Several days had passed since Tundra replied to the offer for the large planet.
During that time, he had spent most of his hours handling paperwork—though there wasn't nearly as much of it anymore.
Ever since the new unions had formed, independent worlds within his empire had become practically nonexistent.
Most administrative matters were now processed by the unions themselves.
Only the most important or large-scale decisions reached him.
Tundra didn't mind that arrangement, it gave him far more time to focus on other things.
Standing outside, he gazed up at the sky of the engineering planet.
He wondered if the buyers had already arrived at the planet.
Without another thought, Tundra launched into the air, flying toward the distant world.
Thankfully, he had studied the map beforehand, so he knew exactly where to go.
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Several hours later, the planet finally came into view.
It was enormous.
So massive that it almost seemed comparable in size to its own star.
The Ki radiating from the planet was extraordinary.
Even dozens of normal worlds combined couldn't compare, which made selling it slightly regrettable.
But the planet was also far too dangerous for large-scale operations.
For a long time, it had simply existed within his sphere of influence without serving any real purpose.
Now, at least, it would have one.
Even if the price felt somewhat disappointing.
Tundra landed on the surface.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
Then he felt something.
It came from his right side.
He didn't know exactly what it was—only that the sensation grew stronger when he turned his head.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from a nearby tree.
A dark humanoid fox with nine tails.
Tundra couldn't explain how he knew…
But he could immediately tell the figure in front of him was female.
The fox woman studied him carefully before speaking.
"Well… hello, Lord... Emperor Tundra."
Her voice carried a faint amusement.
"Your senses are far sharper than I expected."
"I didn't realize you would notice the magic I was using."
She clearly didn't feel comfortable addressing him as "lord."
Tundra's eyes narrowed.
"So you meant to test me?"
He paused.
"And the others hiding here?"
Truthfully, he wasn't entirely certain there were others.
From his limited experience with magic, he understood that it normally wasn't something he could detect—unless the user was careless.
But the situation made him suspicious.
The fox woman chuckled, covering her mouth.
"So you knew?"
"Or did you simply guess?"
She hadn't expected him to guess so accurately.
She couldn't even sense any magic from him, which made it unlikely that he had detected the others directly.
With a small wave of her hand—
Several more fox figures revealed themselves.
They looked nearly identical to her.
The only major difference was their fur.
Some were black.
Some gray.
Some white.
Tundra nodded slightly before turning back to the first fox.
"And your name?"
"My name is kiroa," she replied.
"I am the leader of the Dark Tribe."
Tundra considered this quietly.
Then he asked a question that had been on his mind.
"If it's not rude… may I ask if your fur colors signify anything?"
Kuroa smiled and nodded.
"They do."
"They represent both magical talent and magical specialization."
She gestured toward the others.
"For example, those with darker fur tend to have greater ability to absorb mana from the environment."
"Meanwhile, lighter fur indicates stronger magical output."
Tundra nodded thoughtfully.
This species seemed uniquely suited for magic.
They could even determine magical aptitude through appearance alone.
"You are a fascinating species," he said.
Then he extended his hand.
"Very well."
"I will sell you the planet for half price…"
"…on the condition that you teach me magic."
"Do we have a deal?"
The foxes exchanged uncertain glances.
Teaching magic to another species wasn't something they had ever attempted before.
After several silent exchanges, Kuroa finally stepped forward.
Because of Tundra's size, she could only grab two of his fingers.
Still, she shook them firmly.
"Yes," she said.
"We have a deal."
Tundra smiled.
"Good."
"Then I'll retrieve the paperwork while you prepare the payment."
Kuroa nodded—then paused.
She waved another fox forward.
This one had dark orange fur.
"We can handle the paperwork."
The fox picked up a small rock from the ground.
With a brief flash of magic, the stone transformed into a sheet of paper.
The entire contract was already written on it.
Kuroa took the paper and dismissed the fox.
Then she handed it to Tundra.
"Here, Emperor Tundra."
"The conditions are written, and we have already signed."
"All that remains is your signature."
Tundra chuckled slightly.
"Oh, I would love to."
"Unfortunately, my size makes using something small like a pen practically impossible."
Moments like this made him occasionally wish he could shrink himself.
Kuroa tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"That is… quite the predicament."
She thought for a moment before speaking again.
"How about we provide the payment first?"
"We can sign the contract later."
Tundra considered the suggestion.
There was little risk in waiting a few hours.
"Very well," he said.
"That works for me."
He paused before adding,
"And if your people ever require resources for magical research, inform me."
"I would be willing to fund such endeavors."
Kuroa nodded appreciatively.
She waved over another fox—this one with white fur.
The fox carried dozens of large boxes filled with gold pol.
He handed the boxes to Tundra before quietly returning to the others.
Tundra gathered the crates.
Then he lifted into the air and began flying back toward the engineering planet.
For the first time in a while—
He felt strangely excited about the future.