Alex, after unexpectedly unlocking a hidden quest that offers him at least a slight chance to join the Knights of Pluto, is in an unusually happy mood.
He deeply reflects on the encounter, realizing that while he had acted more or less calculated, until he felt a strange feeling coming from his newly acquired necklace: [Commander Shepard's Dog Tag]. Before encountering the Fantasy Realm, Alex had always been a passive guy, rarely taking the initiative and preferring to stay in the background.
However, the recent events have changed him somewhat. Enhanced by the necklace, he felt a strong sense of certainty, a belief that if he acted in a certain way, things would go his way. And they had. His gamble paid off, and he had unlocked a side quest right after arriving in Alexandria.
As he walks through the bustling streets, Alex reflects: "That was risky and insane! Throwing a grenade into the air—never mind the explosion—but the damn shrapnel could have killed someone!" He knows the necklace influenced that event. The more he thinks about it, the more he questions how such a crazy stunt had even worked. The power of the item he had purchased for just 4500 FC becomes clear to him. Without it, pulling off something as wild as that would have been impossible.
Still, Alex knows he needs to be cautious. "I'll rely on it when necessary," he decides, "but I'll control my emotions and carefully consider the consequences. I refuse to be the slave of a damn necklace; I'll use it to my advantage!"
Alex continues exploring Alexandria, and he is just shocked. In the game, the city already seemed quite large, but it ultimately consisted of only 10 to 15 major screens. However, the Alexandria that now stretches before him, although similar to the game version, is on an entirely different scale!
While his start at the southern town gate felt almost too familiar—eerily similar to the game—everything else is drastically different. The "main street" that took mere seconds to cross in the game now takes Alex nearly half an hour to fully explore in reality.
Attempting to be clever, Alex searches various places for items. In the game, treasure seemed to be everywhere—hidden under beds, tucked inside chests, or waiting in random corners. However, in this real-world version created by the Fantasy Realm, that is simply not the case. And Alex knows that if he starts entering random homes and picking up anything he finds, he'd be nothing more than a common thief. The guards would undoubtedly arrest him, which could ruin his entire mission and lead to disastrous consequences.
After having no luck in the large city square near the southern gate or the main street, Alex starts to feel frustrated. He had almost fully expected to find cards, hidden items, and piles of gil lying around... but that sort of treatment seems reserved for the main characters.
Still, Alex presses on with his exploration of Alexandria. He really just needs to fill his time for the next two days until he has a chance to join the Knights of Pluto. The hidden quest he unlocked earlier, though, nags at him. The fact that it didn't specify a reward raises his suspicion. "It's probably not going to be as simple as I hope..." he mutters to himself.
He plans to at least work on an emergency plan. If he fails to join the Knights of Pluto, he needs to prepare an alternative now, not in two days. Four weeks may sound like a lot of time, but for Alex, this is time he desperately needs to make a good start on his mission.
Leaving behind the chaotic brightness of the main street, Alex finally notices something—or rather someone—interesting.
A fat hippo child, whom Alex believes to be Hippaul, appears in front of him, running through the streets near the town square. The area is filled with hotels, shops, and even the famous ticket shop that validates tickets for the Tantalus play, the event that essentially kicks off the main story of the game.
Alex hesitates. Should he approach Hippaul? He remembers that Hippaul has a secret stash of cards hidden in an old, abandoned steeple. But if he takes them, would that alter the story? Do minor things like this count? Alex realizes his mission may be trickier than it first appeared. He would much prefer a world where he could run wild and do whatever he wanted. He's sure this particular mission is unique—probably more restricted than future ones.
For now, Alex decides to ignore Hippaul until he has a reason or a clear plan for approaching him. Instead, he heads towards the town square, where he checks out the largest hotel in the area. Shockingly, the hotel, run by Hippaul's family, charges 100 gil per night for the cheapest room. That's only 10 FC, but with 28 days to survive in Alexandria and no way to leave, Alex quickly calculates that he'd burn through all his money by just staying for 10 nights.
