*Write sounds*
In a new notebook titled "The Second Floor," I contemplated the right approach to tackle the matter.
Creating a planet from scratch isn't as simple as it sounds.
Besides being an expensive process, I have to select suitable materials, which seem to keep multiplying.
Moreover, it's a time-consuming and thought-intensive endeavor. I'm also unsure whether I should create several small planets or one large one.
"I might have been a bit hasty with the Point of Gravity," I had to admit to myself.
"Hmm, can't I just remove it like regular matter?"
I set my notebook aside and immediately teleported to the second floor to test this idea.
I concentrated on the point but quickly realized it was futile.
"Come on!"
I tried again, with no success.
I returned to the Control Room and continued sketching the planet's structure.
For now, I planned the rocks, opting for one large planet since I had already spent too much [EC] on the Point of Gravity.
Furthermore, I wasn't certain how the masses would interact since they were too close together, and there was no external gravity to keep the planets in an orderly orbit, if I create more than one.
With my decision made, I continued planning, starting with the Earth's layers, followed by continental plates, mountains, larger riverbeds, and the hollowing for the sea.
This was just the beginning and was already quite challenging.
Once this was done, I could start planning the first bodies of water, such as oceans, lakes, glaciers, and polar caps. But for now, I needed to save [EC] and gather the right materials.
Said and done. Some time later, I was finished.
____
Age: 0 years, 7 months, 0 weeks, 0 days, 12 hours
EC: 638/1,500
—> 2 EC regenerates per hour
---> Tempora: 1.2 EC per hour
---> Third Floor: 0 EC per hour
______
It took thirteen hours.
Of course, I could plan longer, create more complex and numerous small continents, but I saved time there.
After all, I wasn't a geologist but a biologist.
Moreover, the beginning wasn't too complex, and I had enough planning time ahead.
I couldn't create everything at once.
"Damn expensive fun!"
I teleported to the second floor immediately.
I roughly remembered the three main Earth layers: the Earth's core, mantle, and crust. I also had an approximate size in mind.
Since the planet on the second floor should have a diameter of 150,000 km, I needed appropriately sized Earth layers in relation to its size.
"This will be costly!"
I planned for the Earth's core to have a diameter of 80,000 km. That's a volume of 268,082,573,106,329 cubic kilometers.
"Not exactly small!"
And since it was not small, my current 638 [EC] wouldn't be enough to create it entirely.
"Besides, for the second floor, I probably need to use higher-quality materials, right?"
That's why I selected a specific substance for the Earth's core: [Zeitraumium].
It has unique properties that I hoped would give the planet a special uniqueness.
"Well then!" I said with anticipation.
I opened my thoughts to the status and created Zeitraumium. The planned location for it to appear was, of course, the Point of Gravity.
Immediately, my supply of [EC] was depleted, and I had only created half of the Earth's core.
*Thump*
*Thump*
I heard a rhythmic beating.
It wasn't my heart because I was a ghost.
Since I was currently on the second floor's surface, I looked up. There was now a massive rotating sphere of blue-silver lava.
*Thump* - it pulsed again.
Already, it was a gigantic blue planet, entirely composed of Zeitraumium.
It emitted a magical color and had something breathtaking about it.
Even though it bore little resemblance to Earth, I couldn't help but think of it and the view from the moon.
I wish to see it again.
Out of curiosity, I began to fly closer to the half-finished Earth's core. The closer I got, the more I was filled with awe and excitement.
With each step in my flight, it seemed as if the world around me shrank, while this massive sphere of silver-blue lava became more imposing and majestic.
The size and presence of the object were overwhelming.
It felt like I was stepping into another level of reality where everything I had seen before seemed small and insignificant compared to this giant. Even in my long life.
I wasn't far away now, and my entire field of view was filled with this sphere.
It also began that I'm being drawn by its gravity.
"Amazing!" I said with awe and amazement.
I floated over its surface, unable to stand because I would sink.
I looked to the right and left. Before me stretched a straight, silver-blue, pulsating, moving, hot, lava-like expanse as far as my mental eye could see.
