Cass is standing somewhere, in a relentless darkness that reflects nothing.
A wide and imposing staircase made of weathered stone, covered in curling mist, appears. When she steps on the first stair, a voice resounds:
A NEW CONTENDER FOR THE THRONE OF THE GODS APPROACHES
She speaks up:
— "I want to speak to Julia Prahi."
No response. The twisted wisps cling to her ankles.
She continues climbing, reaching a cobblestone road, seemingly floating in the dark. The voice continues:
CONTENDER FOR THE THRONEBUILD YOUR EMPIRE, EXPAND IT FURTHERAND THE PLACE SHALL BE YOURS
I didn't come here to play a video game! she thought imperiously. The darkness was swept away by an imperceptible wind, and Cass found herself in a marvelous landscape flooded with light. Her eyes quickly adjusted, and for a moment she glimpsed the program drawing lines of horizon in the distance.
Around her: a clean, orderly countryside, deceptively wild, plump little hills and trees dancing in the wind, singing rivers, and curious animals. One such animal—a gray rabbit with four long ears—looked at her peacefully.
Beneath her feet, the cobblestone road of old stones was being devoured by grass. She picked a yellow flower: it seemed unfamiliar, half-Xeno, and shimmered with tiny solar beads.
A dove landed at her feet. It had a message tied to its leg. She unrolled it:
YOU HAVE JUST DISCOVERED A NEW FLOWER. THE EXPLORERS' GUILD ASKS YOU TO GIVE IT A NAME. YOU WILL RECEIVE 2 GOLD COINS.
THE GUILD CAN NAME IT FOR YOU, BUT YOU WILL ONLYRECEIVE ONE GOLD COIN.
THE NAME WE SUGGEST: BLACK STAR FLOWER.
Alright, she thought. A leather pouch appeared on her belt. Opening it, she found a gold coin bearing the image of the Tower of Babel. AIs can read our thoughts, but not judge us for them. Alright.
She stroked the engraved Tower of Babel with her thumb. Julia…
So, first rule, I can name the objects around me and earn gold. She dipped her hands into the river. Another dove. Just looking at the dove was enough to read the message. Same thing. This time, she proposed the name "First River" and received two gold coins. Understood.
A yellow sun was high in the sky, and she decided to head due south. Everything had a familiar strangeness to it. A tree with foliage like a trembling glass of Bordeaux swayed in the breeze, but bore large fruits resembling eggplants.
A few thatched roofs appeared beyond a grove: a small, impoverished village, with a dirt road and medieval peasants whose sad features contrasted with the vivid nature. One of them approached:
— "Lady Stella, you are without doubt a contender for the throne of the gods, are you not?"
He was uncannily lifelike. Cass squinted: it was an AI.
— "Who knows?"
— "Lady Stella, would you accept to lead our humble hamlet? Perhaps one day you will make it the capital of your glorious empire?"
— "Let's suppose I say yes, what happens then?"
The peasants exchanged fearful glances.
— "You would need to give our hamlet a name."
— "Very well, I accept this duty and name you Hamlet-1."
Cass's pouch vibrated. Four new gold coins.
— "What a wonderful name!" cried the peasant with a suspiciously sincere joy.
— "Long live Hamlet-1!" exclaimed his wife, emerging from one of the four houses. "May I craft you a banner? It will accompany you in your quest for the throne. What do you think of this one?"
She unfolded a white rectangle of fabric bearing a black five-pointed star. Stella Nori, Cass thought. The game is building something around my name.
— "It'll do just fine," she said, not really caring.
— "I'm so happy!" exclaimed the peasant woman, and a young man erected a pole to fly the flag. The village grew slightly brighter, and the peasants' faces now wore cheerful expressions.
The pouch vibrated again.
— "Lady Stella…" began the peasant.
— "Excuse me, what's your name?"
— "Abanon," he said. "But you can give me another if you wish."
— "I'd like to call you H1H1, for Hamlet-1 Inhabitant 1."
— "It's a wonderful name, Lady Stella."
The pouch vibrated again. Alright. I can name anything and everything, and I earn gold coins that will be useful sooner or later. Damn it, I do NOT want to play a game!
— "Lady Stella, we have an abandoned farm here. We would like you to tell us what to do. We're hungry. We could cultivate a PLANT you found, or raise an ANIMAL you found."
— "I see what you mean. I've come across them, but I haven't named them."
