NOVEL NEXT I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 28
Uunga's travels pretty much went as expected at the start.
The first settlement he reached was the one where he grew up. It was a pretty wholesome sight; they welcomed him back with open arms and his mother shed tears of joy from seeing her baby again. He hosted a feast using the meat of the mountain chickens, and although he only stayed there for roughly a week, he taught them how to add spikes to their clubs, how to sew the hides of the predators in case they ever defeated one, and he also gave them more information about the geography close to their settlement. Before he left, he used some of the hide from his previous fight to make his mother some better clothing.
From that point, I directed him a bit more south so that he would run into more settlements as he made his way to the gulf. Aside from his original settlement, it did not seem like any of the groups Uunga encountered reliably used fire. Some were hesitant at first, but eventually, the Oracle was able to show them the uses that came with it. Flint was plentiful in the area which made it easy to get the flames started.
It was an extremely long distance that he needed to travel; the distance to the gulf from where he began was over 1,000 miles. Considering he was traveling through an unknown and dense forest, his traveling speed could not be too fast even with my sparse guidance.
While on the topic, I found out about a cool function of one of my monitors. When my domain speed was faster than the realm's, the monitor would show what Uunga was trying to say to me in a manner that resembled a chat log. If it was something that I needed to reply to, I could slow back down to mortal time to talk before speeding up again. It was a pretty convenient tool.
Even with this option, I temporarily switched to mortal time once Uunga reached the gulf. Aside from the plateau where the temple sat, this region was densest with people. Not only was there an overly abundant source of food swimming in the waters, but there were also quasi-ducks to hunt.
The gulf itself was split in half by the eastward river's spillway, which meant that my humans were not able to go too far north. This section of the shore was fairly consistent in climate; it was still fairly warm year-round. The region where most settled was within roughly 500mi of the equator, so this made sense.
While on the topic of weather, I was baffled about the climate in my realm. I spent a long time trying to figure out what was happening as I watched a desert rapidly form in the southeastern part of the continent. If it was a tundra forming, I could understand since this was an area nearly as south as one could go... but this was a hot desert comparable to that of the Australian outback.
I eventually was able to figure out that this was due to a mixture of two main things: the exaggerated tilt of the planet's axis that made this region get sunlight more directly when compared to Earth and some insane weather patterns.
There was a region of high pressure pretty much stuck right on this area of the continent that was trapping heat. The cooler air that would be expected from an area so close to the pole was for some reason directed away from this area through a jet stream off the southern coast. Another odd jetstream bringing warmer air down from the north bent down on this area instead, giving it a climate much warmer than it should have. The warm waters from the gulf contributed to this even more.
As for the west side of this desert peninsula, it was much cooler than the side touching the gulf. While it still did not get much rain due to the high-pressure dome, the water temperature adjacent to this area was fairly expected for the latitude. The reason for the sand covering the west of the peninsula was simply due to it being blown over from the hotter areas.
With the cooler waters to the east sitting right next to an area of massive warmth, one thing was inevitable: storms. It was nearly constant- storms would form in the region between the plateau and the desert's boundary. Most were not anything major; but for a primitive world with no real protection, they were still dangerous.
Usually, they spread out as they passed over the land and unfortunately hit most of the settlements along the gulf. Many would intensify after reaching these warm waters turning the gulf into a hotbed of deadly storms. It was a bit uncommon, but it was entirely possible for some of these hurricanes to swing back and hit these shore settlements. Despite the enormous potential for resources along this coast, it could be an extremely dangerous area with strong storms clashing from both directions.
Anyway, there was a major reason why I went on such a tangent about this:
"Un wina stron!"
"Raaa! Kon kon wagu!"
"No! Ru honga! Wina tac ru honga!"
A category 2 hurricane was slamming directly into the coast.
"Take apart your homes! You can rebuild! Do not let the wind take them!"
Of course, this happened to be at the exact time Uunga was staying at the coastal village.
The tipis that the inhabitants lived in were no match for the 100mph wind gusts smashing into them- let alone for the debris flying everywhere.
