《Vast Martial World》


 Prologue: It Started with an Offer...

    InnerSectDed13: Howdy


    CrummyJump3r: What¡¯s up?


    InnerSectDed13: So a game I was in the closed beta for is going to open beta.... You wanna play?


    CrummyJump3r: What kinda game


    InnerSectDed13: It¡¯s a sim game. Mostly about resource management, funding, etc. You control your own faction. There are dozens of races and possibilities. It¡¯s gonna be big, man.


    CrummyJump3r: Omg, this is the one you¡¯ve been talking about for months? Isn¡¯t it based on chinese shit? No way.


    InnerSectDed13: Hear me out! Sure, it has things like Qi, cultivation, and some references to asian mythology, but it really is just a sim game. You¡¯ll love it.


    CrummyJump3r: Idk man...


    InnerSectDed13: You know what else is based on ¡°chinese shit¡±, you racist dick? DBZ. You fucking love THAT.


    CrummyJump3r: What?


    InnerSectDed13: At least try itThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    CrummyJump3r: Why do you want me to play so bad? It¡¯s a sim game, play alone.


    InnerSectDed13: This game is different. So you make a sect, and then send your disciples out into the world, where they compete against other people¡¯s disciples for treasure, glory, powerful techniques, etc.


    CrummyJump3r: All the more reason I DONT want to play. I can¡¯t just start out and expect to compete against people who have been playing for a month. Count me out.


    InnerSectDed13: No no no! The servers were reset. Everyone is starting over tomorrow. EVERYONE. You¡¯ll be fine to jump in.


    CrummyJump3r: Yea, but everyone else has played for a month.


    InnerSectDed13: I¡¯ll help you! And it¡¯s hard to explain¡­ playing once won¡¯t necessarily help you much. It¡¯s more about¡­ taking advantage of your surroundings? You spawn in a different spot everyday. It¡¯s like how you research different stuff first in civilization. You can¡¯t plan ahead.


    CrummyJump3r: But you still know efficiencies, and you recognize resources. Tradeoffs can be made


    InnerSectDed13:Oh fuck you. It¡¯s a game, dude. A fun one. I know you love sim games. Just try it. Follow the link and make an account: VastMartialWorld.com


    CrummyJump3r: ...Alright, whatever. But if I get stuck, or start to lose, I¡¯m gonna quit


    InnerSectDed13: ...lol


    CrummyJump3r: What are you laughing at?


    InnerSectDed13: Nuthin, nuthin. When have you ever quit something because you weren¡¯t doing well?


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    InnerSectDed13: Hurry and set up your shit. Servers go up in an hour. My username is the same ingame. Add me as a friend, and it will make it so our sects start near each other.


    InnerSectDed13: Like nextdoor neighbors?


    CrummyJump3r: Something like that.

 Chapter 1: And the Lottery Wheel Spun…

    Feeling bemused at my own actions, I logged into Vast Martial World. My screen went black, and after a few seconds, a countdown appeared on the screen. 2 minutes and 5 seconds. Sighing, I got up out of my chair and got myself a glass of water, and then came back to my computer.


    I watched the numbers tick down.


    10


    9


    8


    7


    6


    5


    4


    3


    2


    1¡­.


    The screen once again went black. After a slight delay, a message appeared.


    Welcome to Vast Martial World! In this game, you take the role of a wounded ancestor, attempting to guide your descendents through to prominence as a powerful and influential sect! Your primary job is threefold. First, you will allocate resources between the disciples of the sect. As the sect grows, this will become increasingly difficult to do with specificity, so you will be forced to create scaffolding that will accomplish that for you. Your second job is to guide your disciples by assisting in their creation of techniques, through naming and by setting the nomological phrasings that form their power base. The final job is to assist your disciples in earning you Face, which can be used to send your disciples to powerful hidden dimensions, tournaments, or ancient tombs so they might gain good fortune!


    I scratched my head. Sect? Resources? Nomological phrasings¡­.?


    At least face seemed straightforward as a resource, although the naming was a bit¡­


    Another notification popped up.


    We have detected this is your first time playing. Play with tips on?


    Although it was painful to do it, I selected yes. Immediately the screen shifted, showing a small valley next to a mountain. A huge waterfall careened off a cliff and crashed into one side of the valley, where a pool formed. Otherwise, there were a few trees and bushes, but nothing too impressive.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The graphics were surprisingly decent, if a bit stylized for my taste. The view was zoomed out, but I couldn¡¯t seem to scroll to look anywhere else around me. The edges of my vision ended sharply, the known world a square than encompassed the valley. I couldn¡¯t really even see where the waterfall came from, that part was cut off too.


    ¡®Oh, I can zoom in,¡¯ I thought, suddenly noticing. Once zoomed in, I could scroll around, looking at my valley with a more discerning eye. The waterfall came from the west, and it and the pool took up the western third.The central area was mostly forest, but to the north the ground sloped up, leading upwards into what I assumed would be a mountain range. To the east, the river that flowed from the pool meandered for a bit among more forest. Not too much interesting.


    A menu popped up, asking me what I wanted my starting race to be. My friend had explained that humans had the most talent with techniques, but had weak bodies. Demons had rapid cultivation, but didn¡¯t have the patience to develop techniques. And animals had powerful bodies, but were very slow at cultivation.


    My friend had recommended that I go for animals, because the powerful bodies made them more durable early, making it more noob friendly. I selected animals, but an even more daunting list appeared before me. I scrolled slowly through, but by the time I reached the D¡¯s I was already bored. There was a surprising amount of specificity here, naming almost to the individual species. Also interesting was there was some definitely unrealistic animals listed like the ¡°Goblin-faced Boar¡±, or ¡°Demon Bat¡±.


    Luckily, there was a small golden button on the bottom left that said ¡°Lottery¡±. After a slight hesitation I clicked it.


    Selecting lottery will randomly choose an animal race. An additional nomological phrase associated with your sect will be allowed. Additional, higher ranked options will be included. However, there is a chance that the species will not match your chosen Biome. Proceed anyway?


    I shrugged. Who cares. If it was bad, I could quit.


    A huge wheel appeared and began to spin. Names flashed past, faster than I could see. After about 10 seconds, it began to slow, but it slowed slowly, so the names that I passed could be seen, adding a perverse sort of agony to waiting.


    ¡®Acid Ant¡¯


    ¡®Hippogriff¡¯


    ¡®Dire Koala¡¯


    ¡®Lamia¡¯


    The slowing continued. Almost against my will, my eyes were bulging as I saw, in the far part of the wheel. Appear a new, very impressive sounding name: Dragon Eagle.


    Turning, the needle approached it.


    It was barely moving now, dragging itself through the Four-Armed Sloth, into the space occupied by Dragon Eagle


    Stop.


    Please stop.


    Oh great game, have mercy on this noob. I have never played, and I need an extra edge to compete.


