Chapter 22: Chapter 17: Inventing Writing
Holidays come and go, but work is forever.
Luh Yao sat at his desk at the office, organizing materials and client information on his computer.
Sister Peng leaned over from the next desk. "That little foreign girl, Isabel, right? She’s like a porcelain doll. Looks very classy, seems like she comes from a good family..."
"She must be some rich family’s daughter, right?"
Luh Yao took a sip of water from his paper cup and replied evasively, "I think her family is just working-class."
"So when are you two planning to get married?"
Luh Yao almost spat out his water.
"We’re just friends..."
"Give me a break." Sister Peng waved a hand, wearing the all-knowing expression of an experienced older sister.
"Do you think I’m blind? The girl was wearing your shirt, wasn’t she? And your pants, too? If a girl is willing to wear your clothes to go grocery shopping with you, you two are probably living together, right? If she’s not your girlfriend, what is she, your maid?"
She scoffed. "You, kiddo. You look so innocent, but you’ve really got a way with the young ladies. That girl seemed totally smitten with you. She was always watching you; her eyes never left you..."
’She’s my personal bodyguard. Of course she’s always paying attention to me, her boss. That’s perfectly normal.’
But he could only say vaguely, "It’s not what you think."
"Then what is it?"
Luh Yao changed the subject. "By the way, Sister Peng, your fiancé, Officer Fu—how tall is he?"
"He’s pretty tall, 187cm. It’s good for a man to be tall, makes you feel more secure, you know?"
Sister Peng’s face beamed with pride; she was clearly very happy with her fiancé.
"No wonder you were so interested in that pervert case, Sister Peng. So you’re family to a police officer."
"Oh, you have no idea. Cops really do have their occupational hazards. They subconsciously look at everyone like a suspect... Speaking of which, I heard they caught that pervert."
"They caught him?" Luh Yao feigned surprise.
"Yep."
Sister Peng lowered her voice. "But it seems the suspect’s identity is a bit sensitive. It wasn’t announced to the public, and the case was transferred to a higher department. Fu Chenggang didn’t say much either, said he had to follow protocol."
Luh Yao’s heart skipped a beat.
’Transferred to a higher department?’
’In other words, Lisa’s identity as a player has been exposed. More importantly, it seems there’s a special department that handles players. That means besides Lisa and me, there must be many other people playing as gods in the Pixel World.’
’I remember how Lisa mistook Isabel for a High-Level player and mentioned that the Committee hadn’t restricted her... This must have something to do with that Committee.’
’But this also confirms that Lisa was, in fact, arrested by the department that manages players.’
’For a while, at least, she won’t be able to cause any more trouble for me.’
"Hey, how did we get back to talking about me?" Sister Peng came to her senses and resumed her gossiping. "Isabel doesn’t even look twenty, does she? What country is she from? She came all this way to find you by herself? Her family trusts you that much? Don’t tell me your families arranged your marriage when you were kids!"
...
Luh Yao could only say, "She already went home."
"Huh?" Sister Peng’s expression changed instantly, and she said angrily, "You just let her leave like that? Did you have a fight? What if she doesn’t come back? How can you be so stupid? Where are you going to find another girl with looks like that?"
Luh Yao spread his hands. "People have to go home eventually."
Isabel had returned to the Pixel World.
This was both her own wish and a rule of the World Dimension that had to be obeyed.
Under the limitations of the World Dimension, the longer Isabel stayed in the real world, the more prone she was to mutation, to be transformed and distorted by Rule Power. Her core mission here was to ensure Luh Yao’s personal safety. With Lisa captured, she had no reason to stay.
An Apostle’s greatest mission is to serve as a God’s right hand, carry out the God’s will, and gather and spread Faith for the God. Only by returning to the Pixel World could she fully utilize her special abilities.
In fact, Isabel had only stayed in this world for two days.
...
After work, Luh Yao returned to his apartment.
On his computer desk, Xiaohuo squatted quietly in its flowerpot, looking no different from a normal houseplant. As long as Luh Yao didn’t tell it to speak, it was just an ordinary Cactus Ball.
