Character SetUp

[Scanning…]

[New User Detected. Defaulting to Dependent Mode.]

Su Ting watched the words against the black background. As soon as the dependent mode was activated, the black starry sky changed to a colorful small living room.

[Detecting New User is over 18 years old. Deactivate Dependent Mode?]

Dependent mode was otherwise known as child mode or safe mode. It is only activated for first-time users. Most people began in the game while young, so this was an extra way to protect young minds. It would give the user more tips, filter cursing words and phrases and gore, limit some of the less moral quests or areas, and a guardian that would help guide them in the game. It could only be removed by mutual consent or if 15 years pass.

Until that point, there were many restrictions on the two: The 'child' would require the permission of the 'guardian' for most things. They wouldn't be able to stray too far from one another. The guardian could step in to make choices for the dependent. Quests, missions, illegal doings or underground areas and connections, slums, bounties, bars, and so on would be blocked. A lot of this can be blocked on Safe Mode as well, although it isn't as thorough.

The main part of this mode is the guardian.

"No." Su Ting turned down deactivating dependent mode.

[Please name your guardian.]

"Quan Zihao or William Conners. My fiance."

[Communication line with Biochip opened. Requesting contact information. Contact information received. Willaim Conners, Chinese name Quan Zihao, title in contacts 'Soulmate'. Request as Guardian?]

"Yes."

[Contacting now. Please wait.]

[Willaim Conners has accepted the request. Guardian locked. Name second guardian?]

Su Ting was quiet for a moment. Finally, she whispered, "Xiong Yin."

[Communication line with Biochip opened. Requesting contact information. Contact information received. Xiong Yin, Native name: 87th Fae Empress Earthly Demon Messiah, title in contacts 'Bacalao President'. Request as Guardian?]

Su Ting facepalmed. Even nearly two months after her return to the past, she'd still forgotten to change her mother's title. Bakalao was a derogatory term used for tech-obsessed people to an extreme degree. It used to be a type of music, apparently. One of the newer meanings is that they care about tech more than people, even their family could be sold for their tech obsessions. Su Ting had changed her title to this many years ago. After finding out the origin of the word, she even found an annoying old bacalao song and set it as her warning and ringtone. Even though she was blocked.

She hesitated. She also wondered if the guardian would see their titles, but she couldn't change it right now. After going around and around in her head for a long time, she finally gave the pod the go-ahead.

It was to be a sign to her mother of goodwill. Although she wasn't sure how she would react if she could see the title, it also could be understood that she was related to such a term.

Anyway, she wasn't sure she wanted her to accept it anyway. Making her a guardian was an impulsive decision.

With two or more guardians, Su Ting would only need to be near one of them at a time. The guardians could switch between protecting her--thus limiting their world and reducing their range of motion to her side--and being on standby--which would make the game function as normal.

[87th Fae Empress Earthly Demon Messiah has accepted the request. Guardian locked. Name third guardian?]

Su Ting looked over and over her mother's name. She is an Earthly Fae Empress and Messiah of demons? Is she the leader of demons or of fae-race earthlings? Or maybe she's a Fae Empress and saved a Demon from Earth? Su Ting didn't understand what any of it meant. She wasn't familiar with the many races. She only knew that you get randomized options when you log in.

"No."

[Please choose your avatar.]

Cards with faces appeared on the table in front of her. As with a cold account, only simple avatars were shown.

Su Ting was immediately drawn to one. The gray and red borders that were the most common were directly skipped over. Yellow, green, and orange which were rarer also didn't attract her notice. It was unusual to have a green-quality race choice. Yet in the center of the group was a shimmering indigo border.

She hadn't even had time to look at any of the pictures or make out the color of the borders. Su Ting didn't seem to see any of the other ones. Her hand directly passed over the table. She touched the card in a daze. She didn't realize what had happened until she'd already picked it up.

On the card was a painted picture of a girl with black hair and eyes and mutton-fat skin. Her round cheeks had squished her eyes into crescents. Her eyes looked like they held the stars in the sky inside of them. She looked like just a child, less than ten years old. The smile on her face made one's eyes unable to look away. The more one looked, the more one's heart melted and it was even more difficult to tear one's gaze away. Although the face looked like it belonged to a child, she had a special aura around her. It had the feeling of a mythical creature or a spirit from another land. It was as if time had only passed her by. Time passed by and could not change her no matter how it came or went.

The most stunning thing was how much the picture looked like her. It seemed as if someone had brushed on the stars as paint and the galaxy as a canvas. At first glance, there was really a girl inside looking out at you.

Where did such a thing come from? There was no way she'd ever shown such a dazzling smile. In her mind flashed a long and complicated title that she couldn't understand. She shook her head. She felt as if her head had become fuzzy again.