    I will never again doubt the superiority of simulation games based on chinese web novels¡­!


    STOP.


    ¡­..


    Congratulations! Your sect shall be the ¡°Red-eyed Turtle Sect¡±.


    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 Chapter 2: Thanks, Wikipedia

    Although I was extremely annoyed that I missed out on Dragon Eagles, I couldn¡¯t deny that the 30 odd turtles that spawned after my race was selected were cute. Most amusingly, they walked on their hind legs, wandering around the valley. A few jumped in the water and were splashing each other playfully.


    A smile tugged at my lips. ¡®Well, you weren¡¯t the ideal, but¡­ you are still my adorable children. I will protect you all!¡¯


    Tips appeared, showing that population was in the lower right corner, Face in the upper right. There were 32 turtles and I had 100 Face.


    Another notification popped up: Please select a location for your sect headquarters.


    After looking at the valley again, I chose a spot near the pool formed from the waterfall. I did set it somewhat back, away from the waterfall, because the amount of water coming down seemed a little dangerous.


    Clicking, I watched with a certain amount of amusement as the turtles swarmed to work, creating small handaxes from nowhere and chopping down trees, swiftly erecting a smallish lodge.


    When completed, 3 small fireworks shot up, exploding over the pool of water, reflected brilliantly. The turtles politely clapped.


    ¡®Huhuhu, such hard working children¡­ Now what do I do-¡¯


    Please enter your nomological truths of the sect. Due to lottery, you may choose 3 truths.


    Three completely blank boxes appeared in front of me.


    ¡®Do I just...type stuff in¡­? How would that even work¡­?¡¯


    First, I alt-tab¡¯d out and looked up nomological.


    ¡®Laws that lack logical necessity or theoretical underpinnings, huh¡­¡¯ I thought, wondering what to do.


    Then my eyes glinted, the dream of the Dragon Eagles still firmly planted in my heart.


    ¡°The Sky is the Sea!¡±


    1st Nomological Truth Accepted.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°To Sky Swim is to fly, and it is possible to travel anywhere!¡±


    2nd Nomological Truth Accepted.


    ¡°We are descended from¡­ ¡°


    I paused. I needed something that sounded powerful. Humu.


    ¡°We are descended from¡­ the Red-eyed Osprey Turtle!¡±


    3rd Nomological Truth Partially Accepted. Error. Please revise.


    A box appeared.


    I grimaced. So osprey turtle really wouldn¡¯t do it, huh¡­?


    But I looked, slack-jawed, that Osprey Turtle was greyed out, apparently locked in. What was rejected was Red-eyed¡­.?


    I guess the point was that I was descended from something extraordinarily powerful, right? Then the problem wasn¡¯t that it was too ridiculous, but that¡­


    It wasn¡¯t nearly ridiculous enough!


    ¡®What sort of game was this¡­?¡¯


    But even though I thought this, I was still grinning. It was¡­ fun in a strange way, even if it basically just would affect the name of my sect, I suspected.


    After a bit of research online, it seemed that the most common powerful nomological type was yang. So maybe just Yang-eyed? That still seemed boring¡­


    What if¡­


    I clicked behind the greyed out Osprey Turtle text. Surprisingly, I was able to select it, and add text there. Giggling, I typed.


    ¡°We are descended from¡­ the Osprey Turtle whose Gaze is the Sun!


    3rd Nomological Truth Accepted! Calculating race¡¯s personality¡­


    Personality determined! The Red-eyed Turtle will be: Stubborn, Arrogant, Unrelenting, and Volatile!


    ¡­.Aren¡¯t those all terrible things¡­.? Especially combined¡­.?


    A beam of light descended, hitting the lodge of the sect, and the glow slowly spread out suffusing into all of the surrounding turtles. I watched slightly worriedly. My people were¡­ less rational than I had hopped. Well, I suppose I could be a warlike people?


    ...of turtles¡­?


    Anyway, although this was all fun, it hardly felt like a simulation game at all¡­.


    Several moments passed, all of the turtles completely still.


    *Boop, Boop, Boop*


    As soon as I thought nothing was going to happen, three turtles had little dialogue boxes with exclamation points hovering above their heads. Curious, I clicked on one.


    ¡°Humph, humph, I am Madam Shellton. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of me. I¡¯ve noticed that our resources have gone unused for far too long. Send the resources to me, and I will lead our Sect to greatness. What we need is power! Training! Tempering! Using the herbs gathered, I will strengthen our youths so we may honor our great ancestor. Sending them to stand under the waterfall shall do nicely. Some might perish, but they are naught but the weak anyway, hurr hurr. Needless to say, if you do not choose to support me¡­ well. Perhaps you aren¡¯t as wise as you are cracked up to be!¡±


    This¡­.


    Isn¡¯t this an ultimatum?


    From an NPC in game?!?


    FIRST THING?!?!?

 Chapter 3: I’ve trained my whole life for this

    What was most disturbing about the ordeal was that there was a text box to type a response to Madam Shellton. Was I expected to respond with words¡­?


    What sort of AI could handle that?


    Before I had the chance to look at the other exclamation points, a tip came up about income. Income is displayed in the lower left corner, and occurs daily in game, 1 hour in real life. Currently, my income bar displayed some wood looking planks +10, a little green herb thing +3, and a turtle +1.


    After mousing over, it was as I thought. Wood, Spiritual Herbs, and population. Although I wasn¡¯t quite sure what Spiritual had to do with Herbs, it was the resource that Madam Shellton wanted.


    Another tip appeared, telling me that I was in a ¡°Decision Moment¡±. As I decided how to allocate my resources. During that time, time was paused within my Sect area. However, other¡¯s time is not paused, so they could be becoming powerful as I considered.


    I looked at the two other exclamation point individuals. Dr. Slowand: a bent over old turtle that wanted the herbs for healing and the wood used to build additional houses, and Derek Shelley, who urged we trade our resources for weapons.


    Unfortunately, all of turtle-ly options were equally fire and brimstone about refusal.


    ¡°Kukuku¡­¡± I chuckled aloud, ¡°You think this is a challenge? I have worked a middle management position at a dead end job for years! This is nothing!¡±


    My play style focused around having higher population. I assume the more turtles I had, the more I could do other things, whenever the game actually started. Thus, I wanted to go with Dr. Slowand.


    I began typing out a message to Madam Shellton.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought to use the herbs in that way! Truly innovative. However¡­ hum hum, you know the difficult situation within the sect. Yours is the correct path, but the others¡­ They do not recognize your wisdom in the way that I do. How about this: while you and I make preparations to implement a more strict training regimen for the young turtles, we placate the others. What do we get in the meantime? More bodies. More bodies training, which is the entire point. Please, feel free at any time to bring me your ideas, they are incredibly helpful¡­¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I typed out a similar response to Derek Shelley, except that the bodies would be used to harvest more Spirit Herbs, which we could then trade.


