Karma lay on his bed having eaten a very nice evening dinner delivered to his door ' Nothing beats going straight to bed after work ' he was very much ready to fall asleep at exactly 8 so he would get 9 hours of sleep and wake up early until .
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Ding dong ' Who is it at this hour ' he opens the soft lights as he looks at his nighttime visitor annoyed seeing a white tuxedo-suited man waiting by the gate outside his house and asked " What is your business this late in the night "
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" Let me introduce myself first you may call me Rochester " ' It's so damn late and you introduced yourself you sure you ain't a burglar ? ' " I came here because I want to talk business with you "
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Karma recognizes the brand Rochester is wearing and weighs his options ' Although it's annoying if I can spare some sleep for a good deal and some connection with someone willing to wear something that expensive who must be rich then I suppose I can continue '
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" We can talk but I can't let you in because my house isn't suitable for any guests at the moment so is it okay for us to talk through the door cam ? " " Yes as long as I can talk with you I am fine with standing outside "
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" Then what business are you talking about ? " " I want to hire you as a workforce manager in my company " " Okay I'll look into the details tomorrow it's late at night and I want to keep living healthy "
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Karma was about to sleep until Rochester rang the doorbell " But time is of essence " " Fine just email it to me or drop it in my mailbox either is fine as long as I get it . " Rochester smiled and put the mail into the mailbox.
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While Karma instantly shuts the doorbell and the camera ' I wonder whether he will sign it or negotiate with me ? ' Rochester waited thinking he would come out and pick the contract and then negotiate and finally sign when the terms were better .
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He stood for a long while not wanting to lose Karma to anyone else as he started suspecting and left .
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The next day in the morning Karma woke up pretty early ' I'm working at home ' he got ready for the day went to the computer worked a bit and went to do some exercise partly ' Hmm the food today looks good as I wanted '
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Karma smiled as he confirmed the time and went to claim the food from the monthly breakfast subscription " Hmm ? " he looked at the paper that was stacked underneath the paper bag containing his breakfast " Oh right I did ask him to put the contract but is there some rule that they have to do it very late I'm sure I emptied this box days ago "
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He takes the contents into the house and starts reading the papers seeing several contracts and some blatantly called out their identities as Angels ' Suspicious but you know I can't exactly deny this possibility maybe there is some proof that this is legitimate '
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He finds some papers that tell him a little about this world "No one is allowed to sign contracts scripted by those of higher society such as the angels without at least 2 years of experience in signing contracts without parental consent"
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" How surprising angels enforced these laws " Karma joked still not believing that this was the real thing but the fact that Rochester came to his house on the night of his birthday ' But all these papers do bring me to believe in this 2-year experience law '
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He reads the contract of the angel ' Be a judge or a lawyer , maybe the lawyer is good but what laws would they actually be I might consider if I read all this but for now I should look through everything else '
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He organizes the contracts learning of the devil promising eternal life in the living plane if he works and a research institute trying to tap into other sources of magic and etc. ' The eternal life is very tempting but I'm still young and making something longer than I need is useless like buying several books but not having time to finish them '
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But seeing the contracts offering him a lot he feels slightly looked down upon despite having no clear proof but he doesn't like how all this is convincing and feels too real . He checks on the information his headhunters give to appeal to him and summarizes the text .
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' Higher societies have rules or laws of their own and departments on keeping the natural order stable . Just like the myths death is where someone enters either heaven or hell and it is also where someone can poach retired professionals from their respective institutes '
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Karma sighed and wondered if he should throw out his retirement plan when he learned he might have to work even after dying as he continued reading "Veterans with great ability that served in the military will work under armies"
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' Now I wonder if I have some traits that many of those in higher societies would want , the most obvious are my achievements as well as my skills and knowledge but ... ' he reads the other text learning of other resources beyond his mortal reach .
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' Merit is it like money ? Or my net worth all it says is that I have a lot of this and I still don't understand what it means '
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He learned that he had resources he couldn't reach because of being a person on a lower plane . Merit is something he has plenty because of his contribution to society was used to evaluate how much he was worth .
