Chapter 8: The Iron Law of the Lord of Creation
"Ahh, I'm stuffed, I'm stuffed..."
Chen Sui let out a satisfied belch, rubbing his belly, still able to smell the lingering aroma of spicy crab in the air.
"I can hop back on the game for a bit later and try to grind out a few more eggs."
Back home, he flicked on the lights, and Chen Sui's first instinct was to check his fish tank — after all, he had quite a few smaller tanks with fish in them that needed feeding.
He opened the door to his studio and stared into the darkened fish tank, a faint sense of unease creeping over him.
But he didn't think too much of it.
He turned on the light and walked over to take a closer look.
What he saw stopped him cold.
The beach inside the fish tank — where the Fishfolk had made their home — was an absolute wreck. The corpses of Red-Mantled Tide Crabs were strewn across the ground, and the Fishfolk themselves were battered and wounded, reduced to only six survivors.
Wavecrest was gravely injured, lying on the sand with only the faint rise and fall of his chest to confirm he was still alive.
Chen Sui's eyes went wide. He immediately understood what had happened.
The Red-Mantled Tide Crabs and the Fishfolk had gone to war!
He shifted his gaze to the beach on the other side of the tank, where a ragged band of surviving crabs paced back and forth. A few Red-Mantled Tide Crabs lay dead in the corners, and even the Terror Crab that had led them was holed up inside a rocky cave, its body covered in wounds — clearly not faring much better.
Chen Sui didn't know what to say.
He had simply forgotten to list the crabs he'd pulled on the trading market, and the moment they appeared in the fish tank — before they'd even had a chance to settle in — they had marched straight to the Fishfolk's doorstep and beaten them into this sorry state.
The Fishfolk hadn't been numerous to begin with, and now only a handful remained. A few more clashes like this and the entire population would be wiped out.
This species seemed to be a naturally occurring part of the fish tank's ecosystem, and on top of that, Wavecrest had been helping him grind monsters. Chen Sui genuinely felt a connection to the Fishfolk — a kind of empathy.
"Should I remove the crabs?"
Chen Sui instinctively reached out to transfer the crabs away, but his hand froze mid-air.
Even if he removed them this time, there would always be more species coming. Was he going to remove every single one that posed a threat to the Fishfolk?
That wasn't going to work...
After all, this was a complete world. Even if he never introduced another species into the fish tank, new ones would eventually emerge on their own.
And even if they didn't, there would still be pathogens, viruses — for a species to survive, it had to pass through the filter of natural selection.
If he intervened every time, the little world inside his fish tank would eventually become a barren wasteland.
Chen Sui realized it then: survival of the fittest was an iron law — even for the Lord of Creation.
He pulled his hand back.
"Let it be. I'll only step in to maintain the balance."
"Besides, there's no point thinking about grinding on the game tonight. I'll at least wait until Wavecrest or the Terror Crab has recovered."
Chen Sui dragged over a small stool, sat down in front of the fish tank, and settled in to watch what the Fishfolk would do next.
Mist drifted up around the fish tank, and the Fishfolk could no longer perceive Chen Sui watching from outside.
He watched as the Fishfolk gathered together and performed what looked like a ritual — a solemn farewell. They carried the bodies of their fallen to the edge of the shore where the current ran swift, and with quiet grief, lowered them into the water.
The waves lapping at the shore surged up and carried the Fishfolk's dead out into the sea.
One by one, the Fishfolk leapt into the water and swam alongside the bodies of their companions, following the waves far out before the others pulled them back to shore.
Wavecrest soon regained consciousness. He gathered the Fishfolk around him and began making a series of strange, chattering sounds.
It seemed they were deliberating over something.
With the accelerated flow of time inside the fish tank's little world, Chen Sui soon figured out what they were discussing.
The Fishfolk began collecting the scattered crab shells and Crab Claws, grinding them against stones, holding the pieces up against their bodies to measure the fit, then continuing to shape them according to the dimensions needed for Body Integration.
"They're starting to use tools?"
Chen Sui watched with keen interest.
It's often said that the greatest distinction between intelligent beings and beasts is the ability to use tools.
Learning and invention — these are the fastest paths to evolution.
Of course, the Fishfolk had no prior experience crafting tools, so the first batch turned out rather rough and uneven.
But there were plenty of materials, and the Fishfolk gathered to share what they'd learned, compensating for each other's shortcomings. Before long... the first spear appeared in Wavecrest's hands.
He raised it high — a weapon fashioned from the claws of a Red-Mantled Tide Crab — and thrust and jabbed with it, splitting stone and snapping branches with effortless ease.
With that first success, more crab-shell spears followed in rapid succession, each one better shaped than the last.
Everything they forged was a spear.
Watching the Fishfolk repeatedly practice their thrusting motions with those sharp weapons, Chen Sui understood — they were planning revenge.
About two hours later, every Fishfolk had a sharp spear in hand, and they had erected a barrier of Spines around their settlement to keep intruders out.
And then... they started making babies.
"Uh... should I look away?"
Chen Sui said this, but his eyes didn't blink once as he sat beside the fish tank, staring intently at everything unfolding inside.
"Boring."
Chen Sui snapped back to his senses and shook his head. At twenty times the speed, it was all over before he even registered it.
Soon enough, the Fishfolk went back to their own business.
It seemed they had forgotten all about revenge.
Chen Sui watched them and nodded to himself. There were still over a dozen crabs left, and their combat strength was nothing to scoff at — if the Fishfolk charged in recklessly, total annihilation wasn't out of the question.
Lying low and building up strength first, rather than rushing headlong into revenge — that was clearly the optimal play for the Fishfolk right now.
"Still... who knows how long that'll take. If only I could fast-forward."
The thought had barely crossed his mind.
There wasn't really a good solution...
He patted his pants and stood up from in front of the fish tank.
This wasn't something that could be rushed — there was no point in hurrying.
Chen Sui couldn't be bothered watching the slow, uneventful development anyway. He still needed sleep, after all.
It was already eleven at night. Chen Sui yawned as a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
"Time for bed."
"Wavecrest should be recovered by tomorrow. We'll get back to grinding sea beasts."
Chen Sui gave his head a shake, tidied up a little, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The next morning, Chen Sui woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
He took a look at his little world first.
A whole night had passed, and by his calculations, two or three days had gone by inside the little world. The Fishfolk's settlement had changed considerably — gone was the completely natural, undefended state of before. The outer perimeter was now equipped with rudimentary traps and defensive mechanisms.
Chen Sui paid particular attention to Wavecrest. He stood in an open area, wielding a black spear in one hand — crafted from the shattered shell of the Terror Crab — and swept it through the air with a fierce whoosh, his form already carrying a hint of genuine menace.
"Excellent. Looks like today will bring a good harvest."
Chen Sui nodded in satisfaction and prepared to launch the game.
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Edited by Fat Goose