"Yes big bro." Starboy replied, agreeing with Skylar. Then he moved closer to him, pulled his cloak lightly and pointed at one of the counter closer to them and to their left, making the two starts walking towards it.
He continued, "So, this is what the tower said they did. They said they chose eighteen safe zones at random for each half at the beginning, and that our spawn point can only be close to any of this safe zone, that the other safe zones will not have someone spawning close to them, and that things will be like this until our population increase to a certain number, when those that are yet to enter the simulation will automatically start spawning close to some other safe zones they will again choose at random at that time..."
Meanwhile, the two reached the counter and stopped beside a man being attended to by a hostess behind the 150 cm tall counter, who like the others hostesses on that counter wore a matching purple hostess attire—a purple suit over a white shirt, a silk neck scarf on the neck, a purple stewardess hat and a white glove on both hands.
"Sirs, please over here."
A sweet seductive voice coming from another hostess to their right grabbed their attention.
They both in accord, turn to the woman who happens to be a stunning pale-skinned beauty with sea blue eyes. And the eyes of the two lit up the moment they captured her slender body frame and her modest and shapely assets accentuated by her form-fitting uniform.
["Big bro, she has potential."]
["Absolutely, and its not small..."] Skylar replied Starboy voice transmission as both of them moved closer to the smiling and seductive beauty like she directed.
Skylar in the lead leaned on the counter, his masked face positioned close to her and straight at her.
He wanted to speak first, but the smiling and seductive beauty with a mole at the corner of her lips beat him to it.
She parted her bright red lips, "Sir, can I have your ticket number? Are you together with the gentleman at the back?"
Oh... She didn't react. That's a proper hostess for you...
Because, his face was close to hers and his green mysterious eyes were locked with her exotic sea blue ones, a bold action Skylar initiated on purpose; he expected her to show a corresponding reaction, and not that she should proceed with her responsibility professionally and calmly as she just did. So, he smiled behind his mask and the smiling and seductive hostess who caught his smile in his eyes that brightened behind the mask, smiled at him in return.
After a short moment, putting aside his thought, Skylar turned his face to the side to look at Starboy.
"Abbas, I don't have a ticket?"
In response, Starboy moved closer to his side and closer to the smiling and seductive beauty.
"We are together. They have a free pass. Check player name Skylar..." Pausing briefly, Starboy turn to look at Skylar beside him. He asked him, "Big bro, what's the first three digit of your ID?... Your serial?"
"00..."
"Sirs, I found it." The hostess interrupted. She continued, "Newly registered player... Skylar 001... twenty eight days free boarding pass..."
"Yes..." Skylar replied as his eyes met the clear sea blue eyes of the seductive hostess that seems to have just withdrawn them from an invisible screen in front of her.
"Sir, if you two are traveling together, will a double cabin be okay?" She asked Skylar with her usual smile. But Starboy seems not to like her suggestion.
He retorted, "Why double cabin? Shouldn't a free pass get us a single cabin?"
To Starboy's questioning challenge, the hostess kept her calmness and professionalism.
She smiled, "Okay then." Then she lowered her head slightly to look at the invisible screen in front of her. And after about five seconds, she raised her head, looking at Skylar. "Respected sir, we have a single cabin for you, and that will be floor 8, room 2... any question sir."
Skylar who has been watching everything since he took a backseat glanced at Starboy with an expression that says he should say something, since he obviously know more about the procedure.
"No question... thank you." Starboy replied. Then he stepped back.
"You are welcome... have a nice trip sirs." The hostess bowed slightly whilst hooking her fingers. And as she raised her head, Skylar glanced at one of her hands in gloves, and caught the outline of a ring on her ring finger which made him chuckle.
"*Chuckle*Your man is lucky." He blurted out.
"No sir, I am lucky." The hostess replied with a sweet swooning smile of reminiscence on her face, and she starts looking at her finger that holds the ring whilst turning it here and there.
