“So why did you show me all that? I’m glad you did, but I don't see much point in it.” Mike asked as he and Raj walked up the stairs leading out of the underground bunker.
“You are to be the leader of this settlement, likely soon to be a village. I thought it important that you know. Plus, the look on your face was worth more than just about anything else.” Raj said.
“So you were just showing off?”
“Yes.”
They made it to the top of the staircase, with Raj relocking the hatch as they left. In the distance Mike saw a large piece of sandstone sitting near the middle of the town that he was pretty sure hadn't been there when the meeting with the grand chiefs started. He looked at the large stone, which was slowly being carved into the shape of a body with four arms. It was made atop a large brick that also looked to be slowly getting carved into something.
The entire sculpture was largely unfinished, but Mike could see Lucas sitting atop one of the arms, adding details and making it near lifelike in appearance. There were also several other people working to sculpt the less detailed parts of the work, with Lucas handling the more detailed parts.
He shook his head, following Raj back into the settlement hall. Lucas was having his own little journey over there, and Mike was happy that his friend wasn't going through the boredom involved in going through several hours of meetings. Mike felt bad for all of the guards that had come along with the caravan, and had nothing to do but explore the settlement and sit around the barracks they had been provided.
Mike and Raj sat back down in the seats they had previously occupied, with Raj’s aura filling the room once more. The chill that Mike's companions had previously felt didn't seem to pass over them this time, and Mike felt more relaxed this time around, with his own aura not trying to fight back anymore due to the mana around him no longer being considered hostile.
“I now pronounce this settlement as a vassal to Thudfall.” Raj said, with a gravitas to his voice that demanded authority over the room.
*[Village Leadership Notification] Thudfall has acquired a new vassal settlement! Title slots for vassals are separate from the parent village. The aura of the vassal will take on some aspects of the parent village's aura to a lesser degree. More options can now be found in the village menu.*
“No use in waiting to test our theory, let's give it a go.” The trader said, pointing to a cup that sat in front of one of the grand chiefs. “I would like to buy that cup for 5 copper.” After getting a nod of affirmation from the chief, the trader pulled five copper coins from a pocket in his pants, sliding them across the table. As soon as the transaction was finished, another two notifications sprung up in Mike's vision.
*[Village Notification (Dune)] This settlement has reached the requirements to increase in rank to a village. As a village, monster raids occur on average every 50 days, and are far more powerful. Title slots have increased to 13. More options can be found in the village menu.*
*[Village Leadership Notification (Thudfall)] One of your vassals has increased in rank to a village. As a village, the aura now aligns further with the aura of your village. Your village gains two additional title slots. More options can be found in the vassal menu.*
Mike could feel that most people in the room leveled up. He felt the biggest boost in power came from Devin, who likely gained multiple levels from both acquiring a vassal and having it become a village. ‘Damn leadership professions are so fast to level’ Mike thought. He did understand though that Devin had put quite a lot of work into making all of this happen, so it was most certainly an earned reward.
He also felt the level of Raj increase, pushing him to be now one level higher than Mike. Mike did feel a spark of competitiveness rise in him at the level difference, and was determined to rectify this soon. The room was in quite high spirits from so many levels being gained, and the rest of that day was spent in celebration. Half of the village celebrated with drinks, food, and dancing.
As it turned out, the majority of the village had come from India, and many Hindu traditions had been carried over from before the system. Halfway through the celebrations, Raj had recited scriptures that seemed to lift the mood of the crowd further. Mike hadn't been religious himself, but seeing so many people keep true to their faith did fill him with a sense of happiness that not everything had changed with the new world.
As for the food and drink, their beliefs did have some impact on that as well. Not everyone from the village had the exact same beliefs, and there was a clear divide from those who saw drinking as acceptable and those who didn't. Mike had expected some kind of conflict to start because of this, but none happened. For food, most of them were opposed to eating the meat of the monsters that were brought back from hunts that the chiefs went on. Instead, they dined on some wonderful tasting fruits and greens that had been cultivated around the oasis.
The drinks had been from fermenting some of those fruits, and they were damn good compared to anything Mike had from before the system. His ridiculous constitution prevented him from getting inebriated, but he still drank because it just tasted so damn good. After several bottles, he did feel a slight buzz, but that too was dispelled the second he stopped drinking for more than a few minutes.
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Mike certainly wanted to bring this kind of liveliness and uplifting mood back to Thudfall if he could. The people of this village may not be high in levels, but they were more endearing than in his own village. He also discovered that day that Indians could dance. He had been swept up in the dances, and he tried to keep up as hundreds of people were somehow doing the same dance synchronously. Instruments that had been made by several people were being played, setting the tempo for each move of the dance. After an hour of trying, Mike gave up trying to dance and mingled with some people. Raj approached him while the sun was setting, handing him a glass of the fruit wine.
“You already have quite the reputation among my people.” He said, chuckling.
“Oh yeah? Anything good?”
