POV TAD

I sat down with my three [Husbands]. I needed to break it to them gently. They were not my [Husbands]. There was a bit of a culture clash. We were different species with different expectations. This was the shortest [Marriage] ever. It was one big mix up.

Dozer and Scrabble were devastated. Oh. These [Males] were their older brothers. The [Matriarch] had picked them out on purpose. The kiddos were looking forward to me being their [Sister in Law]. Ssrah was pragmatic. It wasn’t going to work quite the way they thought. She still had ~faith~ in me. That was good. I was not sure it was wise though. I didn’t know squat really.

But I was still going to [Mentor] them. Just not [Marry] them.

~Understanding.~

~A fling?~

~An dalliance.~

~An open relationship?~

~Non exclusivity.~

No. The kits still weren’t getting it.

~No.~ I emoted back at them. ~Same as you.~

~Marry us too?~ Dozer was horrified, Scrabble intrigued.

~Funny Auntie.~

I composed myself. This was most bizarre. “I will teach them like I taught you. I will help them like I helped you.” I tried to be as ~clear~ and ~direct~ as possible.

“I make no claim upon their [Relationships] beyond that of a [Teacher].”

The kits were ~blank.~

~Uncertainty.~

~Auntie? These are males.~

~Flighty, unfocused, silly~ Scrabble was disparaging.

~Focused on one thing only.~ Dozer corrected her.

~Otherwise skittish and fragile.~

~Need protections and caring.~

~Or might swim off a cliff.~

~Yes, Silly wallies.~

Dozer and Scrabble were tag teaming me with their arguments. Ssrah was sitting back and letting them thrash it out. Huey, Dewy and Louie were ~bewildered~ and ~bemused.~

Darnit. I refuse to call them those names.

I looked at them. I couldn’t call them One, Two and Three either. And they looked identical.

Open, guileless faces. Wide blue eyes. And they were more delicate than the females. With a sort of dreamy air as well. Like they weren’t all there. Like they were half there and half in their own little worlds.

Their emotes were curiously muted too.

Like I was just a sideshow. Not really real. I frowned and concentrated trying to pick up on their own clique of a conversation.

~Funny being.~

~Pale.~Bald.~Ugly.~

And they weren’t sugar coating nothing either.

~Not heavy though.~ Ah-ha, Trying for a positive.

~Yuck.~

~No tail.~Bad swimming.~Unbalanced.~

~Smells tasty.~

~Hmmm. Like [Clam].~

Well. That would teach me to eavesdrop. Those were some hard truths. I surreptitiously tried to sniff myself. I still smelt of [Clam] even after my bath and washing my clothes? They must have a super sensitive sense of smell. I shook myself. I was getting side tracked. I wasn’t here to make them like me. I was going to boost them. Stack the deck in their favour.

I was not sure what was causing such a marked difference between the Males and Females.

But I had a suspicion.

I suspected that their Stat distribution was wildly different to that of the [Females].

I needed to explore this. Dozer and Scrabble's Stats were different from mine. I had almost made a big mistake in getting them to distribute their Stats according to my template. I was willing to bet that the [Males’] Stats were different again.

And of course they were hidden. I could only quiz them on their visible Stats. After much coaxing and cajoling I managed to get some halting answers. Their visible Stats were the same three Body Stats that the [Twins] had, except… I paused as I tried to compute. They were getting less AGI and STR per level. And they weren’t getting a RAN Stat per level. No, they were getting three RAN Stats. And they all without fail had disappeared. In fact I doubted there was anything [Random] about these hidden Stats. There was too much of a skew going on.

I purchased a whole swag of [Clams] and tasked Dozer and Scrabble with coaching the [Pups] through cooking them up. They took to the task with gusto. They were excellent [Little Sisters] And great [Cooks]. I chuckled, more like great [Eaters]. I had never seen anything like it.

But I needed the Pups to have some free points to test my theory.

I dropped into [Advanced Meditation]. At Level 3 each [Male] had received 2 STR, 3 AGI and 1 STA per Level. This compared to the females getting 3 STR, 4 AGI and 1 STA. Hmmm so Stamina was the same but otherwise the [Males] were getting left behind physically. And instead of having received a total of three RAN Stats by Level 3 they had received a total of nine. So, I added it all up. They were getting the same number of Stats per level but a higher proportion was going to their hidden Stats.

