After the little episode of Saya imitating a koala and clinging to my back, I put the tsundere down and finished the conversation with her father, who was now looking at me as if he wanted to kill me.
Ending the conversation, I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't hurt to help them for a little longer, and it wouldn't disrupt my plans. In the end, I ended up staying a bit longer while killing zombies on the way to the port and escorting the trucks.
Of course, the thought crossed my mind to just take all the trucks and most of the property's belongings to the port, but I quickly dismissed that idea.
Even the group agreed it wasn't a good idea when I offered, with the best argument coming from Saya.
"It's not a bad idea, it would help immensely, of course, but it would also spoil the survivors of the property since they would turn to you again and again whenever they needed something like that."
Not to mention the hassle that would follow. As comfortable as I was revealing the inventory, I didn't want to deal with the questions and issues that would come after that.
So I ended up just helping normally, killing as many zombies as I could with my two swords, the copper one and the iron one. Since I asked Saeko for help in learning to sharpen the blade, I escorted the trucks to avoid as many unnecessary deaths as possible.
I tried using the katana I had received as a gift as well, but it wasn't for me, at least not now. I felt more comfortable with the European-style iron sword than using the katana.
I also took the opportunity to leave some supply boxes that "mysteriously" appeared in the trucks and some along the way.
It wouldn't hurt me at all to "donate" a few dozen boxes to them. By this point, I had dozens of tons of food stored in my inventory, so this little bit wouldn't be missed by me and would help the property group a lot.
Saya realizing what I was doing and "rewarding" me later was just a bonus.
In the end, it took about a week to move most of the things on the property to the port and set up an improvised camp there while we gathered enough boats to move everything to the island.
[GryffinPotter]: Wow! So, this is the sea? I had only seen it in photos, but it's really huge! (Emote of an amazed lion).
[JackSon]: It's very cool, isn't it? I love it when mom takes us to the beach. I always feel happy when I get in the water! (Emote of a happy seahorse).
There was also this, in that week Dumbledore had invited the famous boy who lived for the stream, and Sally invited the result of her affair with the god of the seas.
Or as most people knew them. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.
I'm sure seventy percent, if not more, of the female population my age would faint seeing these two interacting together in real life, even at the age of eleven they currently had.
There was another new member as well besides these two, and that was Shima, Fukasaku's wife, but she didn't write much, and if what Jiraiya typed before being abruptly interrupted is true, she wasn't very good at using the cellphone.
I took advantage of the free time to move around the port and the beach, which was calming in a certain way, until I found a comic book store that had a Marvel magazine with Captain America on the cover.
Stark wasn't Iron Man yet, but Captain had been around since World War II, which meant Stark basically recognized him instantly, so the questions came.
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: You know, I had my doubts about how you recognized me, just dismissed it as me being famous across worlds, but seeing this now I have my suspicions if it's not for another reason... (Emote of a suspicious Iron Man).
[WiseWizardGleam]: That man in the Muggle magazine is someone you recognize, Anthony?
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: We can say that... Can you explain why there's a Captain America comic in another world, DS? (Emote of Iron Man with a ? on his head).
I sighed as I sat on the beach sand. I knew this day would come, but I was trying to avoid it, as it wouldn't be easy to explain that, to me, everyone in the (CHAT) was, before all this stream fiasco happened, just fictional characters.
Took a few seconds before I started.
"Multiverse, familiar with the theory?" I asked the air, or in this case the (CHAT), while looking at the horizon.
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Of course, I know! what does... don't tell me...?
[WiseWizardGleam]: I'm not familiar with this theory, could someone explain? (Emote of a curious old wizard).
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: I'm not familiar either, it's not something I've heard before. Neither Jiraiya-chan nor Ma. (Emote of a curious old frog).
[RedHuntressLive]: I know! I know! I read a story that had this idea! Can I explain?! Can I!? (Excited Little Red Riding Hood Emote).
Stark apparently had already understood, but the others had no idea what the multiverse was, only Ruby had some kind of information, but it was based on comic book stories, so it wasn't accurate.
I sighed to myself. Wasn't I like her? Basically, everything I knew about the multiverse was from stories too.
"Let me explain this time, Red, it'll be easier this way." I sang lightly before starting my explanation.
