The Systemic Lands

Chapter 25: Day 36 – North Gate

I went to the plaza. I tipped the guards with some slime crystals I had from yesterday. The brown slime crystals appeared identical to the blue slime crystals, and I had 24 of them. Still, I wasn’t about to hand over the brown slime crystals before I checked them out.

Each of them was only worth 5 points. That was disappointing. I checked the white slime crystal I had picked up myself. It was slightly bigger than the one’s from the other slimes.

That one was worth 50 points. That was horrible. The dungeon cost over a thousand points in torches and other supplies. I purchased a new sword, club, and a restoration. That dropped my points to 1,228. There were no new items for sale either.

I quickly left the plaza in frustration. All that time energy and preparation and I had been screwed. Even worse, Carl had bailed on me. The dungeon was off limits until there was a more cost-efficient way to explore. I had survived and gained knowledge, but it felt like a poor prize with how frustrated I was at the moment.

I made my way North. If the slime forest was to the West, then North was another forest. Time to harness my frustration and check out another area.

There was no one on the way. The slime gate had a lot of activity, this way there was no one. I reached the gate, and it was about mid-day. On the first day I had gone out of the slime gate and survived.

Now I was going out another gate almost a month later. I left through the gate with sword and shield in hand. I banged my sword on my shield every couple of steps and watched the trees closely. My goal was to lure whatever monster was here out of hiding.

I spotted something. Now that was sneaky, a brown slime was laying flat on a tree and making itself to look like tree bark. I had seen enough pine trees and the fact I was scanning the area with each step, made it easy to spot the difference.

I killed one with my sword. It was incredibly easy now that I knew what to expect. I spent the rest of the afternoon grinding brown slimes. The roots would grow on the blade but fall off a short time later. Much less dangerous than flesh melting acid, but I would still be careful. I managed to get 187 crystals by myself. I made my way back into the city.

Probably green slimes in the forest to the South if the dungeon was a hint to the monsters in the areas around the city. I would check it out later. It made me wonder even more what was in the grassland. Still the brown slimes blended in as roots and tree bark incredibly well. I could easily see why people would keep walking forward, not seeing any monster and then become trapped and killed.

Still, they were a beginner type monster in my opinion. At least I had a new place to grind monsters if I wanted. As I settled in for the night, I let out a sigh.

I had pushed too hard in the dungeon. We should have turned back from the white slime right away. But I wanted to win. I wanted to be the best. I needed to check my hubris. I had been foolish. Still, I didn’t want to develop a fear in my heart. A frustrating dichotomy to deal with.

The main issue was the lack of light. I needed to find a skill, ability, or a better companion. After Carl left, I had lost interest in trying to find another person. Building them up was hard work. Too bad there were no impressionable kids running around.

Most of the people showing up were middle aged. The youngest to be teleported here was 16 and the oldest was 63. That didn’t mean those were the limits, but it appeared like that for the most part. There wasn’t an official census unfortunately.

Dammit Carl! I shouted in my head in rage. To just walk away like that. But I wasn’t a slaver, he was free to leave. I was a corporation, and he was my wage slave. I let out another sigh and hit the back of my head against the building wall. The pain sent a dull shock through my body. I let out a sigh, no more self mutilation.

I had decided one thing. I was upgrading all my stats to at least 10. After that, I would hopefully have more information. I felt each stat was key to survive in this new world. I hated the idea of not specializing, but if I was going to be by myself, I had to generalize.

There was no other way. I had to go the path of an all-rounder. Being a glass cannon or a damage sponge, just wouldn’t work. That might change later on, but that white tunnel mind slime had put quite a bit of fear into me in regards to what was out there.

The next day I got up pre-dawn and left the city. I began cutting down brown slimes easily. Since there was no acid, I didn’t have to worry about my weapon degrading and they were easily killed with a sword. The spiked vines or roots that formed from their fluid, disappeared quickly enough to not hinder my speed.

It made me wonder if there was some way to package slime juice. I didn’t remember any equipment that could do something like that in the store. With no concern over where I had to strike, I quickly raked in the crystals.

At the end of the day, I had reached a personal best of 342 crystals. A good haul. The next day I managed to rake in 329. Day 39 I managed to push myself and get 335 crystals. At that point my pack was incredibly full with 1,193 crystals.