The horizon was just a blank space.
In that moment, I realized that the Earth's core alone was many times larger than Earth itself.
In comparison, Earth had a diameter of approximately 12,700 km, while the core of this planet have already a diameter of 80,000 km.
"Incredible!" I exclaimed.
It felt and looked incredible, and standing here, it could as well be a flat surface.
"Incredible!" I couldn't help but repeat.
Now I had to wait until my [EC] was partially replenished.
That was a drawback of larger floors. You always needed more materials. This problem wouldn't go away because the next ones would be at least 80 times larger.
"Incredible!"
"At first, I wasn't quite aware of how powerful this [CS] is!"
This is likely to take quite a while because it takes approximately 58 hours to refill the [EC].
"More than two days!"
And even then, I won't have finished the basic structure of the planet.
"The species should be called Planet Dungeon Core!" I joked.
"How old does one get as a Dungeon?" I wondered but received, like always, no answer.
Why would I?
What I did notice, however, was that my age is only dependent on the Control Room.
This means that even if I create something here on the second floor for 80 hours, only one hour will pass in the Control Room. Vice versa, I will age only one hour.
"Hmm... maybe because my true body is there?" I asked myself.
Of course, this doesn't always have its advantages. For instance, I don't earn the corresponding [EC] during that time!
That's why I go to the Control Room for planning, among other things!
So, I teleported there.
"But what should I do now? Should I really continue planning the planet already?"
To be honest, I didn't feel like it; there was too much rock! I prefer living things and fascinating nature.
"I really need to modify the Control Room slowly," I decided.
But only after the second floor is finished. After all, someone might find the door and come into the Control Room!
So, I teleported to Tempora to soak in some nature.
Arriving there, as always in the same spot, right in the middle of the first part of the island, I teleported to the second part.
I now stood on a mountain, just above the tree line, looking out over the mountains.
The tree line seemed to have shifted a bit, as I was now at an altitude of about 9,000 meters.
Because I stood on the tallest mountain, it still extended beyond me and into the clouds.
I just stood there, inhaling the fresh mountain air, the scents of pine and alpine roses wafting into my nose, and a gentle breeze blowing.
"Ah!" I sighed out loud.
"In these moments, I don't like being a ghost!" I said aloud with a little remorse
Because I can only sense, smell, and taste a fraction of everything. It's as if everything passes right through me.
Nevertheless, I closed my transparent eyes and enjoyed everything that reached me. I heard individual birds singing and the dwarf pines rustling.
This atmosphere strongly reminded me of my past life. My wife, my daughter, and I used to love going on vacations to the mountains together.
So, everything was currently evoking a sense of nostalgia in me.
I lay down as best as a ghost can and closed my eyes. I enjoyed it and let my thoughts wander.
I remembered my wife's face as if it were yesterday. Even though she had passed away about 30 years before me, I could never forget it.
"Oh, Anja..." I murmured.
Even my daughter had died before me!
"Aging is... insane!"
It had its ups and downs.
I enjoyed it a bit more, unintentionally thinking about the second floor and a particular day.
My wife and I were both around 35 years old, and Bella, my daughter, was 16, I think.
We were hiking in the Alps.
It started to thunder, which can be very dangerous in the mountains. So, we were briskly walking toward a mountain hut.
Now it was pouring rain.
We were completely drenched, not wearing rain gear because it wasn't supposed to rain until later in the night. Because already being wet, we put not our rain gear on and continued on the slippery rocks.
*Zap*
Something struck the mountainside right above us. It was so loud that our ears rang.
Bella stumbled and injured her right knee. But since we could already see the hut through the rain, I decided to carry her there.
Anja shouted something, but I couldn't understand it.
Nothing else happened on the rest of the way, and we sat out the shock. We had a tasty Kaiserschmarrn and some drinks.
After a while, the weather cleared up, and the sun shone in all its glory. The rain had made the air clear, giving us a beautiful panorama.
The ringing in our ears had stopped long ago. We enjoyed the sunshine warming and drying us.
