The gray stone walls stood tall and solid around Arthur’s little island. The cool wind of the void blew softly against the outside of the stones, but inside, the air was calm and quiet.
Arthur walked over to the stone well. He picked up the small wooden cup, dipped it deep into the sparkling blue water, and pulled it up. The water shimmered like liquid starlight. He took a long, slow sip. The cool, sweet water slid down his throat, washing away the last bits of dust and tiredness from the fight with the scavenger.
He sat down on a smooth stone block near the wall and pulled the bronze token out of his pocket.
The small metal disc felt cool in his hand. The ancient letters carved into its surface glowed with a faint, steady blue light. Every few seconds, tiny numbers flickered across the metal, counting down the time until the gate to the Lower Realm Lord Bazaar would open.
[ Time Remaining: 11 Hours, 45 Minutes ]
Arthur let out a long breath. He looked down at his clothes. His shirt had a small tear on the shoulder, and his trousers were smudged with dust from the stone floor. He didn’t have any extra clothes, but he looked neat enough. He reached into his pocket and felt his nine remaining copper coins clinking together.
Clink, clink, clink.
For an orphan who used to live in a drafty room in Neo-Veridia with zero money and zero family, having nine copper coins and a magic territory felt like a dream. But Arthur knew dreams could end quickly out here in the infinite universes. If he wanted to survive, he couldn’t just sit on his thirty-step rock. He had to trade, he had to learn, and he had to grow stronger.
"Twelve hours," Arthur whispered to himself, running his thumb over the smooth edge of the bronze token. "I have twelve hours to get ready."
He stood up and decided to check every inch of his tiny territory. Thirty steps by thirty steps wasn’t very big, but now it was his kingdom.
He walked around the perimeter, running his hand along the solid gray granite walls. They were thick and strong. No Void Beast could claw through these stones, and no random scavenger could easily climb over them without a fight. In the center sat the stone well, bubbling gently with its endless supply of magical water.
Beside the well, he still had the small metal dagger tucked securely into his belt. It was slightly dented at the tip from hitting the iron chain earlier, but the edge was still sharp enough to cut.
I need a better weapon eventually, Arthur thought, frowning slightly. And I need more food, more supplies, and maybe some tools to build a small shelter.
Back in the city, people could walk down to the corner store and buy bread, milk, or iron nails whenever they wanted. Here, everything depended on what he could trade for or win with his own hands. He was not overpowered. He had no magical system giving him free cheat codes or infinite armies. He was just Arthur, a smart boy who knew how to use his head and stay calm when things got scary.
He walked back to the center of the island, sat down cross-legged on the stone floor, and closed his eyes. He needed to rest his body and clear his mind.
Hours passed in the silent void. There was no sun to mark the time, no clock on a classroom wall, and no noisy traffic outside a window. There was only the steady ticking of the bronze token in his pocket, counting down the minutes one by one.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
As the hours ticked away, Arthur thought about his past. He remembered the cold orphanage beds, the children laughing at him because he had no parents, and the long, lonely walks through the neon-lit streets of Neo-Veridia. Everyone back there thought he was nothing. They thought an orphan with zero family background was destined to sweep the streets forever.
"They were wrong," Arthur whispered into the quiet air.
When he opened his eyes again, the blue light glowing from the bronze token had grown much brighter, flashing rhythmically like a heartbeat.
Arthur pulled the token out of his pocket and looked at the floating letters hovering above it:
[ Time Remaining: 0 Hours, 0 Minutes ] [ The Lower Realm Lord Bazaar Gate is Now Open ] [ Step into the blue light to enter Sector Seven, Universe 404 ]
As soon as the words appeared, the air right in front of the stone well shimmered and cracked open. A swirling portal of deep blue and bright gold light formed in the empty space, about six feet high and three feet wide.
Through the spinning portal, Arthur could not see stone or void. Instead, he heard a sound he hadn’t heard in a very long time—the loud, happy noise of a crowded marketplace.
Shouts of merchants, ringing bells, footsteps on cobblestone streets, and the rich smell of roasted meat and fresh flowers drifted softly out of the portal.
Arthur stood up immediately. He dusted off his trousers, checked his belt to make sure his metal dagger was secure, and slipped the bronze token back into his pocket.
He walked slowly toward the swirling blue-and-gold gate.
"Here we go," he said softly.
Without looking back, Arthur took a deep breath and stepped right into the portal.
Whoosh!
For a fraction of a second, the world spun around him in a whirlwind of colors. The cold wind of the void vanished, replaced by a warm, gentle breeze that smelled of sweet spices and old parchment.
Then, his boots touched solid ground.
Arthur blinked twice, trying to adjust his eyes to the bright, warm sunlight shining down from above.
He wasn’t standing on a cold, lonely rock anymore. He was standing in the middle of a massive, bustling town square paved with smooth white stones.
The square was gigantic, surrounded by tall, beautiful buildings made of white marble and dark brown wood. Colorful silk banners hung from second-story windows, snapping gently in the breeze. Thousands of people—and creatures that looked completely different from humans—were walking around, talking, laughing, and trading goods at dozens of small wooden stalls set up along the streets.
There were tall elves with pointed ears selling glowing green leaves in glass jars. There were stocky, bearded dwarves hammering shiny metal swords at open-air forges. And there were other young boys and girls—novice Global Lords just like him—dressed in fancy robes or worn leather jackets, walking around with wide, amazed eyes.
