CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 101: THE ENTRANCE TO THE SMALL UNIVERSE! BUILDING A NEW HOME! FAMILY BARBECUE!

After hearing Lorien, Hela’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Lorien began reshaping the entrance to the small universe. He pulled at one edge, fixed it against the wall where he had planned, then straightened all four sides and secured them in place.

The back of the living room instantly transformed, and now the scenery inside the small universe could be seen from outside.

"Wow~~~!"

Hela gasped in awe.

The view inside the small universe was breathtaking, far more beautiful than anything she had seen back in Westview!

But Lorien wasn’t done yet.

He had only pulled out the doorway, and from the outside it looked abrupt and out of place. The clash of styles made the transition jarring, almost comical. That wouldn’t do.

So Lorien stepped into the small universe and began remodeling.

First, he changed the floor where the living room met the small universe, turning the cold stone tiles into a resilient wooden floor with a touch of spring to it. The change stretched outward, flowing from the living room deep into the small universe until a whole section of ground was covered in wood. The foundation was set.

With a wave of his hand, a shallow fence rose around the edges, giving the feel of a backyard.

But the vast, endless scenery beyond still felt too empty, too distant.

So Lorien waved his hand again.

Countless flowers and trees burst into life. Peach trees, cherry blossoms, gardenias, and more spread across the hillsides, blooming in every direction. The trees formed a natural ring, softening the openness, yet still leaving a view of the mountains and plains beyond.

Perfect.

Satisfied, Lorien clapped his hands.

"Clap, clap~"

As for the rest, that would be up to Wanda. She could plant flowers if she liked, grow trees, raise animals—anything she wanted. The small universe was vast enough. Rabbits, sure. Even Godzilla could live here if it came to it!

Hela’s eyes lit up.

"Can I go in now?"

"Go on. From now on, you can enter whenever you like."

"Yay!"

Cheering, Hela scampered across the wooden floor and leapt straight onto the grass outside.

"The grass is so soft! It feels amazing!"

Barefoot, she ran across the meadow. The grass here was unbelievably gentle—each step, even on the very tips, felt comfortable, without the slightest discomfort.

"Ding~"

At that moment, Lorien sensed the elevator coming up. Wanda was back!

He quickly turned to Hela.

"Shh, quiet."

Hela skidded to a stop, tumbled into the grass, and was immediately hidden within it.

Lorien went to the door and waited.

"Clack~"

The door opened, and Wanda stepped in carrying groceries for dinner.

Lorien greeted her with a smile at the entrance.

Wanda looked at him, tilted her head with a smile, and said,

"I feel like you’ve prepared a surprise for me."

"Why don’t you find out?"

Closing her eyes, Wanda took a deep breath. She had meant to sense it with her mind, but instead, the air itself filled her lungs—a fresh, natural fragrance of flowers and greenery.

"What?!"

Her eyes flew open. She looked at Lorien in shock.

"This scent..."

Lorien only tilted his head toward the inside, saying nothing.

Wanda’s expression shifted to one of eager anticipation. She quickly changed her shoes and stepped inside.

The moment she passed the entryway, she turned toward the source of the scent.

"Clack~"

Her hands loosened in shock, groceries slipping as she covered her mouth. Vegetables tumbled to the ground.

Lorien thought he heard the sound of eggs cracking.

Wanda realized it too.

"The eggs..."

"It’s fine."

Lorien snapped his fingers, and the eggs reversed in time, whole once more.

Wanda let out a relieved breath—then joy and astonishment rushed over her in a wave.

Hurrying forward, she reached the entrance to the small universe, spread her arms wide, and inhaled deeply.

When Lorien came closer, she threw her arms around him.

"Lorien, how did you do this!?"

He patted her back gently.

"This is a private small universe, one only we can enter. You can shape it however you wish."

"In the future, we won’t just live in the city with all its conveniences. Here, we’ll have a home surrounded by nature, with entirely new scenery to enjoy."

Wanda’s joy was overwhelming.

She hugged Lorien tightly, then quickly pulled him further inside to see more.

Kicking off her slippers, her delicate jade-like feet touched the grass. She walked barefoot with Lorien onto the meadow.

"So soft!"

Her eyes lit up with delight as she stepped down. The grass here was so comfortable, you’d never want to wear shoes again.

"Right~!"

But just as Wanda finished speaking, Hela suddenly stood up from the grass.

"It really does smell good! I just tasted a blade of grass!"

As she spoke, she plucked another blade and bit down on it.