Uunga urged the villagers to protect their homes- or rather the materials that made up their walls. These walls, which were a mix of shaved tree bark, leaves, and animal skins were pretty difficult to prepare considering the sheer amount of material that was needed. It just so happened that these materials were extremely light and easily blown away in strong wind. Collapsing the tipis down and setting something heavy on top of them could save a ton of effort in rebuilding after the hurricane dissipated.
This is what Uunga was trying to do; he was going around to all of the nearby tipis and breaking them down. Most people could not hear his calls through the gusting wind and pouring rain, but those whose tipis were still somewhat intact soon followed his lead. The people hiding inside were kicked out in the process, which was probably a good thing considering they could collapse on top of them at any given moment in this storm.
"Bawk~!"
A quasi-duck blew past the Oracle's soaked face as he worked.
"Hey..." he spoke.
Please don't say it.
"You said that you made everything I see..."
My head fell into my hands as he continued.
"So why would you make this?" the Oracle finally finished.
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue at his question.
I was sure that he would ask this from the moment when I first caught sight of the storm. Although it seemed like an innocent question, it was one laced with banter.
It had already been roughly seven years since Uunga's travels had begun and we had talked extensively during this time. He had seen through my authoritative persona a while back, and despite still following the mission that I set out for him, the Oracle developed a taste for banter.
"... I did not purposely make this storm. It was an unintended side-effect from the formation of this world." I finally answered.
Even though he had seen through my mask, I still played my part out of sheer stubbornness.
"If you have the power to make the world, use that power to stop this wind."
"I told you that I gave my remaining power to you!"
"The power of the wind is greater than the one who blows it?"
"I did not blow anything! What are you accusing me of!?"
I sat back on my chair with a groan.
I should've just sent him to the plateau the second I saw the storm coming.
Sadly, it was far too late to send Uunga away by the time I noticed the hurricane. I sped up the domain to match heavenly time while he was going through the many small villages that sat along the gulf since he did not need my guidance after the first few encounters. With one second being equivalent to 4.2 days in the realm, I barely even had enough time to warn the Oracle once I noticed what was happening.
From now on, I need to set a lower speed for the time when I'm not actively looking at the screen.
Even with my obsession with watching my realm, it wasn't something that I could do nonstop. I had occasionally been doing other things such as playing with Mr. Flippers, experimenting with domain creation, and working out. Leaving my domain during the battle phases was a bit too risky, so I couldn't meet up with Julia or use the training grounds, which was a bit sad. I was able to successfully make my own mini gym between the penguin's ice palace and my desk, however.
While I was regretting my choices, chaos was still ensuing on the screen. Uunga and a few brave villagers were busy taking down tipis and covering the materials with fallen branches and rocks while being completely pelted by wind and rain.
THUD!
A large cherry tree collapsed not too far from where they were standing, completely crushing an unfortunate quasi-duck in its path.
This isn't looking too good. I completely forgot how weak this species of tree is to the wind.
Wind resistance was not something that I had considered while I was debating on what kind of tree to choose when first selecting my moderate lifeforms. The sweetheart cherry tree, Prunus avium, that I eventually settled on was fairly vulnerable to strong wind. For most of the continent, this was not a big issue, but for this region where storms were rampant, it was a pretty big problem.
Since the storm patterns had started hundreds of thousands of years prior to this hurricane, the trees in the area had evolved and developed some defenses against the wind. They now sported much deeper roots, grew a thicker trunk, and their wood was a bit more flexible when compared with those on the other side of the plateau. Even with those adaptations, a hurricane was still a hurricane and it was bound to do some damage.
THUD!
Another tree collapsed; this time not too far from where a mother holding her child stood. The child's tears blended in with the rain dripping down its face.
Okay, I can't just sit here watching all of this. I need to figure something out.
If I had resource points, dissipating the storm would be a breeze. Of course, I had none to use.
These trees are starting to be a very big problem. If I could have Uunga guide the people to a place without them, they would be a lot safer.
