I set myself loose in delusions of the grandeur, imagining myself in a chef’s hat, an apron and a black belt going Gordan Ramsey on foolish aspiring cooks.

More moans of ecstasy run around the clearing. Meena seems to have introduced this to everyone and is calling me a new god in her fervor. All coming from a grilled fish made by a plant which emits heat.

I smile and stop thinking about the weird images of the Gourmet Empire in my head. What should I do now? We have a forest with steel like wood to exploit, underwater fire plants and gleaming shells. Other than that, nothing much.

Remembering the list I made earlier, I scratch off the things I already did.

Move into a new home.

Find out about the tribe’s people.

Have something to eat.

Try out my new ability when I get settle down

Build monuments for the heroes

????

Profit.

Now I'm left with my ability to test out and the memorial to hold out when the shrine is built.

Updating my to-do list carefully, I start thinking about my next steps.

Test Ability.

Build a shrine and hold a memorial

Finish construction of basic buildings like houses and sorts

Amass Inferno Stalk, the gleaming shells which we have yet to name and the Steery Wood for future use.

Introduce new concepts to the tribespeople.

Contact other tribes

Contact other empires

I sit down crossed legged and think about using my ability. It takes a few seconds but what I feel and see next blew my mind.

I felt some kind of omniscience when I entered this state. It was dark. Pitch black even. A swoop sent my new vision and I start seeing a brown/yellowish paper unfold in front of my eyes. There it was.

What was left of the tribe. I saw everything. Their miniature figures moving about the clearing. The central storage hut standing strong in the center.

I saw how some of the laborers are packing the fish bones under Zarhans management.

I saw Meena enthusiastically explaining cooking to some women to the side using the Inferno Stalk. Oi, be careful with that thing, we don’t know how it works yet.

I saw Panara talk to her parents, giddily jumping up and down. I zoom in closer and see a wooden board beside her.

Relationship: Subject

Happiness: 100/100

Occupation: Warrior

Status: In Love

Wants: None

A small profile of her. Well, she didn’t lie about being in love. I sigh. Moving back to Zarhan I zoom in and check his profile.

Relationship: Brother

Happiness: 73/100

Occupation: Co-Chieftain

Status: Stressed

Wants: A wife

How does a Chieftain not get a wife? You're adored by your people yet you’re single. Tut tut tut Zarhan, I need to wingman him someone nice if I want his happiness to go up.

I stop spying on my people and zoomed out this time. The clearing we have occupied now has a green hue symbolizing that it’s our territory. I can see that it expands towards the rivers and occupies the smaller one entirely. The Inferno Stalks are also within our territory. Other than those two landmarks some basic ocean around us is also within our sphere of influence. The Steery Woods are however not in our territory but we border it, I assume when we expand it will be under our full control.

Zooming out, even more, was pointless, however. I could only see our territory and to an extent some areas around our border, the rest is fog of war and unexplored.

I remember that Moruna mentioned benefits to my empire depending on the resources found there. Thinking about it like flicking a switch makes some color-coded icons appear over certain areas. The Inferno Stalks, the smaller river, and the Steery Woods also have a unique icon on top of the color-coded ones.

The color-coded icons are presented with the standard list of food, production, science and a yellow icon that I was unfamiliar with but I assumed was gold due to the color. Not all of them appeared on the areas but the ones that did came with a + sign. The Inferno Stalks had a ++ in production and a ++ in science. The smaller river had a ++ in food, a + in science and a +++ in gold. That river needs to be strengthened when I get the manpower. I couldn’t find out about the Steery woods, however. Probably because it wasn’t in our blobbing green hue. The ocean area around us all gave a + in food and a + in production. Going by my experience in Civ games this is not a great start but not a bad one.

I focus back on our center and it gave a +++ in science and a ++ in gold. I wonder why it gave gold though? I didn’t have any trade routes set up with anyone at the moment. My ability doesn’t go in any more detail so that is now a mystery I need to uncover later.

I think I got the gist of the ability and decided to go back to my body.

The transition to my body was quick. I opened my eyes and saw Stalra and Zarhan come inside the storage hut.

Now that I know what I should be doing I call out to them. “Zarhan, Stalra we got work to do, gather everyone in front of the hut, I have an announcement to make!”

They quickly turn around and go back out to collect the tribespeople outside.

Cracking my knuckles and stretching a bit, I walk out of the hut.

All of the people go quiet at me coming out. I begin.

“I hope everyone is settled in for now. We have many things to do right now but first and foremost I need to say that this clearing will be our new home and I propose we give it a proper name.”

Agreement comes all around in front of me. I continue. “I won't be naming it on my own for I propose we name it after Zarhan’s father, the previous Chieftan. The honor gained in his sacrifice to save all of you from the Zekriken is unmatched. If not for him and his group that stayed back to delay the Zekriken we all wouldn’t be here today. That is my proposal.”

