{This all happened when the whole Lepto and Ocilia drama was going on}

Alexander POV

*clank*

Only the sound of the softly breathing Ox-kin, who sat in the corner, and the buzzing of insects remained inside the room.

There was a need for a new room as this one became too small. Everywhere were piles of books, barely organized, and Lia's assignments, which needed to be controlled and corrected.

She should know me well enough since I procrastinate on corrections quite a bit, 'I think some of them are from a month ago...?'

My to-do list was long, so much so that this insect project will probably don't see any completion till 2-3 months from now on.

This project was quite ambitious since I had a theoretical and practical interest in Mana and how it influenced the body.

It is said that Dragon-kins are natural magic users but why? Hopefully, these buzzing Sarah repellents will bring me closer to the answer, 'Hopefully, Lia will not forget to feed them.'

Doing research on Mana is tricky because it doesn't have any semblance with physical properties in any sense. Let us say I will create a shield...

I stretched my hand out, trying again for the x-time to find some regularity in Mana...

Using [Mana Sense], I saw the Mana floating around. With [Mana Manipulation], I can move the Mana through pure instincts, like an inborn feeling that tells me what to do. And at last [Mana Compression], a Skill which can take the Mana and push it together.

A small blueish translucent shield was created with 10 MP, and the air around me became a little bit colder. Looking at it logically, Mana, by compressing, will take energy from the environment.

Doing the same thing again, I created a smaller shield with 9 MP, and the air became warmer. 8 MP it was warm but not as with 9 MP, and at last 7 MP, the air became cold again, 'OK, now for the second time.'

Creating a shield with 10 MP again, the air became warm, 'FUCK THIS SHIT!'

I clicked my tongue and ruffled my hair in irritation, 'I can't predict for shit!'

Worse is that Mana also doesn't only act as a substance itself but also is perfect for manipulating other particles, and if I did it, all the results would be predictable.

Why worse? This means that it doesn't influence other properties with its own. Thus, I lost a critical possibility with whom I could guess how Mana behaves under certain circumstances.

I slumped back into my chair and watched the notes I wrote in different Earth languages about those damn buzzers.

Right... maybe this will give me a clue about Mana.

It is about how strongly Mana is connected to the genetic disposition and if it can be innated somehow.

I injected them daily with Mana to the point where they could barely survive. I did this to multiple insects in multiple groups with different amounts of Mana. Let them reproduce, kill the older off and do the same with the new generation.

Insects are perfect for such an experiment as they reproduce fast and go from generation to generation faster than any humanoid creature. With this, the changes show themselves much quicker.

They actually have more Mana now after 15 Generations, as I can sense it. I expect great results on this front!

I don't really know how this research will help me explore Mana, but it will at least clear a couple of things up, and if not, and it works, I can make the Leonandras in a couple of generations into a family of mages, 'Demon hunting magic knights... that sounds so sick!'

I yawned and stretched as my thoughts drifted to the other research I didn't finish, 'Damn it, I really don't want to analyze the boring stuff.'

There were close to me dozens of writings with possible exercises for those much younger. I promised Ocilia to make some plans for her siblings as those exercises will probably bring more damage than good to children.

It was a point of contingency since some of the older folk wanted their children to train, and I disallowed it for the sake of the children's health.

This society is ruthless and will do anything to get more powerful, even to the point of selling their firstborn off if they could get their other kids stronger.

There was no other way around it since this society is ruled by strength, facilitated by Skills and Legacies. On Earth, physical strength was only suboptimal since weapons existed. A child could kill a martial arts master with a gun, but here, with enough training, you could actually block even bullets.

I saw it myself how a soldier let himself be shot with arrows, and even if it hit his head, at most, a scratch remained, 'This is fucking insane.'

I looked at the ceiling, into the void, trying to motivate myself to continue, 'Cmon, you can do it. Think of all the happy kids who will have a better future if they follow these exercises.'

