A 100-square-meter standalone apartment.
Ten of them in total.
Out of the 2,500 square meters available on the floor, only 1,000 were used. Each apartment came with a full wall of massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Lorien enchanted those windows so that the rightful owner could open an invisible passage and step straight inside.
That way, Spider-Women could come and go freely without hassle.
As for furniture, Lorien didn't bother creating any. He turned to Gwen and Wanda.
"Furniture and appliances are up to you. Gwen, you can either buy them yourselves, or let Wanda conjure them.
I'll set up the framework. You handle the details."
To Lorien, the framework was where his creativity shone. The details were tedious, and besides, girls loved dealing with details and furniture anyway. Best to leave it to Gwen and Wanda.
"Got it!"
"Mhm."
The result was obvious—Gwen and Wanda were thrilled. They could design and arrange the entire base exactly how they liked, without worrying about money or time. It was perfect.
Next, once the independent apartments were in place, Lorien waved his hand again. The space outside the apartments quickly took shape.
A public lounge, a large living room, and more.
A central hallway split the layout—on the left, TVs, gaming stations, and comic shelves; on the right, a dining area with fridges and appliances.
Within minutes, the essentials were complete.
As for the decor?
Lorien snapped his fingers, and everything was instantly finished.
All that was left was to fill the rooms.
"How's that?"
After finishing the residential base level, Lorien dusted off his hands.
Gwen and Wanda, seeing the framework, were already imagining what would go where.
"This is amazing! A massive luxury loft!"
Gwen looked around.
Floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, a wide-open center.
It was perfect.
"Come on, let's go." With the floor done, Lorien waved again.
"Three more levels to finish. I'll move fast so you can start filling it with furniture this afternoon."
"Let's go, let's go!" Gwen trailed after him eagerly.
Next came the fourth-to-last level.
As planned, Lorien turned it into a training area.
Of course, 2,500 square meters didn't all go to training. A thousand square meters of workout space was already massive.
In the remaining area sat the gravity chamber Tony had once built for him.
Lorien had acquired it ages ago, but never got the chance to use it—until now.
And for the leftover space?
After thinking for a moment, he added a 500-square-meter swimming pool along with several communal lounge zones.
That felt just right.
Once the plan was clear, Lorien snapped his fingers.
"Snap~"
In an instant, the entire 2,500-square-meter space transformed before their eyes, built exactly as Lorien envisioned.
The training equipment was top-tier, heavy-duty beyond belief.
Weights started at hundreds of kilograms—half a ton, a ton, even several tons.
The metal used had to be specially forged by Lorien himself.
And with the gravity chamber amplifying the load, he also had to reinforce the structure with Phoenix Force. Otherwise, the building would have crumbled under the sheer weight.
Then came the pool, the water, the leisure zones.
When everything was finished—
"Wow~~~"
Gwen's eyes sparkled, filled with admiration as she stared at Lorien.
With just a wave of his hand, entire worlds took shape.
This was a miracle.
Wanda, looking over the equipment, muttered,
"Just looking at it makes me want to try."
Lorien chuckled.
"You can't."
"Huh?"
"These machines may look normal, but they start at hundreds of kilos. For Spider-Man, whose strength is measured in tons, a few hundred kilos is just a warm-up set."
"..."
Hundreds of kilos—just warm-ups.
That was the kind of weight Earth's strongest weightlifters and strongmen trained with at their limits.
For Spider-Man, it was nothing more than a stretch.
Remember the Winter Soldier, with that vibranium arm that could knock Cap back several steps in a single punch?
Yet Spider-Man had once caught that arm effortlessly with just one hand.
That's the difference.
In the Marvel Universe, mutation granted terrifying strength.
Hence the saying: the rich rely on tech, the poor rely on mutation.
...
With the training level complete, only the fifth-to-last floor remained—the conference room and study.
The simplest of all.
With a wave of Lorien's hand, a massive round table materialized.
Twelve high-backed chairs surrounded it.
And etched into the tabletop was a giant spider emblem.
Seeing it, Gwen froze for a moment—then her eyes lit up.
"Lorien, let's make this our Spider Alliance emblem!"
"What?"
