After getting access to the Crimson Order and Mage Association mission boards, Damion did not stick around the Crimson Order outpost. As he and Phil flew along the border of the Red Zone, he looked for a good place to set up camp.

Commander Wren had not just given him access to the local missions, but missions for the Crimson Order and Mage Association as a whole. Damion had no doubt he would be able to find suitable missions to do, but there were hundreds of missions for him to look through and it would take time. Time which was best spent not out in the open.

The problem was, where could he make his camp and not be in danger. Sure, his tent had concealment enchantments, and he would likely be safe, but that was not quite good enough. He hoped he could find a cave to secure and operate out of in the area. Unfortunately, the area was mostly flat plains and forests.

Eventually, Damion gave up his search for a suitable base and decided to make one. First, he needed to test if his idea would work. Flying down to the ground, he hopped off his Ice Sword and knelt down, placing one hand on the ground and began to cast Manipulate Earth.

"Stay here," Damion told Phil as his spell started to work.

The ground around him began to ripple and Damion slowly descended into a hole he created with his spell. One meter down, two, five, ten. Once he reached a depth of fifteen meters, Damion started to encounter rock. The spell could still affect rock, but it was slower to move. However, he decided this was deep enough.

Instead of going deeper, he began to expand the hole he was in. First it was only a small bubble, but Damion continued to expand his hole into a cavern. He moved the dirt from the hole to the space above him. He compacted the dirt as much as he could, strengthening it, but his efforts were not enough to leave the surface unchanged. Above his cavern a small mound formed, ordinarily it would be completely unremarkable, but directly below that mound was Damion's new base.

It was pitch-black underground, but that did not bother him. With True Sight he could see perfectly fine. However, since he had filled in his descent hole, there was no way to replenish the oxygen he was breathing. The other problem was, even if he set up his tent and other camp gear, he was still in a dark cave, he needed something else. Something that could replenish the oxygen and make such a cave comfortable to live in for the long term.

With the assistance of the Magic System Inventory, Damion could move just about anything. With that thought in mind, he briefly wondered if he could buy a house and store it in the Inventory and take it out here or wherever he might move his base to in the future. If he even needed to move it.

With the ability to use Portal and open a gateway back to his base from anywhere, he really did not need to move his base. At least not as long as it was a secret. Building on the border of the Red Zone meant there was little chance of it being discovered accidently, but that did not mean no one would come looking for it. Still, being able to return to a safe haven, no matter how far out he explored, and even return to the place he was exploring the next day without trouble was appealing.

Damion cast Portal and sent himself to the surface where Phil was waiting for him.

"I'm going to visit a shop for supplies. Stay in this area for a while. I will be back soon," Damion told his familiar.

Phil nodded its head in reply telling Damion it understood.

As much as he would like to take Phil with him, he wanted to draw as little attention to himself during his visit as possible. Even as a Ferocious Beast, Phil had attracted attention. Now as a Demonic Beast, he was sure there were more than a few problems that would crop up if the Blizzard King showed up in a city.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

After equipping his Metamorphic Bracelet and changing his appearance to his James Picard persona, Damion cast Portal and stepped through to Argentum. When he appeared on the teleportation platform, the attendant on duty was surprised by the sudden appearance of a B Rank Spatial mage.

"How can I be of service?" The attendant asked.

"I am just here to place a private order for an artifact. What shop in this city has the best artificers for enchanted buildings?" Damion asked.

"Buildings?"

"Yes. Buildings."

"I'm not sure. The Caplan family maintains the dormitories at Silver Spire Academy. They will probably be your best bet."

Damion was familiar with the Caplan's family store, Calm Sea, already, but wanting to preserve the illusion of a visiting mage wanting a specialty item, he took out his tablet and checked on the location of their store.

"Thank you," Damion told the attendant before walking off.

He wished he could just fly over to the Caplan's store, but that would draw attention. He already felt weird since as James Picard he did not keep his passive spell Conceal Aura active. Anyone with a hint of magic power could tell he was a high Rank mage and turned to look at him as he passed. He was too used to having the passive active, hiding his magic footprint and going unnoticed next to Phil and the sudden extra attention let him feeling self-conscious.

"What can I help you with today?" Afifa Caplan greeted Damion as he entered Calm Sea.

"I am looking for a custom artifact, but I don't know if your store is up to the task."

"If you can give me a little information about what you are looking for, I can ask our artificers if they are able to accommodate your request."

"Very well. I want a mobile house."

There was a brief look of confusion on the attendant's face, but she concealed it quickly. Her job was to facilitate sales for the Caplan family. If she showed doubt that their family would be able to assist, it would not bode well for her cushy job.

"I will inquire with the artificers. Are there particular features in this house you are looking for."

"Yes. I would like it to be self-sufficient in as many aspects as possible."

"Please give me a moment."

Afifa disappeared into the back of the store leaving Damion to browse the artifacts on display. Very few had changed since the last time he was here. After all, they displayed their best artifacts and not too many people could afford the best.

After a few minutes, the D Rank knight returned with an older mage Damion did not recognize, but with True Sight, he could see was an A Rank Water mage.

"Afifa tells me you have a request for a self-sufficient house. Please elaborate on what you seek."

The Water mage had not identified himself, but Damion took this as sign that he either did not care to, or was confident everyone knew who he was. Whichever it was, Damion decided not to question the man.

"I am looking for a house with a footprint of no more than 25 meters long and 25 meters wide. It should be capable of powering itself and recycling and purifying its water and air supply."

"Would you not rather have a spatial stretching home? You could have a mansion in a much smaller footprint."

"While spatial stretching is convenient in many ways, I am a Spatial mage, and I intend this to be my home wherever I go."

"I see. Yes, if you want portability, any spatial stretching enchantment would be weakened or damaged if placed into your personal storage space. But I must ask, any structure, even with the best weightless enchantments will still cost you quite a bit of mana to store. Are you sure you are capable of that?"

"I have mastered the Spatial Storage spell and can store nearly anything. I have no need to worry with mana cost."

The old Water mage raised an eyebrow at Damion's claim but said nothing. After a long moment of silence, in which he seemed to be pondering if he could accommodate the request, he finally spoke.

"I will draw up plans to create this home for you. Do you wish your requested artifact to be exclusive?"

Being exclusive meant it would cost him more, but it also meant the Caplans would never make another one for someone else or share the plans for it. Exclusivity had its appeal, especially considering his plans for a secret base, but Damion did not think it was necessary, he was planning to put his home underground anyway.

"I do not require exclusivity."

"Excellent. It will take me a few days, please leave your contact information with Afifa and I will send word once the plans are ready."

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