On the outskirts of Solmere stood a massive barn-like structure that doubled as both workshop and stable.
Jax led the Vixens toward it without ceremony.
The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere changed completely.
The front half of the building smelled like livestock, hay, warm iron, oil, and sawdust. Pens lined one side holding strange regional farm animals the Vixens barely glanced at.
Because the back half of the structure was impossible to ignore.
Massive sheets of heavy canvas hung from ceiling beams, sectioning off an enormous construction area.
Sparks occasionally flashed behind them.
Metal clanged.
Voices shouted measurements.
Something large was being built.
Very large.
"Mr. Darquebane!"
One of the younger workers spotted Jax immediately.
A teenage Lurien practically launched himself off the top of a partially concealed structure before sprinting toward them.
The boy couldn't have been older than thirteen.
Long ears.
Soft gray fur.
Oil stains on both cheeks.
"I'll get Mom!"
Then he disappeared deeper into the workshop at alarming speed.
Two other young Lurien scrambled down from above and immediately rushed toward Jax with zero hesitation.
"Come see!"
"It's almost finished!"
They grabbed both his hands and began physically dragging him toward the covered structure.
The Vixens blinked.
Llandra looked genuinely confused.
"…Jax," she asked slowly, "what exactly is this place?"
Before he could answer, footsteps hurried toward them from the back rooms.
A female Lurien entered wiping grease from her hands with a cloth.
Late thirties, maybe early forties.
Strong posture.
Sharp eyes.
Permanent signs of hard work in her hands and shoulders.
"Mr. Darquebane," she said immediately, ears lowering slightly in relief. "I'm glad you came."
Jax smiled warmly and extended his hand.
"Please," he said. "My business partners call me Jax."
The woman blinked once at that word.
Partners.
Then she shook his hand firmly.
"Barbarosa," she introduced herself. "But everyone calls me Barb."
Jax gestured around the workshop.
"Barb's a third-generation farmer," he explained to the Vixens. "Knows more about regional livestock than almost anyone I've met."
Barb's ears twitched proudly.
"But what she actually loves," Jax continued, "is building things."
That visibly caught the Vixens' attention.
"So I commissioned her," Jax said simply. "I gave her a project. Build something ridiculous. Improve whatever I missed. Make it practical. Make it beautiful."
Nyxian slowly smiled.
"…You gave a craftsman creative freedom."
Jax shrugged.
"That's how you get the best work."
Barb looked dangerously close to emotional hearing that.
"That temporal stone you provided changed everything," she admitted. "The children only have cleanup and finishing work left. Honestly? We could deliver tonight if needed."
"No rush," Jax assured her. "We won't need it for a few days."
Then he looked toward the massive hidden structure behind the curtains.
"But if the inside matches the outside…"
He grinned slightly.
"…you've built something special."
The younger Lurien practically vibrated with excitement.
"SHOW THEM!"
The workers immediately yanked the canvas coverings aside dramatically.
The Vixens froze.
A massive carriage sat beneath the workshop lights.
No—
Calling it a carriage felt insulting.
Gold trim ran elegantly along reinforced darkwood framing. The wheels were enormous, built for rough terrain. The body itself looked less like transportation and more like a noble estate mounted onto an armored frame.
It was beautiful.
"This…" Bunny whispered faintly. "…is ours?"
Nyxian walked slowly around it with visible admiration.
"Oh this is excessive."
Then she smirked.
"I love it."
Llandra immediately shifted into practical evaluation mode.
"Reinforced axle."
"Weight balancing."
"Double-harness pull system…"
She looked impressed.
"Jax… this is military-grade engineering."
Barb looked absurdly pleased by that compliment.
"We wanted durability first," she admitted proudly.
Zee tilted her head upward toward the windows.
"It's enormous…"
"One dimensional interior expansion stone," Jax corrected.
Zee blinked.
"…You put a dimensional space inside a carriage?"
Jax pointed toward the rear platform.
"Show them."
The younger workers immediately hurried over and released a series of reinforced locks.
The rear section unfolded smoothly into a ramp.
Then the space inside expanded.
The Vixens stopped walking entirely.
What should've been a small storage compartment instead opened into a warehouse-sized cargo chamber reinforced with support beams and rack systems.
Bunny's jaw dropped.
"THAT'S THE STORAGE?"