Wanda chuckled at the sight. She glanced back at Lorien, then pulled out a blade of grass herself and gave it a try.

"Mmm~!"

Sure enough, it was exactly as Hela said.

"Lorien, try it! It’s really fragrant, like it has a hint of milk!"

Instead of eating the grass Wanda offered, Lorien pulled her close and kissed her, tasting it through her lips instead.

When they finally parted, he nodded in confirmation.

"There really is a faint milky flavor."

Wanda blushed, lightly patting his shoulder before turning to face the meadow. She spun around a few times in front of Lorien, eyes shining with delight. It was obvious how much she loved this place—she was completely taken with it.

Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath, thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Lorien.

"Let’s have a barbecue tonight! Right here! We’ll go buy everything we need!"

At her suggestion, Lorien’s eyes lit up.

It had been far too long since they last had barbecue.

"No problem. Let’s go shopping."

He waved his hand and looked at Hela.

"Hela, you coming?"

"I’m coming!"

The three of them left the small universe, changed into shoes, and opened the door to head out.

"Ding~"

The elevator doors slid open, and Gwen, just pulling down her headphones, lit up when she saw them.

"What a coincidence! Where are you going?"

Wanda, glowing with happiness, placed her hands on Gwen’s shoulders, gently pushed her back into the elevator, and said with a grin,

"We’re having a barbecue tonight! Come with us to buy a grill, charcoal, and meat~!"

"Barbecue?!"

At the word, Gwen’s interest spiked. But then she froze.

"Wait, are we going out to eat? Then why buy a grill? There’s no place at home to barbecue."

Lorien only smiled without answering.

Hela put her hands on her hips, pretending to look serious.

Wanda just laughed, squeezed Gwen’s shoulder, and said, "You’ll see when the time comes. Let’s just buy it first."

Gwen turned to look at Lorien.

He raised an eyebrow.

That was enough for Gwen to know it was real, and anticipation filled her immediately.

...

They got off the elevator.

With a snap of Lorien’s fingers, the four of them appeared in the supermarket.

He gestured as he assigned tasks.

"Wanda’s best at picking meat, so you buy all kinds—beef, pork, lamb, seafood, everything.

Gwen, you handle the vegetables, just grab what everyone likes—eggplant, peppers, that sort of thing.

As for seasonings, I’ve got a secret recipe, so leave spices, tools, and the grill to me.

Once we’ve got everything, meet back here. Efficiency is key—Wanda’s eager to play head chef tonight."

Wanda and Gwen both nodded.

"What about me?! What about me?!"

Hela immediately panicked.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You?" Lorien gave her a look. "Just stick with me. Otherwise, someone might mistake you for a lost kid and start looking for your parents."

Hela: ...

So the group split up. Wanda headed for the meat section, Gwen for the vegetables, while Lorien went for the rest—taking Hela along.

Each group had their own cart.

Lorien was at ease letting Wanda buy the meat—she had the experience of a housewife. Gwen’s task was simple too: just pick the fresh vegetables. And since the meat and produce sections were connected, she could always check with Wanda if needed.

As for Lorien...

The moment he pushed out a cart, Hela hopped right in.

"Charge forward!"

Lorien: ...

He reached over and patted her head.

"Keep it down, you’re embarrassing me."

"Oh."

In the supermarket, it was best to start with the big items.

So Lorien first checked out the grills, immediately picking the biggest, best-quality one. A few hundred dollars? Buy it.

A few bags of smokeless barbecue charcoal, a few dozen dollars? Buy them.

Assorted seasonings, together a few hundred dollars? Buy them all.

Hela pointed at a toy set for digging sand.

"Let’s buy that too."

"No."

Her idea of getting a toy was crushed, but she didn’t give up.

"We still need to clear out the soil in the yard to make a space for the barbecue, or else the grass will burn."

She wasn’t wrong.

But Lorien shook his head.

"You want to do the physical labor? Wanda and I can use magic to clear the grass and level the ground. Why bother with shovels?"

That shut Hela up. Compared to magic, doing the manual work herself really was dumb.

So Lorien continued buying other spices and supplies.

By the time the cart was full, Hela couldn’t sit inside anymore. She switched to standing on the frame of the cart, clinging to the basket as she rode along.

Other kids saw her, tried copying her, and ended up breaking their teeth on the cart.

Lorien sighed and flicked Hela on the forehead.

"Setting such a bad example."

"I never said I was a good person," Hela pouted. "Besides, they’re the ones who copied me."

