Only at monts like this did Carl truly appreciate how useful it was for a digital lifeform to split its consciousness into multiple parts and still function as if nothing had changed.
The place where Carl t Anan again was still beneath the shadow of the city wall.
Anan stood atop the wall, perched on a wooden crate as she gazed out over the bustling nightscape of the City of Glory.
Because this was the Main World, the streets and alleyways of the City of Glory felt surprisingly lived-in. It reminded Carl of the park staff relaxing after closing ti.
"Want a drink?"
When Anan saw Carl arrive, she tossed him a bottle of wine that looked rather decent.
"I don't usually drink, but this ti…"
Carl opened the bottle right away and gently tapped it against the one in Anan's hand.
This bottle of wine had a Data Volu of 2,700.
And what did that an?
It ant that if this bottle of wine sohow turned into a monster, it could punch through the entire table, then grab the drinker by the collar and demand, "What exactly are you drinking? Say it. What are you drinking?"
"The flavor is certainly complicated."
Carl took a small sip of the wine, whose vintage he could not identify. Bitterness and sweetness spread across his tongue at the sa ti.
"I brought this up from the Abyssal Frontier. Don't worry, it's been purified. But you… you don't seem especially affected by the plague."
Anan took a long swig straight from the bottle.
Clearly, being a heavy drinker was probably part of her character setting.
However, the role Anan was currently playing, a little flower girl, was not exactly suited to openly chugging wine from the bottle.
"In any case, this wine has too many Data Volu impurities. I can't absorb much from it."
By now, Carl had figured out what problems arose when an item's Data Volu decreased.
Food was the most obvious example. When a food item's Data Volu dropped, it lost all flavor.
For ordinary objects, the most noticeable effect was a decline in visual quality, making them look like pixelated, low-resolution assets.
However, their shape, weight, and texture remained unchanged.
Elysium was probably using so clever optimization tricks, things like DLSS, supersampling, or similar techniques.
Those optimization thods likely made low-data items appear perfectly normal to both players and in-ga characters.
Thinking of this, Carl took the opportunity to ask Anan the question he cared about most.
How did beings in Elysium level up?
Aside from directly absorbing Sacred Contract Stones and premium Contract Stones, how did the inhabitants of Elysium increase their level?
This was crucial for the leveling and evolution system Carl was currently designing for the Pokémon.
"You don't know? Then I'll just assu you're so minor noble from the countryside who has never seen a real war."
Anan thought for a mont, then made a light chopping motion with her hand.
"The way we increase our Data Volu, or 'level up,' as the Saviors call it, is very simple. We kill."
"We kill other beings and siphon Data Volu from them. Straightforward progression logic, isn't it?"
"Isn't that too easy? If a powerful being kept devouring other people's Data Volu, wouldn't they just beco unstoppable?"
Carl felt there had to be so kind of restriction, or more precisely, so horrifying consequence.
"Yes. Data Volu taken from living beings always contains impurities, whether that being is infected by the Calamity Plague or not. No…"
"Perhaps that is one of the sources of the Calamity Plague."
Anan's gaze drifted back to the civilians resting on the streets below.
"Once you siphon too much Data Volu through killing, your very existence begins to be contaminated. That is the line dividing the weak from the strong. Those who can withstand constant contamination beco the revered Ascendants."
"Other than that, there is also the thod of refining one's skills to increase Data Volu, but that path is slow. It is nowhere near as fast as killing enemies with your own hands on the battlefield."
As she spoke, Anan took out a premium Contract Stone and a Sacred Contract Stone, weighing them in her palm.
"That is why Contract Stones, crystals of pure Data Volu, are such precious resources to us."
"As for those born under Elysium's blessing, the banner units, as the Saviors call them, they are granted powerful abilities, Data Volu, and… unique lives from the mont they are created."
Anan's tone suddenly took on a hint of pride as she took another drink.
"But even with Elysium's blessing, becoming a true apex existence is far from easy. That is probably why the Headmaster's faction is so eager to recruit us."
Hearing this, Carl asked Anan another critical question, one driven by his own curiosity.
"Then what about the players, I an, the Saviors? Where does their Data Volu co from?"
If an average player whaled for a base-copy unit with signature gear, that character's Data Volu would usually be around 6,000 to 10,000.
