【 CLOUDPLAYER 】¹
“So… even though virtual gas have been booming over the past two years, the market is still far from perfect. With so many good and bad companies scrambling to cash in and get a piece of the pie, the quality of gas released nowadays tends to vary wildly, especially those blatant, trend-chasing, cash-grab copycat ones…”
Jiang Shang carefully set down the VR capsule’s helt and said earnestly.
“So, Ziya, you’re saying this Immortal Cultivation Sect Simulator isn’t a good ga?”
Standing beside the VR capsule, a tall, skinny boy who looked about eighteen or nineteen spoke up.
Jiang Shang’s lips twitched at the nickna and muttered, “How many tis do I have to tell you not to call that…” ²
After saying this, he climbed out of the capsule and put on his glasses.
“What ga do you think is the best then? Personally, I think this one’s pretty good! Maybe it’s because it’s my first VR ga since buying this VR capsule—it all feels so new to ,” the tall boy asked again.
Jiang Shang pondered for a mont before shaking his head.
“Akai, your understanding of VR gas is still too shallow. Let tell you, there was a true masterpiece in the VR gaming world that was released last year. Compared to that, every other ga is just… h.”
“A masterpiece?” Akai titled his head.
“You should’ve heard of it,” Jiang Shang replied, a knowing smile on his face.
Akai frowned, pressing his fingers to his temples as if trying to jog his mory.
“Wait a second… I can definitely rember this… Give a mont…”
A few seconds later, his eyes lit up.
“Ah! I’ve got it! It’s a Western fantasy MMORPG, right? I think it’s called Elven Kingdom or sothing…I rember it even went viral!”
“Exactly,” Jiang Shang nodded in confirmation.
“That ga went super viral. It beca so popular during its beta phase that the number of signups actually exceeded ten million. It was a complete phenonon.”
“And you must have seen it pop up on so video platforms. Even if you were watching unrelated videos, that ga’s fans were flooding every comnt sections. You know, the so-called ‘Yggdra Players’” he added.
“Yggdra Players?” Akai raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, you’ve probably seen the s,” Jiang Shang said.
“That about ti dilated gars ca from this ga. Since the ga’s in-ga ti flow is different from real life, it led to all kinds of hilarious misunderstandings. But lately, that ga seems been quiet and there is no related news about it recently…”
“That’s because it’s still in beta!” Jiang Shang adjusted his glasses with a frustrated look.
He sighed, “You just bought your VR capsule, so you probably aren’t familiar with the community yet. Lem tell you, if we were to rank virtual gas worth getting into, ElvKing would undoubtedly take the top spot.”
“Whether it’s the world-building, imrsion, graphics, soundtrack, physics engine, or even the NPC schematics, everything about it is next-level. Even now, you still see certain influencers hyping up its supposed mind-accelerating tech, calling it a groundbreaking innovation from our country. Compared to it, other gas might as well not exist!”
“And that’s not just my opinion either as even pro gars agree. Heck, even veteran Western players have been using VPNs to get into the beta.”
Jiang Shang’s face was full of fervor, as if discussing a rare masterpiece of art.
“Alright, alright, I get that you love VR gas and big-budget triple-A titles. But… have you actually played it yet?”
Akai asked.
Jiang Shang froze for a second, his excited expression crumbling into one of dejection.
Almost instantly, all enthusiasm visibly drained from his face, and he looked like soone wallowing in self-pity in a corner.
“…I tried signing up a couple of tis but still didn’t get in.”
He then sighed heavily.
“Man, you don’t know how depressing it’s been… I’ve followed this ga since its first trailer dropped you know!? I was blown away by how amazing it looked.”
“So when its beta-test launched, I imdiately tried applying, but I didn’t get selected.”
“I kept applying for every subsequent beta phase, but the result was always the sa—rejected every ti! anwhile, I see all these lucky people online who got in on their first try. Why do they get to be so lucky while I’m stuck being so unlucky? Dammit, I’m so envious…”
“Ugh, life is so unfair…” he lanted dramatically, like a spurned lover.