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I concentrated on their hidden Stats. Once again I felt that they had definitely boosted their CHA. And this was one of the [Female] Otto’s keystone Stats. I reckoned that this also was the case for the [Males]. They were simply more attractive and charismatic than any normal [Monster] had a right to be. Perhaps even more so than the [Females].

And the other Stat that felt larger was their IMA. In fact this would explain their flightiness and lack of focus. I was almost willing to bet that the other two [Mind] Stats were still at the Base Level 1, with their Memory and Intelligence seriously lacking. This jelled. My Intuition confirmed I was on the right track. By restricting the [Males’] levels and growth the Ottos were not doing their Species any favours. All that creativity, possibility and potential that [Imagination] unlocked was not being realised. The stunted Memory and Intelligence was crippling.

I would fix this.

And so, once again, I coached them through unlocking their hidden Stats. It was both harder and easier than last time.

Harder because the males had the attention span of a toddler. Easier because I had done it before and knew it worked. Easier because I had Dozer and Scrabble helping and guiding them as well.

Ssrah was vastly interested. She had had her hidden Stats revealed as part of her [Assessment]. And while she had actually missed out on the bonus of unlocking them, the various [Titles] and [Accolades] she had received had more than enough compensated for the loss.

She was most impressed that I had unlocked them for her [Babies]. We set up another meeting with Sophrona. I helped her unlock her hidden Stats too. She was ~ecstatic.~ She was ~overwhelmed.~ She swore ~undying loyalty.~

I was happy too.

The next two days passed in a blur. I spent as much time as I could on my own [Basic Cultivation]. I drained my EXP in the System Shop buying [Secluded campfires and cooking pans and most importantly [Clams] [Clams] and [Clams]. I suspected that somewhere, someone was making a killing in selling [Clams] for EXP instead of [Coppers] or [Silvers].

Or maybe the System was isekai’ing them direct from their seabed into the Shop. Nah, that didn’t feel correct. Someone was harvesting these, maybe even cultivating them.

And this was something I wanted to explore. Farming was not a concept that the Ottos had ever considered. But I could see that even when the System uplifted them all to [Participants] and removed this levelling loop hole, there would still be a need for food. And farming [Clams] might well be the answer. If I could take that challenge of putting food on the table off the table we were one step closer to a post scarcity Plane. We could then concentrate on more important things. Things like [Ascension] and [Advancement].

Already Soph was talking about reaching out to the other cities. Hmmmm. That was interesting. She already knew about the other cities. The lore had been passed down through the generations. She had never been there. The way was difficult, long and dangerous. It would need to be a full battle group that ventured forth,

But if they were all maxed and boosted then she was very confident of success.

“What about villages or just out in the wilderness?” I asked.

~Sad resignation.~Gone.~Swallowed up.~

Ssrah joined in. ~Blown up.~

Oh, those pesky [StormSheep]. They were a low level nuisance that had grown out of all proportion. They were now a widespread hazard of catastrophic dimensions. It was only in the old cities that any enclaves of the Ottos had managed to keep a toehold.

And then it was time to meet the other [Clan Leaders].

Into the breach once more.

THE NOT QUITE SUPREME COUNCIL

Grant Devi wanted to tear his hair out. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. He rubbed his head. You would have thought that the System rejuvenation would have fixed [Male Pattern Baldness]. It was most infuriating. But apparently it was all about perception and this was how his [Soul] perceived himself to be. His ideal image. If he could he would have had some strong words with himself. Very strong words indeed.

The council was going at it again. It was a wonder anything got done at all. It seemed to be a litany of endless meetings, committees and focus groups. And of all things the uproar was over the Name of the Council. For the System had rejected the previously accepted name. It no longer stuck. It was not true. And the System refused for a misleading Title to be used.

And it all came back to this new [Sovereign]. The [Sovereign Cypher]. He couldn’t have caused more of a ruckus even if he walked in here naked. Grant paused. Of course he might be a she. That would probably cause more of a ruckus. Probably to a much more approving ruckus too. Now what and where was he going with this?