Barb folded her arms proudly.
"Enough room for trade goods, supplies, beast materials, spare equipment, emergency shelter, and additional modifications later."
Nyxian slowly turned toward Jax.
"You built a moving kingdom."
"Working on it."
The Vixens stepped inside.
Their footsteps echoed.
Llandra walked slowly through the chamber studying the reinforced support structure carefully.
"This could support expedition-level logistics."
Zee pointed upward excitedly.
"There are mounted mana channels built into the beams."
Barb nodded immediately.
"Stability enhancement. Less dimensional drift during movement."
Jax smiled slightly.
"That was her idea."
Barb visibly straightened hearing that.
Then she led them back outside toward the main side entrance.
"Now for the actual living quarters."
The Vixens exchanged looks.
There's more?
The side door opened.
Then everyone stepped inside.
Silence followed.
The dimensional expansion inside the carriage transformed the interior into an actual home.
A full kitchen stood near the front beside a polished dining area. Cabinets lined the walls. Storage compartments had been cleverly integrated everywhere.
The sitting area looked genuinely comfortable.
Then the bedroom area.
An enormous custom-built bed dominated the back section.
Nyxian immediately pointed.
"Claimed."
"We all sleep there," Bunny corrected instantly.
"Claimed harder."
Zee wandered slowly toward one of the bathrooms.
Then stopped.
"…There are three?"
Barb nodded proudly.
"Travel comfort matters."
Then Bunny opened the final door.
And froze.
"There's a pool."
Everyone looked.
A large bath chamber stretched across the rear section complete with magically circulating water, heated stone flooring, and a small indoor soaking pool built directly into the carriage.
Nyxian stared in open disbelief.
"…Jax."
Jax blinked once.
"What?"
"You built a luxury fortress on wheels."
"That sounds cooler than carriage."
Llandra slowly rubbed her forehead.
"We're going to become insufferable."
"Already happened," Nyxian said confidently.
Bunny had already kicked her boots off and dipped a foot into the water.
"It's warm!"
Zee looked overwhelmed in the best possible way.
"We're really traveling in this…"
Jax finally looked toward Barb again.
"It's impressive," he admitted honestly. "But does it function?"
Barb grinned immediately.
"Come see."
Back outside, she guided Jax beneath the carriage while the Vixens continued exploring the interior excitedly.
Jax crouched beside her studying the undercarriage carefully.
The magical suspension system was brilliantly done.
Mana-assisted lift reduction.
Shock distribution.
Reinforced balancing.
He looked genuinely impressed.
"You improved the schematics."
Barb looked embarrassed.
"Only a little."
"You improved them a lot."
She blinked once at the direct praise.
Then smiled slowly.
"You gave me a chance to build something worth remembering."
Jax looked toward the younger workers nearby.
"And this crew made it real."
The children immediately straightened proudly.
One of them blurted out:
"I've never seen Mom this happy before."
Barb immediately looked mortified.
"Renn!"
Jax only smiled.
"Then all of you can stop calling me Mister Darquebane."
The children blinked.
"…Really?"
"Really."
A dangerous amount of excitement entered the room instantly.
"Mr. Jax!"
"Thank you, Mr. Jax!"
"Did you really kill a dragon with your fist?!"
Llandra quietly covered her face.
Nyxian answered proudly before Jax could.
"Yes."
"He punched a gryphon yesterday too."
"No, you cannot try it yourselves."
The children looked devastated.
Jax handed Barb the final pouch of gold afterward.
She peeked inside.
Then nearly stopped breathing.
"Jax…"
"Worth every coin."
He nodded toward the carriage.
"Deliver it in three days with two rented draft beasts. Stop by the restaurants first so they can stock supplies properly."
Barb still looked stunned by the amount.
"…Yes. Absolutely."
As the Vixens followed Jax back toward town afterward, the excitement around them never really settled.
"The storage space alone—"
"The pool!"
"The kitchen!"
"We can actually travel comfortably now!"
Nyxian slipped beside Jax with a knowing smile.
"You know what your real problem is?"
"What?"
"You keep finding talented people who were never given a real opportunity."
Jax thought about that quietly for a moment.
Then shrugged.
"I just talk to people."
Llandra smiled faintly beside him.
"No," she said softly.
"You listen to them."
And somehow—
that mattered even more.