You pce your hand against the multifunction avionics dispy, the one already tied into every system that matters.

  “One at a time,” you say quietly.

  C.C. watches without comment. Kurumi leans forward, eyes fixed. Nami goes still.

  Thin gold light spiderwebs through the pne. The screen flickers once.

  [ATR-72 TURBOPROP Interface]System Status: ACTIVECssification: Mobile Network Node (Aircraft, Grounded)[Mana Storage Capacity: 0 / 6000][Connection: ? Aircraft systems (engines, generators, avionics, environmental) ? Eureka Regional Airport Interface (local) ? Brad phone (control rey)][Energy Conversion: ? Source: Twin turboprop generators (idle-grounded) ? Gross Output: 18,400 mana/hour ? Conversion Rate: 1 kW ? 1 mana/hour[Repair: STANDBY] ? Scope: Airframe, engines, avionics (non-missing components only)[Refuel: STANDBY] ? Fuel Type: Jet-A / Jet-A1 only ? Target: Aircraft fuel tanks ? Rate: Interface-scaled[Cleanliness: AUTO] [Thermostatis: AUTO] [Aura Ward: AUTO] [Silent Field: 150 mana/hour][Hourly Generation: 18,400 mana/hour] [Hourly Upkeep: 11,850 mana/hour] [Net Surplus: +6,550 mana/hour]

  For several seconds, no one speaks.

  Kurumi swallows. “That’s... per hour?"

  You nod once, still staring at the number.

  C.C. lets out a low breath. “Yeah. That tracks.”

  Nami finally breaks the silence. “That’s not a generator.”

  “No,” you reply quietly.

  You lean back in the seat. “It’s infrastructure.”

  You gnce toward the hangar doors, toward the second aircraft waiting in the dark.

  “And this one’s the small one.”

  You stare at the dispy, The Interface enchantment is stable. Clean. Functional.

  And wrong. It’s the same problem he’s been circling, only now it’s impossible to ignore:

  Connections everywhere — but no web.

  No concept of a network.

  You swallow slowly. “Back to programming,” you murmur, mostly to yourself.

  Kurumi looks over. “Programming?”

  “It was functional when everything pointed at the RV,” You say. “but the connections have gotten too big, it will shatter the moment the system needs to think for itself.”

  You pull out your notebook, going over your notes.

  A framework overys itself in his thoughts:

  persistent, non-instant, adjustable

  capable of prioritization and redistribution

  capable of speaking Interface without being one

  His lips move once. "Enchant: Network Node"

  The mana cost resolves dynamically as the definition stabilizes — base cost paid once, upkeep explicitly assigned to the receiving structures, not the caster.

  He presses his thumb ft against the avionics dispy.

  The spell takes. The old bracketed Interface colpses in on itself.

  For a heartbeat, the screen goes bnk. Then it comes back sharper, denser, unmistakably different.

  [ATR-72 TURBOPROP Interface]

  System Status: ACTIVE

  Cssification: Mobile Network Node (Aircraft, Grounded)

  [Mana Storage Capacity: 3 / 6,000]

  [Active Connections:

  ? Aircraft systems (engines, generators, avionics, environmental)

  ? Eureka Regional Airport (local anchor)

  ? Brad phone (master rey)]

  [Energy Conversion]

  ? Source: Twin turboprop generators (idle-grounded)

  ? Gross Output: 18,400 mana/hour

  [System Upkeep]

  ? Engine sustain & electrical load: 6,200 mana/hour

  ? Fuel synthesis & refuel compensation: 4,900 mana/hour

  ? Silent Field (locked): 150 mana/hour

  ? Interface logic & safety overhead: 600 mana/hour

  [Total Upkeep: 11,850 mana/hour]

  [Net Surplus: +6,550 mana/hour]

  [Refuel Status: ACTIVE]

  ? Fuel Type: Jet-A / Jet-A1

  ? Consumption Equivalent: ~2,400 L/hour (engine idle + generation load)

  ? Mana Conversion Offset: STABLE

  ? Fuel Bance: Sustained indefinitely while surplus remains

  [Repair: AUTO (non-missing components only)]

  [Cleanliness: AUTO]

  [Thermostasis: AUTO]

  [Aura Ward: AUTO]

  [Network Node Status: ONLINE]

  You inhale sharply. Because the change is immense.