“If you consider being the white guy trying to copy the dance they are doing, which has been passed down through generations, as a good reputation, then yes.”
“Oh, well it doesn’t sound good when you say it like that.” Mike said.
Raj bumped him with his arms, raising his glass to toast Mike's own. “Lighten up. People love when you try to embrace the culture and learn about it. You may not be the best dancer, but you have fit in better than you might think with just about everything else. You even paid attention when I read the scriptures.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Mike said. He had not paid any attention to the reading, but had at least tried to look like he was. He gave a mental fist pump that worked.
“On the subject of embracing culture, I must say your friend Lucas has done quite well with that. He has mimicked the dances we do perfectly, and even asked follow up questions about my reading. He may be more loved than you at this point.”
“Really? I would not have expected that. Where is he?”
Raj pointed behind Mike's shoulder, and Mike turned around to look. He was taller than most in the crowd, and he could see Lucas’ head bobbing in time with the music. When Mike leapt atop a small building for a better view, he couldn't help but chuckle at what he saw. Lucas was in the middle of a ring of people, doing a dance that put what Mike had tried to do to shame. Him and three other men were facing one another, their arms moving simultaneously in various patterns. “No wonder, he is quite the dancer.” He said as he hopped back down next to Raj.
“I hear he has been working on a sculpture. Do you know what he is planning?” Raj asked. “I know that his helpers know but they are trying to keep it a surprise from me.”
Mike saw a chance to look like he had something over the man, and took it. “Well if they are keeping it a surprise, then who am I to ruin it?” He didn't know what was being made either, and was just as much in the dark as Raj about it.
The next day, just as the sun began rising, Lucas finally unveiled his project. There had been a huge tarp of some kind placed over it while the final touches were being added, so that the meaning behind it could be hidden. The village gathered around for the dramatic reveal, and as the tarp was pulled off, the sun hit the statue at just the right angle it gave it a halo of light from Mike's perspective.
It was a large chariot, with a four armed man riding atop it. The chariot was being drawn by seven horses who were each just as majestic as the last. Mike walked around the statue in a circle to take in the full beauty of it, when he noticed that the halo of light was present no matter which angle he looked at it. He quickly identified it, and was shook by what he saw.
“God damnit, not again.” He cursed, as he read the description of the sculpture.
*Idol of Lord Surya (Heroic)*
A sculpture made in the likeness of Lord Surya and his steeds. As the embodiment of the sun, Lord Surya commands its light to follow his will. During the day, this statue gives anyone who touches it a massive boost to mana regeneration, with the boost getting stronger as the sun shines brighter. During the night, the boost is still present to a much lesser degree. This statue has been significantly empowered by [Redacted].
There it was again, the line that something mysterious had empowered it. Mike wondered if that was what had boosted the sculpture to its heroic rarity, despite the subpar materials used to make it. He approached the statue and was about to touch it, when a nearby man slapped his hand away. Mike looked at the man, and was reprimanded for what he had tried to do.
“Stop, only priests and the statue's creator are allowed to touch the idol without permission.” The man said.
Mike was very curious just how large of a boost to mana regen he could get from the statue, but respected the peoples traditions enough to not let his curiosity get the best of him. He saw several of the grand chiefs, as well as Raj lay their hands on the statue, and even from a good thirty feet away he could feel the mana that was coursing into their bodies. He was a bit jealous that he didn't get to try it, but Raj motioned him over.
He took Mike's hand and placed it on the hoof of one the steeds, and Mike was flooded with mana. It quickly left him and went into the air around him, as his body simply couldn't hold so much at once, but he could feel the sheer power that moved through him. He looked at his stat sheet, trying to ascertain just how much of a bonus he was getting.
Mana Regeneration: 2332 Per minute (+10000)
He was getting an extra 10000 mana each minute, which was enough to fill his reserves from empty in less than two minutes. He removed his hand, feeling the sense of power dissipate.
“Wow.” Mike said, still reveling in the mana that was building up in the air around them.
“Your friend Lucas has done us a great service.” Raj said. “I would like to ask him to permanently move here to Dune, if you allow me to.”
“Go for it.” Mike said. Raj walked over to Lucas, who was talking with some of the other sculptures. They exchanged a few words, and he saw Lucas shake his head while they talked. Then, something about the rogue changed. It wasn't like when someone leveled up, but more like when a title was given to someone. Mike identified Lucas, seeing that was in fact the case.
Human (level 32) (Venerated Individual of Dune)
He knew that you usually were unable to see titles with the identify skill, but since he was a village leader, and Lucas lived within his village, it augmented the skill to display the title. After more pleasantries were exchanged and goodbyes were said, the caravan began the trek all the way back to Thudfall. Mike didn't travel with the caravan, instead running and gliding the distance back to the village. It took him just under a day to return to the village, and he immediately entered his workshop. He had seen two other people make Heroic rarity creations, and now that he had time to himself, he was hellbent on making one of his own.