"I see." Skylar nodded whilst smiling behind his mask, thinking nothing about her response. Then naturally, he turn to the side and starts walking towards the end of the counter with Starboy closely following behind him.
Soon; after walking past three people being attended to by other hostesses on the counter, the two reached the end of the counter, and made a turn that leads them inside the ship proper.
After the turn that leads their feet on to a wooden floor of a roofed space bordered at the far sides by a hundred meter tall wooden wall that corresponds to the hundred meter tall entrance, in front of the two is a portico with a wooden colonnade fifty meter away from them and the ship entrance. And not long after; after completing the fifty meter long walk, the two having maintained a long standing silence walked past a space between two wooden columns fifty meter from each other, and stepped foot onto the wooden floor of the portico, continuing their forward casual march.
"Big bro, this is floor one, its like the ground floor, the floor below is called floor zero or the belly floor, its like the basement, and the floors above, are floor two, floor three, flour four, till the last floor, depending on the number of floors on the ship."
Starboy voice broke the silence as he explained to Skylar who has been looking at the scene behind the hundred meter wide entrance of the ship first floor they are heading to.
He nodded, "I see."
Meanwhile, past floor one entrance they are nearing, In addition to the stewards on standby, Skylar could see some people holding brochures, with some of them dressed in mascot costumes, loitering and fretting around the floor antechamber.
Who are these people and why are they eyeing me like candy? He wondered.
A moment later, the two side by side, crossed into the minimalist yet luxurious antechamber, and Skylar was instantly swarmed by the people in it, save for the stewards and a few others.
"Jacob, you are doing it again."
"Just shut up."
"Jacob, you know its my turn?"
A suave light-skinned man in a top hat and black overcoat—Jacob—who is ahead of the others coming behind him, stopped in front of Skylar.
He hold out a brochure and smiled at Skylar. "Nobleman, have you heard of the retro brothers..."
"You, get away..."
Before the suave man could proceed further, he was pushed to the side by a tall dark-skinned middle-aged man in white agbada who then stood in front of Skylar in a manner like he won't tolerate interruption from anyone behind him.
Then right away, the dark-skinned middle-aged man flashed Skylar a toothy smile. "My african brother, African unite is the right place for you to join, and as you can see, we are one family—we will support each other and unlike the baby faction led by babies,..."
"One house... Handsome brother, join us at One house... Our faction will the sovereign faction of the west..."
"You people should fucking shut it." Quieten them, Skylar pronounced softly yet audibly after a brown olive-skin woman wearing a straw hat interrupted the dark-skinned middle-aged man by yelling her words from far behind him.
Dead silence took over when everyone heard Skylar's words that was accompanied by a soul-shackling authority as his presence turned mysterious and majestic, taking over every corner of the antechamber and naturally seizing thier attentions. And after about eight seconds, during which Skylar looked at everyone who also looked back at him with varied expressions, most being expression of curiosity; Skylar turned his focus to Starboy beside him and broke the silence.
"Abbas, why are they asking only me to join their factions? And how did they know I belong to no faction?"
Starboy first scan their faces before chuckling and responding. "Big bro, they think you are a newbie I am showing around... you know you have been looking around like someone new to the ship since we showed up."
"And in the first place, these guys don't care if a person is registered or unregistered; all that is in their mind is to find someone they will sweet talk into joining their factions..."
"And seeing someone like you that they assume is one of the newbie players that are easier to fool compared to users who are their primary target, they have enough reason for them to act like they just did big bro... "
Starboy concluded and glanced at Skylar whose lips revealed by his mask has been pursed during his explanation. Meanwhile, everyone else, during his explanation watched and listened to him without ever trying to interrupt him, and in reaction to his conclusion about them, some of them smiled wryly, while some others showed no reaction to it.
Skylar chuckled, "So, its just a guess, they weren't sure if I belong to a faction or not?"
"Yes big bro." Starboy replied. "They are just trying their luck..."
"Oh I see... they are kind of lucky, I guess." Skylar chuckled. Then he turn his focus to the people hunting for his loyalty.