    To Dr. Slowand, I only sent my assent. He immediately began construction of 4 wooden houses, and a Doctor¡¯s Quarters. To my delight, my incomes rose to +3 Population.


    But then I hesitated. What was I supposed to do with the next hour¡­? How did you really play this game¡­?


    Before I could think about it too much, however, something happened.


    I was zoomed in rather close, so I saw the entire thing. The turtles seemed to behave in quite a humanlike manner, walking around in groups and chatting. But there was one turtle who was always completely alone.


    That loner turtle happened to cross paths with a group of three turtles, who I had noticed had been hanging around Madam Shellton. I was pondering whether there were factions within my sect when the loner tripped. Notifications began popping up.


    Due to his arrogance, Young Master Pebbles has insulted Snapper, who tripped.


    Young Master Pebbles¡¯ cronies laugh.


    Snapper is insulted.


    Due to his high Arrogance, Snapper cannot condone this loss of face.


    Due to his high Stubbornness, Snapper refuses to back down, even though outnumbered.


    Due to his high Volatility, Snapper has attacked Young Master Pebbles and his cronies!


    I watched as Snapper stood, his tiny turtle body trembling. Then he struck, punching Young Master Peebles in the jaw with his fist.


    Wait, he was a turtle. Does he have a fist¡­? Is it some kind of hoof¡­?


    I made a mental note to research turtles some more, but as Young Master Pebbles fell to the ground, his cronies reacted with surprising detail. One stumbled backward, shocked, but the other leapt towards Snapper.


    They grappled for a small amount of time, but Snapper got the better of that crony, throwing him to the ground. By that time, the other crony had circled around and got Snapper in a headlock. It seemed a little awkward, because their shells got in the way, but Snapper couldn¡¯t break free.


    At the last second, just as it seemed Snapper¡¯s strength was about to give out, he heaved, throwing the final crony into a tree.


    *Boop*


    *Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop*


    An exclamation appeared over the thrown crony, then Snapper, then Young Master Pebbles¡­.


    I zoomed out. The final two were over Madam Shellton and Dr. Slowand. Seeing as it was the first to appear, I clicked on the exclamation point over the crony.


    Crony 1 has died!


    Eh¡­?


    Sure enough, my population had decreased to 31.

 Chapter 4: Might Makes Right

    After scratching my chin in the wake of the crony¡¯s sudden death, I pulled up a can of pringles from below my desk and popped it open. I munched contentedly.


    ¡®Ah, my babies are so troublesome¡­¡¯


    Then I clicked on Snapper¡¯s exclamation point.


    Due to an insight in the midst of battle, Snapper has learned the technique ¡°Elementary Shoulder Throw Lvl 1.¡±


    Like, right in the middle of battle? He had an insight? Into what?


    As I frowned at the screen, a tip popped up, informing me that there were 7 ¡°Realms¡± of strength in the game, each realm divided into 9 mini levels, 1-9. The realms were, in order, Elementary, Profound, Earth, Sky, Heaven, Sovereign, and finally Divine. Either your body or cultivation could improve through these realms, but it didn¡¯t really say whether it was possible to do both.


    ¡°So after you get to the 9th, you just go up to the next realm? Seems simple enough. But the naming sense¡­¡±


    Another tip appeared, telling me that aside from the realms of strength, there was something called a Combat Rating, or ¡°CR¡± associated with each, which displayed a better approximation of someone¡¯s actual strength. CR took into account both body, cultivation, and techniques.


    ¡°This is getting complicated¡­¡± I rubbed my forehead and ate another pringle. ¡°But basically, higher is better right?¡±


    Suddenly I remembered that InnerSectDed13 had told me to send him a message after I finished setting everything up. Looking at the clock, I blinked. I had been playing for a half hour already? Then I looked back at the screen. Another exclamation point had appeared above Snapper¡¯s head.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯ll message him after I get this all sorted out¡­¡¯


    Feeling frisky, I clicked on the exclamation point above Young Master Peebles.


    Young Master Peebles had initiated a bond with Snapper. That bond is ¡°Mortal Enemies¡±. Young Master Peebles shall not rest until Snapper breathes his last.


    Well, that¡¯s less than ideal. My turtles certainly aren¡¯t getting along with each other well¡­ Maybe it¡¯s due to their personality¡­?This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I clicked on Snapper.


    Due to experience in battle, Snapper¡¯s body has reached Elementary Lvl 2!


    A small menu popped up. A tip explained it, but it really wasn¡¯t necessary. Things like health and happiness were there, but also importance to the sect. Snapper¡¯s was currently listed as ¡°Low¡±.


    On the side, I clicked a button and brought up the combat statistics. Cultivation: E 1. Body: E 2. Techniques: 1. Shoulder Throw E 1. CR: 4.


    Oh my, combat rating 4?


    A tip gave me a key shortcut to bring up the combat statistics over all my turtles, and I did that. I scanned around. Basically, everybody¡¯s body cultivation was 1. Dr. Slowand was 2. Derek Shelley was 3. I suppose that made sense, they were the current ¡°leaders¡± within my small group, even if it has devolved into infighting¡­


    What was most surprising was that Madam Shellton had a body E 4. Certainly a training maniac. I checked for her CR, but there were only question marks. Maybe it only records after a fight?


    Madam Shellton¡¯s exclamation spoke about the honor of the red-eyed turtles, and demanded I make an example of Snapper. Dr. Slowand asked whether he could use the dead body for his¡­ research.


    Honestly, I briefly considered saying yes to both of them, just to avoid the hassle, but as I watched these little turtles, they began to grow on me. If I could, I wanted to protect them. And defiling a body¡­ it was hard for me to believe that it would be without consequences. Even if I bet there was a chance of a huge payoff..


    But I didn¡¯t worry about Dr. Slowand, he was still happy with me for accepting his initial proposal, so he took my rejection now well enough. Madam Shellton would be a bit more delicate¡­


    ....Or maybe not. She seems close to Young Master Peebles. Is it possible that she¡¯s a worried aunt or something¡­? If so, then a more aggressive approach might be more advantageous.


    ¡°Hmph, you talked earlier about gambling the lives of our youth to find talented individuals, and now when one appears, you ask for his head? I¡¯m appalled. He is strong, this Snapper, stronger than all save yourself, Madam Shellton. You wish to execute our second strongest warrior? Just because of the death of riffraff?¡±


    After I sent the response, the small turtle that was Madam Shellton folded her arms across her chest, looking distinctly like she was thinking. Before she could respond-


    Could she respond¡­?


    -I sent another message. It was time to offer the carrot.


    ¡°Additionally¡­ all great geniuses need fertilizer. I have noticed Young Master Peebles, and I believe that he has potential. But he needs¡­ strife, challenge¡­ perhaps a rival. Do you take my meaning, Madam? Snapper is a tool, like any other. Do not let emotion cloud his possible uses.¡±


    Seemingly placated, Madam Shellton turned away and began whispering with Young Master Peebles. The turtles went about their business. Training lightly, gathering wood and herbs. Sighing, I opened up the messaging client and looked for InnerSectDed13.

