Fantastic Journeys Through The Stars 14 Arthur's Reality

She thought, 'Would flicking Snowy do the same? Can cats breath in s.p.a.ce?'

Arthur on the other hand, was pretty sure modern Terran technology could achieve similar results. It's just interactive holograms after all.

To be fair, the zooming and rendering certainly were impressive. Not to mention the real time monitoring through obstacles. These weren't things Arthur could just buy on the market.

However, judging by what modern science had already achieved, he figured it wouldn't take long.

It for sure wasn't as impressive as Vileplume made it out to be.

Before he could question the loli though, an alarm sounded. It was like those reminder sounds of a cellphone.

Vileplume snapped her head back and looked at the clock. She screamed, "It's gonna start! It's gonna start!"

The little loli immediately ran off in a hurry but Kralterror stopped her in her tracks with a grunt, whispered something.

The little loli nodded reluctantly and turned back. She rummaged the desk drawers and took out something that looked like a small memory chip.

She then pa.s.sed it to Arthur saying only one word, "Tutorial", before rus.h.i.+ng out of the room.

"My apologies for the unsightly display. It's time for the 'Ultimate Idol Universe' Season 4 to start. The madam has been looking forward to it for a long time. I hope you won't take her sudden departure to heart." Kralterror answered their unasked question. There was blood leaking out of his mouth, but he calmly wiped it off with a napkin.

Zoe was looking at him, worried.

"Oh my, his internals got raptured," she whispered.

Arthur, on the other hand was wondering how even a self-proclaimed G.o.d couldn't escape from the grasp of intergalactic reality TV.

'Wasn't G.o.dhood all about ascetism and abstaining from earthly pleasures? Is the loli lying? She's lying right? Wait a minute… this isn't Earth though.'

"Umm, are you…okay?" Zoe asked the butler, offering her hand in help. But Kralterror politely refused Zoe's help with an 'It's okay, just a flesh wound', and changed the subject.

He gestured at the chip and explained what it was.

"This chip contains a tutorial regarding your job as Madam Vileplume's pope for the Terran Civilization Sphere. As you might have already noticed, the contract refers to the position as Sentinel. That is the correct term, as well as how other civilizations will address you.

The chip will give you all the relevant training in the shortest possible time regarding the core essence of being a DemiG.o.d.

And, coughs, it's compatible with all Terran hardware."

"I-I see." Arthur hesitated. The butler looked like he was in pain, and he really had nothing more to ask.

Zoe tugged his sleeve, whispering, "We should leave."

Arthur agreed.

He turned to the butler and said, "T-Then I will do that. Since the interview is over, it's about time we head back. About the…elevator…" He had no idea how to refer to it. Was it a living being? Why was it an elevator then? How did a living creature evolve to look and function like and elevator?

Since that was how they came into this heavenly realm, Arthur a.s.sumed that was how they would be leaving too.

"It is still outside and you can use it to return to the mortal realm. Madam Vileplume has given you both access to the realm. You can leave and enter this place without anyone's guidance henceforth." Saying that, he led them both out of the confusing mess of a castle. "Just enter the elevator and say 'Heaven' when entering. To exit, simply say 'Return'."

"Umm, the cookies…?" Zoe asked.

"You need not worry, Madam Zoe. Amukhnalo'thstavat'zat is my tamed familiar, a pet… of sorts. That is why I am in charge of feeding him. He has been trained to do his duty to the utmost detail."

"Amur-Wha?... Well okay then. Good to hear." Arthur said. The alien name of the living elevator was too hard to p.r.o.nounce for his vocal cords.

The butler then led them outside the castle. This time though, they didn't have to walk all the way back. Kralterror opened a random door right outside Vileplume's office and much to Arthur's shock, it led right into the celestial garden.

From there, it was a minute or so till they once again reached the elevator.

The trip down was without incident. Even though the butler didn't accompany them, all the elevator did was beep a little louder and play outdated music.

It didn't try to eat them in place of cookies.

Back in the Tecsov lobby, Arthur saw the receptionist girl fidgeting with her cellphone.

'Poor soul.'

Arthur wanted to greet her, but Zoe tugged his sleeve urging him to leave. A few seconds later, they were outside standing in front of the Tecsov building.

Arthur felt a strange feeling of vertigo. Just a few minutes ago, they were standing above the clouds in a magical realm. Now they were back on the moon again.

He looked back at the Tecsov building. Apparently, he was now the CEO police chief of this place, whatever that was.

Arthur did his best to go with the flow when talking to Vileplume. Now though, he was starting to feel the shock.

He still couldn't quite believe all those proclamations by the self-proclaimed G.o.d of this universe.

In most fictions, the protagonist would gradually go up the levels, meeting enemies and allies of higher levels only after he'd already defeated weaker lackies.

Going all the way to the top right after pressing Game start and finis.h.i.+ng the tutorial mission was just ridiculous.

Arthur shook his head, trying to throw that mindset out.

It was a bad idea to treat all this like a fiction.

This was his reality now.

However, monks and eldritch horrors he could accept. World controlling G.o.ds?

Honestly, that seemed too farfetched.

"Arthur." Zoe suddenly said, "That Vileplume girl was… is very strong. Much stronger than me."

