After testing the inventory ability a few times by storing and retrieving various items, Maximilian thought of testing reality manipulation.
So, he stood up went to the centre of the room, reached out his hand and imagined tiny fireball with lowest temperature floating above his hand.
After a second, he felt something inside of him being drained but also replenished rapidly and a few moments later, there was indeed a fireball hovering over his outstretched hand.
Max became jubilant after the initial success, so he thought of changing fireball into waterball and the changes were immediate.
And so, he tested with different elements such as earth, air, thunder, light etc. After he was done being an amateur mage, he thought of using it for something useful.
Because let's face it, he won't need to conjure fire and thunder in day to day life. So he thought of manipulating reality and bringing a chocolate bar in front of him.
He started imagining what he wanted and could feel the constant drain of aether as air shimmered in front of him.
He had to really exert himself as his forehead started dripping with sweat.
When the chocolate materialized in front of him, Max was stupified as he reached out to take it in his hand.
But as he observed it, he began to feel disappointment as the texture of wrapper around the chocolate was different leading him to believe it's not real.
So, he asked Ava:
'Ava this chocolate doesn't seem to be real, why is it so?'
[Master, reality manipulation requires precise instructions if you want to conjure an item, such as molecular and atomic structures of different components inside the desired elements, how these structures interact with reality etc.]
[You summoned fireball earlier successfully because it was temporary and its structure was simple enough]
'Okay'
'I guess I can't perform the holy miracle of turning water into wine.'
[No master, but you can directly create wine with your creation ability]
'Oh yeah, there's the upside.'
After playing with reality manipulation a few more minutes, Max sat down on the chair nearby and asked Ava:
'If my creation ability can alter other people's perception and affect reality, then Can't I just produce a document that certifies me being the the owner and the absolute monarch of this nation or this whole world for the matter?'
[Yes, you can master but the cost would be too much. For example, there are 11 billion people in this nation and to truly become the absolute monarchy/owner of this country, you would need approx 20 ton of CE.]
[And for the whole world, you'd need at least 13,000 ton of CE]
He chuckled hearing her answer and shook his head while saying:
'Well I guess, peaceful world domination is out of the window for the time being.'
[It seems so master]
Max then went ahead to look out the window and observed the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood with kids playing and shouting, unemployed hooligans blasting rap music from the car woofers, supplemented by occasional dog barks.
As he lost himself in the chaotic melody of urban environment, he noticed the morning sun will soon give way to the afternoon light.
And he realised he hasn't even had a breakfast yet.
So, as he went towards the kitchen, he thought of having something fancy to celebrate his birthday.
But when he thought of using his creation ability, it seemed very wasteful as with the same amount of CE, he could create a 1000 dollars dish or literally a stack of real 100,000 cash.
Therefore, he settled on creating a debit card with a very fat bank account in his name. And so, he spoke in his mind:
'Ava, create a debit card with a bank account whose balance is 10 billion dollars in my name and setup the banking app on my phone for it.'
[Okay master, this task will require 20 gram of CE. 8 g for the debit card, 12 g for setting up the account at BoE (Bank of Eldoria) and configuring the account on your phone]
Maximilian waited with bated breath as the air shimmered in front of him with swirling lights.
After a few moments, a stylish black debit card materialized in front of him and his smartphone gave out a notification chime
Holding the card in his hand, Max felt an inexplicable peaceful sensation settle over him as he realised that he didn't need to do back breaking work just to earn a modest living.
After storing the debit card in his inventory, he walked towards his phone to check out his account balance.
As he operated the old smartphone, Max felt it was lagging and glitching more than usual causing him curse out in irritation and calling out:
"Goddamn it... Hey Ava, can you add the mobile phone and computer functions to my system menu which I can access with my mind?"
[Yes, master. I can. Do you want the same mobile number as your current one or do you want to create a new one?]
'Create a new one that's untraceable and valid in all the countries and link of my all important information such as bank account, id etc to it.'
[The cost to upgrade system menu with desired functions is 50 gram of CE. You will have comms and supercomputer capabilities accessible through system screen. So you wish to proceed?]
[Yes] / [No]
Max affirmed his choice by selecting the yes option.
Hence, he felt some changes going through instantly in some part of himself as he noticed a new option added to the system menu named Smart AR.
After testing the AR(Artificial Reality) functions, Max went out to check his balance across all accounts which became $10,000,005,673 from the initial $5,673.
When he was done playing with the AR, he changed into his best looking outfit that fit him perfectly and made him look like a celestial heartthrob.
As Maximilian was adjusting his looks and admiring himself in the mirror, he decided to pack up what's necessary and stay at a nice hotel.
And so, he packed up all the stuff he wanted take away, called out his grumpy old landlord about leaving the place and walked towards the exit.
After arriving at the door, he opened it and gazed at his old cramped apartment with a hint of nostalgia as he lived here for almost 2 years.
Taking a deep calming breath, Maximilian muttered to himself while smiling as he walked towards the stairs:
"Future, Here I Come."