Once in the alchemy shop again, Alex changed his clothes and stepped out from his home.
This time, he went to a specific part of the wall of the capital and opened a hidden door on the floor.
This led to a hallway that was constructed as a maze.
Alex navigated it skillfully, following a path clearly remembered.
He had built this place himself, using Earthbending magic scrolls, and for a very specific reason.
This was where he kept all the secrets he knew from the future, an alchemy station, his alchemy and plants book, and an incomplete world map with the location of all the alchemy plants.
The map was modeled after the Legendary alchemist's from his dream, which was insanely big.
After three years, Alex had almost finished copying everything: the recipe books, the plant book, and now he was close to completing the map. After that, he could finally focus on the rest of the dream to try to gather the information needed for it to shift.
Alex took his herbology book and stitched in a page that had the painting of a plant on it. Since taking up painting almost three years ago, he had become good enough to draw the plants himself this year, so he added them as he completed each one.
This was his underground research facility, and while the entrance was in the capital, the actual underground site was outside the capital.
'Once I get spatial magic, I'll remove the entrance and only teleport here,' Alex thought.
He couldn't risk anyone discovering this place, especially since it held what was probably millions worth of information in the recipe book alone, so secrecy was paramount.
He sat on a chair and opened the book that recorded his memories from his dreams.
Now that he and his family were getting stronger, slowly but surely, their lifespan was increasing. That meant he had to consider the fact that the world might end in the future.
"Sylvana Morningstar," he murmured.
She was the sister of the current empress, Alicia Morningstar, and a Legendary Martial Artist.
Alex had spent time studying the continent in the capital's library, and it seemed the royals here could only give birth to women. Because of that, they technically had a matriarchy, even though the man who married the queen was still considered king.
Their story went far back, to when the first matriarch, Lena Morningstar, became known across the continent for her ferocity and her mastery of the morningstar.
But beneath all that ferocity, Lena had an unyielding sense of justice. When she became queen, she established most of the constitution that still applies even to this day.
In broad terms, Aurethia had the most balanced justice system among all the continents. While nobles could escape normal authority, the royal guard existed mostly to protect commoners from them, even if it was difficult to make them take action.
Alex had to rescue Sylvana, which would give Aurethia another Legendary being, making them one of the most powerful royal families, with three legends.
But that meant he would need to set sail toward the place where the Saint's Tear was located.
He knew the person who had taken the legendary ingredient was at the advanced level, so he believed he could take it now—on the verge of tier 2—thanks to his poisons.
'I would need a boat at least to reach that place, probably some shady one at Rivenshade, west of the Morningstar palace,' Alex thought.
He couldn't take an official transport since that required identification, and they usually traveled only to fixed destinations.
Once he decided his course of action, he stocked up on poisons. Now that he was noble hunting, he had plenty.
But the poisons weren't for the novice monsters; those he could easily hunt. They were for any tier 2 monster he might encounter—one could never be too prepared.
Then he left and went to sleep.
The morning after, he did his usual routine and prepared breakfast with Susan.
While they were cooking, Alex commented,
"I will leave shortly. I need to hunt monsters for my tier-up requirements."
"Can't you just buy the items?" Susan asked; she clearly didn't want Alex putting himself in danger.
"No, I'd rather save that money and spend it when you're about to tier up. Besides, I'm not going anywhere dangerous."What he said was only half the truth.
He did want to save the money for Susan, but he had no real idea whether the place he was going was dangerous or not.
"I'll leave tomorrow, so I can spend more time with Eve. Then I'll be gone for two or three months," Alex shared.
Susan nodded, knowing that nothing she said would change his plans. He was a full-fledged adult—he needed no permission; he was simply informing her.
Alex told Eve during breakfast, and while she protested at first, after learning he would stay the rest of the day with her, she allowed him to go.
After breakfast, the siblings grabbed their painting supplies and headed out.
As they walked, Alex could hear murmurs and rumors about the noble he had killed not long ago, amplified by his enhanced senses. The rumors grew louder as they approached the place he intended to take Eve—close to where the incident had taken place.
The siblings reached a hill with a scenic view of the capital, and they both began painting.
"How are you progressing with magic, Eve?" Alex asked.
"Well, I'm still getting used to doing meditations every day—or every time I have an opportunity," Eve said while her hand moved across the canvas.
The empty, blue sky contrasted beautifully with the city below.
"This place is beautiful. How did you find it?" Eve asked, amazed.
"A customer told me while buying potions," Alex answered. It was the truth.
After a while, he felt two powerful magical pulses approaching from behind, and he whipped his head.
There seemed to be company.
And he hoped they were coming with good intentions.