The Second Floor.
A massive planet, entirely made of stone, floated majestically before me, suspended in the middle of space.
Over the past period during which I attempted to construct the house, I had completed the foundational planet.
Now, the surface was a construct of multiple plates.
On three plates, there were massive elevations that would serve as continents. The rest in between would be an ocean.
However, there was currently no water, soil, or any other rocks.
The continents were smooth, without mountains, 2,000 kilometers from the deepest point of the planned ocean.
Naturally, I had already incorporated various depths in the ocean.
For the [EC] I had now, it was intended for the sand at the bottom of the ocean. With 1500 EC, I hoped to cover the entire seabed.
The layer would only be one kilometer thick, so this was relatively cheap compared to the entire planet.
Unfortunately, I had underestimated the amount, and with the 1500 EC, I only managed to cover half of the ocean floor with [Time Veil Sand].
As a result, I had to wait again and also realized that the surface design would take longer than expected.
Since I had nothing to do again, I returned to the Control Room.
"Oh, you're back already?" Gaia asked without lifting her head.
"Yes, but the Time Veil Sand now covers half of the ocean floor."
"Time Veil Sand? What can it do?" she asked, now interested.
"In a specific radius, it slows down time by 60-80%, but only underwater."
"Really?" she asked with wide eyes. "How large is this radius?"
"Hmm, hard to say!" I replied. "There's no exact measurement, just that the effect becomes more blurred the further you get from the ocean floor. On the ocean floor, where the Time Veil Sand is densest, the radius could be about ten meters. But in shallower waters, it could shrink to just one or two meters."
Gaia nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds fascinating. And you say it only works underwater?"
"Exactly, only underwater is where the effect is working, but it also means that it's useless at the land," I explained. "It's as if the sand has a connection to the depths of the ocean, where time moves slower. But as soon as the sand reaches the water's surface, time returns to its normal speed."
Gaia smiled. "That's truly amazing! So, each grain of sand has a cool ability!"
"I think the effect only occurs when a certain number of sand grains come together."
Gaia nodded thoughtfully and even paused her tree care during the conversation.
Whatever she was doing.
"Does the effect affect only inanimate objects or also living beings?" she asked after a while.
"Both!" I said as I sat back in the rocking chair.
Gaia fell into thought again.
"Hmm, I think I'll create a terrace!" I mumbled thoughtfully.
"What?" Gaia asked.
"Nothing."
She nodded but then asked, "Doesn't it affect the ecosystem if animals age slower?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"And that doesn't matter?" Gaia asked.
I looked at her, nodded, and gently rocked the chair.But then I added, "I have some ideas already."
"Like what?" Gaia asked, intrigued.
"You'll see!" I said with a sly grin.
"But if the animals age slower, they'll reach adulthood later! And they will...!"
I interrupted her.
"It'll be a while until then, and I've taken that into account."
"What does the sheep's wool say?" I asked to change the subject.
"It still needs some time to grow, but don't change the topic."
"Do you really want to discuss this now?" I asked, sighing lightly.
"Yes!" she replied as she turned back to the little tree.
"I don't."
"But think about it!"
She then described her perspective on the choice of sand to me from all angles.
I listened patiently and laughed lightly as I teased her.
After a while, she stood up and sighed. She walked towards the grazing sheep, which were standing near the lake on the cliff.
I followed her with my gaze.
She approached the sheep and petted them.
Apparently, animals really liked her.
They all walked towards Gaia, surrounded her, who retreated in surprise, tripped over a root, and fell backward into the lake from a meter away.
She emerged from the water, looking like a startled poodle.
I heard her calling out „cold!"
"HAHAHAH!" I laughed.
She came running back towards me, shivering and with her legs close together, and gave me an angry look. The sack was heavy and dripping wet.
I couldn't stop laughing until she ran into the house, completely soaked.
"Hey! You're dripping!" I jumped up and followed her. „The wood floor!"
...
Approximately 58 fun but also exhausting hours passed.
"Aren't your [EC]s filled up yet?" Gaia asked me.
"You are right, I was just about to go!"
"What are you doing today?"
"The second half of the ocean floor."
"Hmm, okay. When will you do the first continent?"
"After the ocean is finished."
She nodded and turned her attention to our primitive smelting furnace. In the last few days, we had been trying to create some tools from simple iron.
So far, it hadn't worked.
As before, the process went quickly. I created the sand and spread it over the ocean floor. Probably, the water would level it anyway.
After an hour of Second Floor time, I returned to the Control Room.
...
"And? What are you creating this time?" Gaia asked with interest.
"The seawater."
"Do I look stupid? I mean its abilities!"
"Oh, I'll tell you later! See you soon!" I said with a smile and disappeared without waiting for a response. I only understood "You knew what I...!"
Now, having arrived on the Second Floor, I opened the menu and created the [Space Veil Seawater].
The amount that emerged looked very disappointing. It would probably take more than a week to fill the ocean.
However, since I didn't have to place it specifically, the creation happened relatively quickly.
"Oh man..." I sighed and returned to the Control Room.
There, Gaia greeted me right away. She came running from the sheep, which were now grazing behind the house.
"And?" she asked with a curious look.
"You're really curious," I said.
"I'd rather call it being inquisitive! After all, I need to know about the world on which my species will live."
"Alright, if you put it that way..." I chuckled lightly.
"So?" she prompted.
"It's called [Space Veil Seawater]," I replied.
Gaia came over from the sheep, which were grazing behind the house, and asked with a curious look, "And? What can you tell me about this [Space Veil Seawater]?"
"Do you notice anything about the name?" I asked.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" she asked, looking at me inquisitively. "It's immediately obvious that it's similar to the sand!"
"Not anymore."
"Then it's good, and now explain it to me!"
"Okay, okay!" I said, realizing her thirst for knowledge was stronger than her annoyance.
"So, [Space Veil Seawater] is compatible with the sand."
"That means?"
"Let me finish."
She nodded and continued.
"Firstly, the water has the incredible ability to double its volume. That means..."
"I know what that means. Don't beat around the bush, and get to the more interesting details!" she said impatiently, but she also jotted it down in a notebook.
She had picked that up from me, and now she wrote down information I told her or that she discovered herself.
"We have enough time, so stop interrupting me, alright?" I asked. "You wanted to know everything, didn't you?"
"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. So?"
"So... where was I?" I asked.
"The interaction between water and sand!"
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Okay, so when [Space Veil Seawater] comes into contact with [Time Veil Sand], it creates a kind of resonance zone. Within this zone, space-time is slightly distorted, affecting the movements of living beings and objects."
Gaia seemed to imagine this and asked further, "What does that mean for the creatures in the sea? Do they have any advantages? Does time speed up or slow down for them? And does space become larger or smaller?"
"Take it easy. One question at a time, please!" I told Gaia.
"The first one."
"Okay, so for the creatures, it means they essentially live in an isolated area."
"I currently only see disadvantages! Are there any advantages for the animals? Otherwise, it's unfair!"
"Haha!" I laughed. "Of course, there are advantages."
"Such as?"
"Give me a moment! I'll get to it. Don't be so impatient! You're not that way when gardening!"
"Yes, but you take so much time to explain! Are you a hundred years old or what?"
"Unfortunately, not anymore..." I murmured with a slight shake of my head.
"What do you mean, and speak louder!?"
"If you had read the notebook, you'd know more! Otherwise, you're usually so interested in everything!"
"True!" Gaia said, "I completely forgot. But you can't blame me for that! You've only just created me!"
"What do you want now? To discuss or to listen?" I asked Gaia patiently.
"Tell me more about the water!" she said calmly.
I nodded and continued to explain