when I was using my crutches,” he said apologetically.

“That you do,” she replied, shaking her head again. “But it’s fine, you can watch boring old me making bread if you’d like. Are you interested in learning how to bake?” she asked, turning back to her work kneading the dough.

“I like to learn new things whenever I can,” he replied with a smile that she missed.

“That’s a good way to live your life, that’s for sure,” she said, nodding as she then quickly cut the dough into sections before covering them with a bit more flour and then a large cloth.

She then uncovered another batch of dough before placing each of the four onto a large baking sheet… that looked to be made of metal and liberally greased. She then slipped them into an oven, of which there were two, before reaching into the second oven and retrieving the golden bread inside.

Even as he inhaled and took in the heavenly scent of fresh bread, he silently lamented arriving just a bit too late to watch the whole process. And to steal the recipe. Yes, he had several recipes he’d collected over the years, but new recipes were always nice….

What am I even thinking? I don’t need to eat anymore! He silently upbraided himself.

Still, it was hard to rid oneself of habits that had formed over decades. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to expand his knowledge, especially since he would be able to do much more in the near future.

He then wondered if he could replicate the baking stones he’d used for many years. If he could, then he was sure that they’d sell well….

Shaking his head again, he rid himself of those useless thoughts. He was going to make his money hunting monsters and selling their cores. No need to worry about a shop, employees, or any of the logistical nightmare that was keeping up the supplies he’d need to keep said shop running.

No. It was far easier to just kill monsters. That’s what he would do.

Before he knew it, the baker-lady was pulling out the final tray of bread and letting them cool while another person was currently whipping up a storm preparing the traditional breakfast of the family. Which meant that they were either up and in the dining room, or would be shortly.

“Thanks for letting me watch,” Joram said, giving her a smile of thanks.

“You’re welcome, dear,” she said, giving him a motherly smile in return as she quickly went about cleaning up her work area.

In the dining room, he found Celys and Nalun already sitting at their places. He greeted them, then took a seat and waited for the rest of the family to arrive.

Thankfully, things went a bit smoother this morning than yesterday. Myra seemed to be in a better mood, so that made things much easier for him. Even with Asami teasing her, though she stopped when he threatened to cut back her supply of tea biscuits.

Then they were off, both Myra and Asami accepting what looked like a wrapped lunch from the kind baker lady, who Myra called Linette. Myra stuck closely to his right as Asami took up position on his left, copying Myra. Thankfully neither of them had gone so far as to grab onto him, which allowed him to put up his [Inertial ArmourA] on the way out of town as his skulk of foxes slowly accumulated numbers.

He was looking forward to a long day of creating his own house. It was always a pleasure to see the results of one’s own hard work.