Chapter 244: Playing Fetch
In a small building at the Heroic-Paws Village, many elders were frozen in place completely baffled. It was the same for the 'princess' of the Hard-Paws Clan as she watched her father beg Josh to take her in.
But the man did not care about any of it as he turned to Old Politan: "So, you're the one in charge of mediating for all the clans when selecting a new leader, right? How does that selection usually work?"
The poor dog seemed at a loss. How was there anyone in their midst that didn't know how something so basic worked?! But then he seemed to rationalize that this was his new master's way to test him.
"There will be three parts to it:
1. The test of strength to make sure whoever is applying is strong enough to lead.
2. The test of reputation to make sure no tyrant ever rises to power.
3. The test of resourcefulness that tests one's ability to acquire the best bone there is."
"Oh? Then why was there such an emphasis placed on the bone then? I remember my father stressing how important it is." Josh asked with a raised brow.
"In the recent years, the strength and notoriety of the candidates tend to be relatively on par. This means that the bone ends up being the decisive factor."
"I understand. When are these tests happening?" Josh inquired.
"Sir, we will congregate at a random clan village in a month and—"
"That won't do. I can't wait a month. Make it happen as soon as possible. Contact them and tell them to get their asses over here." Josh ordered in a voice of steel. He didn't even have that long of a lifespan. No way he was going to waste it all here!
"Sir, that's a terrible idea! It would mean going against tradition and would screw up the test of reputation. People wouldn't think one is true leader material because of—" He began arguing.
"Do you know what traditions are?" Josh playfully asked.
"Y-yes?"
"Traditions are peer pressure from dead people. I won't just stand idle while others decide my life for me, needless to say dead people! Make it happen. I want all of the clans here ASAP." Josh wouldn't tolerate opposition.
"A-alright, Sir!" Old Politan looked baffled for a second, but then he agreed.
Josh could see him going to work as he instantly met some villagers to send them as messengers. It seemed like the fat-looking dog had some real power as long as it concerned the succession event. Good thing he was on his side!
That's when his "father" chimed in: "Son, this is really a bad idea! We are better off waiting a month. I know it's a long time, but there is virtue in waiting. It shows one has patience. We shouldn't—"
"No worries. I know what I'm doing. Patience may be a virtue, but inaction is a sin. One that doesn't take his life into his own hands has no right of proclaiming about patience." Josh remarked, rendering the dog speechless.
In fact, all the other elders had no clue how to react either. They clearly wanted to protest, but they could see Old Chief Husky just nodding in approval on the side while Old Napolitan was already doing Josh's bidding. They remained silent.
The only one that seemed extremely lively was that one husky girl. She was fixing her father with a gaze of fire and couldn't wait to confront him about his weird actions. Old Chief Husky would get an earful!
Josh exited the large hut and couldn't help but look toward the setting sun. Talk about great attention to detail! The regular Tower would only have put a red glowing sky there. No, the Alter Tower had made one similar to the one of Earth here.
He wandered around the village slowly. Everywhere he went, surprised glances were thrown his way. Some would begin to scoff at him only to be stopped by other villagers who knew something big had happened.
Josh even got some roasted sheep from one of them. The poor doggo almost had a heart attack when he saw the cloth in Josh's hand suddenly move to devour the piece of meat. By now, holding the lizard had become an automatism.
Josh then went outside, walking around the plain surrounding the village. He could see a few dogs rearing some sheep back for the night. This realm sure was lively. He found a spot to lie down and watched the starry sky.
That's when came the sound of footsteps. Lazily raising his eyes, he could see that one husky girl there. She seemed surprisingly calm.
"You know it's foolish to rush things, right? Even if you are powerful and have brought a great treasure, you will still fail if the people do not respect you." She sighed.
"Is that so? Tell me then. How can I get their recognition then?" Josh earnestly asked.
"It takes time. They look up to people that show loyalty to the clans over many years. That is why you don't stand a single chance at winning it. Your father could have, but now that you've broken traditions, it will be troublesome." She explained.
"A gerontocracy, is it? I disagree with such a system." Josh sighed.
"Why? The old are the wisest." She remarked.
"They are also the ones that have the least time to live. For most of them, the future doesn't hold the same value. The past and the present are so much more important. A fresh perspective is sometimes necessary in life."
"That is because you are still young." She chucked
"No, I have learned a lot from people younger than me. It's not that simple. Anyway, how old was the previous leader?" Josh asked.
"He reached the late age of 18 years. Impressive, isn't it?!" She exclaimed, the light in her eyes rivaling the stars in the sky.
"Hahaha. Late age of 18, is it? Good for him, he reached majority." Josh couldn't help but chuckle. This was bound to be a long time in dog years, but it was the prime of one's life for a human.
She just stood there, sending him a displeased look. She didn't know why he was laughing, but he was obviously making light of their incredible leader. The next sentence was even more insulting.
"Hey, I'm bored. Want to play fetch?" Josh offered with a smile.
"No way!" She spat with disdain while frowning.
Was he serious?! There was no way someone as classy as her would just play fetch! But then, she saw the bone he had taken out. Was that bone from a scaly devil?! It was in such pristine condition too! How was this possible?!
Josh waved it around, enjoying her reaction. She really looked like a dog at that moment with her eyes following the bone, mesmerized. He couldn't help but chuckle. So much for her pride. That's when he threw it away.
She saw it fly through the air, an expression of horror on her face. She couldn't believe he was that careless with such a treasure! She darted after it. She wouldn't lose it for sure! When she finally caught it, she seemed both relieved and insanely ecstatic.
This reminded him of the good old times. He used to play that same game with the little one. The difference was that they had been playing with candies instead.
It had started one day when she wanted to train to do better in phys ed class. It was initially supposed to be a ball, but the little imp had somehow convinced him to train with candies and had the same look of satisfaction with every catch.
How many times had neighbors complained about him treating his kid like a dog? Never more than once with the little one's sharp tongue! She would destroy them with kind words.
His reverie was broken as the husky girl was slowly trotting back. "You need to take better care of it! Are you crazy?!" She reproachfully cried out.
"Ah, sorry. My hand slipped. Can I have it back?" Josh said with exaggerated embarrassment while sounding as innocent as possible.
She seemed to hesitate, but then she handed the bone back to him. Josh smiled radiantly at her before throwing it away once more.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" She shouted, horrified while running after it.
"Playing fetch." Josh naturally answered, shrugging.
Ah, this sure was relaxing...
Creator's Thought
Why was I having so much fun messing with an NPC? It was the same as a game. It was all illusory but the happiness was real. Things were so straightforward back then. The Tower was just a game, nothing more. Sure, it was one organized by gods and there were so many deaths but it remained simple...Then, things became so complicated.