Chương 104: Chapter 2.41: The Gameboard

The silence stretched in the liminal atmosphere of the torchlit cave, in the interplay of glittering stalactites, stalagmites, and dancing, reaching shadows.

"Why?" hummed Favius.

"That's a good question." Brutus nodded and began speaking, lifting a finger for each point.

"There's twenty-five people and twenty-five worlds. No, twenty-six including your Earth." Favius continued, raising fingers in turn.

"And there is this weird quest system, this merging of lives." The two of them looked at each other and spoke their final question simultaneously.

"Why are you being made to compete?" asked Brutus, finishing before Favius could say, "Why are we being evaluated?" They looked at each other. And Favius thought furiously while studying the flickering flames of the tar-soaked reeds. Well, I can hardly tell him that this kinda feels like I'm in a story, but no. He sniffed. Brutus scratched his beard and began.

"Twenty-five is an interesting number, yet with how little we know of these other worlds, it only bears mystic significance in ours." Favius tilted his head.

"I think it's fair to assume that the other worlds also have magic. Maybe even the same kind of magic we have here. It would be weird if only I had access to that."

"Fair enough," said Brutus, and Favius continued.

"It's of course not guaranteed, but absent other assumptions, I would argue that the twenty-five others also come from Earth and might be similar to me in some ways."

"Not identical?" questioned Brutus with a raised eyebrow. Favius clicked his tongue in disgust.

"You know the story the entity told us about that guy who demonstrated his immortality, however he got it. Honestly, that kind of arrogance and aggression…" Favius sniffed.

"I'd hope no one whom I would have considered a peer back on Earth would have been that spectacularly stupid." Brutus laughed and something sinister and dark entered his eyes.

"You would be surprised what people you thought perfectly virtuous do if only the correct opportunities are presented to them." Favius swallowed dryly. His eyes fell on the orange torchlight reflecting off Brutus's axe. The shifting shadows and heavy killing intent in the air narrowed the world to the perfect blade.

"I actually have a pretty good idea." He shuddered. After a short moment, Favius shook his head.

"The last weird thing is how the entity behaves. At times…" He gestured.

"…it only does what's necessary. At other times it gossips, entices, or even threatens."

"Hmm," Brutus hummed.

"And what do you conclude from that?" Favius sniffed.

"Nothing yet. I want to see if the erratic pattern holds or if it stabilizes into something else." Brutus snorted.

"Can you guess what theory I would consider most plausible?" Favius hummed before gesturing at the man to continue. The cultivator laughed.

"I fear you are being played with by a god or some such entity." Brutus leaned forward, worry in his eyes.

"That this place you call Earth, this past life, was never real. It is just a phantasm the entity has infected Favius with after taking a large part of his memory." Favius's eyes widened before he burst out into laughter. His chuckles were reflected back ominously from the strange geometry of the cave. Brutus's expression darkened, but Favius held out a hand, trying to calm his snorts and giggles. Did Brutus really just suggest that? Did he actually hit me with simulation theory?

Hell, of course the thought occurred to me. But well, the issue with that is… Favius used pneuma to calm himself and took on a serious expression. He leaned forward and put a hand on Brutus's knee.

"Brutus, that's an interesting hypothesis, but how would you differentiate it from the idea that Earth was real and all that happened is that I suffered a particularly bad head injury and have been hallucinating this entire world, including you?" The cultivator's eyebrows climbed towards his hairline before he too gasped and exploded in laughter. For nearly a minute, the two of them chuckled.

"This is so stupid," Favius murmured under his breath. While Brutus was still chuckling, Favius spoke up.

"There was an entire field of philosophy on Earth around this, thinking that our world might be a simulation, an incredibly detailed one inside a large thinking machine." Brutus hummed.

"So what did your world's philosophers conclude on this issue?" Favius snorted.

"Nothing useful. It always seemed like a dumb idea to me, to be honest."

"How so?" Favius shook his head. Well, how to explain this to someone with no reference to modern technology?

"Well, if you had the ability to create such a simulation in the first place, it would imply that you can control the world you are simulating." Brutus hummed and gestured for Favius to continue.

"The issue is that minds within the world are part of the world. So…" Favius knocked against his temple.

"Whoever controls the illusionary world, the simulation, could read, erase, and rewrite your memories like text on a stack of clay tablets." Brutus inhaled sharply.

"You mean to say that…" He swallowed.

"…that the god in charge of the illusionary world might be categorically unbeatable?"

"As long as they adhere to rather basic safety protocols, yes." Brutus got up and paced from side to side, his shoulders tense. The torch flared and glimmered down to embers several times in rapid succession.

"This… I… I always thought through cultivation my mind and soul would be mine. To think that there might be thoughts that can categorically not be thought and ideas that cannot be grasped. That such things could not just be beyond reason, yet also beyond experience…" He swallowed, but Favius made a dismissive gesture.

