[a few days later]
The feeling of having a bed of your own is something that he valued greatly, he didn't even bother standing for a while - it was this comfortable. But it didn't happen - he wanted to sleep some more, but his mind was hyperactive, the tasks already aligning in his head... Which tasks exactly? No idea.
Why should he just lay here and do nothing, when there was a world out to experience. The sun, the wind, old memories of nature he will never get to see again... "I miss my home."
Even though he walked out of the house with that thought, it didn't ruin his mood, he simply swallowed the feeling and allowed himself to feel solace in the memories. The sea, the mountains, the fields, which he never got to own one of, except for those here.
He smiled, actually, he has come so far, that is an accomplishment worth recognizing, the other world was just a stepping stone, every moment, every memory has lead him to this moment. The countless hours spent in Minecraft's Create mod did prove fruitful, because now here he is, with passion when he build a new contraption running on a basic or complex mechanism, gear ratios, wheels, harvesters...
Truly wonderful...
He greeted those he knew on the streets, saying a simply friendly "hello" to vendors and others alike.
He went to the guild to cash in once more, because he hasn't sold for a while. - "Morning Luna!"
"Morning Svetislav, you seem in quite the good mood, is there an occasion?"
"Not at all, simply being pleased by my progress. So anyways, i came to sell some more cabbages. Also know that you can space out the purchases if the guild doesn't have money, after all i give you permission to buy, not force you to buy now."
"Alright, how much do you want to sell today?" - She asked.
"We haven't seen each other for days, i suppose one hundred thousand sounds like a good number to stop at."
"Alright then."
Svetislav gave a thumbs up and left to wherever, today he decided to take a longer walk, so he went to his farm and sat down. He laid down on the bench, resting his head on the armrest.
"I should bring pillows here, and a blanket, and more pillows... Or just build a bed..."
He drew in his notebook, about a steam engine... Maybe he can make a car if he figured how to make that in real life. He didn't have latex for rubber, and no rubber for tires, so he decided to try out another method. A track, just like how it was in the world wars, metal tracks.
{Check the comment on this paragraph for the design}
His imagination was running wild, he had so many great designs in mind, but he knew that in time he would need to refine it... He also needs to make a prototype steam engine.
He took a breath after hours spent in peaceful drawing, the contraption under worked perfectly, creating a soothing sound. Seeing where the sun was in the sky, he decided to head back to town.
An hour or so before sunset he had made it, no reason to go back home so he took another walk. He bought some veggies and meat, because he wanted to make soup. And besides the product is better off in his astral storage then out here spoiling.
He went on that particular street, and spot Kazuma and two boys, who looked the same age as him, they were peeking into the alley way of the succubi cafe. Svetislav didn't question them as they went in, but standing outside might be bad for his rep. He wanted to wait for Kazuma so they can go home.
After not so careful consideration he decided to go in and wait things out inside.
The first thing that got his attention was the attires the women inside wore, he didn't like it... But the music was nice - chill and romantical... Problem is romance is done through the soul and this whole establishment is just body.
After a bit a succubus came to lead him further in. "Welcome, you can come with me."
Svetislav raised his right hand and waved it as a gesture of refusal. "I'm waiting for a friend."
She giggled, putting up a seductive smile. "Which 'friend' are we talking about?"
He spot her word play, so he decided to be literal - he pointed at Kazuma. "That friend!"
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she jumped from the quick gesture. Her attempts have failed. He didn't like it here, everything was over the top unfulfilling. So he just leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. A moment later he heard something that could be useful.
"-that said we succubi give male adventurers erotic dreams that bring them relief without any risk."
The succubus, that was serving Kazuma, said.
Svetislav looked in her direction, dreams... Ain't it like a type of meditation? And if they can force the dream, then he could too... An idea came - if he made his own dreams, he would be able to make stuff before even working on them in the real world, and if he can make them before officially making them, what stops him from creating schematics of information? What prevents him for using information to give himself the idea of what to do?
"The brain is the receiver, it receives information and shows it to me. Therefore i could summon the information schemes in my own vision and then build, using the schematic as a template."
In that moment he didn't feel the need to wait for Kazuma... Why should he?
"This moment has been exhausted of it's meaning, i don't need to be here anymore."
He left the cafe. The light that came from the sun was lighter than before, it felt like it approves him... This is heaven. Purpose, Truth.
He didn't want to go the conventional way, because there were too many people out on the street, it made him question why he went inside in the first place. He launched himself up, wall jumping a few times for style points before landing gracefully on the rooftop.
With purpose he walked home, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
As he crossed the rooftops, his quiet solitude was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Well, well, fancy seeing you here."
Chris sat perched on the tiles, wearing that same teasing smile she always did when she'd caught him in something questionable.
"So... What exactly were you doing in that alley? Should i be jealous?"
"Not at all. I didn't order anything."
"Mhm. and I'm supposed to believe that?" She said, raising and eye brow and crossing her arms.
"You know I'm not that kind of man," he said with a steady voice. "But... I still came out with a plus. Consider it research."
"Research, huh? That's one way to put it." Her laughter rung out, light and genuine.
Svetislav also giggled, before continuing. "I can prove it. So those succubus provide dreams?"
"Dreams?"
"Yes, and since dreams are a type of meditation, i decided to make my own. One which will allow me to be lucid always. That way i could build within my own mind, creating schematics and stuff that would help me out in other aspects of my life." And so he went on and on about this... Ten whole minutes he lectured about how he could apply this new skill, he even proved it, by showing her his adventurer's card, which had a new skill ready to be redeemed. That was "Engineer's Wet Dream." He calls it that, because it's just a fun implication.
