VOL 2 Chapter 49: Beautiful, isn’t it?

In the heart of the forest, where the last rays of evening light struggled to filter through the canopy of green leaves, there was a clearing that seemed to have been designed specifically to welcome travelers or adventurers. The terrain was unusually flat for a forest, with soft, lush grass underfoot.

The trees, tall and majestic, rose like pillars around the clearing. Their thick, sturdy trunks offered protection against the wind and a support for any structure one might decide to build. All around the perimeter, shrubs and lower plants formed a natural barrier, providing both privacy and security, as well as resources like berries and herbs that could prove useful for food or medicine.

Additionally, the place boasted a stream of crystal-clear water meandering nearby, ensuring a source of fresh water. Tiny fish sparkled among the stones, and on the banks were footprints and other traces of small animals that came to drink, thus guaranteeing a source of food and leather.

With a satisfied smile, Erik breathed in the pure and almost aromatic air of the place. He then looked around with a pleased expression on his face. After all, the spot turned out even better than what the map had suggested, fully convincing him that this would be his base for who knows how long from now on.

"A good place, don't you think?"

As he climbed off the black wolf's back, Erik asked with a small smile, at which point Kaiser jumped off his shoulder and began exploring the area, with Tiberius joining in shortly after.

"It looks pretty good. Will you build a cabin?" Ebonique asked as she rose into the air from atop Erik's head to look around. The star-haired boy answered with a grin.

"It might be interesting to build one after so long, but maybe another time. For now, let's use this."

In Erik's hand appeared a small, intricate sphere no more than 30 centimeters in size, a bright silvery color, covered with tiny runes of various types carved all over its surface. He then tossed it onto the ground, where it lit up and rose into the air, spinning slowly, until it reached several meters in height and began to grow in size.

Not long after, in the midst of the giant trees that covered the area, there floated a majestic metallic sphere of intricate design, reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals, adorned with pointed arches and ornaments shining with multicolored lights. Its surface was carved with an infinity of softly glowing runes. At that moment, small spheres of similar design emerged from its upper part and quickly surrounded it.

Swiftly, the small spheres formed a sort of defensive formation around the surroundings. Then several runes appeared in midair, only to vanish into nothingness, prompting Erik to nod in satisfaction. The magical artifact worked perfectly—the artifact he had shamelessly and brazenly copied from one Chen had given him a long time ago, though he'd made his own inspired by Sigrún's Victorian-style mansion because he didn't like the Oriental style of the one Chen had provided.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Erik asked Ebonique with evident pride in his creation, to which the dragon spirit agreed with a nod.

"It truly looks very good." Ebonique flew close to the sphere and inspected the beautiful spherical refuge a bit, then turned to look at Erik, a bit confused.

"But isn't such a complex artifact against the rules?"

"Though it's certainly complex and quite expensive to make, it doesn't even have an integrated weapons system, so it can only be considered a daily-life artifact. As for its defense, this baby can barely withstand a couple of attacks from an Illuminated-level individual before its structure completely collapses, so even if it's considered a specialized artifact, at most it would be classified as a maximum Revealed-level artifact in the best scenario."

Erik explained calmly as a beautifully carved staircase, adorned with all kinds of runes and made of the same metal, extended from the sphere like some sort of spaceship gangway. Ebonique and the wolves quickly approached the star-haired boy in excitement.

After climbing the stairs, the group entered the sphere, finding a space far more spacious than the exterior suggested. There was a black marble floor reflecting elegant golden details, curved walls with Victorian-style windows and curtains, and what appeared to be a small chemistry lab in one corner.

In the center of the refuge, a small pool emitted a bluish glow, and over it floated delicate luminescent flowers that released relaxing essences into the air. Off to one side, a beautiful library with shelves carved from ancient wood held all sorts of books and scrolls. In front of it, a fireplace burned ceaselessly, but its fire, instead of producing heat, emitted a cool breeze that balanced the refuge's temperature, making it pleasantly fresh and leaving behind the humid, hot forest atmosphere.

The furnishings, though sparse—just a bed, a desk, a table with some chairs, and a few other items—were designed with an elegant style that complemented the refuge's aesthetics. They showcased all kinds of precious woods and metals, which always caused Erik a slight heartache whenever he thought about how expensive those materials were. Still, thanks to them, the interior of the refuge exuded an elegant, almost aristocratic aura.

"Your maid is really very talented." Ebonique commented with satisfaction as she flew around inside the refuge, while the wolves began sniffing everywhere.

"Hey, even though Seraphina made the design, I'm the one who brought it to life, building every single thing you see here, so I deserve at least half the credit." Erik commented 'offended' as he flopped onto the beautiful bed at the edge of the refuge.

"Please, you blatantly copied another magical artifact and didn't even do the design. I'll give you 30% of the credit only because of our relationship, and I'm taking a risk." Ebonique followed Erik and lay down on the bed beside him, speaking in a playful tone.

"Then I humbly accept the credit that is mine, hehehe." Erik replied shamelessly as the wolves leaped onto him after 'inspecting' the entire refuge, prompting Ebonique to laugh amusedly and comment.