 Interlude 1: Thanks, Wikipedia (Reprise)

    CrummyJump3r: Hey. Sorry it took so long, got distracted.


    InnerSectDed13: Hahaha, I knew you would like the game. Get addicted?


    CrummyJump3r: Fuck you, I just got distracted. My sect keeps attacking itself


    InnerSectDed13: Ha, wut. Btw, what did you get?


    CrummyJump3r: Idk, one of the little turtles killed another little turtle over an insult. They are all Red-eyed Turtles.


    InnerSectDed13: That¡¯s¡­ pretty quick. Usually you have time at the beginning to build up a bit before any tensions run high. I¡¯m Wind Swallows btw. What is your personality?


    CrummyJump3r: Uhhh¡­. Stubborn, Arrogant, Unrelenting, and Volatile.


    InnerSectDed13: Lol, you have such shit luck. Your turtles sound like terrible people.


    CrummyJump3r: Fuck you., again. What¡¯s yours?


    InnerSectDed13: Calm, Analytic, Lazy, Flighty


    CrummyJump3r: No, your sect. Don¡¯t describe yourself.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    InnerSectDed13: Very funny. This fucker¡¯s a comedian.


    CrummyJump3r: But seriously? Those first two sound pretty decent, even if the second two don¡¯t.


    InnerSectDed13: They are listed in order of importance too, so s¡¯all good. Like your turtles are Stubborn first, and then arrogant. Lol. You are gonna get so annihilated.


    CrummyJump3r: Alright, I¡¯m gonna go back and play. I think I get resources soon.


    InnerSectDed13: No wait, before you go, what were your nomological truths? Something like, ¡°Turtles are strong¡±, or, ¡°Their shells are as hard as titanium¡±. Haha, I heard about someone who put one as ¡°My Grasshoppers can breath fire¡±, and for the longest time they would cough out embers randomly¡­ it really powers your sect up, if you don¡¯t over reach.


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­..


    InnerSectDed13: What?


    CrummyJump3r: I didn¡¯t know what nomological meant, so I looked it up. Wikipedia said it mean not based on logic...


    InnerSectDed13: Lol. What¡¯s your first truth man


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­.the sky is a sea?


    InnerSectDed13: Lmao. What does that even mean? What did it do?


    CrummyJump3r: Nothing¡­. Fuck this, I¡¯m just gonna quit and start over.


    InnerSectDed13: No, no no, don¡¯t do that. You earn shit tons of negative karma for that


    CrummyJump3r: Negative Karma¡­?


    InnerSectDed13: Yea, it makes your next playthrough harder


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­..


    InnerSectDed13: What about the rest of your truths?


    CrummyJump3r: I don¡¯t want to talk about it


    InnerSectDed13: Hahahahahahaha


    CrummyJump3r: I¡¯m going to go have my turtles commit suicide. Sayonara.

 Chapter 5: Ruling the Unruly Turtles

    I thought long and hard about exiting the game, shutting down my computer, and never looking back. But when I returned to the game I noticed something. The resources hadn¡¯t come in yet, but it would be in 5 minutes. But all of the turtles were gathered around one of the turtle, who had somehow fashioned a fishing rod, and was struggling violently with whatever was caught on his line.


    For several minutes, the turtle struggled, and as I watched I clicked on the turtle. The name ¡°Tortua¡± came up, but otherwise the stats were question marks. I also kept a close eye on Madam Shellton and Young Master Peebles who kept giving Snapper long glances, but they seemed content now to wait.


    ¡®Fufufufu.... Your own arrogance works against you! When I made it a challenge, suddenly you become so dumb.¡¯


    I was starting to get the hang of this game. It was less strategy, and more reacting to events and managing subordinates.


    Or at least I hoped so. Some of what InnerSectDed13 said to me makes me wonder if it wasn¡¯t just my disjointed sect that had problems like these¡­


    A splash broke me from my reverie. A glittering object shot out of the water, pulled by the line. Promptly, it landed in the hands of Tortua.


    Little dialogue boxes with squiggly lines appeared from all the turtles, I assume miming that a heated discussion broke out among the turtles. Then, strangely, little Tortua looked up, directly up, at me, and a line of dialogue appeared.


    ¡°Sacred Elder, what is this?¡±


    A small menu with 8 options appeared.


    I blinked, then grinned. So I was ¡°inspecting¡± it, but I was in fact determining what it was¡­ I considered the options.


    Crystal of Eternal Winter, Crystal of New Spring, Crystal of Harsh Summer, Crystal of Waning Autumn, Crystal of Dancing Flames, Crystal of Swirling Air, Crystal of Seeping Water, Crystal of Growing Earth.


    I hovered over the options, but it didn¡¯t seem like any tooltips were available. So I was supposed to base it just off the name¡­?


    Immediately, I dismissed the Winter, Summer, and fire crystals. Those two seasons were too harsh sounding, and I wanted to be a more economically driven people. And fire¡­ well, it didn¡¯t seem to go along well with turtles.


    Autumn and wind were the next options I decided weren¡¯t really applicable. Waning seemed like another warlike crystal. Wind¡­ if the sky was the sea, wasn¡¯t air also just water¡­?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Rubbing my eyelids, I wondered if I was overthinking things¡­ No, better trust my gut. That left Spring, Water, and Earth. I suppose it depended on whether I wanted to be land turtles or sea turtles for the elements, and since the sky is a sea¡­


    Earth is out.


    Spring would seem to be useful for boosting population growth even further, but if my focus is growing my sect to the point that the sky is a sea¡­


    Then I froze. What was I doing? Why was I getting caught up in the strange game, with its strange rules, and ignoring the obvious benefits that having eternal spring in my village would bring. But I bet a water stone would help too¡­


    I closed my eyes and said a prayer for myself. No, no, must remember that this is a sim game first. Nomological truths are just nonsense.


    I selected the Crystal of New Spring, and it immediately turned into an emerald crystal, glowing with a barely perceptible light.


    Every turtle looked at the crystal with glittering eyes, impressed by the very important sounding name. Tortua just tossed the crystal from one hand to the other.


    ¡®She¡¯s being rather blase about this, isn¡¯t she¡­?¡¯ I could now click on the crystal, and did so.


    Congratulations! Your village has obtained the Crystal of New Spring. +30% boost to all agriculture in the sect area. Herbs E Lvl 6-8 may rarely spawn. There is an exceedingly small chance of Herbs P Lvl 1 spawning. Healing slightly boosted within 30 m of the crystal.


    There was also the information that this was a rank 2 treasure, with roughly corresponded with the 2nd realm, Profound, just relating to items. Which was why there was a small chance that a an early Profound level herb, or P Lvl 1, could spawn.


