Embers?
As Eye Bag, the three of them, let out terrified screams, everyone froze. They had heard that large-scale deaths on battlefields often produced something ominous—embers. But one had actually appeared right before them? And it was one of their own blacksmiths?
Yet they all retreated several steps in unison, afraid the other party might pounce on them.
Food God knitted his brows and asked in a low voice, "Shao Chai Kun, what do you think?"
Shao Chai Kun studied Eye God's microexpressions, his expression turning grim. "That dumbass look, that stupid face—it's still just as damn idiotic. I've confirmed it by the look in his eyes. It's Eye God himself."
Everyone nodded as well.
No matter how they looked at him, it was him.
That vivid, idiotic expression wasn't something just anyone could imitate.
Eye God was bewildered too. He took half a step back. "What are you talking about? Why are you surrounding me? I only fainted last night. I didn't die at all. I just got stuck in a bug and couldn't log out."
The more he acted like himself, the colder Eye Bag and the other two felt inside.
The "Eye God" before them was even picking at his armpit while he spoke, looking every bit like a man digging at his armpit. How could the three of them possibly fail to recognize this habitual gesture?
They had been dorm mates since university.
His tone, expressions, catchphrases, and movements were all exactly the same.
The three of them suddenly felt a chilling cold burst open in their hearts, crawl up their spines, and shoot straight into their crowns.
This game was too bizarre!
How had it managed to do this?
Those movements and expressions—if no one told them, even after living alongside him day and night, they would never have recognized that this wasn't Eye God.
"Could it be an AI imitation?"
A trace of curiosity appeared on Su Yu Niang's face as she began to speak at length.
"We have to believe in science. Analyzing this through normal logic, there's only one possibility right now: an intelligent AI has replaced him. A new NPC is imitating his words and actions from when he was alive. After all, Old Steward already showed us that this game's AI intelligence is extremely high."
Jiu Cai Rong listened to Su Yu Niang's analysis, his timid expression making him look even more cowardly. He was, after all, the type of person who didn't dare watch horror movies.
He was someone who trusted his instincts, and his instincts told him this was far too sinister. "I'm saying, is there another possibility? What if it isn't an AI, but the game really is haunted?"
Su Yu Niang glanced at him. What a useless, cowardly, useless steward.
"To be honest, we find this terrifying." Eye Bag swallowed with difficulty. The more he looked, the more frightening it seemed, as though it were triggering the uncanny valley effect.
They had always felt that—
To imitate someone perfectly, you would need that person's memories, Friend Circle, and real-life trajectory.
But how could the AI in the game possibly possess memories from reality?
They felt an indescribable sensation, like the faint sorrow of standing before a close friend's gravestone, emotions surging inexplicably within them.
If they had to describe the feeling—
It was as if they had just attended Eye God's funeral, only to suddenly see Eye God's vengeful spirit appear before them. It was that instinctive sorrow of watching a close friend pass away.
They suddenly understood completely the intense grief that ordinary people in this world felt when they saw the embers of their relatives and friends working, walking, and eating blankly in their rooms—grief that made them rush forward, embrace them, and weep bitterly.
Emotions always surged up without rhyme or reason.
"Eye God, do you remember the name of that shop we often went to?"
They asked him questions about reality, but he could not answer very well. It seemed he had lost most of his memories.
After all, that was normal.
As an ember, he only retained vague memories from life, depending on his strength.
Only true powerhouses possessed complete memories from life after death. Creatures that were too weak could not remember them at all.
But to Eye Bag and the other two, who had known him for so long, this was eerie. From the other blacksmiths' perspective, however, it was incredibly novel.
"So this is a ghost?"
"Can I touch it?"
"No wonder we don't have to log out at night."
"I get it, everyone. This is a special hidden pet system!"
"A pet?"
"Ghosts fill the gap left by our inability to log in at night! They can work for us at night, forge metal, and possess their own habits and knowledge."
Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.
A hidden pet?
Good heavens, so this was what had been waiting for them here?
This was a clone-based playstyle!
