B3–Chapter 4: Did I Mention That My House Is Awesome? (Patreon)

I ran into the house excitedly to check the changes inside, and they did not disappoint. It used to be square, but now it was an elongated rectangle that extended from the front. The first floor was still twice as high as the others. My living room had tripled in size, and the kitchen had doubled. The mezzanine, which used to be only above the kitchen, now surrounded three sides of the lower floor. The side with the glass windows was the only one without a mezzanine. The supporting stone column that used to be next to the wall was now twice as big and in the middle of the floor, with the kitchen bar extending from it. My appliances looked the same size, but more kitchen cabinets and drawers were now around them. My spell room had quadrupled, with runes and crystals on the walls. I figured out where the new crystals we fed the house had gone.

When we went up to the mezzanine, I saw that not only did it now surround most of the lower floor, but it was also more expansive, and the ceiling was higher, so Al wouldn’t have to stoop. Shelves filled all the walls from floor to ceiling. It seemed I now had enough shelves for all the books I got from Lis, plus some of my collection of fiction books.

Rue walked over to his beanbag and poked it with his paw. The bean bag doubled in size right before my eyes.

I jumped in surprise and said, “Whah...?” My mouth remained open, and I didn’t even finish the sentence.

Mahya laughed and said, “He’s your familiar.”

“He can control the house?”

“Yes, to an extent. Not like you.”

I scratched Rue’s ear and said, “If you want to change the house, ask me first, okay?”

“Rue promises.”

“Good boy.”

The changes continued on the second floor. My bedroom had doubled in size, feeling spacious and luxurious. The other two rooms, which were previously medium-sized, were now much more extensive, providing ample space for guests and additional storage. There was also a new bedroom with a private shower and toilet.

The third floor had also undergone a dramatic transformation. Previously, it was a low room, with shelves crammed into the lower parts because of the slanted roof. With the roof flattened, the room was much larger and more functional. The shelves reached up to the ceiling, maximizing the use of vertical space. Additionally, the house added two new bedrooms, each equipped with a shower and private toilets, complete with all the necessary crystals for comfort and convenience.

Inspired by these changes, I had an idea. I instructed the house to eliminate the two additional bedrooms on the third floor and transform the entire floor into a library. As I gave the command, I watched in awe as the walls shimmered and then slowly got sucked into the floor, like sand through an hourglass. The solid barriers that once defined the bedrooms were drawn downwards, their outlines blurred before they vanished completely, leaving an open, expansive space behind.

The room began to stretch and reshape, the floors and ceiling expanding seamlessly to accommodate the new layout. With a fluid grace that seemed almost aware, the house responded to my instructions, creating a transformation that was a sight to behold. Shelves sprouted from the walls like tree branches, growing upward until they reached the ceiling, creating a vast, organized expanse of storage for my books.

I’ve done amazing things with my magic, but seeing this transformation drove home how magic could defy the laws of physics. The once-compartmentalized area was now a single, cohesive library, bathed in the soft glow of ambient light that filtered through the newly formed windows. It was like the house was a living entity, reshaping its bones to suit my needs.

The new library was an open space with shelves lining the walls. However, it felt dark, so I instructed the house to add windows. Some shelves disappeared into the walls, replaced by large, beautiful windows that let in natural light. The room brightened up instantly, creating a more inviting atmosphere. I then directed the house to build bookshelves in rows throughout the entire floor, leaving a designated area for reading.

The house managed to build shelves in only twenty percent of the space I had allocated before I felt an intense hunger coming from it.

“The house needs more trees,” I said to Mahya.

“We can cut more from the valley. There’s enough here,” she replied.

Before we went to chop down trees from the valley—which I admit I didn’t feel like doing—I looked in my storage to see if there were any materials I could feed the house to avoid this task.

I had some shelving units I bought the first time I shopped on Earth. Some were sitting empty and unused, so I fed them to the house. Additionally, I had all the wood pallets I had “liberated” from the warehouse in Las Vegas. They went into the house as well. I also had large metal shelves that once held goods in that warehouse. They were too big to feed the house with as-is, so we went outside, took them out, and dismantled them one by one. Every time we finished breaking one down into parts, one of us would go inside to feed the house.

After we fed the house the last shelving unit, we headed upstairs. It was time to see the magic happen. As we reached the third floor, I looked around the spacious area that was now my new library.

“Alright, let’s see what the house can do with these,” I said, feeling excitement and curiosity. I ordered the house to build more shelves using the materials we provided. “House, use these materials to create beautiful shelves around the library.”

Instantly, the house responded. The old shelves shimmered, and then, just like before, they started getting sucked into the floor. I was mesmerized by the process, the solid wood disappearing smoothly into the surface.

Slowly, new shelves emerged. They rose from the floor and extended from the walls, growing and expanding as if alive. The wood gleamed with a rich, dark finish, showcasing intricate grain patterns that added a touch of elegance. The metal shelves had a sleek, polished look, with ornate brackets and supports that gave them an almost regal appearance.

The shelves didn’t just appear randomly; they were arranged with a perfect balance of form and function. Some sections had small, intricate carvings of vines and leaves running along the edges, giving them a touch of artistry. Others had smooth, clean lines that added a modern feel, blending seamlessly with the room’s overall aesthetic.

