I had forgotten all that I had ordered from the smith. The ball bearings, and iron rods. They had made a game of throwing the ball bearings and having Llewellyn chase after them. The small dragon leaps up at me when I walk in, and nibbles at the edge of my robe. I give him a pat on the head. He bounces over to Lily. His tail thudding against the wooden floor loudly. Marnie appears out of nowhere and grips my arm tightly.

“Listen here dragon slayer, I don’t know what kinda shit you are practicing in the beds of my Inn. Next time you leave a dent in the wall, I’ll be flying your skin like flag, and have your head mounted over the fireplace.”

She whispers harshly to me. Oh yeah that happened didn’t it. She reaches into my belt pouch and takes a fist full of gold out. Then walks off back to the kitchen. I should really bring up getting that building bought to Damien.

Nothing like an adventurers guild really existed. Mercenary companies were around, but they were not the same as an adventurers guild. Therefore it seemed like an excellent idea to found an adventurers guild. A 3rd party group of people, that had no political ties, and could be hired by any group. That wasn’t blacklisted of course.

I’d bring that up with Damien tomorrow. While I was at it I decided to list out priorities.

Town development

>road to dragon cave for wifi

>begin expansion in that direction as well

>public facilities schools, parks, hospitals

>revise the circular plan of the town

I decided that was decent for now. Something to focus on. I needed a better picture, of what the towns situation was like for that first though. Objectively speaking while the spoke and wheel pattern would be cool, and provide the most area, radius of space, I was looking into the long term now. The way long term, planning for the next 200-300 years.

A grid patterned city was the most efficient in terms of traffic, and navigation. I’ll open up some channels to merchants and discuss width of roads, commercial placement, and traffic regulations. I should probably consult with engineers, and city planners too. And a general realistically. Also farmers. Ugggghhhh this was getting out of hand. I listed what I needed. I would need a list list soon. I let out a sigh and run my hand through my hair. I needed to discuss the umbrella with the smith too. I sighed, maybe I could offload the territory onto someone else. Act as an advisor, or something. I was never a stand in the spotlight kinda guy.

I was half tempted to just give it to Damien, but he seemed like the kinda guy who would get eaten alive in a leadership position that high. Not for being weak, just for caring about his people to much. I guess that’s where I succeeded though wasn’t it.

When Cleric was strong enough though, I would 100% have her create an Undead defense force. The UDF had a nice ring to it. The bodies would be donated of course, with legal documentation, or at least those organ donor cards, people carry in their wallets. That could be interesting.

A card with a tiny bit of magical energy in it a necromancer could identify in the heat of battle as someone condoning their body as use for an undead. I write that down too.

One of the waitresses slides a cup of something towards, it’s nice, bitter. Suddenly I realize it’s coffee, with a touch of honey, and milk, mixed with a cinnamon flavoured alcohol. I feel the caffeine increasing my heart rate even though my bodies long since grown used to the effects of it.

I look at Marnie who is standing over the table looking at me with shining eyes.

“Finally something you like!”

She says triumphantly. I smile sheepishly.

“You always drink like you want to spit the alcohol back into your cup at the soonest opportunity.”

She beans at me hands on her hips.

“What is it?”

I ask her taking another sip of the warm liquid.

“Gnomes call it tinker brew, they cultivate these beans from their jungle home. Call them Quickenhearts. Dwarves import the beans enmasse the beans since it lets ‘em stay up all night on a project easily.”

I smile.

“Yeah we grow them where I’m from too. Even figured out specifically what causes the energy boost. You can buy pills of the stuff in solid form, tiny little shots of the stuff too. Never had it like this though, reminds me of home almost.”

She sees my melancholic mood.

“Well I'll leave you to your drink enjoy.”

I clasp the mug in two hands, and close my eyes. Letting the warmth radiate into my bodies. Everyone has to be homesick everyone now, and then I still wanted to go home. But now I had time, I could sharpen my claws, and when I was ready I would tackle that beast.

Llewellyn nips at the bottom of my pants giving the hem a playful tug. I also had at least two people I could count on, even if one of them was a different part of me. Anise I felt would stick with me, we were two broken things after all. I reach my hand down and scritch the top of Llewellyn's head.

