I spent more time locked inside this precarious house than I would have liked, but I couldn't resist. After so much time living in nature, being able to interact with something similar to the internet was heavenly. At least it wasn't a waste of time: I discovered many things that happened to other foreigners like me.
There were many deaths, countless, but for various reasons. Some, no longer fearing death, lost their sanity and revealed their true nature. When people have no fear of consequences, they fall into three types: the mad, the brave, and those somewhere in between. Without fear, many crimes were committed—rape, theft, murder, terrorism—but it ended badly for them.
Although death doesn't mean much during this period, there are other punishments. The native kingdoms weren't about to allow strangers to cause destruction and walk free. Prisons have increased their population considerably in these months, and this fate can be worse than death. Depending on the offense, one spends time in prison without a rigorous trial, although in the future, outside the initial protection, medieval tortures and punishments could be applied indiscriminately.
Terrorist groups tried to seize power or cause chaos but quickly discovered how insignificant they were against the strength of existing kingdoms. Only those who hide, slowly building up their forces, might have a chance. Although some may survive by sheer luck.
There were also arrests and accidental deaths of less guilty people. One example is the case of someone who tried to get food by hunting in a forest, unaware it was crown property. He was intercepted and arrested. In these cases, if anyone resists, death is a real possibility. Those who decide to found an empire must carefully consider where they set up camp and whether the surrounding resources are restricted by the empire to which they belong.
Another common cause of death has been poisoning, either by consuming or drinking things unfit for consumption or from attacks by venomous creatures. Although these threats are somewhat reduced in this initial phase, they still exist. Medical systems in villages and small towns are often scarce, and receiving treatment from a priest is costly and inaccessible to many.
Finally, many died attempting to innovate with modern technology. Trying to introduce new technologies here is, apparently, a terrible idea. I didn't know how serious it was until I read about it: several laboratories exploded out of nowhere. Here, you can't make instant advances based on prior knowledge; if you try, luck will abandon you, and anything you attempt will be fatal, leading to a horrible death and destroying your work.
The laws of this world are stricter than I thought. Even if you try to innovate within acceptable technological limits, if it comes from prior knowledge, it's likely to end in disaster or simply fail. This world seems to demand genuine effort in every new discovery. Even something as simple as developing the wheel requires patience and time.
Additionally, certain technologies are restricted depending on the type of kingdom or civilization to which you belong. Some kingdoms excel in weaponry development, others in chemicals, and others in agriculture. Depending on your empire, you'll have easier access to certain advancements, and to obtain others, you'll need to turn to other empires. It's a kind of paradox: no single empire can have it all. Only by collaborating among kingdoms can full development be achieved, but none want to share their knowledge for fear of being outdone. Thus, no empire is perfect, and this imperfection maintains the balance among all.
With this new information, I discovered something about building plans. These plans are not just guides but also function as building permits. Without these permits, any building constructed automatically loses quality, as if it were a temporary structure, and over time, it will disappear, whether you like it or not, depending on the builders' skill and materials used. With the permits, however, constructions will last much longer unless intentionally destroyed. These plans can be obtained or created with the help of architects, but they're necessary if you want your kingdom to endure. As I mentioned before, this world seems trapped in something akin to a reset cycle, and it would be terrible if, when that moment comes, your entire empire disappears simply for lacking proper plans.
This is both good and bad news. The good news is that I already know what I need to prepare; the bad news is that improving the standard of living will be much more complicated than I thought. If I want my city to develop, I'll have to gather a good group of people willing to study and gradually develop any innovation, avoiding the mistakes of those scientists who died trying to recreate technology. Now I better understand the function of academic and scholarly classes, as well as the importance of building research centers and universities: study must always be present.
Moving on to another new feature: trade. During this initial stage, we have a virtual trading system that allows for buying and selling things remotely, either with other people or with the system itself, regulated by the world's general market, which sets average prices for each item. This function is crucial for this period, as it can help us considerably; however, we cannot base our future market on this, as it's temporary. At some point, it will no longer be available, and the only forms of trade will be the traditional ones, so it's advisable to establish trade routes early on that will be used in the future.
Reviewing what items we could sell, I noticed something interesting. We still had the pelt of the wolf that attacked us some time ago. Despite its condition, the hide of this beast was still valuable. We couldn't make use of its meat, but its fur, strong and resilient, might bring us a good sum. We didn't have anyone who knew how to tan it, but we kept it nonetheless, and now I could sell it for some profit.
Looking through what was possible to sell, I noticed an object we kept for this purpose, but it was worth more than we expected. That wolf that attacked us a while ago was still valuable; we didn't get much meat from it, but its pelt was still valuable. We didn't have anyone who knew how to tan it, but we kept it, and now I could sell it and make some profit.
The thing was, when I took the wolf pelt and set it up for trade, its description was not what I expected.
The detail was that when I placed the pelt on the trade system, its description wasn't what I anticipated:
[Wolf Pelt from Unknown Lands]
>Local Value: 98 coppers
>Foreign Value: 2 silvers, 56 coppers
This monetary system is peculiar. There are three types of standard coins: copper, silver, and gold. Each community may have its own coin system, some with equivalents of 5, 10, or more in the copper, silver, or gold categories, but all share the same basic features. The peculiarity here is that copper, silver, and gold are not simply pure metals in the composition of these coins. No, these coins contain a special energy, the secrets of which I don't know, but I suspect it is related to some kind of spiritual energy, like faith. I'm not sure, but I know that even if you possess a lot of these materials, that doesn't guarantee that you can produce an equivalent amount of coins.
