NOVEL NEXT I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 29
Uunga stayed near the gulf for a while to help rebuild the nearby coastal villages.
The devastation from the hurricane could not be underestimated- the areas hit hardest were nearly devoid of all standing trees.
It was hard to find a patch of moss not covered by broken branches or littered with hundreds of cherries.
Considering the sheer amount of damage, I was actually a bit surprised how there were even trees to fall down in the first place. Either hurricanes did not hit the coast as often as I thought, or the trees in this particular area had less wind-resistant adaptations than others. I was leaning toward the latter.
Having all of these massive logs lying around was not all bad, however. It was extremely easy for the villagers to peel off large sections of bark to repair the tipi walls, the wood itself could be chipped off to use for their nearly-discovered fires, and Uunga now had a lot of material to make more of his log tunnels.
After seeing how sturdy the shelter that he made during the hurricane was, some of the villagers asked the Oracle to set up a few more of them. They were so shallow that one would need to crawl to fit under the logs, but their sturdiness was leagues ahead of the thin tipi walls that the villagers typically used. Uunga attempted to make at least one of these in every village he scouted as an emergency shelter.
Following the conclusion of the Oracle's gulf tour, I decided to redirect him away from the south of the continent and instead sent him straight to the plateau.
There's no way I'd have him go through a region of nearly constant storms after all of his trash-talk during the hurricane.
Uunga set out for the plateau after spending nearly a decade going down the eastern gulf. Considering the sheer size of the gulf and the density of the settlements around it, this could actually be viewed as a fairly fast pace. Despite now 17 years passing since Uunga had set out on his journey, he only seemed to age a few years at the most. He looked stronger, sure, but it would be difficult to find someone who would claim him to be older than around 24.
Any doubts I had regarding the lifespan of Oracles had mostly been put to rest, with the exception of whether or not their rate of aging was constant.
While I pondered about this, a voice called out from my screen.
"This is the path?"
I glanced up and quickly replied.
"It is. You just need to climb up these stairs and you'll reach the top. My temple is a bit of a walk from where it leads, though."
The Oracle was standing at the base of the 'staircase' on the southern side of the star-shaped plateau. All things considered, it was a bit surprising how they were still somewhat functional even after hundreds of thousands of years, but it was difficult to really call it a staircase at this point. It was more like a bunch of moss-covered and weathered slabs sticking out of the cliff face.
Uunga began his ascent to the summit of the star with no knowledge of the history beneath his feet.
"Are the people at the top as weak as the ones at the bottom?" he asked as he climbed.
"... That's a bit harsh, isn't it?"
"It is true, not harsh," he reiterated.
Although his words were a bit ruthless, they were not unfounded. Uunga was the strongest person in my realm even before becoming an Oracle. That's not to say that everyone else was powerless- the Oracle had come across many tough individuals throughout his travels. The main reason why he was unsatisfied laid in the fact that these encounters had become drastically more uncommon the further south he went.
He had just ventured through an extremely large village at the base of the plateau where easily over a few hundred tipis were set up, yet he did not find a single person that could be considered a match for anyone from the settlement where he grew up in.
This is completely my fault, too.
"The people here don't yet have a reason to become strong. There's no mountain chickens, no storms... they can pretty much just live peacefully as they are now," I explained.
Uunga continued his climb up the massive staircase and momentarily descended into silence.
"...Do they have no desire?" He eventually asked.
"I wouldn't say that; I mean, you saw how many kids were running around down there."
"That is not what I meant," Uunga denied with an annoyed expression.
I felt the corners of my lips raise at his expression.
"They definitely have desires- they're humans, after all. It's just that, in their eyes, they have already achieved all that there is to achieve. They all have plenty of food, a place to live, a family... what else do they need?"
"... The power to keep them," Uunga answered.
He had witnessed firsthand how easily everything that people treasured could be taken away. My eyes sparkled a bit recounting his travels.
"You're completely right. But these people do not know that- they have never faced any real danger that could take away what they have."
"... And when danger comes?"
"That's... exactly why I sent you here," I paused with a sigh, "I think you can imagine what fate would befall these people if they were to stay like this."
The plateau once again fell into silence with only the muffled sounds of the Oracle's steps sounding through the screen as he climbed.
It was a massive weight that I had dropped onto one man; the weight of the world literally rested on his shoulders.
Despite the outcome of this first invasion pretty much being decided- it was certain that there would be trouble the moment a creature breached my arctic walls if things were to continue as they had been.
Uunga would not be around when that were to happen; the power of an Oracle is not enough for such a feat, yet the choices that he made now would be what determine the outcome of that future fight.
It was clear he understood. Despite not replying, a new flare of determination and resolve shone through his eyes and out of the screen.
He was leading a world of people who do not know the potential that each one of them holds. It was the Oracle's mission, beyond everything else, to give them the spark they needed to unlock it.
Uunga soon reached the top of the staircase and stepped onto the summit of the roughly 1,000ft tall plateau.
