Arthur Newland, 30

Noah chap 1: A cure worse than the disease?

(Arthur POV)

Arthur Newland didn't know what was keeping him from quitting that stupid job. Well, no, he knew exactly why he wasn't quitting. He needed a job, and if he quit his current one, he wasn't sure he'd find another.

The job market was very tight, and even with a degree like Arthur's, it could be difficult to find work. The situation didn't seem to be improving, which didn't really surprise Arthur. The various politicians and economists were still in denial about the major crisis that was mounting and that all sensible people were capable of perceiving.

The world was going to shit, and those in power were imitating ostriches and refusing to face up to the problem. This was nothing new, but the more time passed, the more this feeling took hold. For over 50 years, researchers and scientists had been warning that we were heading for disaster, but no one listened.

“Is there any hope left for this world?” wondered Arthur aloud.

Of course, he knew the figures. Theoretically, if everyone worked together and organized themselves properly by restricting themselves a little, it was possible to survive without too much damage. But that wasn't the path they were taking.

Arthur turned the key in the lock to enter his apartment. He didn't want to despair, and in fact he wasn't despairing. He could just see the wall coming and was beginning to get a good idea of the consequences of the impact.

He collapsed on his bed. He had no real impact on what was going to happen anyway. Oh yes, he informed the people who wanted to hear about the problem and the consequences, but there was a difference between being heard and being listened to. Worst of all, even if he managed to convince everyone he knew, it would have little impact on the problem. Oh, it would be positive, no doubt. Emissions reduction were good to take even the smallest but in the end as long as everyone continues to use fossil fuels the climate situation will continue to worsen.

No, it wasn't the climate that was the real issue anyway. The basic problem was much simpler. To put it metaphorically, Arthur was inclined to say that he was on a plane and dreamed of never landing. Problem: fuel reserves were limited.

The conclusion was that everything they had created over the past 250 years could soon disappear. And that included the 8 billion people they'd added to the planet in the meantime.

“If only there was a way to start all over again,” murmured Arthur.

But no, he knew it was impossible. With that in mind, he fell asleep on his bed, still fully dressed.

Arthur woke up suddenly - why was the sun waking him up? He quickly opened his eyes and realized he was lying on the grass in a meadow that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. He got up quickly, began to look around frantically and after the third time around he saw her.

The first thought that crossed his mind when he saw her was how cute she was. The second was that she was less than 2 meters from him, and he couldn't understand how he hadn't seen her the first 2 times he'd looked in that direction.

“Hello, my name is Nola. Nice to meet you.” said the pink-haired girl.

“Hi, can you tell me what's going on? How did I get here? And why does this place seem so pure?” asked Arthur politely, smiling.

“Oh, it's very simple. You'll understand right away. And if you don't, I can explain it again - it's not as if we're running out of time here. But on the other hand, if I'm too slow, the audience will get bored and the producer might put my show on pause again, so I'd better speed things up,” began Nola.

“Show? Producer?” wondered Arthur, not really seeing the connection between the TV world and the situation he was in. Was it a hidden camera?

“Oh yes, I haven't explained it yet. Remember what we told you, Nola. Start from the beginning. There's no point talking about the end if people still haven't understood the beginning. So, hello, my name is Nola and I'm a Leprechaun,” said the young woman, who was truly strange even by Arthur standards.

“You've already said that. But what do you mean by Leprechaun? You don't seem to be walking around with a cauldron full of gold coins, and I haven't seen any rainbows,” replied Arthur.

“Oh, you want to see my cauldron. Nobody ever wants to see my cauldron. But then I don't have it with me. I could go and get it, but then you'd be all alone and the audience would get bored. I don't want the audience to get bored. Oh, and to answer your question, you're on Noah and I've teleported you with my super Leprechaun magic and the help of the producers. Don't underestimate the producers. Come to think of it, the local gods must have played a part too,” explained Nola.

Arthur wondered if he was dreaming, but he couldn't remember ever having had such a strange dream, so until he had proof to the contrary, he'd assume he was awake. Since the where and how questions hadn't helped him, he decided to go with the question that had shaped his life.

“Why am I here?” asked Arthur.

“So, you see, your parents had sex one day and by a stroke of luck, your mother got pregnant, and a few months later you were born, then 30 years later you were invited to take part in the best show in the multiverse, Harem Hotel.” replied Nola.

