The negotiations didn’t take all that long. The delegation from New Aspen had several questions to ask of Andy and their concerns were alleviated in short order. For now, the terms were simple. New Aspen would be annexed by Olympus. It would become a settlement of Olympus and abide by all current and future rules or laws in place. The citizens would act on behalf of Olympus and follow all expected character behaviors as citizens of the city. They would be free to live in Olympus or New Aspen and all resources will be made available to them just as they are made available to the original citizens.
The leadership of New Aspen would join a soon-to-be-formed council. Olympus and the leaders of New Aspen would work over the coming days to establish what a functioning government would look like. They would need to put people in charge of the various aspects of running their cities. This included infrastructure, law and order, justice, resource allocation, medicine, and education. It would be a massive undertaking, but it needed to be done, and fast. As new settlements joined them, it would only become more important to have a functioning establishment in place.
The citizens of New Aspen had all been able to spend time in Olympus so far, and the results of their visits were apparent. There was a buzz about town. The citizens of Olympus were excited at the prospect of meeting more humans, building a larger society, and further integrating the population of Earth into their new way of life. Every single person in Olympus went out of their way to make the newcomers feel welcome and an impromptu celebration began taking shape.
Tables were set up all over the central plaza of Olympus. Ambrosia was slinging food and drink out left and right. The artisans of Olympus made themselves available for anyone to learn more about their craft and ask about their wares. Many of the people from New Aspen had only been able to fight. They hadn’t had the luxury of choosing a path that didn’t involve fighting, and many of them had not hit 25 yet. There were more than a few people who were curious about undertaking a new path when their evolution happened.
Once the negotiations were complete Calvin asked Andy to have everyone gather in the central plaza. All of the citizens of Olympus and most of the citizens of New Aspen had gathered for the announcement.
The leaders of both cities stood on a raised platform with Andy between them.
Calvin cleared his voice and called out to the crowd. “Everyone, today we have achieved something we’d dreamed of since starting this tutorial. Today, we begin the process of uniting the surviving humans of Earth. In less than six days, we’ll be going back to a planet to face new and unknown challenges, but we will not be doing it alone. We will be joined by New Aspen. Let me be clear about something. The citizens of New Aspen, are citizens of Olympus. I trust that everyone here will welcome them with open arms and show them the same courtesies you show each other. Let this be our first step to a united and powerful Earth.”
Calvin stepped back and Harlon stepped forward.
“When Calvin and his group came to fight the monster at our steps, I was relieved, but skeptical. Seeing that behemoth, I felt the same doom and despair I know many of you felt. It seemed like our home, and maybe our lives would be lost to that creature. But then came this man and his companions. I looked upon him and knew he would die fighting that monstrosity and wondered why he would do such a thing. But then he didn’t die. His group brought so much power to the battlefield it left me in awe and they destroyed the creature that threatened our lives.”
Harlon bowed his head for a moment before continuing. “After witnessing this I was grateful but still distrustful. Why would anyone risk their lives and ask for nothing in return? Again, I was filled with despair that our homes or maybe our lives would be taken, and there would be nothing we could do to stop it.”
He lifted his hand and placed it on Calvin’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. “Then Calvin brought me here. He fed me, he educated me about what’s happening out there and he made me an offer. Actually, he made me several offers. He offered to let us part ways and simply remain friends, he offered an alliance where we would remain independent but still have their support in times of danger, and he offered for us to join Olympus in an official capacity.”
He looked over the crowd as they listened to him relay his thought process about all of this.
“Even then, I was still skeptical. But I was intrigued. This man didn’t force anything upon us. He gave us the freedom to make our choices, and one of those choices was that we would share in all of the successes of Olympus as they help us grow and become stronger. I know we are proud of New Aspen, and we should be. We built a home from nothing and survived incredible things. This is not an end for our town, but a new beginning. I hope every one of you here sees this as a positive step. We have negotiated the terms of our joining and I can assure you that Olympus does not seek to hold us down or hold us back in any way. They want all of us to share in the prosperity and hope that you see here in Olympus.”
