The Invention of Writing

Holidays come and go, but work never ends.

Lu Yao sat at his office workstation, organizing materials and client information on his computer.

Sister Peng leaned over from beside him: "That foreign girl, the one called Isabelle, she's like a little doll, looks really elegant, must come from a good family..."

"She's some rich man's daughter, right?"

Lu Yao took a sip of water from his paper cup and replied perfunctorily, "Her family seems to be working class too."

"So when are you two planning to get married?"

Lu Yao nearly spat out his water.

"We're just friends..."

"Cut the act." Sister Peng waved her hand, with an air of 'big sister already knows everything.'

"You think I'm blind? That girl's wearing your shirt, right? And your pants too? A girl willing to wear your clothes and follow you around the supermarket—odds are you're living together. If she's not your girlfriend, is she your maid?"

She snorted with a laugh: "You look all honest and proper, but you've got a knack for reeling in girls. That girl seems really into you, always quietly watching you, her gaze never straying from your direction..."

Lu Yao wanted to say that as a personal bodyguard, it was normal for her to keep a constant eye on her boss.

But he could only mumble vaguely: "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

Lu Yao changed the subject: "By the way. Sister Peng, that fiancé of yours, Officer Fu, how tall is he?"

"Not bad, 187. A tall man gives a sense of security, you know."

Sister Peng's face was full of pride, clearly very satisfied with her fiancé.

"No wonder you were so interested in that pervert case before—turns out you're police family."

"Hey, don't even mention it. Cops really do have that occupational habit, looking at everyone like they're suspects... Speaking of which, I heard they caught that pervert."

"Caught him?" Lu Yao feigned surprise.

"Yeah."

Sister Peng lowered her voice: "But it seems the suspect's identity is a bit sensitive. They didn't announce it publicly, just transferred him to a higher department. Fu Chenggang didn't spill much either, said he had to follow protocol."

Lu Yao's heart jolted.

Transferred to a higher department?

That meant Lisa's identity as a player had been exposed. More importantly, it seemed there was a special department overseeing players. That implied that besides himself and Lisa, quite a few others were also acting as gods in the Pixel World.

Thinking back to how Lisa had called Isabelle a high-level player and mentioned the Committee hadn't restricted her... there was probably some connection to that Committee behind it all.

But on the flip side, this also confirmed that Lisa had indeed been arrested by the department managing players.

For the short term, she wouldn't have much chance to cause him trouble again.

"How did you turn this back on me?" Sister Peng snapped back to reality and continued her gossip: "Isabelle doesn't look twenty yet, right? What country is she from? She came all the way here alone for you, and her family's okay with that? Or did your families arrange a child betrothal from the start?"

"..."

Lu Yao could only say: "She's already gone home."

"Huh?" Sister Peng's expression instantly shifted, and she said angrily: "You just let her leave like that? Did she throw a tantrum? What if she never comes back? How could you be so stupid? You think you'll find another face like that?"

Lu Yao spread his hands: "People have to go home eventually."

Isabelle had returned to the Pixel World.

It was both her personal wish and a necessary rule of dimensional law.

Under dimensional restrictions, the longer Isabelle stayed in the real world, the more likely she was to mutate, twisted by the power of Rule Power. Her core mission here was to ensure Lu Yao's personal safety. With Lisa already caught, she had no reason to stay.

An Apostle's greatest duty was to serve as the God's arm, carry out the God's will, and gather and spread Faith Points for the God. Only back in the Pixel World could she fully use her talents.

In fact, Isabelle had only been in this world for two days.

After work, Lu Yao returned to his room.

On the computer desk, Little Fire sat quietly in its flowerpot, no different from a normal houseplant. As long as Lu Yao didn't let it speak, it was just an ordinary Cactus.

The game interface showed that the Garlic Tribe's scale was steadily growing.

In the upper right corner, the population had reached 303, and Faith Points were currently at 201.

