"The problems in our village are piling up. You telling me Brad has started a hunting team and was harassing you does not surprise me. He and a few other people have started to become more active trouble makers in the last week or so."

"Yeah. Though I don't think he will do anything, for now. But if enough like-minded people follow his lead, he may try something stupid."

In a tired voice, Charlie answers me.

"We are already stretched thin at the moment. The scouts from Max's village have been spotted again."

Confused I ask him.

"What? What were they doing?"

"We don't know, but my guess is they are trying to figure out the best way to attack us. I don't think they have run into anyone that could rival them. Encountering us probably put a wrench in their plans. Or we are overreacting and they are just curious."

"So you guess their diplomatic team left early because of that? They didn't think they would figure out anything else more from us with their standard approach?"

"A distinct possibility. What I don't know is if we should prepare for an attack now or later."

"Well, the mana battery I set up should be a big help in the coming days for our defense."

"As long as it doesn't change the system's perspective about our power too much. Otherwise, we could be screwed."

"Any signs of the system’s attack yet?"

"No. And we should have at least a couple of day's warning if it comes. For the moment we will have to keep an eye open, but it shouldn't be much of a problem. Anything else?"

"No. I just thought you should learn about my encounter with Brad. It could spell doom for our village if we let it get by us."

With a tired voice, he replies: "Not might, it will be troublesome. I’m certain of it."

-------------------

My work in the village is slowly coming to a close. Perhaps not completely, but close enough. I have tried to do my best to help them and in extension humanity, and to do so in a familiar way to what they are used to.

But I have already done my best to set everyone on a good path. Everything I’m doing by now they can already do nearly as well. Soon I will not be able to come even close if I keep spreading myself too thin.

The one major exception, for now, is the infused wood, but they could figure it out eventually. With the amount, I was leaving behind I did not have to worry about them running out for a good while. With how fast the infusion process was, an hour or two could restock them for the month. Just on a quick visit.

In a way, I gave a month of my time to them. With no idea of the best course of action, I defaulted to helping in the way I thought was best. Doing things in a way familiar to most people.

Years working on Pando may have been well used, but it also exacerbated my own obsessive tendencies. I could never spend an hour every day doing something new. I either spend every single second possible or I was bored with it already.

But that was no longer a problem. Soon I wouldn't live for someone else. I would learn to live on my own again.

I needed to take a good hard look at what I would specialize in. There were far too many possibilities. Far too many different directions. Some almost opposing to each other. Even if I tried to do everything as I so longed, the method and mindset were just as important as the goal. To fail or succeed would depend on my actions, not on trusting what other people said worked.

I spend hours finishing the last gauntlets. Even if as a human I so loved fire. My perspective on it changed a little living with Pando. Fire was an important part of the cycle, it ended life. Ash was the result, and it helped new life sprung even better than before. This was a lesson I always tried to remember. You need to pay the price for any gain.

In the long term, you can only grow the forest if you let the old generation feed the new one.

I feel a little uneasy at my creation. This implement did not destroy to promote a new generation. It brought only destruction, to end the other person before they could end you. And did so in a particularly gruesome fashion. To be burned alive. And not to a crisp in moments, but just enough to cripple you for people with significant constitutions.

I love creating, but much of what I have done this last month is without this balance. Not planting a single tree, eating the wrong food, living very close to so many people, and the conflict in my mind, in the end, I almost broke. Or perhaps I did break and haven't let myself feel it. It wouldn't be unlike me.

I talk with people around the village trying to not leave a mess in my wake. Even after my last long trip, I have let too much depend on myself again. It is good I have left in the past, so nobody objects to me leaving.

I don't tell it is permanent. But they don't blink at me leaving them.

Arya has a good idea of what she should do. Merlin knows what I did in the first kiln. Stuart doesn't need any more directions from me, he can take any orders from people working on the projects I have kick-started. A thousand things I have juggled, some with greater attention, but all of them giving my all.

Everything slowly lifts from my shoulders. Responsibility I did not want was thrust upon me and I acquiesced. I repeated the actins from when I was young. But it was the time to be a little more fearless.

Everybody already knows what they should do. And my direct and immediate interference with the affairs from humankind day in and day out was over.

It was probably arrogance on my part, but I still felt as if leaving my offspring to figure out the world without help. I'm still very young compared to most people in the village. The oldest person was almost 90 years old. He was far wiser than me.

Mentally disconnecting, I think about the future. The path for me was out there, still in concert with civilization, but amongst nature. Doing things differently, sometimes my way, other times how I learned from Pando.

It helped provide me with balance, something I relied greatly back on Earth.

Without Pando, I would still be bringing untold harm to others. I had a long way to go before not being broken. To no longer feel as if I deserved fire and brimstone. Those were dark times.