"The trees look different from above," he muttered as he looked down onto the world below him.
"It's interesting, isn't it? The trees and people look so small, but the world seems so much bigger."
The Oracle nodded his head and soon turned around to head deeper into the plateau.
Just like the area below, there was an extremely large settlement at the top of the stairs. Rather than stop to teach these people as he had done on the gulf, Uunga did not make contact and simply advanced through the tipi village. It was decided that Uunga would stay near the plateau until the time came for Levon's troops to invade, so there was no need for him to teach them immediately.
He had a place he wanted to reach before he did anything: my temple.
I guess it's the last bit of proof he needs before he can fully trust what I say.
He had already been putting in complete effort into fulfilling the mission that I gave him, so I assumed he already trusted me. Seeing my temple would just serve to reaffirm his faith.
With this goal in mind, Uuunga passed by the hundreds of people while avoiding their curious gazes. Frankly speaking, he stood out like a sore thumb- not only was he one of the tallest and most muscular people in the realm, but he also wore clothing incomparable to the rest of them.
Mountain chickens were not even a creature known to this part of the world; the thick hide Uunga sported was on a level many times greater than the mix of tied feathers and chicken skin that the people here wore.
Whether it was due to his imposing figure or his clothing, the outcome was the same: the people seemed to keep their distance from the Oracle and simply watched as he disappeared into the forest on the other side of the village.
"It is this way?" Uunga asked me as he walked.
"Yep. At this speed, you'll get there in a bit under three days."
"You said there are more people there?"
"Yes- there's a lot more. It'll be hard for you to find a spot where a person isn't standing in some areas."
Food had already become a bit of a problem because of how dense the population was near the temple. Cherries would only get them so far and all of the chickens in the area had long been wiped out. The southeastern branch of the star-shaped plateau still had a thriving chicken population, but it was a far distance from the temple.
Many people had migrated to other parts of the continent because of this discomfort; however, there was still a large and stable population that could be supported by the ever-replenishing mushrooms and cherries, along with some supplements of fish from the lake.
With this many people, it was inevitable that Uunga would wind up near a settlement by the time night descended. He decided to set up camp right on one of their outskirts; he grabbed some fallen branches and leaves before throwing them into a pile. The Oracle grabbed a piece of flint from his bag and it was not long before a fire flared up in front of him.
A few people wandered over to investigate after seeing the unusual light shining through the darkness. Whether warry of the fire, the figure sitting by it, or a mix of the two, the settlers did not get too close and simply watched from beyond the light's reach. Despite clearly knowing their presence, Uunga paid no mind to the onlookers and continued to roast a piece of chicken that he had carried in his bag over the fire.
Once he was done eating, Uunga threw a pile of leaves onto the fire, accidentally
putting it out in the process. The Oracle nonchalantly pulled out a piece of flint from his bag guided by the light of the stars above him and smacked it over some crumbled leaf shavings to restart the fire before falling asleep next to its warmth.Uunga continued to move after being woken by the light of the rising sun. His fire had long since gone out, yet the smell of smoke still traveled through the breeze. A quick glance toward the settlement behind him revealed a calm pillar of smoke and sounds of celebration.
With a satisfied look on his face, the Oracle disappeared between the cherry trees and continued on his journey. Less than two days later, a stately marble structure appeared before him.
"This..." he tried to find words to say as he stared at the temple.
"Pretty cool, right?" I bragged.
The temple itself resembled ancient Greek architecture. Chiseled pillars of marble lined its perimeter which rested above the rest of the plateau on top of a few rows of thin stairs. Solid walls of the same material were columns directly behind these pillars leaving the only access to its interior being through a wide entryway at its front. The tops of these columns were carved in a doric style and supported a sturdy triangular roof.
"... This is your temple?" he asked again still in disbelief.
"Yes. it is I told you that-"
"You made this? But it is so beautiful..." he said cutting me off.
Oi!? This freaking brat!
"Why don't you think I could make this!?"
"It is not a storm."
"I don't only make storms!" I could feel my head starting to throb at his banter.
The Oracle ignored my pain and walked up the steps before stopping at the nearest column.
"It is made of rock?" Uunga asked as he placed his hand on the pillar.
"A type of rock, yes."
The temple was a marvel that was tens of thousands of years ahead of their time. Aside from the small log tunnels Uunga built in the gulf, my humans had not yet even begun building with wood, let alone any sort of stone.
Uunga seemed to realize this fact as he pushed his way inside. To say the temple was crowded would be an understatement. There were easily over two hundred people crammed into this 50ft x 100ft temple. There were a few gaps near the ceiling to let light in, so the temple was not too dark despite being enclosed.
"This is the place you'll need to defend if the invaders were to breach my defenses," I started, "Honestly, I doubt it will come to that, so it will just serve as your home for now."
"... How much time do I have?"
"You still have roughly 25 winters at the absolute earliest. Until then, you will be in charge of my temple and my people. Make them strong, train yourself... and make my presence known."