Grant nodded. Ah, yes. All the disruption stemmed from this unwelcome addition of a [Sovereign]. In fact he was sure that over half the Council would declare [War] on this [Sovereign] in an instant if they could.

There were only two things preventing such an action.

Firstly, the [Council] had no idea where he or she was based. Extensive enquiry had revealed exactly nothing. This only exacerbated the whole situation. Ignorance was truly aggravating.

And secondly, the [Council] had already received a [Declaration of War] not even three days back. The [Minotaurs] had been snorting mad. The [Upstart Hornless Humans] had no business in advancing past them. And it had made negotiations with them quite problematic given the amount of spittle that was expressed. And [Minotaur] spittle was most unpleasant. Grant shuddered, having personally experienced wiping said spittle from his shining pate.

He sighed.

That all came back to that [Tad Blank]. He had catapulted the [Humanese Polity] up the rankings and inadvertently offended the honour of the mighty [Minotaurs]. Stupid cows. Grant snorted. And then he sighed again. He had had altogether too much to do with that spluttering [Minotaur Ambassador]. Now he was snorting too.

At least the System had [Rules of Engagement]. And the [Council] boffins had been poring over them. They had confirmed that it was okay for one Pylon to invade another. This was within the rules. And claiming the Level would prevent any further [Ascension] except at the pleasure of the [Ruling Overlord]. It was the most tried and true way of obtaining and subjugating [Client Species].

And while said [Client Species] were nowhere near [Slaves] they were in a particularly bad spot. It would be extremely bad if the [Minotaurs] managed to dominate the nascent [Human Polity]. In fact it would probably spell the end of [Humanese] hopes of [Ascending] to greater heights and powers.

Already a [Recall] note had been sent out to all high level humans exploring the higher levels. They would be needed to rebuff the projected [Invasion].

But the good news, well it wasn’t so much good news, more like less bad news, Grant corrected himself, was that it was impossible to invade down.

Establishing a beachhead in the lower levels of the Pylon was notoriously difficult. Connecting [Structures] were either obscenely expensive or completely random. Often it was the discovery of a [Paired Rift] or [Alternative Dungeon Entrance] that kicked off generations of conflict.

And these typically only happened above Level 15. But even one at Level 15 would be devastating for the still juvenile [Human Race].

There was no word where or when such an [Invasion] might take place. But it was on the cards.

Already diplomatic borders had been closed. Tourism and trade had dried up. This was having an immediate effect. There needed to be some strategies put in place. Alternative markets away from the [Minotaurs] needed to be found. Grant twitched away from his musings.

It sounded like the latest arguments over a new [Not Supreme Council] name were winding down. Grant sighed. If only this was the worst of the issues that the council had to deal with. Of course it was the most inconsequential ones which side tracked everyone. It would be wonderful to have some good news for a change.

Just then the System posted a new [NQSC Notification]. Oh boy. Here we go again. Grant was feeling burnt out already. What was it now?

CONGRATULATIONS

The [Humanese Polity] has secured the unwavering loyalty and support of the [Otto Sapiens].

[The Sovereign Cypher] has been recognized as [Ruler] by a [Quorum] of the leading [Matriarchs] and had the [Sponsorship] of their [Species] accepted and validated.

Otto Sapiens are a declared [Client Race] of the Human Polity. 30% of all their System Achievement Points [SAP] will bolster the [Humanese Polity]’s reputation.

The [Humanese Polity] is a declared [Patron] of the [Otto Sapien Race]. A 50% discount to all trade tariffs in favour of the [OSR] is established.

All hail to [The Sovereign Cypher], long may they reign.

To commemorate this remarkable achievement the System announces the Year of Uplift.

All Level-ups throughout the [Humanese Polity] now receive +20% bonus Stats (rounded down) when advancing a Level.

Strive and Arise. Glory awaits!

Oh. That was good news for a change.

But as the Chamber erupted yet again it was clear that not everyone agreed.

Politicians.

Just like herding [Sky Kittens].

Except way less cute.