    ¡°What should I do with this?¡± Tortua asked, once more looking up at me.


    I used my mouse 4 button to rotate my viewing angle, but her head turned, following me. Oddly creepy¡­ but I suppose it helped with immersion. But she had an interesting point¡­ Should I take it? I bet all three of my faction people would want to use it, but¡­


    Then I had a burst of inspiration. ¡°Keep it. We are the Red-eyed Turtle Sect! Who would be so craven as to steal a treasure that benefits us all!¡±


    Most of the turtles nodded immediately, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Madam Shellton and Dr. Slowand were half a beat behind. Derek Shelley just folded his arms.


    But on a strange impulse, I didn¡¯t stop speaking there. ¡°We turtles are not like those Wind Swallows¡­ who are irredeemably lazy, and who do naught but profit off the sweat of others!¡±


    Several cheers rang out, all of the turtles narrowing their eyes in unison.


    A notification popped up.


    A change has occurred in the Red-Eyed Turtle Sect! After learning of the crafty Wind Swallows, all sect members have developed a deep seeded hatred for their indulgent ways. They will not trust the swallows, and likely attack on sight.


    ¡­.


    Hum.


    That sorta backfired. Well at least they can focus their troublesome energy in another direction?


    ¡­.


    Sorry InnerSectDed13.

 Chapter 6: ...Do Baby Turtles Come from Eggs?

    I briefly considered counseling InnerSectDed13 against scouting for me too aggressively, only to find a group of volatile turtles¡­ But I decided he deserved it from failing to warn me about how to play the game.


    *Ding*


    A small noise brought my attention back to the corner where income was displayed. I grinned. My luck was finally in; not only did I receive my original income, but it appeared that the Crystal of New Spring was already in effect: my wood income had already risen 12, herbs to 6, and population to 4.


    Notifications popped up everywhere, and suddenly turtles were wandering to and fro, talking to each other, interaction, swimming, eating, one was trying to farm¡­


    I could now differentiate slightly between the types of notification. The light blue exclamation points were basically yes/no decisions, and related to daily sect life. Two turtles got into an argument and asked me who was right. One pair of turtles wanted me to officiate their wedding. After some thought, I accepted, though I wondered whether I should consider my position. But as our population was currently only 35¡­


    Tortua wanted permission to attach the crystal to a staff, which I swiftly acquiesced to.


    Red exclamation point were due to the factions. Or basically me choosing one of the options available. I could only choose one, and each person had to be dealt with, or their happiness would go down.


    The most interesting thing I discovered, however, was that after I dealt with her black exclamation points, a red one appeared above Tortua¡¯s head.


    ¡®Does that mean that they don¡¯t order by priority, but by time¡­? So I could miss a red option by doing it first. But at the same time¡­¡¯ I glanced at the timer. Only 38 minutes until my next batch of income. I grimaced. ¡®As the sect grows, discovering all of the secret options will become impossible. It will be more a matter of luck¡­Chaining them in the right order could matter too...¡¯


    Which, I supposed, would make it accurate, in that regard at least.


    Unsurprisingly, Madam Shellton wanted the herbs for creating baths for her trainees. The herbal bath would apparently boost the recovering time, and allow them to improve the strength of their bodies faster. She also wanted the wood to build a basic palisade around the sect. It would cost 15 wood, and we only had 14 currently, but she figured almost complete would be better than nothing.


    Dr. Slowand wanted the wood to build an alchemy workspace, to refine the herbs gathered into elixirs. The elixirs could be used to boost cultivation, but because we were an animal race, they weren¡¯t so useful to us. But Dr. Slowand assured me that as the experience of the alchemists grew, so would their usefulness, and they would be able to assist body cultivation. Surprisingly, Derek Shelley threw his support behind Slowand, although his motivations were to sell the cultivation elixirs to traders to obtain weapons¡­


    Ultimately, it was Tortua¡¯s suggestion that I decided to support. She wanted to build a home at the edge of the forest, which would also function as a base of operations for harvesting herbs. The cost was 10 wood, which was nicely below the current stockpile, and I could throw the rest towards Madam Shelton¡¯s palisade. Besides, Dr. Slowand would appreciate the additional herbs for medicinal areas, even if there wasn¡¯t a location to refine the herbs into medicine.


    So after accepting Tortua¡¯s suggestion, I sent a small passage to Dr. Slowand about focusing on herb production.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    To Madam Shellton: ¡°I agree with all of your points, Madam, but I believe that while walls are needed in the long run, what is of the greatest importance now is increasing the strength of our warriors. I have the utmost faith in your methods, and have decided to provide you with all the herbs you need to aid in their body training.¡±


    After sending the messages, a notification came up.


    Current number of production buildings have reached maximum capacity: 2 of 2. Current production buildings: Doctor¡¯s Quarters, Herb Gatherer¡¯s Quarters. Maximum number of production buildings will increase every 25 population. Next production building available at 50 population.


    ...huh. Well, if I had known that earlier, I¡¯m not sure I would have made that decision so easily¡­


    But I supposed that it is better to keep the maximum number of production buildings at all times, even if it was extremely possible to find a new, more valuable building in the interim.


    I watched the turtles for a while as they began to walk to the Herb Gatherer¡¯s quarters and leave with a woven basket. They were quite adorable. But a large black exclamation point appeared above the main house of the sect. There were a lot of little blue exclamation points appearing as they gathered herbs.


    There was a moment of hesitation, but with the rate the blue exclamation points were appearing¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure I could deal with all of them before the black one would expire. Would it ever expire¡­?


    Once more I cursed my friend for his vague explanations and uselessness in regards to the specifics of the game. Due to its size, and previously unseen style, I clicked on the large black exclamation point.


    A strange menu came up, filled with strange buttons and different boxes. Along the side there was a column with 6 pictures of squares, 3 of which were simply question marks, that seemed to show pixely turtle faces. In a way, I could sense I was supposed to drag the turtle pictures to the different places, but I didn¡¯t really understand what they meant. Outer Sect¡­? Inner Sect? Core Disciple? Chosen?


    Luckily, a tip popped up.


    Welcome to the Disciple screen! Using this, you will manage what status disciples will have in your sect, as well as how many resources will go to each. You may determine level of each of the disciples of your sect now. Warning: your decrees will only be recommendation, the rest of your sect may not respect your decisions based upon relationships. Warning: your allocation of resources might not be respected, depending on who you choose as administrator.


    Rubbing my forehead, I considered the available information. So I just basically gave them titles¡­? It seemed as though I currently only had two types unlocked, Inner and Outer Sect, so for the moment I put I dragged them all down to the Outer Sect Area. The first 3 I recognized: Snapper, Tortua, and Young Master Peebles. When I selected one of the ? Mark turtles, another box popped up.


