Dias's residence stood within the main compound but near the estate's outer edge.
It was one of the closest to the forest bordering their lands.
With Sebastian and the small wolf, Hati, he walked with confident strides, hands tucked in his pockets.
Dias wore a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and straight brown trousers. It was simple, by choice.
It was a glaring difference from the previous Dias.
Sebastian slipped a device into his pocket and said,
"I just got word that we can get the Raw Shard Dust, Crystal Beast Core and Blood, and Sylphroot by the time we reach the capital. The Essence of Growth, even with the faster service, will still take about three days."
"Not bad."
Dias smiled. 'Being rich in this era was truly a blessing.'
Sebastian asked a question, pulling Dias's attention.
"Are you sure you want to risk spending more units? You're giving Lord Limar a reason to come for you."
"I already said I have a plan in mind, didn't I? Before you ask what it is, I'll let my actions do the talking."
"Understood."
Soon after reaching the gate of his section of the estate, Dias stepped into an unfamiliar mode of transportation.
It resembled a carriage, but with four wheels and a system that moved it on its own, leaving the driver to steer.
It was called a car.
That wasn't the only thing that fascinated Dias; architecture had also improved greatly over the years.
'All this because of that place called Central.'
Central was a realm that linked multiple worlds together, granting as much opportunity as danger.
Much of the progress came from knowledge shared by other races and experiences in Central.
Through his memories, Dias knew of mechanisms such as advanced ships, flying vessels, and mana-powered trains. It was fascinating.
'I was bummed about being transported so far into the future, reducing my chances of revenge, but experiencing a whole new world was making me feel more optimistic.'
Sitting in the car, Dias watched as they drove through the estate's winding roads.
He paid close attention to specific areas as they passed.
At the moment, due to his family's decline in wealth, their territory was guarded mostly by tamers.
Most tamers were wary of battle since they were 'nothing' without their beasts, and those beasts were difficult to raise from weak states.
So they mostly took on support roles or less aggressive work, such as guarding.
Dias's goal was to find his former allies, who were hidden and awaiting his return.
For that, he needed to develop his strength.
'To recover my strength, I needed evolution materials. In this time, buying them is smarter than finding them.'
This brought him to another reason why he was satisfied with this rebirth.
He was born into the richest family in the Empire.
Their riches were declining at a worrying rate over the years, but Dias already had a strategy or two in mind to save his family.
Aside from wanting to use their money, he still needed their identity. The legitimate background he had lacked in his past life, he possessed it now.
Things were looking better.
- - -
Later at night,
After taking a small, fast ship from Port Silf just outside their city, Dias switched to another car, which took him to an inn on the outskirts of the Capital.
This place looked like a traditional inn.
It was an inn often frequented by adventurers visiting a nearby dungeon that used to be popular.
Upon arriving in the capital, Sebastian retrieved the preordered resources from Auborne's family partners.
Without saying much about his plan, Dias acted on his own, deep in thought.
Even now, as they crossed the blue energy gate connecting the world to the dungeon, Dias acted on his own, deep in thought.
Still dressed casually and carrying a bag, he went to the dungeon with Sebastian, a katana strapped to his back and two shovels in hand.
Hati followed, tongue lolling, eyes bright with curiosity.
Over the years, the dungeon had seen fewer monsters, serving mostly as a training field or occasional hunting ground.
There wasn't much requirement to pass through, especially with Sebastian, a skilled C-rank man with a B-rank Talent.
The dungeon was like a cavern, its walls lit by natural crystals.
The place was filled with vibrant brown earth and bright, multicolored light, tunneling like a vast ant colony.
Dias crouched and patted Hati's head with a satisfied smile.
"Hati, this place is rich in minerals. Some areas will have higher concentrations. Can you find them?"
Hati was a beast with a rare crystal affinity. He had a link to the mana these crystals emitted, making him perfect for locating the richest spots.
As Hati led them forward, Sebastian asked at last, his curiosity at its peak.
"What exactly are we trying to do? I have a feeling you're planning an evolution."
Dias shrugged.
"You're usually quiet. Why the change?"
"You're usually loud, rude to everything including that beast, and arrogant. Why the change?" Sebastian replied calmly.
Dias chuckled, appreciating Sebastian's clever reply.
He pointed at the one leading through the tunnels and said, "You can refer to him as Hati. And yes, I'm going to evolve him."
Sebastian, familiar with the absurd wishes of Dias, frowned slightly.
"My Lord, I usually wouldn't, but I'd say this is the greatest risk you've faced so far."
He paused for a second.
"You might actually lose your beast completely if this goes wrong. It'll affect you gravely."
Dias kept his eyes forward, adopting a thoughtful expression.
"I have no way to convince you, except to say I didn't gather these materials just because I felt like it."
He didn't turn back as he raised a thumbs up. "Trust me, okay?"
Sebastian's lips twitched. That phrase never failed to precede chaos.
The trouble he was going to get into for this would definitely be immense.
But the butler hoped, if worse comes to worse, Dias learns from this and fully changes… And aside from that, he just felt like trusting this young man.
The silence stretched, broken only by the crunch of boots and dripping stone.
After about forty minutes of walking, Hati stopped and growled, barking as he rolled around a particular spot.
They were deep in a tunnel with few light sources. They were even lucky to not have encountered a beast.
Turning to Sebastian, Dias said, "Well, do you want to join me digging?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Sure, you do."
"If I did, you wouldn't have told me to bring two shovels."
While Dias chuckled dryly, Sebastian tossed him a shovel and began rolling up his sleeves.
They began digging deep into the soil, even Hati with his small paws joined, trying to help.
It got to a point where they saw veins of mana forming a network that linked the surrounding crystals.
When they'd dug deep enough, Dias knelt down, his movements methodical.
He spread out a cloth and laid down everything he needed: a hammer and nail, a bowl, a grinder mallet, a rolling pin, a blue C-rank beast core the size of a feast, a tube of blood, and a small bag of raw gray shard dust
He started by hitting the beast core at different spots gently, causing small dents.
After precisely weakening it from different spots, Dias hit it heavily, shattering it all to small pieces easily.
He then struck them repeatedly with the hammer, shattering them into finer fragments.
Now, he raised the grinder mallet and began rolling to crush them more.
Mana leaked from the core, forcing him to work faster to preserve its essence.
After grinding it to dust, he mixed it with the raw shard dust, which would act as a conduit linking Hati to the crystals and the earth.
After mixing the two powders together, he poured them into the blood and shook it hard.
Then, pouring his mana into it to stir the energy within, he turned to Hati.
"You know what to do," he whispered, stretching the tube of blood.
Hati gulped, looking at the energy-packed mixture, slightly worried.
But trusting his bonded master, he put his mouth on the tube and drank.
Sebastian stared with mixed feelings. "Direct consumption of mana is dangerous."
Dias remained silent, watching as Hati's dark-green fur began to glow softly.
He finished drinking and felt the mana inside him go haywire. Hati whimpered, his eyes glowing green as he shook heavily.
Without needing instructions, Hati jumped into the hole, and Dias swiftly began covering it.
Sebastian was so stunned that it took him a moment to join in covering it.
After they buried Hati alive, Sebastian asked quietly, "Now what?"
"We wait, Sebas. We wait," Dias said with a weak smile.
He fell onto his back and rested against the wall.
After a long day, he was tired and he slept off.