Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

He recalled the feeling of being "held back" when Baita mentioned creating a virtual universe, and his heart was filled with complex emotions. However, having been an entrepreneur for some time, his mental fortitude was no longer what it used to be. He immediately steadied himself and used his spiritual sense to perceive the eerie green cube floating above the table.

He did indeed "see" the connection between it and the gray fog, a very clear and very solid bridge. It was as if he could send any astral projection through that bridge if he wanted to.

"Did it use the same principle as the gray fog?" Klein realized.

"Mr. World" said, "Then, as a new member, I'd like to take the test first."

Klein mentally gave himself a thumbs up. He decided to use an alternate account to scout ahead first. If anything went wrong, it would be "the world" that was in trouble, and Mr. Fool's reputation would be preserved. That was the advantage of having an alternate account.

Without hesitation, he sent out an extended tentacle from the celestial being that controlled the "world," and touched the eerie green cube, disappearing from its surface as if entering water.

Within the gray fog space, the group around the bronze table could clearly sense that the projection of the "world" had been extended across the gray fog layer and appeared in a completely new "location." That location was still within the coverage of the gray fog, but at the same time, it seemed to be enveloped by some kind of transparent layer, separating it from the main space by a small distance.

Klein prefers to call it a forwarded message.

"...They're inside?" Audrey's voice carried a hint of nervousness.

White Tower did not answer, but he raised his hand and pointed to the top of the cube. A tiny, semi-transparent image appeared on the surface of the cube, showing an extremely simple scene.

A grayish-white, flat expanse of ground, as if rolled by a road roller, stretched in all directions, its boundaries invisible. Above, a uniform, soft light shone without any apparent source, like sunlight on a cloudy day.

In the very center of the image stands a gray stick figure with a sphere for a head and a body made up of thin lines, lacking any discernible details. It is clumsily raising its two line-like arms, as if trying to confirm its existence.

"Is that Mr. 'World'?" Alger's voice held a hint of disbelief and hesitation. A stick figure?

Klein looked down at himself in the trumpet: arms made of lines, legs made of lines, a round head, no facial features, no clothes, nothing that could be called a "feature".

He tried to clench his fist, which clenched into two intersecting lines. He tried to walk, his two line-like legs lifting alternately, moving two steps on the ground in an extremely comical, puppet-like posture.

...White Tower, you're telling me this is your "virtual universe"? The models in my mobile game before I transmigrated were more detailed than this, even before they finished loading!

The world's oldest dark history.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. Although it was just a simple mass of lines, he could feel his presence there was very real. When he raised his arms, he could feel the air resistance and the subtle pulling of his joints; when he looked down at the ground, he could feel the feedback between his feet and the ground, a hard yet slightly elastic sensation, like stepping on compressed soil.

His spirituality was also functioning normally, and he was even able to use the diviner's abilities carried by the "world" persona to perceive the surrounding environment. The spiritual feedback returned the conclusions of "emptiness," "stability," and "no danger."

However, the spirit world here should be completely independent, and Klein felt that he could not obtain any information from the outside world.

The experience beneath this simple stick figure exterior is surprisingly real.

"World" waved in the shape of a stick figure towards the outside of the cube. He saw the outlines of the White Tower and Justice, their celestial beings, watching from the outside, but he could only see a few blurry outlines of gray mist in his field of vision, because the gray mist itself was pixelated.

  

White Tower withdrew his hand and turned to Audrey and Alger: "Sensory feedback and spiritual perception have both proven its feasibility. Next, I will fully open the passage. You can choose whether or not to enter."

After he finished speaking, he stretched out his finger and gently traced a line above the suspended cube. The eerie green light on the cube's surface suddenly spread outward, forming a small portal on the table in front of each person's seat. Inside, however, was a clear, bright, and unfathomable void.

Audrey stood up almost without hesitation and bowed to Mr. Fool: "Mr. Fool, I request to enter the test." After saying that, she reached out and touched the light gate.

Her gray mist silhouette softened and elongated the moment it touched the light gate, like a crumpled painting unfolding anew, before her entire figure disappeared into the light gate.

The next instant, the stick figures appearing above the cube multiplied from one to two. Audrey's stick figure appeared about five meters away from the stick figures in "The World," and was just as rudimentary as Klein's stick figure: a round head, a few lines forming a body, with no distinguishing features.

Audrey lowered her head, raised her hand, looked at her arms made of lines and her round head, and remained silent for two seconds.

Then she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!"

The sound was clear and natural, with a light and cheerful tone unique to young girls. The stick figure in the picture turned around in a wide arc, as if looking around to see what was around it, and then raised its lined arms high, as if embracing the sky.

"I can hear my own voice! I can feel myself breathing!" Audrey's stick figure jumped, and she could even feel a slight vibration when she landed. "This feels so real! The ground here is like walking on the grass in a yard, a little soft!"

Klein's stick figure watched Audrey's reaction from the side, thinking to himself: Is this what youthful enthusiasm is...? But Miss Justice, you really don't have any aristocratic demeanor at all right now...