    Congratulations! A turtle with talent for body cultivation was born into your sect: T. Gulper. Physique: 3/10. Cultivation Talent: 1/10. Comprehension: 2/10. Total Potential: 9/100


    The ?¡¯s disappeared, a picture of a male-looking turtle appearing in its place. And honestly, that was more of a guess than anything else. So these stats were to help me determine in what grouping I should put this disciple¡­?


    Well, for now, he would go in the Outer Sect with everyone else. There was only 6 of them. I clicked on the next one.


    Congratulations! A turtle with talent for body cultivation was born into your sect: C. Kreepin. Physique: 2/10. Cultivation Talent 1/10. Comprehension: 2/10.


    Total Potential: 8/100


    Welcome, C. Kreepin, oh androgynous turtle disciple. Into Outer Sect Disciple group you go.


    Congratulations! A turtle with talent for cultivation was born into your sect: A. Yawnin. Physique: 2/10. Cultivation Talent 2/10. Comprehension: 2/10. Total Potential: 11/100


    Hum. It was hard for me to judge from 3 how important each point in the first 3 stats were, while the 4th appeared to be a more general idea of potential. But the fact that this turtle had 2 for cultivation¡­


    I briefly considered placing A. Yawnin into Inner Sect, but I decided to wait. No reason to play favorites just yet. All that remained was¡­


    To choose who would train the disciples, and who would control access to the resources...

 Interlude 2: Favoritism

    CrummyJump3r: Hey


    InnerSectDed13: What¡¯s up?


    CrummyJump3r: I¡¯m trying to set up the disciple system I guess, wanted to advice


    InnerSectDed13: You haven¡¯t set up your disciple system yet? What have you even been doing?


    CrummyJump3r: Choosing production buildings I guess?


    InnerSectDed13: Lol. Have you been paying attention to the relationship table? I have been putting off my production buildings, just so I can keep how much my cute little swallows hate me under control


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­.uh, thanks for bringing it up, NOW, dick


    InnerSectDed13: No prob. What do you want to know about disciples?


    CrummyJump3r: How to make sure they¡­? Train? Or whatever quickly. Do we need a fighting force at all.


    InnerSectDed13: It¡¯s called cultivate, dumbass. And yes, you do. I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t met a rogue cultivator, band of roving marauders, a wild monster, or a natural disaster yet. I just had to negotiate with a sentient mountain that threatened to topple itself over on me.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­.what sort of game is this?


    InnerSectDed13: The best kind =D


    CrummyJump3r: Anyways, any advice?


    InnerSectDed13: So I can say two things. FIrst is that the instructor is the much more important decision, generally. The resource manager can basically just without resources, but usually that just means they are going to someone else, so on net, your sect doesn¡¯t lose out. Instructor can screw over disciples in any number of ways, if they don¡¯t like them.


    CrummyJump3r: Ha¡­ Honestly I expect that to happen if I choose the obvious selection...


    InnerSectDed13: The other thing I can say though is that the game moves in patterns, and those patterns are based on stories. Ugh, since you haven¡¯t read any Web Novels¡­ Think faerie tales. Some disciples thrive on support, while others thrive on adversity. Others need to learn stuff on their own. Just wait until one of your little buggers gets stuck at a bottleneck


    CrummyJump3r: What¡¯s that?


    InnerSectDed13: Uh¡­ Hard to explain. Sometimes growing stronger is a riddle, and your dudes can¡¯t figure it out. So they are stuck in a bottleneck. Then they get a ¡°clue¡± to solve the riddle from something in nature, and they solve it all in one go.


    CrummyJump3r: ¡­.how much of a coincidence is it that a person is stuck on a riddle, and they randomly see a clue, in life around them, that impacts it? How often does it happen?


    InnerSectDed13: ¡­.You¡¯d be surprised.

 Chapter 7: Favoritism (Reprise)

    The first thing I did upon returning to the game is look at the relationship table, which was in the top left corner of the screen. As my turtles continued to wander about the area, some gathering herbs, others swimming, I looked at the relationships I¡¯d built.


    The scales were between +/- 50. Dr. Slowand was my highest, at +9. Tortua was at +3. Derek Shelley and Snapper were at +2. Young Master Peebles was at -1 and Madam Shellton was at -10.


    Wincing, I moused over Madam Shellton¡¯s bar. There were a dozen or so entries, detailing my previous talks and rejections with her, but it was the final two that made me frown.


    Placing Young Master Peebles as an Outer Sect Disciple: -3


    Placing Young Master Peebles on the same level as Snapper: -7


    I hadn¡¯t even clicked accept on the disciple menu yet, how did she know?!? Were my turtles gossiping about my movements¡­?


    I supposed it made sense, it was just a little disconcerting. There was an odd amount of realism to this game¡­


    Satisfied with the rest of the relationship amounts, I moved back to the disciple screen. First I went to the instructor area. My cursor hovered over Madam Shellton, but I was hesitating. She was the obvious choice, the most training- well cultivation- minded, but¡­The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    A little tooltip popped up.


    Fair, but will hold a grudge. Those who earn her ire will experience a more excruciating training regime, but she her pride will stop her short from making its completion impossible, only very, very unlikely.


    Sighing, I leaned back. Sorta what I was expecting. But still. Crossing my fingers, I clicked on her name. Now only the box with the person who controlled access to the sect resources.


    But first, I switched back to the relationship screen. Under Madam Shellton, there was a new screen.


    Chosen as trainer for all disciples: +9


    I chuckled and went back to the disciple screen, so very close to finishing. This shouldn¡¯t be that difficult, but¡­


    Tortua was a disciple herself, and thus wouldn¡¯t work. I had a feeling if I chose Dr. Slowand, some of the herbs that were supposed to be used for disciples would be ferreted away for cultivation elixirs. Derek Shelley sort of seemed like exactly the sort of idiot I avoided giving control, always seeking outside assistance and going with the flow, but that only left Madam Shellton. And if she had all of the control over disciples, she would make Snapper¡¯s life hell¡­


    Over the next 5 minutes I carefully considered my options, and the conclusion I came to surprised me: hell might not be so bad. Considering what my friend had said, the trick was to involve the disciples in stories. Some people thrived on adversity, some thrived on support.


    Young Master Peebles was likely the support type, and would benefit greatly from Madam Shellton having control over the supplies.


    Snapper, on the other hand¡­ I was willing to bet was an adversity type. The tests and struggles that Madam Shellton put him through would only make him more determined. The highest trait of my Red-eyed Turtles was Stubborn, after all. Perhaps Madam Shellton¡¯s favoritism would turn out well for everyone involved.


    I made my decision and clicked accept.

 Chapter 8: A Training Montage

    I watched the turtles train quite diligently over the next hour. There were only a few blue exclamation points that popped up to deal with, but the time still passed surprisingly fast.


    As I suspected, Madam Shellton quickly informed the 6 disciples, while I listened in, that all resources will be allocated based on merit and performance in the training tasks. There were three main tasks that she laid out. Holding ones breath underwater, treading water near the waterfall impact area, and carrying rocks towards the edge of the waterfall pool.