"Let's go with this." I took a coin from my inventory. "If I toss this coin in the air, there's a fifty percent chance of it landing heads or tails, right?" I waited for some time, seeing the agreement messages in the (CHAT), continued, and tossed the coin in the air, which landed on the beach sand with tails up.
"It's tails, but what would have happened if it had been heads?" I picked up the coin from the ground and tossed it again. Tails again.
"It's basically that, the multiverse is the 'infinite.'" I made quotes with my fingers. "Possibilities of something happening." I tossed the coin in the air, but this time it landed heads.
"There exists a universe where I tossed the coin in the air ten times, and each time it landed on heads; another where they all landed on tails. I tossed the coin again, and this time it landed flat on the sand, neither heads nor tails.
"Imagine a forked path, where you can choose between right and left. In one reality, you chose right; in another, you chose left; in yet another, you turned around and went back the way you came.
"I tossed the coin again, but this time, before it hit the ground, I caught it and put it back in my inventory.
"This is the multiverse, possibilities of something, alternative paths, an infinite kaleidoscope of colors that contains endless possibilities." I sighed as I sat back down.
[WiseWizardGleam]: An interesting concept, but what does it have to do with... Oh. (Emote of an accomplished old wizard).
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: Looks like I wasn't the only one who noticed then... (Emote of a pensive old toad).
[RedHuntressLive]: What?! What?! I don't get it! What does this have to do with the comic book?! (Emote of a confused Little Red Riding Hood).
[JackSon]: Do you understand what they're talking about, friend Harry?
[GryffinPotter]: I don't, do you, friend Percy?
[JackSon]: Nope.
Funny how these two became friends quickly. They even started calling each other friend Harry and friend Percy, like they were each other's first friends or something. It was cute, to be honest.
Taking the Captain America comic from my inventory, I threw it into the sand beside me and lay down.
"Basically, Red, I'm in another world. So, how did Stark recognize the guy on the cover of this comic? Wouldn't it be impossible, since he's from another universe?"
[RedHuntressLive]: It's weird indeed, how is that possible? Since Anthony isn't from this planet, how did he recognize it? (Emote of a confused Little Red Riding Hood).
[GryffinHouseMatron]: It's because the man on the cover of this Muggle magazine is something from Mr. Stark's universe, isn't it? But how?
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Correct, he's a guy who fought in World War II... Tell me, DS, did you know me from a comic book too?
The rest of the (CHAT) was silent, probably waiting for my response. I didn't deny it.
"Yes, from a comic and from a movie or movies." I enjoyed the beach breeze before continuing. "Most of you, actually—Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Fukusaku, Jiraiya. I've basically met all of you..."
I closed my eyes and just listened to the "pings" of messages quickly arriving in the (CHAT). I waited for a moment for them to calm down before opening my eyes again.
I read the messages quickly, and it was what I expected, chaotic, everyone puzzled by the idea.
"How, would be the question here, isn't it? How is it possible for me to know about you when I exist in another world, a completely different universe..." I sighed, it was confusing, but I think I had the answer.
"First of all, it's not just me. I'm sure in your world there are movies, stories, cartoons that are probably reality in other universes. But my case can be explained by this."
I took my phone from the inventory and opened my status, or more specifically, my race. I had seen my status earlier this week. I'm glad the stream was off at the time because I freaked out a bit when I read this part.
-
[Human (Origin) - Rank: B]
Description: A human from a world without magic, without the supernatural, where the imaginary was just that, imaginary, where the supernatural was only a distant dream.
You shouldn't have magic, but you do; you shouldn't have mana, but you do; you shouldn't have a soul, but you do.
Your new body, your newly born soul, your being SCREAMS IN DESPAIR, realizing that you are no longer at the pinnacle, realizing that the monsters, once fictional, are now real, realizing that you are no longer at the top of the food chain.
Function: Your entire being propels itself to evolve, to adapt, to return to the top, to show what it means to be HUMAN.
-
Funny how a simple description can turn everything upside down, isn't it? That's why I was evolving so quickly, why I was so restless when I stood still.
It was basically my entire being trying to evolve, adapt, and become stronger. It wasn't just potions and mana fortifying me, but my body using potions and mana in whatever way it could to become stronger.
That's why my mana was always in (Flow: Constant), my body moving my mana in whatever way it could to fortify itself. Even without knowing what mana was and how to use it, it tried to improvise something.
