NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 23: To-Do List
[A/N: a bunch of information disguised as a chapter, hahaha. I promise the next one will be better... maybe]
[Day 78]
[Daniel's Apartment – 10:00 AM]
"The mantis shrimp is, without a doubt, one of the great wonders of evolution, and its vision represents one of the most complex and extraordinary systems developed in the animal kingdom. These small ocean warriors see the world in a way that we humans can barely begin to imagine.
To start, each of their eyes can move independently, granting them a 360-degree view. This allows them to see both what's in front of them and what's happening behind, keeping them in a constant state of alert and in absolute control of their surroundings. But their vision is not merely a surveillance mechanism; it goes far beyond that.
While humans perceive color in just three light channels—red, green, and blue—mantis shrimp have up to 12 color channels. This means they can see tones and details that we not only don't know but couldn't even conceive of. Their perception of color and light is so advanced that they likely see a completely different world from ours, full of shades and depths invisible to our eyes…"
"Aha, aha, and aha." Daniel murmurs to himself as he writes in his journal in the Aegis section. He's spent days immersing himself in understanding the visual capabilities of mantis shrimp. Documentaries, articles... He's reviewed everything he could find.
"And I think that's it." With a final stroke, he closes the entry and quickly reviews the content, ensuring he hasn't overlooked anything important.
[Different Ways Aegis Can See]
Trinocular vision in each eye
Extreme multicolor perception
Detection of the ultraviolet spectrum
Perception of infrared light
Detection of polarized light
Adaptation to circular polarization
Independent and rapid eye movement
Vision overlap in their field of view
Spectral aura vision
Conclusion
Thanks to the various tests conducted on Arena Day, it is concluded that the mantis shrimp, in addition to its already known visual abilities, has the capacity to see the aura spectrum. This means it can detect the presence and state of the aura, even when it's not visible to the naked eye. This ability also extends to semblances, which often consume aura to activate.
Daniel feels particularly proud of his notes. "And with that, that's one less thing," he says as he pulls out a list and marks off another item on his to-do list. "Now, let's see what's next…"
To-Do List
[✓] Daily Training
[✓] Sell the truffles
[✓] Check the berry reserves
[✓] Research Aegis
[ ] Review the messages
[ ] Theorize about this world
[ ] Use the Gacha
[ ] Obtain more stats
Long-Term To-Do List:
[ ] Make the house Neo-proof
[ ] Get a secondary bank account
[ ] Pay taxes?
[ ] Research how to climb the Tower of Beacon
[ ] Build a Batman suit
[ ] Get revenge on the Pidgey
[ ] Build a fortress
[ ] Create my beverage brand?
…
"Review the messages…" Daniel says as he walks over to his safe, which is really just a wooden side table in the living room. "And while I'm at it," he adds as he pulls out his list and writes down: "get a safe." He puts the list away and opens the table, where he keeps some of his most important things: the elder wand, Pikachu gum, the yellow potion, and, what he's really looking for, the Nokia phone he got when he arrived.
Before, Daniel checked his phone daily. However, realizing there was nothing useful, he decided to leave it forgotten in the drawer. Now, after all this time, he feels it's time to give it a second chance. Daniel picks up the phone, unlocks it, and starts going through the accumulated messages.
[Messages]
- Solaris1267: Gif of a laughing cat pointing
Message Deleted*
- Shota_Prince: Cough Slut
Message Deleted*
- Anmol_Singh_4834: WHORE!!!
Message Deleted*
- Noi Yuu: I love You
I love you too - Message Deleted*
- Solaris1267: MC respectfully I hope your balls get twisted.
Message Deleted*
- Mr_Jak: programming languages
This message lacks context - Message Deleted*
- Vastoking: damn she pointed her sister to a HOE!!!!
I didn't know that, but I'll have to thank Yang - Message Deleted*
- Desire96: to those who don't know, Oda married a Nami cosplayer...
Daniel pulls out the list again and writes in the long-term section 'Look for Aria Dawn.' Thanks, I had forgotten - Message Deleted*
- Kayapan: Another gif of a laughing cat pointing
Message Deleted*
- Solaris1267: MC sounds like a prostitute no offense.
I'm offended - Message Deleted*
- Hanni_Baal: Atlas would pay good money for these blueprints, even if they're just the common ones...
Finally, something useful. Daniel takes out the list and strikes through the section 'Build Batman suit,' now he writes 'Make deals with Atlas' - Message Deleted*
- Sir_Stronghold: 👍
👍 - Message Deleted*
…
[1 hour later]
"Well, that was it," Daniel says as he puts the phone back in his pocket. "Lots of insults, a lot of cat memes, and a few useful things." He feels grateful; it could have been worse. With that off his list, he moves on to the next point: theorizing about this world. "Let's see what we have in the journal... mmm."
[Why is the moon destroyed?]
"Surely, God did it..." he murmurs as he moves to the next question. "Let's see the next one…"
[Why does the island of Atlas float?]
"This doesn't help either…"
[Where do so many Grimms come from?]
"Nobody knows... but it's surely God's fault..." Daniel pauses for a moment, searching for what he really needs. His eyes light up as he reaches a new section. "Ah, here it is!"
[The academies and their relationship with fairy tales.]
Across Remnant, there are a total of four hunter academies, each located in different kingdoms and led by a principal. In the case of Atlas, it is led by a general.