  One by one, you add the change to the distant systems. then make your phone the top hierarchy.

  You don’t touch anything. you just watches as the system finishes.

  C.C. lets out a low whistle behind him. “...You didn’t just upgrade the screen,” she says.

  “No,” You reply quietly. staring at the numbers. “I created a network.”

  You don’t speak for several seconds. Because you finally understand. They're not pnes.

  They're high-mobility, overbuilt power converters that happen to fly.

  Asia descends from the cockpit first, cheeks still flushed, smoothing her habit with careful hands. She gnces back at you with a shy smile before stepping aside. Kurumi follows, golden-red eyes glinting with amusement as she notices your dazed expression.

  "You've been staring at that screen for an hour," Kurumi says lightly, adjusting her twin-tails. "We took turns learning the controls. C.C. walked us through startup sequences, fuel management, electrical handshakes. Meanwhile, you were..." She gestures vaguely at the tablet in your hands. "...communing with your Interface."

  Nami hops down from the wing, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. "An hour, Brad. We literally went through three full rotation cycles. I can start a turboprop now. What were you doing?"

  C.C. descends st, nding with practiced ease. She leans against the fusege, arms folded, watching you with those unreadable golden eyes. "He wasn't spacing out," she says quietly. "He was programming."

  You exhale slowly, holding up the tablet. "Do you have any idea what I just did?"

  Kurumi tilts her head. "Made the pne hum?"

  "No." You tap the screen, pulling up the network summary. "This income is over five times what we had an hour ago. Five times. And now it's going to bance across the network without me micromanaging it."

  Nami frowns, stepping closer. "What do you mean, bance?"

  "Before this, every Interface was isoted. Separate. If one ran out of mana, it went offline. If another had surplus, it just sat there unused. I had to manually redistribute power, adjust settings, babysit every single node." You gesture at the screen. "Now? Now they talk to each other. They share mana automatically. They prioritize based on need. They don't ask me for permission. They just do it."

  Asia's eyes widen. "Like... a family?"

  You blink. "Actually, yeah. Like a family. Each node knows where the others are, how much power they have, what they need. If one drops below threshold, the others pitch in. If one generates surplus, it flows to whoever needs it most."

  C.C. pushes off the fusege, stepping closer. "That's not just programming," she says softly. "That's infrastructure."

  "Exactly," you reply. "Before, we had generators. Now we have a grid. And this turboprop?" You gesture at the massive aircraft behind you. "It's not a backup generator. It's a power station. Eighteen thousand, four hundred mana per hour. That's more than the RV, the Portnd, the airport, and Prometheus Station combined."

  Kurumi's eyes narrow. "Per hour?"

  "Per hour," you confirm. "And it never runs out of fuel because the Refuel enchantment compensates. It just sits here, engines idling, pouring mana into the network. Forever."

  Nami swallows hard. "That's... insane."

  "And there's a cargo jet in the next hangar," you add. "Probably twice this output. Maybe more."

  For several seconds, no one speaks. The turboprop hums steadily behind you, Silent Field muting its presence to a faint vibration.

  Finally, Asia steps forward, slipping her hand into yours. "You did all that in an hour?"

  "I had to," you say quietly. "Because if I didn't, I'd still be babysitting every Interface manually. Now? Now I can use one number to cast everything and still likely need to multiply how much mana we're using."

  C.C. nods once, approval flickering across her features. "Then let's enchant the cargo jet. If we're building a grid, we might as well make it permanent."

