Inventing Writing

Holidays came and went, but work never ended.

Lu Yao sat at his workstation in the office, sorting through materials and client information on his computer.

Sister Peng leaned over from beside him. "That foreign girl, Isabelle, the one who looks like a doll—she seems so refined, like she comes from a good family..."

"Is she some rich family's young lady?"

Lu Yao lifted his paper cup and took a sip of water, answering casually, "Her family seems to be salaried workers too."

"So when are you two getting married?"

Lu Yao nearly spat out his water.

"We're just friends..."

"Stop pretending." Sister Peng waved a hand, wearing the expression of an older sister who had already seen through everything.

"Do you think I'm blind? The clothes that girl wore were yours, right? The pants too, right? A girl willing to wear your clothes and follow you around the supermarket—most likely you two are living together, aren't you? If she's not your girlfriend, is she your maid or something?"

She snorted. "You look so honest, but you're pretty good at charming young girls. That girl really seemed to care about you. She kept quietly watching you, and her gaze never left your side..."

Lu Yao really wanted to say that she was his personal bodyguard, so of course she had to keep an eye on him at all times.

But all he could do was vaguely say, "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

Lu Yao changed the subject. "By the way, Sister Peng, how tall is Officer Fu, your fiancé?"

"Not bad, 187 centimeters. A man being taller makes him look more dependable."

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

"No wonder you cared so much about that pervert case before. Turns out you're part of a police family."

"Hey, don't say that. Police really do have an occupational habit—they instinctively look at everyone as if they're suspects... Speaking of which, I heard they caught that pervert."

"They caught him?" Lu Yao pretended to be surprised.

"Yeah."

Sister Peng lowered her voice. "But it seems the suspect's identity is a little sensitive, so they didn't announce it publicly. She was handed over to a higher department. Fu Chenggang didn't reveal much either, saying he had to follow protocol."

Lu Yao was startled.

Handed over to a higher department?

That meant Lisa's identity as a player had been exposed. More importantly, it seemed there were specialized departments overseeing the player community. That meant that, aside from himself and Lisa, quite a few others also played the role of Gods in Pixel World.

Thinking of how Lisa had once regarded Isabelle as a high-level player and said the committee had not restricted her... Isabelle probably had some connection to that committee.

But this also indirectly proved that Lisa had indeed been arrested by the department managing players.

For a while, she would not have much chance to cause him trouble again.

"How did we end up talking about me again?" Sister Peng came back to her senses and continued gossiping. "Isabelle looks under twenty, right? What country is she from? She came all the way here to see you alone, and her family trusted you that much? Don't tell me your families arranged a childhood betrothal?"

"..."

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

"Huh?" Sister Peng's expression immediately changed, 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 dumb? With that face, do you think you can find another one like her?"

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

Isabelle had returned to Pixel World.

It was both her personal wish and a dimensional rule she had to obey.

Under the constraints between dimensions, the longer Isabelle remained in the real world, the more likely she was to mutate and be reshaped and distorted by Rule Power. Her core mission in coming here had been to ensure Lu Yao's personal safety. Lisa had already been caught, so there was no reason for her to remain.

An Apostle's greatest mission was to serve as a God's arms, carry out the God's will, and gather and spread faith for the God. Only by returning to Pixel World could she make full use of her talents.

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

After work, Lu Yao returned home.

On the computer desk, Little Fire squatted quietly in its flowerpot, no different from an ordinary houseplant. As long as Lu Yao did not let it speak, it was just an ordinary cactus.

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

In the upper right corner, the population had reached 303, while Faith Points stood at 201.

Inside the Temple, Isabelle, dressed in a black robe, knelt quietly. Facing Lu Yao beyond the screen, she lowered her head slightly and waited for the God's command.

Lu Yao typed in the Dialogue Box.

--Has anything unusual happened in the tribe lately?

"My lord, everything in the tribe is normal. There is nothing suspicious."

--What about the collapsed cave near the Barbarian Tribe that I told you to investigate? Did you find anything?

"My lord, there was a passage inside. It led to another unknown region, but the mountain collapse completely destroyed it. It can no longer be used."

Isabelle suddenly spoke of her own accord.

"My lord, I request permission to leave the tribe for a while."

"Not long ago, I used Lingering Prayer to awaken an undead being. It told me that there is an Oasis in the Southern Desert, and within that Oasis is a Bedou Tribe. The Bedou Tribe raises sheep and Camels. Its people are fierce and brave, and they have a passage connected to another plain."

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

Lu Yao had great confidence in Isabelle's strength.

--Then go.

"Yes, my lord."

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

Lu Yao looked at the cactus on the desk. "Little Fire, cook me a bowl of instant noodles. Pickled chili flavor. Add an egg and half a sausage."

"Yes, God."

Little Fire stood up from the flowerpot, shook the dirt from its body, dug out a packet of instant noodles from a cardboard box by the wall, and ran off to cook them.

The apartment Lu Yao rented had two bedrooms. He had rented it together with his college classmate Zhou Qiang. Zhou Qiang did not live here; he used the other room as a temporary warehouse, stacking it with many cardboard boxes.

Usually, Zhou Qiang came over early every Monday to clear out the goods in the boxes and load in new stock. Lu Yao locked the front door when he returned, so he was not worried about anyone seeing Little Fire.

Wild cats meowed outside the window. He had no idea whether they were fighting or courting.

Lu Yao got up and stretched his limbs. As he twisted his neck, faint crackling sounds came from inside his body. He moved a little too hard and twisted his waist, making him suck in a sharp breath from the pain.

Just as he rubbed his waist, a new notification appeared on the computer.

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

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

Seeing this, Lu Yao would have loved to throw a set of punches on the spot if not for his aching waist.

Writing was one of the most important inventions of the tribal era.

Writing symbolized civilization.

The Garlic Tribe had finally emerged from its ignorant, uncivilized age.

With the emergence of writing, the game interface updated as well.

At the top of the screen, aside from Population and Faith Points on the far right, several more resource indicators had appeared.

Food\wood\Stone\Leather\salt.

However, these resources did not display specific values. Instead, they appeared as slowly fluctuating bars, similar to battery gauges.

Food appeared to be the most abundant, shown in a healthy green.

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

Wheat accounted for eighty percent, meat for ten percent, and the rest consisted of other things. This was the Garlic Tribe's current food structure.

Aside from Food, both salt and Leather were also in the green, abundant range.

Wood was yellow, indicating insufficient reserves.

Stone was red, indicating an extreme shortage.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yao understood.

Only after writing appeared could these resources be displayed through it. It seemed that as the Garlic Tribe's civilization continued developing, the complexity of its society would keep increasing, and the interface would update accordingly.

Fortunately, the entire civilization operated and evolved on its own. Lu Yao did not need to painstakingly micromanage it; he only needed to control the overall direction.

The game interface continued displaying notifications.

[You defeated God Jack in this region. The Salt Pool Tribe's attitude toward you has become intimate.]

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