"That's basically it, before all this happened, all of this here." I pointed around, to nothing and everything. "This world was an anime to me; Stark was from a comic called Marvel." I picked up the Captain America comic in my hand.
"This guy, Captain America, is from the same place, the same comic, Marvel. That's why Stark recognized him, and that's why I know him too..."
I fell silent after finishing, expecting the (CHAT) to explode again, but contrary to what I expected, there were no messages.
I blinked in confusion at that. "No reaction? Aren't you surprised? Confused? Freaking out?" Stark was the one who answered.
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Oh, no, I'm freaking out a bit, but I'm keeping it together, thinking about how awesome and famous I am in various realities, or else I'll probably have a panic attack...
That basically broke the dam.
[RedHuntressLive]: What! WHAT! SERIOUSLY?! DO I HAVE A COMIC JUST FOR ME? OR IS IT AN ANIME?! TELL ME! GO! GO! PLEASE! (Excited Little Red Riding Hood emote).
[WiseWizardGleam]: This is... probably the craziest thing I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot at my age...
[GryffinHouseMatron]: I think I'm going to faint, Albus, call Poppy q-
[HalfBloodPrince]: She fainted; I'll go help her, but I recommend calling Pomfrey soon, I'm not much better...
[RedHuntressLive]: Ahhh! Weiss fainted! Blake too! What is this? I'll go help them, is Yang foaming at the mouth?! BE RIGHT BACK! (Running Little Red Riding Hood emote).
This was the reaction I expected. I'm not surprised; it's crazy, but there were some who seemed fine.
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: I understand... it's one of the craziest things I've heard too, but it doesn't matter at this point. Actually, it does, but at this point, it doesn't.
[ToadMatriarch]: True, but I understand why they're reacting like that; it's pretty crazy to discover and think about! (Old toad scratching chin emote).
[BestToadSannin]: How are you guys!? If this is true... I don't even know what to think! Damn!
[JackSon]: ... I think I get it, but not really, and you, friend Harry? Is it confusing, infinite versions of me? Multiple paths?
[GryffinPotter]: I understood almost nothing, but it seems to be something incredible, friend Percy. Anyway, I'll go look for Snape and see if he fainted to take a picture; be right back! (Running lightning bolt scarred lion emote).
Fukusaku and Shima were old, so I guess it's more normal for them to just shrug (Do toads have shoulders?) and go with the flow.
Speaking of going with the flow.
"Hey, Percy, your mom, she hasn't entered the stream for a while, did something happen? Do you know why she's not coming in?" I'll let the (CHAT) calm down; I won't be surprised if not many people show up tomorrow.
I scratched my chin as I waited for the answer; I needed to trim my beard; it was growing too much.
[JackSon]: Nothing happened; why? She's just been working more these days, something about spending money helping a friend.
I froze the moment I read that message. Working overtime because she helped a friend?.
Memories flashed back in my mind, memories of a donation note saying "This is all I have"...
"Damn..." I muttered as I stood up. "Percy, can you do me a favor, ask your mom to enter the stream later, I need to talk to her."
If Sally Jackson, the mother of one of my childhood heroes, was in trouble because of me, I would fix it. Is she out of money because she donated to me before? Alright, I robbed a few banks and jewelry stores; a gold bar or two gemstones won't be missed.
I just needed to ask her first if she could sell these without drawing attention, but knowing the woman, I'm sure she would know what to do.
[JackSon]: Of course! Don't worry; I'll let her know! (Thumbs-up seahorse emote).
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Okay, I just went to throw up in the bathroom real quick, what did I miss? (Nauseated Iron Man emote).
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: Nothing too serious, just everyone freaking out with the news, but it should end well... I think... (Relaxed old toad emote).
[WiseWizardGleam]: Devas, a question... you said you knew most of us, but only mentioned the place Anthony comes from, why is that? (Curious old wizard emote).
I continued walking while responding.
"For reasons, I'll write down some things I know about each of your worlds and send them using the mission system; then you'll understand." I don't think it's a good idea to mention that the name of the world is Harry Potter.
Also, now that the cat was out of the bag, I might as well start acting and changing things that were going to happen, like Stark's kidnapping, but with Stane, it's difficult unless I send the information directly to Stark using the mission system.
Of course, I wouldn't do this with every new viewer that appeared on the stream, besides the fact that it would be too much work; I could use this to my advantage, trading or selling information.
