Chapter 3: Muddled Volunteer (1)

  "Online Research Institute".

  I have lived in this city for sixteen years and didn't know there was such a research institute.

  We got off the bus with Little Aunt, and the surroundings looked very unfamiliar to me. I asked Little Aunt: "Where is this?"

  "A place that can't be found on a map."

  Da P said: "I understand, it's a new development zone. There are many such development zones now, if I'm not mistaken, this place used to be a desolate and barren land, where ghosts and monsters roamed."

  I was so scared that I grabbed my aunt's hand tightly, and she laughed and said, "Don't listen to him, look at how beautiful this place is, how could there be any lonely ghosts or wild devils?"

  The surroundings are really beautiful, and when you turn a corner, you see a garden. I have never seen such beautiful flowers before - red, yellow, green, all with big and fat petals, paired with green stems, blooming brightly under the sunset of dusk. As if afraid of startling those flowers, I held my breath and asked my aunt: "What... is the name of this flower?"

  "Mandala flower." Little Aunt said, "Our newly developed variety, in the game, each different petal will give you a different magic. You'll understand them slowly."

  "They're not real," said Big P. "They're just reflections, they look like the real thing, don't they?"

  I didn't believe it, stretched out my hand to touch, this touch made me scared in a way that was not trivial, empty and without anything, just like touching the air, but the fragrance that kept crawling into my nose was so real.

  What's going on?!

  My aunt pulled my hand back and said: "You can't touch it now, but when you reach a certain level in the game, you'll be able to touch it for real."

  "Jasmine." Da P said with a smile, "I think it smells even better than roses."

  We arrived in front of a pale blue three-story small building. My aunt said, "We're here, this is my second home. Welcome to visit."

  I don't know if it was because my aunt's car drove too fast, but I completely lost my sense of direction and could only follow her in a daze. Big P, who never stops talking, said: "Why isn't there anyone guarding the entrance? Can anyone come to visit?"

  "Nobody can get in here without an ID and the right password," said Little Auntie.

  "Awesome!" Big P swung his long arms and legs with excitement, "You're bringing us to play Wizard's Total Mobilization, you know I'm always interested in new games!"

  "...So, are you willing to volunteer?" his aunt asked him.

  "What does it mean?"

  The little aunt opened the door of an office, and many computers appeared in front of us immediately. The screen saver on all computers was "Wizard General Mobilization". After asking us to sit down, the little aunt said: "I'll explain it to you. In order to make the game more realistic and fun, sometimes the danger level of the game may exceed the designer's imagination and control. However, in order to protect the interests and safety of players, we want to let some volunteers try it out before the formal public test. They can be online game masters or online game newbies. Through their different reactions in the game, we will finally adjust our various programs."

  Da P reacted extremely quickly: "Understood, just like me and Ding Wei, I'm a master, she's an idiot, right?"

  "You're the idiot!" I cursed her.

  Who knew that Xiao Yi nodded and said: "It can be said that way."

  "I'm out of here." I stood up angrily and said, "I refuse to be some kind of idiot volunteer. I have no interest in any of this."

  "Entirely voluntary!" My aunt leaned back in her chair and said, "No one will force you."

  Big P muttered beside him: "If you miss such an opportunity, it's really stupid."

  The naughty little aunt slowly tempted me, saying: "Don't you want to know who that little witch was that day? Don't you want to go see the beautiful sea in the Holy Domain? Don't you want to touch the tempting petals of the Mandrake flower with your own hands? In this game, all of this can be achieved, believe me!"

  It's strange, how did my aunt seem to know about my dream?

  My aunt smiled at me and skillfully moved the mouse, a strange map appeared on the computer screen.

  "This is the entire game map, which is divided into 1099 small maps. Each map is connected by a maze, and each map has exciting things worth exploring. New players can start their wonderful journey in the Holy Domain after learning magic at the Wizard School. I can say without exaggeration that this should be the most thrilling, dynamic and fun game in the world right now."

  "Wow, I can hardly wait!"

  "You have two options to enter the game," said Little Aunt. "Either solo or team up. If you team up, there's less danger, but the experience points will be divided equally."

  "Team up!" said Da P.

  "Fight alone!" I said.

  "Then who should I listen to?"

  "I'll give up if we team up." I persisted.