"Step right up! Fresh healing herbs from Universe Twelve! Only two copper coins a bunch!" shouted a merchant with blue skin and four arms, waving a bunch of glowing red flowers in the air.
"Strong iron shields! Built to stop Void Beasts! Come check them out!" yelled a dwarf with a booming voice.
Arthur stood near the edge of the square, completely stunned by the lively scene. It was a whole new world. No monsters trying to bite his head off. No dark purple fog. Just a massive, busy market filled with life, trade, and endless possibilities.
He stepped forward, joining the flow of the crowd, keeping his hands safely inside his pockets near his copper coins.
The market was divided into rows of small shops. Arthur walked slowly down the first row, looking at the different items displayed on the wooden tables. There were magical compasses, bags of glowing seeds, small bottles of glowing blue potion, and thick spellbooks with leather covers.
Everything looked amazing, but Arthur knew he had to be careful. He only had nine copper coins and a small metal dagger. He couldn’t afford expensive magic items. He needed practical things—better tools, food supplies, or perhaps a blueprint for a stronger wall or a water pump.
As he walked past a small stall selling old maps and wooden tools, a voice called out to him from behind.
"Hey, kid! You look like a beginner lord. Are you from one of those tiny thirty-step islands at the edge of the void?"
Arthur stopped and turned his head.
Sitting behind a wooden table covered in small bronze gears and iron nails was an old man with a long white beard and a pair of round copper spectacles perched on the tip of his nose. The old man wore a simple brown apron and smiled warmly, revealing a missing tooth.
"Yes, I am," Arthur answered honestly, stepping closer to the stall. "I just awakened my territory yesterday."
The old man chuckled, his eyes twinkling with kindly amusement. "I thought so. You have that fresh, wide-eyed look that all new lords have when they first step out of the void. Well, welcome to the Lower Realm Lord Bazaar, young man. I’m old Barnaby. What is a young lord like you looking for today? Tools? Seeds? Or maybe just some advice?"
Arthur looked down at the table. There were small iron hammers, bundles of strong rope, and small glass bottles filled with gray powder.
"I need something practical," Arthur said quietly, resting his hand on the edge of the wooden table. "I have a thirty-step stone island with a magic well and a stone wall. What do you recommend for a beginner who wants to make his territory safer and more useful?"
Barnaby stroked his long white beard, looking at Arthur with a approving nod. "Stone walls and a magic well? Not bad for your first day, kid. Most beginners lose their entire island on the first monster wave. You must have some quick wits about you."
The old man reached under the table and pulled out a small, heavy wooden box. He opened the lid and lifted out a small, glowing metal gear about the size of a fist.
"If you want to make your island safer without spending a fortune," Barnaby said, lowering his voice just a little bit, "you don’t need a fancy magic sword. You need this."
Arthur leaned in closer, his eyes fixed on the metal gear. "What is it?"
"It’s an Automatic Water Collector Gear," Barnaby explained, tapping the metal with his finger. "You connect it to your magic well. It pumps the water into a small storage barrel automatically, so you don’t have to stand there with a cup every time you want to drink or trade. It saves time, and it keeps your water clean."
"That sounds useful," Arthur said, his heart beating a little faster. "How much does it cost?"
Barnaby smiled and held up three fingers. "For you, young lord? Just three copper coins."
Arthur reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around his coins. Three copper coins out of nine. It was a fair price, but before he could pull the coins out and make the trade, a loud, arrogant voice suddenly interrupted them from behind.
"Move aside, old man! I want to see what junk you’re selling to these stray dogs!"
Arthur frowned and turned around.
Standing right behind him was a tall, broad-shouldered boy about his own age, wearing a rich crimson silk jacket with silver trim. Two armed guards in shiny steel armor stood on either side of the boy, glaring down at Arthur with cold, haughty expressions.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed. The boy had the same smug, mocking smile that Leo and Sam used to wear back in Neo-Veridia—the smile of someone who was born with everything and looked down on everyone else as trash.
"I was here first," Arthur said in a calm, steady voice.
The rich boy laughed out loud, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked Arthur up and down, sneering at his dusty clothes and torn shirt.
"First? Do you know who I am, peasant?" the boy barked, stepping right into Arthur’s personal space. "I am Lord Marcus of the Crimson Empire! My territory started as a three-hundred-step iron fortress with twenty guards! I didn’t come to this bazaar to wait behind a beggar holding nine copper coins!"
The marketplace around them grew quiet. Several merchants and other novice lords stopped what they were doing and turned to watch, whispering among themselves.
Arthur didn’t step back. He looked straight into Marcus’s arrogant eyes. He didn’t care if Marcus started with an iron fortress or an army of guards. Out here in the bazaar, everyone was just a lord.
"Being loud doesn’t make you strong," Arthur said quietly, his voice cutting through the silence of the square like a sharp blade.
Marcus’s smile vanished instantly. His face flushed red with anger. He pointed a shaking finger right at Arthur’s nose.
"You dare talk back to me?!" Marcus snarled, his voice rising in fury. "Guards! Teach this stray dog how to speak to a noble lord!"
The two armored guards instantly stepped forward, drawing their heavy steel swords from their scabbards with a loud, metallic ring that echoed across the stone square.