Nia wanted to set up the barter system. She had made so many potions, bartering a few for her quest items would not be bad. She did not want to get ripped off though. So she waited for her financial consultant for the game to be free.
Maaya was free only by late evening. She was truly busy. She had a whole team to work from back end, to work out small details. It was very small elite workshop. Nia did not think anyone in the college was investing as mush time as Maaya into this game. While wondering about the reasons Maaya had chosen this game, she went on doing her college work. The game may or may not pay credits but it would definitely not give out college degrees.
The matters out there were just rehash of what was said previously. The people from JIN HO had not released any new information. Nia did not have much of social network presence and she was not curious enough to see details of her friends- in which village did they teleport, what was their class, what was their level, what was their name and how did they look in the game... she was not interested in those things.
Nia was one of the unlucky ones in a sense that no one she knew had teleported to Daka village. She checked the report she had prepared to hand over to Maaya. She had summary report of all the people she knew. [Ah! That's why she is not interested in those details anymore.]
She had summed up her experience in the game as online dairy. It would help her later, she was sure. [As a newcomer guide, perhaps? Come on, Nia. Believe me, no one wants to know what you do in the game ;) ]
[Psss.... Don't expose my secret to Nia. Don't let her know that you people are interested in her daily life in the game and real life. I will be dead if she finds out.]
Maaya was like a energizer bunny when she met Nia in the campus. That reminds me, the campus- how it got affected by game previous night, every one knows. The situation did not alter much that day too, though it was a weekend. The cafes, internet cafes were brimming with arguing and hyper people but the campus was like a silent movie, with few people moving here and there.
Maaya was like a breath of fresh air in the campus. She alone could bring life to it with her exuberance. Nia just moved along with her silently, looking more like a contrast or a backdrop.
Maaya did not go into details what she did entire day. Nia did not ask her. [I want to ship them! What an understanding couple!]
Nia asked about how to barter, how much to barter, when to barter...you get the idea. Maaya had clear picture of new game hype and actual worth of the items, thus was of great help. Slowly the matter turned into the game and what new things they might find there.
"....I think they won't release way to cities so soon. We may have to take a long route...."
"....I think there are some hidden quests which have to be triggered for the game to progress..."
"...so you mean to say, now I have to build network among NPCs! It's a crazy idea, but I like it..."
".... ideally speaking, the guilds if formed early, will affect the game directly. Guilds make money for the gaming company too but alter the pace of the game. I can't feel the way this game will handle this issue...."
" ...Did you see the new teasers they had released to pull lifestyle players...."
"....Yeah! I too don't understand it. Generally, lifestyle options are not given preferacen in the begining, but this game is changing everything radically...."
"....Though you can choose multiple lifestyle options, who would do that? Its already difficult for the lifestyle skills to upgrade. Who will have time to upgrade all the skills?..."
"...What? Items can be sold on consignment in NPC shops? Does that mean I can do other sorts of deals too?..."
"....Yeah! All shopkeepers are misers and cheaters. Get over it....."
"Want to grab dinner? There's still lots of time for the game to load."
Over the dinner in streetside cafe, "...Really? You died because of that? Only you..."
".....Alexa or Lexi or something similar right? Send me that video. I'll make sure she or her followers won't bully you..."
"....the monsters' AI is very complex and the way XP is calculated is different too. Look at me, I upgraded only AOE skills [Area of effect skills = skill affecting large areas] and joined a party. We take turns to put AOE spells and all the monsters gathered are gone, poof and only XP and some loots left. I asked one of math genius in campus to look at data and explain how XP was calculated. He saw the data and started laughing like a lunatic...."
"Whom did you ask?" (Nia)
"The one and only Anand 'Joy' Trendell. " (Maaya)
"You deserved to be laughed off!" (Nia)