The exchange between coins follows a proportion of 100: 1 gold equals 100 silvers, and 1 silver equals 100 coppers. Although the exchange value may seem high, it isn't really when you consider this strange power the coins contain. Besides being used for trade, the coins have other uses, which make them even more valuable and unique, as they can be replaced by barter in trade, but not in these additional functions.
I was checking the value of wolf pelts similar to mine to see if it was more profitable to sell it directly to individuals or to the sales system, which in this case allows trade within your kingdom or with foreign territories, though not very distant ones.
The price of wolf pelts varies by region, but it was the first time I saw such a high value. After searching for a while and reading the description of the pelt, I understood the reason: there are different types of wolves, some rarer than others, and the rarer and more exotic a wolf is, the higher the value of its pelt. The "wolf of unknown lands" is a unique species in this world that emerged with the birth of this land and my arrival, and its pelt has no equivalent. Since it has never been seen outside this region, selling it to kingdoms outside of "Unknown Lands" greatly increases its value. I understood; although I had never seen a wolf in person, something about its grayish fur with a faint silvery sheen struck me as unusual.
This was excellent news. Though it was dangerous, my kingdom could sustain itself by selling exotic pelts. If these wolves are exotic to the rest of the world, perhaps there are other rare and valuable resources to discover. Although I suspected that hunting this native wolf wouldn't be easy, as, according to my subjects, there were also more common wolves in these lands, not just this one—unfortunately.
After selling it at the best price, I left the house. There were products available to buy, but they were so basic that they weren't worth it, and the interesting ones were exorbitantly priced, which deterred me even though I already had some money.
With the arrival of the second group of subjects, they brought a chest full of coins: 2,000 copper, 20 silver, and 1 gold, which was the initial fund given to each kingdom to finance its creation. I was lucky since having a dual civilization meant I received double the coins. Curiously, the coins from the civilization "???" seemed to come in a more deteriorated chest, and some even showed blood stains.
...
I walked through the camp, which was now much livelier and more organized. It was then that I remembered a pending notification:
[Congratulations, you are the first to reach the medium camp level in the civilization "???". Reward: 1 medium-quality tent, 3 stacks of wood logs, 500 adobe bricks, and food supplies for 30 people for a month.]
I couldn't help but smile. As the only member of the unknown civilization, achieving this milestone was inevitable, and it would probably happen again in the future. I knew something similar should be happening in the neutral civilization; if no notification appeared, it meant others had already reached this milestone, even though I had more people working.
It's not time to think about others, but rather to plan for the future. There were still a few months left until that important event; I didn't know exactly what it would be, but I had already met the requirement to build a cabin, so I could relax a bit. However, two matters needed my attention.
First, the upcoming constructions. I met with the bricklayer and builders to decide on our next steps. With the initial resources from the first and second group of people, we had materials to build six high-quality houses with stone brick walls. These initial resources were impressive, but they were a one-time support; in the future, we would only be able to build such houses if we obtained the materials ourselves, by purchasing or quarrying the stone.
Even so, it would be fantastic to start as soon as possible. Having decent houses would make a big difference; tents are practical, but they don't compare to the comfort of a home. While thinking about this, I realized something curious: I had two types of house plans, corresponding to both civilizations, but so far, I had thought they were identical and simply duplicated. It turns out they weren't. The houses from the civilization "???" were similar but notably more defensive, with reinforced walls, doors and windows with multiple locks and protections, basements, hidden areas, and even secret passages—not for hiding treasures but for protecting people. These houses seemed designed to withstand the worst dangers. Looking at them more closely, they were superior to the generic houses of the neutral civilization. I should pay more attention to them now that we're planning to build them.
Since we weren't in a hurry anymore, we could try building them even if they took more time. Having six houses would be excellent because it would fulfill some of the requirements for advancement. We were currently at the medium camp stage, which required five tents and 25 people; the next level, large camp, required ten tents and 50 people. We were only five people short, as the tents, with the rewards from both civilizations, had already been received without needing to create or purchase them. To progress from a camp to a village would require five houses and 100 people, something I still didn't know how to achieve in my situation. The advancement knowledge in the guide only went up to here, but I would have time to investigate it, unlike others...
This world offers a great opportunity for those who want to become someone, but that doesn't mean the government organizations from the previous world have disappeared. Once you build a house, communication is unlocked, allowing you to meet others. At first, without this feature, you can only wander, hoping for a chance encounter. But now, acquaintances can gather, help each other, and, in the case of military personnel from each government, establish bases and admit people to fill positions and advance. Once established kingdoms overcome this initial requirement, they will experience a growth boom. I advanced quickly with more people, so imagine hundreds or thousands of individuals organized by a government establishing their kingdom.
The major powers will strengthen quickly and probably try to re-establish their influence in this new world, complicating the creation of independent kingdoms. Luckily (or perhaps unfortunately), I am in this strange land, without competition, but also alone.
Speaking of being alone, this brings me to the second matter to consider: since my camp grew, a new counter appeared in front of me, marking two days until raiding becomes enabled.
Raiding is exactly what it sounds like: attacking other camps to steal or destroy their resources. It's a threat because it could wipe out all your efforts, but for the victor, it's a quick way to obtain materials. Once those two days pass, and at certain regular intervals, raiding will be allowed. These will take place among people within the same kingdom, although occasionally foreigners may be involved.
I needed to prepare, not only to defend against potential invaders but also to consider participating in raids. It isn't easy for me to think about robbing others, but I understood that I would have to adapt if I wanted to prosper here. The news I'd seen made me understand the harshness of this world. Although foreigners like me are protected, natives are not, and the number of rapes, assaults, murders, and other horrors that occurred in such a short time only proves the brutality of this reality.
This left me with a question: as the only one with the civilization "???", will I be able to carry out raids?