Aster began taking out the raw material tickets. The name itself was incredibly broad. There could be anything inside them: construction materials, food, tools, utensils. There was no way to know exactly what would come out, but he hoped he would at least receive what he needed at the beginning.
Hera came to his side, looking at the hands holding the silver tickets.
"Are those the tickets from your system?" she asked.
"Yes, they are. These are for raw materials. I want to build a place where we can stay first before we go exploring the region. Just a temporary place, so I need some materials, and I’m counting on them to give me what I need. But first, I’m going to see what I need in the Management Core."
I walked toward the crystal on the altar and accessed the construction panel. I searched for a simple structure that would require little or almost no material. Hera remained beside me, waiting, while examining the crystal with interest. Her expression changed as she looked at it more closely. It seemed like she knew something or, at the very least, had some idea about it, but she said nothing.
Aster did not notice either, as his attention was focused on finding the ideal structure. After about two minutes, he found something.
[ CONSTRUCTION BLUEPRINT ]
SMALL FORT: A small mana-reinforced wooden fort capable of housing up to 50 people.
Materials:
Wooden Planks: [0000/1000]
Location with access to mana: Confirmed!
I remained there, thinking for a while. I did not want to do anything rash, so I let myself analyze it a little longer. That structure would serve its purpose and, as I said before, it would only be temporary. I want to find the ideal place to build the heart of everything.
"Now all I can do is hope I get the materials I need from the tickets. Well, my dear luck... I’m counting on you."
I turned to the side, and Hera continued staring firmly at the crystal. I raised an eyebrow when I saw how focused she was.
"Hera, is everything all right?" I asked, alternating my gaze between her and the crystal.
"This crystal is quite interesting," she commented, her eyes seeming to see much deeper than Aster could imagine. "This crystal was created using the Law of Creation. It is an extremely high-level artifact, even by divine standards," she said, visibly surprised by what was in front of her. "I don’t have enough knowledge about Creation, since it isn’t my field, but I’m certain it was created from it."
"The Law of Creation?... Could you explain what that is?" I asked, trying to remember if I had ever heard about it before. The word "Creation," no, but the word "Law," yes. I had heard it when the Guide explained Authorities to me.
Hera turned toward me, wondering how someone could not know about something like that, but soon remembered that the man in front of her was merely a mortal who had never touched mana or any energy system before.
"Do you know what the Seven Original Laws are?" she asked, already knowing he had no idea, but deciding to ask anyway. Just in case...
I simply shook my head, denying her question. I had never heard anything about them.
Hera nodded and entered teacher mode. All that was missing was a pair of glasses resting on the tip of her nose and a blackboard beside her. But we didn’t have those, so we had to leave it to our imagination.
"Very well. I’ll explain it simply, without making things complicated for you."
She began raising her fingers one by one until all seven were raised. With each finger, she named a Law.
"The Law of Space, the Law of Time, the Law of Life, the Law of Death, the Law of Fate, the Law of Creation, and the Law of Destruction. These are the seven pillars of Existence, known as the Primordial Authorities, or the Laws of the Beginning. They are the pillars that sustain the entirety of reality.
"Space came first. Think of it as a box. Without it, the other Laws could not exist because they would have nowhere to be.
"Six of these Laws complement one another. Space is complemented by Time, forming Space-Time.
"Some are two sides of the same coin. Life and Death, together, form Samsara, which is nothing more than the cycle that alternates between them.
"Creation and Destruction... Many may think that, between the two, only Creation is important. Many judge Destruction as something evil, but that is completely wrong. Destruction is what helps renewal. It represents renewal because it destroys the old in order to build something new. That goes hand in hand with the evolution of everything, and the cycle repeats itself. It is just as important as Creation!
"And finally, Fate. It is the guide of everything that lives. It is the shepherd that keeps you from becoming lost and gives you a path to follow. Many confuse Fate with a chain that controls their lives and actions. But it is actually only an anchor, not a leash as many believe. It does not control you, your choices, or your life. You shape them. Fate is only the canvas, and you are the painter."
Hera explained everything to me without interruption. Her words were grand, and even though I had no idea what most of them meant, I at least understood the importance of these Laws. At least a little.
As she had said, she had only given me a superficial explanation without going into depth. For that, I was grateful. I had no idea how my brain would react to so much information I couldn’t understand. Would my brain burn? Would I become stupid?... Well, I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out.
"Did you understand, Aster?" she asked me.
I scratched my head a little.
"Honestly, not one hundred percent, but I understood what you meant," I decided to be honest. This story is hosted at g.com.
Hera smiled.
"Understandable... It’s only been a short time since you started touching mana. So all of this is new to you. You don’t need to feel embarrassed."