"I'll spare you the existential crisis. The only useful conclusion is that it doesn't really matter. We have lives to live here. And obsessing over things like that…" He shrugged as Brutus stood staring down at him.

"What would it do except waste our time?" Brutus sighed and settled down, and Favius felt an odd ripple in the man's electric presence. The shadows calmed in reluctant whirls. He is using pneuma to calm himself? Fuck. I wouldn't have thought that someone like Brutus would take simulation theory this badly. Then again, his religious mental frame might allow him to take it more seriously than, like, the classic framing of "oh, the world is a video game." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road.

If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Favius's thoughts continued, but finally Brutus shifted and nodded.

"Very well."

"The other thing is that you said that your executed competitor was a child of a tyrant." Favius nodded.

"And given that I am also the child of a high noble in the Republic." He exhaled slowly.

"Well, both my fathers were high nobles in the Republic. I'd have to conclude that all of us have an advantageous starting position." Brutus hummed.

"Does that mean the entity is not fond of watching a young Heaven's Chosen rise out of despicable circumstances, overcome the odds, make a fortune through slow and hard work, and earn all their influence?" Favius laughed.

"Who fucking knows. Not that I'm complaining about that." He gestured vaguely to the outside.

"Starting as a slave child wouldn't have been a good time," he said in a quiet tone. Brutus nodded and squeezed Favius's thigh. After a while of sitting silently in the dark, they continued.

"So you believe all of your peers have some set of memories which provides them an advantage? That they were all students of natural philosophy like you?" Favius clicked his tongue before chuckling.

"I'd like to say yes, but there might genuinely be other valuable disciplines and valid approaches to this contest." Brutus raised an eyebrow and Favius chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, I still think being a natural scientist is one of the best starting positions, yet…" He scratched his head and raised a finger.

"If I had a background in the life sciences or medicine, I might be able to do more with shifter magic or become a more effective Vitaii than even Aelia could dream of." He raised another finger.

"If I had an elite athlete or military background, I might be more suited to cultivation or war and…" His expression soured.

"Maybe there's even something to be said about having experience in politics or as a social scientist, though it would require a certain kind of starting position." Brutus nodded.

"So you believe all of your competitors were elites of your old world?" Favius snorted.

"I'm afraid so. Though I would not complain if at least one of my competitors were a barely literate Appalachian alcoholic who dropped out of school and had no talents beyond illegal distilling and hunting." Brutus chuckled.

"I'm not even going to ask you to explain that. Half the words were in an Earth language, after all. But yes, the gods are capricious creatures, though there is, if not justice, at least balance to be found in their ways." Favius nodded.

"Well, maybe." Brutus raised two fingers and shifted the torch, and some of the shadows seemed to close in around Favius.

"Your mentioning other paths is interesting, though. You're still convinced of proceeding with technology?" Favius nodded as Brutus paused for a long moment.

"Yes, technology only needs education and good management, and can scale enormously. In my old world. Well…" Favius shrugged.

"…it was quite obvious where the future could go based on the natural sciences." He involuntarily looked up towards the sky.

"After all, ninety-nine percent of the resources in any solar system are bound up within the star. And never mind that it produces all the energy. There is still this potential that we can, must, realize." Brutus hummed.

"Not to disagree with that, but have you considered that maybe magic or cultivation might lead to more power? Do you truly believe that a being standing at the pinnacle of magic can be defeated by the pinnacle of technology?" Favius smirked. In his mind's eye, the image of a nuclear mushroom cloud rose up unbidden.

"Yes." He nodded.

"I'll need to study magic more carefully, of course. But I do believe the pinnacle of technology is capable of killing and destroying almost anything. Though, I could be wrong." He narrowed his eyes and considered.

"But even if magic allows actions beyond the realm of material physics." He snorted.

"I'm a scientist." He grinned.

"I'll just study magic, integrate it, and create something that is more than the sum of its parts." Brutus chuckled.

"Have you considered that maybe a fundamental criterion for any competitor to be selected was overwhelming hubris?" Favius snorted and smiled at Brutus with a raised eyebrow. The powerful cultivator sniffed in disgust before gesturing at his chest.

"Still, I would ask you to reconsider pursuing only technology. After all, we recently talked about the Transcensor barrier." That. That's not a terrible idea.

"But even beyond that." Brutus raised a finger.

"What about your other unknown abilities? The ones you think your buried enemy might have unlocked? Like immortality?" Favius's eyes widened. I haven't even thought about that in a while. Brutus continued before Favius could come to grips with that possibility.

"I want to point out that despite you sharing knowledge, the advancement and cultivation of those around you…" He slapped his own chest.

"…is extraordinary. Might there be an effect where you help those around you cultivate?" Favius narrowed his eyes.

"That… does kinda make sense." He held up a hand.

