"Game?" Upon hearing Chu Lian's words, the girls all looked puzzled. They couldn't quite understand why Chu Lian chose to start from the aspect of games, since among everyone present, it was clear that painting, literature, and music were what they were most familiar with.
For Chu Lian not to pick any of those, and instead choose something seemingly unrelated, naturally made them curious.
Seeing the puzzled looks in the girls' eyes, Chu Lian smiled faintly. She extended her hand, connecting to her storage space. Then, an item appeared from nothing in her palm.
It was a transparent crystal orb filled with clear, pristine water. In the center of that orb floated a small, naked girl with elven ears, her eyes closed and body motionless.
If not for her long green hair gently drifting in the water, they might have thought she was just a doll carved from crystal.
"What's that?" Seeing the orb in Chu Lian's hand, their curiosity grew even stronger. They were eager to know what it was.
"A light brain. Its storage capacity is extremely, extremely vast—so vast that even if we created ten thousand Earth-sized spaces, it would never get congested. But it's very fragile. If struck by an energy level like that of Water Lord, it would shatter instantly." Chu Lian released her hand, and the light brain floated into the air, rotating around her on its own.
"Chu Lian, don't tell me you plan to use this light brain to construct a real-scale solar system? That kind of project is way too massive. Even if we worked our whole lives, we'd never finish it." Liu Yanran was the quickest to react. Based on her reasoning, she guessed Chu Lian's intention and covered her mouth in astonishment.
The idea sounded grand and inspiring, but it was far too difficult to achieve. Spending so much time on something like that would hardly be worth it.
"Big Sis, even though Chu Chu really wants to support you, but..." On the other side, Chu Chu looked embarrassed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Chu Lian, but such a huge project would be torture for all of them.
"I believe Lian has her own plan. Let's listen to her first." Inori Yuzuriha understood Chu Lian best. Seeing her expression stiffen slightly, she spoke up to ease the mood.
"I never planned to make a space war game. Honestly... I think a game like that would be boring." Chu Lian realized her earlier words—"so vast that even if we created ten thousand Earth-sized spaces, it would never get congested"—had misled them, so she began explaining.
"What I meant is—why not create countless spaces set on Earth or in other worlds? We could link them all to a single core location, where a being similar to a quest issuer would exist, assigning missions to those who enter the game."
"They would be divided into countless small teams based on various reasons—like living in the same city, being of the same race, attending the same school, or even belonging to the same nation."
"Before entering, every player would undergo a scan that allows the system to assess their attributes. Of course, to prevent cultivators from being too overpowered, all attributes would have a cap, and the total points would be equal for everyone. The scan simply helps determine the path most suited to their growth."
"Then, following the quest issuer's missions, players would travel to various familiar or unknown worlds to complete the assigned tasks."
"Completing missions would earn them points and karmic rewards corresponding to the difficulty. Those who survive the missions can return to the hub world to heal, no matter how gravely injured, by spending a small number of points."
"Those who 'die' in missions would fail and be forced to log out of the game. When they reenter, they'll have to start over with a new account."
"What I want is a game where every death means starting anew—but every run offers a completely different, thrilling experience."
"Of course, to prevent malicious players from sabotaging or killing their teammates just to complete missions faster, we'll assign a task supervisor within each world."
"To prevent the light brain from being overloaded due to too many worlds, we can set certain rules—such as not being allowed to leave a specific area. If someone does, the mission would immediately fail. These limitations would reduce the system's load, allowing us to create small mission spaces with minimal resources."
"The scale could range from something as large as a city, a province, or even an entire country, down to something as small as a school, a building, or even a single classroom."
"However, to make the game more engaging, large-scale worlds are also necessary. Those would be like entire Earths or alternate realms, each possessing everything belonging to its planet. Players could freely enter these worlds to take on missions."
"There could also be specific worlds designed for player-versus-player conflicts, where they can settle personal grudges. But to prevent players from being overly reckless in those worlds, we could make it so that dying there wouldn't allow them to restart the game."
"The cost for entering such worlds would be a hefty payment of karmic points and regular points. That would make players more cautious. After all, some people may not fear death—but losing everything they own, their accumulated assets and progress, would be far more painful."
"Next, let's talk about what points and karma can actually do."
"Points are the most basic form of in-game currency. With them, players can go to the Resource Exchange and trade for anything available in the system—such as weapons, equipment, skills, bloodlines, food, pets, or even their own personal worlds."
"But the more powerful an item, the more points it requires. And to obtain truly valuable items, you'll also need karma."
"As for karma, we can divide it into ten grades: EX, SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Below S-rank, we can further refine sub-levels depending on the rarity or usefulness of an item—especially those crucial for upcoming missions. For example, A+, or even AAA. The key is to make sure players never have enough points or karma to buy everything they want."