Beacon Academy – Director Ozpin
Haven Academy – Director Leonardo Lionheart
Atlas Academy – General James Ironwood
Shade Academy – Director Theodore
According to the information found in the CCT (Cross Continental Transmit System), which functions like the internet in this world, it's curious that there are no satellites. Everything is transmitted through CCT towers. If one of these towers is destroyed, the kingdom it is located in could become partially cut off. Menagerie is an exception, as it has no CCT towers, either due to lack of resources, isolation, or outright racism.
Back to the topic, we start with the most obvious: Director Ozpin of Beacon Academy. His name is highly related to the tale "The Wizard of Oz." At first, this wasn't evident, but after a series of investigations, everything began to make sense.
[Flashback]
Daniel is typing on his scroll. "How to enter Beacon?" A lot of information comes up on how to apply to Beacon, but what he really wants to know is how he could enter as a visitor. What he finds turns out to be useful: "Entry to Beacon Academy is reserved for approved students and staff. Any unauthorized intrusion will be considered a violation, and the penalty is variable, depending on the severity of the offense."
Daniel keeps reading, anticipating what he's going to find. "Any other unauthorized access must be approved by Director Ozpin, the current director of Beacon Academy." A laugh escapes his lips. "That reminds me of the Wizard of Oz." He sets that aside and continues reading. "Or, in the second case, by Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch." He laughs again. "Haha, the Good Witch. All that's missing is for her to live in a tower."
"The director spends most of his time in the tower where he leads the hunters and aspiring hunters."
"Come on!"
[End of flashback]
It took great ingenuity to figure this out. At first, I thought it might be a coincidence, but upon reviewing the other directors, the connection between the characters becomes increasingly clear.
Director Ozpin – Wizard of Oz
Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch – The Good Witch
Director Leonardo Lionheart – Cowardly Lion
General James Ironwood – Tin Man
Director Theodore – Scarecrow?
There are many reasons to believe that this is not a coincidence. For starters, the story of the Wizard of Oz does not exist in this world, so their names cannot be inspired by that tale.
But why is this important? If these characters exist, then the antagonists of the story should also exist. Around 40 different types of Grimm have been recognized or sighted, including one uncommon but real: the Flying Monkey, known as Beringelo in its winged version. If the Grimm are the representation of the flying monkeys, then some questions arise:
Does the wicked witch exist?
Does the witch control the Grimm?
Will THE WITCH KILL US ALL?!
And MOST IMPORTANTLY: WHERE ARE DOROTHY AND TOTO?!
WILL THEY SAVE THIS WORLD?!
DO I HAVE TO GET OUT OF VALE?!
I'M SCREWED BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER HOW THE STORY ENDS?!
[End of this diary entry]
"Ah, how nice and relaxing it is to write in the journal," says Daniel, closing his notebook and settling into his seat.
"Was it really necessary to put it in all caps?" asks Aegis, who is sitting next to him, watching him write.
"Yes," Daniel replies. "If someone finds the journal, they'll think I'm crazy, or they'll go crazy themselves. I hope it's the latter; I don't want to be the only one suffering here."
"Do you really think Dorothy exists and that she's going to save this world?" Aegis asks.
"She might exist," Daniel says. "The problem is, if she does exist and starts a fight, I'm sure there will be a good number of casualties, and I'd prefer not to become a statistic, if possible."
"That's why we need several things," Daniel continues, speaking. "Power, both individual and acquisition, a safe place—if possible, outside the realms and in secret—and resources until it's all over."
"Are you planning to run away?" Aegis asks, not surprised at all.
"Of course I am. As soon as I hear that a kingdom has been destroyed, we'll escape until it's all over."
"Why not help?" Aegis implies.
"Why should I?" Daniel replies. "This isn't my story, and if this is predestined like a tale, it's best not to intervene."
"But if you don't belong, your very existence is already causing the possible story to change."
"That's possible," Daniel says, "but as long as I don't mess with Dorothy, I'm sure the world will be fine."
"Enough of this depressing talk! It's time for the next thing on the list."
"System, initiate gacha," Daniel orders the system.
[Gacha system starting]
Loading...
Loading...
[5 minutes later]
Loading...
"LOAD!" Daniel yells at the screen, which continues displaying the same message.
Loading...
[You have obtained the skill: Inflated Domain]
Without wasting any time, Daniel orders the system to show the description of his new skill.
[Inflated Domain]
The user gains the ability to transform any small object into a balloon animal. With this unique skill, you'll be the life of the party! You can surprise and entertain your friends, if you had any, of course.
That last line particularly irritates him. "Of course I have friends. There's Aegis and… Neo? Never mind, I'm not going to argue with a system."
Daniel gets up and heads over to Aegis.
"Hey!" Daniel calls, catching his attention. "Check this out." He pulls out his old Nokia and, with ease, starts bending it like it's a balloon. "Squeak squeak," it sounds as he works on it. A minute later, he lifts up his creation with a proud smile: the Nokia transformed into a balloon dog. "Hahaha!" he laughs, admiring his work.
[Image]
Aegis looks at it for a moment and then starts clapping with his pincers. "Clack clack clack."
"Very impressive, truly impressive," Aegis says, with a serene tone and a hint of irony in his voice. "Now, how about turning it back to normal?"
Daniel grabs the balloon animal and concentrates, trying to revert it to its original form. However, as he attempts to do so, the Nokia—now a balloon dog—remains as stiff as a rock.
"Oh no…"
-/-
Author's Note: Was this chapter unnecessary??? Of course it was. But I wanted to include the balloon animal part, and I didn't have enough for a full chapter. Plus, I uploaded a lot of chapters this week, and I deserve a break, so I took the chance to include these loose bits I had lying around and didn't want to waste. Anyway, see you when I have a decent chapter! Bye!