Choosing not to check into the hotel just yet, Alex decides to continue exploring, targeting the nearby weapon and armor stores!
He is both shocked and excited as he notices the items inside the weapon store. To his surprise, they are selling Steiner's starting equipment, the [Broadsword], but unlike in the game, it is far from the cheap 300 gil price tag he remembers.
[Broadsword]
World: Final Fantasy IX
Quality: White
Type: Sword
Required Stats: STR - 5, PHY - 5
Durability: 30/30
Damage: 12-12
Note: A simple sword without any noticeable qualities.
Price: 5000 gil - Limited to one per player inventory.
Alex's excitement dies instantly. The [Broadsword] here costs a whopping 5000 gil, which would have needed 500 FC if he were allowed to convert more. Though it's a fair price for a weapon like this, it comes strictly limited to 1 per player. Not only that, it lacks the unique abilities it had in the game. The system doesn't seem to recognize those abilities at all! Alex laments that the AP system from the game, which could have been a godlike cheat for obtaining temporary skills, isn't part of the rules here. What a shame!
Even stranger, Alex can't find any other weapons recognized by the system inside the store. He is 100% sure he spots a Mythril Sword on one of the finer stands, sparkling with it's distinct azure color and with a large price tag below it, but when he takes it out of the display case and shows it to the shopkeeper, the system once again shows him only the [Broadsword]. It's as if no matter how fancy the swords appear, they all turn into [Broadswords] when viewed through the system.
The shopkeeper also acts oddly whenever Alex asks for a list of available items—the [Broadsword] is the only thing that shows up. Alex begins to realize that this isn't the "free and open" world he had imagined. It's a carefully crafted but artificial world, designed by the Fantasy Realm to test players. Every element related to combat seems deliberately placed.
The rest of the world, however—the people, animals, buildings, even the sky—feels as real as it gets. It's as if the Fantasy Realm used the game as detailed inspiration to build an entire living, breathing world.
The [Broadsword] is a decent weapon, and at 5000 gil, it's quite a deal. But compared to Alex's own [Solid Marine Saber], it's way inferior. His saber is more elegant, precise, and faster to wield, and even has higher damage. "You really can't compare light green to white-tier equipment," Alex thinks.
He still considers buying it, though. If he could snag this sword for 500 FC, he'd buy as many as he could afford and easily sell them for 1000 FC or more in the Fantasy Realm. That, of course, is why he suspects he can only buy one and could only convert 100 FC into actual gil.
He also notices that the synthesis shop, which is closed at the start of the game, is suspiciously semi-closed here as well, offering only tools and simple repairs at the moment. No fancy synthesis yet, which is disappointing. The only other item in the nearby shops recognized by the system is the [Leather Shirt], starting equipment for many characters. Unfortunately, it's limited, and to Alex, not very attractive.
[Leather Shirt]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: White
Durability: 20/20
Note: It's a start.
Price: 2200 gil - Limited to one per player inventory.
Alex is sure that if the gray and white quality tiers had subtier ratings like "light" or "deep," this would barely qualify as a "light" white item. Even his fur armor is far superior, offering a wider area of protection and 10 extra durability. He realizes his first mission is at an even lower starting point than the tutorial, and he feels thankful he already has strong gear. Without it, enduring the hardships on the road to Lindblum with this kind of basic equipment would have been a nightmare.
Still, it's not like he can't buy anything. Alex can purchase different clothes, food, and other everyday items. These are essentially the same as in his real world, only usable here. They can be stored inside and outside his inventory like regular items, but the system doesn't recognize them. Of course, he'll need to buy food regularly, system-recognized or not. He also needs more clothes, as he doesn't plan on wearing the same set of underwear under his fur armor for weeks.
"Don't want to end up like poor Mike Schmidt and have 'Odor' listed in my Notice of Termination from the Knights of Pluto," he jokes to himself. That would be a stupid way to fail his hidden quest.
Alex decides to stock up on normal shirts he can wear under his armor, boring-looking pants, men's underwear, and a bar of soap. He also finds a large store selling food and buys several cheap-looking sandwiches filled with what looks like smoked meat, enough to last him for days. He leaves the store and stashes the food and clothes in his inventory.