— "What a tragedy, my Lady, we're going to starve. Every TWO days, one of us will DIE of hunger."
— "Can we buy food? I have gold," said Cass, showing her pouch.
— "Yes, but you must CREATE A ROAD between Hamlet-1 and another place that has livestock or agriculture."
H1H1 enunciated certain words carefully, to help Cass understand these were core mechanics of the game. She took note.
— "Where is this place?"
— "I don't know, my Lady. I'm afraid you'll have to explore."
— "And how do we create a road?"
— "Just look at the ground and I'll take care of the rest! I work fast!"
— "Uh, excuse me, but… I'm looking for someone… a player… a contender for the throne of the gods."
— "My Lady, we are very isolated here, but if you possess a CITY or a higher territory, you can establish a CENSUS GUILD that can list the contenders for the throne of the gods who are still active."
— "How do I get a city?"
— "Oh, a peasant like me wouldn't know, but they say the contender must uncover the strange rules of this world. But I do know that if you take good care of Hamlet-1, one day we may become a CITY or even a BARONY, maybe even the CAPITAL OF AN EMPIRE."
I don't want to play! Cass's mind screamed. A voice appeared in her head, asking if she wanted to return to her Sanctuary Island. No, she replied, irritated. Alright, we'll find another player eventually. Someone who can speak clearly.
She continued her path southward, cheered on by her peasants. She stepped over large black snails, passed turkeys with crystalline songs, and even walked along a stream where peaceful rainbow jellyfish drifted.
And there, cutting through the vivid green grass, a wide dirt road with deep ruts stretched from northwest to southeast. She thought, trace a road from Hamlet-1 to here, and was asked to name the road. She shrugged, and magically, "The Road of Crystal Song" appeared beneath her feet.
At once, a dove arrived. Cass stared at it, and received this message:
STELLA NORI, YOUR HAMLET HAMLET-1 HAS BEEN CONNECTED VIA THE ROAD OF CRYSTAL SONG TO THE NORTHERN INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE CLUSTER OF ANCIENT REALMS.
WE HAVE CONTACTED COMPATIBLE HAMLETS. PLEASE WAIT A FEW SECONDS FOR THE RELEVANT CONTENDERS TO REACH OUT.
Two stone arches rose from the ground at the crossroads, rustling grass and earth. From one emerged a woman with hair so long and blonde it fell to the stirrups of her golden horse. She wore a shining steel armor, her mail hood thrown back. The Arch rang out: Baroness Adelgundis, contender for the throne of the gods.
There was a dramatic silence, and the Baroness sighed. Then, from the other arch, emerged—very slowly, trembling with every step like a centenarian—a giant sand-colored turtle. On its shell rested a huge cushion. Reclining on it, his head propped on one hand, dressed like a Sultan from ancient Baghdad, lay a man. His half-closed eyes shimmered with silver. He yawned. The arch intoned: Lord Lucky.
Cass narrowed her eyes. Two humans. Finally.
The baroness sighed, casting a dark look at the lord, then introduced herself:
— "Stella, I'll be direct: my barony is part of the Initiative of 2048. Join us and let's put an end to this game."
The man on the turtle said nothing. He scratched his back with a sort of giant fork—his only sign of wakefulness.
— "I've been playing for less than an hour, Adelgundis. What does it mean to join you?"
— "Well, uh… I've never met a new player before… let's say… you could link your hamlet to one of mine. One of the two hamlets would become a village, and the other would remain a hamlet forever. I'm asking that mine be promoted to village. In return, you may ask for whatever you want."
— "I'm looking for Julia Prahi."
— "If she's a player, I have a city to the south, Seaborn Xanadu, with a Census Guild. We could locate her there. Sound fair as a deal?"
— "Sounds fair enough to me."
— "Does not sound fair to me!" shouted Lucky, who had finally spoken, now wearing sunglasses. After a dramatic pause, he continued: "Prahi isn't a player, and that bitch Adelgundis knows it perfectly well. Prahi is the game's designer."
— "You're ruining the deal, and you're a pain in the ass, Lucky. You and your shitty turtle that moves at a snail's pace to waste everyone's time."
— "Carry on, baroness. There are few pleasures as fine as annoying you. Now, virgin girl, looking for Prahi, are you? She's probably on the throne of the gods. You'll have to wait until someone wins this bloody game for her to finally show her well-shaped ass, as the legends say. Count on me to be in the front row."
