The minority group continued walking for several days, carrying whatever belongings they had managed to take with them from their former settlement.
Along the way, they scavenged for food and water whenever they found anything useful, with the weaker members struggling to keep up with the others. Eventually, after wandering far enough from the forest they once called home, they finally found a suitable place to settle.
Unlike their old settlement, which had been located deep within a dense jungle, the group decided to establish their new home beside a river. The constant source of water made the location much more convenient, while the surrounding land also provided access to animals and plants that could be used for food.
At first, however, there was barely anything resembling a settlement, with only a few campfires surrounded by exhausted lizardmen. It was then that the individual who had come from the majority group, whose significantly stronger body stood out among them, stepped forward and decided to take the lead.
Under his leadership, the small group gradually began building the foundation of their new settlement.
He organized the others according to what they were capable of doing, making sure the weaker members were not forced to perform tasks that their bodies could not handle. He even went out hunting alone whenever necessary, bringing back enough meat to ensure that the malnourished lizardmen had enough food to recover.
As the days passed, their bodies slowly became stronger, and the settlement began developing beyond the few campfires that had initially marked their arrival.
"That guy sure is the MVP. He’s slowly fixing my mistake."
Liam watched the settlement develop for a while before suddenly turning toward the system.
"Can I attach a name to a settlement?"
[You can.]
"Nice. Please name this settlement Riverside Lizards, while the other one can be named Forest Lizards. Oh, and name this fella right here..." Liam looked toward the lizardman who had taken responsibility for the group. "Something like Odir would be great."
[Request completed.]
[Settlement successfully named: Riverside Lizards.]
[Existing settlement successfully named: Forest Lizards.]
[Individual successfully named: Odir.]
Liam looked at the three notifications before smiling.
"Odir, huh? Sounds good."
He took one last glance at the developing riverside settlement before shifting his attention toward the rest of the planet.
"Now let’s see what the other races are up to."
Liam then opened the Planetary Archive, allowing the system to display the most recent major developments among the intelligent races.
[Recent events for the races:]
[Elves and Druids have begun coexisting through a mutually beneficial relationship.]
[Dwarfs have settled within caves and have become the first race to successfully utilize metal weapons.]
[Beastmen have become the first race to utilize pure wood as the primary material for their settlements.]
[Fishmen have begun settling across islands and within underwater cave systems.]
[Griffons have established settlements above mountainous regions.]
[Humans have settled within large plains and currently possess the largest population among the intelligent races.]
[Werewolves have become predators of humans, hiding among their settlements and secretly hunting them.]
[Demons have settled near craters.]
[Spirits have established themselves within cave systems.]
Liam stared at the list for a moment, taking in just how differently each race had begun adapting to the world around them.
"That’s so diverse." His attention returned to one particular entry.
"And werewolves became predators of humans? That’s insane."
Liam thought about it for a moment before shrugging.
"I mean, I get it. Humans have their superior reproduction, so from a predator’s perspective, they’re probably a pretty logical prey."
He continued looking through the archive, but one particular race caught his attention more than the others.
"I’m interested in how the Griffon’s society works. I should visit them next."
"But first, let’s give out some rewards to Odir, since he’s doing the god’s work."
Liam watched Odir as he continued helping the other members of the settlement, before suddenly remembering something that had been sitting in the back of his mind for a while.
"Now that I think about it, I never really understood the actual details of the Karma System, or whatever Universal Balance is supposed to be."
[The Karma System only acts upon modifications or changes that are considered impossible or excessively powerful within the current laws of the universe.]
[For instance, if a player creates a race that possesses absolute immortality, the Karma System will intervene because such a race would create an imbalance if another player were to encounter them.]
[The Karma System will then attempt to produce a solution that eliminates or neutralizes the threat.]
[For example, if an immortal race becomes impossible to eliminate through conventional means, the universe may cause a catastrophic event, such as the destruction of their planet or star, leaving them stranded within space indefinitely. Similar solutions may occur depending on the circumstances.]
"Okay, I get it now..."
Liam thought about the explanation for a moment before another question came to mind.
"Tell me, did I make something like that unintentionally?"
[Negative. Your actions and modifications remain within the universe’s expected parameters.]
"That’s fortunate... Wait, I should visit the creatures that I modified after I’m done checking on intelligent races."
Liam felt slightly relieved as he turned his attention back toward Odir. The lizardman was still busy helping the members of his settlement, making sure the weaker ones had enough food and assisting them as they slowly recovered from their previous condition.
Liam watched him for a few moments before finally making his decision.
"System, please modify Odir’s genetics so that he can live for up to three hundred years."
[Genetic modification completed.]
Liam smiled as he looked down at Odir one last time.
"I shall return and see what you did with that extra lifespan. I hope you have become someone who will continue to protect the oppressed ones."
With those words, Liam slowly floated away from the riverside settlement, leaving Odir and the other lizardmen behind as he prepared to see what the rest of his world had become.