The first place that came to mind was the beach, since there were no trees on the sandy ground.
Well, that wouldn't work.
The beach was the place with the most intense wind and it was also somewhat underwater due to the storm surge. Given the intense and sporadic waves, it was not a viable option.
I zoomed out on the screen and began looking for anything suitable areas- eventually spotting a clearing not too far from where the group stood.
"Uunga, I need you to guide these people. There's a safe spot ten minutes to your left."
"... Okay."
The Oracle stopped fidgeting with the blowing tipis and started running around to tell the villagers to follow him. Seeing as the only other option was to wait to be crushed by trees, most followed.
Some slipped on the wet moss as they pushed their way through the intense wind, but they were helped up by those nearby, and they all successfully made their way to a region devoid of standing trees.
"... This was not what I expected," Uunga muttered.
"Well, you can't get smashed by a falling tree if all of the trees already fell."
The villagers were greeted by a large area littered with collapsed trees after their travel. Although there was no risk of getting crushed, there was absolutely no protection from the rain and wind. With most of the people hesitantly staying on the tree line, Uunga ventured out into the devastation and started working.
He lifted, well more like dragged, some of the massive trees and laid them on top of two nearly parallel trunks.
Thud!
I had no estimate of how heavy the trees he was dragging were, but they were far too heavy to be lifted by an ordinary human. A loud thump rang out when he dropped the logs into place.
Eventually, he had a small shelter set up; it was extremely simple and practically resembled a rectangular wooden tunnel. Still, it was enough for the villagers to crawl in and be completely protected from the wind and rain. Its being so low to the ground was an unintended benefit that made it less exposed to the gusting wind.
After waving the villagers over, they all huddled together.
Hours passed and the winds that were once raging with intense fury were gradually withered down to a strong breeze.
Seeing this, I called out to the Oracle.
"It should be safe for you all to come out now. You did good, Uunga."
The Oracle ventured out of the shelter once he received my clearance and lifted himself off of the soaked, mossy ground. The rain that had been relentlessly trying to drown the land had calmed to a drizzle with the sunlight peaking through the light clouds.
Uunga looked around the area- his gaze eventually locking onto an area just over the tree line.
"What is that?" he asked.
Huh? What's he talking about?
I changed the angle shown on my screen revealing a colorful mirage in the sky above the Oracle. Hues of red, yellow, and green, arched between the white clouds.
"Oh- it's a rainbow," I explained to the bewildered Oracle, "They appear sometimes after it rains, but they only last for a bit. It's pretty cool, isn't it?"
"... It is," Uunga nodded his head with his eyes still staring at sight.
He continued to stare at the rainbow, wanting to savor every moment of its short visit.
"...Why do they come after storms?" the Oracle eventually asked.
"That's... not something I can say."
It wasn't that I didn't want to satiate his curiosity- it was that I was not allowed to.
Explaining how light reflected through raindrops to someone who's practically a caveman would be well within punishment territory.
"You can not say, because you can only make wind."
Oi.
"I do not only make wind- I literally created the ground you're standing on," I corrected while grinding my teeth.
"Only messes," he continued ignoring me, "You do not make beautiful things like this."
My head fell onto my desk.
Why? Why does the strongest man in my realm have the same attitude as a sassy teenager? Did I fail as a father... no. That's impossible. I'm way too cool to be raising a kid wrong. Wait- I got it! It must be those video games causing his behavioral problems!
I looked back at the screen as Uunga picked his club up off of the ground.
... It's too bad I can't make that excuse.
"Hey, Mr. Flippers!" I called out to the penguin who was watching the screen from his palace balcony.
"Squawk?"
"Am I a bad father?"
"..."
A snowball hit my head a few seconds later.
... No video games for him, either.
I pulled out my phone with a sigh. I went a while without checking it, but doing so had become a more common occurrence recently. A picture of a certain elf soon found itself on my phone screen.
Hopefully Julia is doing alright.
The speed of my domain time increased a moment later.