I was glad reinforced packs were an option. I had the extra pack and firestarter in my pack along with the crystals. I would look at reselling them. I made my way back into the city and towards the plaza. The following day I would be speaking with Carlos, and it would be the time for the fifth arrival.

I found a random building to spend the night in. The next morning, I got up. Time to go talk to people once more.

As I walked into the plaza pre-dawn, it was quiet. Really, people needed to get up earlier. It was the best time to get stuff done. Evaline was there to meet me.

“Evaline.”

“Michael. Not much has changed, but Carlos’ group is healed up and trying to gear up for today. A lot of people are worried. A lot of eyes will be on you.” All of that I could figure out myself.

“What about Carl, what has he been up to?”

“Killing slimes by himself. He refuses to talk to anyone. He isn’t looking so good. What happened?”

“He was hit with a mind attack from a white tunnel mind slime.” Evaline was silent for a long moment.

“A mind attack?”

“At least his brains didn’t melt, but he lost any courage he had. Anything else, this isn’t that much.”

“Nothing much has been happening.”

“What about the Hand group you talked about before?”

“Still split up, but nothing besides some heated words.”

“Casino up and running?”

“Not enough spare crystals. The brothel is doing alright as far as I can tell. They are loud enough.”

“Any other businesses?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“How many men does Carlos have?”

“A solid fifty with ten captains. He has his two personal guards and an accountant as well to help manage things.”

“Sounds boring.” I gave her a stare. She better have something useful.

“Well they are keeping the peace and there hasn’t been any more violence since the Battle of Blood. That is what that fight is being called.”

“Another pretentious name. Carlos still going with Red Dawn?” I asked.

“Yes. Only Captains are allowed to wear red. There is talk of them switching to red clothing once they have the points and then armbands will be for their members.”

“Simple enough. Here.” I handed over 20 crystals. Well not every conversation could be a winner.

“Thanks.”

“You get crystals in any other way?” I asked.

“If people want to know stuff, they pay me. Might have to hire a guard soon.”

“You are that interesting?” I asked.

“No television or internet, just little old Evaline passing along gossip.” We reached the pillars. I tipped the guards who gave me a smile and paid Evaline’s tax.

I then exchanged my crystals, except for 20 of them, putting me at 6,843 points. I spent 4,875 on 10 upgrades. I pushed Mind and Regeneration to 10 each, matching it with Perception. That left Sprit and Aura at 5 upgrades each, Body was still at 43. The off-place number annoyed me, but I left it for now.

I spent 68 on a restoration, my health was improving, or the Regeneration stat was working. Less upkeep costs were always better in my opinion. I bought food and water for 40 points. Checking the store once more, I looked at the cost of dice. They cost 50 points each. A copper axe was 500 points and was a weapon.

I left the pillars with 1,860 points and made my way to Carlos’ headquarters. The guard outside wasn’t Tyrese. “Ah, Sicario.” He quickly stood up.

“I will wait for Carlos to wake up.”

“Of course.” He quickly stepped aside, and I took the chair he had vacated. I pulled out my knife and began to work on my nails. The guard didn’t say anything, which was a bit boring, but I wasn’t upset.

Dawn broke and I heard movement inside. The guard went in and soon came out. “Carlos will be ready shortly. You are welcome to come inside and wait.”

I stood up and passed the guard two crystals. He gave me a grin and led me inside and there were 3 tables pushed together with 12 chairs. The guard pointed at a chair near the center with the front facing the outside doorway.

I put my pack and club to the side and took a seat. A minute later an older woman set a cup of water and a plate of cut fruit. “Will the senor require anything else?” She asked.

“This is fine, thank you.” I gave her two crystals as a tip.

“Thank you, senor.” She bowed deeply and quickly left. I slowly ate the fruit and sipped the water. Soon two men entered with red armbands.

“Sicario,” they both said, and I nodded my head back at them. No clue on their names and I didn’t really care unless we had business. After that people quickly showed up. I noted that the chair next to me on my right remained empty as the other chairs filled up. Tyrese showed up and we said hello to each other.

Carlos came down the stairs wearing a red shirt and two guards with one armguard each and swords. Everyone stood up, and I did as well. No need to be disrespectful in his base slash home.

“Sit, sit. Michael, glad you were able to make it.” He snaped his fingers and one of the guards put a pack on the table. “Your payment.”

“Thank you Carlos.” I set the pack next to my chair and he smiled.

“Not even going to count?” He asked.