“Maybe it’s because you’re bad at gas. I an, you’re always the weakest link when we play as a team,” Akai teased with a snicker.
“S-Shut up!” Jiang Shang’s expression darkened.
“Even a noob has dreams, okay? Besides, this ga’s appeal isn’t just about fighting!” he muttered.
After a brief pause, he sighed again and began to ramble.
“But really, ElvKing is such a masterpiece. Just by watching those videos uploaded by other players, you can instantly realize what a great ga it is!”
“Yes, extraordinary! I’m not exaggerating when I call it great. It’s more than just a ga and feels more like a real, living alternate world!”
“Even though I haven’t played it yet, I’ve watched almost every related videos about it online. Honestly, at this point I feel like I already know so much about the ga that I could even write a guide about it!” Jiang Shang said passionately.
“Dude, if I ever get the chance to play, I’ll definitely make my mark in that ga!”
“Alright, calm down, Ziya. Sheesh, you’re acting so much like a cloud gar, you know?.” Akai quipped.
“Shut up! I’m just being a tap water! ³ And for the umpteenth ti, stop calling Ziya—I’m not old!” Jiang Shang glared at him.
He then added, “This ga is different from other MMOs. It has only one server, and its entire storyline evolves based upon the actions the players made which makes it really imrsive.”
“And the sense of freedom! You can do practically anything inside the ga. Aside from explicit content, the possibilities are endless.”
“For example, after the priest class in this ga is introduced, the players actually have to do actual real missionary task just to advance! Yes, real as in real life missionary work! And the holy book they used are actually written by the players themselves, which is very interesting!”
“Well, that’s just one example. Players have done all kinds of crazy things—even recreating magic-based firearms in the ga!”
“The degree of freedom in this ga is off the charts man! And the storyline? Absolutely amazing!”
“If you don’t believe , I’ll show you so videos!”
Jiang Shang spoke excitedly, pulling out his phone to share several links with his friend.
Akai’s phone chid a mont later.
Raising an eyebrow, he opened the videos Jiang Shang had sent him.
After watching for a mont, Akai slightly nodded in admiration.
“Yeah… If it weren’t for the ga interface and the visual effects, I wouldn’t have guessed this was a ga. It looks so real.”
But then, he suddenly let out a soft “…Huh?”
“What’s up?”
Jiang Shang asked, montarily confused.
“It’s nothing. I just saw a familiar face. So Evé is a character in this ga, huh?”
Akai remarked with mild surprise.
Curious, Jiang Shang leaned over and saw the video playing on his friend’s phone.
It was a cinematic introduction for a character in the ga: a silver-haired, violet-eyed elven girl adorned with a crown.
She wore a stunning, divine gown, bathed in radiant light. Her presence was majestic, elegant, and sacred, exuding an otherworldly beauty.
Jiang Shang eyes quickly lit up whe he say the character.
“That’s right! That’s the Goddess Eve! She’s the most popular NPC in the ga and my favorite character!”
“She’s the most perfect NPC I’ve ever seen. Her design is just incredible. Whoever created her is a genius…Dude, you have no idea—I’ve already got three figurines of her displayed at ho!” Jiang Shang said with a barely uncontained enthusiasm.
But his excitent was promptly t with a sarcastic quip from Akai:
“You Disgusting Filthy Otaku…”
Jiang Shang: “…”
“Shut up! I didn’t take Goose Heart from your table! ⁴ And if we’re talking about being an otaku, you’re way worse than !” He shot Akai a glare.
“Ha ha ha!”
Akai burst out laughing.
Jiang Shang sighed, feeling helpless, but he pressed on.
“You know, you can actually interact with the Goddess in the ga. Supposedly, she has the sa advanced AI system as the other NPCs, aning you can talk to her and even build favorability points with her.”
“Also, there’s this famous line from ElvKing: ‘If you fight for the Goddess, we are brothers and sisters, even if we’re not related by blood!’”
