LIGHTNOVELONLINE 76 – The Ancient One
[A/N: When you've been writing for so long, you can't even remember what you've written anymore. XD]
As I watched the edited footage of the interview Lois and Clark recorded, I couldn't help but crack a smile. My plan proved to be a resounding success! Sure, revealing the fact that I was once human could end poorly, but I felt it would act more as a boon than a curse. If they knew I was once human, then they'd know I can be reasoned with and am not just your average Eldritch Horror from the Stars.
It would also serve as a way to attract more customers; after all, one of the Humanities' most known traits was their curiosity, which bordered on suicide in many cases. I was betting that my store would attract Thrill seekers and people who wanted to experience a different life, something that many in my old world wished for, and I was betting that many would also want to experience the same thing here. That's why I showed not only the Simulator but also why I showed off Joshua. If they believed that someone like Joshua really came from another world, perhaps that would give humanity the push it needed to get off this small planet in an incredibly large universe. They'd also come to talk and meet with Joshua as well, bringing me in more business that way.
Speaking of Joshua, as he was my employee, I felt it was only fitting to give him his own quarters, wage, and benefits. He was commission-based, so he would earn around 25% of the training fee when he started getting students. He also received three meals a day, free healthcare, and other necessities and amenities to make his new life more comforting.
However, he did say that all of the 'luxurious' items I was offering were too valuable for him to use, something I proved him wrong about as I proceeded to fill his bathroom with dozens of rolls of toilet paper. Man...if the people who hoarded toilet paper during COVID could only see their bathroom now...ah, those idiots and it only cost me 3 Karma.
[A/N: If you feel called out by the joke above...you should -_-]
I also purchased a wide range of equipment for Joshua, who wanted to add them to his curriculum, specifically medical supplies, and several different guns and types of weapons, ranging from Primal to advanced energy weapons such as Gauss Rifles. How he even knew what they were, I had no idea. I doubt he ran into any of them while working for Ceaser, a man who was stupid enough to think using guns was a sign of weakness in a post-apocalypse where there existed quite a few things that you would want nowhere near you, such as Deathclaw, it would not be pretty.
He was taking his role as a teacher quite seriously, designing multiple courses for different types of people—his words, not mine. For example, he seemed to be designing a course specifically for Guerrilla Tactics, while another was based on leadership skills. I certainly did not expect Joshua to be such a competent man with such a wide variety of skills, but hey, it just means he will do a good job. Even if he doesn't, there's bound to be some that take to his teachings, though I doubt that would be the case, as he was in charge of teaching a bunch of tribals how to fight and was a general in an army.
Of course, I let him know that I was available if he ever needed help and that he could freely use the Simulator during his training sessions. I let him try out for a few hours, where he really pushed the limits of the Simulator and his own skills. Specifically, he chose to fight against insurmountable odds, where he would, without a doubt, eventually lose.
I let him be, but with the Simulator not having any sort of time acceleration, he could only use it for a few hours before I forcefully terminated the Simulation and told him to go to bed.
Of course, a few hours had passed since he went to bed, and it was already nearing the opening of the Cafe, but I decided to let him rest; after all, this was the first ever modern bed he'd slept in, not to mention a peaceful rest.
Speaking of my store's hours, I realized that with my expansions, with me planning on another door expansion soon, I would not be able to open at the same time at all of the locations due to the different time zones. I had a few choices on how to go about my store's hours in the future.
First, I could simply choose to be open 24 hours a day, which would mean I wouldn't have to worry about time zones as I open my store up to other parts of the world. Another option was to say, fuck it, and keep my hours, regardless of the problems it'll cause when the time zones are greatly different in other countries and states. The last option was to try and make a specific schedule that would cater to specific regions, such as being open in one area for a few days before closing and moving onto another area, sort of like a wandering caravan.
Checking the time, I waved my hand, and a literal tsunami of customers flooded into the store—far more than I was expecting.
Knowing my little store would not be able to cater to this many customers, I used a decent chunk of my Karma and Cash from the past few days to expand the cafe once again, adding quite a few new computers and more seats in the cafeteria area. I also split myself once again, allowing three of me to work at the main counter and two at the Cafeteria.
I have roughly 250 Computers now, and their prices have increased linearly, going up 25,000 cash and 10,000 Karma after every purchase when it came to purchasing the VR Computers in bulk.
As customers formed lines and rushed to get their breakfast or a computer, all of my clones froze in their steps. I heard the sound of glass breaking in a small corner of the cafe.
At once, all of my heads turned toward the source of the noise. I was met with a bald-headed woman in an orange robe who caught my attention, yet no one besides me noticed her presence.
She acted completely normal until I decided to try something different. You see, I was curious about something, and so I tried it.
One of my clones split once again; this cloned body walked up to an empty area, and with a purple miasma covering the clone's hand, I reached out into the air and grabbed it.
With a pull, I tore open space, imagining where I wanted to go, and with a mere thought, I stepped through, finding myself in a strangely similar version of my cafe, one completely empty.
Ah...the mirror dimension, good to know that I can do that now.
A moment later, I heard the sound of glass shattering and found the Ancient One standing before me. Yet I also saw everything on the other side, as my customers freaked out from my actions but quickly calmed down.
"The Ancient One, I presume?" I asked, simply.
"You guess correctly, and who do I have the luxury of meeting?" Baldie asked.
"Ah, you may call me Zeref, your local Cosmic Horror," I introduced myself, showing off a brief glance at the void to the baldie, using [Gaze of the Void], opening that tear where the eldritch horrors squirmed and freaked out on the other side before.
"I see...and what are your intentions on this planet?" The Ancient One asked rather directly.
"To the point, aren't you? The answer is simple, for fun and a bit of enlightenment," I answered her question. I had no doubt that the Sorcerer Supreme wouldn't believe my answer of 'I just showed up here,' so why not give her an answer that may satisfy her and could be clearly seen with my activities so far on this Earth?
"Enlightenment?" She questioned, face stoic but clearly concerned despite the lack of reactions.
"Quite, Humanity, as you should know, has quite the predicament for its future, quite a few things that even your successor will find impossible to stop. My goal, so far, is to uplift humanity to a stage where it can protect itself while giving it a peak at what's possible across the Multiverse," I explained, and if her frown was anything to go by, she clearly did not like that answer.