Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 97 Is He Outside the Door?
In the upper left corner of the main interface, in a metallic hexagonal frame, there is a Q-version Alice avatar, and next to it is her current level: Level 1 player.

There was no such thing before.

Alice unlocks a lot of things after upgrading to LV1. Some of them are self-explanatory, such as [Editable game limit +1] and [Increase in materials available when editing games].

In the temple interface below, next to the game icon of "Original Fantasy: Four Warriors", there is a cross plus sign. When Alice selects it with the controller, a pop-up window will appear: [Do you want to start editing a new game? Yes/No].

If you choose yes, it will remind you to insert a new cartridge, but Alice still wants to figure out what the other things she unlocked do, so she has no plans to start editing a new game for the time being.

She clicked on the [Newbie Guide] mentioned earlier, and after studying it for a few minutes, she finally understood the differences between the so-called [Story Mode], [Free Mode] and [Casual Mode].

[Story Mode] is the original form she edited for the cartridge, with a plot, narration, opening animation, and specific maps, etc., which is more atmospheric - although it has no practical significance, you must complete [Story Mode] once to unlock the subsequent [Free Mode] and [Casual Mode], and [Story Mode] can only be completed once, probably to give players a unique experience.

Most importantly, when playing the [Story Mode], if all the playable characters die, the real world will also die, just like poor Miss Fialli.

In the Free Mode, after inserting a cartridge that has already been used in the Story Mode, the game console will automatically scan the surrounding environment and characters, digitize them, and build a new game world. There are no other elements, and you can directly enter the battle phase. The previous epic battle between Alice and the rats was conducted in the Free Mode.

In addition, if you die in Free Mode, you will not die in reality, but the cartridge will be damaged and it will take at least a month to repair. During the repair period, all functions of the cartridge will stop, and it cannot be started even if there is energy.

The game returns to its original form, which is meant to entertain people.

……

Yes, it does take energy to start the cartridge. If the energy is insufficient, it will enter a cooling state and you need to wait for time to recover naturally. Playing the two modes mentioned above will consume energy, and the specific amount of consumption depends on the length of the game and the level of the enemy.

Due to the capacity limit of the cartridge, the game time of "Initial Fantasy: Four Warriors" does not exceed three hours, but Fialli's level is relatively high, so the cartridge went into cooling mode directly after the battle, and it was not restored until today; and the level of the rats is relatively low, so after the battle, the cartridge still had 45% of the energy left.

After reading the beginner's guide, Alice has completely understood how to use the game console (roughly), and now comes the main part.

But it doesn’t matter, Alice will be a good role model. She will use her own personal experience to tell the pink-haired girl that moderate gaming and a healthy lifestyle are the essential qualities to become a talented player!

Time passed slowly, and the sunlight outside the window gradually tilted towards the west, and gradually changed from brilliant platinum to dull dark red. Suddenly, a jackdaw cried from the ancient sycamore tree, waking up the girl who was playing video games. When she finally raised her head and moved her eyes around, she found that the room was dark, as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss. There was only a little light on the window edge, like a drifting jellyfish, or an unknown plankton, distant and dreamy.

As for the last [Casual Mode], there is nothing much to say. It is just the most common one. You just play this game on the virtual light screen with a handle. As the name means, it is just for leisure and entertainment when you are bored. The only advantage is that it does not consume energy.

I've gone off topic, but in short, this is what I mean, you can figure it out yourself.

The only thing we need to worry about is not to turn Metien into an internet addict, otherwise it will be terrible if Lingge comes to trouble her.

I had promised her that I would give her the game after it was developed, but I finally fulfilled my promise in another way. But when you are on the verge of life and death, how can you have the leisure to experience the charm of the game? The emergence of [Casual Mode] just solves this problem.

Probably enough to start it once.

The magical plant in the pot was emitting a glow like a firefly, becoming the only light source in this dreary sea. When it noticed Alice's gaze, its leaves fluttered slightly, as if to greet her and remind the internet-addicted girl: It's getting late, you should go to dinner.

However, it can be given to Metien to play with.

She took out the Sequence II cartridge from the cartridge storage box and inserted it into the slot of the game console. While waiting for it to be loaded, she rubbed the handle and thought carefully: What kind of game should I make this time?

Ah, speaking of dinner.

Is there a fairy banquet tonight?

The girl who was addicted to the virtual world realized this belatedly. To be honest, she was quite looking forward to it.

Then let's take a rest first.

Alice stretched her hands and stretched in the dark. Her slender figure was like a silhouette behind the stage, vivid and charming. Then she reached out and pressed the switch behind the game console. The blue screen and the handle suddenly turned into streams of light and returned to the mysterious patterns on the surface of the cube.

She slowly climbed down from the bed, found her black leather shoes, put her feet into them, and stood up. Before she could stand firmly, she felt a black screen in front of her eyes, her body swayed violently, and she almost fell to the ground.

"Oops."

Alice held her forehead, realizing that her old problem had come back again.

It's hypoglycemia... Of course, this is impossible. It's just that I have been looking at the virtual light screen for a long time, and sitting cross-legged on the bed without moving much. My body has become stiff and the blood circulation is poor, causing temporary anemia and brain failure.

To put it simply, she felt dizzy.

She rubbed her brows and tried to make herself feel better. After standing there for a while, she finally recovered from the state of black eyes and lightheadedness. She barely moved her feet and walked towards the door.

Hope I didn't miss the party.

It would be lame if you were the only one playing video games in your room while everyone else was enjoying a delicious meal downstairs.

It shouldn't be the case. If I didn't show up at the banquet, Lingge would come to call me.

Probably so?

Suddenly I wasn't so confident anymore.

All kinds of messy thoughts flashed through her mind. After finally moving to the door, Alice opened it casually and walked out without even looking. Then, her head hit something.

"Wow, it hurts!" She covered her forehead and took two steps back, then raised her head angrily: "Who is it? So uncivilized, standing at the door blocking the way... eh?"

She was stunned.

Linger stood outside the corridor, calmly watching the rude golden-haired maid, his hand raised in the air, as if he was about to knock on the door. Just now, Alice bumped into his fist, it couldn't be said to be intentional, it could only be said to be a beautiful misunderstanding.

Of course, in reality, things may not be so good.

all in all.

Ling Ge put his hand down and said calmly: "Since you are awake, go downstairs. The party is about to begin."

Alice blinked her eyes: "So, you came here to remind me on purpose?"

Linger turned and walked towards the stairs: "I just don't want Metien to make a special trip because of your carelessness."

"Don't say that."

Alice's mood suddenly improved a lot. She closed the door casually, caught up with Ling'er's back, and chattered behind him: "I'm not careless and forgot about the banquet tonight. I just have more important things to do! Besides, I'm your maid. As an employer, isn't it normal for you to care about me more? Look how nice Medien is. She just said she liked me. Unlike you, you obviously like me very much, but you still look awkward. To be honest, Ling'er, Tsundere has been retired. Why don't we change the attribute... Hey, don't walk so fast, wait for me!"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)