I was only doing this now, for them, because they were my first viewers and they helped me when they didn't need to, especially Stark.
I can treat the guy like this because he's a pain in the neck, but it was basically a joke between him and me; if I can help the guy, I will help.
Returning to the improvised camp at the port, I spent the next few days helping keep the zombies away while Souichiro gradually moved people to the island.
I also took the opportunity to write down what I remembered of the Iron Man 1 plot for Stark, a summary of the first Harry Potter book for Dumbledore, and some things about Naruto for Fukasaku, and sent them to the respective people.
I didn't send it to Red since I really didn't know the RWBY plot and not to Sally either. Of course, I knew about the Percy Jackson books; it was one of the books I had read the most, but still, I didn't send any information to her.
For one simple reason. Gods. I knew from my title that the stream was basically protected from clairvoyance and everything else; Dumbledore had also told me that those who were not viewers couldn't see the cellphone, or they saw only a piece of wood or metal.
So, basically, the only people who knew about the stream were the viewers, me, and whoever I or the viewers told.
But what about the rest? What if I wrote something about the Percy Jackson book and it wasn't protected since it wasn't directly related to the stream? And even if the object or information was protected, what guaranteed me that it was only while the stream was on?.
Marvel was one thing; it was a place with horrible beings living on Earth? Yes, but most of them just did their own thing without interfering too much. Even if I sent information to Stark, the chance of something happening was minimal.
But Sally? The world where gods walked freely with nothing to stop them except themselves and their rules?.
It only took a simple slip, bad luck, for Sally Jackson to have her mind read by some immortal, and they discover about Percy, about the future, what would happen. This wasn't something I could risk; I didn't want to carry the deaths of the demigod's mother and Percy on my shoulders because I messed up and revealed the future.
So, I just asked Sally if she knew any place to sell gold that wasn't legally obtained, someone to whom she could sell without asking questions.
When she replied that she might know someone like that, I just sent her two gold bars. The woman initially tried to refuse, but when I brought Percy into the equation, she reluctantly accepted, but not before saying she would pay me back one day.
I just shrugged and sent this to her.
(The Streamer requested the item: [Sally Jackson's Blue Cookies], in exchange, the streamer will pay: [Two 1 kg gold bars] - Time limit: 24 hours).
So here I was, sharing the famous blue cookies from the demigod's water with Alice. I'm sure if any fan of the saga knew about this, they would be jealous enough to die.
"These cookies are delicious! Where did you get them, Devas-aniki?" Alice asked while eating another one of the cookies.
After wiping the crumbs from her mouth with a cloth and giving a smack on Kohta's hand, who tried to steal one of the cookies, I replied.
"It was something someone gave me, my friend's mother, to be precise. I kept it stored, but this is a good time to eat them."
A good time, I say, because I would leave tomorrow. Everything was ready; the Takagi property, basically, had all been transferred to the island.
Even the search group that Saya's father sent after Takashi's parents came back with good news, as they found them safe and sound. This also included Rei's father.
So, the only thing "preventing" me from leaving was Saya, but I had already talked to the pinkette and warned her that I was leaving. She was sad, of course, but knew it was going to happen.
She, of all people in the group, knew how dangerous Terraria was, so she didn't try to stop me, just made me promise again that I wouldn't die and would come back to this world again.
For the rest of the group, I just said that I was leaving because I needed to find a way back home, to see if everything was okay.
There was protest, of course, with Saeko saying she wanted to accompany me and the rest of the group either wanting to come with me or asking me to stay, but in the end, I convinced them all.
So, here I was, the next morning, saying goodbye to the group. I was never good with goodbyes, so I didn't drag it out.
"So... that's it..." I began to speak. "I'm glad th-" I couldn't finish before everyone jumped on me for a group hug, knocking me to the ground.
After the group hug, I approached Saya's father to return the radio, as it would be more useful in his hands, for obvious reasons that I would disappear from the face of the earth in two months. But the man refused.
"Keep it; it's a way to stay in touch. If you need anything, help, just call or come to the island. There will always be a boat here waiting for you." The man then offered me his hand, just as I had done to him a few weeks ago.
I just nodded in agreement and shook his extended hand with mine; no more words were needed.
Returning my attention to the group, one thing I noticed was that Saeko was behind Saya, the same way she used to be behind me.
