Chapter 34: A Lonely Path
Of course, the remaining pioneers made sure that none of the women he held captive were taken along with him, nor was he allowed to force anyone else out of the sector against their will. All who left with him were strictly his original gang members.
In fact, many of the men who had resided in his camp, whether they had been held by force or had paid admission fees only to find themselves in deep trouble afterward, decided to stay behind.
The total number of people who traveled into the night with Scorpion ended up being less than one third of his original force.
As Uhtred watched them vanish into the dark distance, he knew without a doubt that Scorpion would still be a problem later down the line...
But he won’t be "my" problem.
Yes, it sounded selfish in a way. He was essentially leaving the later problem up to everyone else. But this was the exact path Uhtred had decided on.
The System had given him the quest "Your Law, Your Order," but it had not provided a specific definition of what those words truly meant.
This implied that it was entirely up to him to define them for himself. He simply needed to come to a definitive internal realization for the quest to be completed.
It was such a glaring flag. The System, which usually provided highly specific objectives and defined targets, had suddenly handed him something completely vague?
When Uhtred stood in front of Scorpion at that critical moment, he had realized the truth.
In this new world, what path did he truly want to take?
By making a moral decision on behalf of everyone in this sector, he would be taking their matters into his own hands, which meant inheriting a level of permanent responsibility toward people he did not even know.
Yes, he possessed immense power compared to them. Yes, he could decide the fates of these people. He could truly do anything he wanted here...
But what came after?
Did he truly fancy himself a ruler making grand decisions on behalf of others? Did he want to bear the responsibility for the well-being of a massive, collective group of people?
This was the exact dilemma the System had presented him with, and it was why the quest was termed: "Your Law, Your Order."
When there was blatant injustice, Uhtred would not stand for it.
When there was evil taking place right in front of him, he would step in and crush it.
But in doing so, he would not fall for the trap that most others fell into when they gained a position of power: the trap of leadership and politics.
That was his Law and his Order.
Uhtred decided this was his path in that moment he looked down at Scorpion. He was going to forge ahead on the path of ascension, continually pushing forward toward his own goals, continually gaining titles and levels.
Every responsibility he bore to anyone other than himself was like a chain latched onto his ankles that would drag him down, stalling his progress and preventing him from chasing absolute power. He refused to let anyone or anything be used as leverage against him.
As Uhtred let out a slow sigh and looked up at the starless night sky, a blue system notification popped up in his vision:
[Congratulations! You have completed the mandatory quest: Your Law, Your Order. Your decision has been logged successfully]
[The path of cultivation is long and arduous... a solitary journey. You have chosen to continue along this path, unwilling to be tethered to the whims of your world]
[It is a commendable act, but on the path of ascension, resources are vital...]
[You have gained an item: Embassy Flag]
Uhtred frowned as a separate panel popped up in his view.
The interface displayed multiple empty slots, and a single white flag bearing his alias, Red, filled the very first slot. It looked exactly like an inventory from an rpg game.
Before he had time to question the mechanic further, however, the system notifications continued:
[Should you wish to create your territory, you may plant this Embassy Flag anywhere within Zone 0, in any part of the equator on Planet Earth. It will serve as a forward point between Zone 0 and wherever your true territory may be located during your forge up the path of ascension]
[You may choose to plant this flag at any time you please, or you may choose to never plant it at all]
[At whatever point it is planted, an area of 100,000 square meters around that coordinate will be officially logged into System records as the Embassy of your territory]
[Wishing you well on your journey up the path of ascension]
Uhtred remained silent for several seconds after the text faded. He looked surprised at the sudden, and perhaps even weird turn of events.
An embassy? he thought to himself.
He had explicitly chosen not to get tied down with people, management, and politics, yet the System had handed him an embassy as a reward for that exact mindset.
The look of confusion on his face deepened as he tried to analyze the reason behind it.
Perhaps the reward from the System was always going to be this embassy flag. If his choice had been different and he had committed to protecting the people here, enforcing his own rules as a permanent leader, the System likely would not have given him the choice to decline to use the flag at all.
The choice itself was the reward for choosing to remain his own person and refusing to be bogged down by refugees and management.
Uhtred could not be entirely certain, but he guessed his theory was correct. However, he would still have to observe another pioneer who had chosen the path of governance to see what kind of rewards they received.
Uhtred remained standing in the exact same spot, but all around him, the crowd had erupted into motion.
The refugees began moving into the newly vacated camps and pavilions that Scorpion and his gang had previously monopolized. The empty structures were now being filled exactly as the System had intended in the first place.
Pioneers maintained order among the population, directing people into the various shelters.
Bodies streamed past Uhtred. Many of the refugees — old, young, and of different languages — glanced at him, trying to meet his eyes to strike up a conversation, if only to thank him.
But his quiet, brooding posture left him looking entirely unapproachable.
Everyone simply walked past him, including the other pioneers. He stood as a lonely figure while the crowd surged past, a man who had intentionally chosen to walk against the current and remain separate from the rest.
Not far away, but out of earshot, the politician and the young pioneer watched Uhtred’s solitary figure.
"Don’t bother, Michael," the young man said to the politician.
"If there was still any doubt left after his previous move against Scorpion, this settles it. Look at him. That doesn’t look like a man willing to be held down by rules," he patted the politician’s shoulder as if giving him a wake-up call.
"He’s never gonna agree to join us..."