“There is trust between us. There is no need for me to count.” I could tell he was doing a power play, but I was guessing he was showing his Captains how good our relationship was. The fact he grinned at what I said made it appear that I had guessed right.

“Perfect, sit, sit. So, you have discovered some things?” He asked. I took a seat, and he did as well. I considered the question. Well time to pay the knowledge tax and keep up a good relationship.

“Brown slimes are only worth five points. Their fluid causes thorny roots to grow. They disperse into dust after the monsters are killed after about a hundred seconds. They try to act like roots or tree bark which makes them hard to see. They were in the dungeon and the forest to the North, if we use the blue slime forest as West.”

Everyone was listening closely to me. “In addition, there were green slimes in the dungeon. I don’t know their capabilities and a white tunnel mind slime. It had a massive size filling the tunnel and it bled blue slimes when wounded. In addition, it has a powerful mental entrapment attack. A person without upgrades would be ensnared and killed. That is, it.”

There was a long period of silence after what I had said. “So, the monster had a power?” Carlos asked.

“Yes. But if we take upgrades into account and the difficulty of the slimes, I would say it is a weak power. The crystal it dropped was only worth 50 points. I spent over 2,000 points investigating the tunnel.” There were a couple of gasps at that. Apparently rumors of my wealth hadn’t fully spread. It felt a bit weird since I was decked out, maybe it was the sheer waste.

“That is quite a bit, but you work hard,” Carlos said, and I didn’t reply. “You are checking out the areas around the city I take it?”

“Yes, the dungeon is not worthwhile until I have a better light source. Torches are too expensive and don’t last that long.”

“Are you really going to take this gringo’s word?” One of the captains said. I looked at Carlos and he gave me a small nod. Another power play. This was becoming tiresome.

“I don’t lie, and I keep my word. If you doubt my strength, you can carry a torch for me into the dungeon. I will also let you go first.” The man quickly shut his mouth and bowed his head.

“Michael’s word is not in doubt unless you are volunteering to go out there and explore.”

“No Boss Carlos.”

“Then shut the hell up. You get the right to talk back when you go out there instead of sitting around. We are barely staying afloat as it is. Crystals are tight. We need people who go out there and make a lot. That is why I have a plan for the new arrivals.”

“We are going to hold a competition. The team that brings back the most crystals will get a 100 crystal prize. Second place will get 50 crystals. Third place 25. Get people motivated to get out there and work.” No one said anything and Carlos continued.

“Next, I expect no more riots or insurrections. Otherwise, we will be fighting.”

“What about more recruiting?”

“We can’t afford it.” Carlos said. “Right now, we have about 300 people in the city with 70 of them being Red Dawn and 50 of those are fighters. With 250 more people, we will have about one fighter for every ten people, which is where we will keep things at. So, before the group after this one, we will recruit about 50 more people.”

“But before that happens, we need income!” He slammed his palm on the table. “No robbing people, we tax them. We are the government now. You don’t kill your chicken when it is laying eggs. We need to keep collecting eggs. Understand?” All the Captains assented or nodded at that.

“I am sure you don’t want to live in filth, that means we need to upgrade the store. That means we need everyone out there killing slimes. Anyone have any ideas on how to get people to do that?” There was a long stretch of silence at the table.

“Training courses,” I finally suggested when no one spoke up and they all looked at me. “Offer trainers to teach people. I will take a group of five and show them brown slimes this afternoon. Experienced people could be given a tax-free day if they take a person with them for the day. When their trainee comes back, they get to use the pillars once for free.”

“That is a good idea. Frank, you are the most familiar with the hunting groups, right?”

“Yes, Boss Carlos.”

“Then you inform them. Work it out with Jose and his men guarding the pillars.” I saw Frank nod at Jose who nodded back.

“As for the trip to the brown slimes, we can set that up tomorrow morning. We need everyone here this afternoon. Also, if someone gives useful information about trouble, we will offer up to 10 crystals or a free brothel visit. It better be good information.” Everyone nodded at that.

“Now, is there anything else?” Carlos asked. Everyone shook their heads. “Alright then, get everyone ready for the arrival today. Michael, can you stand next to me?”

“Yes Carlos, I could use a break.”

“Also, your man, Carl he left. Problem?”

“No, he just wasn’t suited for the danger. We parted on good terms, so there is no need to bother him, but he should be taxed.” Carlos nodded at that.

“Good. All of you go get ready.” The captains left the table and Carlos let out a sigh.

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