Audrey clearly didn't care about aristocratic decorum at all. Her stick figure hopped around in a circle, then stopped and announced in an extremely solemn tone:

"Even though I look like a matchstick figure right now, this feeling... I'm really standing here, breathing... uh, it feels like there's no air here? No, I can feel myself breathing, but it doesn't feel like I'm inhaling... This is so strange!"

Alger was the third to enter. His stick figure appeared about ten meters away from Klein and Audrey. He was much more composed than Audrey. After entering, he first looked down to check his "body," raised his lined arms and clenched his fists, then squatted down and touched the ground with his fingers, as if testing the realism of the material.

Then he stood up and said something. His voice came from the screen, carrying his usual caution and composure: "Spiritual perception feedback is normal. I am able to interact using my extraordinary abilities, and my astral body does not feel any additional burden."

His stick figure raised a line arm, palm open, a small ball of swirling water vapor condensing in the palm. Although it was just a simple line and a dark color change in a gray-white background, it was indeed a ball of swirling water vapor, like a tiny miniature vortex.

"Able to invoke extraordinary abilities." Alger's skeletal arm retracted, and the wisp of water vapor dissipated. "The feedback is incredibly realistic. At least on my level of perception, it's almost identical to the experience of invoking spirituality in the real world."

Audrey's stick figure curiously peered over to see where Alger had just condensed the water vapor, then tried to mimic the action with her own stick figure arm. Of course, nothing happened, but she wasn't discouraged. Instead, she exclaimed in a lighthearted tone, "To be able to simulate even the feedback of extraordinary abilities, that's truly amazing! Mr. White Tower, how did you do that?"

Klein's stick figure pretended to be deep in thought, but his inner thoughts were already flooding in: "Virtual universe," "Astral entity access," and "Complete simulation of extraordinary abilities"—White Tower, you really are a treasure trove of talent!

However, he still had to maintain his composure. "World," the stick figure spoke hoarsely, his voice coming from a trumpet-like throat, retaining its cold and neutral tone, "Indeed, the experience is excellent. Conducting dangerous role-playing experiments and tests of extraordinary abilities here seems like a safe approach."

The voice of the White Tower came from outside the cube, still calm and steady: "The current Initial Fire Sandbox is only a basic test version, and the things it can carry and simulate are very limited. The current scene only has this patch of grass, and the distance is limited. I set a boundary of about one kilometer, and beyond that is an impenetrable curtain wall."

Audrey's stick figure immediately turned to look at the distant horizon: "One kilometer? That does seem quite far; I can't see the boundary at all..."

Klein secretly estimated the stick figures' walking speed and realized that in this virtual world, the stick figures could actually walk as fast as they wanted, since they were just projections of astral beings and theoretically had no physical limitations.

He manipulated the stick figure to try to run faster, and the stick figure took seven or eight steps in an instant, leaving a shadow on the grass.

The "world" stick figure shot out like a catapult, quickly traveling more than ten meters before turning into a wheel and hurtling into the distance until it crashed into the boundary and then rushed back from the opposite boundary.

Audrey was amused by his actions. The stick figure's round head tilted slightly, and if you could see his expression, it would be one of suppressed laughter: "Mr. World, are you... in such a hurry to test the boundaries of the sandbox?"

The stick figure in the world replied in a cold, hoarse voice, "Verify the movement limits and physical boundaries. This will be valuable for subsequent testing."

In reality, he was busy suppressing the feeling of embarrassment in his heart.

Audrey's enthusiasm and Alger's caution create a fascinating contrast. The young stick figure wanders around the grass, occasionally trying out some observational techniques from a spectator's perspective.

Theoretically, a spherical body shape doesn't reveal much, but the range of motion in the body and limbs can reveal certain things. Then she said to Alger:

"Mr. Hanged Man, what are your current emotions... curiosity and wariness? And a hint of calculation, as if you're assessing the value of this sandbox to you?"

Alger's stick figure froze for half a second, then let out a meaningful chuckle: "Your insight into the audience's pathways is indeed sharp. Miss Justice, your speed in mastering the pathways is impressive."

Audrey's stick figure puffed out her chest slightly in satisfaction. Although her round head and sculpted body couldn't accurately convey this subtle movement, her voice clearly held a hint of excitement: "Mr. White Tower said this helps digest the potion! I just tried observing, and I do feel like I have a deeper understanding of the audience's pathway?"

The White Tower's voice drifted in from outside the cube, carrying its eternal steadiness: "The target's feedback has been recorded, proving that the sandbox's feedback is indeed on the potion's digestion progress. This is a good sign."

He didn't mention that this was probably psychological, and this observation would have little impact on digestion even in reality, so it probably wouldn't have much impact in the sandbox either.

Does the simplification of the spirit world make role-playing more effective?

Klein, who had been silently observing, spoke again, manipulating the "World" stick figure, his voice flat: "Mr. White Tower, what is the future direction of the sandbox expansion?"

