Now this would normally be the point where I test things out to see how they work, but there wasn't that much to do or learn. I've spent a long time on the internet, after all, so I've seen this stuff before. When it came to making a Rune Address, it was akin to the creation of an email but with a different alphabet. I can project a keyboard and mouse from the God Panel itself. And I can use it anywhere and no one else can see it unless I choose to project the monitor, which would probably require some sort of excuse to keep suspicions away.
And while I could definitely leave now since I have no need to use this MPC over the one in my God Panel, I did pay for an all day cubicle. Plus, this technically counts as lodging, so I wouldn't need to sort that out if I stayed.
Still, I sort of have a feeling of… anticlimax? Like, I came down here to learn about the world and its races by observing it. But now I have Fanta Regauss' equivalent of the internet at my fingertips, a tool that has most of the relevant information I need. If I wanted to, I could go back to the domes and hole up in the bedroom I made while looking up and memorizing important bits. The goal has been reached, but I hadn't even gone on an appropriate journey…
"Hello? Are you listening?"
Back on Earth, I spent way too much time with a screen in my face. My mom told me that I'd never make meaningful outside connections, but that wasn't a concern of mine at the time. The friendships one can make online are just as real and powerful as ones you could make in person. This also meant the pain of no longer being friends due to a mistake you blame yourself for constantly is also just as strong.
"Stop spacing out, I'm trying to talk to you!"
Even though I am still myself, I was supposed to be reborn into this world. Should I really go down the same path as I did before? Being holed up in my room, disconnected from the outside world? That's literally what Kandance was doing all this time, and she didn't even have ManaNet, so why shouldn't I? But I'm not her, I don't want to be her. I'm The NEW God, and I have to bring something new to the table. That's why-
"OOOOHOHOHOHO!"
AHHHH SHE'S LAUGHING LOUDLY IN MY EAR- OW MY HEAD!
… So. While I wasn't paying attention, Kandance floated the God Panel right up to my ear and the shock from hearing a loud noise caused me to jump back and hit my head against the hard cubicle wall. Going forward, I will make an effort to- no, I WILL pay attention so that it does not get to that point again.
"So what did you wanna tell me again?"
I rubbed the aching spot on my head to hopefully make it hurt less. I don't know why it would, but it's the thought that counts.
"What I was trying to tell you is that if you're thinking about leaving early because you have this MPC on your God Panel now, you… technically can't. The Return spell I gave you is on a… let's call it a cooldown period. It won't be usable for one year, basically."
Well that would have been good to know beforehand!
"The exception is if Revert ends up activating due to you being in actual danger of dying. Since you'll no longer be bound by the Mortal Form and have full access to your powers again, you can just warp back to the domes instantly."
I mean, I'd hope to not be in a scenario where I'd have to put myself in life threatening danger. But by thinking that thought, I have now set up Chekhov's Gun, a narrative principle wherein everything has to have a purpose. Meaning that, at some point, I will have to do the thing I said I had hoped not to do. Curse you, brain! If only I never thought of that!
"... Why are you shaking your fist in the air?"
"Oh, sorry."
Did I mention I like to act out my thoughts when I think no one is looking? Like how I animate my thoughts or stuff I read in my head, I also tend to just mimic the actions myself to better help visualize them. I also like to think to myself in a way that it sounds like a video essay or like someone is watching me. So I explain my own thoughts in detail and explain stuff so that my invisible audience isn't left out. That and I'm just weird.
"Well, I was gonna try and explore more, anyway."
Yeah, that's what I was trying to decide for myself before I got interrupted, but might as well just go with it now.
"That's good!"
"But I still do want to use this MPC emulator. Thus, I will intentionally gimp myself. Doing things like only looking up info on a town or kingdom after I've already been there for a day, or not looking up monster weaknesses until I beat one without it."
"... Why?"
Yeah, I get that.
"Well, back… on Earth, sorry for the pause, train of thought cut off for a moment. Uhh, anyway, on Earth, challenging oneself by putting arbitrary limitations on what you can do has been a longtime staple of creating interesting content! What if you could beat a video game without using its core mechanics? Can you do this difficult task while actively gimping yourself and making things harder on purpose? I spent one hundred days as in this wacky world in Hardcore Mi-"
"Alright, I understand now. Please move on…"
I have a feeling that Kandance isn't a fan of my objectively odd nature. And I can't blame her, it can definitely put people off. This is why I usually just… don't do anything in public. Can't make others feel awkward if I don't make them feel anything towards me.
"Sorry, sorry."
"And don't apologize so much!"
Another thing I do a lot that gets on people's nerves unintentionally. I am two for two already.
"... Okay."
Anyway, it's only been, like, one hour? And I technically have twenty three left. I can't spend a whole day here, can I? I mean, I probably can. I've spent weeks just staying in my room before, only going out for stuff like food and water. Still, to do it in another world would probably get boring, fast.
So I use that calling function to ask an employee if I can leave temporarily and come back later while keeping the room. That bat girl from earlier answered, and yeah, I can as long as I'm back before their regular hours end. And that's, like, two hours after midnight, so no worries there. Thus, I head back out into Camlyonn, keeping the rune key with me so they'll know it's me when I get back.
… You know, I probably should have thought up some ideas of what I wanted to do. Because I got nothing! Absolutely nothing!