The game interface showed that the Garlic Tribe was steadily growing.
In the upper right corner, the population had reached 303, and the current Faith Value was 201.
In the Divine Hall, Isabel, clad in a black robe, knelt quietly, facing Luh Yao in front of the screen. Her head was slightly bowed, awaiting her God’s command.
Luh Yao typed in the dialogue box.
—Have there been any abnormalities in the tribe recently?
"Lord, everything in the tribe is normal. There is nothing suspicious."
—I had you investigate the collapsed cave near the Barbarian Tribe. Any results?
"Lord, there was a passage inside. It connected to another unknown region, but it was completely destroyed in a landslide and can no longer be used."
Isabel suddenly spoke up on her own.
"Lord, I request permission to leave the tribe for a while."
"A short time ago, I used a Mourning Prayer to awaken an Undead. It told me that there is an oasis in the southern desert, and in that oasis lives the Bedu Tribe. The Bedu Tribe raises sheep and camels. Their people are fierce and brave, and they control a passage to another plain."
"I wish to enter the desert, find the Bedu Tribe, and turn them into your Believers, to add more fuel to your Fire of Faith."
Luh Yao was quite confident in Isabel’s abilities.
—Then go.
"Yes, Lord."
Isabel left the Divine Hall, made her way into the western desert, and began her journey of exploration.
...
Luh Yao looked at the Cactus Ball on the desk. "Xiaohuo, make me a bowl of noodles, the pickled chili flavor. Add an egg and half a ham sausage."
"Yes, Lord God."
Xiaohuo stood up from the pot, shook the dirt off its body, pulled a packet of instant noodles from a cardboard box in the corner, and ran out to cook them.
The apartment Luh Yao rented was a two-bedroom, which he shared with his college classmate, Zhou Qiang. Zhou Qiang didn’t live there; he used the other room as a temporary warehouse, piling it high with cardboard boxes.
Usually, Zhou Qiang would come over early every Monday morning to move the goods out of the boxes and then pack new ones in. Luh Yao always deadbolted the main door after coming home, so he wasn’t worried about anyone seeing Xiaohuo.
The cries of stray cats came from outside the window; he couldn’t tell if they were fighting or mating.
Luh Yao got up and stretched his limbs. As he rolled his neck, a series of soft CRACKLING sounds came from his body. He moved a little too much and pulled his back, making him hiss in pain.
Just as he was rubbing his sore back, a new notification appeared on his computer.
[The Garlic Tribe has invented writing. Everyone’s intelligence has slightly increased.]
[The appearance of writing has given the Garlic Tribe the ability to keep records, allowing them to spread civilization and Faith across regions.]
When Luh Yao saw this, he was itching to perform an entire boxing routine on the spot, if not for his aching back.
Writing was one of the most important inventions of the tribal era.
Writing symbolized civilization.
The Garlic Tribe had finally emerged from an age of ignorance and savagery.
With the advent of writing, the game interface was also updated.
At the top of the screen, besides the population and Faith on the far right, several new resource displays had appeared.
Food / Wood / Stone / Leather / Salt.
However, these items didn’t show specific numbers, instead appearing as something like battery bars, fluctuating slowly.
Food seemed to be the most plentiful, displaying a healthy green color.
When Luh Yao hovered his mouse over "Food," he could see a detailed list of its components below.
Wheat made up 80%, meat 10%, and the rest was "other." This was the current food structure of the Garlic Tribe.
Besides food, salt and leather were also in the green "plentiful" stage.
Wood was yellow, indicating an insufficient reserve.
Stone was red, indicating an extreme shortage.
Luh Yao understood after a moment’s thought.
’So writing allows these resources to be represented as text. It seems as the Garlic Tribe’s civilization develops, their society will grow more complex, and the game’s interface will update to match.’
’Fortunately, the entire civilization runs and evolves on its own. I don’t need to worry about micromanaging it; I just have to guide the general direction.’
The notifications on the game interface continued.
[You have defeated God Jack in this region. The Salt Pool Tribe’s attitude has become ’Intimate.’]
[The Salt Pool Tribe has presented you with a Sacrificial Offering.]
