HC:Pacifist | Ch. 164 - The Way of Diplomacy (Patreon)

The Warrior that Ends Wars

I’ve read my battles' journals more than any other book. Sometimes, I read them as penance. I make myself live through those moments of agony as a payment for my sins. Other times, I read them as a critic. I second-guess my every decision and count how many casualties could have been spared if I were a better general.

But, regardless of what darkness makes me read through my journals, I always come to the same conclusion: I have saved more lives than I have ended. It was a gruesome war, but it ended a conflict that had been dragging itself out for years. It would probably still be ravaging the land if I, or another man such as I, hadn’t intervened.

This brings me to an interesting proposition: War might be the only way to peace. At the expense of the tranquility of a generation of men serving as soldiers, knights, and generals, a new generation of children gets to enjoy peace. Maybe peace and war are like autumn and spring. The soldiers are the dead leaves where a nation’s children can grow.

Roth put the book down and thought about what the general meant. Was it really so? Was war the only way to peace? He thought back to the sewers of Hilsford and the grenade he threw in that fateful night. Would he have been able to sign a peace treaty with the factions in the sewers if he hadn’t thrown that grenade?

He then recalled the gruesome sight of the caterpillar being swarmed by ant soldiers. Wasn’t it true that now all the treeant larvae would grow fat and plump and that this one act of violence brought prosperity to the city?

He stopped and looked at his hands for a few seconds. All violence he had committed in his past was born out of rage. The violence that Maximus Secundus spoke of was violence born out of love for peace, enforcing swift, surgical power to eliminate whatever cancer threatened the peace of society. The general’s words confused him. He had been playing this game following one golden rule: Violence is always wrong. But maybe violence wasn’t the problem. Rage was.

Roth walked for a few moments in silence, thinking about this. After a while, he opened the book again, looking for anything else he might have missed. Sure enough, another chapter had been added to the book.

The Way of Diplomacy

‘The Bjares never admit defeat and fight to the last man.’ ‘Never offer a truce to a Bjari army.’ I was taught these rules in the military academy and it’s what I told my soldiers before every battle. We made no prisoners and spared no soul, for we knew they would keep fighting and killing our own until we did so. This was an ironclad rule in our fight against the Bjares.

Sure enough, we never saw a white flag for the first decade of my campaigns in the mountains. No matter how hopeless the battle, the Bjares always fought to the bitter end, bringing as many of my soldiers down with each casualty we inflicted on them.

My beliefs were shattered close to the end of the war. It was spring. As we lay siege to a fortress guarding an overpass through the mountains, we had the enemy cornered and severely outnumbered. Their supply lines had been cut, and we were ready to take their fortress by storm.

I was stunned when the enemy general conveyed his desire to speak terms with me. My aides urged me to decline, but, as an honored warrior, I didn’t hesitate to agree. After all, no rules are above that of a white flag.

Jurian came, unescorted and unarmed. Even though Bjares are clever tacticians and fearsome fighters, I had always assumed they were uncivilized brutes. I had never conversed with one until that day. All the exchanges I had with the Bjares were through the metal of my sword.

It surprised me that Jurian spoke my people's tongue flawlessly. I nearly fell off my chair when he expressed his desire to negotiate the terms of his surrender. I was stunned. Here was a people who supposedly fought to the very last man, offering to lay down their arms.

He smiled sadly when I explained how surprised I was at his proposition and how we were taught that the Bjare people never surrendered. He explained that Bjares preferred surrendering over senseless fighting. They never asked for a truce with my people because they were taught in their schools that we never spare enemies, even if they surrender.

From then on, contrary to the customs of our army, I always offered a truce before attacking the Bjares. Many times, they accepted it. How I wish I had met Jurian sooner. How many innocent lives would have been spared?

This episode brings me to another proposition. Perhaps war isn’t the way to peace. Maybe education is. If only our schools of war bothered to teach peace instead, perhaps there would never have been a war to begin with.

As Roth read the story, he smiled. It made him think of all the animals he had befriended in AstroTerra. They, too, were attacked by players, but it was so much fun to become friends with them instead. He wasn’t confused anymore. Even in situations where war could end peace, he would leave those decisions to someone else. For example, if the treeants wanted to attack the blue caterpillars, that was up to them. As for him, he would just keep playing the game his way without being violent with others.

After Roth read through the two new chapters, he felt like a tangled knot in his soul had come loose. This book helped him to understand himself better. But it looked like that wasn’t the purpose of these chapters. When he finished reading them, a new window appeared, hovering before him.

Congratulations! You’re now level 30. You can choose a class advancement.

Would you like to follow the path of the warrior who ends wars and becomes a [Peace Enforcer]?

Would you like to follow the path of diplomacy and become a [Peacemaker]?

Roth paused. A class advancement? That was why the book had changed. He connected the dots in his mind. Of course! He had turned level 30! How could he forget about that? He passed his hand through his short beard. Maybe it was because of how late he’d obtained his class. After all, he had unlocked his pacifist class only two weeks ago. He didn’t expect to have to choose his first-class advancement so soon.

He had read about class advancements before. Once players reached level thirty, they had to see a trainer in the cities, and they were offered one of three paths. For example, warriors were allowed to become ‘tanks,’ ‘knights,’ or ‘fighters.’  Espers were offered to become ‘pyrokinetics,’ ‘cryokinetics,’ and ‘telekinetics.’ He didn’t know how class advancements worked for hidden classes, but it looked like there were fewer paths available to choose from. He was only offered two choices.

