Utopian System

"Creator, why do you always speak of a 'Utopian System'?"

♢♢♢♢

Cassandra sat alone in her chamber, two books cradled in her hands like precious relics: the Genesis Book and another, more enigmatic tome… the Creator's Diary.

Both had once belonged to Fathoran, and now they were her most prized possessions.

With reverent care, she opened the Creator's Diary. Its pages revealed a chaotic, cramped script that seemed to dance across the parchment. These were the notes God had left for Fathoran during humanity's first years of training, a treasure trove of divine wisdom and, perhaps, madness.

Cassandra's eyes devoured the first page for the umpteenth time, her gaze hungry for any morsel of insight she might have missed before. It spoke of 'other worlds', a concept that still stretched the boundaries of her understanding.

Apparently, Fathoran had once asked God what He meant by 'Utopian System'. The Creator's response was a bewildering mix of concepts and comparisons, painting a picture of a world vastly different from their own.

"In other worlds," Cassandra read aloud, her voice barely above a whisper, "for example, when a living being has children without the system, complications can arise during birth. The mother and baby might die. But with our system, that simply cannot happen."

She frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration. What relevance did this have to their reality? She continued reading, sifting through tedious explanations of details that seemed to hold no practical importance.

At the bottom of the page, God's words took on a more urgent tone: "That's why you mustn't be afraid. On the contrary, you should give me all the babies you can. The more, the better. One billion! You have 1000 years, hurry up! Ah, but first the deposits, or you'll only reach a million.

You have a 10% tolerance, but after a million, things will overload... Oh, but first level up... but 1 billion or you'll go extinct!"

Cassandra snapped the book shut, her mind reeling from the divine rambling. She didn't fully grasp the Creator's outburst, but one thing was clear: they weren't ready to expand yet. Fathoran had wanted to reach the tenth level first...

In fact, it might be better to control the population before the imminent collapse.

She rose and began to pace the room, her footsteps silent on the plush carpet. "With the new leader's foolishness," she muttered to herself, her voice dripping with disdain, "it's becoming increasingly difficult to control the populace. They feel too powerful, believing they can do whatever they want. That idiot even dared to deny his debt of 10,000 mana points... We need..."

She halted before a mirror, scrutinizing her reflection with critical eyes. "The city will collapse if things continue like this," she told her image, as if trying to convince herself. "We need order, control, power. Not this... anarchy disguised as progress."

A movement on her shoulder caught her attention. There, small but undeniably present, sat a salamander with a tiny message in its mouth. Cassandra smiled, an expression that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"My first step to power," she whispered, gently stroking the creature. "No one will prevent us from leading again, right, grandfather? After all, there are so many cores now..."

Her smile turned bitter. "There are ways to get what one wants, if one is willing to pay the price... But a thousand mana points per core... I'm not sure you're worth that fortune. Well, with the funds diverted over decades, we could reach the rabbit if Saren..."

She left the sentence hanging, her eyes glinting with ambition and calculation. "If only that fool Elio didn't exist," she murmured. "He thinks he's saving the city, but he's leading it to destruction... When the barrier fails..."

Cassandra returned to her seat, absentmindedly stroking the salamander on her shoulder. "Let's see what message that old miser sent me... Interesting..."

The salamander on her shoulder emitted a soft hiss, as if agreeing with her words. Cassandra smiled, this time with genuine satisfaction.

"Soon," she promised, both to herself and to the creature perched on her shoulder.

Cassandra was about to put the books away when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she said, making sure her salamander was hidden from view.

A servant entered, bowing his head respectfully. "Lady Cassandra, forgive the interruption. An urgent message has arrived. The elder of the Thorian family has passed away. His heirs wish to sell his cores. He was a level 2."

Cassandra arched an eyebrow, intrigued. "Interesting. Offer them 100,000 for the cores. And make sure they understand it's a generous offer."

The servant looked surprised. "Only 100,000, my lady? A few days ago, that amount would have been..."

"Times change," Cassandra interrupted, her voice sharp. "There are too many cores already, and mana, though increasing for everyone, is becoming less abundant for us. Cores won't be so valuable for long. 100,000 is more than fair."

The servant nodded, swallowing nervously. "Understood, my lady. I'll convey your offer immediately."

As the servant withdrew, Cassandra turned her attention back to the books, an enigmatic smile playing on her lips.

♢♢♢♢

The sun had barely begun to peek over the city walls when Elio's family and Tarec's prepared to move.

Lena, Elio's mother, supervised her five daughters as they packed their meager belongings. Rian, her only son left at home, darted about excitedly, more interested in the commotion than in helping.

"Rian, sweetheart, come here," Lena called, trying to contain her own excitement. "I need you to look after this for me." She handed him a small package wrapped in cloth, containing precious family mementos.

Outside, a group of soldiers loyal to Lucien waited to escort them. Tarec and his family were already prepared, their faces a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

The journey to the central building was short but filled with curious glances from the citizens. Lena held her head high, aware that they were now the center of attention as the family of the new leader.

Upon reaching the imposing building, everyone was momentarily left breathless. The structure, created by God himself, was a marvel of colossal proportions. Its smooth, indestructible walls soared skyward, and the soft, constant mana lights were everywhere.

A guard greeted them at the entrance, his posture rigid but his eyes kind. "Welcome," he said with a slight bow. "Please, follow me. I'll show you to your new dwellings."