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' I might have to sign one of these if I want to make use of this merit but it's rather hard to choose one contract to make use of it and what exactly is preventing the others from forcing me is there some written law that is legally binding and enforcing the rule that the signing must be willing to agree to the terms written ? '
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There wasn't any proof of this theory on the rule as he continued reading ' What If I check the cameras they might have said something ' he found that several people had dropped off papers after failing to understand that the doorbell stopped working and complained about something unreasonable as they made some prayers or statements hoping Karma signed their contract .
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' I can use this as material they seem to have different degrees of hope ' he starts labeling how much each of them wanted him through observations and assumes through observation that none of them wished to enter his gates forcefully .
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' But I'll eventually have to sign one of these should it be real so let's look for the least devil-like contract that would not cost me my soul . Maybe one that just decided to give me something without anything in return or charity ? '
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He grabbed the contract that he could benefit the most as he read it ' Rather than a contract it's more like asking for support there aren't even as many details in the contract but at least a long intro about who benefits from it . These benefactors call themselves promise keepers and here is the information to appeal but it seems like this time they are simply trying their best like scraping for their last bread . '
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"We are called the promise keepers we become stronger when mortals make promises with us we become stronger" ' There is not much detail in here but it did say that I have great power in making promises with them I don't what that means though but I'll definitely learn more '
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He reads the text that was in the official contract which says "Make a promise with us please" ' Details of such promises are different ... I think I'm running too deep into this roleplaying but not like it's all fake considering the camera footage '
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He recalled seeing the papers fly perfectly into the mail according to the footage and if this was an elaborate prank at least it was fun for him ' Though I kinda wished I forget it was my birthday yesterday and get surprised '
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He sighed as he looked at the promise of wind ' This is a long one but since I did do some speeches I'll give whoever is pranking me a good show reputation is good for me ' he took a proper look and first mentally rehearsed it and says the promise of the wind .
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" to the free being and self of the wind , I wish to bring back and wake you into this alternate plane , I make this promise to act as your anchor to this world to keep your self from fading into a deep and eternal slumber "
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As soon as he finished he was surprised that the wind started blowing into his house thankful that he placed a paperweight on the paper as fallen leaves gathered and manifested the transparent self of the promise keeper of the wind .
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" Thank you " he turned to the leaves ' So all that is actually real ? ' it suddenly flew onto his face surprising him " Please make more promises " he wasn't thrilled at the fact the wind just flew into his face and said " Calm down I would like to ask more about your kind the promise keepers before doing that "
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" Of course , us promise keepers benefit from the approval of our existence by any mortal or lower beings and sometimes any promises made to us make us even stronger making them the greatest anchors for us in this alternate plane "
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" That's interesting " " Now please make more promises let them hear it and see it " " Hold on I have to know if I would lose something like do you take a portion of my lifespan , the food I had eaten or is it my soul "
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" What where did you get that idea ? Promise keepers don't take anything of value from you only the acknowledgment of our existence and we promise to help you "
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" So you die or maybe something similar if nobody acknowledges your selves in other words , I have to treat you like a person rather than a tool makes sense "
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Karma sensed the silence as he looked at the leaves "That sounds right it might be true after all that explains a lot " " Maybe your own self-acknowledgement also affects your self or being since you are something not like humans who only need biological needs but back to business "
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Karma sighed and took a deep breathe " I promise I'll make more promises but only when I can accommodate you promise keepers I'm lucky to get wind if I get something else it might've been disastrous "
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The promise keeper saw hope in darkness in Karma from his willingness to help as they decided to also be willing to help Karma " I'll help you bring back the rest of the promise keepers , you can ask me anything for it "
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" No worries I won't need any questions answered for now and what is your name exactly ? " " Everyone else just calls me the wind " " Then I'll call you Gale for short " Gale felt happy as the leaves they carried felt much lighter as Karma read through the contracts to find the next target .