---------------------

Anticipation as the night goes by is greater than I thought possible. People don't know what to expect in the morning. We discovered absolutely nothing about how things would go. So everyone can only wait for the 31st day to begin.

An entire month away from all we love back home. We have done well for ourselves, but they would have to figure out the rest without me. I need to be true to myself.

An hour before the morning meeting, most people were already up and about the central square.

At the same time, the mood was fairly jovial, people didn't know what to expect. Looking past the superficial, the uncertainty was reflected clearly in their demeanor. An underlying tense state that could set off at any second.

Trying not to be affected by the almost palpable anticipation and anxiety, I go to my bench. It has been a while I have stopped meditating exclusively. The exercise is refreshing.

A few things slowly line up in my mind. I haven't left the town yet, but just the anticipation of following my heart is enough to completely change my mood.

As far as I can tell, everyone in our village is here. And everyone is holding their breath.

The minutes tick by as seven o'clock is approaching. Behind me every minute I hear the distinct noise of a freewheel clicking. Every time the minute pointer moves, I absently minded add another minute to my mental count. We haven't yet achieved the precision we wanted, but it is close enough.

Seconds after the ringing of a whole hour, a shimmering starts in the same place we expected the mayor to show up.

It doesn't move slowly becoming more real. My mana sense can't get anything from it, so I extend a thin tendril to the stairs. Dozens of people around me also do so, but none of us has any luck. No mana seems to go to waste. I cannot even sense if there is any mana.

Not a single person breathes. We are all starring at the apparition.

First, it looked like the shimmering you see on a hot day above the asphalt. But by now it is a thick fog and we can see nothing on the other side.

In a blink, it is gone, and a few people gasp in surprise. Standing there is a silvery floating humanoid. He doesn't attempt to pass as a human at all, but we can see the similarities. With roughly the same proportions and height as a human, a robot looks over us.

An intense gaze settles over me. That should not be possible in what looks to be an inanimate object. But with the arrival of the system that is par for the course. Our surroundings have too much that doesn't make sense. Looking to the sides everyone also has the same reaction. Everyone feels this intense gaze.

This is a drop in the bucket for anyone not being affected. For us, we stand before a minor god, someone so above us, we fail to fully comprehend. My willpower seems to allow me a little more control than most people around me. But besides a mountain, it doesn't matter if you are one foot tall or 10 meters tall, you are still an ant.

With no expression and a fairly toneless voice, I hear him speaking. His voice spreads throughout our village.

"I have been summoned to take care of your monthly payment for the starting zone's access."

After a little pause with no one interrupting him, I feel another speech is starting.

"In a few minutes, I will talk and collect from everyone. Now, does anyone want to come back to Earth? If so lift your hand." Fewer people than I am expected to, lift their hands. The two dozen people stand for a moment. With a wave of his hand, they are all gone. I hear gasps of surprise as shock affects all of us.

"Now, everybody that will show up is already here, so don't interrupt me. I will speak about the process. Afterward, if you have any doubts, ask me. You all chose the harder, but more rewarding path. So far you have been denied much information, but I will tell you a little about what I will be doing with you guys.

"Every thirty days I will come here to collect the tax. I would prefer for everyone to be here together but even if every single person is in a different place, it wouldn't be a problem."

Each of his words seems to have slightly more emotions in it. But it is still pretty flat.

"I can’t and won't tell all to you guys now. But so everyone can have an idea, every month the payment doubles and after three months the trials begin. As advanced as your village is, I expect you all to already have a good idea of what to expect. I have also looked over your accomplishments. You have already unlocked two rooms from the town hall. That is impressive, and you should keep up the good job. It will be very good for your race.

"Now, everyone with a silver coin in their pickets, please lift your hands." As we do that he waves his hand again and I feel spatial magic an inch from me. Right in the pocket, I keep my silver in.

All around people start to feel their pockets as well. Counting I see I have one less coin.

That was an impressive use of magic. I wonder at what level I would be able to repeat the feat. It was for a split second, but I got an idea of what he did. The runes are not anything too advanced. I wouldn’t need too long to figure out how to replicate the feat with another few times observing it. As I settle in place waiting for his next words, He says:

“For everyone that already paid, you can leave.”

Finding it a bit strange, I file out leaving the other half of the village behind. I would need to talk with Charlie, but I can get a few things first, and come back after they are done.

The longer I run around tying the loose threads around town, the more worried I become. Before Charlie’s words did not fully reach me, now it was different on a fundamental level. Planning to talk to each person that relied on my advice was different from abstractly pondering on it.

I was tied to the proper functioning on every level of our industry and economy. I might have screwed up big time. Let’s just hope the whole sandcastle doesn’t collapse without me.