Taking my papers, I rubbed my eyes and checked what was already written, stuff like pushups, situps, lunges, squats, pelvic raises, etc. Some were repetitions I had already given out, but around 80% were not.

There was also the need for illustrations because most kids couldn't understand most of the stuff since they couldn't read. They usually start educating their children at the age of 7 or 8. Probably because of the longer lifespan, they also start later.

I scratched my head in confusion, thinking about all the managing that would need to happen, like an oversight for the little ones. There is obviously a need to instruct some trainers, so they can teach the kids, and for this, I need to prepare them first.

Closing my eyes and throwing the papers back on the desk, I leaned back and used [Mana Absorption] while sinking in thoughts.

This endeavor annoyed me, but I also felt validated by their respect for me. Was there always something inside of me that yearned for recognition? Has the possible prospect of being referred to as someone to be admired actually spurred a side of me I never knew?

In my previous life, such a chance never presented to me like now, or maybe I just didn't see it since my goal was to achieve stability. The less risk there was, the more steady my life became.

Risks were not for someone who had siblings to take care of, and after it was mostly done, cupid had already shot me good, and at that point, I didn't want to lose anything that was built up strenuously through the years by tears and blood.

Stability was like a drug, which I tried to hunt down, cramming it as much as possible into my life. Relationship, career, family. Everything needed to be solid.

What can be expected of someone whose parents were executed while fleeing a war-torn country?

Life needed to be Unpenetrable by chaos, and as such, it became my mantra. Most of that played out probably subconsciously.

Does my lover do sometimes weed? Bye.

Were the courses I took somehow risky in the job market? Nope.

Interested in Start-up jobs that could go bankrupt and could make my financial situation worse? Better something else.

But right now, even though I have a family, do I need to do the same as previously? No.

I am a white sheet of paper. Ready to be drawn on with all the colors I want. There are no excuses to draw something like a boring black and white portrait.

Everything is given to me.

Loving family. Stable financial situation. Privileges that, even back on Earth, were rare. Even the knowledge of Earth is an incredible privilege I brought back.

I had everything I wanted to do what I desired.

Even the law of nature is bowing before me with Mana. All that is needed is the motivation to take whatever I want.

Opening my eyes again and looking down at myself, I felt enlightened, but I shouldn't rush things through, 'I need a couple of years first.'

Getting my motivation to a new high, I pushed the exercise papers away and concentrated on my own research and trying to learn a new Mana Skill.

A week ago, I had some ideas for a possible Skill: [Mana Vibration].

I actually don't know if there is such Skill, but there should be, right? I could not attain it till now. Even if there is none, training my control over Mana is always a plus.

I got ready, lightly stretched out both hands, and held them openly, cupped like I wanted to catch water to drink. My experiment was to try and let the Mana vibrate the air between my hands.

Till now, there was only a slight breeze and nothing else.

I used at first [Mana Sense] to see all the Mana around me, then [Mana Manipulation] for moving the Mana around so it could influence the air.

The Mana moved slowly between my hands and produced a blue hue that glowed all over the place as I tried to make the air vibrate, 'Cmon baby, Daddy needs a new Skill!'

The air became wild, but I pushed it together and let it vibrate in frequented rhythms.

A deep and bassy sound escaped my hands *WOOOOOOOOOM!*

I created a sound! Wait... I made a sound?!

The air became more compressed, and the sound dimmed slowly, but I let the atoms vibrate instead of settle. The frequency evolved into a higher one as they became more frantic, escaping my hands, till it became an insanely high-pitched sound that hurt my ears, but it was bearable.

I am creating a soundwave with Mana without a medium! This is fucking insane!

*ding!* Yes! My Skill!

The door suddenly *banged!* open. In came Sarah, angry and holding her ears down like there was... oh right.

I immediately stopped, and she became even angrier when she saw the Ox-kin sitting in the corner and being very confused.