"The spider pattern on the tabletop!"
Wanda looked over.
On the surface of the round table, a Spider-Man emblem appeared—directly aligned with the innermost, highest seat of the circle.
Lorien had recreated the symbol from memory. In the movies he'd seen, Spider-Man's emblem looked exactly like this.
"Works for me," Lorien nodded.
Wanda glanced around the conference room with curiosity.
"I swear I've seen this scene somewhere before."
"You have." Lorien chuckled. "I borrowed it from the Knights of the Round Table."
Knights of the Round Table—no need to reinvent the wheel. Just lift the idea whole. And it carried plenty of prestige too.
Wanda couldn't help but laugh at how bluntly he admitted it.
Then Lorien waved his hand again.
Outside the conference room, more spaces took form—a library study, an equipment room with a nanotech suit printer, and a few other facilities.
With that, the fifth-to-last floor was complete.
The main framework for all three floors was now finished. All that remained were the finer details, which Gwen and Wanda could handle themselves.
As for the other five floors, they could stay empty until needed. No rush.
Lorien checked the time—it was already past 11 a.m.
"Lunch?" he suggested.
Gwen thought for a moment. "Let's invite Silk. She's alone, and this way she can meet Wanda."
"Agreed," Wanda nodded. "They'll have to get to know each other anyway. Let's bring her along and eat out."
"Fine by me," Lorien said.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Snap~"
In the next instant, the three of them appeared outside Silk's temporary room.
Gwen stepped up and knocked.
"Knock knock~~"
"Cindy, are you home?"
Two seconds later, there was a light thud inside.
The door swung open.
"Sorry, Gwen, I just woke up. You—"
Mid-sentence, Cindy froze when she noticed Lorien and Wanda standing behind Gwen.
Her hand shot to her face.
No mask!
She panicked, about to run back inside.
But Gwen waved her hand with a sigh.
"Wanda's one of us. Even before you came, the citizens were already calling the two of us the Goddess Alliance."
Hearing that, Cindy stopped. She turned back, gave Wanda a small nod, and said,
"Hello, I'm Cindy Moon."
Wanda introduced herself as well.
After a short exchange, Gwen asked,
"Cindy, have you eaten lunch yet? If not, come with us. We can talk about the Spider Alliance while we eat."
"Uh, no… sorry. I couldn't sleep last night, so I only just woke up."
Cindy brushed her hair awkwardly—then realized by touch.
"Oh no, my hair's a mess! Just wait a sec, I'll be right back!"
As Cindy bolted back inside, Gwen blinked in surprise and turned to Lorien.
"I thought… she'd be more of an aloof Spider-Man."
"Same here," Wanda nodded.
With her looks, her figure, her gaze, and her aura, Cindy gave off that vibe at first. Lorien had thought the same—cold, untouchable.
But clearly, she wasn't.
Or maybe she was only open around them, and stayed distant with others?
Well, whatever. Spiders did tend to have lively personalities.
A moment later, Cindy returned, her hair neatly fixed. But she glanced down at her outfit and frowned.
"I can't go out like this…"
She was still in her Spider-Suit. Wearing it openly in public would be a disaster.
Lorien looked toward Wanda.
Wanda nodded in understanding, stepped forward, and flicked her fingers.
Scarlet energy swept over Cindy like a breeze.
In an instant, her Spider-Suit shifted into casual wear—jeans, a T-shirt, and a light jacket.
Cindy froze in shock, staring down at herself before turning wide-eyed to Wanda.
"Cool~! Is this magic?"
"Yes." Wanda withdrew her hand and returned to Lorien's side.
But Silk hesitated, then asked again.
"What about my battle suit? Is it gone? I spent so long making it myself."
Gwen patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. Lorien has already set up the Spider Alliance base. You can move in tonight, and I'll stay with you there for a few days."
"There's also a fitness center, study areas, and high-tech battle suits that'll make you more agile and adaptable—even able to breathe in space."
Gwen spoke so quickly that Silk froze, stunned.
"We only talked about this last night, and it's already done?"
"Of course." Gwen grinned proudly. "Lorien's the best—he's like a god!"
"No, even stronger than GOD!"
