There weren't any shelves here; instead, there were small stages, each caged by iron bars and illuminated by cinematic spotlights. Every single stage housed an Aura, which appeared like a clump of coloured mist, seemingly alive, subtly vibrating with an eerie sense of sentience.
They ambled past multiple stages without Sean saying anything, until a black, almost dusty fog came into view before them. "This is it, the Anti-drug. Pretty much a must-have for any multiplayer games."
Every Aura cost the same: 2000 Sapphires, or 1 Emerald? Whatever that currency does. For Chen Mo, this was far better than any temporary weapons that Sean had shown him before.
"Since you can equip three Auras in-game," Sean elaborated further, "one of them will always be the Anti-drug. Mm, the other two Auras are more debatable. Some prefer a flat agility or strength boost, while others go for something with more utility like that."
Sean pointed toward a magenta mist in the distance, gently undulating with just a bit more elegance than the rest. Its name: [Arcane Aura].
Chen Mo didn't ask Sean; instead, he asked the system directly, which responded almost instantly:
[Arcane Aura: Reduces time of AE regeneration by one minute (Four minutes = One AE)]
"Which one would you recommend equipping in real life?" Chen Mo was completely straightforward about his intentions and desires.
"Mm. Only one Aura can be equipped in real life, so most people would choose the Alluring Aura," Sean explained as his feet paced toward a pink, heart-shaped mist. "No exact specifics, but it supposedly makes you more attractive overall."
"Not my cup of tea." Chen Mo shook his head slightly. It wasn't like he didn't want to be more good-looking; it was just that he prioritised money far more.
"Well, there's always the Anti-drug Aura if you have enemies in real life. Mm, Anti-drug is really powerful, popular too. You can also get the Vitality Aura for better health," Sean said, jabbing his index finger toward a gleaming green aura.
"Hm..." Chen Mo had already found the Aura he wanted somewhere else: [Luck Aura], a golden fog that seemed to radiate quiet, overwhelming fortune.
Nonetheless, Chen Mo would need ten times his current Sapphires to purchase any of these Auras, and if there was any Aura to prioritise, it would most certainly be Anti-drug.
"I can't afford anything." Chen Mo sighed faintly. "Can you show me what and where my Personal World is?"
"Hm. Sure." Sean pressed his lips together, slightly disappointed by the lack of visible reaction from Chen Mo. He would've expected a newbie to be far more impressed by all of this… like a normal, sane individual.
Yet Chen Mo remained completely calm the entire time, constantly calculating, constantly thinking.
They took the commuter back across the [Buildings] section, which eventually brought them back to the main Game Lobby, before entering the final corridor Chen Mo would be visiting today.
[Personal Worlds]
Sean began explaining the concept of Personal Worlds while the two approached what appeared to be an endlessly tall condominium building. There wasn't a single defining colour to the structure; every individual unit seemed to be decorated in its own unique and distinct manner.
"Think Minecraft. Uh, you play Minecraft?"
"No, but I know what it is," Chen Mo replied quietly.
"Nice!" Sean shot a thumbs-up enthusiastically. "Just imagine that, except you can't build anything. You're basically in creative mode on a flat world. Mm, it's pay-to-win, and you have to spend Sapphires to decorate your world."
"The buildings," Chen Mo muttered under his breath.
"Precisely." Sean nodded approvingly. "The buildings you purchase only exist in your Personal World. Your slave should be waiting for you there too. The whole point of a Personal World is to allow every player to build their dream world, or their very own paradise. Them, their harem, and a world entirely beneath their control and rules."
The more time Chen Mo spent inside the game, the more he realised how deeply human desires were reflected through this so-called game that didn't exist. Every single desire, dark, selfish, shallow, each one further fuelling Chen Mo's already existing hatred toward society.
They didn't actually enter the endless skyscraper. Instead, the neon-lime system interface greeted them:
"Hello! Whose room would you like to visit?"
"Xiao Bai," Sean answered for both of them without hesitation.
In the very next second, they were somewhere else entirely.
A colourful corridor stretched before them, filled with distinct and wildly varying personalities every few metres, yet their eyes were drawn straight toward the blandest door in the entire vicinity.
It was Chen Mo's Personal World. It remained a default wooden door with striped walls, since he hadn't begun decorating at all.
