Chapter 6

Day 12: Agricultural Revelations and Questions of the Future

Irrigation has never been easier, I thought, Especially with how water works in this world.

Water is interesting in this world, in that it is effectively infinite. Not only that, but it changes properties seemingly without reason, based on factors I haven't quite figured out. And apparently, a bucket full of water, which is an infinite source of the stuff, can irrigate a large patch of soil around itself. Provided the soil is tilled, first.

If I didn't have such a small need to drink water, I'd be a bit more relieved by this. Instead, I'm relieved by the fact that, regardless of where I seem to get it, the water is safe to drink. Even the waste water seems to purify itself, if only at a slower pace.

The first few crops of mine were settled in, namely wheat and carrots. Which were the only things I had. Admittedly, it wasn't a great start, but I had to start my career somewhere, right? The "farm" I made was more of a small garden next to my cabin, fenced in with wood to keep out the animals. Speaking of which, I had managed to acquire a few animals at this point.

Built right behind my cabin was a fenced-in area that extended out to the left side of my cabin, connecting the fence to the garden's fence while keeping the animals that I had gathered already. For some reason, getting any of the cows, pigs, or sheep walking about was some kind of Sisyphean task, but simply holding a few seeds in my hand?

A veritable horde of chickens clucked about in the small area I had given them, some sleeping in the small coop I had made. While they eat… nothing, really, they'll eat any seeds I give them.

And then immediately start breeding with whatever chicken was closest.

Which is an implication about life in this world that I do not like.

The fuck would a human even need to- NO. This world may be many things, but it is NOT some perverted pornographic work!

I shook my head, picking up one of the now numerous chickens and quickly slashing the neck to kill it quietly. Not that the chickens around me would care. There must be some actual difference between animals and humans in this world, because these animals are completely aimless (except for eating seeds, for some reason) and have no need for food, while I certainly do and have goals, unlike these things. And I refuse to believe people's emotions could be manipulated so easily.

Probably just whatever's going on with my body's strange abilities. Again.

In any case, my agricultural lifestyle is beginning to take shape. At first, it'll have to consist of livestock, but once my crops fully grow, then I'll-

This is far too easy.

I had expected some kind of issue, some obstacle to my attempts at shifting my lifestyle from the harsh hunter-gathering outdoorswoman I had been to a much quieter farming life, but… Nothing. If I sleep quickly enough, the monsters don't appear, except in dark caves. Which can be nullified by simply illuminating the whole cave while exploring it for resources.

Those flying bat monsters? Only showed up last night, when I hadn't slept since the first time I got the bed. Which, if that means the side effect of not sleeping the night away (can't sleep the day away, already checked) is flying monsters appearing to harass you, and also the mental effects of not getting sleep, then what point is there to not happily resting away after a day of work?

None of those "servants" have shown up again, not from what I've seen. Nor has my detection spell really sensed any magical threats. Even the stuff I expected to be issues, like irrigation and weeds… aren't issues. Irrigation is near-automatic and infinite, and I haven't seen any plant other than grass, ferns or the occasional shrub, and trees of course.

So what challenge do I have in life? Survival is, barring unusual circumstances or natural disasters (which are still likely, of course.), a non-issue. Yet there's nobody to interact with. I haven't found any communities that I could join, or any trace of civilization. So what social ladder am I supposed to climb?

I headed inside, depositing the fresh chicken at the kitchen to dress it. As I grabbed the knife, I continued my thoughts. There's no company, no structure for me to climb to the top of. In fact, there's nothing but me. For once, I have nothing but myself to rely on. I can't even climb to some animalistic hierarchy in nature either, as there's no predators anywhere and I'm already on top. Not to mention, survival is even less of a challenge, when I seemingly can't die.

"How am I supposed to work for my retirement when there's nothing to-"

I paused, my knife still in the bird on the counter.

Why do I need to work for a retirement I basically already have? My worries boil down to, in essence, exactly what someone retired worries about. Just, without the entertainment along the way and the socialization I can't do.

I haven't even really stopped to process that. Sure, I am still working on various projects, like the start of my farming career… to support myself and myself alone. Who would I even make all this for? Well, myself, I suppose. I could experiment with my abilities, figure out what exactly each form of mana is. Invent things using the construction ability.

Exploring would be a way to get new things… but that can come later. After all, don't I have another house to build?

…Build for what, exactly? And for who?

Obviously, anyone from the Empire. After all, I can't slack off now when I've only been gone a few weeks at most.

Except nobody from there will come here.

