Chapter 2 – Terraria, world fragment
Fresh air rushed in, snapping Luo Yi awake after the dusty confines of the Lords Mansion.
Glancing around, he found himself teleported to a picturesque woodland.
Wildflowers dotted the grass, and birds burst from the trees to wheel beneath a sapphire sky.
'This is... Terraria?'
Luo Yi guessed uncertainly; the scene matched the Forest biome of the Terraria World he knew.
A follow-up prompt confirmed it.
[You have been transported to 'Terraria (Fragment)']
[Collect more world fragments to complete the current world.]
A torrent of information flooded his mind; Luo Yi frowned, then slowly understood.
This place was only a slice of the Terraria he knew—a 'world fragment.'
After walking through the oaks for a while, misty chaos barred the way ahead.
By his estimate the fragment was small; its surface held only forest.
How far the underground stretched would have to be tested pickaxe-swing by pickaxe-swing from his inventory.
Two other facts surfaced from the data stream.
First, time here ran sixty times faster than outside.
One second out there equaled one Terraria minute; a day outside meant sixty days within.
Second, he could shuttle between the two worlds at will.
Because of the time differential, leaving Terraria left his body unconscious outside for about a minute.
'Have to make sure I'm somewhere safe before I jump,' Luo Yi noted; a minute of helplessness was plenty of time for an enemy to kill him a dozen times over.
With only the forest to explore, he chopped trees, replanted saplings, gathered mushrooms and sunflowers, picked fruit, swatted a few wandering Slimes, and threw together a small cabin as a temporary base.
When the sun began to set he wiped the sweat away, tossed his tools into his inventory, and teleported out.
Night in Terraria was far more dangerous.
He had some combat ability, but not enough to face endlessly respawning monsters.
Back in the Lords Mansion, Luo Yi snapped to attention and looked around; everything was as he'd left it.
After all, his long Terraria day had lasted only a few outside minutes.
If not for the bulging inventory, he might have thought it a dream.
'Right...'
Thinking of his inventory, Luo Yi raised an eyebrow and tested an idea—could Terraria items be brought outside?
With a thought, a square wooden platform marked with rulers and geometric patterns appeared in his hands.
He set it down, and a crafting list popped up, offering recipes based on the materials in his inventory.
'It works!'
Seeing this, his eyes lit up.
The item was a work bench, the most basic crafting station in Terraria, unlocking simple recipes.
With enough materials, he could craft whatever it listed.
He placed some wood and Slime-dropped gel on the bench and soon held a bundle of lit torches.
'Functions perfectly... excellent.'
He nodded; Terraria was an inexhaustible treasure trove.
Though he didn't own a single copper coin, he now had the potential to rival kingdoms in wealth.
After lighting the Lords Mansion with the torches, a knock sounded at the door.
It was Old Town Mayor Dylan, the same elder who had greeted him earlier.
The old man looked every inch the simple farmer—white-haired, plainly dressed, usually wearing a worried frown that quickly bent into a smile when he saw Luo Yi.
'Lord, I've spoken to most households, but some folk were out.'
'Our quarterly Town Meeting is coming—would you be willing to attend?'
Dylan phrased it carefully, careful not to sound as if he were giving orders.
Nobles of the Karar United Duchy were notoriously brutal; a commoner might be executed for an accidental glance.
The mayor didn't know what title this black-haired youth held, but caution cost nothing.
The lad possessed a full set of legal Lord's papers and was still young—perhaps some great noble's son amusing himself as a petty tyrant.
'Town Meeting?' Luo Yi welcomed any chance to learn about Moonstone Town. 'Tell me more.'
'Of course, Lord...'
Hearing the request convinced Dylan even more that this was some pampered aristocrat.
Town and village meetings were the standard self-rule of the kingdom's backcountry, etched into every commoner's memory.
Only the highborn could remain ignorant of such basics.
'Each quarter we audit finances, plan planting, set a site for public trials of wrongdoers...'
Luo Yi listened with interest.
Though he had somehow learned the local tongue after arriving, he lacked common knowledge; a lesson from the mayor was welcome.
'Very well, I'll attend the Town Meeting in a few days.'
He nodded absently.
'Bring me written reports on finances and planting plans before it starts.'
'Ah...'
What seemed routine to Luo Yi struck Dylan as near impossible.
Few in Moonstone Town could write; average schooling stopped well before birth-literacy levels.
Still, not daring to refuse, the old man opened and closed his mouth, then shuffled away muttering.
With days to spare before the meeting, Luo Yi stayed busy, crafting simple wooden furniture at the work bench to spruce up the mansion.
The next morning he awoke to a new prompt—from OmniNet.
[A new day has dawned; it is time to set out on a fresh journey.]
[You have received a 'the fool' card.]
[Draw a card for the adventure ahead.]
...