She screamed at Larry, "Hey, you big oaf! Didn't you hear the high-pitched sound?! It felt like my ears got stabbed by needles!"

Larry looked at me and back towards Sarah. Shaking his head, he began mumbling, "I only heard some deep bass tone, which brought me out of my meditation."

Sarah let go of her ears, and they flopped upwards again. She started yelling at me, "NEVER DO THIS AGAIN! I DON'T CARE WHAT IT WAS! I WAS NAPPING AND FELL OUT OF MY BED! DAMN IT!"

She stomped on the floor, and I could hear how it almost cracked. Before I could say anything, she gave me an evil glance and went out by *banging!* the door as hard as possible.

We both sat and waited in silence till he made a good point, "She is angry."

I nodded and whispered, "You are right... I think it is a good time to go to the gym. What do you say, buddy?"

He affirmed my decision, also in a quiet tone, "Good."

*clank*crrrrr*

'The door needs a fix.'

*tap*tap*tap*

It was probably funny to see such a small Wolf-kin followed by a 2m+ Ox-kin. He was Lorient's protector but had practically nothing to do since she had some problems with her mental state and needed to stay on the Estate till she could control her demon aura.

All she did was to meditate the whole day, and sometimes she also worked out. I spoke to Sarah, and she told me that Lori should usually be on another training campaign, leveling up and training, 'Not like she is on a time crunch or anything, so she should just chill for a bit.'

We needed a bit of time walking towards the gym since this Estate was so damn large, but there is also... wait... how large is the planet I am on...?

I Abruptly stood on the spot. Larry, being a bit worried, asked me, "Mr. Alex? Is everything all right? Do I need to carry you?"

His bassy voice brought me out of my thoughts, 'I should stop daydreaming, or some car will hit me if I am not attentive.'

I smiled at the Ox and shook my head, "Nah, everything is fine. I just had an idea. Let's keep going!"

...

...

...

I designed the gym the same as the ones on Earth, only much larger with weights no human could ever hope to lift.

At the entrance was a guard, looking at who was allowed or not to go in, a giant Bear-kin with a giant double-handed Ax on his back, "Hey Alex, bro."

Yes... I only mentioned this as a joke that everybody should be spoken to, noble or not, with bro, even the women. But they took it seriously, and I shared some culture from Earth, not the best, though.

But it was actually not bad since it had one thing which was essential for a more liberal society, the abolition of classes since everybody has the same "title" essentially. Nonetheless, this rule was a drop in the ocean, but it was helpful.

Through this bad joke, I had the idea of creating more popular places like this, where this class structure can be abolished, and the more such places there are, the faster the commoner will adapt to such conduct.

Some commanders and higher-ranked officers didn't like it and tried to shut this down. They complained to Mom, but she actually allowed it since it was my project, and if they didn't like it, they could always choose not to train.

Some tried to discuss it with me, but Aro shot them down and reprimanded them how they dared to even voice their criticism against me, the one who invented it.

I like him much more now.

He even warmed up to Lia, respecting her much more since she worked her ass off.

I greeted him back, "Hey bro, how are you?"

He said somewhat solemnly, "Bro, we need more weights! But the machines are barely holding on! Hope you can fix it!"

I nodded and reassured him, "Sure thing, bro, don't worry."

Larry and I walked together inside and what I saw made me breathless, 'How can it be this full?!'

Everyone started training: Butlers, maids, guards, cooks, soldiers, etc.

The whole hall was packed to the brim! 'Damn it, since I manage this, I need to probably expand... but with such a diverse milieu, I need also create more Amateur friendly machines and tools, and more for the "Larry" ones. Who the hell know how much they will lift in the future since they already hit a bottleneck.'

I glanced at the giant cow and ordered, "Bring me the artisan who is on shift right now."

He nodded towards me and started searching for him, walking around.

After 5 minutes, he returned with an Ant-kin, with antennas on his head and small mandibles sticking out of his mouth, slightly sweating.