"You can set your world to public or private. By default, it's private, so I'll need your permission to enter," Sean said as he knocked on the door.
"How do I do that?" Chen Mo asked, even as Sean was already turning the knob.
"You already did. The system reads your mind," Sean replied, casually tapping his temple as he stepped into Chen Mo's Personal World.
It was exactly as he had described: a flat world. It was a vast, endless field stretching far beyond the visible horizon.
The sky above was mostly dark, yet faintly streaked with thin beams of orange, resembling the quiet onset of dawn.
Across the field were countless, densely packed roses. The red rose bushes stood tall, reaching Sean's waist and Chen Mo's smaller, goth-girl form's belly button.
The petals held the correct, vivid shade of red, but the green leaves were stained and dirtied with a deep vermilion hue. This strange colour had overtaken nearly half of what should have been green, forming irregular patterns that resembled splatters of dried blood.
It wasn't immediately noticeable unless one looked closely. Overall, Chen Mo's Personal World resembled vibrating waves of red below and a vast canvas of blue above.
Chen Mo turned back after stepping fully into the field, the roses brushing softly against his lower body. Behind him remained a two-dimensional doorway leading back to the corridor from before.
He reached out and pulled the door shut, while Sean crouched slightly, examining the oddly stained leaves and stems.
"Um... very interesting," Sean muttered. "The game evaluates a player's personality and engineers a flower that best represents it. That flower then carpets the player's paradise, acting as its foundation. And, um... I don't really know what this says about you."
Chen Mo noticed it too, the blood-stained roses, but his attention was directed elsewhere.
The brown leash had reappeared in his palm.
Following it, he located the dog collar, and then Amelia Cunningham, seated quietly among the rose bushes, unbothered by the thorns, disturbed only by the faint breeze.
"Amelia," Chen Mo called out.
She turned, her azure eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Xiao Bai..." Amelia's voice was noticeably more timid now.
"I doubt you can afford much for this place right now," Sean said, straightening his posture. "Maybe a very humble straw shack with a straw bed for 100 Sapphires. That's the cheapest building I can remember... but who the hell is buying that, right—"
[Straw Shack purchased! (Current balance: 134 Sapphires.)]
A straw hut, no larger than Chen Mo's dorm room, appeared instantly. With a simple wave of his hand, Chen Mo adjusted its position. Once he found a suitable spot, he lowered his hand, grounding the structure into place.
"W-what?" Sean blinked in confusion. "Bro? You're going to decorate your dream with that crap?"
Chen Mo asked a question before justifying his action, "Amelia can't leave this place, can she?"
"Your slave? Um..." Sean scratched his head. "Well, she can leave your Personal World, just not the game."
"Then she doesn't have a place to live," Chen Mo said simply, turning back toward Amelia. "I'm sorry. This is all I can afford right now."
Amelia clutched her chest, visibly touched.
Meanwhile, Sean slapped his knee in frustration. "Wait, no, bro, what? She's just your slave."
"She's a fallen player. She's human," Chen Mo replied firmly, his eyes locked onto Amelia.
Tears slowly slid down Amelia's cheeks.
"Urghh..." Sean rubbed his temples. "Come on, bro. Every minute I'm with you, I swear I lose more faith. But... whatever, I guess."
Sean glanced upward at the gradually expanding streaks of orange. "Your Personal World aligns with your real-life timezone, by the way. That means the sun's about to rise, you might want to leave the game."
"Okay. Thank you for the tour," Chen Mo said, offering a shallow yet sincere bow.
"My pleasure. Just... mm, don't disappoint me. I've never watched a good newbie's POV before; you're the first one. I'm counting on you, bro." Sean grinned, giving two exaggerated thumbs-up. "Aight, I'm heading out."
Chen Mo didn't say goodbye, and neither did Sean. He simply walked off across the endless field of roses, disappearing back into the chaotically colourful corridor.
Chen Mo was about to leave the game when Amelia spoke up.
"Xiao Bai, wait."
"Yes?" Chen Mo tilted his head slightly.
The dawn sun rose faster with each passing second, until golden beams spilled across Chen Mo's long, feminine raven hair.
The light also framed Amelia's silhouette as her voice trembled.
"W-w... why? Why didn't you just trade me away?"