Lone Cultivator In Another World

Michael went to look for the TV people, and his parents followed him to watch. In front of the school gate, there was a middle-class car, and a young woman was pleading with security.

"Please, I really need to see Mr. North. I just need a minute with him, and you'll never see me again."

But the guards were devoid of feeling. Their job was to stop anyone without credentials, and this woman was clearly not with the school.

"Excuse me?"

The young woman turned around to see a cute teenage boy. He was about average in height, slim, dressed in formal clothes – Michael did just return from a court hearing. He had bright eyes of a green-blue color and dark hair in a classic side part haircut.

"I'm Michael North. My classmate heard you were looking for me?"

"Ah, Mr. North! The game developer?" the woman's knees buckled in relief.

"That's right. You're with a British show?"

"Right. Wait, how did you…?"

"Your accent is almost nonexistent, but I can make out some undertones. And there is little chance I would be invited to a Swiss program because I only speak English and Russian, neither of which are this country's official languages."

The young woman gave him a wide smile, "Wow, that's impressive. You're like a real-life Sherlock Holmes."

"Yes, and here are my sidekicks – my mother Nadezhda and my father Vladimir."

The young woman introduced herself as an assistant to Abbie Thomas who ran the interview part of The Breakfast Show. It was a popular morning program with half a million viewers daily. An integral part of it were authentic interviews with English-speaking people all over Europe. Abbie Thomas often traveled to speak with those who had trouble getting to the UK.

"Ms. Thomas is in Germany today, and she picked you as an attractive candidate for the Tuesday episode. If you agree, she can be here tomorrow, we'll pre-record it and air two days later."

"I don't mind."

"Misha, think about it more. Are you sure you want your face to be seen by such big audience?"

"Come on, mom, what's there to worry about? You raised me handsome."

"Don't forget, Nadya, as of an hour ago, we can't forbid him."

The assistant noted Vladimir's comment as a possible talking point. They had to fill their fifteen minutes with something, so why not talk to Mr. North about his parents?

"Great! As for the venue…"

"Will the school do? I'm sure some good publicity will make our principal more agreeable."

"That would be wonderful! We can include some shots of the facilities…" she took out a notepad and wrote with furious speed.

After they exchanged numbers and parted ways, Michael called his friends to warn them and invite them to sit in on the interview. Anna refused, her crimson cheeks heating up the phone in Michael's hand. Sofia referred to her father's political standing which made it inconvenient for her to appear on television. Dimitri was just bad with people, so instead Michael talked to him about the game's progress, where they reached an agreement.

The next morning, it was Saturday, and the cultivator waited for Abbie Thomas in front of the gates. After she arrived, and they greeted each other warmly, the security checked her public enough identity and let them onto the grounds. However, the cameraman was refused entry, so Ms. Thomas had to remember her apprentice years and operate a camera herself. Michael helped carry a tripod which they would use during the interview.

The newswoman was attractive like most of her peers, with elegant glasses accentuating her sensual features. She usually appeared without them on the show because that way her face looked more open and inviting.

"Here I am at EIS, an exclusive secondary school for the intellectual elite. My guest today is Michael North," the screen showed a waving youth, "the lead designer of Angry Birds, a mobile game the industry calls a one-in-a-thousand hit. Michael, can you explain where we're going?"

"Of course. We've passed the running track and the football field. On our right are residential buildings for the staff and the experts who provide master-classes. On our left is the pond. We don't have time to feed the birds, Abbie, so move along."

Geese, mallards, reed buntings, a couple of majestic swans and a lonely heron were using the EIS pond for their habitat. Ms. Thomas took the time to gather some extra footage but played along with Michael. "Can't we talk here? Look at those birds!"

"We could, but something tells me you will forget about me in a minute. I'm a boring guy, so a stuffy room makes me feel more comfortable."

From his casual banter, no one would think that Michael's description of himself was accurate. Instead, he seemed like a grounded intellectual, and his eloquence painted a stark contrast with his youth.

Abbie looked around when they entered the building and turned off her camera. "Wow, that wasn't bad! You should consider making this your career."

"Thank you. I'll stick with game design," he smiled in return.

"Let me warn you, we might cut the sounds and just use the birds and facilities as background for my introductions."

"I expected as much," Michael led the woman to a recreational room with comfortable soft chairs.

When the two were seated and the light on the camera was blinking, Abbie began in earnest.