"Whoa~" Silk gasped.
After everything Gwen had shown yesterday afternoon—her powers, her opinions, her decisions—all of it tied back to Lorien Su.
When Silk looked at him again, her eyes carried a newfound respect.
She'd figured out the hierarchy. Gwen was strong, but Lorien was clearly the true king.
...
Lorien took the three girls to a quiet, out-of-the-way restaurant for lunch.
Once they arrived, he thought aloud.
"Shouldn't we get a bigger car? If there are more than two of us, Jetfire won't fit."
Wanda considered it and agreed. A larger vehicle was indeed necessary.
"Or maybe prepare a few cars instead?" Gwen suggested.
Lorien nodded. "Yeah, several cars would be better. There'll probably be more people in the future."
Silk listened to their conversation, finding it all so novel.
A skyscraper, an alliance, cars, apartments…
Piece by piece, it was starting to feel like home.
At the restaurant, Lorien ordered the dishes he, Gwen, and Wanda liked. Then he handed the menu to Silk.
"Pick whatever you like—or just add some sides."
Silk was embarrassed at first, but after hearing Lorien's words, she took the menu and ordered something.
That was exactly what Lorien intended.
Make her feel included.
Even if she only ordered one dish, she wouldn't feel like an outsider.
Once she joined the Spider Alliance, her bond with Gwen would tighten.
And if she got along with Gwen and listened to her, that would naturally connect her to Lorien as well.
Kind of like Hela's two brothers.
Did they have a direct tie to him? No.
Lorien could ignore them without consequence. But if something happened and he could help easily, he would.
No real cost, no burden.
That was Lorien. Not cold-blooded—just rational, grounded, and without lofty airs.
He could chat with a homeless man and buy him a loaf of bread.
He could sit down with a president, or even a god, and talk just as easily.
As long as the person was normal and didn't make him uncomfortable, that was enough.
Nothing more, nothing less.
...
Before long, the food arrived, and the four began eating while talking.
Gwen used the chance to discuss the Spider Alliance's purpose, rules, and future plans with Silk.
Silk listened carefully.
But in between, she kept sneaking glances at Lorien and Wanda.
Because while she chatted with Gwen, Lorien was also exchanging words with Wanda.
Wanda would place food on his plate.
Sometimes she'd even feed him directly.
If sauce touched his lips, she'd take a napkin and wipe it away for him.
Every gesture was thoughtful and intimate.
Silk couldn't help feeling jealous.
That wasn't just a partner—that was someone being doted on like a child, and loving every second of it.
But here was the problem.
Lorien… wasn't he Gwen's partner?
That's how it looked when she first met them.
Yet now he was just as close with Wanda.
And the craziest part—Gwen clearly saw it and didn't care at all.
Sometimes she even leaned over so Lorien could feed her too.
This was…
Wait!
Silk suddenly pieced it together.
The Goddess Alliance.
Gwen and Wanda were together.
They even lived together.
And earlier that noon, they'd said something along those lines.
Which meant…!
Oh my god!
Silk's heart thudded violently.
But with the shock came overwhelming curiosity.
What exactly had the three of them gone through?
How did they meet?
What was that process like?
And how did they finally agree to… this?
Silk's inner thoughts were the same as any normal girl's in her place.
I need the full story!
What the hell happened here?!
Even while shaken inside, she kept chatting with Gwen as if nothing was wrong.
Eventually, Gwen asked,
"Cindy, what do you think of the alliance?"
"I… I think it's great!" Silk nodded quickly.
"Really?" Gwen's face lit up.
"Really!" Silk confirmed with another nod.
A base, private apartments, a fitness center, a community of Spiders, friends—and juicy drama too.
If she didn't join, what else would she do?
Hide alone in some tiny room? How boring!
"That's wonderful~!"
Hearing her immediate agreement, Gwen reached out her palm in welcome.
"Welcome to the Spider Alliance family. You're the first to join, but I doubt you'll be the second."
Looking at the hand before her, Silk raised her own and clapped it.
Clap~
"Mhm." She nodded firmly. "We'll definitely make lots of friends—and we'll help the whole city too!"
"Exactly!"