White Tower: "The first step is to expand the playable scenarios. The current test area is too rudimentary. We will consider adding different environments, such as cities, forests, underground caves, and sea environments, to accommodate different role-playing needs."

"Secondly, I plan to add interactive NPCs that will be driven by the sandbox's underlying rules, have basic intelligence and preset behavior patterns, and be able to simulate real, extraordinary combat or interactive environments."

"Finally, there's the gradual opening up of pathways. Currently, Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and Mr. World are only receiving basic feedback in the sandbox as spectators, sailors, and fortune tellers, respectively. In the future, I will strive to make it possible for all extraordinary individuals to access these pathways, so that the sandbox can become a true multi-pathway interactive research platform."

Klein completely disregarded the White Tower opening method and instead revealed a smug expression. The White Tower opening only yielded the Diviner path, which was fantastic!

Audrey's stick figure let out a wistful sigh: "A city, NPCs, and the ability to interact with Extraordinary beings from different backgrounds... it's just like... just like..."

She thought for a long time but couldn't find a suitable analogy. After all, in her understanding, the concept of virtual games hadn't yet formed a complete vocabulary.

"Like a play in which you can participate."

Klein, manipulating the "World" stick figure, added a sentence, his tone still indifferent, but inwardly he was nodding wildly in agreement.

Miss Justice, the concept you're thinking about right now is called "open-world game".

The voice of the White Tower rang out at the opportune moment, still steady, but with a hint of the blandness of the conclusion of an experimental report: "The sandbox currently has limited content, and everyone's time is also limited. I suggest that you record your feedback on this experience before leaving, as this is very important for future optimizations."

Audrey's stick figure immediately began to take notes eagerly: "The ground feels very realistic, but it doesn't leave any footprints when you step on it, which is quite different from the real world... The weather is always overcast without any change; it would be better if it could simulate the feeling of wind... The characters' expressions and movements could be more detailed..."

Alger's stick figure provided a more concise response: "The activation of extraordinary abilities is generally smooth, but the power and range seem to be somewhat diminished, approximately 90% of their real-world counterparts. This attenuation could be intentional, or it could simply reflect a need for improvement in simulation accuracy."

Klein spoke through the "World" stick figure: "Spirituality has no additional cost. It would be more valuable if it could be accessed outside the gray fog space."

"In addition, our athletic abilities may need to be more realistic."

White Tower recorded everything: "Thank you all for your feedback. I will consider implementing the issues raised by Miss Justice regarding footprints, weather, and movement; I will adjust the precision parameters for Mr. Hanged Man's ability decay issue in a later version; Mr. World, uh, his movement abilities do need to be more realistic, the Protoss is still too free."

Klein covered his face in the gray fog, but thankfully he managed to control himself and prevent the world from making that move.

Four stick figures stood quietly for a moment on the gray-white grass, and the White Tower also transformed into a stick figure and joined in. Each person was making their own assessments and experiencing their own feelings. This simple little world, consisting of only a flat area and four stick figures, contained so many possibilities for them.

A few minutes later, they finished the experience, took turns disconnecting from the sandbox, and returned to the bronze table in the gray fog space.

Back in her high-backed chair, Audrey was still savoring the experience. Even after sitting down, she couldn't help but murmur softly, "I really was standing there... Even though it just looked like a gray world and myself in stick figure form, it felt incredibly real. Especially when Mr. Hanged Man condensed water vapor, I could feel the change in humidity in the air..."

Alger was also deep in thought, his tone more serious than before:

"If this sandbox can continue to develop, even allowing extraordinary individuals from different backgrounds to freely interact, engage in simulated combat, and cooperate within it... then it will not only be a testing platform, but could also become a completely new teaching model and collaborative tool. However, this also means that its developers will need an extremely large reserve of resources to support it."

His gaze turned to the white tower, and although the gray fog obscured his expression, the astonishment at "just how much do you have in reserve?" was almost palpable.

The White Tower's voice: "This is still in its early stages. It will be gradually improved and updated regularly. More testing opportunities will be available at this gathering."

Klein sat at the head of the table, maintaining the composure befitting a fool, but his mind was racing.

He realized that once the White Tower's virtual universe project succeeded, the Tarot Association would transform from an information exchange platform into a truly "collaborative entity."

All members can train, experiment, and even simulate combat through that sandbox, which means a safe, efficient, and repeatable growth path.

As the Fool, he will naturally become the core hub of this vast system, since all access is through the gray fog, and he controls the entrance.

This was a situation that both excited and made him nervous. He was excited because he had more resources, but nervous because he had to make sure he didn't give himself away.

"That concludes today's experience." Klein's voice descended from the bronze table, carrying a perfectly measured conclusion. "Mr. White Tower's initial version of the virtual universe has proven its value, and I will provide support for its subsequent improvements and expansions as needed."

"As you wish." The three men stood up and bowed in the direction of the Fool.

The gray fog space returned to its empty and quiet state, leaving only Klein sitting at the head of the bronze table. He stared at the now-dimmed, eerie green cube on the table—the core of the Primal Fire Sandbox—for a long while.