CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 109: OPERATION BEGINS

Just then, Axelius spotted Cyruz leaning coolly against a pillar near the staircase, his arms crossed and head shaking.

"You’ve really lost your mind," Cyruz muttered. "What are you even thinking, laughing like that alone?"

"It’s not your business, brother," Axelius said, smirking as he passed.

"Don’t call me brother!" Cyruz snapped, hugging himself with a dramatic shiver. "You’re lucky Father left earlier. If he saw you now, he’d have grounded you for a week!"

"Unfortunate for you, I’m not!" Axelius burst into another round of laughter.

"Crazy!" Cyruz shouted, turning and running away like he didn’t want to be near the madness any longer.

Axelius slowly stopped laughing and muttered under his breath, "Killjoy."

Then he skipped a step and began walking faster, practically hopping toward the inner hallway. He made his way straight to the library, the large double doors creaking open as he entered.

Millie followed quietly behind him.

Once inside the towering library, filled with rows and rows of books from floor to ceiling, Axelius turned to her and pointed eagerly.

"Millie, help me find something. A book about building things—like inventions! Or... business! Maybe something about machines, tools, blueprints—anything that can help me start designing the first car."

"Car?" Millie blinked, but didn’t hesitate. She gave a small bow and moved toward the engineering and crafting section.

Axelius grinned, walking over to the nearest desk and rubbing his palms together with excitement.

Later on, Now in front of him was a mountain of books—some stacked sideways, some open, and others ready to be read.

Owen above the desk, "For the first time, you’ll be reading," he teased, smirking.

Axelius let out a big stretch, "I’m gonna make more money, Owen. One day, we’ll be sleeping on a bed made of gold coins!"

He laughed to himself, imagining it, and waved a hand lazily toward Millie.

"Millie, give me that one on the top," he pointed to a thick book with a leather cover sitting high on the shelf.

"Yes, young master," Millie said,

As she handed it down to him, Axelius eagerly took it and sat back down. He was just about to open it when Owen stepped forward and placed a hand on the cover, stopping him.

"Wait," Owen said, raising an eyebrow. He tilted his head and read the title out loud. "Advanced Gear Rotation and Mana Engines: Theory and Application?"

He looked at Axelius like he’d gone mad.

"You should start from the basics," Owen said flatly. "You can’t just jump into complex stuff right away."

Axelius stared at the title, blinked, then scratched his head. "Huh... sounds smart though."

Owen rolled his eyes. "That’s the problem."

With a sigh, Owen picked up a thinner book from the beginner stack and dropped it in front of him. "Start with this one. Simple Mechanics for Magic-Supported Tools. Understand the basics, and then you can dream about engines and flying wagons."

Axelius looked at the beginner book like it was his enemy, but then pouted and opened it anyway.

Axelius flipped a few pages before groaning again. "Ugh, I’m distracted. Owen, help me organize this mess. I don’t even know where to start."

Owen, standing nearby with a calm expression, gave a small nod. "Alright. But first, we need space."

Axelius pointed to the scattered books. "Millie, clean up the floor. Move the useless ones."

Millie, who had been quietly standing by, gave a graceful bow. "Yes, young master."

Without complaint, she moved to start picking up the books. After the ground is clear.

Axelius raised a hand, and suddenly, the tall stack of books beside him began to tilt. Then, with a loud thump, he pushed them all down in one go, making them slide and scatter across the floor in neat, strange patterns.

"There," Axelius said,

Millie stood frozen with a duster in hand, staring at the books as they slowly floated, shifted, and organized.

She didn’t flinch though. She was already used to it.

Millie finished sweeping the corner and glanced at the floating books again. She didn’t react. By now, she already knew But she said nothing and simply continued cleaning, acting as if floating books and talking to thin air was the most normal thing in the world.

Axelius, now sitting cross-legged on the carpet surrounded by books arranged like petals around him, grinned. "Perfect. Now I don’t have to move. Everything’s right here."

"You’re welcome," Owen muttered, already reorganizing another pile nearby.

"And now," Axelius draw something in a paper and declared, "Operation Build the First Car in History... begins!" raising the car he drawn.

The library lights flickered slightly as if reacting to the madness brewing in that small corner of the Grand Duke’s estate. Millie just sighed softly, hiding her smile.

Axelius placed the large white paper on the wall, smoothing it out with his palm before sticking it in place using some melted candle wax. He stepped back, tilted his head to the side, and admired the strange shape he had drawn.

"This is it," he said proudly, arms crossed. "The future king of the road."

Owen looked at it and slowly tilted his slime body like a confused blob. "That looks more like a shoe than a vehicle."

"Shoes carry feet," Axelius replied without looking. "Cars carry kings."

Then, with excitement, he sat on the floor and grabbed the first book from the neat pile Owen had made. He blew the dust from the cover, opened it, and read the title aloud, "Simple Mechanics for Magic-Supported Tools."

Owen nodded "It starts from the basics. Gears, weight balance, mana-powered motion—simple stuff."

Axelius opened the book carefully, flipping through the pages with wide eyes as diagrams of strange tools and enchanted items filled the paper. He pointed at one of the drawings that showed a small mana gear connected to a wheel.

"Oh, this looks useful," he said, then sat down and began reading aloud slowly, "Mana cores can be placed into a spinning chamber... if sealed right... it pushes mana through the gear teeth... oh, wow..."

He leaned closer, completely absorbed in the idea.

Owen watched quietly from his spot, occasionally hopping to turn a page. Millie came in quietly and placed snacks on a nearby tray, then left just as silently. She glanced once at the floating book page, shook her head with a smile, and closed the door behind her.

For the first time in a long time, Axelius didn’t talk, joke, or yell. He was just... focused, The quiet sound of turning pages.