The group starts murmuring and discussing my proposal. I turn around and look at Zarhan, he is trying not to cry again. Taking my arm and placing it around his shoulder I say. “Apologies Zarhan but I felt that this would be the highest honor for your father, a shrine won't do him and his friends justice.”

Zarhan nods in understanding. I look back at the small crowd and see the two older ladies step forward. The left one asks. “What about our husbands?” “Yes, they too stayed to protect us!” continues the right one.

“Naturally they will be etched in history similarly to the previous Chieftan. Do you see the other clearings around this main one? Since Zarhans father, the previous Chieftan was the pillar of the tribe and so the main city will be named after him. The clearings around the main one will be named after your husbands that went with him into battle.”

My answer pleases them and they step back into the crowd. I motion over Zarhan to finalize the speech. He walks up and says. “My kin, my father was great Chieftan, everyone knew that Halamar was a great leader, in his early years he drove away an invasion from the Burna and saved our tribe from destruction. He continued to bring honor to his name when he helped our allied tribe, the Yoran from destruction. He built our great town and protected it till his last breath. My kin, please speak the Ritual of Passing Honor with me and I shall formally etch his name into our new home!”

They all pause and close their eyes. In chorus they all say. “We grant as one, the highest degree of honor for protecting our lives to Halamar, our greatest Chieftan and his trusted aids Dorma and Jassin, may you continue to find great honor in the afterlife.”

Looking from the side gave me a good view of the entire ritual. These people were all sincere in their speech. Truly great people. I think I made the right choice if I want to win the Eternity Games.

After a short minute of silence, Zarhan continues. “I now name this land the great city of Halamar!”

“HALAMAR!” They all cheer.

Zarhan steps away and motions me back up. I jump over. “It isn’t great yet everyone, we still have to build it! I want everyone to split up into groups of six, try to be balanced in your grouping!”

Almost like disciplined soldiers they quickly line up in groups of six in a horizontal line. I point at Panara. “Panara I need you to take a group and lead them to the Inferno Stalks and harvest as much as you can. The night is coming soon and we need as many as you can get.”

“Yes, Chieftan!” They swim away.

“Next, Meena take a group and try to capture as much of the Shimmering Suzzy Shells as you can!”

“Yes, Chieftan!” They too swim away.

“Stalra, take two groups, preferably with warriors to the Steery woods and collect as much wood as you can, bring it all here!”

“Off course Chieftan!” Now he swims off.

4 groups went away and I’m left with one last group, a group full of muscle-headed so-called laborers, Zarhan and myself.

“Now we will be building a great hall using the bones left from the fish we caught, I want everyone to start digging a small hole this deep!” I point towards the bowl with the Shimmering Suzzy Shells, from the naked eye it's about 50 cm in height.

“Naturally Chief! Where do you want it and how big?” Good question. I want to make it grandeur so I think I’ll make a hall with a massive center and 4 entrances.

“Zarhan bring me some spears I will show the shape of it!” He is co-chieftain but I swear I use him like a courier. Oh, how the mighty have fallen but it’s fine, he is a better figurehead than me since I'm basically a foreigner with a simple understanding of these people.

Zarhan passes me 5 spears that we had on hand. I swim over to the center of the clearing and start impaling 4 spears in the shape of a square, roughly 25m is each side but I can only guess with no proper tools. Next, I use the last spear to poke holes showing 4 smaller squares that will act as the four entrances, all 10m in length.

The laborer's and Zarhan quickly get on with the digging of the center using the spears. They had no other tools other than these ultra sharp spears, I wonder what the pickaxes and axe's will be like. I naturally pull my weight as well, occasionally throwing out a few motivational phrases to speed things up.

We keep digging until it starts getting darker. The whole clearing starts being painted in a reddish hue. The middle of the hall is already dug out and only one more entrance square to go. A pile of rocks near the storehouse is what is left from the digging. Slowly many of the groups start coming back.

Meena came back with 3 bowls of snail shells and in another, their corpses. I should tell her to not overhunt them otherwise they will go extinct.

Panara comes back next. She and her group brought back 2 bowls of Inferno Stalk. They claim it’s very difficult to get them out so they tried to root out groups of the Inferno Stalk. I don’t blame them. We need to invent some sort of suit in order to get them efficiently. I order them to plant it in the center of the hall. That way we have some heat.

“Huddle together everyone, you won't go cold from the Inferno Stalks!”

They huddle around the Stalks in the center and start falling asleep, cuddling with their families.

Stalra and his groups come trucking along soon after with much Steery Wood tree’s, 13 in total. They are about 9 m in height but are rather thin. Good enough though.

I tell them to relax near the Stalks and start drifting down to the ground to sleep myself.

Panara also drifts over to me as I land. “Do you wanna sleep together Chieftan?” she asks.

“Ask me out for dinner first, geez.”

“What Chieftan?”

“Just come here!” I hug her and she closes her eyes while smiling. Bloody loon she is! If only the women on Earth were this direct with their feelings. Oh well. I close my eyes and think about visiting Moruna. I need to pay her a visit.