“Seriously… I really do love this ga.” Jiang Shang sighed wistfully.
“Ugh, I just wish it would lauch publicly already. It’s been in beta for a whole year! Awhole freakin year you know!? So now there are all these rumors and s floating around online joking about it never being ever released to the public,” he lanted, shaking his head.
“Oh, are you talking about that one? The that goes: ‘Fifty years later, Jiang Shang lies on his deathbed, telling his grandson, “My dear boy, when ElvKing finally publicly launches, don’t forget to burn so incense and let and your great-granduncle Akai know about it, okay?”
Akai teased, imitating a dramatic tone.
Jiang Shang: “…”
“…Why does it feel like you’re mocking in a roundabout way?”
“It’s just your imagination.”
Jiang Shang: “…”
He glared at Akai but didn’t bother arguing further.
Suddenly, sothing occurred to him, and he asked, “Wait, how do you know about the Goddess Eve in the first place? You’ve never paid attention to this kinds of ga before, right? Weren’t you more into jp gaming doujin circles?”
“Oh, Eve? She’s a legend in lots of circles! She’s literally the new queen of fan arts at this point! The reigning leading lady of certain types of doujin content, if you know what I an…” Akai said with a mischievous grin.
Jiang Shang: “…”
His expression froze, disbelief written all over his face.
The atmosphere grew a little awkward for a mont but after a long silence, Jiang Shang coughed lightly.
“A-Ahem… Do you, uh, happen to have any study material on this?”
“Of course! I’ve got plenty saved on my phone. I’ll even send you so links,” Akai replied with a sly smile.
“Good good, what a bro you are.”
“Heh heh heh…”
The two exchanged a laugh that only n would understand.
Akai pulled out his phone to start sharing his links, but as he scrolled, his expression suddenly shifted yet again.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Shang asked, noticing the change.
Akai took a deep breath.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just saw a notification on a site…specifically from a ga blogger you recomnded to yesterday. Goes by the na Big Mu, I think? Ziya, it looks like your grandson do not need to burn so incense for you after all.”
“Huh?”
“Well, Elven Kingdom seems to be finally preparing for its official public release.”
“WHAT?!”
Jiang Shang’s expression changed instantly as he snatched the phone from his friend’s hand.
On the screen was a brand-new post from Big Mu, published just a minute ago. The post included a screenshot from the official website of Elven Kingdom:
It was the announcent for the ga’s official public release.
¹ 云玩家 – A Cloud Player refer to players who mostly know about a ga indirectly (such as online guides, pictures, player discussions, etc.) but have never actually played the ga itself.
² The context of this is that 姜尚 (Jiang Shang) is a real life historical and legendary chinese figure, which was a famous military strategist, politician, and advisor during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. He is particularly well-known for his role in assisting King Wu of Zhou in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty and establishing the Zhou Dynasty. In Chinese mythology and literature, he is portrayed as a wise and skilled figure with deep knowledge of strategy and the divine.
The author mostly use ‘姜尚‘ to refer to Jiang Shang but ‘子牙‘ (Ziya) is often used humorously or affectionately, especially if soone shares the sa na (姜尚) or exhibits qualities associated with wisdom, strategy, or age—hence why Jiang Shang was annoyed when his friend called him that, as it implies he’s acting more older or serious than he usually is.
³ 自来水 – Tap Water is a chinese internet slang which refers to so users who voluntarily post laudatory remarks online to promote a brand. The closest western equivalent of it would be glazing soone.
⁴ 四斋蒸鹅心 – the original term is “Four Fat Stead Goose Hearts” which is a popular internet phrase, derived from the phonetic resemblance to the Chinese phrase “死肥宅真恶心,” which translates to “Disgusting, filthy otaku.”
So by JS saying ‘I didn’t take Goose Heart from your table!’ he’s referring to Four Fat Stead Goose Hearts which doesn’t really translate well to English.
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