The perfect spacing of each shelf created a harmonious flow that made the library feel expansive and cozy. With their warm, inviting look, the wooden shelves provided a contrasting element of sophistication when paired with the cool metal. The combination of materials created a beautiful synergy, making the room feel like a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

As the last shelf settled into place, I couldn’t help but smile. The library was complete, with shelves covering every wall and rows of floor-to-ceiling shelves filling the room with a sense of purpose and beauty.

Mahya looked around, her eyes wide with admiration. “This is incredible,” she said, running her fingers along one of the carved wooden shelves. “It’s like the house knows exactly what we need.”

I nodded, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. “It does. And it’s more beautiful than I could have imagined.”

We stood there for a moment, taking in the transformation. The library was no longer just a space with shelves; it was a sanctuary for knowledge and creativity, where magic and craftsmanship came together to create something exceptional.

"Let’s place the rest of the books here,” I said eagerly, wanting to see the shelves filled with the treasures they were meant to hold. With a renewed sense of purpose, we began taking out the books and arranging them on the shelves, knowing that each would find a perfect home in this beautiful new library.

It took us three days to arrange all the books on the shelves. Now, the mezzanine held all the books from Lis, while the library housed all the fiction books and textbooks. We also organized a separate section for all the blueprints from Lis and another section for a large stock of A4 paper packs and parchment in case someone needed them.

After we finished the entire project, we stood back and admired the library. I felt like I was on cloud nine.

The house feeding project got me thinking, so I asked Mahya, "We have loads of stolen electronics I 'picked up' in Vegas. If we feed the house with them, do you think it could do anything with them?"

She seemed lost in thought for a minute or two before saying, "We can try. We have enough stock, so we can afford to experiment."

We reviewed the list, and she took a few items or a crate of everything for her projects. Then, we fed the rest to the house.

We fed it with communication radios, tactical flashlights, laser sights, laptops, encrypted hard drives, burner phones, surveillance equipment, drones and remote-control devices, hacking tools and software, GPS tracking devices, TVs, game consoles, disco balls, party lights, smartphones, software, tablets, power tools, video games, digital camera equipment, household appliances, computer components, automotive diagnostic equipment, electronic accessories, industrial robots, audio equipment, home security systems, satellite phones, and holographic projector devices. There was a lot of each.

Mahya and I sat on the floor, feeding the house item by item. Each piece disappeared into the floor with a shimmer, a fascinating process at first but quickly grew tedious.

On the second day of the feeding process, I said, "We need to find a faster way to do this."

"Why? Are you in a hurry somewhere?" Mahya asked, tilting her head with a slight smile.

"No, but it's boring," I admitted, sighing.

"Maybe we can feed a few items at a time," she suggested.

"When I changed the upstairs, the house sucked in the walls. Maybe we could put the items on the floor and tell it to suck them in? Otherwise, finishing everything will take us at least a week."

"We can try."

We went up to the second floor, to the new empty bedroom, and piled some items on the floor. I gave the house the command to absorb them. They shimmered and were sucked into the floor. Mahya and I looked at each other and high-fived, grinning with satisfaction. What would have taken us a week now only took two hours—pure joy.

After we finished, I instructed the house to use all these items to create something with them. We waited a few minutes, but nothing happened.

"What are you waiting for?" Mahya asked.

"I'm not sure. I told the house to do something, but nothing's happening," I scratched my head.

"Try again," she suggested.

I tried again, and still nothing happened. We looked at each other and shrugged. I had no idea what to do next. I also wondered if the house could return the items if we asked.

"Maybe we need to teach it what to do with them?" Mahya suggested thoughtfully.

"How?" I asked, intrigued.

"It can absorb engineering books," she proposed.

"I don't want to lose the books," I said, frowning.

"We can copy them and give the copies to the house," she suggested.

"That’s worth trying.”

We went up to the third floor, grabbed bundles of A4 paper, and started copying engineering books. It took us four days to finish copying everything. Then, we placed all the copies on the floor in the library's reading area and instructed the house to absorb them. After they were absorbed, I instructed the house to do something with all the materials we had fed it. Still, nothing happened.

"Still nothing," I said to Mahya, frustrated.

"Hmm. Maybe it doesn't understand electrical engineering. Maybe we should teach it magic and give it an idea of how to work with Magitech?" she suggested.

This time, we copied the blueprints from Lis, fed them to the house, and then did the same with all the rune and magic script books. Once again, I instructed the house to use all the materials we had fed it and create something with the knowledge it received.

Finally, something started to happen. I felt a shift, a sense of energy coursing through the house. But nothing was happening in the library that I could see.

"Something is happening, but not here. Let's go downstairs," I said to Mahya.

When we went down to the living room, we stopped and looked in amazement. The living room had transformed. In the center stood a huge TV, connected to which were game consoles of every possible model. On one of the shelves was a sophisticated stereo system. All these items were encrusted with runes and magic script, glowing softly with embedded mana crystals.

"This is incredible," Mahya said, running her fingers along the runes on the TV.

I nodded, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. "It really is. We’ve managed to create something extraordinary."

We stood there for a moment, taking in the transformation. The living room was now a blend of advanced technology and magical craftsmanship, a testament to what could be achieved when magic and modernity merged seamlessly.