Before he indulged them, it would be better to at least get a sense of what they had in store.

  “And how do you plan to improve the story?” Colby asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” Cheese Bowl signed.

  “I literally need to know so that I can channel the intent.”

  Cheese Bowl raised a hand, about to say something, only to lower it in defeat. He ran back to the rest of the Core Constructs—minus The Fantastic Cheese Fan—discussing the sudden turn of events.

  All of a sudden, Cheese-lander broke from the huddle, scurrying up the ladder and back to the main Core floor.

  “What’s happening?” Colby asked.

  “Just wait a bit,” Temp-tation signed in her most seductive way possible, using her entire body to speak to him.

  “You know that doesn’t work on me, right, Temp?”

  “Sure, master.” She winked.

  A loud crash near the ladder caused everyone to snap their heads toward it.

  It was Cheese-lander.

  The plastic colander picked himself up and ran back over, huffing and puffing.

  “What if…What if you channel the intent, but a different kind of intent?” Cheese-lander wheezed out.

  “What?”

  “We tell The Aging Book the story. Then you channel the intent to make the story real. Same destination, slightly different vehicle.”

  Colby scrunched up his face, processing whatever Cheese-lander had just said. The Core Construct wasn’t smart enough to come up with such an idea—no offense to him. That meant he had gotten it from Smart Waiter.

  And if it came from Smart Waiter, it was worth a shot.

  “Fine,” Colby said. “But if it doesn’t work, I’m not wasting anymore time.”

  The Core Constructs rushed towards The Aging Book, even carrying the immobile Cheese Press to join them—but not Fan. He just stood there, sadly.

  Sighing, Colby walked up to the Core Construct, bringing him over to join the others. As he set the fan down, he gave it a small pat on the head, comforting him.

  He could stop the rest from trying to kill Fan, but he couldn’t force them to like him.

  Colby focused on The Aging Book, pouring intent to realize the story held within.

  A photograph of the Cheddar materialized.

  So far, so good.

  Whether or not it would work out, he’d find out real soon.

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  A deluge of Mana was sucked into The Aging Book as a brand new photograph materialized. It mirrored the previous attempt; the Cheddar was once again the son of a blacksmith father.

  “Are you sure it’s working?” Colby asked, looking at the Core Constructs.

  Was it just repeating the previous story now?

  The Core Constructs waved their limbs in the air, asking him to trust them. Reluctantly, he did.

  More photographs similar to the previous attempt appeared. At a young age, the Cheddar had taken an interest in his father’s craft. He helped with simple tasks around the workshop until he was finally old enough for his first forge. And once again, it was a nail. Slightly bent, uneven shaft, and a misshapen head, it was all the signs of shoddy craftsmanship. But that didn’t bother him in the slightest. It was his first creation, and that was what mattered.

  “Are you sure it’s working?” Colby asked again.

  “Yes!” They all loudly signed.

  He sighed, continuing to channel intent into The Aging Book.

  As the Cheddar grew, so did his skills. After every creation, he could spot where he had gone wrong. And if he couldn’t figure out how to rectify the problem himself, he would observe his father, stealing the secrets that came from years of experience.

  Then, one day, news broke out.

  A large ore vein had been discovered nearby. Along with it, the possibility of riches beyond measure.

  As a result, the workshop was swamped with work, flooded by never-ending orders for pickaxes and mining equipment. The Cheddar worked tirelessly day and night, but all of that hard work wasn’t for naught. With every tool, his skills sharpened, soon matching even his father.

  The town boomed. People flocked to it, and with them came the growing need for houses.

  More orders poured in, this time for axes. With his newly honed skills, business flourished. The father and son duo became known for the high quality of their tools. Their axes were strong, sharp, and reliable, turning the hard labor of felling trees into a breeze.

  But houses weren’t the only thing required. New fields had to be planted, and with them came another surge of orders.

  The Cheddar, having matched his father’s level, now sought to exceed it. Everything that could be taught had been learnt, using the keen insight honed throughout the years, the Cheddar began to experiment. Odd techniques and methods that no one had ever considered before were tested out. Loud explosions and plumes of smoke were a common occurrence for passersby. But it was worth it.

  The Cheddar had created the sturdiest of hoes, the strongest of shovels, and the sharpest of scythes. Once again, praises fell on the father-son duo.

  All of this had accumulated into the most important of requests. To defend the cheesefolk from any would-be monsters, they required weapons. They needed swords. Pouring all of his experience, insight, and ingenuity, the Cheddar crafted the sword to end all swords.

  It was perfection incarnate. Not even light was spared from the edge of the blade. Its sharpness knew no bounds, able to cleave through anything and everything.

  The Cheddar had become a living legend.

  But he would never have achieved this on his own. All of the events leading up to this moment stemmed from one thing, the mine—the earth.

  And that was the final page of The Aging Book.

  Congratulations! The Aging Book has reached Level 6!

  Even without receiving that notification, Colby could tell this had been a success. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but the story of the Cheddar just felt right. Despite taking the same amount of time, it had been aged up longer than the previous attempt. Now one full year instead of half.

  And this was why he wanted to get the Core Constructs involved. By working together, they could create a better and more cohesive story that balanced out the themes of aged cheddar. Plus, it’s not like they had anything else to do when a cheese needed aging.

  However, his gut was only so accurate. He needed to use his mouth. could only tell so much.

  Materializing outside of his Core was the bandaged wheel of cheddar.

  Congratulations! [Cheesemaking] has reached Level 24!

  Another good sign.

  Colby looked down at the cheese in his hand. It definitely looked better, too. To the uninformed, it would’ve looked like things had gone horribly wrong. The bandage was covered in a thick layer of white, green, and brown mold. To Colby, it looked magnificent.

  The cheese hadn’t gone bad. He gave it a quick sniff, just to double-check, and his nonexistent worries were alleviated.

  This type of mold growth was quite common when aged in a place like a cave. If there was mold inside, then he’d be panicking.

  Unbandaging the cheddar revealed the beautiful, smooth yellow-orange cheese underneath. Colby’s mouth started to water just from the sight of it.

  Sampling a piece, a sharp burst of flavor sliced through any doubt that this experiment had been a failure. The cheddar was tangy, much tangier than a cheese aged this short, and earthy. There was a slight hint of nuttiness, which he would’ve preferred more of, but that could be remedied later.

  Happy with his result, he couldn’t wait to let his family try it out.

  Colby rushed down the stairs and burst into the shop floor where his family was hanging out. All of them had their backs towards him, eyes fixed on something outside.

  What he saw almost made him lose his grip on the cheese.

  The giant protective dome surrounding Brinebrook was shaking.