He proclaimed, "If any of you want me to join your faction, raise your hand, you will be making bids..."
Midsentence; before Skylar could finish his words, ten people among the thirty to forty people raised their hand as fast as they can the moment they heard his instruction.
Oh not bad...
Satisfied by thier response, Skylar turned to the suave light-skinned man someone called Jacob. "So, what should I expect from your faction? Retro brothers."
Jacob moved closer to Skylar and stood straight with confidence in front of him.
"Ahem." Clearing his throat, he responded, "Fellow player, my name is Jacob Pluto..."
"Tch... go straight to the point." Skylar interrupted, clearly displeased.
"Fellow player, joining us is like joining a faction that will become a symbol for those coming in the future and the next generation. We are a men only faction and we are all visionaries that have dreams we will all help each other..."
Dreams... Nah... Skylar shook his head, interrupting the man—Jacob. Then he pointed at someone else—a youth dressed coporately.
"You?"
"Fellow player, our salary is one of the highest in lavender..."
Money... Nah. Skylar shook his head, stopping the youth midsentence.
"You?" He pointed at someone else—a teenage looking rare beauty, dressed in a blue full body suit that has a golden sheen.
"Fellow player, if you join us, you won't lack gold grade gears and attire, we are one of the number one..."
Gears... Hell no. Skylar shook his head, stopping the rare beauty midsentence.
Meanwhile, two of the stewards that are watching attentively moved to attend to three new people that came in.
Skylar continued.
"You?" Projecting his voice, he pointed at someone else—a four meter tall lanky youth in a dress.
"Fellow player, our leader is Lord Mayana, he is ranked twenty on the silver list?"
Who the hell is that? Silver list?... Nah. After a pause, Skylar shook his head, rejecting the lanky youth in a dress who meanwhile frowned from displeasure.
"You?" Skylar, anyways, pointed at someone else—a short mysterious person in a blue hooded cloak that completely conceals thier form. But this time Skylar felt something strange about the hooded mysterious person's presence, especially the strange crystal ball they are carrying and that they seem to be looking at.
"Great Lord, I won't say much... if you join our hall of stars, those you are searching for shall be found in seven years human-time?"
The voice of the person under the hood sounded like it belongs to an old man—slow, and deliberate; moreover it conveyed confidence and certainty everyone in the chamber focused on, until some of them like they realize something suddenly turned to look at Skylar anew, with some of them showing expression of dread and the others expression of awe and respect.
Meanwhile, Skylar paused at the mysterious person's word. He set his scrutunizing eyes on them, trying to peel of the layers of concealment on them.
This guy is in a different league definitely. Its not everyday I see guy like him since I set feet on Braveland. But seven years human time... is that not real time?...
Then that will be twenty eight years in-game time... nah... Too long.
"Thank you, I will do it my way." Skylar replied the mysterious person, making them seem to lower their head totally covered by the hood in the direction of their crystal ball that slowly but swiftly went from a light blue color to a deep shade of red. And immediately after, with hurried steps like that of a youth, they left the antechamber in the direction Skylar and Starboy came from—with two other individuals hooded like them following them—seeming to leave the ship.
Anyways, Skylar turned to another person—a petite middle-aged woman, a stunning beauty who wore a round rimless glass, a black dress and a witch hat.
"You?"
The woman bowed deeply, "Thank you Great lord, I am Penny from Newage magic tower... a faction for curious bunch and a gathering of people with great love for magic..."
"I know for certain our humble gathering is not worth your attention, Great lord, however I hope to show you around our place when you will. It will be a great honor and favor, if you grace us with your immortal presence?"
The middle aged woman bowed again and restored eye contact with Skylar, expecting his reply. However Skylar—whose mouth edges that is barely revealed by his mask indicates he has been smiling amusingly, since its folded—shook his head, rejecting her invitation.
You shouldn't have folded, that's lack of will for me... He thought, shaking his head, rejecting the middle-aged woman—penny.