Kai
The view of the capital city is absolutely breathtaking. Gladys mentions that the capital is smaller compared to many others on the continent, but I’ve never seen anything so huge. Long before we enter, I can see massive floating islands in the sky, each of them looking like it is chained to the ground somehow. From one of them pours a massive waterfall, arcing somewhere deep inside the city.
Just inside the entrance is a massive open air market. There are people calling out all sorts of things, selling everything you could imagine.
Kai: “This… this is… how are there so many people?!?”
Gladys smiles broadly and sweeps her arms out.
Gladys: “Welcome to the capital city, Kai! This is the largest city in the country, but remember that we’re a small country. I've heard that, in the west, there are some cities a hundred times bigger than this one!”
My mouth opens. I can't even begin to understand this city, let alone one that's a hundred times larger.
There is no toll to enter the capital city, which is nice. Faerie Beach doesn't have a toll, but then again, no one ever visits or leaves Faerie Beach so it doesn't matter anyway. Gladys mentioned that we might need to pay one, so I'm glad she didn't have to spend whatever savings she brought with her.
I, on the other hand, have zero savings to my name. I'm hoping that here in the capital I'm able to finally find my way. Learn a trade or skill or figure out something I'm good at…
…And maybe find answers about my past. I don't have any memories before I arrived at Faerie Beach. I don't know anything about the world except for what Gladys and her family taught me. But something prompted me to come here. Weeks of traveling later, we’ve finally arrived. Now I just have to figure out what it is.
Kai: “So… now what do we do?”
Gladys: “Well, we have to figure out where we’re going to sleep tonight at some point. We can go back outside the city and camp, but usually people stay in an inn or something similar. We don't have much money though… and I have no idea how much staying at an inn costs.”
She looks down at a small pouch at her belt.
Gladys: “But we’ve been traveling for weeks, Kai. How about we spend the rest of today wandering the city without stressing about what comes next. If something comes up, we go for it. If we find the perfect place to stay, we stay. If not, we go back out into the forest a half an hour or so and sleep the same way we’ve done since we left Faerie Beach.”
Kai: “Sounds like a great plan. Let's tour this market, then ask for directions so we can see the most important parts of the city. And like you said, if we find something we want to do, or buy, or visit, we make it happen.”
---
Gabe
I wake up feeling refreshed. The feeling from last night is gone, leaving nothing but a quiet memory. I log into Dungeon Quest, appear in the courtyard of the church, and look for Sister Maribel. I want to borrow a watering can or something similar so I can use it in the PAX Dimension.
It looks like just a night has passed since I logged out. Though I could be wrong. The AI of Dungeon Quest has the terrible habit of constantly changing the quantum acceleration of the game world. Sometimes time goes over 10x faster here, sometimes it goes the same speed as real life, and sometimes it even goes more slowly! And, if I think about it, maybe sometimes it even stops. Isn't that what happened when the demon spoke to me?
Wait.
Does that mean that during those few seconds, the game stopped for all of the millions of people logged in already?!? That's just… that's just crazy, right?
Koji told me that he read an article that said that, during the beta testing, the average speed was 3x - so three times the amount of time passes in the world of Dungeon Quest compared to the outside world.
Either way, I need to water the seeds before I head to work so that they don't die overnight.
I'm not sure how often to water the seeds I planted yesterday. Usually, different types of seeds have different types of soil, water, depth, and sunlight needs. But the “Be a Farmer” quest said to plant them all at the same depth, and only gave spacing between plants. On the upside, the only drawback of over-watering in the early stages of a plant’s life is that the plant might rot or have some type of fungal growth.
Except!
In the PAX Dimension there is no soil fungus! There is no rot! It's like having perfectly autoclaved greenhouse media that I'm growing in, inside a clean room with no ambient bacteria. I'm sure the lack of bugs and microbes will cause issues somehow in my adventures in PAX, but for now, I don't have to worry about fungus gnats or beetles or slugs or rot or anything else.
*sigh*
This is the life!
I find Sister Maribel after a few minutes of searching.
Gabe: “Sister Maribel! Can I borrow a watering can? I'll bring it back shortly.”
Sister Maribel: “Of course, Gabe. Any time you need one, you are welcome to borrow one from the garden shed. It should still be set on the ground where you left it last.”
She looks at me with questioning eyes.
Sister Maribel: “Are… are you feeling better?”
Gabe: “Huh?”
Sister Maribel: (Maybe I got it wrong… but last night he seemed… off somehow. This morning he seems ok tho so maybe it was just late at night.) “Did you sleep well?”
Gabe: “Yeah, I guess so. I'm going to go water the plants in the PAX Dimension, then head out. I've got a ton of things to do today.”
Sister Maribel: “Yes, Grace told me you finished and has been begging to go back. I told her she could go after her lessons.”
Gabe: “You should go with her! Not much to see yet, but we planted a huge amount of seeds! Eventually, it will look amazing!”
I jog to the garden shed, thankful that Sister Maribel has now given me blanket permission to use the watering can. I grab the watering can, jog back to the fountain, and transfer to the PAX Dimension.
Maybe someday I'll learn water magic to make watering easier. That would be nice. In the meantime I'll water all these…
…
…
…
Huh?