"Fufufu, you're doing well."

"Hehe, I know. But seriously, Seraphina is really talented at design, and I had no idea. Lately, she's even been helping me redesign several of my projects, and they look much better now." Erik said casually as he stretched out on the soft bed, causing Ebonique to ask, somewhat confused.

"How come you didn't notice if she spends all day by your side?"

"Well, because she never showed any particular interest in doing something like this before. But lately, it seems her artistic vein has awakened, and she's been helping me a lot, which I appreciate, since I'm quite bad at the artistic side of things." Erik responded casually as he struggled to push away the wolves trying to lick his face, tails wagging furiously.

"That's quite curious. Why would her 'artistic vein' awaken so recently?" Ebonique asked, full of curiosity, as she settled closer to Erik, who replied with a smile.

"Who knows? But I'm not complaining. Most of what I produce now looks much better thanks to her."

"Then you're lucky." Ebonique commented cheerfully, to which Erik nodded with a small laugh.

"Hehehe, I'm not complaining at all."

…

…

…

In the faction's meeting room, all the present Masters-level were getting up to leave, as night had already fallen on the planet and all their disciples had found good shelter. At that moment, Thalia and Jessica approached Eleonora and Sigrún, who were about to exit the room.

"The Masters Sigrún and Eleonora have taught their disciple well." Jessica said as she reached the two youngest Master-level individuals in history, a slight smile on her lips. This caused a pair of smiles to form on the faces of the beautiful women.

"Fufufu, Master Jessica exaggerates. It's just that Erik is a great learner and absorbs knowledge like a sponge, making it very easy to teach him."

Eleonora spoke in a calm and elegant tone before Sigrún—who was preparing to make a scene with a haughty expression—could do so. This prompted the beautiful blonde to turn and glare at Eleonora with evident annoyance, to which she responded with a mischievous smile.

"Erik is, after all, my first disciple, so it's only natural that he can learn so quickly." Sigrún added, a bit annoyed as she turned her gaze away from Eleonora, causing the master with golden eyes to laugh amusedly.

"Seriously, Sigrún, will you die if you don't brag for a second or something?"

As the group of four women walked out of the hall, followed by Seraphina, who walked with a straight and elegant posture, no expression on her face but a professional smile, Thalia couldn't help asking with an ironic grin. This prompting Sigrún to retort angrily, giving her a piercing look.

"And who asked you, Thalia?"

"Seriously, sometimes I worry about the future of little Erik under the guidance of such a troublesome woman as you…" Thalia shook her head and commented in a tone full of regret and weariness, which made Sigrún jump like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, quickly responding, furious.

"That's none of your business! Erik is my disciple, so your worries are unnecessary. Besides, I'm not a troublesome woman, hmph!"

"If you say so…" Thalia looked suspiciously at Sigrún as she glared back indignantly, but their 'fight' ended when Jessica spoke again.

"But changing the subject a bit, I'm really curious about what Erik developed using the advice I gave him."

Upon hearing Jessica's comment, Sigrún quickly spoke up, cutting off Eleonora, who was about to speak, with a triumphant smile on her face. This caused the master with golden eyes to wrinkle her expression in annoyance.

"Hehehe, you'll really be surprised by what Erik has accomplished in this time. I assure you, you won't expect it."

"Now I'm even more curious…" Jessica murmured to herself, seeming lost in thought, but she quickly recovered and asked with a smile.

"And how long do you plan to stay here at the station?"

"Until Erik finishes the test. We have an interesting journey to take afterward. Our beloved disciple doesn't know the galaxy yet, and he has worked very hard, so he deserves a fun vacation." Eleonora commented with a small smile, which quickly spread to Sigrún, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's time for our Erik to get to know the 'world' a bit."

"Are you serious?"

Hearing the pair of troublemakers, Thalia couldn't help asking, a bit surprised. After all, aside from the security personnel and Ngozi, who was in charge of the tournament, most of the Master-level individuals present at the space station would leave after a month. They were busy people, and most of what their disciples had to show would come to light within the first month or so, so staying longer made no sense.

"Yes, it's already planned. So we'll wait for Erik to finish the test, but I don't think it'll be too long. We might even leave here before you, hehehe." Sigrún commented haughtily, looking down at Thalia, who responded in kind, crossing her arms beneath her ample bosom before speaking in a challenging tone.

"Oh really? What do you want to bet on it?"

Although it was true that Erik was an unparalleled talent, Thalia was certain that it would be very difficult for him to pass the test, let alone finish before a month. After all, his age would work against him in this trial. Though his rise in power levels was undoubtedly meteoric, he was still only an Ascended-level, and there were several talented individuals close to 300 years old who were already at Revealed-level, far more powerful and experienced. They were far superior to a simple mercenary like the one Erik faced.

"Now this got interesting. I heard that you recently got your hands on a few Nebulon seeds. What do you think? Dare to bet?" Sigrún commented confidently, crossing her arms in a manner similar to Thalia and looking at her as if she were a walking bag of money.

***

Refuge