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The doorbell rings as Gale is about to go check " Stop I have a camera " he opens the footage and sees someone in fancy attire ' No more socializing with such people now I have to be careful with this they might take advantage of me who has lots of fame and resources but no connections '
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" Hello ? " " Is this Karma Count ? " " Yes it is what are you here early this morning ? " " I came to talk about your accounts perhaps you have some spare time for me ? " ' I'd rather not leave the house but I will have to eventually but best not right now '
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He opened his schedule and quickly filled it up " Sorry I don't have enough time maybe you can come back another time " " I understand but maybe I can leave it here " Karma watched as they slipped a folder inside it glad he didn't talk business .
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But now he was annoyed that he had to prepare to meet with some people he just scheduled but figured that he shouldn't cancel them since it would hurt his reputation .
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' But I might have to tell the truth this frequently maybe I should find a promise keeper for that ' he flips through the list of promise keepers hoping to find one related to truth but can't find any " Hey Gale do you know the promise of truth or did the one who wrote this forget about it ? "
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" There is no promise keeper that embodies truth though , I'm sure of this since I can hear everything " " Wind carries the sound I get it might be useful although something like a truth-teller might work even more "
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' But it is ironic for no truth promise keeper to exist ' Karma puts the list of promises aside as he is glad that he has Gale who knows plenty of promise keepers .
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" After all promise keepers are manifested only when people acknowledge ourselves it's not enough to fully allow us to interact but it's a start "
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" We did think of that but that's a good insight " Karma said as Gale continued " We seek acknowledgment as a preserver of our existence and should nobody else acknowledge us we will die but if someone starts acknowledging us we will be bought back to life again like what you did .
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" I understand that , If we consider that people back then become more susceptible to suspecting that the wind has a spirit on guiding and even that diseases was a malevolent spirit "
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" There is one promise keeper like that " " That proves it then but that also means that acknowledging the aspects you represent having their own natural rules means to weaken you "
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Gale starts to remember how people study more about wind not in their control " Like how the people start to understand more about the wind but if I get stronger I can defy what they thought "
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" Yeah just like how the idea that sickness was a spirit became folklore when pathogens , poison and microorganisms were discovered maybe the discovery of science is what kills promise keepers "
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" So how were you made or came to existence ? " the leaves showing where Gale was spun as they try to recall their earliest memory " I remember someone thanking me I'm not sure how and what I did "
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" Of course , you wouldn't but it confirms that while you don't remember what you did to deserve the thanks you received it . It's still enough to manifest you " he looks at the contract as he tries to draw out his thanks for the truth .
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" For starters , I'm glad some things are true it's like a clear path . Yeah , that's what truth is , a narrow path but solid and something that can be walked on while lies are the mist that blinds us and finding the truth makes it easier to take our journey . "
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' I'll keep this up and make sure my heartfelt thanks manifest them ' " Karma stop " Gale said as Karma turned to the leaves " Look " Gale surrounded the promise keeper truth as they could sense their presence for being a promise keeper .
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Karma couldn't see it and asked " Can you see it ? " " I can't see it " " But you said "look" " " But I don't have any other words to use " Karma sighs " Fair enough , Let me see what I can do " he looks at the contract to see words glowing .
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' I got it ' he goes to a bookshelf obtaining a mini and physical version of the library of babel " Here inhabit this just like how Gale inhabits those leaves " " But I don't " " You can make any combination of four-letter words without space if not just try to compensate it yourself "
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Truth possesses the book as it starts to talk with Karma through the book using the three rows of letters on top to tell which page to flip on " Gale can you lend Truth some of your power or something similar to help flip the pages ? " " Oh sure "
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Gale surrounds the book as they give away power as Karma wonders why it seems so easy to do so . First Truth gives thanks to Karma flipping the pages and then letting him a moment to ask .
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" Tell me what can you do ? " with the new power lent to Truth by Gale the book starts to turn as it communicated through glowing words "I can show the truth by glowing what is true" " That's good enough for me "
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" Gale is there a bare minimum of sustenance for promise keepers ? " " I don't know , I know that promise keepers need acknowledgement of others to exist but I think as long as you keep our promise we can avoid dying "
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" What exactly did I promise again ? " " To be an anchor to our existence , which means to keep acknowledging us " " Right " ' It can't be that simple just like how Gale gave Truth some of their power it seems too easy to be true best try my best to make sure I don't betray them unintentionally '
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" Gale , Truth . I'll be meeting with people online so I'll be busy for a while until then do whatever you want without making a mess " he got busy taking a seat leaving Gale and Truth to their own devices .