"Slow down. Give me a moment to think." He sat there for almost a minute, his thoughts racing, his plans shifting. My family, my friends. He looked at Brutus. This is a game of two hundred and fifty years. Earth years, not local. But even with cultivation, I'm afraid I'll be losing them before this all ends. He snorted. It's practically the oldest dream of all to make your loved ones immortal. But still, if it's too expensive, if it loses me the game, we are all going to die anyway.

Still, I'll ask the entity about this next time we talk. He exhaled through gritted teeth and looked at Brutus.

"The immortality thing, it needs consideration. And well, there's no one important who's about to die, is there?" Brutus snorted.

"I guess not."

"As for cultivation." Favius shrugged.

"From all you said, we are slightly outside the norm. But still, my knowledge, your experience, and…" He turned his hand in the air.

"…a favorable starting position might explain everything that has happened so far." Brutus nodded before smiling.

"Nonetheless, maybe the entity could bless you with a boon that those around you might have an easier time cultivating, if it hasn't already done so," Brutus suggested with a smile.

"After all, surely everyone near you would benefit from this." The man took on an innocent expression and Favius snorted.

"Yes, Brutus, I am going to take care of that. Don't worry, I'll research how to break through beyond Transcensor," he said, and the cultivator grinned in response. Then his expression turned wolfish.

"I would humbly volunteer as your test subject." The man's words were deadly serious. Favius nodded.

"Well, who else would I try it on, Brutus?" The Magnicultor laughed and Favius continued.

"Come to think of this. After you achieve your breakthrough, how long till you are a Transcensor with five insights?" Brutus snorted.

"A difficult question. Before you arrived, I had long since planned out what to pursue. When, in which order. You, of course…" Brutus sniffed.

"…changed that. Yet I am still mostly satisfied with my current plan." Favius tilted his head to the side, but Brutus lowered his eyes.

"Cultivation in the realm of Transcensors is shrouded in mystery. I do not know how I need to cultivate my presence and aura. I do not think that the pursuit of insight changes fundamentally. Yet also, there are few I could ask and none who would speak with perfect openness." Favius scratched his head. Makes sense if there are only a bit more than two dozen Transcensors in the Republic. With the ten paths, there is only a small sample size for each.

So even two or three Transcensors talking openly might not see enough of the pattern to understand cultivation at that level systematically. Even if they weren't jealously guarding their knowledge out of fear of competitors. He sniffed.

"I have some ideas." He grinned broadly. With Brutus becoming a Transcensor, I can possibly access other Transcensors. If we offer valuable enough knowledge to them, maybe simple information gathering and studying the pattern could advance the knowledge of cultivation. Yeah. The side of Favius's mouth twitched. As if it's going to be that easy. Brutus nodded and Favius raised a finger.

"Oh well, before we get to your question, there's still my final point." Brutus nodded.

"Sirrana gave you and Urania some mixture of herbs or mushrooms." Favius raised an eyebrow.

"You knew?" Brutus laughed.

"The use of hallucinogens is to shifter training what meditation is to cultivation, Favius." Favius glared at Brutus.

"Why didn't you tell…" He trailed off as he saw the cultivator's widening grin. The torch brightened as if in anticipation.

"You bastard," he spat, and Brutus roared with laughter. Favius glared across the cave.

"I fail to see the humor in this. You knew she might put us into a psychologically vulnerable state. You did not warn me. What if I had spilled secrets to her?" Brutus snorted, but held up a hand.

"She told me in rough outlines what she did and that you concluded not to make a fuss out of it. Tell me, by the norms of…" He raised a finger.

"…this world, did she break your trust? Did she extract information when she could have, or did she technically do her sworn duty?" Favius's sour expression relaxed somewhat.

"No, everything she did was within the letter of our agreements." Brutus smiled again.

"Indeed. Whenever you deal with her, you best believe that she knows exactly what she is doing every step along the way." He looked at Favius and the torch dimmed again.

"In more than one sense of those words." Favius narrowed his eyes but considered. I considered it an accident that we arrived at the construction site after the drugs had worn off. But if that was planned, it was her weird way of demonstrating loyalty, saying that she could have forced information out of us, but didn't. He sighed. Well, who knows?

"And as for the drugs," he said out loud before narrowing his eyes. On Earth this would be utterly unacceptable. After all, the neurological development of children is altered. But… He ran a taloned finger along his owl eye. For all I know about shifter training, that might be the point of the whole thing.

"You are right, Brutus."

"Of course I am," replied the cultivator, and Favius rolled his eyes.

"Now, as to my question," he began.

"You told me that the charge of a cultivator's aura…" Brutus pulsed his aura and electricity stung Favius's skin with a sharp bite. He flinched but Brutus pressed on.

"…the discharges of the might of an insight, and ultimately tribulation lightning, the All-Father's wrathful judgment of all those who would seek to challenge what remains of his throne…" He paused and looked at Favius. The contrast between the light and shadow behind the stalagmites grew more intense before he continued.

"Are all related to this phenomenon in your old world that you called electricity?"