Alex's Idea

Alex had already thought about it. A small, habitable storage space wouldn't be hard to create. Pump in oxygen with a simple tank. Add artificial gravity, regulate atmospheric pressure, and it was done. Of course, it would consume a lot more energy. But that wasn't the issue.

The real problem? If he released something like that to the market—People would use it for all the wrong reasons. Kidnapping. Human trafficking. Smuggling dangerous creatures from dungeons into the real world. Not exactly something he wanted his name attached to. And that was precisely why he had hired Faerith. "That's your job now," he said, leaning back. "Don't ask why—just optimize it."

Faerith sighed. "You want the impossible again, don't you?"

Alex grinned. "I want a smaller version. Something people can wear—a smartwatch, a phone, jewelry, whatever." He pointed at the cube in her hands. "Shrink it. Make it practical." Then, his expression turned serious. "And put biometric security on it."

Faerith let out a tired groan. "You do realize how difficult that is, right?"

Alex smirked. "That's why I hired you." Even with all this progress, Alex's mind was already moving onto the next challenge. His fingers drummed against the table as a thought formed. "Vesa," he called telepathically.

[Yes, King?]

"Since dungeons and secret realms function similarly, can you take over a dungeon? Like you did with Mingyue's secret realm?" There was a short pause before Vesa responded.

[As I've explained before—based on the current King's knowledge—a dungeon is another world. A world. Not an artificially created space. So, no—I can't take over a dungeon outright. But if you enter one, I can analyze it further.]

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Then what makes secret realms different?"

[Secret realms are artificial. Created by cultivators using formations. And the thing about cultivators? [They never expect their formations to be hacked.]

Alex chuckled. "Because they don't have a concept of hacking."

[Exactly. Their fundamentally different approach to formations makes them vulnerable to the sophisticated methods of your world.]

Alex knew Vesa was right. Even for students following the same method, learning how to create formations in a world without an advanced education system was incredibly difficult. Most people just gave up and focused on cultivation instead. The volatile nature of qi made things even worse. Compared to mana, it was harder to control and far more unpredictable. "That means I need to figure out a way to enter the dungeon without Mom finding out," he thought. Luca would never allow it. That much was certain. "I'll deal with that later. Right now, I should focus on this cube."

Alex shifted his attention back to the cube's design. One of the biggest hurdles in mass production was the material—he still needed qi crystals for the core. After a moment of thought, he reached out to Mingyue. "Mingyue, are you busy? How's the progress on your side? I need your help securing a steady supply of qi crystals."

They had already agreed to build their own faction in both worlds. That was why Mingyue had started recruiting villagers and settling them inside her secret realm. But when she didn't answer right away, Alex frowned. Something felt off. It took a few moments before Mingyue finally responded. "Sorry, I was dealing with something else. What did you say?" Her voice was softer than usual, almost strained.

Alex immediately picked up on it. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

There was a beat of silence before Mingyue scoffed. "Don't joke around, Alex. A cultivator getting sick? You should know better."

"Right, right. Just making sure," Alex chuckled. "How about this: you tell me what's bothering you, and then I'll tell you what I need?"

Mingyue sighed. She had long since gotten used to Alex's antics, but that didn't mean they didn't annoy her. "You were the one who contacted me first. Just get to the point already. Honestly, are you doing this on purpose?"

The sound of Alex's amused laughter echoed in her mind. Mingyue shook her head. "Alright, alright," Alex relented. "I wanted an update. How's the sect coming along? Have you secured a territory yet? I need a reliable source of qi crystals."

As Mingyue listened, Alex explained the device he was working on and gave her an update on the company's progress. Over the past few days, he had surveyed the building, recruited everyone living there, and even started renovations. His plan was to establish both the research center and guild in the same location. When the old members of Suzaku heard about the guild, they bombarded him with questions and immediately expressed interest in joining. They even insisted that Alex name it Suzaku again.

Alex just shrugged. "That's my sister's department. If you're that eager, go talk to her."

Those who weren't fit for the guild ended up working in the lab instead. Alex made sure each of them received a decent wage and a suitable position, from security to administrative jobs. His father had always treated them like family, and none had ever betrayed them. That was enough for Alex to trust them. Of course, when it came to the most sensitive information, he only entrusted it to Faerith—she had a slave contract with him, even if she didn't realize it. She thought she had just signed a normal contract.

Alex also shared some of his plans for the hunters' association and what he wanted to achieve after perfecting the storage cube. As an avid gamer and novel reader, an idea had been brewing in his mind for a while. What if he enclosed a secret realm inside a storage cube, making it work like a server? A place where people could enter using their souls—essentially a VR game, but on an entirely different level. Since the "players" wouldn't be cultivators, he could control how they interacted with the formation. This would let him kill multiple birds with one stone—make money, have his own game, and scout potential candidates for their faction.

Excited, Alex explained his ideas to Mingyue. "We could use a quest system to test their personalities, see their true nature, even gauge their talent based on their souls. And that's just the start. If we do this right, we can eventually link both worlds, integrating their cultures step by step."

Listening to Alex paint a future so grand, Mingyue forgot her earlier frustrations for a moment. She shook her head. "You really think too far ahead, Alex. There are too many things we need to handle before we even get close to that."

Alex grinned. "Thinking is free, Mingyue. It gives us a path, a direction. Better than wandering around aimlessly. What's the worst that could happen? Even if it fails, I'll just come up with another way to make it work."

If Emily had been there, she would've burst out laughing. Her introverted brother, who spent all his time gaming, talking about having a "path" and "direction"?