Chapter 293: A place of safety 2

The first thing I worked on was not air or water.

It was the sun.

I knew that creating a proper ecosystem would be impossible without a stable source of energy. Plants needed light. Heat needed a source. Even the movement of air and water would eventually depend on energy input.

The problem was that my artificial world had one fundamental limitation.

The artificial world could preserve things that already existed, but it could not violate the principle of energy.

For example, I couldn't cast a fire-element spell there because it lacked the fire mana needed to produce flames. The same was true for every other element.

So I changed my approach.

If I couldn't create a sun inside my world, I would create one outside and absorbed it.

I returned my focus to the real world and began constructing the foundation there.

Using mana as both a power source and a stabilizing force, I constructed a massive elemental formation above my territory. At its center, I compressed the fire and light elements into a dense sphere of plasma while layers of magical circuits regulated its temperature, energy output, and stability.

It wasn't a true star. A real sun relied on immense gravity and nuclear fusion caused by its enormous mass.

This was different.

It was closer to a magical fusion reactor—a controlled sphere of superheated mana plasma designed to imitate the functions of a sun.

However, there was still a problem.

The energy would eventually disperse.

So I created a vessel first.

Using a combination of earth, light, and spatial magic, I compressed layer upon layer of crystal around the artificial sun. The material resembled diamond but was far denser than any natural gemstone.

Each layer was forged under extreme pressure, creating a transparent spherical shell capable of containing the violent plasma within.

The crystal did more than protect it.

It reflected stray energy back into the core, reducing waste and greatly extending the lifespan of the reaction.

Only after the artificial sun stabilized did I connect it to my artificial world through the spatial thread linked to my eye.

Light entered first.

Then heat.

For the first time since its creation, my artificial world was no longer an endless grey void.

The darkness receded.

The stone slowly warmed.

A miniature sun now floated above the empty landscape, suspended within its crystal sphere.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was a beginning.

Of course, none of it could function on its own.

Every system required mana.

So before adding anything else, I spent the next several days constructing the world's infrastructure.

I engraved massive formations beneath ground, spreading them throughout the entire artificial world like an underground network.

One formation generated an artificial gravitational field.

Another reinforced the world's spatial boundary, preventing air and water from leaking into the surrounding void.

A third formation regulated the artificial sun, adjusting its heat and brightness while minimizing unnecessary mana consumption.

Finally, I created a central mana circulation formation.

It continuously gathered the ambient mana naturally recycled within the artificial world, refined it, and distributed it throughout the entire network.

As long as enough ambient mana existed, every connected formation could continue operating without my direct intervention.

Only after the foundation was complete did I move on to the next problem.

Air.

Unlike the sun, air was much easier.

The real world already had an atmosphere.

I simply needed to move part of it.

Using the Hive Mind, I split my attention across a hundred smaller nodes stationed along the remaining borders of my territory.

Each one operated a compressed extraction formation, drawing enormous volumes of atmosphere through underground channels before funneling it toward the spatial thread connected to my eye.

There were no spectacular explosions or dazzling displays of magic.

It was closer to operating hundreds of enormous pumps.

Through my inner eye, I watched thin layers of mist spread across the empty landscape.

The atmospheric pressure slowly increased until the world no longer felt like an empty chamber.

But imported air alone wasn't enough.

Any living creature would consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide.

Without a recycling system, the atmosphere would eventually become uninhabitable.

Creating forests and an entire ecosystem from scratch would be too much of a hassle.

I didn't need plants.

I only needed something capable of performing the same function.

So I created elemental stones.

Each stood roughly as tall as an adult human, their bodies formed from compressed earth and nature elements surrounding a highly refined mana core.

Inside each stone, layered formations continuously absorbed carbon dioxide, filtered harmful impurities, and reconstructed the gases into breathable oxygen.

The process consumed mana, so I linked every elemental stone directly to the underground circulation network.

Unlike ordinary plants, they didn't require sunlight, water, or nutrients.

As long as mana flowed through the network, they would continue regulating the atmosphere indefinitely.

I scattered them throughout the artificial world like silent crystal trees.

One by one, they activated.

The formations within them emitted a low hum.

Carbon dioxide levels began to fall.

Oxygen levels steadily rose.

With the atmosphere stabilized, I finally turned my attention to water.

That part was much simpler.

I redirected a portion of the river flowing along the eastern edge of my territory, splitting its current so one branch entered another extraction formation before disappearing into my eye.

Moments later, it emerged within the artificial world as gentle rainfall.

As the first pools of water gathered across the stone, another formation quietly activated.

Using heat from the artificial sun, it regulated evaporation, condensed moisture into clouds, and returned it as rain.

A simple water cycle.

For the first time, my artificial world had its own sun, atmosphere, and weather.

To test it further, I began transferring animals into the artificial world. For the next few days, I observed them to see if they became sick or died.

When nothing happened, I started moving humans as well, though I only chose people whose deaths wouldn't matter to me.

After that proved successful, Shadow also migrated into my artificial world. She acted as another mana source, further strengthening the formation. Before long, everyone in my territory had settled there without issue.

It was around that time that I noticed the ground beginning to crack. The final phase of the world's destruction had begun.

"Please help us!"

Countless people lined up in front of me. They were all from the city, having heard the news that I had created an artificial world to shelter my people.

How did they find out?

Because I had been bragging about it, of course.

I watched them all and couldn't help but sigh. There was still some space left, but accepting everyone would be pushing the limits. I did not have the ability to save everyone.

Then I saw girls who looked far too young to die. They barely looked like they were in high school.

"You. You. You. " I pointed at them.

"Wait, why are you only picking them?" A woman with short blonde hair protested. Her sharp expression and impatient tone made it clear she was not used to being told no.

"Because they're children."

"There are children here too." She pointed toward a group of young boys.

"Fine."

I sighed reluctantly and accepted them as well. Afterward, I explained to the adults that there was no more space left.

I wasn't lying—but they didn't care. They shouted at me, cursed at me, and some even started throwing things.

"FUCK OFF!"

A bolt of lightning struck a group, reducing them to ashes.

The crowd fell silent.

"I think you're all misunderstanding something here," I said. "I don't owe you anything. I created that place to protect my people, not to save everyone who comes begging at my door. I'm not obligated to help you."

"And if you're too afraid to accept your fate at the end of the world, then close your eyes. I'll make it quick and painless."

The clouds began to darken. I wasn't joking.

Being struck by lightning would be a far better fate than letting them suffer through the end slowly.