Not only did he explain it all, but he also did it with passion.
"The moment i understood that, i realized i don't need them. I can make my own forced dream. I can walk through an entire build in my mind, align materials perfectly, and when the time comes, construct it trice as fast in reality."
Chris blinked at him. "So... You turned a brothel pitch into an engineering breakthrough?"
"YEA! If they can turn fantasies into reality, so can I. Only difference is, mine will last longer than a night."
Her lips parted as a small laughter came out. It wasn't any mockery, nor amusement, but impression.
"No one," she said shaking her head, "no one else in this town could sit through a succubus spiel and turn it into a ten-minute long lecture on construction. Only you."
He smirked and enjoyed the praise. "That's because no one else listens for the right details."
The silence that followed was comfortable. Chris studied him, her smile softening from the teasing to something warmer.
That was when Svetislav spoke again, more quietly this time. "There is something else that i want to say."
Chris tilted her head. "Oh?"
He looked her straight in the eyes and said. "I will keep myself clean. Because i want you."
She was caught off-guard, she didn't have an immediate reply, instead her lips curved into a smile, gentle and genuine, one which tells a lot.
"You always know when to show up, and you always know what to say to make things complicated."
Svetislav leaned back, his expression calm, but his eyes didn't waver from hers. "Complicated isn't always bad."
She laughed quietly, tinged with something unspoken. She didn't answer outright, but the way she looked at him - oh, did it say a lot.
Chris kept his gaze for a little while longer. His words in here chest like a bell that wouldn't stop ringing. "I'll keep myself clean. Because I want you."
It was bold. It was reckless. And yet it was him - the man who always spoke as though every sentence were a blueprint, drawn straight from his mind into reality.
Her heart ached at the thought. To be the one he chose... the one he was willing to hold himself back for... it was appealing, intoxicating even.
But then the ache deepened.
Because he didn't know...
If she told him now, would he look at her the same? Would that calm, unwavering gaze harden with disappointment? Would he still want her - or would he walk away?
"Eventually the truth will come tolight" She thought bitterly. "And when it does... Will he reject me?"
They sat there for a bit, eventually the sun began to set and she shifter, standing up and giving him one last small smile.
"I should go," she said lightly, though her voice carried the weight of what is unspoken.
"Alright. Rest well."
She hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but then turned away and leaped away with effortless grace of a thief.
Svetislav sat there, watching her go, before deciding that it is time for him to go.
He jumped slid down the rooftop and landed back on the ground, before walking back towards home.
The smell of freshly cooked food immediately filled his nostrils as he entered.
He gave a sight thinking to himself. "And i planned to cook soup..."
As he walked into the living room he saw his friends preparing the table. "Crab and lots of alcohol - What's the occasion?" Svetislav asked.
"My family sent us a house warming gift." Darkness explained to him.
"Thanks a lot to your family then." Svetislav took a seat with his friends, occasionally glancing at Kazuma, as a way to say I know what you did.
Throughout the entire dinner Kazuma was acting suspicious, refusing alcohol and saying that he drunk with friend. Actually believable in Svetislav's mind, because he did see him with friends.
That didn't prevent Svetislav from enjoying his meal, the crab was indeed very tasty... He had never tasted real crab before, not even in his old world. He realized how big of an opportunity this is... To eat unprocessed food, and also crops that haven't been treated with chemicals.
Truly wonderful.
Kazuma literally sat, ate crab, once Aqua found out a better way of drinking the alcohol - Kazuma resisted, which was most unlike of him. Then he just stood up and left to sleep in early.
They didn't question him, and continued enjoying their time together. Svetislav quietly ate his crab and thought of how he would make a dream in which he would build the car tank thing. Reminds him of the tank in the Thundercats.
After eating till he can't eat no more, he stood up with a groan and said goodnight to his friends before heading towards his room where he laid for a bit. Before finally drifting off to sleep with the new spell prepared.
At first it was dark, but then he saw a new world, he stood in a field the wind brushing against the land, making the plants sway. Above was a darkened sky, as if a storm is about to pour out, but it never did... This felt like heaven, peaceful, no distractions. Except for the occasional sound of yelling from the physical world.
He began construction adding a more comfortable way to enter the car. The design in the end looked like this.
{Check comment of this paragraph for visualization}
The hours passed by and he experimented with the prototype, it was pretty fun... And the ride, it was pretty nice, but he needed to make a gear box because the car is moving really really fast. Inside the boiler is a code that automatically summoned water in the water half of the boiler, when the water boiled Svetislav just needed to give the car a little push and the steam engine would do it's thing instead of exploding.
There were a few codes in the car, one was for the heat induction, one for water, the next was for the mana code, which checks the need for mana and if there is requirement, but no mana it automatically converted cabbages into mana.
For the mechanics he brainstormed the idea of a steering wheel, that when it is spun it switches the gear rations on the left and right side, there was also a gearbox for the general speed. This will allow him to turn like how you turn normally with a car, but he also wanted to give it the capability of spinning.
The gear ration was a mess, but it worked, for him to spin the car in one place he needs to press a lever that allows him to go in reverse in only one side. He took a breath, his mind a mess as it didn't work... He then decided to add another gearbox, specifically for that and the option to not use the turn gear boxes... In the end it worked... Barely... So he just scrapped it and decided to let go for today, letting his real dream take over.