"Today I've come to the Experimental International School for gifted children to speak with Michael North, the lead designer behind the well-known mobile game Angry Birds. What distinguishes him from everyone else is that he is only 14 and created the game with his three classmates who are the same age. Can you tell us more about them, Michael?"

The cultivator shifted his eyes from the newswoman to the camera and his whole face lit up. "Certainly, Abbie. If he's not asleep, that means he's coding – our head developer and lead programmer, Dimitri Sarantos. Composing music is the least of her talents – sound director and my fellow countrywoman, Anna Novikova. And future political heavyweight if she chooses to follow in her father's footsteps – our art director, Sofia Tsvetkova."

"Those are very loud job titles, Michael."

"Thank you. I made them up myself. During our first meeting, when I forced them all into one room, before we even talked what the game was going to be about, I rallied them with this."

"And how was morale after that?"

"Hit a historical high."

The two shared a laugh. Ms. Thomas appreciated the teenager's quick wit and sharp tongue. He was polite, funny and sweet. She even felt bad because of the few questions in the end she didn't prepare him for.

Camera loved Michael. He looked dapper in semi-formal clothes his mother carefully picked for him. He exuded charm in every movement, radiated confidence and maturity.

"Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, then?"

"The first thing you need to know is that my real name is Mikhail Severniy. I'm Russian, just like my good friend, the sound director Anna Novikova. I enrolled at EIS three months ago and fell in love with it at first sight. This school is a dream come true for students who feel like they can do anything."

"You've been here for just a couple of months, but the game has been out for a while. When did you start working on it? Did you cooperate before you were students?" Ms. Thomas presented a sincere interest, like a true professional.

"We actually began on August 31st. There was a meeting for the old and the new students to look at each other. I got to know Anna and Sofia a little during our exams, and we sat next to Dimitri on that day. He had developed the physics for Angry Birds a little while ago, I saw potential in the semi-product and voila!"

"And you finished it in two months. Incredible! If I'm not mistaken, there are already 40 or so million downloads, right?"

In fact, that was true. In the span of a week, the 30 million grew into 40-something. Michael whose brain was working at its full 250% speed, didn't even blink when his calculations were complete. "I think it's closer to 50 now, Abbie." It would be true in three days when the episode airs.

"How did you make the game's popularity soar like that? What is your secret, Mister North?" she gave him a c.o.c.ky smile.

"I used my YouTube channels."

"You sold the game through…"

"No-no. I advertised it to my viewers. See, I run three channels with original content. Game walkthroughs and insights, fitness and diet tips, and my most popular North Academy with schoolwork explanations."

"So, you moonlight as a teacher?" she joked.

"And entertainer, and fitness instructor," Michael played along. "Sometimes the class moves on too early to the next topic, or the problems seem too hard. I try to help students my age and younger to get better grades and regain confidence in themselves. No one should think they're worse than others because they don't catch on as quickly or their teacher is unqualified."

"Moving words! And how did your channels help you promote the game?"

"I gave my viewers ten thousand free copies and asked them to tell their friends. That's all."

"How interesting. It seems like a very bad business decision though."

"Does it? The game costs $3, so I indeed lost out. But I believe those first players are the ones I should thank today. If not for their word of mouth, Angry Birds could never generate that many downloads."

"I see. Now, this might sound rude, but some have called your move to insert the comet into the game opportunistic." Abbie came to her previously undisclosed question. Morning shows thrived on controversy. A smart teenager was good, but a money-grubbing millionaire teenager was better.

"Excuse me?" that caught Michael off guard.

"They say you used the suffering people's insecurities in their moment of weakness to earn money off their misery. By inserting the comet which cannot hurt the birds in the end – spoiler alert – you tried to attract more players. What do you have to say to that?"

This was the moment where several outcomes were possible. Either the guest gets angry, accuses Abbie, storms out, or tries to defend himself. In that case, she tears apart the guest's feeble attempts to save face.

However, Abbie Thomas's experience didn't prepare her for this.

"That's right," nodded Michael.

"And… I'm sorry? You're confessing to it?"

"Of course."

Ms. Thomas turned to the camera and triumphantly announced, "There you go, Michael North admits…"

"But I hope…" interrupted Michael.

"Yes?"

"Since you've accused me, could you at least let me explain myself?" he leaned forward in his chair and interlaced the fingers on his hands.

Normally, Abbie would have refused, but her instincts told her there was a better story in this youth's predatory pose. Something more exciting than a simple scandal.

"Please, do try."

.