Ita Era

Chapter 37 Four Symbols City

System notification: The second casual instance, "Going Home," will be available at 8:00 AM the day after tomorrow.

The "Homecoming" instance is a multi-player instance, with one instance generated for every ten million players. Inventory and skill slots are disabled. Upon entering the instance, each player will receive 100-500 yuan in travel expenses, which can only be used within the "Homecoming" instance.

The homecoming instance has a seven-day time limit; you can leave the instance early by completing the main quest.

The main mission is simple: find a way to get home within seven days.

This casual instance is tagged with "AI Reality" and "Emotionless." The system explains that instances tagged with "Reality" exclude all supernatural elements. "AI Reality" means the world is ruled by AI, with basic laws following those of reality. As for "Emotionless," this can be understood as the NPCs in this world being robots; they lack human emotions and are therefore difficult to get directly to help.

You can't get money from NPCs through emotional means like pleading, nor can you persuade them to do favors, and you won't receive gratitude for doing good deeds.

Ding Shi ate noodles while organizing the information in the copy.

First piece of information: Bank cards have not been blocked; players can use Ita Knives to exchange for dungeon currency with other players.

The second piece of information: This is a highway instance with a very high degree of freedom, where players can use various real-world modes of transportation.

The third piece of information: This is a world with laws. Or it can be understood as an extremely law-abiding world.

The fourth piece of information: AI surveillance, meaning that each camera is its eye.

In summary: Don't mess around in front of the camera.

After lunch, Ding Shi was taking a walk nearby when images and sounds appeared in the sky. It turned out the system was introducing the Four Symbols City. Players who complete two casual dungeons will receive a one-way ticket to the Four Symbols City. Players who do not complete two casual dungeons will be directly teleported to the Four Symbols City.

What's the difference between the two? And what exactly is Sixiang City? This video explains it very clearly.

Those who travel to Sixiang City with a one-way ticket will receive a free 60-square-meter apartment for one year. The system will assign each person a 35-hour work week based on their individual characteristics. Those aged 60 and above but under 18 can choose not to work and will receive a monthly monetary subsidy.

The situation in Sixiang City is very similar to reality, but due to land constraints, each apartment building in Sixiang City has more than two hundred floors. There is a super-large community in each of the four cardinal directions, with a commercial area in the middle, which can accommodate eight million residents. Every time the population reaches eight million, a new Sixiang City will be opened, namely Sixiang City 00, Sixiang City 01, and so on.

The East Community is a villa community with high rents; those with money can buy directly. The West and South Communities are high-rise communities; those with tickets can draw a unit from among them. The North Community is a dormitory community, also consisting of high-rise buildings. The dormitories are 20 square meters, with only shared bathrooms, virtually no appliances, and very few elevators.

Those without one-way tickets who are forcibly sent to Sixiang City can only stay in the North Community. The system will assign them no more than 50 hours of work per week.

The most interesting thing is the two rules of the Four Symbols City. The first rule: Under normal circumstances, residents of the North District are not allowed to enter the East, West, and South communities, and residents of the Southwest communities are not allowed to enter the East community. The living facilities in the four communities differ greatly. Although the reason is unknown, it shows that Ita World intentionally divides people into different classes.

Article 2: Residents of the North Community do not have the power to govern, have no right to vote or be elected, and even no right to voice their opinions.

For now, Four Symbols City is under AI control, with robots handling basic tasks. Humans will gradually replace the robots, and eventually the AI, becoming the actual managers of Four Symbols City. Whether or not to abolish the Qibei Rules at that time will be up to the managers themselves.

More details will be available when you arrive at Sixiang City.

After completing two casual dungeons, you will receive a one-way ticket. Players have two options: one is to use the ticket, as shown in the video, to become a resident of the southwest community of Four Symbols City; the other is to tear up the ticket and continue the dungeon challenge.

The next dungeon will introduce a death penalty. Upon death, all assets and skills will be stripped, and the player will be forcibly relocated to the North District by the system.

As compensation, players will have a very low chance of obtaining a Golden One-Way Ticket within the instance. Using the Golden One-Way Ticket outside the instance will permanently grant them a villa in the Eastern District, a monthly city living allowance, and the option to choose a management position in the city they prefer. Most importantly, these players will be considered aristocratic residents, legally entitled to three spouses, and possess certain criminal immunity within the Four Symbols City.

Ding Shi had Little Sugar Angel replay the video three times, giving him reason to suspect that Ita World was operating a betting scheme. Most players face a crucial choice after two dungeons: bravely go all in and continue their dungeon journey, or leave in time? The very statement about the extremely low probability of getting a golden one-way ticket already implies that gambling is almost always a losing proposition.

"Little Sugar, is this your human observation project?" Ding Shi asked the little angel.

Little Sugar tapped the fairy wand, and four words appeared: "No comment."

Ding Shi asked, "Is your goal to select the people you need from among humanity?"

Little Sugar: "No comment."

Ding asked again, "Or perhaps you're simply completing a homework assignment?" The kindergarten teacher assigned summer homework: observe ants. So the parents found an ant nest, smoked it, poured water on it, and lured it with food to learn about the ants' habits.

Little Sugar: "No comment."

Ding Shi, unable to contain himself any longer, asked: "Do you have hemorrhoids?"

Little Sugar waved her fairy wand, and a bolt of lightning struck the rock in front of Ding Shi. Ding Shi was startled and was about to retaliate verbally when he saw the rock turn into powder and dissipate into the air with the sea breeze.

The subtitles read: Politeness, respect, thank you.

Ding Shi: "But you are impolite, how can I respect you?"

Little Tangtang paused for a second, then asked, "I respect you very much, but I'm not good at expressing myself. My bottom line for politeness is not to swear."

Ding Shi said, "Nine out of ten people have hemorrhoids, so why do you think I'm insulting you?"

Little Sugar replied seriously, "I didn't say you were insulting me, otherwise lightning would have struck you."

Ding Shi asked, "Will I die?"

Little Sugar replied, "No."

Ding Shi spread his arms and said, "Come on, give it a try."

Little Sugar replied decisively, "No, I have manners."

Ding Shi believed that as long as he didn't die, he should try everything to further understand the world of Ita. Even now, Ding Shi still didn't understand what kind of creature Xiao Tangtang was. An AI clone? An alien worker? An intelligence gatherer? A decoration? A mascot? An alien pet? A laborer?

Ding Shi looked at Xiao Tangtang and uttered two words: "Ugly bitch."

Then a bolt of lightning struck Ding Shi. Ding Shi instantly understood why Gui San Niang had screamed and howled when punished by Heaven. This pain was indescribable. If one had to describe it, it would be a piercing pain from the very marrow of one's bones—unfeeling, unscratching, impossible to pinpoint, and one couldn't even feel where the pain was.

A minute later, Ding Shi lay on the ground like a dead fish. He was fine, his clothes were fine, but he felt like his soul was broken.

"State change." Little Sugar said those two words and went off to play by herself.

(End of this chapter)