Without entering any small chat, I asked him directly, "So, what is the problem?"

He inhaled and exhaled strongly, clearly getting himself together. His voice sounded nervous, "M... Alex bro, many tools like the barbells can't hold the increased weight anymore. We need to use more expensive material or..."

He suddenly stopped, looking anxious to the side. I raised an eyebrow and wanted to know what more? "or....?"

The nervousness was painted on his face as he peeked back at my eyes and stammered, "...or we need different machines."

I stood still and tried to relax and not go on a tantrum. There is so much shit on my to-do list, and he is probably nervous because I screamed at some veterans that annoyed me with their children's exercises, and I literally said they should go fuck themselves.

It happened then when Aro was not around.

I took a deep breath and answered him as nicely as possible, "Fine, get me two new buildings. We will use this for Amateurs, another for children, and one for the bulky ones..."

The Ant-kin stared at the floor, mumbling something under his breath. This agitated me, and I *clapped* my hands once while I yelled at him, "Hey!"

His head turned so quickly that it looked like it would fly away. He instantly apologized, "I am sorry! I am trying to memorize everything!"

Damn it. I overreacted. In the end, he is only some artisan on shift. Am I this much on edge because of all the work? Maybe.

I sighed strongly and waved my hand before, "It is fine. Just tell all the Artisans that they should get ready for more work, alright?"

He nodded multiple times, agreeing with me.

I turned towards Larry, "Let's go back. I need to plan things out."

He nodded silently.

...

...

...

*clank*crrrrrr*

Being back at my office, it was already evening, and I felt how tired I was. Just a quick and rough draft, then something to eat and...

*knock*knock*knock*

"Mr. Alexander?"

It was Aro, "Come in."

*clank*crrrrrrr*

He came inside and, like always, looked around with disgust on his face. Like most, he also doesn't like thousands of insects inside a closed-up room.

I tilted my head slightly while yawning and asked him, "How may I help you, Aro?"

He adjusted his clothes slightly, stood again like a pole, and notified me, "Mr. Alexander, Dinner is ready."

I have so much shit to do, but I can't avoid it. Breakfast and dinner are mandatory to attend to, and this rule is for the whole family.

Frowning, I nodded and walked past him, "Thanks, and please tell some artisan that my door needs to be repaired."

As I walked out, I heard Aro's steps behind me. He tried to teach me again some etiquette, "Mr. Alexander, I am not of your status, so you shouldn't request but command and the posture..."

Damn it, just shut the fuck up. I worked for 12 hours but looking back, I saw how happy he was teaching me how to behave correctly, 'Endure it, don't be an asshole...'

...

...

...

*Poooof!*

Crashing onto my bed, I was lying face down on my pillow, totally tired and burned out, and since there was no coffee and I was too young to drink it, there was no way for me to keep working.

I heard a high-pitched voice from inside my room, sounding slightly confused, "Mr. A... Alexander... Please put on your n... nightwear... before going to sleep."

I mumbled, dead tired inside my pillow, without even moving, "Francisca, be a dear and put it on, OK?"

Her tone became more nervous, "B... B... But, I can't p... possibly do something l... like that..."

I groaned into my pillow and tried to make her more nervous, "Either this or you discuss with me the culture of nakedness throughout history and how we see sh..."

She interrupted me, obviously annoyed, "OK! I will do it!"

It is great being a Noble, but she is really too nervous around me. As a newbie, she did almost only menial work till a couple of weeks ago. Now, she also needs to attend to me like Melina and Cloelle.

Now she needs to deal with me, "...hehe... I am tired..."

I heard a sigh and a solemn voice, "I know M... M... Mr. Alexander, please give me some time to find you something."

A smile built up, "You know, nakedness is..."

An incredible high-pitched sound almost rang into my ear, "STOP! No nakedness, Mr. Alexander!"

Hehe, I get now why Dad does that.