— "And you, the 2048, are you going to win?" Cass asked Adelgundis.
— "To win Trust, two players must link two hamlets. One becomes a village. Then two villages must be linked to form a small town… and so on. Each transaction requires one of the two partners to agree never to evolve that settlement further. Every transaction is based on verbal agreement. Hence the need for trust. Trust. Our alliance is made of 2048 players who've made pacts to try building an Empire, and eventually merge with the existing Empire—the only one in the game: the Empire of Ariane of the Black Crow. We believe the winner of that final negotiation will reach the throne of the gods."
The Arch blinked, announcing:
— "Five minutes left to conclude negotiations."
— "Join us, Stella. You can't have 2048 players and hidden agendas."
— "Yeah, they're so trustworthy she just tried to screw you, Stella. Keep that in mind," said Lucky.
— "If you agree to make a low connection with me—that is, you promote my hamlet to a village by locking yours—then I propose to give you half the gold income from my village. And to ensure it generates income, I'll dedicate one of its slots to a trade center," added Adelgundis quickly, rushed by the ticking clock.
— "Is that a good offer, Lucky?" asked Stella.
— "It's an excellent offer," said Lucky with a nod of his turban. "But I've got a better one. Spend a night of passion with me, and I'll make your hamlet a village."
— "That proposal is outrageous!" snapped Adelgundis, rising in her stirrups.
— "How do I know you'll keep your promise?" asked Stella.
— "Trust," said Lucky with a grin.
— "I wouldn't entrust him with my worst enemy's life, let alone my body…" Adelgundis muttered.
— "My hamlet is starving. They'll lose one person every two days."
— "Ah, I must be sure you'll create a farm," said Adelgundis. "Here's a list of animals I've named…"
She sent her a scroll, which Cass caught mid-air. It was short but featured a scrolling list with one hundred twenty thousand entries.
— "If your hamlet dies, the connection breaks and my village becomes a hamlet again. We'll all have wasted valuable time."
— "The Empire of the Black Crow rests on the vitality of 2048 hamlets? 2047 players who want Ariane to win?"
— "Trust," repeated Lucky.
— "What motivates players to stay here for decades?"
— "The throne of the gods is one of the last mysteries we still want to solve," said Adelgundis. "Trust isn't just a game—it lets us build worlds and dynamics of power and trust. Being just a Lord like Lucky is a thrilling job in itself…"
— "If you enjoy paperwork…"
— "…and slaves, harems, orgies, and other pastimes unconcerned with morality."
— "Morality is so boring."
— "Anyway, the struggle is fascinating, and we believe the reward is beyond imagination."
— "In the After," added Lucky as the Arch announced the final minute of negotiation, "imagination is our only limit. And strangely, it's a limit we hit quickly. Trust is one of the few places where we still manage to be surprised."
— "One last question, baroness," said Stella. "When the 2048 merge with the Empire of the Black Crow, who will make the low connection?"
— "We haven't decided yet."
— "I see. You may go, baroness. I won't deal with you today."
With a scornful—then bitter—smile, Adelgundis turned her horse and disappeared, her long hair trailing behind her through the stone arch.
— "Excellent choice."
— "I'm not going to sleep with you, Lucky. But you seem to have your head on straight. I'll grant you a high connection, and in exchange, I want you to teach me how to play. I think you're a fox who's cooked up clever strategies to get ahead in this game, allowing you to be blunt with a coalition of 2048 players."
— "Such flattery—I'm tingling all the way to the tip of my turban. Are you sure you don't want to sleep with me? Well… my fief is in the northeast. Fief of Joy. You can't take the Arch, it's instanced. Follow the signs. Ask the guilds. Buy a horse as soon as possible. On the way, you'll pass through a duchy that blends beauty and strangeness—the Duchy of Origami, whose capital is called Celephais of the Specter. The inhabitants are cat-people. Spend at least one night there; there's a midnight carnival that's absolutely wild. And in six to eight days, you'll be at my place. Lovely spot. You won't want to leave," he concluded with a wink.
— "I'll find you as soon as I can. Get ready. Lucky, I want to win this game. I don't have time to waste. I'm giving myself ten days."
— "Ten days? You realize I've been here ten years? And I'm still just a Lord?"
— "Lucky, don't take it the wrong way, but we're not the same kind of people."
— "And what kind are you, Stella?"
— "The best kind, Lucky."