With all modern items from his inventory banned, Alex is determined to create a stash of essential items for daily use here in Gaia and other low tech worlds. After all these purchases, his gil drops from 1000 to just 700.
Alex, slightly more hopeful about the item store, visits it next since it's close by. Unlike the game, the real Alexandria offers multiple stores scattered across the city for weapons, armor, and items. He enters the largest item store he can find and ends up being decently satisfied, though not thrilled.
[Potion]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: White
Effect: Instantly heals 10 HP when used and 15 HP when used during an intense battle.
Note: Did you expect it to have one more "0"? Very naive!
Price: 500 gil - Limited to 5 per player inventory
[Antidote]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: White
Effect: Heals or weakens the effect of a minor poison effect.
Note: Don't expect to climb into a Morbol's mouth and be fine as long as you have this. This is a very basic antidote.
Price: 500 gil - Limited to 3 per player inventory
[Eye Drops]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: White
Effect: Heals or weakens the effect of a minor blinding effect.
Note: Useful for tired eyes and dark clouds that may appear in front of your face.
Price: 500 gil - Limited to 3 per player inventory
Still, he can't help but feel disappointed. "That's it? I shouldn't have expected more… but man, not even a Phoenix Down?" He shakes his head. Sure, the items are useful, but it's humbling. This world feels so real and offers so much depth, yet everything related to combat is tightly controlled by the system. Even obtaining green-tier items is going to be tough at this rate.
"The days of staying in a fortified village, doing a few simple side quests, and getting showered in gray and white gear are over, I guess." He sighs. The reality is setting in—this isn't some easy grind for loot. Every reward is going to be hard-earned.
Alex decides not to buy anything for now, already calculating what he'll need for the journey ahead. His mind also drifts back to the effect of his basic skill:
Basic Eloquence:
Requirements: 5 CHA to learn, +1 CHA per level.
Effect: Improves social interactions and trading ability.
Provides a +5% boost to speech checks, reputation gains, and vendor prices at level 0, with an additional +1% per level.
At least he gets a discount, though 6% off isn't going to drastically change things right now. But over time, it could add up, especially in more worlds. Even if other players aren't interested in white-tier items, Alex knows that the workers in the Fantasy Realm will always buy low-tier items at a price slightly below their generic versions. And who knows? If things keep going like this, white-tier items might still hold value when he finally leaves the tutorial section of the Fantasy Realm at level 5.
Perhaps there are other uses for these items, which would explain why merchants buy them without limitations. Repairing items is expensive, so who knows what hidden potential they may have? For now, Alex's goal is clear: complete the main mission and gather as much loot as possible to either strengthen his abilities or sell for FC later.
Time passes as Alex explores and investigates Alexandria, appreciating the foreign yet slightly familiar feeling of the town. Eventually, he wanders far from the bustling main square into a shadier district. The area is filled with abandoned stores, cheap houses, and a few scattered, poor-looking people.
Alex, no stranger to places like this, feels right at home. Having grown up in a big city in Germany with several poor districts, he feels confident here. His own parents had only climbed out of poverty within the last ten years, scraping together enough money to buy a medium-sized apartment in a better neighborhood.
As he walks, he sees kids playing and older people going about their business. It all feels fairly ordinary. Then, he comes across a dark alley. Reminded of Einstein's famous quote, "In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity," Alex decides to explore. After a few minutes of looking around, he finds nothing of interest and feels slightly disappointed. Just as he turns to leave, a man suddenly appears in front of him, casually walking toward Alex.
Alex, now cautious and slightly paranoid from his experiences, pays close attention to the man despite the dim lighting. He takes in the details: the man is shorter than Alex, with bright red hair, wearing a mask, a cropped leather vest, tall boots, 2 daggers, a sword and a few leather wristbands... no, four leather wristbands, wait, four arms?
Recognition hits him like a bolt. "Alleyway Jack? No... Gilgamesh!"