"Do you think… she spoke the truth?" Arthur hesitantly asked.

Zoe thought for a while, then shook her head, "I don't know. I… Honestly, I can't really believe that she is the G.o.d of this entire universe. The universe is just too vast for a single G.o.d to control everything.

But…"

She paused for a few seconds, trying to organize her thoughts. Arthur saw her clenched fist, her knuckles going pale white.

The maiden continued, "But… she is without a doubt the strongest being I have ever met. I've lived a long time, Arthur. I've seen everything this world has to offer. At least, that's what I've thought until a few minutes ago.

Immortals, G.o.ds, demons, elves, dragons, scourges, humans… I've never seen a second being so powerful, so in tune with the worlds law. She made me feel like I was an ant standing if front of a behemoth!

Even if they were lying about being G.o.ds of some kind of multi-universal organization, at least… I think they are pretty much at the pinnacle of power in the Terran civilization.

Vileplume… and that Kralterror too…

If they wanted to do something to us, I think they would've done it already without any schemes. Schemes… are for the weak."

He didn't know how to reply to that. Zoe had been very skeptical of Tecsov since this morning. After meeting the self-proclaimed G.o.ddess once however, she changed her mind.

She was still wary of them, but she no longer thought they were trying to scheme against Arthur (and herself).

Arthur shook his head.

He was still new to all this.

Even three days ago he was working in a restaurant. Now he was a CEO or pope of a multi-billion credit company working for a self-proclaimed G.o.ddess that even his eldritch horror of a babysitter was dead afraid of.

It was too surreal.

At first, he was too shocked to complain.

But after going through multiple shocking experiences, the next bigger and mor bizarre than the last, his sense of shock had been greatly blunted.

He was just going with the flow at this point. What else could he do?

He was even weaker than the monk, not to mention Zoe. If even Zoe felt helpless in front of Vileplume, what was he supposed to do? Lodge a complaint against her for workplace hara.s.sment?

'Actually, the contract did say I could do that… …'

Well leaving those thoughts aside, Arthur didn't actually feel any malice from the loli. She was very casual about the whole thing too.

Maybe because she was still a cute little girl, Arthur couldn't bring himself to feel negatively towards her even though at the corner of his mind was kept reminding himself to always remain vigilant.

Moreover, he not yet convinced he was a 'demiG.o.d' now. He didn't feel stronger, and it still hurt when he saw a kid in the park beside the Tecsov building eat a KitKat without breaking apart the bars first.

Nevertheless, whatever happens at this point, happens.

Since he was already going with the flow, he'd rather go with conviction.

No matter how upside down his world got, if he could find his parents, it would be worth it.

For now, becoming the pope of a hyperactive little girl seemed to be a good first step.

Arthur heaved a sigh and looked at the eldritch maiden still tugging his sleeve. There was a deep contemplative look on her face.

For some reason, Arthur found that really funny. He laughed out loud and ruffled Zoe's hair.

She let out a surprised 'Yip!' and looked at him with confusion. Her eyes demanded an explanation.

Arthur simply ignored that though. He walked ahead towards the supermarket on the opposite end of the street, leaving the puzzled girl behind.

"Let's go, we still have groceries to buy."

"Ah! Wait for me."

***

"We interrupt this program to bring you this important news."

The next day,

Arthur, Zoe, and Snowy were sitting around the Kotatsu table enjoying a hearty breakfast.

They both wanted to discuss in length everything that happened the night before. However even after racking their brains for hours, they couldn't come to any acceptable conclusions.

All it did was annoy the attention hungry cat, who had made a mound of dead robots right at the front entrance. So they just tossed the worries aside and decided to work on more important things.

Like playing with Snowy.

After a good night's sleep, Arthur was feeling much better. He smelled bacon and toast the moment he walked down the stairs. Zoe had splurged and cooked a full English breakfast. The cat had a fishy portion too.

The TV was on airing some morning reality show. However, a few seconds ago the program was suddenly interrupted by an emergency broadcast.

There hasn't been an emergency broadcast in one hundred years, not since the great pollen outbreak of the Lunar Capital.

"Yesterday at 2am (GMT 0200) an object the size of Australia was observed coursing through the s.p.a.ce between Earth and Mars. The Asteroid which was traveling at two hundred and six thousand kilometers per second when it was only at a two million and thirty-eight thousand kilometers distance from Earth. That was nearly fifty-three times faster than the fastest comet ever recorded.

But it doesn't end there. The giant s.p.a.ce body simply ignored the gravity of the planets and the sun as it cut straight through the solar system. Scientist are baffled by this mysterious s.p.a.ce phenomenon. It is speculated the object was flung from a distant supernova explosion.

According to the director of Mars Capital Interstellar Observatory Dr. Heinz Cou-...."

"Interactive…" Arthur murmured, his mouth going wide open. The cat was happily eating some fish, eyeing the bacon on Arthur's plate from time to time.

And Zoe, Zoe just kept adding sugar to her tea one spoonful after another. Her eyes were glued to the TV screen. It was showing the telescoped image of the asteroid.

Arthur might not have recognized it, but she did. Her memory was perfect.

It was identical to holographic the one Vileplume flicked yesterday.

Zoe stammered, "She didn't lie. She… really is a G.o.d. No, the G.o.d!"