I set the knife down and collected the bird parts, putting the night's dinner in the modified furnace (a real oven, with a range to cook on! Though, it is merely coal-fueled…) and storing the rest in a chest of various animal parts and fats.

Nobody from my first life found me. If someone from my second life were to come here, how would they even find me? Even still, they're all stuck in Being X's damnable cycle of reincarnation. I only got out because, what, he made me do exactly what he wanted, and disliked when it turns out what he wanted was war, death, and all that comes with it?

No, nobody else is coming. I am alone here, so why do I bother with keeping up the appearance of the perfect soldier, ready to return to the defense of the Heimat at any moment?

…I am alone.

I washed the grime from the chicken off in the sink, staring at my hands under the water. Once again, everything I worked for was wiped away, yes, but what did I do in the short time since?

Build a retirement in record time. The man I was in my first life would be jealous of me, I bet.

And yet I have nobody to spend it with. Now that I think about it, did I have anyone to spend it with in my first life? I did what was expected of me in social situations, but did I ever seek out a supposed true friendship?

No, I simply worked until I was shoved onto the train. How would I even know where to begin? Friendship isn't an economic value, just a personal- No, wait, many things are influenced by friendships. Which I never had, did I? Not in my first, and in my second-

…

…They were supposed to be shields. Why can't I think of them that way? Was there a memo I missed between us? Was it in those forgotten memories? No, not forgotten, tainted, locked away because-

He locked them away.

And now I have no idea why I feel, what, camaraderie? Is this what I was missing? How come I never felt this in my first life, then?

…No, I felt a form of it. Early on, with people I can barely remember now. And my parents, though that one is different compared to the friendships I barely remember from my childhood. Yet, it was also not as different as the camaraderie of my reliable adjutant. I suppose my parents earned my respect, and that meant I developed-

Did I develop the same relationship with Visha?

Who I won't see again.

I blinked, realizing the water went cold and already purified itself of the grime from my hands. The water was shut off, yet I hadn't let the water flow out of the basin.

If the sink is off, why is there water still dripping into it?

…Oh.

Meanwhile, Twelfth of Spring's Dawn, 12529 D.E.

The Great Anciartan Desert

Pitrin Village

SNORFF!

Urie shifted in the bed, disturbed by the sound of a very loud sniff next to his. Slowly, he opened his eyes…

And saw his damned mule's nose right in front of him, his head poking through the window.

"Dammit, Boor, don't do that!" He said, pushing the mule's face away while he sat up.

It had been five weeks since he left his village in flames, five weeks since the Black-Eyed King invaded the small Duchy of Mirvain, and five weeks since he saw his parents and siblings get sliced apart and shot down by the Illager raiders of the Black-Eyed King. Since then, he had traveled across the various kingdoms, avoiding rogue Illager bandits, monster hordes, and exorbitant bridge fees in any of the lands he passed through, regardless of what race of lord ruled it.

With Mirvain gone, as well as his family, all Urie had of the old Nozymas household was whatever his family managed to gather, before his father sent him off on Boor, the family mule, before the Pillagers arrived. There was nothing the then-seventeen year old Villager boy could do to the pillaging raiders, so despite his own internal conflicts, he followed his father's orders and escaped.

Now, he found himself headed towards probably one of the least civilized places on this side of the continent. The region Urie was headed to is often referred to as the Silver Wilds, for being one of the least tamed places in this part of the Overworld, and for the large concentration of silver in the region, an extremely rare precious metal. A peninsula separated from the Kingdoms and Clans that rule the rest of the continent of Anciart, both because of the madness of the Manor Lords who pillage it and because the Great Anciartan Desert surrounds the landmass on all ends, aside from the seas, of course.

The perfect place to hide from the Black-Eyed King's wrath. Of course, he had to cross the actual desert in the first place, which is why he was in the thick of the Anciartan Desert. More specifically, one of the last villages before he truly enters the greater expanse of the desert.

"Your companion is truly like no other, young traveler," An elderly voice said from the doorway, causing Urie to jump out of bed. A small chuckle escaped the elder at the sight.

"Boor may be, well, boorish, but he has been in the family for generations. I hope he can remain in the family for many generations more." Urie said, looking at the old man before him. "What do you wish to speak of, Shaman?"

In these parts, most mages cannot use the more complicated processes that involve Magicka, the lifeblood of the Overworld. Yet in many villages, dedicated Shamans or Clerics remain fixtures of life in these places. They can provide care for the wounded of the village, among other magical tricks, and often ward off the monsters from the village boundaries. Of course, some get through, but only the truly dangerous monsters are feared.

