That day started with me putting a barrier on the door to my house, just as I left it. There was almost nothing inside, but I still didn't want anybody to get inside if I could prevent them. Then I headed to the city center. It was finally time to have a conversation with Blue. Or at least attempt one.
I quickly found Hatta.
- Hey Hatta. I need you to do me a favor.
- Hey. What do you need?
- I need to talk with Blue. Can you deliver my request or something? Even the last time I tried to talk with him guards would prevent me from entering, and I had to wait. So I figured that maybe this time I'm gonna ask beforehand.
- I'll ask. Hang around here, so I won't have to look for you, ok?
- Yeah. Sure. Thank you.
During the whole conversation, we exchanged looks, that said more than words we spoke. I had no idea if we understood each other fully, but there was definitely more than one line of communication between us. Maybe he knew that I just want to check the field before going in. Maybe Blitzkrieg communicated with him about the plan. Or maybe not, which got me worried.
The worst part was I knew I'm overthinking it, but I just couldn't stop myself. I sat on the piece of rubble and thought what is gonna unfold. So much was at stake.
All this thinking got me hungry, so I approached the device. Tax collectors were well aware of me usually paying later, so they allowed me to use it. I bought some food, a beer, and returned to waiting.
Watching other people going on with their lives made me think back, about how it was back on earth. I could see the similarities. We still were primitive in comparison, but there was a charm to this life. If not for all the stuff going on in the background, how close were we to a paradise?
Was it all the same on the earth? Was I just unaware, like those people, of what was going on behind the curtain? Maybe. Probably.
- Hey, Peter? - Hatta's voice made me come back to reality.
- Yes? So? Can I see him?
- Yeah. Come with me.
And I followed him. This time to a different building. A bigger one, better guarded. Instead of going upstairs, we went to the basement, where Blue had a big office filled with classy, heavy furniture. Nice rugs on the ground. Leather sofas around one small table. On the shelves, I could see crystal bottles filled with brown alcohol. Classy I would say.
But there was also something odd. Five guards in pretty intimidating armors, and armed to the teeth.
- Peter - said Blue, pointing to the chair on the other side of his desk.
- Long time no see Blue.
- Yes. I hope you had some time to settle your thoughts. What brings you here?
- Well... I did. I actually came to ask you what are we gonna do from now on? I want to go to orcs. I want to look for a way of hunting them.
- I heard something.
Williams popped up in my mind immediately.
- Did the goblin cave became boring? - he continued.
- Your people took the spot. Besides, I think it's time. We need more crystals for greenhouses. We should also try upgrading the device. Orcs could really quicken the whole process.
- Sure. Come back when you have some news.
- Good - I just stood up, and left.
He gave me the vibe that he wasn't really interested. Was he checking me? Did he know? He wasn't feeling safe in my company for sure. That's why the guards were present. It also seemed like the whole Zhang Yong's grand plan ended up in the trash bin. He had his own plans and was pursuing them actively. I had no place in those plans.
Was he pushing me to make the war happen? Was that what he wanted? I knew for sure, he knew something. I had no doubts that Blood Brothers were considered enemies by him. It was a danger, and he was not dumb enough to overlook it. Lack of movement from his side could mean only two things, he either was working on a solution or was in the middle of making it happen.
Were we too late? Were we just playing on top of his palm? Like a bunch of puppets in hands of a puppet master. That's how I felt.
- Should I go and talk with Blitzkrieg? - I kept asking myself.
No. It was out of the questions. Blue would now right away, if he didn't yet by now. I needed to keep calm, and only contact him thru Hatta. On top of that, I also had to stick to my word, and go to orcs. Even if only for a day or two, but before, Blitzkrieg had to be notified.
I went to find Hatta. It took some time since he was not where I found him before. He was in the canteen, eating, alongside many more.
- Hey - I said sitting on the other side of the table.
- How did it go?
- I'm going to orcs for at least a few days. Just wanted you to know.
He noded. I had no idea if he understood why I'm telling it to him. I had no idea if Blitzkrieg's people made contact, and delivered the information yet or not. The last thing we needed right now was a miscommunication.
- Sure. Good luck there. Don't die.
- I'll do my best.
I got up and left to prepare for departure. It was a long walk to get to the canyon. Even if I would go power walking all the way. I felt so irritated that right now I had to leave the city. There was so much going on, but I had to be away from it, and just hope nothing will go south. But since nothing good would come out of my worries anyway, I decided to focus on preparations, and depart as soon as possible.
I got the cart and filled it with provisions for a couple of days. I bought two additional weapons and got rid of the used ones in bad condition. Then I departed.
The walk was long and calm. No goblins on the way. Hunters cleaned everything up nicely. I pushed hard to get to the canyon before dark. It was uncomfortable to rush while pulling the cart on wooden wheels, but I wasn't getting tired at all. Just the shaking annoyed me, and constant fighting with the handles. There was no way around it, so I just had to endure.
It was getting dark when I found myself close enough. I left the cart and walked around a bit to find a good spot for a camp. A cluster of bushes was what I was looking for. Eventually, I spotted one and moved my stuff next to it. Then I cut out some of the bushes, hid the cart, and covered it with twigs so it wouldn't be easy to spot from afar.
It looked decent to me, so I was content with the work I've done. But there was something else I could do now. Something I wasn't able to even a few days ago. Now I could put up a barrier for better protection. So I put my hand on the ground, closed the eyes, and thought of a barrier. A simple one that after breaking will send a message to my head. I knew I can do something like that, How? Well, the information was just in my head. I had no idea how, but it just worked.
It made me curious, yet again, how the heck was this world working. Back on earth, we had physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Things we learned in school. We could predict the world around us to some point. We knew how things were working. We made things work for us using those laws.
Here everything seemed to be somewhat the same. Except for one thing. The device and everything connected to it. Like it could bend reality to do its bidding. Change the rules, remove them if necessary, and create new ones.
Was it also changing us? Stupid idea. Of course, it was. At least physically. But maybe also mentally. It gave us almost infinite possibilities, and everybody wanted to fulfill their desires by exploring those possibilities. There was a rat race happening.
I was in shock at how long it took me to realize. Blue, Blitzkrieg, Mark, even me. Only counting people I knew of. We all were racing to the finish line. There were no friends here, only competition.
We were about to clash soon. There was no other way. If somebody was going ahead, the rest joined forces to pull him down, get rid of him. The same was with Zhang Yong. He got pulled down. Mainly because he was unaware of the race.
History was bound to repeat itself until there will be the last man standing. Such a cruel fate. I laughed, and then crawled under the cart to get some sleep.
Day ended with 54 342 points on my account.