NOVPUB
Chapter 40: What Is Essence? 2
"Within our localized Essence instances, which are taken from snippets of our history, it naturally means that mythical items like the Golden Fleece, Mjolnir, Queen Anne’s Revenge, and more will appear within the zones related to their events."
Felicia smiled. "Anyone who enters that instance will have a chance to obtain these mythical items with their FULL power, with not a single detraction from our historical descriptions. For items like Pangu’s Axe, which is said to split the chaos and give birth to a new universe, I am very much looking forward to how the Universe Will shall materialize such an item."
"There are three main ways to acquire such items when within an AR instance. The first is to naturally seize the item from whoever possesses it or where it is located. If you have the wits, the skill, and the power to do so, do not let anything stop you. You can certainly walk up to Zeus’ throne and snatch his lightning bolt, glaring him in the eye the entire time if you have the means." Felicia added with a hint of teasing, prompting Sarah to laugh loudly.
"The second is to be given the item within the instance through its story. For example, if you curry favor with Thor during an instance based on Ragnarok and he dies, he may use his parting words to throw Mjolnir or Jarnbjorn towards you while telling you to carry on his legacy. Should you survive or escape, you get to keep whatever you possess when exiting the AR instance."
"The third and final way is to be awarded the item through the instance settlement menu, which grades your actions throughout the instance and may reward you extra on top of what you already gained within. However, to get good things, you must perform very well and be given a very high score, otherwise you might only receive a lower reward."
Felicia crossed her legs softly, causing her short skirt to flutter slightly. "I don’t need to explain the benefits of excavation. We have spoken in depth about abilities before and how important they are, as well as how important we are, but not all of you will possess your abilities when entering Essence for the first time. Even though the Prime Representative is working around the clock to secure more awakening agents for everyone, the sheer resistance is almost as crushing as a tsunami upon a small boat."
"But all you will have going in is the various benefits and leeways I’ve explained, as well as your character panel with your newly unlocked stats. As I’ve stated previously, you can gain skills and worldly essence within Essence instances, but these special items are far more crucial because they will unlock a new level of strength for you."
Felicia glanced at the camera directly with a slightly cautioning look. "Of course, don’t expect to be able to wield Mjolnir to smash the planet in half when you are level 1. The strength of excavated items always depends solely on stats and sometimes your ability if you have one. The power of the same mythical item in the hands of a level 1 person and a level 10 person is vastly different."
"Hmm, very astute warning, Miss Felicia. We have noted that we absolutely need to gather these items, and I also take it they have value in the galaxy?" Sarah inquired.
"Correct, this is, after all, one of the two main ways of earning income in the universe right now. Excavated items are sold based on their effects and grading to any company that will buy them, awarding you Essence Coins in exchange. This is a private transaction between you and the company, so all earned income is yours. As I’ve stated before, the office of the Prime Representative has no intentions of putting any form of taxation upon humans." Felicia answered confidently.
"Interesting, interesting, we are looking forward to this for sure, Mrs. Deputy Prime Rep. What about what you mentioned earlier, the livestreaming?" Sarah smiled and moved on to the next topic.
"Yes, this one is quite simple. Across the galaxy, trillions of beings from humanoids to silicon-based entities, even sentient gas clouds, tune in to experience live, unfiltered realities from worlds beyond their own."
"The source of it is the SSS-ranked ’Hivemind’ ability that the Insect Queen Tatalina possesses, which is an Overmind network that revolutionized what we understand as ’livestreaming’ into something far more... direct."
Felicia shook her head, emphasizing her next words. "The Hive doesn’t just broadcast events; it actually weaves them directly into the minds of viewers, feeding not only images and sounds but emotions, sensations, and even fragments of consciousness from the subjects themselves. Their vast neuro-tech lattice intercepts and enhances the experiences from streamers directly, whether it’s a warrior braving an augmented reality instance, an explorer walking through the Chaos Realm, or an entertainer in the midst of a live performance." 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "So, in that case, the audience isn’t just watching, right? They’re almost literally feeling, living, and sometimes even influencing what they’re watching."
Felicia nodded. "Correct, though the amount you as the streamer wish to share is up to you. You can even limit it to only 4D viewing, allowing watchers to only see, hear, and smell what is around you, but not sense your thoughts, your feelings, or experiences. You can also mute certain parts which you’d rather keep secret, though it’s generally more lucrative to be as open as possible."
"Wow, and what about the industry behind this? Is it similar to that of Earth’s own scene?" Sarah asked as she checked her teleprompter again.
"You can be sure of that. Who are the stars of the universe’s livestreaming scene? It’s naturally the bold, the reckless, the desperate. The kind of fellows who enter AR instances not just to survive, but to be seen."
Felicia shook her head, clearly disapproving of this. "Their goals are to make their mark in a universe where entertainment is more than spectacle, it’s sort of a shared existence. Some of these streamers become gods of the feed, their moments of glory immortalized in the neural archives. Others? Well... let’s just say their failures become cautionary tales, felt by millions in real time."
"So yes, much like our scene on Earth." Felicia concluded with a mirthless smile.
"Haha, well, I can say that this will open up new frontiers for those worried that they have no skills in the new Galactic Environment." Sarah joked as she shuffled her documents.
"There is no such thing anymore. Even without your ability awakened, as long as you brave the Essence instance with your real body, you don’t need to be computer savvy or a scientific genius, you just need to be strong and motivated to become even stronger." Felicia stated seriously, wanting this point especially to be remembered by listeners worldwide.
Sarah nodded in contemplation before turning to the camera with a wide smile. "And that was Mrs. Felicia Rothschild on the topic of Essence and what it entails for us. Clearly, we have been given a lot of information that will guide us when it opens in the next 30 minutes, and you can be sure that we, the BBC, will cover it in detail for those of you at home."
"Up next, the World of Essence, led by our Chief Explorer David Ferns. Stay tuned!"
.......
Damon arrived at the Essence instance located within his own country, which was within Fort James. As the instance would be opening within the next 10 minutes, many Ghanaians had come here to take a look at the amazing ’magic’ that was about to occur here.
Damon did not get out of his SUV, which was driven by his family’s driver, only glancing out through the tinted windows at the huge crowd as well as the dilapidated European fort that stood near the sea.
Fort James... it served three purposes during its 500-year lifespan, split into different eras. The first was when it was created as a trading post between the local tribes in Ghana and the European traders who came to barter with them.
The second was its darkest period, when it became the chief holding center for slaves captured by the Europeans before being gathered onto a ship and sailing off to the west to never be seen again.
The third was after the slave trade was abolished, and it became an administrative center for the British, specifically to rule their colony, especially as a military and police post.
It did briefly serve as a prison in its fourth iteration, but that was quite mild.
If this fort was going to be the location of an AR instance, its scenario could only be pulled from one of these three key iterations of the fort. Between the relatively peaceful trading, the epoch-defining human trafficking, and the later bureaucratic suppression, Damon was willing to bet he could guess which one it would be based on.
He wasn’t really looking forward to it, and so too were most Ghanaians because most did not like to look into the past and mostly focused on the future because that was more pressing as a third-world country.
But it seemed like both Damon and Ghanaians were about to be put to the test.