I was taking in a deep breath of fresh air when Bella, out of nowhere, asked, "Who are my real parents?"
Anja and I looked confused at each other.
My wife then said, "We love you as our daughter."
She seemed to be trying to avoid or postpone the conversation.
I smiled slightly as I gently shook my head.
I still remembered exactly how she responded back then, "I don't doubt that, I love you both as my parents, but I would still like to know."
Either Bella was already very mature at that time or she concealed her childlike nature with her intelligence.
Nevertheless, it touched me at the time, which is why I asked her, "Can I tell you without the story?"
She shook her head and symbolized, All or nothing!
I wrestled with myself because Anja and I had carried this secret for a long time.
Nevertheless, it wasn't so easy to reveal everything.
That's why I had planned to postpone this until she was an adult and firmly established in life.
I took a deep breath and said, "Alright!"
Anja opened her mouth, probably wanting to say something. However, I was determined now.
"Promise me that you won't cry and that it won't change anything in our relationship."
My daughter nodded, and I began to tell her.
"So, to answer the first question, your mother is my sister, but we don't know who your father is."
"You mean Lisa, the dead one?"
I nodded, ignoring the somewhat inappropriate wording, and told her almost the whole story.
Now that I think about it, it was the right decision to tell Bella the story. I couldn't have carried it around with me for much longer.
After I finished telling her, she broke the first promise not to cry, which was, of course, inevitable. However, she kept the second promise.
I still remember how I asked her how she even knew that we weren't her real parents.
She joked that she could never be as beautiful as she was if she were 50% me.
Anja laughed, and I grumbled playfully but then also laughed.
It turned out she had found the adoption papers.
We hugged, and everything was fine, just like that, or as they say, peace and harmony.
We hiked back to our hotel while the sun dried the mountains.
I smiled at the memory and floated up.
The sun was slowly setting on Tempora; it disappeared behind me, behind the mountain. This turned the light clouds above me into a warm orange-red color.
I enjoyed the last minutes and returned to the Control Room.
Now with full energy, I could start planning.
What will be challenging is the advance planning because each layer has a specific ability.
For example, Zeitraumium already has individual abilities that need to be considered. As the name implies, almost like everything, it has something to do with my [CS].
Here, it means that Zeitraumium influences the planet in a special way.
For instance, it affects day and night, altering their regular cycle and making days and nights either longer or shorter.
It also influences gravity by affecting space. This can create breathtaking landscapes like huge mountains, flying mountains, or deep canyons, for example.
But what I find relatively irrelevant is that, in rare cases, itself can cool down and crystallize.
Yes, that's about it. It probably has a few more non-descriptive abilities, as that rhythmic pounding has something mysterious about it.
"Well, I guess I'll be surprised!" I said aloud, smiling.
A few hours later, to be exact, 100.
____
Age: 0 years, 7 months, 0 weeks, 5 days, 16 hours
EC: 1,500/1,500
—> 2 EC regenerates per hour
---> Tempora: 1.2 EC per hour
---> Second Floor: 0 EC per hour
______
In that time, I completed the planets core.
Now comes the planets mantle; it will be about 50,000 km wide.
For the planets core, it shouldn't be that important that there is no inner or outer core. In the end, even the Earth's inner core is solid due to pressure. This should also happen with this planet.
However, it is essential for the planets mantle because the lower part is viscous to solid rock, while the upper part is liquid to solid. This solid part of the upper mantle belongs, in part, to the planets crust.
The lower part moves slowly and is responsible for natural events such as earthquakes and tectonic shifts.
"If I remember this correctly, at least!"
"On the Moon, Samuel and I had enough time. There he explained some things to me, even though he was on the Moon for technology reasons."
As he explained to me during the expedition, he used certain technological procedures to scan the Moon from the inside.
Furthermore, one of his hobbies was geography, and he tried to get me interested in it as well.
Sure, I was the biologist, but I had little interest in tectonics and such.
I was more interested in plants, animals, and related soil compositions.
"But now it's time to get to work!"
I said and teleported to the second floor.