Chapter 7 – Planning and Re-planning

"Alright, I've replaced all the sockets and updated the operating system to the recent patch released by NeuroNex. Although it won't make any difference in immersion, it should still be slightly faster in a public domain, basically normal internet use." Samuel finally spoke out after half an hour of tinkering around with the pod. 

Abel had to admit, the guy knew his around machines. Whether it was the way in which he removed the old parts or his quick work on the software, the man was in his element once he got started, as though he was a different person completely. Abel was quite curious as to why someone like him wasn't receiving a 5 or even a 6-figure annual salary in some company on the mainland. The old Abel definitely wouldn't have asked, but whether it was due to his recent changes or from Samuel's charm, he ended up asking out interest,

"I hope you don't mind me asking Sam but.. why aren't you working in some big tech company? I mean, you're obviously skilled and have a lot of experience. Why are you in the freelance business?" Abel regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth but what was done was done, he figured the man wouldn't bother giving him a proper answer but on the contrary, he was quite sincere in his response.

"I don't like being restricted by all their stupid rules.." Samuel's tone indicated to a past disagreement that possibly told a whole other story but he didn't explain further. "I guess I'm just not cut out for a 9-5 job. Besides, hapless individuals like you need people like me more than those snobbish companies." 

Abel didn't question him further, he knew it wasn't his place and it's not like they were close friends or anything. Samuel changed their topic as well and asked,

"Is that all, just one pod and five sockets?"

"Yeah that's it, how much do I owe you? 225?" Abel took out his old phone as he asked for the cost. 

"Mmm, the patch update is from a free NueroNex open source and I just did it as a background process so I wont charge you for it. It's not like I customized it or anything." Samuel skillfully projected a 3-dimensional barcode from his toolbox-kit that was still in the form of a mini-work desk. "If you don't have a Holosphere device and can't scan it, just take a normal picture to make the payment, it'll redirect you to my payment software online." 

The Holosphere was the latest and most advanced holographic display system that was brought to market within the last decade. It creates a 3-dimensional, interactive environment that's less harmful than the high-energy visible light of a typical LCD screen. Considering its prodigious cost and the fact that most people can't afford it, it was built to effortlessly interact across past generations of communication devices such as phones and computers. The 1st generation Holosphere technology utilized a cutting-edge holographic display system to project lifelike, 3-dimensional images. Users could perceive these holographic projections as if they were actual physical but mass-less objects suspended in the air. It was mostly used as top-end televisions and computers, though the former required a separate operating system that made it immovable once set up. They also both required a stand-alone audio system which made it quite cumbersome and annoying when the audio wouldn't sync up with the visual display. 

The 2nd generation allowed for user interaction within the holographic environment. Its users could engage and manipulate the holographic objects using gestures, voice commands or a touch interfaces, providing a seamless and intuitive user experience compared to its predecessor. Later on, to complement the visual and interactive experience, the 3rd generation Holosphere technology incorporated spatial audio where sounds would emanate from specific points within the holographic environment, creating a more authentic and immersive atmosphere. 

HoloSync Dynamics were the forefathers of this cutting-edge augmented reality device and rumors had it that Doctor Orion Matrix had shares in this company too. In fact, most people believed the company wouldn't have been able improve beyond the 1st generation device had it not been for Doctor Orion's involvement in the project. Regardless whether it was the 1st generation or the 3rd generation, this was a piece of hardware that was currently beyond Abel's financial capabilities, especially after he pretty much spent all his current savings on his "new" pod.

"Alright and… its done, please check your account." Abel let out a sigh of relief now that his pod was fixed and everything was back on track. Today he'll look over his plans and make some much-needed preparations. At night, he'd finally log into to the world of Faeron!

"Yup, you're good, I received it." Samuel replied as he started 'packing' up his toolbox-kit and made some casual conversation, "I'm guessing you bought this little thing for Faeron? I don't mean to pour cold water all over your dreams but it isn't easy to earn money from this game. I've seen a lot of people not profit a single milli credit in the past month it's been released. Instead, they end up spending more than they thought they would"

"I'm not too worried. If it's as free of a world as they say it is then I'm sure I can manage. I can be quite resourceful when I need to be" Abel spoke confidently, he didn't even realize he'd spoken more frequently with Samuel in the past hour than he had with any of his co-workers back at his old job for a whole year.

"Yeah, it's rare to see domesticated hens these days…" Samuel said reflexively upon recalling all the clucking hens on his way to Abel's courtyard. With the many different technological improvements over the years, farming and breeding became easier and produce such as milk and eggs were quite cheap. In fact, this was the first time Samuel had seen live chickens outside a breeding farm in Zephyria and he wasn't even aware he could find some wild fowls in forests all over the world.

"Hey Abe, we're heading out now… Hello there, you must be the techy. Hi I'm Frankie and this is my missus, Melissa."

As Abel led the way to the front door, the two of them bumped into Frankie and Melissa who were on their way out.