Inside the Temple, Isabelle, clad in a black robe, knelt silently, facing the screen toward Lu Yao, her head slightly bowed, waiting for the God to issue commands.

Lu Yao typed in the Dialogue Box.

--Any abnormalities in the tribe recently?

"Great One, the tribe is normal in all respects, nothing suspicious."

--Did you investigate the collapsed cave in the Barbarian Tribe area as I ordered? Any results?

"Great One, inside was a passage. It connected to another unknown region, but due to the mountain collapse, it's been completely destroyed and is no longer usable."

Isabelle suddenly spoke up on her own.

"My lord, I request temporary leave from the tribe."

"Not long ago, I used Lingering Prayer to awaken an undead. It said that in the Southern Desert lies an oasis, and within that oasis dwells the Bedou Tribe. The Bedou Tribe raises sheep and camels, is fierce in custom, and holds the passage to another plain."

"I wish to enter the desert, find the Bedou Tribe, and turn them into your followers, adding fuel to your Flame of Faith."

Lu Yao had full confidence in Isabelle's strength.

—Then go.

"Yes, my lord."

Isabelle walked out of the Temple and headed into the western desert, beginning her journey of exploration.

Lu Yao looked at the cactus on the table: "Little Fire, cook me a bowl of noodles, pickled pepper flavor. Add an egg and half a sausage."

"Yes, God."

Little Fire stood up from the pot, shook the dirt off his body, pulled a pack of instant noodles from a cardboard box by the wall, and ran out to cook.

The apartment Lu Yao rented was a two-bedroom unit, shared with his college classmate Zhou Qiang. Zhou Qiang didn't live there; the other room was used as a temporary warehouse, stacked with many cardboard boxes.

Usually, Zhou Qiang would come early every Monday to clear out the boxes and load in new stock. After Lu Yao returned, he would lock the door from the inside, so there was no fear of Little Fire being seen.

From outside the window came the cries of stray cats—whether they were fighting or mating, he couldn't tell.

Lu Yao got up and stretched his limbs. As he twisted his neck, a series of faint crackling sounds came from his body. He moved a bit too abruptly and twisted his waist, hissing in pain from the sting.

Just as he was rubbing his lower back, a new notification appeared on the computer.

[The Garlic Tribe has invented writing. Everyone's intelligence has slightly increased.]

[The emergence of writing has given the Garlic Tribe the ability to record, enabling the spread of civilization and faith across regions.]

Seeing this, Lu Yao felt like throwing a punch in the air—if not for his aching waist.

One of the most important inventions of the tribal era was writing.

Writing symbolizes civilization.

The Garlic Tribe had finally stepped out of the age of ignorance and barbarism.

With the advent of writing, the game interface also updated.

At the top of the screen, in addition to population and faith on the far right, several new resource indicators appeared.

Grain, Wood, Stone, Leather, Salt.

However, these did not display specific numbers but instead took the form of something like a battery bar, fluctuating slowly.

Grain appeared the most abundant, showing a healthy green.

When Lu Yao hovered his mouse over grain, he could see a detailed list of its composition below.

Wheat made up 80%, meat 10%, and the rest was other. That was the current food structure of the Garlic Tribe.

Apart from grain, salt and leather were also in a green, sufficient state.

Wood showed yellow, indicating insufficient reserves.

Stone showed red, indicating a severe shortage.

Lu Yao understood after a moment's thought.

With the appearance of writing, these resources could only be displayed through writing as a medium. It seemed that as the Garlic Tribe's civilization continued to develop, the complexity of the entire society would keep increasing, and the interface would update accordingly.

Fortunately, the entire civilization operated and evolved on its own, requiring no meticulous micromanagement from Lu Yao—he only needed to steer the general direction.

The game interface continued with its notifications.

[You have defeated God Jack in this region. The Salt Pool Tribe's attitude has become Intimate.]

[The Salt Pool Tribe has presented you with a Sacrificial Offering.]