That's why each village has a Golem to defend themselves. Even with the Pillager menaces, many Anciartan Villagers opt for peaceful lives. Urie thought, while giving a respectful nod to acknowledge the Shaman's presence.

"I wish to warn you of what is occurring in the Wilds, your destination." The shaman said, returning the nod in the way one would greet a foreigner to the village and to the Desert culture.

"Are the Manor Lords uniting? Are the Monster hordes stirring?" Urie asked, anxious about either becoming a real threat, however not so much as normal. Everyone fears those two things happening anywhere in the Overworld, as far as most people can tell. So what exactly is different?

The shaman shook his head, replying shortly after. "The monsters are stirring, yes, but not to overrun the Wilds. No, something else is happening. I feel the lifeblood of the world flowing into a point, on the far western end of the peninsula. I can feel a distant glow, one as silver as the metal the Wilds sits over. It appeared not ten days ago, somewhere within the Peninsula's desert, and it has traveled further west for days until it stopped recently at the end of the Peninsula."

Urie blinked. That… never happens. There is nothing that shines like silver does, for Silver and Gold are the holiest and some of the most magically active materials in the Overworld. The Lifeblood, or Magicka as some people call it, never flows into anything. It always remains somewhere in the world, unmoving.

"I feel many emotions from the glow as well, the newest being a great depression," The shaman continued, a small silvery tear running down his face for some reason. "I must also warn you of another thing. The Enderfolk are being seen more and more. I do not know if it is related, but if the Great Tyrant is sending his minions up here, that does not bode well for the future."

"Monster hordes, Endermen, and something that glows the same as the Silver Wilds? At least only one of those never attacks Villages, but still… Thank you for the warning, wise one of the Desert." Urie said, bowing in thanks before moving to pack his things in the small hut.

"Be well, young one. I see many things will come to you, and you will live a long, interesting life. But be wary of the future. You may never know what will come to challenge you." The Shaman said, exiting the hut. Soon after, Urie followed, saying his goodbyes to the kind villagers who housed him on his journey.

Before him lies the last half of the Great Anciartan Desert, several days worth of walking the Westward Trails into the Wilds.

With a whimper from Boor, the two set off into the unknown, towards whatever awaits in the Wilds.

To his new future, whatever that may bring.

It brought sand.

Urie spat out the sand in his mouth, rinsing it in the pool at the edge of the desert. After several days, he had made it across the sea of sand, despite the treacherous terrain. It was a good thing those Creepers never attack people, else he would've had a horrible time getting across.

Before him, though, was the so-called Wilds.

The advice he had received was mostly "stay in the light" and "follow whatever roads there are." Which makes sense, so long as you can find a road.

Which was an issue for one reason. There was absolutely none in sight.

"...This is going to be awful, isn't it?" Urie asked, wondering which way he should go. North? South? West? What exactly is the closest village from here? Did he really plan this far ahead?

…No, he did not. Well, there was only one thing he knew there was something.

West. All the way across the peninsula, there was something there.

Urie looked up at the sun, seeing it was still a little under halfway gone.

"I should get moving."

Clearing the water off his head and out of his mouth, he saddled the old mule once again, and with a light kick, Boor was off.

Westwards. Towards the silver glow.

Into the Wilds he goes.

Our information on this "Imperial Federation" is incredibly limited, however we can make some guesses based on what we've recovered.

The Imperial Federation is supposedly from this world referred to as the "Overworld", however our basic translations have also picked up mentions of the "Nether" and "End", possibly their versions of the afterlife. Technologically, they seem to be either behind, at equal level, or ahead of us, with no clear indication of which.

The equipment and clothing gathered indicates that they are humanoid, and with the presence of three of our own languages, we can conclude that whoever the Imperial Federation rules over is, in some form, human. However, there is indication that there is a non-human, sapient presence within the Federation, possibly even sitting on the throne of this nation itself as some kind of immortal ruler.

Imperial Federation seems to be only the first two parts of the nation's name itself, however whatever follows is missing from the translated texts we found on the shores and in Frisia. The records of their rulers are likewise damaged, with the only clue as to what the leader of this nation may be is the title. "Kaiserin," as in the title for a female Emperor in Germanian. Considering the presence of Germanian as a language, and is one of the more common languages, we can only hope that if we ever have to interact with this nation, their leader does not hold some kind of grudge against us.

-Albish Intelligence Service report, December 15th, 1933

End of Year report on Extraterrestrial National Entity "Imperial Federation of [unknown]