The crowd erupted in applause. This truly was a momentous occasion. They were forming a society from scraps, and they would build it up to be the greatest society that has ever graced their planet.
Calvin held up his hand to quiet everyone and then began the final words of the speech. “Andy here has helped us draw up the official papers. In just a moment, the leaders of Olympus and New Aspen will officially join together and everyone gathered here from New Aspen will become official citizens.”
Andy summoned an orb between the two groups and requested that they place their hands on it. Calvin couldn’t help but think that this entire ritual was purely ceremonial. After all, Andy could have easily conveyed the same message through a simple system notification. Nonetheless, Calvin had to admit that it made for a captivating spectacle.
The leaders gently placed their hands on the smooth, shimmering orb, causing a hushed silence to envelop the crowd. Anticipation hung thick in the air. Suddenly, a soft hum emanated from the orb, followed by a collective gasp that rippled through the onlookers. Their eyes widened as a message materialized before them, a sight that left them spellbound.
Welcome citizens of Olympus.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
The cheers started up once more before Calvin quieted everyone down for just a moment longer.
“Alright, so I know everyone is ready to party… don’t worry, we will get to all of that soon. There’s just have one last thing we need to do.”
He pulled up the missive window and made it visible to the crowd.
“It’s time to get our reward for slaying the behemoth.”
With a mental press of a button, he handed in the quest.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE MINOR BEHEMOTH - 5 days 22 hours remaining
Due to your exceptional performance, rewards have been enhanced. Rewards for New Aspen have been removed.
All citizens of Olympus - 10,000xp, 50,000 credits
All active participants in slaying the behemoth - 20,000xp, 200,000 credits
Olympus - 1,500,000 credits
Resource Cache (Platinum)
Trials of Divergent Paths - Unlocked
Library of Eons Expanded - Cores
Calvin examined the rewards, as expected, fighting the behemoth was totally worth it. He’d gotten another pile of levels in addition to a stack of cash. He’d be visiting the exchange again soon. He hesitated slightly when he saw the note about New Aspen rewards being removed.
“Hey Harlon, did you get rewards for that?”
“Hell yeah, I did. I… don’t even know what to think right now. You guys did all the work. I feel almost guilty for not earning this.”
Calvin was relieved to hear that. He’d figured they’d get rewards, and he’d at least hoped that making them citizens first would give them access to the higher tier rewards.
“Ha. There’s no need. We would have fought that creature regardless of whether or not it threatened a settlement. I’m happy that you get to share in the rewards. That should be a real nice boost for your citizens.”
Taking a moment to appreciate the scene, Harlon stood on the elevated platform and looked out over the jubilant crowd. The air was filled with the sounds of laughter and joyous chatter, blending with the upbeat music playing in the background. The sun cast a warm golden glow on the sea of smiling faces below, as people embraced their newfound prosperity. The scent of freshly bloomed flowers wafted through the air, adding a touch of sweetness to the atmosphere. Harlon couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride and contentment, knowing that just a day ago, they were struggling to make ends meet. Now, they were proud citizens of a flourishing community, basking in the abundance of their transformed lives.
Calvin stepped to the side and called over to Andy.
“Andy, what can you tell us about the Trials of Divergent Paths?”
“It’s a rare reward, but appropriate in this context. The Trials allow for individuals to reform their path. Those who have chosen a class will be able to choose a new class after completing the trials. Those who have evolved will go through evolution again. It does have downsides though. If you’ve evolved and choose to undertake the trials, your level will be reduced to the level you evolved at.”
“Ouch, that could hit some people hard.”
