A thousand years later...
Gazing over the Etherium Realm below, Maximus felt satisfied.
After deducing the way he could reinforce his home dimension, he immediately set to work.
The first step was rearranging the foundational structure of laws, energy ley lines, and the spatial foundation of the Etherium Realm.
Due to the modifications Valoros had made, the workload was heavier than Maximus expected.
Though Valoros's changes initially benefited the Etherium Realm, they begun to hinder its advancement, stalling its progress at a critical rate.
If Maximus hadn't restructured and optimized the Etherium Realm, advancing to the Tier 12 dimension might have been nearly impossible.
Upon addressing the Etherium Realm's structural issues, Maximus carved out the Rune of Maxim and embedded a devouring dimensional array.
The Rune of Maxim allowed the dimension to link directly to his physique, granting access to an endless supply of origin energy.
Coupled with the devouring dimensional array, which hastened its absorption of different types of energy, it was only a matter of time before the Etherium Realm advance.
Now, the only remaining challenge was the Ether Forge, the energy gate needed to channel this boundless energy into the Etherium Realm more rapidly.
Unfortunately, even after all this time, he only created fewer than ten thousand Ether Forges.
Maximus had far more important matters than personally working on these devices.
Luckily, he had over fifty thousand Seekers of Knowledge at his command.
After a thousand years, they had successfully manufactured over six million Ether Refiners.
These Ether Refiners condensed over sixty million causality points every day—or twenty-two billion each year—finally providing Maximus with a surplus of strands of causality.
The River of Knowledge could only absorb thirty million strands per day, leaving him with an extra thirty million to either spend or save.
However, generating such a vast amount of causality came at a high cost.
Each day, the production of Ether Refiners required sixty trillion origin coins—roughly twenty-two quadrillion per year.
Such exorbitant spending was more than even the Dimensional Origin Library could sustain.
Gone were the days when the elite and prodigies were in a frenzy to create a custom-made manual.
Back then, earning quintillions of origin coins was possible.
Now, after a thousand years, merely earning a quadrillion was a near-impossible task.
Suddenly, a deep rumble resonated through the Etherium Realm.
"Hmm? The castle?"
Sensing a powerful fluctuation from Shadowcrest Castle, Maximus realized his wives, children, grandchildren, and in-laws finally consolidated their foundations.
Teleporting to the site, he saw them emerging from seclusion, smiles of achievement lighting their faces.
"Congratulations~"
Seeing them stronger than ever, possessing a solidity unheard of among Tier 10 individuals, Maximus felt that all his efforts had been worthwhile.
With such a foundation, advancing to Tier 12 was highly possible; it would just require more dedication and resources.
Observing four individuals who watched them with envy, Maximus couldn't help but shake his head.
"Why don't you all enter seclusion yourselves? There's no need to delay your progress any further."
"No, I'm waiting for my brother/sister," Sam and Valentine said in perfect unison.
"Don't copy me!"
"Don't copy me!"
"You!"
"You!"
Seeing his wife repeating his words, Sam's eyes nearly blazed with frustration.
Sometimes, he wondered why he married this girl—was he out of his mind? Had she slipped him a love potion?
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!" Valentine snapped, "You're the one who tricked me into marrying you! Otherwise, this pretty girl wouldn't have even looked at you!"
"How could that be? You were the one begging me to marry you! Out of the goodness of my heart, I took pity on such an ugly girl, and now you blame me?"
As their bickering escalated, Maximus sighed yet again.
These two were simply incorrigible.
One day, they were the sweetest couple; the next, they were the fiercest of rivals.
Turning his gaze to Luke and Nora, he couldn't help but sigh once more.
"You two..."