The next morning Ethan woke before sunrise and moved through the tall grass toward the half completed foundation. The air felt cool and clear and the faint lines of mana carved into the dirt glowed softly like early morning fireflies. It gave the site a strange peaceful energy almost like the land itself knew something new was coming. Ethan crouched beside the stone blocks and ran his hand along the edge feeling the slight warmth produced by the blue strengthening runes. This was the first moment he felt like a real developer again not a lost man in a foreign world but someone building a future from the ground up.

When the workers arrived they brought tools food and surprisingly even more friends curious about the bold man trying to build outside the city. The beastfolk group had grown from four to seven and each one brought different strengths. One was tall with strong arms perfect for lifting heavy stone one was small but fast able to move tools across the site and one had heightened senses allowing him to hear distant monster movement. They gathered around Ethan as he explained the next steps using simple hand drawn lines on a piece of scrap wood. He explained that today they would set the full first floor layout finish the protective mana grid and prepare the materials for the vertical supports.

The workers nodded and followed him as he walked across the site marking spots with rope and chalk. The mage from the day before arrived as well carrying a small pack of crystal fragments that pulsed softly. He explained that these crystals could stabilize the mana grid and help keep monsters from approaching. Ethan was impressed because it matched his desire for safe predictable residential living. He promised the mage a long term collaboration if the system worked well and the mage smiled with clear excitement in his eyes.

With everyone in place the work began. The workers lifted stone blocks and placed them with care following Ethan’s measured instructions. The mage used his staff to carve finer channels into the stone aligning them with the main mana trunk line created yesterday. Each carved line created a soft green glow that pulsed like a living heartbeat. Ethan walked among them checking spacing angles and consistency. His mind worked like a blueprint machine always looking for small improvements. He adjusted the hallway width added extra support under a future stairwell and carefully positioned two cornerstone blocks to ensure long term stability.

By mid morning the first outline of the lower floor looked almost like a real building skeleton. Workers paused to admire it since no one in the kingdom had ever seen a structure arranged with such exact precision. Ethan stood with them feeling proud but also thinking ahead. He told the workers that after the foundation walls were completed they would move to installing enchanted barriers on each corner of the structure. These barriers would repel low level monsters and reassure potential tenants. The beastfolk workers murmured in appreciation since safety outside the walls was rare.

As they continued working a group of adventurers passed by. One elf wearing leather armor asked what Ethan was building and Ethan explained honestly that he planned apartments powered by stable mana. The adventurers exchanged interested looks because lodging for adventurers was always noisy overpriced or structurally unsafe. One of them asked if they could reserve rooms when the place was finished. Ethan smiled and said he would keep their names in mind. It was the first real sign that future demand might already exist.

Around noon they took a short break sitting in the shade near the construction site. Workers ate roasted meat bread and fruits. Ethan drank water from a leather flask and watched dust float through the afternoon light. He felt a quiet satisfaction settle in his chest. This world was dangerous unpredictable and magical yet development still followed the same rules people seek comfort safety and affordable living. He knew that once people experienced a clean stable building they would want more. There was no doubt in his mind the Magic Apartments would become a landmark.

After the break the mage began installing the stabilizing crystal fragments. He placed them at key intersections of the mana channels and tapped them lightly with his staff. The crystals sank into the stone and the mana grid brightened with clean lines of energy. Workers gasped as the glow spread through the foundation like living veins. Ethan stepped back and studied it. He imagined nighttime visitors seeing the soft glow and feeling safe even in the wild fields. This aesthetic could become part of the brand a signature look for his magical residential zones.

By late afternoon the first floor outline was fully secured. They had completed the outer wall bases and several of the inner support sections. Ethan walked every inch of the site inspecting each piece. He checked the alignment of the walls by sight and by stepping from edge to edge counting paces. Everything matched his mental blueprint which made him feel even more confident. When the workers asked what tomorrow’s plan was Ethan smiled and said that tomorrow they would begin raising the vertical beams. Once the beams were up they could start constructing the upper floors.

Before the day ended Ethan asked the workers if any of them had experience with carving runes. Two beastfolk raised their hands explaining that they had carved basic warding symbols for hunting shelters. Ethan told them that if they learned more advanced rune placement from the mage he would pay them extra for their skill. They agreed immediately. Extra training meant safer long term work and higher pay.

As the sun began to set Ethan walked along the edge of the site feeling the cool wind and hearing the faint hum of mana flowing through the foundation. He felt like he could see the finished building already families cooking dinner adventurers sharpening weapons on balconies merchants looking out from windows and children playing in hallways protected by mana lights. The entire vision made him smile. This was the kind of project that could define a new era. A new world meant a new kind of development and Ethan knew he was standing at the turning point.

He sat under the same tree as the previous night writing new ideas using a small piece of charcoal. He planned the plumbing system the mana powered ventilation channels and the design for the future enchanted elevator using floating stones. Each idea flowed naturally like he had been waiting years to build something like this. As the stars came out he felt the ground grow warmer under him because of the mana grid. It was comforting a promise that tomorrow the work would grow even faster.

He lay back staring at the glowing constellation above and whispered to himself The first building is halfway born. Once it stands this world will start changing for real.