I stepped out and I saw the palace. It was insanely huge that even the endless acres of greenery I saw earlier wouldn't be able to fit this palace. The steps were very lengthy and the front gate of the palace was almost as tall as the first hill we had climbed in the Hardware hills. This hike though only took a few minutes. The stairs and the perfectly cut trees on the sides were just too mesmerizing. I took in the sights as I walked up. "Wow. It's so hard to believe that this masterpiece of architecture is there in every computer", I thought to myself.
I finally reached the gates and they were massive. It was so big that I thought the motherboard was a giant. The gate was incredibly designed. It was made of redstone and decorated with high-quality jewels embroidered together with a tough string of silk. It looked mesmerizing. "It's insanely beautiful. Just like every other gate in this realm which feels kind of ironic", I thought. "It's almost as if the gates get better and better as I travel through the realm."
We finally entered the gate after an entire minute of pushing the gates open (which didn't surprise me). I took my first step and my leg fell on the soft, red carpet which spanned from the door through a hallway. Just like the binary banquet hall, this hallway was decorated with frames of significant individuals. However, here it was filled with pictures of previous motherboards. The list went on and on and as I walked on the faces grew happier and softer. I looked closely at the period.
"Wow, there's only a one-day gap between all these motherboards", I discovered. I asked about this to one of the servants.
"The time in your world is very slow compared to our world. A day is around 24 years in our world. So even though your computer is only a month old in your world. Here, it is 720 years old. All the icons and creatures of the realm die at exactly 24 years and get replaced immediately and automatically by a newer version. Most usually stay the same and a duplicate is born. For logos when a worldwide update is sent their next version changes. But for a motherboard, they always change, slowly but steadily", the servant said.
This was very relieving information. I had probably only spent a few weeks in here and if a day in my world was 24 years in this world, then a year was only an hour in my world. I had definitely spent nothing close to a year so back at home nothing would change most likely. It would only be a few minutes since I was gone. The words of the servant, 'All icons and creatures of the realm die at exactly 24 years', really shocked me. That would mean there were around 30 Mozarts or 30 Docs or 30 Charlies and Charlottes before I came into the realm. What would happen to them after I left this realm? I would probably never see the same people again. As these sad thoughts intruded my mind, I looked around and barely glanced at the picture of the current motherboard at the end of the hallway, just before turning to the right and onto the next hallway.
We traveled through these halls and walked here and there. The halls seemed like a rabbit's warren, never seeming to end. Finally, we reached the empress. This was the first time I saw her face apart from the photo in the hallway. She had a kind face and was seated beautifully on her magnificent throne. Everything in this part of the realm, except for the limo and the firewall gate, was so old-fashioned and ancient compared to the rest of the digital and high-technology realm. I walked towards the empress. Back home, we didn't really learn proper bowing manners at school, just like any other school in the 21st century. But, I managed a firm position and a brief salute. The empress didn't change her expression at all and beckoned me to sit on a chair a few feet away from her. I saw down on the soft, cushioned chair.
"I think you might know why you're here", the empress spoke for the first time. Her voice was melodious and sounded like a musical instrument. It was a very sweet but firm voice at the same time.
"Yes, and I truly apologize for bringing the virus into this realm", I said, trying to sound as polite as possible.
"Alas, mistakes occur for everyone and you are not an exception. But, what you have done wrong, you must make right. I have a mission for you that you have to accept."
I nodded in acceptance.
"The virus you have brought in is a very special type of virus. It is a rare species and a very smart one too. It is so lethal it could easily tear down this entire realm. However, we have managed to sedate it and keep it asleep at the Far East Edge of the world. It may be asleep but we don't know when it can awake itself. The only thing that can stop it is the recycle bin. That is the particular reason why we picked to drop you into the recycle bin"
"You were the one who brought me here?"
"No, we were given the option to choose where you would land. This virus is very evil. Not only does it want this realm to suffer, but it wants you to suffer too. And without you using the computer from the outside world, you can't stop it easily. Do you understand?"
I nodded. I thought about how silly I was to install that game and how irresponsible I was to ignore that clear warning in the description that said it would immerse me in the game.
"Anyways, all you have to accomplish is to get the virus to the recycle bin. Firstly, you have to wake the virus from its deep slumber in the Far East Edge of the world. Then, you will have to run all the way back to the recycle bin where you came from. After that, you must get the virus into the bin and he will be deleted forever."
"But, how will I manage that by myself, Your Majesty"
"We will give you this magical keyboard", she said and pulled out a keyboard. It was white and golden and had a magnificent aura around it. She handed it to me and I placed it carefully on my lap. "This keyboard has incredible powers. If you type any of your material desires and click [ENTER] you will receive it. To run quickly through the realms you can use the [SHIFT] key. Once you reach the recycle bin, you have to get the virus within 50 meters of the bin. Then all you have to do is click [START] + [FUNCTION]. The virus will have been deleted forever. After that, you should click the [TAB] key to teleport back to this palace. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I do. But, where is the Far East Edge of the world."
"It is extremely far away. It is so far that even the firewall can't span across that distance. That's where the virus wanted to enter and it would have been successful if the Circuit Kingdom's royal army wasn't there. But, you can easily reach it by pressing the [SHIFT] key which will help you run around 15 times faster."
"Is that all I will need?"
"Yes, that is all you will need. It is a great boon, so use it wisely in your journey. The virus is big, smart, fast, and evil. So be careful. For now, take some rest and then eat some food before you take off on your journey."
I took some rest, ate some food, got fresh, and prepared myself for the journey. And every single second of it the only thing I thought about was tension for the mission that lay ahead. I hoped nothing would go wrong. Little did I know what would happen.