A fully duped unit with maxed signature gear could be pushed straight to around 19,000 to 25,000.
A Data Volu starting at 20,000 was already enough to place soone among the elite powers of Elysium.
After all, Hasumi's initial Data Volu had only been around 11,000.
"The Saviors are unaffected by impurities. They can absorb the power of other beings without limit. The only thing that restricts a Savior's growth is the 'vessel' they use as a ga character. You understand what that ans now, don't you?"
Anan spoke of an ability that would likely make every NPC in Elysium sick with envy.
Having a real flesh-and-blood brain really did have its advantages. It would not be corroded or influenced by data corruption and all sorts of bugs.
Carl's growth worked in a similar way. The only difference was that his body, the vessel carrying that power, required strict training in order to keep up with the rate at which he absorbed power.
That was also why Carl felt exhausted every ti he consud a Sacred Contract Stone. Processing that stuff consud far too much physical energy.
"I see. Then I roughly know how to design the spirit leveling system."
The spirits Carl had previously created only had a Data Volu of around one hundred.
Players would definitely need to take them along and level them up, and the thod was simple.
Although it sounded a little cruel, it was essentially a matter of devouring the Data Volu of monsters.
Those monsters could co from the original Oath ga, or from other spirits.
Of course, for defeated wild spirits, Carl would make sure they retained at least ten points of Data Volu. He would also provide various berries to help them quickly recover their original strength.
He would think of other leveling thods later.
At the sa ti, Carl needed to build habitats in Netherworld Village, and even in the wilderness around the City of Glory, so the spirits would have places to live.
But habitats were not easy to create, especially if he wanted players to experience this gaplay on Oath's main map. That would likely co with plenty of complications.
Still, Carl was not in a rush.
He could build it little by little when the ti ca.
As for the contamination issue, Carl could set a soft level cap that players would not easily notice once contamination reached a critical threshold.
However, the spirits themselves did not need to worry too much about contamination. The fun players gained while playing would naturally purify the contamination inside the spirits.
Once the spirits Carl created beca stronger, they could go directly after the Data Volu of monsters from the original Oath.
Although the monsters around the City of Glory were all creatures contaminated by the Calamity Plague, as long as the gaplay was fun enough, the purification speed would naturally keep pace.
"Thank you for the information, Ms. Anan. Now it's my turn to advise you. I'm also quite curious about what kind of storyline Oath's official team has written for you."
Carl finally guided the conversation toward the real topic.
When official business ca up, Anan suddenly hesitated.
She pressed her lips together, then drained the rest of the wine in one go before turning her gaze toward Carl, as if she had finally made up her mind.
"Before we talk about the storyline, I want you to see… what I truly look like now, and the real situation that I and the Abyssal Knights are facing."
"No problem. I've seen plenty of patients eroded by the Calamity Virus. Whatever your true form is, I can accept it."
Carl also knew that Anan's current appearance as a little flower girl was only a disguise.
In his imagination, her true form was probably that of a battle-hardened woman in pitch-black armor.
"Take my hand. I will bring you into my Mindscape. You could also call it a Domain. Every truly powerful being in Elysium is a walking disaster, and I am no exception."
Anan jumped down from the wooden crate and extended her small, childlike hand to Carl.
Carl took Anan's hand without much fear. In the next instant, he understood what she ant by a walking disaster.
The prosperous scenery of the City of Glory vanished in an instant.
Pitch-black flas surged toward Carl. Everything around him seed to burn away into nothingness.
When the chaos settled, the sky, the ground, and the surrounding landscape had all changed. The world had beco a stretch of scorched earth ravaged by fire.
And on that scorched earth sat a giant dragon covered in black scales.
"I… hope I didn't scare you. This is already the result of suppressing the virus's erosion as much as possible and controlling my form to appear closer to normal human aesthetics."
Anan's massive dragon head leaned down.
Her golden pupils were nearly half as large as Carl himself.
"How could I be scared? Ms. Anan, this form of yours… I honestly can't think of any word for it except beautiful."
After seeing Anan's true form, Carl truly could not stop himself from reaching out and touching the smooth scales beneath Anan's chin.
Most gars had a soft spot for dragons, and Carl was no exception.
(To be continued.)
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)
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