What have I been cooking? Well, it is something rather modest, very humble, in fact.
I didn't want to go by myself on this journey, I mean, without a house.
I know I am a giant dragon, and that no normal house could even contain my enormous body, but maybe what I've made in these last 7 days could be considered more like a small fortress.
Oh yes, my Ice Magic has surpassed my previous limits, and as I practiced more and more, the better I became. I think I might become the greatest Ice Mage in the entire world, but I should not get overconfident with myself and keep practicing.
However! What I have reached as of now could be said to be way above a mere Rank 2 Middle Stage Cultivator. Indeed, I have surpassed my own limits in every way possible, and perhaps I have become even greater than I could have ever expected, and all of that in 7 mere days!
I think I am becoming arrogant by the second, but that is not without a reason.
And that is why I am showing off my creation today to my public, Benladann, Yuki, Frost, and the other wolves.
I had already covered it with snow, so they wouldn't be able to see.
Benladann glanced at me with a bright smile, expectant for what I had in store, while Yuki seemed to be tired of my shit- Wait, what with that expression?!
At least Frost seems excited, as he's waving his tail, and it is totally not because Benladann is petting him right now.
"I am thankful that you have all come here today, as I had finally decided to show you the project I have been working on over the last week…" I said.
"Oh, you're finally going to show us the fortress you made? It is so big! Did it took some hours to cover it with snow?" asked Benladann.
"GAH! …Benladann! It was supposed to be a secret, a surprise! How did you found it?!" I asked.
"Eeeh? Everyone knows that you were making a floating ice fortress, you worked like 12 hours a day making it…" said Benladann.
"No! Forget about those memories! Stop! This is… It was supposed to be a surprise!" I said.
Seriously, this girl really doesn't know how to read the mood!
"Ah… W-Well, sorry… Oh! Let me do this… and… Boop! I forgot! Oh, what were we doing here?" asked Benladann, as she moved in circles while covering her eyes and then glanced at me back, pretending to have forgotten.
Yeah, I guess she's trying to cheer me up, but this is a bit too much!
I glanced at her with a tired expression, as I sighed.
"Well, here it is… the Ice Fortress…" sighed, as I blew some wind and took away all the enormous pile of snow before us, which was around 18 meters, revealing a large fortress constructed with reinforced magic ice bricks.
It was like a huge block made of ice bricks, and it's an interior possessed wooden ceiling, walls, and furniture of both wood and ice, there was even a chimney I set up carefully by using Ice as well as wood, which I manipulated through wind magic, carrying it around like telekinesis and meticulously building everything like it was now…
The entire "block" had a large entrance that held a large gate that opened downwards. It perfectly fitted my size. And I would also be able to sleep inside rather comfortably.
There was enough space for a second floor where I put a kitchen and stored dried meat and anything we have gathered such as herbs, dried mushrooms, and root salt.
The top of the block had a pointy end, which I shaped around to make it smooth, so it could be aerodynamic… because I was planning to use this thing in the skies as well.
Oh, and it had enormous wheels too, made of the super-resistant magic ice, which is insanely strong the more mana I use to create it.
The stairs to the second floor were also made wide and big for me, although I could also fly over it… I suppose they were made more for Benladann.
And that was it… I worked diligently on this side project while also doing all of the training stuff. Making this brick by brick was certainly tiring, but thanks to Parallel Mind Through Processing I discovered I could let a parallel mind making bricks while I was doing something else, talk about convenience.
Similarly, I can use a parallel mind to conjure wind magic and make the whole fortress float in midair while I do something completely different.
I had also learned to create something similar to Runes, which is when I imbued so much intent and mana into a certain object, a strange letter-shaped image would emerge on the item, which I called rune.
Runes carry specific tasks when you give them enough Mana… So I created Runes with the task of "floating" which I stuck in the ice bricks that made the floor of the fortress and then whenever I infuse mana into it, the fortress will float automatically.
There is another way to let it float which is by letting it use the "Mana Core Batteries" I left stored in a small compartment, which is merely Mana Cores I have ground from whatever small fry I killed. The Fortress automatically absorbs these Mana Cores through the Runes and floats.
I've calculated that with the Mana Cores I've accumulated there, it could float for an entire month.
"Oooooooh! Amazing! So we will go with our home!" said Benladann with a happy smile.
"That's right! We'll travel with our very home! And I will also upgrade it as we go… Or more like it will upgrade itself as we go!" I said while laughing.
"EH? Upgrade itself?" asked Benladann, as I smiled maliciously! Although I have a stiff face so I couldn't show any expression.
Yes, what did I mean by "upgrade itself"?
Suddenly the large fortress began to exude an icy azure aura from within, which possessed quite the phantasmal properties.