A Dragon's Debt and a Cosmic Grudge
The Prime Root gently uncoiled from the Dragon Elder, its work done. It then silently, smoothly, retreated back into the stone floor, leaving no trace it had ever been there. The great Dragon, drained and humbled, slumped onto his bed of gold, the sheer scale of his betrayal and subsequent cleansing washing over him.
"Because mercy is a better fertilizer than vengeance," Ren replied simply, walking closer. "You were sick. The land doesn't punish a plant for having a blight; it helps it get well, if it can. You're part of this land. It's better to have you healthy than not to have you at all."
This simple, profound farmer's wisdom struck the ancient Dragon with the force of a physical blow. For millennia, he had operated on principles of power, dominance, and fear. Ren operated on principles of growth, health, and balance. It was a philosophy so fundamentally superior that the Dragon felt like a hatchling just emerging from its egg.
He lowered his massive, golden head until his snout was level with Ren, a gesture of ultimate submission and respect. * *
"I don't want your hoard," Ren said, wrinkling his nose at the dusty piles of gold. "But I will ask for your help. The real Blight is still coming. I need your eyes, your wisdom, and your strength. But this time, for real."
A pact was forged, not between a man and a monster, but between a farmer and the mountain, a gardener and his fiercest guardian.
Meanwhile, in the cold, silent space between realities, the Overmind felt the connection to its pawn sever. It had not just been a psychic link; a small portion of its own essence had been invested in the Dragon's corruption. The 'reset' performed by Ren hadn't just expelled the influence; it had annihilated that piece of the Overmind's being, cauterizing the link.
For the first time in its aeons-long existence, the Overmind felt a sensation akin to pain. And with it came a new, focused emotion: a cold, intellectual fury.
It had underestimated this 'farmer.' It had assumed he was a simple anomaly of life energy. It now understood he was a conceptual power, a rival force operating on principles it found disgustingly... wholesome. The direct approach of corruption had failed spectacularly. A new strategy was needed.
The Overmind turned its vast consciousness away from direct confrontation and towards a more insidious method. It couldn't break the farmer's power, but perhaps it could remove him from the board. It began to sift through the cosmic noise, searching for another being, another power it could manipulate.
It found one. The Bored Primordial Entity of Creation and Destruction.
The Overmind projected a careful, respectful thought across the dimensions. *
The formless entity stirred from its cosmic boredom. [Oh? A visitor. You're one of the Void-Blight things, aren't you? A bit far from your usual feeding grounds.]
the Overmind purred, its thoughts laced with psychic silk.
[My farmer? He's great, isn't he? Did you see what he did with the wheat? Hilarious!]
The Primordial Entity was silent for a moment. This was a point it had been considering itself. [Your point being?]
[I'm listening.]
[A farming competition? That's... brilliantly stupid. I love it! What are the stakes?] the Primordial Entity asked, its interest thoroughly piqued.
[And if he loses?]
It was a terrible, cosmic wager. The fate of a world and the soul of its champion, all hinging on a multiverse-level agricultural fair.
The Bored Primordial Entity considered it. The risk was immense. But the potential for entertainment was... sublime. A farming contest against champions from other realities? It was the most ridiculous, most wonderful idea it had heard in eons. Its very nature craved such novelty.
[You have a deal, bug-brain,] the Entity declared with cosmic glee. [Prepare your pocket dimension and find your champion. I'll handle the invitations. This is going to be the most interesting harvest season ever!]
Back on Dragon's Peak, Ren was preparing to leave, his mission accomplished. He had healed the Dragon, secured a powerful new ally, and felt confident in the safety of his world for the time being.
He was about to mount his Farm-Drake when a familiar, translucent blue screen popped into existence before his eyes.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations, Farmer Ren! Your performance in the prologue has been deemed 'Exemplary'! As a reward, you have been cordially invited to participate in the first-ever 'Primordial Grand Cosmic Bake-Off and Farming Jubilee'!]
[Participation is not optional.]
[Please prepare for immediate dimensional translocation.]
Before Ren could even process the words, the world around him dissolved into a swirl of rainbow light. The last thing he saw was the horrified, giant golden eye of the Dragon Elder.
His quiet life had been interrupted again. But this time, he wasn't just being dragged into the politics of the kingdom. He was being dragged into the politics of the entire multiverse. And his next challenge wouldn't be an army or a Lich, but a cosmic farming competition with the fate of his world on the line.