"Hello, Samuel Blackwood. I'm guessing you're Abel's housemates?" Samuel responded politely and shook Frankie's hand.

"We're much more than that! We're family, we grew up together on Luminara." The genial and social Frankie seemed to get along well with Samuel and they started a conversation about the local specialties and top spots to visit across the Emerald Isles. 

Abel looked at the two men and wondered if they were cut from the same cloth. They were both genial and pretty outgoing so they got along right away. Before he could even realize it, they were already planning on sharing taxi together down to the docks. While Frankie and Melissa would take the scheduled ride to Serentia, Samuel planned on heading to Sylvanholme. Just like that, all three people disembarked on their journey completely forgetting about Abel that was standing at the front door. 

The young man let out a wry smile and made his way back to the kitchen to start processing the rabbit pelts before they actually started to rot. He would finish off the fleshing and start the salting procedure before he perfected his final plans and preparations for Faeron. He had learned a lot from Xiang Xiaowen's life but he hadn't yet internalized all that he'd learned. Once he turned this confluence of memories into his own strength, only then could he consider himself to have grasped this strength. Perhaps he was too naïve and optimistic before or perhaps he didn't have a proper understanding since he lacked a different perspective of the world before yesterday but he truly understood the significance of the information he currently had. Whether it was the knowledge of blacksmithing and the little bit of Tai-chi and martial arts that Xiang Xiaowen learned from his family, they were both his capital to truly propel to greatness and make it big in a virtual world like Faeron. That wasn't to say he wouldn't have succeeded without this knowledge, but he would've definitely taken much longer and would've probably wasted a lot more time. 

Abel was never good in the sciences and he probably wouldn't have even finished high school if wasn't for Grandma Meng's sake but with his current understanding of the 'other' Earth's technological standards, he realized how absolutely incredible it was for a device to wirelessly 'pick up' a person's neural signals, process them and then simulate a response. When the news was first released, there was a great backlash from the public but after the rigorous testing of the system and assurances that a person's memories couldn't be stolen or re-written, the outrage quickly died down. 

A person's memories were embedded within their brain, while a person's brain would constantly be sending out minute neural signals when in use, regardless of day or night. The system pretty much picks up the signal, creates a link and then sends simulated data that's then processed by the brain as visual, auditory, olfactory and other such senses. Unless the user was hungry, thirsty or had other strong psychological or physiological urges, then they wouldn't 'wake up' unless they turn off the device within the VR world. After further testing, it was found that the micro-currents on the cerebral cortex was insignificant in comparison to the information load under normal conditions. It couldn't replace sleep but it would definitely shorten the duration the brain needed to rest. Abel didn't think much about it in the past because he had nothing to compare it to. To him, it was a 'normal' advancement of technology. 

He understood that he could basically make use of more hours throughout the day if he were to sleep less from regular usage of the pod. His thoughts went to the Xiang family martial arts that his other half had learned. He knew he had to start practicing with Tai-chi before he tried the more advanced techniques in his memories and that would all take plenty of time, perhaps a year if he was diligent and lucky but definitely longer if he wasn't. Although Abel knew the moves like the back of his hand, he couldn't perform them perfectly due to never actually practicing them in reality before. It was a strange situation where his muscles couldn't keep up with his mind.

'I should also change my starting location too, or perhaps I'll be able to find another location that fits my earlier objective and also compliment my "new" skills' 

Abel thought about the plans he'd have to change and the new routine he'd have to make as he quickly folded the pelts after generously covering them up with non-iodized salt. They would have to sit there for at least 24 hours before he could carry out the next process which he had to do right now for the boar hide he caught last week. The bacon they had in the morning was from this catch, while he would usually use a hair-off tanning process on boars and then sell their leather to the accessory shop downtown, he had planned to make a rug out of this one considering he liked its fur which was in a rare golden-brown color.

He went to Frankie's old room and put on some rubber gloves to remove the hide from the tub it was soaking in. Grandma Meng had taught him how to make natural tannin solution from the barks of trees nearby. Although it would take him some time and effort to make the natural solution, he preferred it this way as he could save some money. The solutions in the market were quite expensive as he would be required to buy them in large industrial quantities and he would be forced to add an extra step of neutralizing the acidic properties prior to the last stretching process. This would also add an expense of baking soda that acts to kill off any remaining residue from the chemicals. By making his own organic solution, Abel would instead be saving himself more time and of course more credits! It was like sharpening his blade, although time consuming, it would save him a lot of effort later on.

After placing the squeezed hide into another tub filled with lukewarm water, Abel removed his gloves and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He would have to replace the water regularly, about three or four times over the following 8 hours before leaving it to soak for another 12. After that, he could place it on a stretcher and dry it out for a final time.

Abel looked at his handywork with satisfaction and turned back to his room. He had to look through the notes he made about the different regions and areas of Faeron and see where he should start his new adventure!