So that was her logic. If she wasn’t a good person, then anything she did wrong was justified.

Once everything was bought, Lorien pushed the cart to the checkout.

After paying, he headed to their meeting spot.

Wanda and Hela were already waiting there with their carts full, chatting together.

Gwen was curiously asking about what they had bought, but Wanda only smiled and kept it a mystery.

By the time Lorien arrived...

Wanda immediately waved eagerly.

"Here, Lorien!"

Lorien brought Hela over and glanced at everyone.

"Got everything?"

"Yes."

"Then let’s go home."

This time, Lorien didn’t snap his fingers—his hands were full. Instead, with just a thought, the four of them were transported back.

"Huh?" Hela blinked in surprise. "You didn’t snap your fingers—how did we teleport?"

As he opened the door and stepped inside to change his shoes, Lorien replied, "Teleportation doesn’t require finger-snapping."

"Then why did you do it before?"

"To look cool."

"O.0?"

See, Lorien really was that vain—and he owned up to it without hesitation.

...

Once they entered the apartment, Gwen immediately noticed something different.

"The air feels different!"

Her body was sensitive, and she caught on right away. But then she frowned, confused, and looked at Lorien.

"Why does it smell like nature and flowers in here?"

Lorien smiled. "Why don’t you go take a look?"

Wanda set down her things, then pushed Gwen forward with a grin.

"Ta-da~~~!"

"Our home’s new area!"

"Wow~~~!"

Sure enough, Gwen’s eyes widened at the sight. She quickly turned to Lorien in curiosity.

"Where does this lead? Is it Cybertron?"

"No." Lorien shook his head. "This is an independent small universe. You can think of it as a private space. From now on, the world inside belongs only to us—no one else can enter."

Their own world.

Their own small universe.

Lorien’s words completely shattered and rebuilt Wanda’s and Gwen’s view of reality. To think such a space actually existed!

"Hurry up and start grilling—I can’t wait anymore."

Lorien waved his hand, and everyone carried their things into the small universe.

Wanda slipped off her coat, tied on an apron, and said, "I’ll handle the meat."

"I’ll help." Gwen followed her.

Lorien curled his fingers, and the grill’s packaging tore open on its own. The components floated out and assembled themselves.

With another wave of his left hand, a twenty-meter square of turf shifted aside, replaced by rich black soil. He paved it with pebbles, then set the grill neatly on top.

One troublesome step solved.

But Lorien wasn’t done. With another motion, sturdy hardwood countertops appeared on either side of the grill—the left for ingredients, the right for seasonings. Around them, wooden rocking chairs and other furniture emerged, completing the setup.

By the time Wanda and Gwen returned with the food, Lorien snapped his fingers.

"Snap~"

Whoosh—flames roared to life in the charcoal. All that was left was to lay the meat on the grill.

"You’re so fast, Lorien!" Gwen said in amazement.

Lorien’s smile froze.

"Someday, I’ll show you what fast really means."

"Uh—!" Gwen instantly realized she had said the wrong thing.

Wanda quickly placed the meat and vegetables on the left countertop. Then, with her slender fingers, she picked up a slice of meat and laid it on the grill.

"Ssssss~~~"

The meat sizzled right away. Normal enough—but when Lorien brushed on oil, the grill crackled louder with a sharp hiss.

Meanwhile, Hela had run back to her room and returned with the "Nightsword" she had brought home that day. She swung it playfully through the grass that reached her calves and thighs, slicing it clean with every swish.

"Hahaha~~~" She laughed as she cut through the blades. "Lorien, this feels just like going on a killing spree in a video game!"

"..."

So much for that.

Gwen came over to join the grilling, learning alongside Wanda. Before long, they had shooed Lorien aside, leaving him to give instructions instead—when to brush on oil, when to flip the meat, how to mix the seasoning. There was an art to it, after all.

Unlike a normal dinner where everything was prepared first and then eaten together, barbecue was ready in batches—you ate as soon as something came off the grill.

When the first pieces of meat were done, Wanda instinctively turned to call Hela.

"Hela—"

"Shh~"

Lorien stopped her. He glanced back at Hela, still happily playing in the distance, then turned back to Wanda and Gwen.

"Let’s eat first. She’ll come when she realizes."

Gwen frowned slightly at carefree Hela.

"Isn’t that a bit unfair...?"

"It’s fine. Most likely, once we’re halfway through, she’ll catch the smell and come running back on her own."