The other party's strength depended on the original blacksmith's personality, abilities, and skill level.
For example, if your forging skills had reached a very high level, the ember you left behind after death would possess the same knowledge. It could even help you forge metal and craft weapons, like an identical twin brother!
At night, it could patrol, scout, forge metal, and build houses for you. It was another player, another blacksmith, another you!
Of course—
If the original person was a lazy bum who was constantly slacking off and loafing around, then your ember would inherit that personality too. It would slack off just the same, go around pickpocketing, and open treasure chests.
It might even inherit your lofty spirit of "How could I remain beneath others for long?" Then, laughing and joking, it would display the Fourth Calamity's nature, sneak-attacking and killing you to stage a spectacular display of filial piety.
The more everyone thought about it, the brighter their eyes grew.
This setup was simply heaven-defying!!
Just think about it—the possibilities for derivative gameplay were endless.
"I want one too. If it were exactly like me, that would be so cool."
"Yeah, I've always wanted a brother in real life. And this one looks exactly like Eye God—it's made too realistically. If you told me Eye God from a Parallel World had died in reality and traveled here, I'd believe you."
"Wake up, everyone. Embers have a very low chance of appearing. If you want to raise one, you might have to die hundreds of times before one drops. Can you afford to die that much? This is a tycoon-exclusive pet."
"I'm not afraid. I'm an elementary school student, and I've got the stamina for it. I'll make money, and I'll definitely get one. Then I'll put a dog leash on it and walk myself down the street, making you all green with envy!"
Everyone was chatting away so enthusiastically that the whole place exploded!
They had also discovered the quirks of this Mountain Villa.
Was it starting the cuckoldry thing again?
This time, was it the legendary clone cuckoldry?
This had to be one of the core gameplay mechanics!
The creativity of this game was absolutely explosive across the entire industry!
But as they looked at "Eye God," their eyes were filled with envy.
Their eyes were red with jealousy.
They wanted one.
Damn that European Emperor!
Double experience!
A full double!
It would even stay up late to forge metal for you and earn money to help buy lives. Who wouldn't want one?
"Eye God" trembled in terror. These people... they're terrifying.
I'm clearly not a ghost. I only faked my death back then. And even if you've mistaken me for a ghost, how are you not scared at all?
They became even more excited. Could you take those greasy hands away?
I'm still a male university student who's never had a girlfriend. I just got stuck in a bug and can't log out, like in Sword Art Online.
Eye God looked pitifully toward Eye Blind and the other two.
Eye Blind and the others looked at their good brother. For a moment, it was as if they were seeing a True Person. The three of them stepped forward. "Don't bully our brother!"
After all—
This Eye God had no idea that he was already dead. He did not even know he was fake. He had retained his habits from life, and was even staying up late forging metal and saving money to revive the three of them.
Having an ironclad brother like this was too touching.
Just then, Jiu Cai Rong, who had been stroking his chin and pondering, suddenly spoke:
"Wait. We can't go down the mountain, but can our embers go down the mountain? After all, spirits like these shouldn't have many restrictions, right? If they can go down the mountain, wouldn't that be no different from us going down ourselves?"
Everyone: "..."
It really had to be you, capitalist Jiu Cai Rong.
People dying and becoming ghosts—that was perfectly normal, right?
But you had actually thought of such an outrageous method: players committing suicide, turning into ghosts, and having their vengeful ghosts work and venture outside.
That was so explosive it was probably the first of its kind throughout history.
Su Yu Niang, however, was thrilled.
"Sword Forging Manor is so much fun! We've only just discovered its true essence! This is Travel Frog—no, it's Travel Ember!"
"Our brothers and sisters can go down the mountain one after another, heading to the town and the villages outside to search for materials, accept quests, and fight monsters. Then they can bring the resources back so we can forge metal."
"This is the proper way to play. I've seen the light!"
Embers were the core setting of this novel, and many of the main storylines would unfold around them.
Here's one more update.
I can't add any more after this. It's time to start waiting for recommendations.
Before you continue