I chew the end of my pen, leaving teeth marks in the soft plastic. On Earth I was almost apathetic, because everything was done for me life was decided, but now I felt that same feeling rise up. More stifling than before, I had every opportunity in the world, I could be a Wizard, a Warrior, A king, or a literal Dragon. I didn’t know what to do, no I did know what to do. I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

Going from living day by day, to planning 200 years into the future. What did I actually enjoy?

That was a hard question. I was more in love with the fantasy of Tabletops, not the actual characters. Building something that was my own, fleshing out those little details, and letting the characters come up with cow tools all on their own.

Perhaps this wasn’t even real. I gave that a long thought. Perhaps I was in an asylum projecting thoughts, faces, classes, and races upon others. It wasn’t my problem if I was. I would enjoy my time here, while I could. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for a job well done on the world though, if it was a figment of my imagination.

Now that I was thinking on it what was that space, the white zone I could meditate into. Clearly Silence had made something, but was it an actual physical object or some mental construct, implanted into the space now. That was testable I just had to try, and conjure another item.

I glanced at the room around me. Anise was closest to me. Everyone else kept a safe distance. Even the orcs, close enough to not isolate me, but far enough to be noticeable. I let out a sigh, who doesn't say history repeats itself. I take a swig of my drink, and close my eyes. The flavour of the coffee seems to get more intense as I focus. But eventually mellows out all the same.

I open my eyes the expanse of the white space laid out before me. I feel a nudge at my heels, and suddenly I’m sitting on BB again. He props me up.

“Thank you BB.”

I pat him and his beads shake together in a purr. I think for a moment, but decide the easiest is the simplest.

Wall

I command in my mind. Focusing on a spot about 2 feet in front of me. Nothing happens.

“Wall!”

Again nothing happens. I stand up, and walk towards the location, bumping into something around where I was looking. I feel around, its a wall.

I picture a brick wall instead of just a wall. A wall of bricks appears in front of me. However it looks like a badly rendered game.

You can tell its a brick wall, but little else. I focus again, shrinking the wall down to just a brick. I lift it with my hands. It is extremely light and ridged, the corners are rounded, but have a “hitbox" where the real corner is but doesn't actually appear. I poke it and see an edged indent appear on my finger. I think about everything that makes a brick a brick, the texture, feel, weight, little pock marks across its surface, and where each bit of that brick has a chip or mar. The brick changes to fit my view of it. Well this could take forever. I drop the brick and it hits the floor with a clatter.

I focus,

You begin in a grand courtyard, or what was once a grand courtyard. The long years of neglect, have ruined it. A large fountain fills the center squared off with marble, and copper spouts shaped in fish heads hang with moss. The center piece is just a raised circle with the relief of a sprawling landscape of mountains and rivers that loops unto itself. Most of its obscured by dirt and grime.

The grass grows long and wild. Weeds sprout from between the cobblestones. And the hedges that shelter the grounds grow wild, and untamed. The manor before you is dilapidated. The glass windows dirty, and cracked most outright shattered. The right side is blackened with fire, and collapsed upon itself. Whatever saved the rest of the manor isn’t apparent from where you stand. The stones steps leading up to the door, are marred with battle. A thick layer of dried old blood even now remains these long years later. The door is smashed in the hinges holding them on by a hair's thread.

I look at the ruined manor before me. While the white space persists beyond it, it is there a ruined manor. I thought my best down to how the bushes should look, and the way the cobbles were paved. While a few spots look strange, like a repeating texture in the grass, or the hedges being a solid wall despite the gaps in them. It was a lot of effort however. I fall backwards onto BB. This was an exercise in memory, and imagination. It needed work, a lot of work. But this was something, a hobby at least, but if I can pull people in here like Waylax, a training zone.

I lean back, and smile. Truly a wonderful thing. The power to create, even if they are only a mental construct. They could be part of a larger whole though. A small piece in a grand map, and it would all start here. I scratch my chin, I suppose this is like Fulldive vr isn’t it. The millions of dollars I could make off of something like this alone.

That was enough of a test to get a good idea of the limits in here. The more specific the better it seemed. I opened my eyes out of the whitespace, and looked down into the cool cup in front of me. It had felt like a half hour at max in there, but it was apparently longer out here. Maybe an hour and a half. I could think more on the time difference later though. It was getting late and things were getting busy.