Civilization

Chapter 339 339 - Starting The Game (Alice Perspective)

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"My name is Ariel, I will be your guide as you experience this new world. You may change your appearance slightly, up to 15%" - Ariel

Interesting… How life-like and holy this NPC is. I never would have guessed that I am in a game. She is more beautiful than celebrities in the real world, especially with her smooth baby face and her glittering blue eyes. The silvery white hair floats gently around her shoulders as her wings and halo glows softly.

"I'm fine the way I am, thank you." - Alice

"I see. What should I call you human female?" - Ariel

Smiling softly, her eyes narrow as she simply parts her hands, placing them along her side. 

"Hmm… My name shall be Phoenix, but you can still call me Alice." - Alice

"Then Alice, starting from here is where you will select your destination. You have 6 options, HavenFall, Bone City, Aqua Corp, Pa Kaua, Lotus Flower, and Random. Would you like me to give you a small description?" - Ariel

"Yes, please. I'm curious about what the descriptions will be." - Alice

With a wave of her hands, a small screen is displayed in front of me. Like a mini television, it starts to show me a small video of each location.

"Of course. Let me start off with HavenFall. HavenFall is a territory set up by Ian and is currently housing 3 villages. You will be transported to Everbloom, which is situated in the middle of the other two villages. Everbloom is surrounded by forest, and within the forest are several weak monsters such as goblins and jackalopes, but is also home to wolves. HavenFall is also isolated from other territories, making it a wonderful location to develop skills away from prying eyes.

Bone City is a territory set up by Devel and is currently housing 5 villages. You will be transported to Bone City, which is currently surrounded closely by the other 4 villages. All are within a day's journey, giving you ample time to move across different villages if needed. Bone City is surrounded by open plains, and is home to a large variety of monsters both weak and strong, making it an amazing location to start a warrior's journey.

Aqua Corp is a territory set up by Helioc and is currently housing 4 villages. You will be transported to Aqua Marine, which is a village set up adjacent to Aqua Corp, it only takes an hour to travel to and fro. With both villages being near the ocean, it gives you a chance to experience this world's seas and the Aquatic Creatures.

Pa Kua is a territory set up by SAMurai and is currently housing 2 villages. You will be transported to Pa Kua which is situated only half a day's journey from the other village. Pa Kua is surrounded by plains but is home to the powerful Bison demi-human tribe. Monsters nearby are quick and nocturnal, but also large enough to ride, making this location a dream for those who want to ride monsters. 

Lotus Flower is a territory set up by SanShiGo and is currently housing 10 villages. You will be transported to Lotus Flower, which is a village surrounded by 9 other villages, each within a day or two's journey. Lotus Flower houses a strong religious power, spreading their religion far and wide despite their lack of resources. It is a great location to learn more about religion, and you might feel enlightened as well.

The last location is Random. I will send you to a random location within the continent. It could be within someone else's territory, or it could within a dangerous territory. That is all the information I am able to part with you. Now then, Alice, Phoenix, where will the start of your journey take you?" - Ariel

Quite a bit of information was divulged by Ariel, and even though Evan, Ian, and my boss, Sam, have told me details of each location, I was still surprised at what was told to me. None of them had information about how many villages other people had, and who would have known that Lotus Flower, had 10 villages? However, despite all this new information, I had already decided prior to starting the game which starting location I was going to select.

"I'll go to HavenFall."  -Alice

"Then Alice, Phoenix, starting from here is where you will create Civilization. I wish you luck." - Ariel

Ariel presses her hands together, and a golden light shines out of her body. She mutters some words but I was only able to capture a little of what she said.

"Thank Ian for me." - Ariel

The moment the flash of light fades away, I'm greeted with the sound of constant chattering and shouting. Numerous people of different sizes can be seen, talking to each other in excitement as they point and jump. Looking around, I see a luscious forest surrounding everything, with a couple of wooden stores in place. Hastily built signs were also set up to indicate the purpose of the store.

