[Gather basic matter to form the foundation — 0/1000]
According to the manual, any material can be considered "basic matter".
In that case…
Alex stepped out of the dark space and returned with a pair of worn‑out gray sneakers he'd been planning to throw away.
He presented them to the silvery surface.
[Gather basic matter to form the foundation — 0,0000001/1000]
…Weren't there too many zeros? Alex blinked, unable to count them before they blurred and merged in front of his eyes.
It seems this mission is going to be much harder than he initially expected.
After thinking it over for a while, Alex went to the kitchen, filled his largest pot with water, carried it into the dark space, and poured the water into the plate.
[Gather basic matter to form the foundation — 0,0000010/1000]
It works!
Alex made a few more trips, bringing more water. Then he went to the store, bought a hose, and automated the process.
[Gather basic matter to form the foundation — 0,0000041/1000]
(0.000042/1000)
(0.000043/1000)
(0.000044/1000)
…
There was only one problem with that method: he wasn't rich and couldn't afford to waste that much water every day. He needed a way to do it for free and without drawing attention.
Alex mulled it over for a while, and slowly a determined expression appeared on his face.
That very day, he went online to research his options. Within a few weeks, he sold his apartment and, once the deal was finalized, packed all his belongings into a rented car and drove out of the noisy town where he had spent his entire life.
The road was long and dreary. At last, he reached his new home: an old wooden house on the lakeshore. It had recently been renovated just enough to reveal whatever limited potential it had, so there was internet, heating, and hot water. And roaches, of course, but they were part of the bargain, considering how cheaply Alex had managed to buy the place.
With the money he still had from selling the apartment, he could live here comfortably for a couple of years without working, provided he did some fishing to feed himself.
Alex had intended to spend the first few days simply settling into the new place. One should be patient, after all. But that proved impossible, and by evening, while some of his belongings were still unpacked, he was already attaching a hose to a newly bought pump that he was going to use to slowly siphon the lake into the silver plate.
After finishing the setup, Alex sat on the shore, watching the setting sun cast red ripples across the lake. It was a breathtaking sight, though he was only vaguely aware of it and of the mosquitoes gathering around him, whose overbearing presence, as he would soon learn, had contributed significantly to the house's low price.
The only thing on his mind was the steadily rising number:
3/1000
66/1000
143/1000
557/1000...