Upon entering the Hidden Territory, Ethan finally felt a long-overdue sense of peace.
The first order of business was paying respects to Matriarch Whitmore. Only after that did he turn his attention to a more pressing issue—setting up the power system.
This, as it turned out, was no small task. As he unloaded the equipnt, Ethan quickly realized he had no idea how to assemble any of it. This wasn't like building with toy blocks—these were real electrical systems that needed professionals to install.
Only then did it hit him: he'd been far too optimistic. In his rush to prepare, he'd completely overlooked one major detail—he wasn't an electrician.
Just as frustration began to set in, Ethan noticed Victor, Leo, and Williams crouching nearby, calmly unboxing the gear he'd spread out.
"You… you guys know how to put this together?"
Victor and Williams just smiled, saying nothing.
Leo, ever the loud one, spun a circuit board in his hand like it was a toy. "Ethan, you're seriously underestimating us combat vets."
He grinned. "You think we only know how to fight?"
He began ticking things off on his fingers. "Electricians, welders, machinists, chefs, masons—we're all certified."
Leo rattled off a ridiculous number of survival trades in a single breath.
Ethan stared, jaw nearly on the ground. These guys… they were built different.
Learning even half of those skills would drive him insane. He stood there watching them work, part impressed, part skeptical.
But an hour later, he was completely blown away.
None of them had likely seen these exact devices before, but they read the dense instruction manuals like it was nothing. One hour later, the first solar power unit was fully assembled and running flawlessly.
From there, things moved quickly.
By midday, five power units and oversized storage batteries had been completed. Then ca the cables. By the afternoon, the entire Hidden Territory was powered up.
Electricity—real, stable electricity—now flowed through the Whitmore family's land.
Matriarch Whitmore stood by the whole ti, beaming. She chuckled with delight, muttering, "Excellent, excellent…" over and over. It was clear she was genuinely pleased.
That evening, for the first ti ever, she agreed to one of Markham's suggestions. They were allowed to roast wild ga inside the Hidden Territory.
As Markham prepared the charcoal and firewood, Ethan pulled out a sleek, high-end barbecue grill—equipped with a built-in smoke purification system. The price tag? Over six thousand dollars.
"Haha… Bro, you ca prepared!" Markham laughed.
Ethan just grinned and kept unloading. Rice cookers, electric woks, induction cookers—a whole set of kitchen appliances, and five of each.
As Ethan explained it, "They're backups. It's not exactly easy to run to the store from here."
Matriarch Whitmore was delighted with the equipnt. She told Markham, "From now on, use that grill to make everyone's als better."
She instructed Maria and linda to move everything to the kitchen, and told Markham to fill in the biogas pit behind the house—it slled awful.
While everyone else bustled about, Ethan quietly approached the old lady.
Rubbing his hands, he asked, "Grand-aunt, what do you think about building a house on that empty plot next door?"
He pointed to the open space beside the Whitmore family's five small earthen hos.
"Build a house?" Matriarch Whitmore raised an eyebrow. "That's quite the project."
She gave him a pointed look. "How about helping us renovate these five little houses of ours while you're at it?"
Ethan blinked, montarily stunned.
But he quickly recovered. "Grand-aunt, I honestly don't think renovation is worth it…"
The old lady's eyes narrowed sharply.
Ethan imdiately laughed awkwardly and backpedaled. "No, no, please don't misunderstand! I an—why not rebuild them instead?"
"Rebuild?" she echoed thoughtfully.
He nodded.
After tapping her staff lightly on the ground twice, Matriarch Whitmore seed to reach a decision. "Alright. I'll leave it to you. Just don't touch the Ancestral Hall—renovate that, nothing more."
"Understood!"
With her blessing, Ethan got to work. On a nearby flat stretch of land, he began pulling items from his spatial storage.
First ca several movable Starry Sky Dos, followed by an assortnt of materials—prefabricated, self-assembling structures he'd bought in bulk.
These weren't ordinary hos. They were three-story, luxury villa models, each offering over 1,400 square ters of usable space.
In the outside world, these houses were practically a joke—fragile in storms, poor insulation, likely to collapse in an earthquake. But here, in the calm, temperate environnt of the Hidden Territory? They were perfect.
Easy to build. Visually striking. Utterly luxurious.
Of course, the price reflected that—over a million dollars per unit. Ethan had materials for three. The whole set had cost him more than three million.
Yet, as he glanced at the Whitmore family's tiny earthen hos, he knew it was worth every penny.
Naturally, all this activity drew attention. But with everyone waiting on Markham's barbecue, no one approached to ask questions.
If he needed help, Ethan would call them.
By the ti he finished unloading and organizing everything, the food was ready. They feasted with joy.
Ethan finally t the legendary Dr. Aldric.
The old man looked like a ss—hair wild, clothes wrinkled. He wandered over, grabbed a few pieces of at, and shuffled away.
Ethan greeted him politely, but the man ignored him, muttering, "Impossible… this is impossible…"
He seed completely out of touch with reality. Ethan raised a brow, quietly thinking the man might be crazy.
Evelyn caught his expression and smiled. "My grandfather's like that whenever he's deep into a difficult dical case."
Her words reminded Ethan of sothing—Markham and Maria's father was still bedridden inside.
He intended to visit but was stopped by Markham's mother. "It's best you don't," she said gently.
Puzzled, Ethan let it go.
Dinner lasted until well past five in the evening. After cleanup, it was nearing six o'clock.
Everyone picked a Starry Sky Do and headed inside.
In truth, they were just transparent plastic tents. When the curtains were open, you could see the stars, which was how they got their fancy na.
Gimmicky, yes—but cozy.
Perfect for a night or two. Once the villas were complete, they'd be packed up and forgotten.
At exactly six, Ethereal opened. Ethan released their VR Capsules, placing one in each do according to its occupant.
He connected them to the newly-installed storage batteries, then returned to his own space.
With a thud, his fortress-style VR Capsule dropped into place.
The entire Starry Sky Do trembled slightly.
Ding… [System Notification: Welco to the world of Ethereal…]
Hearing that familiar voice, Ethan finally relaxed. Here, he could find so true peace and quiet.
Ding… [System Notification: Your friend [Moonbeam] has sent you a video call request!]
"Connect," Ethan said with a smile.
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