    It seemed that Madam Shellton was determined to have a residence for herself constructed.


    As I watched the training activities play out, the bias was apparent. Although it seemed like the general mass of each load was fair, in the carrying task, the stones that Snapper was required to carry were always oblong, and awkwardly shaped. I inwardly suspected that they would be useless in the pursuit of constructing a house, but Madam Shellton would find a way to work them in, solely out of spite.


    In the water based training, every disciple had a set spot where they would train at their two activities. I was slightly surprised at the specificity Madam Shellton gave, going so far as to paint a stone red and drop it on the pool floor at the correct location. In similarly meticulous fashion, all of the spots were an equal distance away from the waterfall.


    Of course, Snapper¡¯s spot was directly in the line between the area where the waterfall fell and the river flowed out from the pool, so the current passed through his spot.


    The waves were strongest there, making treading water a struggle. Additionally, the underwater currents were the most fierce there, making the breath holding exercise 2x as difficult. While others could sit and focus their attention inward, the buffeting currents required Snapper to constantly remain vigilant, lest he be pushed away from the rock.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Which would be punished with a full lap around the valley of the Red-Eyed Turtles, which Snapper learned personally on his first day of training.


    It must be said that although time did flow differently in the game than real life, by the time the next income wave came in, the turtles were halfway through their second day of training. They basically went back to the village and slept for 10 mins of real time before returning to train more.


    When the income came, I once more received 12 wood, 6 herbs, and 4 population. That put the current population at 39. Of the 6 herbs from last time, there were 2 E Lvl 3, 1 E Lvl 2, and 3 E Lvl 1 herbs found. Of those, Snapper obtained nothing, while Young Master Peebles obtained the E Lvl 2 and one of the E Lvl 3. Not one to miss an apt pupil, Madam Shellton gave Tortua the other E Lvl 3 herb. The 3 E Lvl 1 herbs went one each to the remainder of the disciples.


    12 more wood, plus the original 2, put the wooden palisade at 14/15 on contraction. You could see it now, slowly being erected in the area around my little settlement of turtles. I suppose the palisade didn¡¯t count as a production building? Then what else could I build¡­?


    The 6 herbs were currently being categorized by the herb gatherers.


    The training was already paying off.


    I looked at Young Master Peebles and Snappers combat statistics.


    Young Master Peebles: Cultivation: E 1. Body: E 4. Techniques: 1. CR: ???


    Snapper: Cultivation: E 1. Body: E 3. Techniques: 1. Shoulder Throw E 2. CR: 4+ ???.


    Young Master Peebles was rising more quickly in body, but I supposed that wasn¡¯t surprising, due to his access to the herbs. It was good to see that Snapper was at least improving, and the level of his Shoulder Throw technique was even going up.


    What was strange was another turtle, A. Yawnin hadn¡¯t improved at all over the course of this¡­ Well, I guess it was only 1 round of training¡­


    *Boop, Boop, Boop*


    Three black exclamation points popped up, all at once.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said aloud with a smile. ¡°The peace was nice while it lasted.¡±

 Chapter 9: The 6 Petal Daisy

    Apparently, today was a good day for herb gathering. Not only were there 2 E Lvl 3 herbs, but there was also a rare E Lvl 6: The 6 Petal Daisy. I idly wondered if you could paste another petal on and upgrade it to Lvl 7.


    Anyways, it turned out that 3 individuals, Tortua, Madam Shellton, and Derek Shelley all were at an important point in their cultivation, and the use of the 6 Petal Daisy was critical to all of them.


    Well, all of them had slightly different ways of saying it. Madam Shellton demanded it by name, arrogantly stating that her many contributions to the sect deserved to be rewarded.


    Upon closer reading of Tortua, I realized that she didn¡¯t really even ask for that specific herbs, just that she stated herbs would help her gain insights into an area that she was experimenting with.


    I was almost 100% sure that Derek Shelley was going to sell the traders when they arrived. Honestly, I would be interested to see what the traders could bring to the sect, what they could buy and sell, but before I knew the benefits, it didn¡¯t seem like saving this higher ranked herb would benefit me at all.


    Although I hated it, I was leaning towards giving the herb to Madam Shellton, if just to avoid the hassle of having to cleverly handle her. At first it was amusing, but now I was realizing that it was becoming increasingly unsustainable. Of course, there wasn¡¯t a single blip on the relationship screen for giving Madam Shellton all of the wood for this income period. No, my small kindnesses weren¡¯t rewarded, and she had the nerve to demand the greatest treasure my turtles had ever brought me.


    The irony being that the treasure in question was a daisy.


    Still¡­


    My mouth curled into a smile. I wasn¡¯t the type to give things away simply. Coughing lightly, I looked around the screen until I found what I was looking for: A small input box in the bottom center of my screen.


    Clicking quickly, a small warning came up that making an announcement to the entire sect would require 1 Face. I paused, but not really because I was unwilling to spend 1 of my 100 face. Rather because I wondered at the arbitrariness of this cost. My turtle minions could freely approach me with their issues, yet I was unable to speak to them general without losing face?Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Ugh, it was tough being king.


    I began to type, considering the type of sect that I wished my turtles to become.


    ¡°Fellow Red-Eyed Turtles¡­ as I¡¯m sure you have heard, a great boon has been acquired by our sect¡­ the 6 Petal¡¯d Daisy. This rare flower is powerful enough to accomplish much¡­ and I wish for the individual who can utilize it most efficiently to possess it¡­ therefore...only one choice is available to me.¡±


    I paused for effect.


    ¡°We will have a race to determine the Daisy¡¯s new owner.¡±


    The next few minutes passed in a blur as I had several light blue notifications to deal with, as people came forward, both offering to help with the race and offering criticisms of the methods. Sadly, when I checked the relationship screen, everyone¡¯s opinion of me took a hit, Madam Shellton¡¯s even sinking back to 0 after I had made her both instructor and in charge of resources.


    Just proved that there was no way I was handing the Daisy over to her willingly. She needed to dance a bit for me first.


    Tortua was surprisingly helpful, or perhaps not surprisingly, during the whole process, suggesting the route and possible obstacles. I axed a lot of her ideas, mostly because I wanted to finish the race before the next round of income occurred. But I did decide some toppled trees would be a nice touch.


    With about 15 minutes before income would occur again, all of my turtles were gathered, waiting by the lake. The course was a small loop, following the river for a bit before coming around through the forest and returning to my lodge.


    Dr. Slowand, Derek Shelley, and Madam Shellton were participating in the race, as well as Peebles, Snapper, and the 3 other turtles that were Outer Sect Disciples. Altogether, there would be 8 contestants. A respectable race.


    Still....


    I couldn¡¯t help but giggle at the thought of Dr. Slowand winning the race. And his posture seemed to lend credence to that theory, as he narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, seemingly prepared to leap off to a rapid start a moment¡¯s notice.


