NOVEL NEXT 050. Forum Opened
- Forum Opened
"Never heard of this character in my previous life, 'Water Vortex'... Names translated like this usually belong to extraordinary races, like elves, demons, or dragons."
From the content of the letter, she should be the head of Trekie's Exhibition Hall, or at least the marketing agent.
That card, which amplifies one's inner desires, is probably her handiwork.
Just wait—Li Aozzi clenched his fist—daring to scam my money, I'll open the box and drag you out for a thorough lesson sooner or later.
"The sending time is ZGM.0238/1/13—Layer Abyss Passage Calendar, the 238th restart of civilization, the First Entropy Collapse, the 13th Narrative."
There's no concept of time in the universe; the varying degrees of gravity affect the description of time's passage.
Therefore, for those big shots, they use a universal calendar, taking each restart of an era as a time cycle.
Discarding the year, month, and day, they only record destruction and new birth.
It's a very complex and ancient calendar.
Li Aozzi recalled that only extraordinary beings with lifespans exceeding 20K would choose this recording method; for them, their long memories were too vast, not meant for short-lived species.
Judging by this, the other party is at least a Sigma-level extraordinary being—this level is higher than the game levels in his previous life.
"However, the 13th Narrative..."
Li Aozzi remembered that the 13th Narrative referred to both time and a geographical location.
Specifically, it referred to the 13th hegemonic civilization, indicating that Glina is within this time period, located in the 13th hegemonic civilization.
As for the 13th hegemonic civilization, players usually called it the Lords Empire.
This calendar system didn't fit mortal concepts of time; even Li Aozzi didn't know much about it.
Time seemed mysterious on a planetary level, but it was nothing in the universe.
"A dragon woman in the 13th Narrative? After version 12.0, people have descended at least two levels into the Abyss, using the 10th Narrative."
Li Aozzi shook his head.
The contact was likely a mass message; it's impossible she was genuinely interested in an ordinary person like him.
Starting as a Sigma-level dragon woman, she must have been invited by the Lords Empire.
However, this matter had no immediate significance to him. Sigma-level beings, roughly level 360-380, typically had lived long enough to be quite Zen and gentle.
Judging by her tone and name, she seemed to be a nice woman. Glina must be a gentle, knowledgeable elder sister type.
She wouldn't care about someone like him.
Instead, Li Aozzi was very interested in the opening of the official website and forum.
"Players are finally coming! But, in the alpha test phase, there are only 14 people, scattered around Frostbite; there won't be many nearby."
Li Aozzi checked the official website. Qiqiao Network had announced the first batch of test slots, with this alpha test mainly showcasing development completeness.
"It is indeed the legendary alpha test. The timeline matches."
Alpha testing was for content completeness.
In simple terms, it was to showcase the game's completeness to the governments funding the project, proving the money was well spent.
Unlike traditional immersion games, Star Abyss involved many real-world engineering projects, especially concerning neural links and network issues, which governments took very seriously.
Beyond the game itself, Star Abyss had vast social implications, including the metaverse, cloud Olympics, electronic immigration, and virtual capital markets.
The principle was simple: a game that could serve as a second world could host tutoring classes, companies, schools, and simulated military training.
In version 9.0, players even replaced their home planets and nations, fighting a real war within Star Abyss.
Game? Reality?
For players and the nations behind them, Star Abyss was an electronic colony.
The entire Star Abyss used chaos theory algorithms, allowing the light brain to self-compute and evolve. Even Qiqiao Network couldn't modify or adjust the data.
In theory, a game developed by the technology that stopped all real-world wars couldn't go wrong; otherwise, humanity's post-quantum technology theories would be fundamentally flawed.
But nations didn't think that way; ensuring player safety, information security, and public property was necessary before proceeding with further projects.
So, Qiqiao Network had to ensure a content completeness test before officially launching, followed by the first batch of no-wipe internal tests for companies and pro player groups.
Finally, public testing, with citizens from all countries linking their neural networks and descending into the Abyss.
"Think about it, Star Abyss never had GMs or decision-makers. Some players always felt the world was too real, with too little interference from the light brain and Qiqiao Network... things are getting interesting."
Li Aozzi knew little about these policies and hidden truths.
Conspiracy theories about Star Abyss were rampant online, claiming things like "the game is just a cover, and players are here to colonize a 2D world," or "our reality is virtual, and the game is the real timeline."
Li Aozzi was never interested in conspiracy theories.
But now, he was curious about his own crossing and the world of Star Abyss.
After all, he wasn't in this for the conspiracy; as a streamer, he was better at designing scripts and creating show effects to showcase his skills and prowess.
Basically, he was more like a variety show performer, with a lot of improvisation.
"The alpha test doesn't help me much; the official personnel probably won't notice me, no impact. They probably won't encounter me."
Li Aozzi was a bit disappointed, but he looked forward to the future.
Qiqiao Network had no authority to modify game data.
These internal testers could only level up from scratch without any special privileges.
In his previous life, disgruntled players, angry at the developers and pay-to-win mechanics, had ganged up on and killed at least 300 internal testers.
Sigh, all workers, why the hostility...
Li Aozzi couldn't get good gear or skills from them.
But these people, with internal data and reference, should be good at making money.
After the alpha test, there would be beta tests for pro players and major companies, organizations, and popular self-media and streamers.
They were Li Aozzi's true hunting targets.
"By then, they'll be captivated by the charm of the Mutant."
Speaking of which...
Li Aozzi glanced at the game mall's final patch version and couldn't help but laugh.
If he encountered official testers, he would sell these items to them.
Dog officials, see how I cut your leeks!
Li Aozzi opened the game forum. Although it was just the alpha stage, with no trailers or previews, many people were already discussing it.
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Jini Too Pretty: Hello, everyone, I'm Jini Too Pretty. Why is nobody posting? It's so desolate—IP location: Jipton Star
Rich Lady, Hungry, Hungry, Eat: Whoa, an alien rich guy, send me $50, please—IP address: Penguin Island
Hu Tao First Funeral: Press 1 to get a pudding—IP location: Chuyun State
Sheep's Little Shop: Feels like pudding... not as good as three-flavored instant noodles—IP location: Antarctica
Ultimate Hunter Cat Ray: 1111, really giving away pudding, big sister? I need it—IP location: Aubrey Desert
Lawless Liu Emperor: Why is it only alpha testing now? Is a game developed by the light brain that mysterious?—IP address: Hastings Star
Pure Ding Yilang: Haven't you read the news? This game is co-developed by various governments to shift part of the market and population into it. Basically, it's electronic immigration. Those who can't afford housing will have their consciousness uploaded to the cloud to prevent them from turning to crime—IP address: Litang
Electric Baton Toot: You can just say it clearly, in ancient times, this was called exile—IP address: Frozen Garden
Chuan Xiao Sun 258: Yes, it was all my doing.—Jin Xin
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As expected, there wasn't much useful information on the forum. People weren't that enthusiastic about Star Abyss yet, and some were already worried about electronic immigration.
Li Aozzi had no comment on electronic immigration.
In his previous life, he chose to continue experiencing real life and didn't upload his consciousness to the game, only to end up crossing into the game world himself.
"Life is unpredictable; anything can happen."
Li Aozzi closed the forum, sighing.
People might be resisting electronic immigration now, and marketing accounts might be making a big deal out of it, criticizing it as inhumane.
But after a couple of versions, their attitudes would do a 180-degree turn.
"Why am I suddenly sounding like a philosopher?"
Qiu Ran, holding the steering wheel, glanced curiously at Li Aozzi.
He shook his head:
"Nothing, just thinking about some mistakes I made when blindly following trends in my youth."