“For many, it’s worth it. Look at your citizens for example. Many of them either chose their class based on necessity, becoming fighters because anything else would be suicide, or they were forced to choose by Knox. Losing a few levels to find yourself on the right path pays off very quickly. If you’re not committed to the path you’ve chosen, your gains will come slower and slower until they stop altogether. This becomes even more pronounced at higher levels and evolutions. In my opinion, those who have chosen the Aetherian Collective path, do not have much to gain unless they truly felt it was the wrong path for them. For many others in Olympus, it may be the best choice.”
“How do the trials work?”
“It’s different for each individual. There are multiple levels to the trials. Initially, the trials get a sense of what fits the individual best. It tests their personality, their strength, their various aptitudes, and their desires. Then, it will test them in the areas they do best in, providing trials catered toward certain paths. It should be noted though, that the trials aren’t a safe space. You can be injured or killed within them, or trapped forever if you never find yourself on a path.”
“It wouldn’t be the system if it wasn’t exceedingly dangerous. I don’t want to stop the celebrations with another speech. Could you get a message out to all citizens informing them of these trials and how to undertake them if they want? Please inform them of the potential dangers. I want everyone making these decisions to be well informed.”
“Of course. I will also add a report to your base management window so that you can see what classes have gone in and which ones have come out. This will be crucial to managing your population.”
Calvin nodded, “Good thinking. Thanks Andy. Oh, are you able to offer advice for setting up a governing structure?”
“This is within my capabilities. I have numerous examples of various structures from throughout the multiverse and I can provide suggestions based on what I know of Olympus so far. I’ll put together a report on that as well and when you’re ready to go over it, summon me.”
“How long will it take you?”
“It’s done already.”
Calvin shook his head. He’d forgotten he was dealing with a super-powered system robot with direct access to the mother ship.
Calvin patted Harlon on the back “You should get out there and celebrate with everyone. I’m going to head back to New Aspen and check up on the progress there. Tonight, we can meet again and talk about setting up some governance. Andy will have some suggestions for us, but make sure to bring names of people you might think are well-suited for certain roles.”
“I agree. And I think I’ll take you up on the offer to celebrate.”
Smiling, Calvin waved Harlon off. “Amy, would you like to join me?”
“Yeah, I think I will. Gotta make sure you don’t spend too much time avoiding the fun and party back here. Don’t forget, you promised all some drinks… I’m going to hold you to it.”
The two, joined by Freya, made their way to the anchor point. They still had levels to get and upgrades to perform, but that could wait. They stepped through the shimmering portal in front of them. They found themselves at the worksite by the behemoth. The creature had been mostly dismantled by now. Calvin estimated they’d be done in less than a dozen hours at this rate. Calvin found Seth sifting through crates and taking notes. It seemed Seth had found something interesting and was cataloging it for later.
“Seth, how’s it going?” Calvin asked.
“Oh boy, I’m so glad you all fought this thing. If you thought the stuff I showed you earlier was good, you have no idea. Really, there’s too much to go through in a short time, but check this out.”
Seth flipped open a box and inside was a massive stone, similar to the essence stones from before, just much larger and clearly far more powerful.
“This is a minor behemoth core. Just so happens we found it right after you handed in the missive. I saw the upgrade to the library, and I think that upgrade will teach us what we need to know about this. Everything I can see right now supports that this was truly the reward from this beast and that we’re going to be able to do some really great stuff with it. Besides that, we’ve got about a zillion of the essence stones in all shapes and flavors. I have crates of intact spikes and I’ll be researching how they generated the laser web, all in all, this was a good haul.”
Calvin was feeling giddy at the news. They all really did love getting upgrades, and Seth’s upgrades were top tier. Those drones he supplied made that fight a piece of cake.
“How’s the scouting coming along?”
“Great actually. Early reports of some potential settlements along with some other evidence of activity. I’ll collect the data and we can prepare to get portal grenades out to those areas once we have some ambassadors lined up.”
Calvin was now feeling extra giddy. Things were coming together quite rapidly. This was a good day.