  The hangar is quiet and secure, the door already left slightly ajar from your earlier sweep. You step inside, the massive cargo jet resting like a dormant giant on the tarmac. Its engines are cold, avionics dark, and the frame looms far rger than the ATR-72 behind you.

  C.C. follows, moving with calm precision, while Kurumi and Nami linger near the wings, eyes scanning the frame. Asia stays close to your side, giving your hand a brief squeeze before stepping onto the access dder.

  “This one’s bigger,” C.C. notes, gncing at the cockpit. “Electrics are more integrated. You’ll need to account for more connections, but the enchantment itself is the same. No surprises.”

  You climb the dder behind Asia, settling into the co-pilot’s seat. The cockpit is dark at first; screens are powered down. You tap the multifunction dispy already tied into the aircraft’s systems—a secure, non-central interface simir to what you used on the ATR-72.

  Carefully, you apply Enchant: Network Node through the dispy. Seconds ter, the interface recognizes all prior nodes: ATR-72 Turboprop, Eureka Regional Airport, the Forest River RV, the USS Portnd, and Prometheus Station. Mana flows are recalcuted automatically. Surplus from one node now bances across the network without further input.

  The cargo jet’s systems hum to life: gauges flicker amber, dispys light green, and the network summary poputes instantly. Expected mana generation is approximately 30,000–40,000 per hour, making this node a significant addition to your growing grid.

  Kurumi peers at the tablet. “So this just... joins the network?”

  “Yea,” you say, scrolling through the connections. “It’s not a backup generator. It’s a power station, networked, banced, and integrated. Everything else reacts automatically.”

  Asia lets out a quiet breath, eyes wide. “It’s... huge.”

  “It’s necessary,” you correct softly. The jet sits silently, engines idle, Silent Field active, contributing quietly but significantly to the network.

  You tap the screen once more. Node registered: Cargo Jet #001. Secure, connected, and fully functional.

  You pull out your phone, the screen lighting up with the Master Interface. The network topology unfolds cleanly—six nodes, all online, mana percentages updating in real-time. You scroll through each connection methodically, checking tency, upkeep costs, distance penalties.

  Everything resolves as expected. The ATR-72 is stable at 30/6000 mana, generating its absurd surplus. The cargo jet shows 18/6000, engines idling. The airport node hums at 3/6000, generators feeding power into the conversion enchantment. The RV sits at 915/4150, the Portnd at 1196/4150, Prometheus Station at 390/8500.

  You expand the crew roster next, checking the anchoring bands. Twenty-three names popute the list, each one showing a faint green indicator beside their entry. Connection stable. No dropouts. No failures.

  You tap Rin's name. Her band registers immediately, nearest node connection confirmed, biometrics normal, telepathy web active. You cycle through Asia, Maria, Mikasa. All green. No anomalies.

  Then you check the non-contracted dimensional travelers. Hinata. Robin. Nami. Erza. Kurumi. Musashi. Yoruichi. Sinon. C.C. Riveria. Albedo. Shinobu. Violet. Sango. Rika. Nova. Kenshin. Yusuke.

  Every single band resolves cleanly. No interference. No signal degradation.

  You exhale slowly, satisfied. The system is holding.

  Behind you, Kurumi leans against the cargo jet's nding gear, watching with faint curiosity. "Everything still working?"

  "Yeah," you reply. "Just making sure nothing broke when we added the aircraft. Sometimes new nodes cause interference."

  "And?"

  "Clean," you say. "No issues."

  C.C. descends from the cockpit, nding lightly beside you. "So now we have two grounded power stations, a working airport, and a network that bances itself."

  "Pretty much," you confirm.

  Nami steps closer, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. "So what's next? We just leave these pnes here humming forever?"

  "Until pilots come back to fly them," you say. "But yeah. They generate mana. The network distributes it. We don't have to babysit them. unless someone's dumb enough to turn them off or throw spears into the engines, it should be fine."

  Asia gnces toward the hangar doors, where faint moonlight filters through. "And the boat group? They should be here soon, right?"

