Will fully shared his dismay and succinctly explained the facts, barely holding back from bursting into laughter.
"The idea came from Tim and Lily. Sarah and Kyle also approved the name."
"Ugh... I should have known. "Jake mumbled wearily. "Is Lily with you?"
"Not just Lily. "Will confessed in an embarrassed tone.
"Who else?"
"Your cousins Kevin, Vincent, and Daniel, Lily's father, have also joined your faction."
Jake cringed upon learning that his two cousins had joined his faction. He was surprised that Kevin had joined, but it was not unexpected. His cousin was already familiar with Sarah, Tim and Lily and with the previous Ordeal their relationship could be considered cordial.
But Vincent? That was shocking. Knowing his character, it was impossible that he would come of his own free will. Someone had forced him. Grandfather?
"How's your business doing and how are the others? "Jake changed the subject to avoid unnecessary brooding.
This time he sensed Will's delight.
"Not bad. With Sarah and the others who have kept hunting Space Digestors under my supervision, we' ve made quite a bit of money. Your Myrtharian Body is just too good to be true... Just by raising the temperature a little bit our bodies get stronger. I just wish you would have told us about the side effects before... The muscle gain and the growth spurt is still okay, but the glowing dick as soon as you get a little too excited is just... Only Tim thinks it's cool !"
'Fuck?! That' s really your problem?' Jake cursed him for his mannerism.
He was in the middle of an existential crisis because of his exponential growth and all they were worried about was that detail? It wasn't even a real issue.
In the midst of a strong emotion of excitement or anger, the veins produced heat and light. If this excitement was of a certain nature, this symptom could indeed occur.
Unlike him, who could control the heat and radiation to some extent, his comrades had no control over this phenomenon. Not to mention an erection, even blushing with shame could result in a glowing red face.
"I'm on my way. "Jake finally said, ending the discussion.
Reflecting on Will's first words, he asked Xi,
"What did he mean when he said that the world is changing too fast? Have I missed anything important this month?"
Xi's response was not long in coming.
[ Apart from the fact that the number of Floating Islands and Factions has multiplied and that most of the impatient Players have already finished their fourth Ordeal, nothing. Ah yes! Apart from that, the Aether Density and gravity have increased quite a bit...]
Because the gravity was lower than in his training area and the increase in Aether Density had been gradual he hadn't noticed anything. When Xi pointed this out to him, a shiver of bad omen ran down his spine.
[ Aether Density of B842: 58 Aether points (21>58)]
[Gravity: 4 times that of Earth.]
This meant that the gravity had doubled during that month and that the Aether Density on B842 had exceeded that of his Second Ordeal. The speed at which this world was changing was indeed terrifying!
It was a perpetual race where stagnation meant being left behind. And falling behind in the Mirror Universe was literally losing control of one's destiny.
For Jake, who didn't want to lose the freedom he had finally gained, it was a brutal wake-up call. His petty worries about his appearance were immediately forgotten.
He was pleasantly surprised to discover, however, that it wasn't all bad luck.
His Oracle Device was now producing nearly 63,800 Aether pts per day. In the course of the month, even while paying the maintenance fee for his island he had earned more than 1M Aether pts.
Earning money without doing anything was always a pleasure.
A few seconds later, Jake put his hand against his Yellow Cube and reappeared a blink later on Will's island he had never visited. What immediately struck him was the difference in style.
His island was empty, but functional. With its detection system, a Yellow and Blue Cube, its new sun and the land he had brought back, it was rather austere.
In comparison, Will had made considerable efforts to make his Floating Island as popular as possible. It was his showcase for trading in the Mirror Universe and he had undertaken the necessary work to make it so.
A very decent two-story villa had been built there and a sign read "Myrtharian Scavengers's Store". Through the window Jake recognized several familiar silhouettes, which also became aware of his presence.
He wanted to join them, but unfortunately he knew he would not get through the door... As he lamented about his growth spurt again, a huge mass of black fur suddenly obscured his field of vision.
Crunch was back.