With the King’s blessings, the Lifelong project started in full swing. Every day, there was so progress being made, and the quiet village had beco a hub of heightened activity.
One fine afternoon, Riku sat near the window of his inn’s room, a cup of warm mochi in his hands.
He saw Lila directing a group of children—a mix of Elowen natives, Vintross orphans, and Underbelly kids—as they weeded a new herb garden. He saw Lysaria and Sherry engaged in a spirited but thankfully non-violent debate over the angle of a church roof.
"Sigh, when will these two stop?"
After a very long ti, everything felt... right.
The pieces were moving. The plan was working. He finally had a mont of peace.
He went back to rest on his futon, the quietest place in the bustling village and closed his eyes
System, show my points balance.
A familiar blue panel shimred into existence.
[Goodwill Points: 54,520]
Riku did a quick ntal calculation. He had started with the 50,000 points from defeating the Creep, and all the previous goodwill points had been consud by the system to forcefully help him.
He had spent a significant amount in Dreadspire—the flight, the disguises, the Soul-crafting, the teleports. However, the Lifelong project had already started to touch lives, so it seed like he had gained many goodwill points as well.
The final number seed about right. He had more than enough to work with.
Then, his eyes fell on a small, unopened icon at the bottom of the panel. It was a simple, unadorned box, pulsing with a faint, intriguing light.
The Mystery Reward Box.
He had received it for completing the "Ending It" quest, for destroying the heart of the Creep. In the chaos that followed, he had completely forgotten about it. A flicker of his old gar’s curiosity sparked to life. In EverRealm, mystery boxes could contain anything from useless junk to ga-breaking legendary items.
System, open the Mystery Reward Box.
The icon shimred, then burst open in a silent explosion of golden light.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host!]
The golden light faded. Riku stared at the System panel, his brow furrowed in confusion.
[You have received: The Seed of the World Tree (Dormant)]
He looked down at his open palm. A small, smooth object, no bigger than a pebble, rested there. It was a deep, earthy brown, with faint, silvery lines swirling just beneath its surface. It felt warm to the touch.
A seed? Riku thought, his initial excitent deflating. That’s it? After all that, my mystery reward is a glorified acorn?
He felt a profound sense of anticlimax. He had expected a legendary weapon, a powerful artifact, or at least a massive pile of gold. Not... gardening supplies.
System, he asked, his ntal voice flat with disappointnt. What is this? What does it do?
The blue panel shimred in response.
[The Seed of the World Tree is the core of a nascent pocket dinsion. It is a universe in potential. A world of your own making.]
Riku blinked. He read the words again.
A pocket dinsion? My own world?
[Affirmative, Host. The Seed can be cultivated. It can be expanded and transford into anything you desire, as long as you possess the necessary Goodwill Points to fuel its growth.]
A jolt of raw excitent shot through him. This wasn’t an acorn. This was the ultimate endga reward.
How do I use it? How do I enter?
[Simply channel a small amount of your will into the Seed, Host. Focus on the intent to ’enter’.]
Riku didn’t hesitate. He closed his hand around the warm seed, took a deep breath, and focused.
Enter.
The world dissolved.
The familiar sights and sounds of his room at the inn vanished. He was no longer sitting on his futon. He was standing in a field of lush, green grass that stretched to the horizon in every direction. Above him, a brilliant sun shone in a clear blue sky, dotted with a few lazy, white clouds. A gentle breeze rustled the grass, carrying the scent of clean earth and fresh air.
"Riku! Where are we?" Clara’s voice was a sharp, astonished whisper in his mind. "This place... it feels...like a different place altogether."
This is it, Clara, Riku thought back, a slow, triumphant grin spreading across his face. This is our new ho. Or it will be.
He took a step forward, intending to explore, but his foot t an invisible barrier. He pushed against it. It felt solid, unyielding.
System? he asked. Is this whole place mine?
[Affirmative, Host. This entire dinsion belongs to you. However, your current administrative level only grants you access to a one-square-kiloter area. Further areas must be unlocked and terraford using Goodwill Points.]