  "They should have passed us by to Trinidad while I was programming," you state, focusing on the telepathy web and send a brief check-in.

  Hinata responds a moment ter, "Almost there." Albedo’s acknowledgment follows, steady and amused. Robin confirms visually, Erza adds a clipped "Two minutes.”

  You pocket your phone and turn toward the hangar exit. "Let's catch up. Once everyone's back to the trucks, we head north to Trinidad."

  The convoy pulls into Trinidad Harbor just as the boats are being secured to the dock. Thomas Reed is already there, hands moving with years of experience as he shows Erza how to tie a proper cleat hitch. Robin watches from her RIB, arms crossed, absorbing the lesson silently. Erza loops the line wrong twice before Thomas gently corrects her grip.

  "Like this," he says, patient. "Around the base, up and over, then lock it down. You want it tight enough to hold, loose enough to release fast if you need to."

  Nami nods once, repeating the motion fwlessly. Thomas grins. "Natural."

  You step out of your supply vehicle, Asia emerging beside you. The second Apache sits on the tarmac near the elementary school, rotors expanded, C.C. already in the pilot's seat running pre-flight checks. Riveria stands beside the cockpit, her elegant elven features calm as she gestures toward the instrument panel.

  "Asia, Violet," you call out. "You're learning piloting. C.C. and Riveria will walk you through it."

  Asia's eyes widen slightly, but she nods, moving toward the Apache with Violet close behind. Violet's restored hands flex once as she climbs the access dder, her expression thoughtful.

  You turn toward Vincent, who's already pulling tools from the back of his pickup. "Albedo's nding craft," you say. "Load what you need."

  Vincent nods, hefting a heavy toolbox. "Appreciate it. I'll grab the arc welder and the impact driver. Might need the cutting torch too."

  Albedo steps onto her nding craft with practiced grace, golden eyes tracking Vincent as he begins loading equipment. "I will ensure nothing shifts during transit," she says.

  Emma and Kieran move toward the RIBs. Robin gestures them aboard hers, while Nova climbs into the second with Rika and Erza. Emma settles into the passenger seat of Robin's RIB, hands gripping the edge nervously. Kieran sits beside Rika, watching her check her rifle with quiet respect.

  You board Hinata's nding craft, the deck solid beneath your boots. Hinata stands at the helm, pale vender eyes steady, hands resting lightly on the controls. Around you, the convoy assembles—vehicles, boats, helicopters, all waiting.

  You raise your voice, projecting across the harbor. "Your goal is to drive innd to Redding and find RVs and trailers. These will be your individual apartments on the LPD. Bring them back. Prioritize Size and luxury. They'll be personal space for years, kept clean and repaired by the enchantments."

  Musashi leans against her supply vehicle, arms crossed. "How many?"

  "As many as fit," you reply. "The LPD can hold dozens. We're building a private floating vilge, not a refugee camp."

  Kurumi tilts her head, golden-red eyes gleaming. "And if we encounter resistance?"

  "Avoid if possible. Engage if necessary. You're armed, trained, and supported by the network. Use your judgment."

  Nami steps forward from the speedboat, arms crossed. "What about timing? How long do we have?"

  You gnce at your phone, checking the sunrise estimate. "Sunrise is in about two hours. I need to be at the Portnd by then. You have longer, take the time you need, but don't dawdle. We want this done before hostile factions start moving."

  Sinon climbs into a supply vehicle, rifle secured beside her. "Redding's about two hours innd. If we move now, we can scout and return before noon."

  "Exactly," you confirm. "Albedo, you're leading the boat group. Keep the nding crafts together. Robin, Erza, Nova, Rika you're fnking. Vincent, Emma, Kieran, We'll hand you to the navy before we let out business distract us. Any questions?"

  Silence.

  You nod once. "Then let's move."

  Lines release. Engines turn over. The convoy splits cleanly, each group moving to its task.

  SnafuSam