"EVERYONE! QUIET!" 

A booming voice quickly silences everyone in the area, and my attention snaps to the voice. Standing on top of a signboard that shows a map of what seems to be the area, is a man dressed in light leather armor. His cheeky smile reminds me of someone but I can't put my finger on it…

"ALRIGHT! Now that I have everyone's attention. Let me introduce myself. My name is Elves_Or_Nothing, I am a player just like you. Ian, our lord, is currently not in Everbloom but he has asked me to represent him as the player representative. For the NPC representative, we have NOAH! Come up Noah, show them your face." - Evan

Lifting up a similarly dressed man, Evan and Noah stand next to each other, towering over all the new players.

"Hello everyone, my name is Noah. I want to thank our Goddess Ariel for the opportunity she has given us, blessing HavenFall with new followers. You may feel distraught being in a new location but fear not, we have already prepared for your arrival." - Noah

Pointing to a stand on the far side of the clearing, Noah draws our attention to the Blacksmith shop, where a girl covered in dirt and soot, rests a hammer on her shoulder. A look of annoyance can be seen as it looks like Noah had interrupted her.

"Over there we have the Blacksmith Shop, managed but Lime, Everbloom's Master Blacksmith. Please form an orderly line to receive a simple cloth bag containing some essentials for your journey. After that, on the other side of Everbloom is a 'Quest Board'. Residents of Everbloom have placed a quest there. Each quest is different and may require you to venture outside of Everbloom.

Do not worry, what we are standing on right now is a simple map of the area. It points out HavenFall, our capital, and Krepost, the second village. There will be a similar 'Quest Board' in each location and quests may be interconnected. When accepting a quest, please take it from the 'Quest Board' and keep it safe. The reward for the quest will not be given if you do not have the physical quest with you.

As for everything else in Everbloom, you will need to pay with Mana Stones. Mana Stones can be acquired by simply killing monsters outside of the villages. HOWEVER! Be warned. Violence within the villages will not be tolerated. Robin, Chief Warden of the Forest Warden, and her Watchers will punish any evildoers. Any demi-human or monster race that has allied themselves with HavenFall will have a green bandana on their body. Please watch out for them before attacking, otherwise, they will show no mercy and most likely kill you." - Noah

"ALRIGHT! Thank you, Noah, for the valuable information you have shared with us. Alright, everybody, hurry! Form a line, we had no idea how many players will be joining us, so I don't know if there is a limit on the 'Starter Pack'. It will definitely help you and get you started, otherwise, maybe you have to fight a goblin or two with your bare hands." - Evan

Jumping off the board, Evan and Noah, quickly escape behind the Forest Wardens. Peering my head over the other players, I see that some of the ones in the front seem to want more information, however, were pushed back by the large cat demi-humans at the front. Silently, I make my way to the Blacksmith, to see only a couple of people had already lined up to get their 'Starter Pack'. It seems the rest were still interested in what was happening at the front.

"Sigh… That Noah interrupted my train of thoughts earlier. Ah, here you go miss! Take care. No, I can't give you more. If you want more I will need Mana Stones." - Lime

I wonder how can people already be demanding more after getting what they were promised. Even trying to pester this young girl… Pathetic. I move up in the line and finally, it was my turn.

"Hello, Lime. I'm here to receive the 'Starter Pack'." - Alice

"Oh? Someone with manners. It seems all of Ariel's followers aren't just rude men and women. Here you go, and let me tell you a small piece of advice." - Lime

Leaning in closer to my ear, Lime whispers her advice to me.

"You should be quick with gathering Mana Stones, especially if you want to get ahead early. The quests give you some Mana Stones but hunting for yourself is quicker and easier." - Lime

"I see… Thank you for your advice, Lime." - Alice

"Don't worry about it. Gotta help a sister out, right? Take care. Don't die on me." - Lime

Smiling as bright as the sun, Lime hands me the 'Starter Pack' and I quickly walk away. Making my way off to the side, I open the small cloth bag.