After some modifications, Paul nodded and said, "Done."
Noticing Renya had returned and stood waiting behind him, Paul smiled and said, "Oh, you're back. Want to see it?"
"Can you really do it?" Renya asked with interest.
Paul nodded. "Yes… I've embedded the magic runes into the core. The illusion is now permanent and ready to be activated."
Renya immediately walked toward the illusion device. "Then let's do it!"
Paul chuckled. "Place your hand there," he said, pointing at a glowing panel.
As soon as Renya placed her hand, Paul channeled mana into the magic core and smiled. "Let's begin."
Inside the Illusion:
Seeing Renya looking around curiously, Paul called out, "Renya! I'm going to set up some illusions! Want to join me?"
"Of course!!" she shouted back, running toward him. Then she blinked. "Wait… why are you taller?"
Paul laughed, "It's just an illusion, remember?"
He pointed toward a sleek dirt bike. "Let's ride that."
Renya followed behind, puzzled. "What is that thing?"
Paul hopped on and turned the key — Click… brrrum… brrruumm!
He revved the engine and said, "Hop on behind me!"
"Is it faster than a horse?" Renya asked with wide eyes.
Paul grinned. "Just watch."
He shifted gears — Click — and called out, "Hold on tight!"
Ngeng… VROOOM!
The world blurred around them as the scenery zipped by.
"Is it really supposed to be this fast!?" Renya shouted over the roar.
Paul laughed. "This isn't even its top speed."
He twisted the throttle again — Ngeeng… Ngeeeeng!
After a few minutes, Paul and Renya reached the edge of the city—the outer boundary of the illusionary world he had created.
As they both got off the dirt bike, Renya looked around and asked curiously,
"Prince, when will you be able to build something like this for real?"
Paul raised his hand, channeling a bit of mana to adjust the illusion.
"For now… I can't," he admitted with a hint of hesitation in his voice.
Renya tilted her head, hopeful.
"Why not?"
Paul glanced at her, then turned back to the shifting landscape.
"Right now, it's not something we need yet. I'll focus on building a subway first," he said, still manipulating the illusion with steady hand movements.
"Subway?" Renya echoed, clearly puzzled.
Paul grinned and answered,
"That's a secret."
Renya crossed her arms and pouted.
"Hmph… fine."
A few moments later, the land in front of them shimmered and transformed. A wide lake appeared, its surface perfectly still. Then, massive structures slowly emerged—military ships began to materialize one after another. Battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and even aircraft carriers floated across the waters, their hulking forms gleaming under the artificial sun.
Renya's eyes widened in amazement. Her mouth fell open as she gasped,
"Woaahhh…!"
She turned to Paul, speechless for a moment, before asking,
"Is that… really possible?"
Paul, breathing heavily from the mana exertion, smiled proudly.
"Yeah… pretty cool, right?"
Renya nodded slowly, still in awe, her eyes fixed on the towering battleships.
"Yeah… incredible."
After everything was in place, Paul gave a satisfied nod and said,
"Let's go to the next location," as he walked back toward the motorbike.
Renya tilted her head, following behind.
"You're done already?" she asked, confused.
As Paul turned the key—click... vroom!—he replied with a nod,
"Yeah, it's finished."
Still curious, Renya asked,
"Where are we going next?"
Paul glanced over his shoulder and answered with a grin,
"To the library, of course."
Then, he twisted the throttle—Ngeng... vroom!—and the bike roared to life.
They soon arrived at a large, elegant building with towering glass windows and stone columns—the city's central library.
Without wasting time, Paul headed straight inside and began walking among the rows of bookshelves. As he scanned the rows upon rows of titles, he muttered,
"Looks like everything's in place…" his gaze drifting across the vast collection.
Renya stepped in slowly, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Is this…?" she began.
Paul nodded.
"Yes. The greatest treasure of mankind."
He turned to look at her and added softly,
"I hope you can keep this a secret."
Renya nodded solemnly, turning back toward the bookshelves, eyes scanning the titles with a quiet kind of reverence.
Paul smiled at her curiosity, then asked,
"So… what do you think is missing?"
Renya thought for a moment, then said calmly,
"It's too quiet… and time doesn't move."
She pointed upward at the illusion's sun, which remained frozen in place.
Paul slapped his forehead.
"Ah—right. I forgot about that."
He sat down cross-legged, placed both palms forward, and began channeling mana again.
"That means I need to simulate the rotation of the sun and moon... and also generate daily activity for the illusionary people," he muttered while working, his hands glowing with flowing mana.
About seven hours passed.
Paul was now lying flat on the floor, drained, sweat dripping down his face.
"Finally… it's done," he sighed, watching the now bustling city around him.
Illusory people walked through streets, talking, working, and going about their daily lives under a slowly shifting sky. Paul turned to Renya with a tired but proud smile.
"We still can't talk to them… but at least we can watch them live."
Paul's voice was calm as he lay on the floor, eyes fixed on the bustling illusionary city around them.
Renya, still trying to grasp the concept, tilted her head and asked,
"For example?"
Paul sat up slightly and pointed toward the street below.
"Look at that motorbike… and over there, the airplane."
Both machines were moving naturally—one roaring down a road, the other soaring across the artificial sky.
"You can study how they move," Paul explained, grabbing a thick chemistry and physics book from a nearby shelf.
He held it out for Renya to see.
"Even these theories—I've written them in. There's a school in this illusion where students are being taught using these books."
He gestured toward the school building in the distance, where illusionary teachers and students moved about like a scene from real life.
Renya's eyes lit up in realization.
"So… they can learn and discover things on their own? Is that it?" she asked with a happy tone.
Paul smiled and nodded.
"Exactly."
After taking one last look at the lively cityscape he had crafted, Paul asked,
"Do you want to go back?" His gaze shifted toward Renya, who was now sitting near the bookshelf, flipping through the book he had shown her.
She shook her head without looking up.
"I want to stay here a little longer…" she said, eyes focused on the page in front of her.
Paul gave a small smile and replied,
"Alright… I'll go ahead then."
He closed his eyes, preparing to leave the illusion.
Outside, in the real world—
Paul opened his eyes slowly, his breath steady as he adjusted to the stillness of the real world. The soft hum of the illusion device echoed in the room, a subtle reminder of the powerful magic at play.
He turned his head toward Renya, who was still standing motionless with her hand on the device, her consciousness fully immersed in the illusion.
Paul let out a small breath of relief and said quietly,
"Success…"
His eyes softened as he watched her, still completely entranced within the illusionary world.
After making sure the runes on the device were stable and the mana flow remained undisturbed, Paul stepped back and nodded to himself.
"Now… the second one," he murmured.
Reaching into his spatial bag, he pulled out a glowing core the size of a large apple—its surface pulsing with a deep, bluish light.
A High-Level Magic Core, Medium Quality.