Arthur wasn't sure what surprised him most about this sentence. Multiverse, Hotel or Harem. In any case, he decided to dwell on another point.

“What do you mean, I've been invited?” he asked.

“Oh, yes, I forgot. I can be so absent-minded sometimes. We need a Master for our show. But first I'm supposed to show you this video,” said Nola.

Suddenly a screen appeared right in front of Arthur and began to play the video. Arthur didn't even have time to wonder how the screen had appeared or why he couldn't look away. No, the images were too gripping. It was like a detailed, accelerated apocalyptic film. The story began in the present world but quickly took a dark turn. Famines, riots, civil wars, disease, devastating storms, there was something for everyone. The only thing missing was zombies or aliens. Entire cities were swallowed by the waters during cyclones. Even countries were simply wiped off the map by rising sea levels. Hundreds of millions of people were **** to migrate to escape. This led to problems in other countries, which were unable to cope with the influx of people. Then the harvests stopped growing because of the lack of rainfall and the heatwaves. And when it rained, it was downpours that were not absorbed by the soil. Temperatures rose so high that 50°C was the norm for cities in summer, with peaks of 70°C. And then the civil wars that quickly turned into war. And finally, the film ends with images of atomic bombs exploding by the hundred.

Arthur fell on his buttocks in the grass as soon as the video ended, and the screen disappeared. He couldn't process what he'd seen, and above all he couldn't understand why it upset him so much.

“So, did you enjoy it? It's not every day you get such a detailed vision of the future,” asked Nola.

The future? No, it wasn't possible. They were in trouble, but not that bad. Were they?

“Are you kidding me? This is a sick joke, isn't it? This can't be our future,” Arthur said, but he could feel that he lacked conviction.

“So technically you're right, because you've seen these images, and you could still partly influence the future now. Imagine you see that you're going to lose at paper, scissors, stone by playing stone. Seeing this future means you can change it and play scissors. After that, the situation is much more complicated, and even if I sent you back to Earth, there's probably not much you could do,” said the Leprechaun.

Arthur's mind was racing. Thoughts raced through his head without him being able to make sense of them. Eventually, however, he asked a question.

“Can you help me stop this?” he asked.

“Me? No, I can't do that. The producers would probably be able to, but they don't care. No, we're here for the show and the new season of Harem Hotel,” said Nola.

“So, you're not going to do anything to help me prevent this?” asked Arthur, whose sense of honour and duty urged him to try everything to avoid the horrific visions he'd just been shown.

“This iteration of humanity has been deemed a failure. Without power it tore itself apart and committed the worst horrors. And when it had power, the horrors got worse. It wasn't even us who decided to put a stop to it. It's just that humanity has chosen collective suicide. No, producers won't save your civilization. On the other hand, in their infinite goodness and wisdom, they have decided to offer you a way out.”

“If they won't help me prevent these disasters, I don't really see what they could offer me that would interest me now,” commented Arthur, who was tired of alternating between hope and despair.

“The producers intend to offer you this planet,” said Nola, gesturing with her arms as if to show the expanse of the meadow.

“Offer me this planet?” wondered Arthur, doubting once again that he'd heard correctly.

“Yes. If you agree to take part in this show. You'll receive this planet, so you'll be the Master, or I believe you call it a king. But obviously you won't be alone. You'll have your harem and your people with you. A fresh start for you and the people you love. An interesting offer, isn't it?” asked Nola mischievously.

Arthur took a few moments to digest the information. Surprisingly, he had no doubts about the veracity of the words. However, he still had several reservations.

“That sounds far too generous to be true. Nothing is free in this world. There's always someone to pick up the tab whether it's now or later. So let me get this straight, where's the scam?” asked Arthur.

“Oh, is that what's worrying you? Don't worry. It's a show, so people pay to watch. Then what seems valuable to you. For example, this planet isn't worth anything to the producers. Then I remind you that it's not completely free for you. You must commit to taking part in the show. And I warn you that during the show you'll be put in a lot of uncomfortable and awkward positions. But don't worry, I'll be with you the whole way”, Nola explained.