    Solmenly, Tortua walked out to the starting line, the crowd of turtles parting for her. With all the gazes on her, she slowly raised her staff, on the tip of which the Stone of New Spring glowed brightly, even during the day.


    Come to think of it, was it ever night here¡­.? The turtles just seemed to nap around the lake.


    Dun.


    I was startled as Tortua brought the staff down, and the turtles were off to the races.

 Chapter 10: Fair, that was Probably Foul Play

    Madam Shellton sprinted off to an early lead, her turtle arms waving comically as she built up momentum. Derek Shelley was right behind her, and even with the computer graphics I could see he was gritting his teeth with the effort of maintaining that pace.


    In stark contrast to his intimidating start, Dr. Slowand seemed content to lightly jog, bringing up the rear in a good natured manner. The middle was a mass of the other 5, all Outer Sect disciples, all young and full of vigor.


    I leaned back in my chair and patted my belly as I brought another handful of pringles to my mouth. Truly, it was a delight to see children turtles grow into adult turtles before your very eyes!


    I reached for more pringles, but was annoyed to find that the can was empty. I shook the fist clasping the can at the sky to express my rage, but then quickly dropped it as my interest was pulled back to the race.


    The portion of the race along the river was just a straight stretch, pretty much a full out sprint to start. This revealed a bit of my sadistic character, because I wanted the racers to get as tired as possible to start, and then struggle through the obstacles later.


    Space was beginning to open up between the three groups. Madam Shellton¡¯s long strides and Derek Shelley¡¯s desperate sprint were pulling away slowly from the disciples. In the back, Dr. Slowand was falling even farther behind, perfect content to trot forward at a constant pace.


    Just before the leaders were going to hit the turn, pulling away from the river and heading into the forest, a blue exclamation point appeared above Tortua¡¯s head. Zooming out to try and keep everything within my vision, I clicked it.


    ¡°With that spiritual herb that you gave me, I think I can unleash one of the Stone of New Spring¡¯s three powers. If you think it¡¯s necessary¡­¡±


    Her small avatar made a gesture towards the racers. Her tiny, slightly pixelated eyes gazed up, seemingly coming out of the screen and looking into my own. Shivering, I didn¡¯t respond and I looked back towards the race, where now Madam Shellton was lengthening her stride, shooting into the woods.


    There were too many variables in this game to keep track of. I had wanted to avoid giving Madam Shellton too many gifts, lest she become even more spoiled and arrogant than she already was. Well, I suppose it was in the turtle¡¯s blood to be arrogant, but it would quickly become unmanageable if I didn¡¯t make it at least seem like they worked for rewards.


    Still, as if she knew I didn¡¯t want Shellton to obtain the daisy, Tortua now offered me this alternative. It would be one thing if this was just the game¡¯s way of letting me get my way, even after I had the race, but¡­ Tortua was an enigma to me.


    On the one hand, she seemed as if she was the fulcrum by which my personality impacted the turtles thus far, as had happened with the stone. On the other hand, the way her eyes followed me¡­ I was under the distinct impression that she was judging how I acted.


    How powerful was the AI in this game¡­?


    But my thoughts were cut short as I saw Shellton pulling even farther ahead of Shelley as they both dodged among the thick trees. There wasn¡¯t any clear path through the forest, but there also wasn¡¯t much underbrush either. Therefore it was more like a series of pillars they could dodge around as they pleased, heading deeper to a towering oak that had to be touched before the racers could loop backwards towards my lodge.Stolen novel; please report.


    My gaze shifted to Shelley, who was behaving extremely oddly. Instead of looking worried, he seemed to have a slyness to his small turtle expression, his eyes darting back and forth. I saw his hand slip into his shell, withdrawing an object. Mist immediately began pouring out of the object, obscuring the nearby trees.


    But the mist continued spreading. I frowned at the screen, confused and somehow suddenly quite nervous. What was-


    BOOOOOM.


    The display shook, and for a moment I thought it actually shook. But no, it was just on screen. A large explosion rocked the forest, propelling the smoke to expand even more rapidly, quickly obscuring the outer disciples who looked very confused, and then ominously wafted towards the observers.


    But as I watched, time seemed to slow, and a large purple exclamation point took up most of my screen. As it slowly dissipated, a message appeared.


    In every sect there are moments that define what it will become. Some sects go onto greatness, while others disappear from the annals of history. Others will continue as they were, but even then, some are slowly devoured from the inside while drifting forward based on inertia while others are slowly building up energy to explode into greatness. In those moments, leadership becomes pivotal.


    In this ¡°moment of fate¡±, an unexpected event has occurred during a race to determine the future owner of the daisy. The location of the daisy itself is even in doubt under the swirling influence of the fog. How will you, as the wounded ancient of the Red-Eyed Turtle sect, respond? Hopefully you have prepared well.


    During ¡°moments of fate¡±, Face is an important resource. It will become more or less effective depending on your relationship with who you use it to affect. At the end of the ¡°moment of fate¡± some Face may be earned based on the outcome.


    This message is the last of the hints you shall receive as a new player of Vast Martial World. Further mechanics were not included and the beta, and current players may discover their wonders together. Good luck, and may you have many fortuitous encounters.


    ...Really? This was it? All the help I got?


    Luckily, I did have a card to play, but I wasn¡¯t sure what I should be doing. The message was certainly ominous, almost suggesting that this was planned to steal the Daisy. Derek Shelley allying with those oft mentioned traders? But in game time, they had never come. How could they¡­


    No, that¡¯s not important.


    What¡¯s more important is to think about what the message actually said.This is an important moment for the sect. What can I say to shape my cute little turtles? What can I do¡­?


    Or¡­


    How can I turn this to my advantage¡­?


    I licked my lips and took a long drink of water. Then I spoke to Tortua, replying to her earlier exclamation point.


    ¡°How much control do you have over that ability?¡±


    She hesitated, then said. ¡°A little, but nothing overly fine. I can aim, but once they go¡­¡±


    Nodding, I gestured imperially with my hand. Then, dumbly, I realized I had done these in reality, and the game Tortua had no way of knowing my answer. I quickly typed out a response.


    ¡°Use it. And if you can¡­ aim it towards those members of the older generation. This is not their time.¡±


    After a moment of stillness, Tortua reached within her shell and produce a small plant, which I assumed to be one of the herbs. She tapped it with her staff, then pressed it into the ground, saying ¡°Grasping roots.¡±


    Then I spent two Face, using the small menu that appeared. THe first point utilized my wounded cultivation base, clearing the fog in an area around the oak that was the halfway point, and my lodge, but leaving it everywhere else. The point of Face let me send another message.


    ¡°There are some things in this world that are important, and there are others that simply seem to be. The race will continue.¡±


    Satisfied, I leaned back, eyes locked on the areas cleared of fog.