A new System interface, different from the usual one, hovered before him. It was more ornate, with tabs labeled: [TERRAIN], [STRUCTURES], [ATMOSPHERE], [SPECIAL FEATURES].
His gar instincts took over. He imdiately opened the [TERRAIN] tab.
[Unlock Adjacent Area (1 square kiloter): 10,000 Goodwill Points]
[Terraform: Rolling Hills (1 sq. km): 150 Goodwill Points]
[Terraform: Forest (Temperate, 1 sq. km): 250 Goodwill Points]
[Water Body Creation - Small Pond: 50 Goodwill Points]
[Water Body Creation - Winding River (1 km length): 200 Goodwill Points]
The costs were... reasonable. He could create a small, livable starting area with what he had. He made a ntal note to start with a few square kiloters of plains and a river.
Next, he opened the [STRUCTURES] tab.
[Simple Wooden Cottage (1 Room): 500 Goodwill Points]
[Sturdy Stone House (3 Rooms): 2,000 Goodwill Points]
[Grand Manor (Humr Style): 25,000 Goodwill Points]
[Dwarven Forge (Thrain Approved): 10,000 Goodwill Points]
[Alchemist’s Laboratory (Basic): 15,000 Goodwill Points]
He whistled softly. The prices were starting to climb. A fully functional estate would be a significant investnt.
Then, his curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the [SPECIAL FEATURES] tab.
His jaw dropped.
[Feature: Healing Hot Spring (Restores vitality, slowly nds minor wounds): 100,000 Goodwill Points]
[Feature: Aether-Rich Soil (Accelerates growth of magical herbs): 150,000 Goodwill Points]
[Feature: Ti-Dilated Training Ground (1 day outside = 10 days inside): 300,000 Goodwill Points] [
Feature: Palace of Eternal Rest (Allows spirits to manifest physically within the world): 500,000 Goodwill Points]
Riku stared at the last entry. His mind raced, the implications of the words hitting him with the force of a physical blow.
A palace... a place where spirits can manifest physically? He exclaid.
Clara sensed his sudden, intense wave of emotion. "Riku...?" her ntal voice was hesitant, almost fearful of the hope she felt radiating from him. "A place where spirits can... manifest physically? Is such a thing truly possible? Can I... can I..."
Riku stared at the System’s text. He thought of Clara, unable to hug her own daughter. He thought of Thomas, the footman, anchored to a lonely, unmarked grave. He thought of all the souls lost to the world’s cruelty.
"Yes, Clara," he thought back, his own voice clad with emotion. "It looks to be possible in this place."
But the cost. It was astronomical. It was a goal so far in the distance it felt like a dream, at least for now.
A familiar frustration, the kind every gar feels when staring at endga gear they can’t afford, began to bubble up inside him.
System, he asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone, is there a ti flow difference between this dinsion and the outside world?
[Currently, the ti flow is synchronized at a 1:1 ratio. The Ti-Dilated Training Ground feature must be purchased to alter this.]
Of course it does, Riku grumbled internally. Always a catch.
Can I bring others here? Lila? Sherry? The villagers?
[Affirmative, Host. You may bring willing individuals into your dinsion. They will be able to interact with the environnt you create. You are the sole administrator and can grant or revoke access at will.]
And expansion? How much can I expand this place?
[The dinsion is theoretically infinite. Expansion of all features is possible, limited only by your available Goodwill Points.]
Riku looked around at the endless green field, bordered by an invisible wall. It was daunting. It was expensive. It was a grind.
But it was his.
A slow, determined smile spread across his face. He had a new long-term project. A secret sanctuary. A place of true peace, built from the ground up, just for them.
He focused on the empty space before him.
System. In the center of my land, grow one single cherry blossom tree.
[Flora Creation - Sakura Tree (Aesthetic Only). Cost: 5 Goodwill Points]
A gentle ripple passed through the air. From the soft, green grass in the middle of his small domain, a single, beautiful cherry blossom tree sprouted, its delicate pink petals unfurling in the still, silent air.
This tree shall be the symbol of what this place stands for - love, prosperity, and peace.
It wasn’t much. But it was a start.
The start of Riku’s truely own peaceful world.
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