“It still sounds too good to be true but given the alternative I think I'd be crazy to refuse. Whichever way I turn it, I'll have to accept. So, let's go. Is there a contract I can sign with my blood somewhere?” asked Arthur, who wasn't sure whether to hope it was all just a bad dream.

“With your blood and then what idea? No, a simple contract will do. You humans have the strangest ideas. What's the idea of signing a contract with your blood? It's really impractical,” says Nola.

“Will I be able to negotiate the terms of the contract or is it an ultimatum?” asked Arthur.

“Already trying to negotiate when you haven't even read the contract. As for your question, I don't know, I'd have to ask the producers. Okay, they say they're curious. So, you can make proposals they're free to reject. Here's the contract” said Nola.

The contract appeared in paper form in Arthur's hands. He didn't know why, but he imagined a digital contract with the screens that would have appeared in front of him. No doubt for this part they were more vintage.

Contract between the Master and Harem Hôtel
Article 1: In the following contract the terms Master, King and Emperor will be used to designate Arthur Newland.
Article 2: In the following contract the term PHH will be used to designate the producers of Harem Hôtel and the term HH will designate Harem Hôtel.
Article 3: The following contract binds the following two parties PHH and the Master by an inviolable magical bond. Any attempt to violate this contract will be sanctioned in proportion to the infraction.
Article 4: The task of enforcing this contract is entrusted to Nola Leprechaun, designated from now on as the hostess.
Article 5: PHH certifies that the vision of the apocalyptic world shown to the Master prior to the signing of this contract is indeed the vision of the future of planet Earth, where the Master resided prior to the signing of the contract. The present contract influences the course of time. HH cannot be blamed for the non-fulfilment of the vision.
Article 6: HH undertakes to provide a viable, habitable and species-free world for the intelligence developed in the Master. This world will now be referred to as Noah.
Article 7: PHH undertakes to teleport the Master and the various HH participants to Noah. PHH undertakes to ensure the primary needs (drinking, eating, sleeping, safety, temperature, oxygen) of the Master and participants for the duration of the show.
Article 8: The Master agrees to participate in the Harem Hôtel television show.
Article 9: The show hosted by the host consists of a competition between 12 participants to win 100 Victory Points, abbreviated VP. Participants can win and lose VPs through various activities proposed and managed by the hostess. Participants can earn VPs by satisfying the Master. They can also lose VPs by displeasing the Master.
Article 10: Any physical **** against another participant, the hostess or the Master (sexual **** excluded) or not approved in advance by the hostess will be punished.
Article 11: Participants start the show with 5 VP. If they finish a round with less than 0 VP. They are eliminated and a replacement participant is chosen by the hostess.
Article 12: At least one participant must sleep with the Master every night for the duration of the show.
Article 13: A round lasts 7 days and ends at the end of a round where the number of VPs is modified up or down according to the results. The duration of a round may be modified during the show by the host.
Article 14: All participants are bound to the Master for eternity and may not have any sexual or amorous relations outside the other participants or the Master.
Article 15: During each round, participants and the Master will have the opportunity to bring people to Noah. These people will then be designated as peoples.
Article 16: At the end of the show, the winning contestant will be designated Empress and, together with the Master, will reign over the people.
Article 17: At the start of each round, the people on Noah will be subjected to Transformations and Magical effects designed to make the show entertaining for the audience and to modify the living conditions of the people, the participants and the Master.
Article 18: People may not disobey a direct order from a participant or the Master. In the event of contradictory orders, the ranking of participants' VPs will decide in favour of the order of the participant with the most VPs. Orders expire after a maximum of 24 hours.
Article 19: Participants can acquire BP bonus points, which can be used to bring people to Noah, use a transformation or issue decrees.
Article 20: The choice of initial participants is entrusted to the hostess.

Arthur wasn't sure what to make of this contract. For one thing, he wasn't very good at paperwork. He always read contracts before signing them, but he couldn't say he understood everything in them or even noticed what was missing.

“Okay I'm not sure I understood everything but let's start at the end. Are you going to choose the participants? Can you tell me who you're going to choose? Are you going to go for the Scarlett Johansson type celebrities or the local postwoman?” asked Arthur.

“Neither. Harem Hôtel is all about human relationships, so we prefer to take people who know each other. After that, if you have one or two stars you'd like to have in your harem, I'm sure that can be arranged,” replied Nola.

