Moral code

Alex's full name was Alexander Roland. Both in character and appearance, he couldn't be further off from Dimitri.

The Greek youth was handsome and beautiful. He had olive skin tone and shoulder-length dark curly hair. His slim frame and average height created an image of a "boy next door", good-looking but approachable.

Only heavy glasses with thick frames ruined this image. Dimitri needed contact lenses, quick.

Alex, on the other hand, was a well-built young man from the south of Belgium. He was black, and his face wasn't too attractive, mostly because of his big protruding ears.

At EIS, few students worked out, but Alex was part of the minority. He took care of his body, his broad shoulders and a six-pack were proof of that.

The two became rivals because both were in love with programming. Dimitri was an expert on everything software and hardware, and Alex was his only peer worth contending against. That was because Alex was also a genius in his own right.

Like Anna and Dimitri, he belonged to the elite group of people who had an unmatched talent in a certain area. For Alex, it was languages. Vocabulary, syntax, logic. He could learn a new one in weeks, and by the age of 20, he was proficient in over 50 languages from all over the world. That also applied for programming languages, which was how he became Dimitri's rival.

Alex's greatest trait was his loyalty. After graduating EIS, he was recruited by the Belgian government and became the prime minister's personal translator and confidante. He was well-versed in diplomacy, and with his help, Belgium further developed its economy and political standing.

However, his loyalty became his undoing. In 2022, a terrorist organization carried out an assassination of the prime minister. Alex shielded his friend and benefactor with his own body. Pierced by a hail of bullets, there was no chance of survival.

He was declared a hero posthumously and granted medals for honor and bravery. The prime minister pushed for complete annihilation of those terrorists and destroyed them in a year. Too bad it couldn't bring Alex back.

Michael reminisced about the past but looked towards the future. Instead of helping one country, Alex could do more good working for Michael. After all, mobile games were just the first step, a way to get started. Michael had the knowledge of societal reforms of the future, technological and agricultural inventions, medicine and science. He had been tortured and confined to an apartment for ten years, but he read a lot, and he knew a lot.

Even with the world turning chaotic, Michael strived to build a better future for everyone. He knew that the resource of paramount importance wasn't money but people.

He didn't want to offend Dimitri who stormed out of the infirmary, so ran after him.

"Hey, man. If you are against it, that's fine. Alex can…"

"No." Dimitri turned around, revealing a toothy grin, "I've missed the taste of victory over that loser. Let him come."

"Are you sure?" Michael relaxed, seeing that the rivalry between them was friendly even at this age.

"Yeah. His salary has to be half of mine, though. I'm the senior employee here."

The break was almost over, so they went to their next class. The talk turned to the mayhem that had been on the news lately.

"You know, Mike, I think we should hold off the sequel's release. Right now, it will fly over people's heads."

"You might be right. With the virus and natural disasters, I grow more and more worried."

Michael knew the truth, but there was no one he trusted to spread the word. His only acquaintance with power was the principal, and Michael wasn't eager to put his trust in a retired secret agent. People's professions always left an impression on them, and Graves could have an agenda Michael didn't know about.

As for the only sure way to tell the world… forget it. Michael wasn't a hero.

"Let's postpone it," suggested Dimitri.

"Fine. Let's wait for it all to pass."

But would it pass? The truth had to come to light someday. Without the governments' reassurance, dark times were ahead.

Later that day, Michael visited Alex again. The explosion was on everyone's minds, so when Alex woke up, many of his classmates came by to ask him questions. The Belgian could only shake his head and shrug, unaware of his powers' awakening.

"I'm here to make you an offer you can't refuse!"

"Michael, please. My head still hurts. I already said this a hundred times, I can't remember anything."

The cultivator sat on the corner of the bed, "That's not why I'm here. I'd like you to work for me, as a programmer. You heard about North Gaming, right?"

"Yes. I played your games, they're excellent. But," the black teenager showed a hesitant smile, "trust me, there's a reason I won't fit in."

"Dimitri is fine with it."

Alex's eyes widened, "He is? Really?"

"He said, and I'm quoting, 'Let him come.' I think he's eager to challenge you again. Alex, if you miss this opportunity, you will regret it. I promise."

Michael meant what he said. This was the easiest way to prevent Alex from working for Belgian government and losing his life years later. Of course, the black teenager couldn't know that, so he thought Michael was threatening and encouraging him at the same time.

Suddenly, a notification sounded that only the cultivator could hear.

"Ding! Quest issued. Reward: 20,000 glory points. Objective: host has displayed impulses to develop moral code. Every cultivator must follow rules which they abide by. Host, please formulate your moral code."

Michael shook his head to throw the message out of his mind. He could return to it later, but for now, Alex was more important.

The two shook on it after half an hour, and Alex became an official employee of North Gaming. His initial salary wasn't high, but as soon as he produced results, it would become equal to Dimitri's. If they wanted to be rivals so bad, some friendly competition was in order.

After Michael left his newest employee in the infirmary to rest, he went to his dorm room.

"Glory, can you explain the quest to me? Why do cultivators need to follow a moral code?"

"World Tree places no restrictions on cultivators. They are free to perform good and bad deeds. However, moral code serves as further registration with infofield and strengthens infolink. Following moral code brings cultivator benefits, breaking it leads to sanctions."

Benefits? That word aroused Michael's interest.

"Are there any requirements?"

"There are none."

"So, a single rule would suffice? All right!"

Michael considered it carefully. No killing was out, he could barely contain himself at times. Helping the weak? Too difficult to define.

He tried to look back on every time Glory made a sound without accompanying notifications, and he made promises every one of those times!

It would be a simple thing, keeping his promises – he always tried to do so, anyway. But he had to word it without getting into details.

"Glory, here's my moral code. From this point on, I shall fulfill every promise I give."

It was a vague rule, and Michael made it so on purpose. For example, it didn't state a timeframe, so even if he was forced to say the words, he could weasel out.

"Ding! Quest completed. Host has formulated moral code. Reward: 20,000 glory points."

"Are there any conditions I should know?" Michael inquired.

"Glory points received will be doubled. Breaking one promise will result in forfeiture of all glory points earned in last month."

"Wow. Oh!"

Maybe weaseling out of a promise wasn't such a good idea, after all.