"That way, they'll be forced to carefully consider their options—to choose wisely based on their needs, and to think ahead about what kind of challenges future missions might bring, preparing an item or two in advance."
"We could also implement a player-to-player trading system. Some items might be deliberately excluded from the system store or priced extremely high. But if they can be obtained through other means within the game, players would be free to sell or trade them."
"In this way, points and karma would act as their universal currencies for trade. Bartering is also possible—it all depends on demand."
"Additionally, we can include systems like Challenge Invitations, Team Contracts, Mercenary Guilds, Female Player Alliances, Assassin Guilds, and other group-based systems, allowing most players to find a team or organization that suits them and take on missions together."
"For those who join such groups, if one member 'dies,' the others would also suffer certain penalties. This would make them think more carefully before acting recklessly."
"For instance, Challenge Invitations would let players face off against extremely powerful enemies. If they win, they'll receive rewards based on the number of participants and difficulty level. But if they lose, they'll have to pay an equivalent price."
"Team Contracts would come in many types, with team sizes ranging from 2 to 18 members, depending on their choice. Each contract offers unique passive bonuses and enhancements. It's not that bigger teams are stronger—their effects are balanced. Team Contracts also have levels; the higher the level, the stronger the bonuses and passives. And if a teammate breaks the contract, the others will automatically receive compensation by seizing that person's points, karma, and equipment. This prevents players from casually abandoning their teammates."
"The Mercenary Guild would be an upgraded version of the Team Contract system. If small groups or mid-sized teams no longer satisfy their ambitions, players can apply to create their own guilds or join existing ones. Like contracts, guilds also have levels, passive effects, and bonuses—just more powerful versions."
"Finally, we could add a variety of other guilds, all freely created by players. The system wouldn't interfere—it would simply maintain stability and oversee the conduct of members."
"My goal is to let players, while enjoying the fun of the game, also learn to grow—to learn how to think, how to use their own strengths to overcome various challenges, to rely on their teammates, and to understand how difficult it is to truly gain something."
"After all, only a game that contains its own depth, philosophy, and culture—one that people can immerse themselves in, yet still gain something meaningful from—can have lasting impact. Otherwise, it's just temporary pleasure, forgotten once the thrill fades."
By the time Chu Lian finished speaking, her throat was parched. A cup of water was suddenly handed to her from the side. "Here."
She took it and drank it in one go, only to realize a moment later—wait, only Cai Ya and Anna were beside her, and they were supposed to be asleep.
Turning around, she found Cai Ya still lying in her arms, gazing at her with clear, focused eyes. The cup had been taken from the bedside table and handed to her by Cai Ya herself.
"Ya'er, when did you wake up?" Chu Lian set the cup down and looked around. The other girls had also come to their senses, clearly absorbed by her earlier explanation.
"I woke up when you took out that light brain," Cai Ya said softly, sitting up from Chu Lian's embrace and smiling. "But seeing you so focused, I didn't want to interrupt—so I just listened quietly."
"I see." Chu Lian could guess what the girl was thinking but didn't press it. Instead, she looked around at the others. "So, do any of you have ideas?"
"We could build a magnificent city for all players to gather in," Li Xiu'er suggested first. "A place where they can freely trade, interact, and live their virtual lives." Her idea resembled the concept of a Nightmare City, and it helped Chu Lian decide between creating a Lord God Space or a Nightmare Metropolis.
"Before players enter the game, we should establish a set of rules," Liu Yanran added. "Only those who agree to and follow those terms can play." She was clearly concerned that the game might become a "second world," where players lose themselves and forget real life.
Chu Lian nodded. That was indeed a good point. This wasn't a post-apocalyptic world, nor one suffering from energy collapse—there was no need for humanity to escape entirely into a game.
"We can create divine pantheons," Lux Lyle suggested next. "Each pantheon would have unique powers, all balanced in strength. These pantheons could serve as team systems tailored to different groups of players."
Chu Lian thought for a moment and found the idea feasible, so she noted it down.
"Also, let's divide the players into multiple play modes," Ruriko Nana proposed. "The most common one would be the mission mode you mentioned, Chu Lian-chan. But there could also be learning mode, leisure mode, wellness mode, travel mode, and even otherworld exploration mode. Different players could choose based on their preferences. However, once a mode is selected, changing it would require a 'death'—they'd have to start over from scratch."
Her suggestion made Chu Lian's eyes light up. That's right—games aren't only about combat. With so many worlds, why not make full use of them?
"I think... there should be one more mode," Cai Ya said suddenly.
Chu Lian turned to her, intrigued. "What kind of mode?"
Meeting Chu Lian's expectant gaze, Cai Ya slowly opened her lips and said one sentence...