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With nothing to do the two promise keepers tried to talk but due to the incompatibility of their communication as Gale couldn't see , they both ended up silent ' I wish the others were here ' Feeling lonely Gale wished Karma would make some more promises Karma finished his meeting .
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" Can you make another promise ? " Karma looks around at the house staring at the fireplace " Sure how about the promise of fire " Karma grabs it as Gale says " But why Fire ? I don't like them they make the air harder to move around "
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" That's your opinion but you'll have to put up with it " Karma said as Gale got angry moving away from Karma as he walked to the fireplace ' Fire is a bit hard to bring out there are more instructions here compared to Gale ' He puts clears the fireplace putting fresh firewood into and poured some oil .
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" To the flickering aspect and self of fire , I will ignite you from your ashes and allow you to set a blaze in this alternate plane , I make this promise to you and bring you from the cold depths where you have lost your flames "
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The fire in front of him starts to burn and sprouts to a bigger flame " Oh it worked , Let's call you Ember " Karma said putting some firewood near it , Gale gets his attention by using the leaves " Hey why didn't you give the promise keeper of truth a name ? "
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" Just hard to make a name for someone like Truth because it's got too much it's easy if it's the elements like wind and Gale are practically synonyms but Gale just sounds like a better name for you and the same is true with Ember but Truth is just hard "
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" Come on isn't there like some synonym of truth that sounds good ? " " No But I'll figure it out if Truth can have its form like you and Ember . But I have plenty of time " ' I already scheduled my break to be long in case something comes up '
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He looks at the mention of merit and is reminded that he has plenty ' I wonder what can I use my merit for ? I have plenty but no way to use it ' " Gale do you know anything about Merits ? " " Huh no why ? "
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" Never mind " ' Maybe the promise keepers are far from this high society of supernatural beings that's why they never heard of merit ' he looks at the rest of the contract mentioning the merit learning that it can be exchanged for lifespan at this business that seems to have exposed their business to the mortal world to expand further .
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' Is Merit supposed to be a form of resource for bartering ? ' he remembers the person who slipped a folder and went to obtain it and sees what they meant by accounts ' A bank that manages merits '
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" How respectful to send it at this early in the day rather than an overnight delivery " he enters the house taking a seat to leisurely read it ' It's a lot like the normal bank but money in the bank they keep it safe for you and you can make a loan to support your business even though there is some interest the interest rate from loans are so much higher '
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He loses interest in storing his merit to be used as money for someone else ' Maybe I should just look for a small potential business that is looking for investors , but learning how to find small businesses to support is hard they usually aren't well known and finding potential is just as hard if I know little about this higher world maybe I'll know more about it by learning from the bank '
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"Merit is a currency that is grown from the contribution that someone makes when they solved a problem" ' So kinda like cryptocurrency ' "It can also come from the improvement of society or maintaining and preventing something from becoming even worse"
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The next paper was more directed to Karma "You sir Count have plenty of merit from your several ventures with your lineage and inheritance that assisted you in your ventures" " Truth do you sense any lies written in these papers ? "
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"No" Truth replied using glowing laters " Thanks " Karma continued reading about the letter directed to him . He continues reading the long letter .
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"Your merit is plentiful" Karma was amazed about the number that was beside it "While you can't access it with mortal hands it won't be lost as long as you are willing to keep it yourself merit isn't something that can be easily robbed like mortal's paper money but we the bank can help you use it , we'll give you an even greater interest rate if you make an account in ours and deposit 5 billion merits and you can freely use this merits like regular money"
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' Not interested I'm not going to throw money on a vault like this , Too bad I can't use merit to make more merit maybe it's because the merit made from merit is less profitable . But only generating from great accomplishments that don't involve merit makes it all the more valuable so I'll use something else for it '
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" Maybe I should take advantage of this nature and make more merits by solving any problems without using it " Gale watched him through its presence detection sighing as they wished he would keep his promise of making more .
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