Nola's answer came as a shock to Arthur. Yes, he wasn't the only one involved in this story. He hadn't signed anything yet, but if he went through with it, his loved ones would be affected, whether as participants or people. No, it wasn't the right way to think anyway. He had to involve the people he cared about. After that, did he have the right to save their lives, even if it meant potentially losing everything they had? Complicated.

In medicine, the answer was simple. If it was possible, the patient's consent had to be sought before saving his life. And if it wasn't possible, then you had to save his life. Was the situation comparable? The disease could be compared to today's society, and this show was a remedy. But on the other hand, this show was comparable to the confinement experienced during the Covid pandemic, only much more radical.

“Can I choose for you?” Arthur surprised himself by asking.

“Oh, you want to choose the contestants yourself. That would be a real departure from previous seasons. But then that would pose problems of balancing the characters of the participants. Then you'd have to choose people you know anyway. So, I propose a compromise. You choose half the participants, and I'll choose the other half. Does that suit you?” asked Nola, whose enthusiasm was really upsetting Arthur.

Arthur hesitated. The offer was good, but wasn't it possible to get more?

“I'll make you a counterproposal. I choose 4 people. Then each of these 4 people chooses one person. And finally, you choose 4 people. Doesn't that make things more innovative?” asked Arthur, himself finding his argument shaky.

“Oh, how original. Let's go with that!” exclaimed Nola, who amended article 20 as follows.

Article 20: The Master chooses the first 4 participants. Then each participant chooses a new participant. And the hostess chooses the last 4 participants. Participants chosen by the Master must be related to him. Likewise, the participants chosen by the other participants must have a link with another participant or with the Master.

“Are you happy with this? Is there anything else you'd like to change in the contract?” asked Nola.

“Yes, that's all for this part. Now for the BP. As far as I can see, only participants have the possibility of acquiring them. Would it be possible for everyone to acquire them? From what I understand, it's something to make life easier. I figure, given the circumstances, everyone's going to need it, and it could help give people a sense of purpose,” says Arthur.

“Great. You're already thinking like a real king, we really did well to choose you. Yes, that won't be a problem. On the other hand, the BP earned by non-participants will be much smaller. We can't afford to have too many secondary characters,” said Nola.

Arthur couldn't help wondering whether all this was just a story or a fictional TV series for Nola. It probably was. Nola quickly amended the article, which Arthur approved before moving on to the next one.

“Do we really have to keep article 18?” asked Arthur, who didn't really feel like being a bully.

“Why? I think it's a great article. And you don't trust yourself? or the other participants?” asked Nola.

“I don't want to become a tyrant. The main flaw of royalty and dictatorship, apart from the ethical problems, is that nobody dares tell the ruler that he's driving the country into a wall”, explained Arthur.

“So you have to avoid leading people into a wall,” replied Nola.

“It's not that simple. I already have no idea what I'm doing, and now you're asking me to impose my decisions when I spend all my time doubting my own choices.” said Arthur.

“Better a leader who doubts than one who never doubts,” retorted Nola.

Arthur sighed; this battle was lost in advance.

“Let's move on. What do you mean by transformation?” asked Arthur.

“Oh, that's easy, it's the very heart of the show, the soul of Harem Hôtel. I'll give you a few examples. A contestant might receive a transformation that doubles the size of her breasts. It's sexy, and the audience tends to like curvy women. After that, I'm supposed to make sure there's enough variety in the harem. But on the other hand, if the audience wants big breasts, I have to satisfy them. Small breast, big breast, why is it so hard to choose?” asked Nola, who seemed to be in the middle of a philosophical debate.

“Okay, I think I understand. I guess there's nothing to negotiate on that front,” said Arthur.

“I can add more transformations if you like,” replied Nola.

Nola replied, “No, thanks. Then, regarding article 14, I understand the harem principle and I understand that it's not consistent with the spirit of the show if the participants can have relationships outside the harem. However, when the show's over, if I haven't formed a romantic relationship with some of the contestants, wouldn't it be possible to take them out of the harem and give them back their freedom in love?” asked Arthur.

“Do you want to be a cuckold? That wasn't in your profile. Am I missing pages in the file? I thought I had all your Internet history,” said Nola, who started leafing through a book.