I raised an eyebrow in question, but the only response I got was.
"While you're not here, I'll protect Miss Saya. After all, it is a samurai's duty to protect the master's wife." She didn't blink when she said that; she seemed serious, basically the opposite of Saya, who was blushing while trying to hide her face with her hands.
I shook my head amused.
"Well... that's it, I'm leaving, glad to have met you all, however brief it may have been."
I looked mainly at Saya, who held the cockroach plush, Milton, in her arms, before getting into the Humvee, but before I could drive away with the car, Saya seemed to gather courage and ran towards me, pulling my head out of the window, and gave me a kiss in front of everyone.
The kiss didn't last long, but it was intense. After it ended, Saya handed me a box, approximately the size of a shoebox, and turned around, not hesitating to run and bury her face between the breasts of Yuriko, her mother, to hide her embarrassed face.
I smiled slightly and waved to the group, saying goodbye as I accelerated with the Humvee. I kept watching them in the rearview mirror until I was far enough away that I couldn't see them anymore.
[WiseWizardGleam]: Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer? You can relax and enjoy more, no need to push yourself like this.
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: The old man is right, why not stay a little longer? Enjoy and spend time with your girlfriend? (Emote of Iron Man smiling maliciously).
[RedHuntressLive]: NOOOO!, Go away, let's kill zombies, you can relax later, like here! in Remnant! (Little Red Riding Hood emote pouting).
[YellowHuntressLive]: Look who's jealo-
[WhiteHuntressLive]: Ruby jumped on her, I'll separate them, be right back. (Emote of Snow White exasperated).
I chuckled lightly at the (CHAT)'s antics, but I didn't stop driving.
"No, it's better this way, if I stayed longer there, I probably wouldn't leave, just relax on the island until the mission ends, which would be bad." I needed to get stronger, so there was only one thing to do.
"Let's kill some zombies and loot... I mean, borrow things permanently."
[End of the HOTDS arc (For now!)]
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Well, we finally finished the HOTD arc, or almost, since the next chapter is a "diary" of what happened the rest of the time he spent in the world.
First of all, I had to rewrite this chapter because I forgot to save and ended up deleting the first version. That's why it took longer to come out today.
Second: The farewell. I tried to do it in a more simplified way since I'm not good with goodbyes, never liked them. So, I tried to make it not forced but still real.
There will be an Omake or interlude after the HOTD group, what happened later, but for now, that's it about this group. (I didn't forget about Alice's father inside the inventory; I'll comment on that in the next chapter, or rather, a viewer will).
Also, the fact that he told the viewers that they are "fictional" in his world, it was something that needed to come out. Sooner or later, someone would recognize another viewer and wonder how that was possible. That's why I let Devas be the one to reveal it for the first time.
Some people may not like that he gave the information "for free" to them as well, but as Devas mentioned, he only did it because these are his first viewers and they really helped him without needing to, not just treating him as entertainment, or in this case, a streamer.
Of course, he will eventually sell or trade information, but for now, that's it. (I will post an Omake after the viewers' reaction to Devas' news about knowing them based on media, such as anime, movies, books, etc. Also, about each one's reaction to their respective stories, in the case of Stark, Dumbledore, and Fukasaku).
There's also the reason why he didn't send a summary to Sally, apart from the fact that it would only worry a single mother. She could very well have the information read from her mind. Devas doesn't know if that could happen, so he preferred not to risk it. (He helped her too, as her donation kind of left her without money, and since Gabe is the equivalent of a pile of crap that gained consciousness, she needed to work extra hours to support everything).
So that's it. I also received the first 1-star review on the story. I knew it would happen, but I still felt a bit sad because it wasn't really a critique. The guy just said he didn't like the story because it got too lovey-dovey. Without judging the writing style, plot, characters, nothing—just one star, which is quite sad.
Overall, I went to the guy's profile and saw that he is a kind of 1-star spammer, something about leveling up the account by doing that. I even thought about deleting the review for that reason, that he's a spammer, but I ended up leaving it there.
Well, I'm going to bed. I'm tired and sad since I had to rewrite this chapter and became a target of a spammer. But what can you do? Good night, everyone, good reading, and until the next chapter.
PS: Thanks to everyone who responded about Jujutsu; it gave me several ideas.
PSS: Thanks also to those who gave a positive review to the story; you guys are awesome. I appreciate it.