NOVPUB
Chapter 58: Chat with the System
Lila took the smooth, cool communication stone from Riku. It pulsed with a faint, internal light. She took a deep breath as she started speaking.
"Father?" she spoke into it, her voice a little hesitant at first. "It’s Lila. Can you hear me?"
A moment of silence, then a crackle from the stone, followed by Barou’s familiar, slightly distorted voice. "Lila! Yes! I can hear you. Riku had given me this stone, which he had asked me to keep close. But it was supposed to be only for emergencies. Is everything alright? Did something happen?"
"We are fine, Father. We’re together. And we found something... something important about the weird infections we noticed earlier in the forests near our village."
Lila quickly summarized their findings in the Whisperwood – the dark stones, the red mist, the cart tracks leading towards Luxia.
"It seems this blight was deliberately brought here, Father. From the capital." "Luxia?" Barou’s voice was grim. "That’s... troubling news. Very troubling."
"We think so too," Lila continued. "Riku has contained the stones here for now. We’re heading to Luxia to investigate further. Please, be extra careful in Elowen. Warn everyone to stay away from the southern woods, and if anyone... anyone at all shows signs of this crimson sickness, or if anything else strange happens, you have to let us know immediately through this stone."
"Understood, daughter," Barou replied, his voice heavy with concern but also pride. "You two be careful. Luxia is a dangerous place, but I am sure that you will be alright with Riku with you. And Riku," his voice softened, "look after my girl."
"I will, Chief," Riku called out from nearby, his voice clear through the stone.
"Well, that’s it. We will be in touch, Father," Lila said, a lump in her throat. "Stay safe, and remember to tell us immediately if something happens."
"I will. You stay safe, too."
Slowly, the light in the stone faded.
Lila let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She looked at Riku and Elara. "Well," she said, trying for a brave smile. "Luxia it is, then."
Riku nodded, "Let’s get back to the carriage. We are still on the outskirts of Oakwood, and they might send out a search party at any time."
The trio made their way out of the oppressive silence of the Whisperwood, leaving behind the stones that Riku had sealed and heading back towards their carriage.
-------------------
The carriage rumbled on, Lila now expertly handling the reins. Elara, exhausted from the ordeal and the lingering effects of the blight, had curled up on a pile of blankets in the back and fallen into a fitful sleep
Riku sat beside Lila, his gaze distant, his mind elsewhere. The discovery in the Whisperwood had only deepened the mystery, and the system’s previous warning about his "Peaceful Life Mandate" still echoed.
System, he thought, breaking the internal silence. Are you there?
A familiar blue panel shimmered into his vision.
[System is online. Host Riku, how may I assist?]
"Right," Riku began, a touch of weariness in his mental voice. "About what happened earlier."
[Before that host. Please check the notifications.]
"Huh?"
Ding!
[Goodwill Accrual Notification:]
[Action: Rescue of Elara from imminent demise.]
[Action: Neutralization of localized Blight Source (Whisperwood Clearing).]
[Impact: Significant contribution to regional stability and prevention of further suffering. Alignment with Peaceful Life Mandate (Proactive Defense of Innocents).]
[Goodwill Points Awarded: +500] 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
[Current Goodwill: 600 Points]
Riku almost snorted. "Five hundred points for that? For saving one girl and temporarily sealing off some rocks? System, I could have cured her, probably wiped out that blight entirely if you hadn’t blocked me. You’re rewarding me for a half-measure."
[The methods employed by the Host in Oakhaven demonstrated ingenuity, discretion, and minimized direct confrontation, thereby preserving the Host’s low-profile status and aligning with the core tenets of peaceful coexistence. The ’sealing’ of the stones was a responsible act of containment, preventing immediate further spread. These are commendable actions.]
The system calmly spoke in its neutral tone.
"Commendable, but not a solution," Riku countered. "Elara is still sick. The blight is still out there. And you stopped me from using the one power that could have definitively helped her back in Oakhaven."
[The invocation of High-Tier Divine Intervention, as previously stated, is reserved for circumstances of existential threat or when all other avenues aligned with the Host’s primary mandate have been exhausted. The knowledge and abilities granted to the Host were intended for the cultivation of a peaceful existence through innovation and earned goodwill, not as a means to unilaterally reshape worldly events through overwhelming power. Such power, used without restraint, can be... disruptive to broader stability.]
"Disruptive?" Riku frowned. "Saving lives is disruptive? What about Vintross? What about Sherry? You let me call Duriel and Varr then, but won’t even let me summon Thymia now. What was different?"
[In previous instances, Host Riku, you were faced with immediate loss of life with no other viable recourse. The interventions were also framed under the guise of ’gifted stones’ and ’ancient rituals,’ maintaining a degree of plausibility within the world’s understanding. The efficacy of this ’wandering monk’ narrative, however, is diminishing with each extraordinary event. Do you still believe, Host, that such a cover remains truly tenable if deities are summoned for every crisis?]
Riku fell silent for a moment. The system had a point. He’d been leaning heavily on the mysterious monk excuse. It was getting thin. In fact, he was sure that Lila knew that it was he who had cast the spells and saved the kids at Vintross.
"Alright, I admit, the monk story might be stretching credibility. So, what are the rules now? What can I do? What can’t I do? I can’t just stand by while people suffer if I have the means to help."
[The System’s primary function is to support the Host in achieving a peaceful and fulfilling existence. If the Host chooses to remain within the designated safe zone of Elowen and focus solely on its development and the well-being of its immediate inhabitants, all previously accessed abilities and knowledge remain at the Host’s disposal, within the understanding that their use should be discreet and sustainable.]
"So, hide in Elowen and not care about anything else?" Riku’s mental voice was sharp. "No. I can’t do that. I do not know how much you know me, but I can never be at peace if I am trapped in a cage, just like my earlier life."
"I would rather give up the powers and live freely than live another shackled life. And nothing you say will change that, system."