He took a moment to appreciate how convenient it was to have this book to carry around with him. Whereas other players would have to make a long journey, regardless of convenience, to unlock skill upgrades and advance their classes, Roth just had to open a book. Again, with all the trouble he had unlocking his pacifist class, he didn’t feel it was unfair. He had fought hard to get here.

From what Roth could tell from the chapters written by Maximus Secundus and the names of the advancements, it looked like the first one took a more active role in stopping battles or maybe even taking part in them. It wouldn’t be unheard of in the gaming world for a powerful class to be hidden behind a weaker one with severe limitations.

Roth chuckled as he remembered an example from New Earth. In the MMORPG that Roth had played, there was a pet called the ‘glass drake.’ All it took to kill the little dragon was to land an attack on them. It was the worst pet in the game. It gave no buffs, didn’t attack mobs, and, worse, unlike other pets, it couldn’t be resurrected. One player, though, discovered something incredible. Once a player got glass drakes through to level 50, they evolved into ‘diamond drakes,’ becoming unstoppable beasts.

After this discovery, almost every player tried to get their glass drakes to level 50. This wasn’t easy. The internet was full of videos of players rage-quitting the game because they had gotten glass drakes up to level 49, and just as they were about to reach level 50, they were killed by a stray shot and had to start all over.

Roth had tried it, too. In one messy battle, his level 46 glass drake was killed by another player. When Roth found that his pet had died, he went into a rage. Roth later discovered his friend had gotten his tantrum on camera and posted the video online. His friend had been beaten black and blue and lost a few teeth to Roth’s knuckles. At the memory of his fits, Roth felt his face burn, and he pulled up the black hood from his toxicologist set over his head.

Regardless, this [Peace Enforcer] advancement might be something along those lines. A player would have to go through the trouble of climbing to level 30 as a pacifist, with severe limitations in their account, before they could finally unlock a powerful warrior-like class.

The choice wasn’t difficult for Roth. He thought of all the friends he’d made and all the unique professions, fun adventures, and cool titles his playstyle had gotten him. He wasn’t going to change his game style. He would keep going down the path of diplomacy.

Are you sure you want to follow the path of diplomacy and become a [Peacemaker]? [Y/N]

Congratulations, you are now a [Peacemaker].

You’ve been awarded with 5SP.

+200 energy;

+10 wisdom.

The sound of the battle drums fails to seduce you. You walk the path of non-aggression to the bitter end.

+10 righteousness.

“Sweet!” exclaimed Roth. The shout of joy bounced off the tunnel's walls, creating an echo. He had gained some extra energy and a few more stat points. But above all, he’d been able to get five more SPs! He hurried along to the skill tree section of the book and found a new branch stemming out of the tree. A new upgrade to [Peace Treaty] had appeared.

Friends of Peace (Peace Treaty Upgrade)

Description: Your friends bestow their strength, knowledge, and love upon you.

Effects:

Passive. Gain a blessing from the factions you are in a treaty with;

The strength of the blessing depends on relationship status.

Cost: 1SP.

When Roth left Hilsford, he was level 23 and had seven unspent skill points. After reaching level 30, the number had gone up to 14 skill points. Thanks to the bonus of 5SP he got for advancing his profession, he now had a total of 19 skill points to spend! That was more than enough to get the [Stamp] upgrade and to try this new skill.

Congratulations. [Peace Treaty] has been upgraded.

You’re currently in a peace treaty with [Mario], [Sewer Snakes], and [Sewer Rats].

Mario’s blessing: +5 strength;

Sewer snakes’ blessing: +15 subterfuge;

Sewer rats’ blessing: +15 dexterity.

Sweet! What a cool upgrade! He now drew power from the factions he had a reputation with! With this, he had gained 35 stats in one go! Mario was the one he was the least close to; therefore, he could only get five strength from him. But he had a much closer relationship with the ratans and the snakes! The number of stats he gained off them was much greater!

Having a good reputation with factions only kept getting a bigger thing with Roth. Not only did it impact how much money he made and the kinds of items he could get, but now it was having such a big influence on his stats, too.

After spending one skill point to learn [Friends of Peace], this left him with 18 skill points to spend. After getting this upgrade, two new ones appeared on the skill tree. He checked what they were.

Equivalency (Friends of Peace Upgrade)

Cost: 3SP

Description: There is more than one kind of treaty that can be signed with other factions. Friendship can be proven in different ways.

Effects:

Expand the range of documents through which blessings can be conferred;

The effect of the blessing is halved in documents other than peace treaties.

Unspoken Treaty (Friends of Peace Upgrade)

Cost: 3SP

Description: There are relationships that are so close that no documents are necessary to prove them.

Effects: Whenever a faction adores you, automatically gain their blessing.

When Roth read the description of the first upgrade, he gulped and felt his mouth go dry. More than one kind of treaty. He looked into his inventory and found the [Broker Ledger]. He would still have enough to upgrade [Flagbearer] if he risked it. He closed his eyes and selected [Equivalency].

Ch. 163 - Cart Pulling

INDEX

Ch. 165 - Stamp