“No, that's not it. I'm just thinking that if this doesn't work, it would be nice to be able to give them back their freedoms.” said Arthur.

“... I confess I have trouble understanding. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of this show and frankly it would spoil the relationship between contestant and Master. If a contestant only must hold out until the end of the show to get out of the harem, he'll make less of an effort to fit in. So no, I think I'll have to refuse this request. On the other hand, there's nothing to stop you having relationships outside the participants if you so wish,” says Nola.

Arthur sighed.

“Okay, next question. What do you mean by eliminate? Are you going to kill them?” asked Arthur.

“No, of course not. An eliminated participant isn't killed. He just gets an exit transformation to show its total failure to earn its place in the Master's harem.” said Nola.

“I don't even want to know more. I have nothing more to ask now as far as the contract is concerned, but I have two favors to ask of you.” said Arthur.

"2 favors? Now, I'm curious. Do you want a bigger cock? Normally the Masters wait a little before getting that, but I can make an exception..."

"No, that's not it." Arthur interrupted before explaining. "All this is quite mentally exhausting, and I can't help but think that I'm rushing too much. So, I would like to have 1 hour, no 2 hours alone to think calmly and accept the situation a little more seriously. Here is the first favor I ask of you. As for the second, it's simple. I want you to show the video you showed me to the participants before bringing them here and show them the contract. They have the right to have all the information. This probably won't be enough to get their pardons, but I hope it will allow them to understand my decision." Arthur said.

"Okay, no worries, I'll do that. I'll leave you. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything," Nola said before disappearing as suddenly as she had appeared.

Arthur lay down on the grass and looked at the sky. It was going to be a long day.

(Arthur POV)

6 hours later

Arthur finally woke up to realize once again that what was happening to him was not a dream (or maybe it should be called a nightmare). He had spent time thinking about whether he should really get involved in this story but no matter how he took the subject, he had to do it. Personally, he was gaining power and romantic relationships that he sorely lacked. He would not lose anyone he was attached to. In terms of material goods, he probably would not lose much. And finally, he was going to see magic, real fucking magic. This argument alone would almost be enough.

Then there was the most important thing, if he accepted the proposal, he was offering a future to the people he loved as well as to humanity in general. If they were telling the truth then indeed the situation was hopeless, even if he returned to Earth and fought to avoid these scenarios, let's be realistic, he would have almost no effect. Of course, he could try to convince people to help him prevent the worst, there was no lack of evidence, but how to convince people that they would have to give up 80% of the comfort and achievements of the last 2 centuries to keep the remaining 20%. No, he wouldn't succeed. Worse, he wasn't sure he had enough courage and willpower to fight for it.

Tired, he had finally fallen asleep in the grass. How long had it been since he had taken a nap in the grass? He didn't remember. Too long anyway. He didn't know how long he had slept but clearly it had been more than 2 hours since he had spoken with Nola. He was going to have to thank her for allowing him to rest for so long. After all, did time still matter to beings with powers such as those described by the Leprechaun?

"I see you slept well. Are you ready for the rest or do you want me to come back in a few hours? I can wait as long as you want. We'll cut this part in the editing so we can slip in a few pages of advertising." Nola said.

"You have advertising? I didn't think you needed to sell anything." Arthur commented.

"Of course we have advertising! Otherwise, how would the audience know all the current seasons of Harem Hotel. There is an excellent season in progress with a mute hitwoman that I am really curious to see the rest of. But I admit that I also like the modern version of Cinderella. If you are interested, I could pass you the videos of the old seasons." Nola suggested.

"Another time. I thought about it a lot and I accept to become the Master of this season. I don't know if I made the right choice, but I know that if I hadn't done it I would have regretted it all my life." Arthur said.

"I'm glad you made this choice. I'm sure we'll have a great season together. And hopefully this season won't be cancelled." Nola said.

" Cancelled ? "

“Yes. Paused for eternity. It’s not very nice but it’s part of the risk. Okay let’s start. Who did you choose to be the first member of your harem?” Nola asked.

***

Author's note.

Hi everyone, here I am again and once again I'm starting another branch.

And yes, I probably won't finish it but whatever, I'm still going to start it.

I decided not to create images for this branch because it will take me time that I prefer to devote to writing.

Anyway, here we go.