The watering can almost drops from my hand in shock as I look around. Last night, or last night in my time, we planted tons of seeds. We left ring marks in the dirt around the trees and along the edges of each patch of seeds, so that we could find them even if they hadn't grown yet.
But there are no marks. The soil is as smooth as it was when I first transferred to the PAX Dimension, as if I hadn't spent hours and hours digging it up.
I drop to my knees in frustration, close my eyes, and try to think. How am I supposed to find the plants when there are no markings? How will they grow without rain or being watered? And if I water everywhere, I'll end up trampling the plants.
But I guess that's what I'm going to have to do, right? Trample the plants and water everywhere, at least until the plants begin to sprout.
Speaking of which, how long will that take here?
I fill the watering can at the tiny spring in the middle of the field. I remember how we set up the 4 plots, so I head forward toward where I think the first plot should be. As I get closer, I notice something.
There, on the ground, is a tiny spot of green. So small that I couldn't see it before, but it’s there. 15cm further, I find another one. 15cm further, another one. 15 cm further… I can't find… no wait… there it is! Another tiny green sprout. A still-folded cotyledon just barely poking through the soil.
I look around, making sure I'm not standing in a plot, and sit down in amazement.
How is this possible? Has it been that many days here in Dungeon Quest since we planted the seeds? Has Grace been watering them each day? Or were the seeds somehow magical, and sprouted literally the morning after they were planted?
I decide to ask Sister Maribel what day it is before going forward.
I head back to my footsteps and transfer.
Gabe: “Sister Maribel!”
Sister Maribel: “Yes, Gabe?”
Gabe: “How long has passed since the night I brought Grace back home late - since we planted the seeds in the garden in the PAX Dimension?”
Sister Maribel: “Huh? How long has passed?”
Gabe: “Yeah. How long has passed since then? Was it last night? Or two days ago? Or a week ago?”
Sister Maribel looks extremely confused.
Sister Maribel: “It was last night, Gabe. Are you sure that you are feeling ok? Last night I felt like you…”
I wave my arm to stop her, then take her hand.
Gabe: “Come with me. You have to help me understand something. Transfer to PAX Dimension!”
I lead Sister Maribel to the tiny sprouts and she leans down closely to examine them.
Sister Maribel: “These are the seeds you planted last night?”
I nod, still holding her hand. I realize this is awkward but there isn't any way around it.
Gabe: “We finished planting them, watered them, and then I brought Grace to you and went to bed. Do you have any idea of what could have happened? Can you use your skill to see anything?”
Sister Maribel: “Oh! Yes! I can use Greater Identify! Except…” Her face turns red.
Gabe: “Yeah?”
Sister Maribel: “...except I may need to use my hand if that's ok. I know you need to keep holding it but I’m used to using both hands for this.”
I suddenly realize how awkward this really is. I'm holding a woman’s hand, not letting go, and we don't have any kind of romantic relationship. Actually she works at a church and I... live in another world.
Gabe: “No problem. Just move your hand wherever. I'll try to not get in your way.”
Maribel crouches down to the ground and places her free right hand directly over a tiny sprout.
Sister Maribel: “I’ve never done this for something this small before. At least not a plant this small before. I'm not sure if it will work.”
Gabe: “Trying is better than nothing! Worst case, we know just as much as we do now.”
Sister Maribel uses her left hand to navigate screens in front of her, eventually stopping on one. She closes her eyes and lifts her head upwards for a moment, then speaks aloud.
Sister Maribel: “Greater Identify.”
We wait for a minute, then another. I remember that it took a while for the ring to be identified too, right?
After a few minutes, a tiny *ding* sounds out, and a screen appears in front of Sister Maribel.
Sister Maribel: “It worked!”
Gabe: “Can you tell me anything about the plant? What kind it is? Why it grew so fast? Anything?”
Sister Maribel: “Let’s see…”
She looks at the status screen.
---
[Tomato Sprout]
[A rare plant found growing in temperate and volcanic climates. Indeterminate variety, bearing clusters of deep red [Tomato] fruit approximately 3cm in diameter. First fruits ripen on climbing vines after approximately 75 days, after which plant will continue to produce indefinitely. This sprout has been blessed by a Seed Spirit, giving it [Seed Spirit’s Blessing].]
[Seed Spirit’s Blessing]
[Blessed seeds will germinate in one day and mature at between 2-10x speed compared to normal based on growing conditions. Plants with the Seed Spirit’s Blessing have a chance of producing fruit of higher quality, with no maximum limit. Fruit production is seedless, sterile, and does not require pollination.]
---
Sister Maribel: “It looks like it’s a rare plant called a %#^$& that grows fruit. It's been #%?!&$@ which means that if you take care of it well, it will $&@0%#. All in all, it's pretty amazing!”
Gabe: “Well, if I knew what you were talking about, I'm sure I'd be crazy excited. But that means that looking at the other plants probably won't get me any other information. Thank you! Transfer back from PAX Dimension!”
I let go of Sister Maribel’s hand, then transfer back and water each of the tiny sprouts, humming a tune while I do so. It takes a while, but I'm able to finish, drop off the watering can, and log off with plenty of time to get ready before going to work. Today’s a busy day, and I don't know if I'll have time to play Dungeon Quest before late tonight.