She was pleased by his honesty.
[? Hera’s trust increased by 2%! ?]
Aster was happy about the increase in Hera’s trust. It seemed he had found a way to increase it.
’I just need to be myself,’ he thought.
"Well... so you’re saying that this crystal is an artifact that contains the Law of Creation?" I asked, pointing at the crystal beside me.
"Yes. I’m certain of it," she confirmed. "This artifact can build structures, correct?"
"Yes, it can. This is where I can manage everything. Mainly build new structures, as long as the construction blueprint is registered in the Core and I have enough materials."
Hera nodded in understanding. That Core absorbed mana from the environment at all times. It did so slowly and almost imperceptibly, but Hera could see it clearly.
"It is using the Law of Creation to build. There are probably runes engraved within this Core. They must be rooted deep inside the crystal so they cannot be altered. It makes sense. Whoever built this was probably a Peak Runic Deity," Hera murmured.
Aster decided to start tearing the tickets. He did not want to waste any more time. He still could not calculate the hours in that world, so he did not know what time it was. He was afraid it would get too late and he would have accomplished nothing.
I now had 10 raw material tickets left in my hands, so I began tearing them apart, and the notifications started appearing in front of me.
[? You received 1 barrel containing 1,000 liters of water — Rank E. ?]
[? You received 1 Construction Blueprint — Blacksmith — Rank D. ?]
[? You received 500 Wooden Planks — Rank E. ?]
"Good," I said quietly with a smile when the planks appeared.
"Come on, sweetheart. Give me some of your luck. I only need another five hundred."
I prayed to Lady Luck to shine upon me.
[? You received 50 kilograms of Boar Meat — Rank E. ?]
That pleased me a little. Along with the water and the location, those were three of my biggest concerns at the moment.
"But it isn’t enough."
It would be temporary, but it would work for now until I found a solution. So I continued tearing the tickets.
[? You received 1 Set of Basic Tools — Rank E. ?]
[? You received 10 kilograms of Magic Rice Seeds — Rank D. ?]
From this point onward, I became a little worried.
"Come on, sweetheart. You aren’t going to abandon me, are you?"
[? You received 1,000 Mana-Bathed Bricks — Rank C. ?]
[? You received 1 Construction Blueprint — Serenity Fountain — Rank E. ?]
"Only two more."
Gulp!
[? You received 1,000 Wooden Planks — Rank D. ?]
"Phewww."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
’I was a little terrified at the thought of not getting enough. My dear luck would never abandon me, right, dear Lady Luck?’
Now feeling lighter, only the final ticket remained.
[? You received 1 Construction Blueprint — Barn — Rank E. ?]
I was a little disappointed by some of the things I received and had no idea what to do with, such as the Serenity Fountain. Others were of no use to me at the moment, such as the Barn.
But there were also some good gains, such as the magic rice seeds. I didn’t know what the difference was between them and traditional rice, but what mattered was that we had something to plant that could help us become self-sufficient.
"Did you get what you wanted, Aster?" Hera asked beside me.
"Yes... it seems like it worked."
I answered while stretching my body.
"Now let’s build the place, summon the troops, and start exploring the surrounding area," I said while accessing the Management Core’s panel.
[ YOU SELECTED THE BLUEPRINT — Small Fort. ]
[ CHECKING MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONSTRUCTION... ]
[ VERIFIED! ]
[ WOULD YOU LIKE TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION? ]
"Yes."
[ CONFIRMED! ]
[ CONSUMING MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONSTRUCTION. ]
[ MATERIALS SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED FROM YOUR INVENTORY. ]
[ SELECT A LOCATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION. ]
The map appeared in front of me, showing a radius of 500 meters around me, which was the area visible to me. I selected a point about twenty meters ahead of me, where the altar stood.
A full-scale projection appeared at the location I selected. The fort occupied an area of 100 square meters and had two floors, with a small balcony at the front of the second floor.
It was simple, but it was what I had, and it would serve for a while.
I confirmed the position.
[ INITIATING CONSTRUCTION AWAY FROM THE SELECTED LOCATION. ]
A small tremor began in the ground. A marked area appeared on the ground, covering the size of the fort. From that mark, magical energy began creating the wooden walls, which fit together like Lego pieces.
After the first floor, the second was built in the same way, followed by the wall surrounding the fort. Everything was made of wood.
When it was finished, a faint glow appeared across the structure. It was the mana infused within it. One could say that a fort built entirely from wood would be rather weak, but being bathed in mana made it somewhat more resistant.
’I think...’
"Well... that’s it."
I turned toward Hera.
"Shall we take a look inside?" I asked her.
I was excited to see the interior. I couldn’t wait.