There was no doubt—this was a technologically advanced world.
However, it wasn't on the same level as the futuristic tech seen in the movies and novels from Bai Ze's previous life. Its most outstanding achievement was, without question, its powerful virtual reality technology. Other aspects were, at best, a few decades ahead of the world he came from.
And as if to balance things out, the Creator had been "fair." After granting this world such advanced technological capabilities, He had also left its people with… shockingly poor imagination.
Combining his newly absorbed memories with the data on the screen, Bai Ze continued reading through the information on the computer. The page displayed was the official website for the Tianlong Kingdom's virtual games.
He saw countless virtual games created by different designers since VR technology had matured—yet the very first, Second World, still ranked number one.
Second World was developed with immense effort by the Tianlong Kingdom's government. It was the first virtual game in history, the first virtual world ever created here.
Bai Ze's gaze shifted downward—then froze. His pupils contracted sharply.
"WDNMD… the number of online players… ten digits?!"
Ten digits meant… billions!
Billions of people, right now, living out their second lives inside Second World.
The concept of the "virtual world" imprinted itself even more deeply in Bai Ze's mind. Almost every citizen of the Tianlong Kingdom had an identity inside Second World, and according to his merged memories, Bai Ze was no exception. Even though he had some mental preparation, the reality before him was still shocking.
Second World mirrored nearly all the rules and worldview of the real world. Upon entering, a player essentially began life from scratch—everyone a blank slate, free to choose whatever they wanted to do or become.
Of course, no matter how perfect it was, it remained a game—something that could be reset at any time—and it was inevitably influenced by reality. But in the same way, Second World could also affect the real world.
For example, the rich and powerful in reality became "krypton gold" players inside the game. There might not have been an official cash shop, but here, every player was a potential cash shop.
If someone paid you real money to help them accomplish something in the game, would you refuse? Of course not.
This was one of the core purposes of Second World: giving the unemployed something to do so they wouldn't cause trouble—but also creating a whole new type of profession.
The initial shock in Bai Ze's eyes faded. His fingers moved again, scrolling through other VR games.
After the release of Second World, other countries beyond the Tianlong Kingdom had witnessed the massive benefits of the virtual world and had paid an enormous price to obtain the rights to use Tianlong's VR technology.
More importantly, they needed access to the virtual reality network.
Without it, so-called "virtual games" would remain trapped forever on flat computer screens.
The Tianlong Kingdom had established a VR network spanning the entire planet Canglan. Other nations—desperate not to be left behind—were forced to pay an astronomical price for the right to connect.
Once they had access, they created their own "Third World," "Fourth World," and so on. The original names weren't like this, but when introduced to Tianlong, they were simply numbered according to release order.
Tianlong didn't care about preserving fancy original titles; numbering them served as a constant reminder that they came after Second World, using someone else's groundwork.
"Overbearing… I like it," Bai Ze smirked.
After all, if you didn't set the record straight, others might claim your work as their own.
Looking at the online player counts again, it was obvious—there was no comparison.
Since Tianlong's VR network covered all of Canglan Star, Second World had spread far beyond its borders. Many of its billions of current players were from other countries.
Bai Ze guessed that preparations for Second World had started as early as 2012, when VR tech was born, with development continuing right up to its release in 2019. That was seven years of groundwork—and now it was only 2022.
In terms of polish and perfection, none of the later "Third World" to "Nth World" games could compare.
Bai Ze checked the rest. Most had simpler worldviews and gameplay systems. "Simple" was the most charitable description he could give.
Aside from Second World, which used the real world as its template, the other virtual games were embarrassingly unimaginative. The more he looked, the more his head hurt, until he couldn't help but curse aloud.
"What did the princess ever do to you people? WDNMD—over ten thousand games about saving a princess?! Are there that many princesses in this world? And they're all beautiful? What about actual adventure content?? The entire game's core is saving a princess?"
"NMD! Where are the monsters? And what the hell is this supposed to be?!"
"It's a fighting game? No—it's like fighting toddlers! Can't you use actual combat mechanics?"
"You're telling me this NM thing is a level-clear game? Imagination! Where's your imagination?!"
"I @#￥%…"
After more than an hour of this torture, Bai Ze finally gave up—though he came to a realization.
"So that's it… God sent me here to save a world whose imagination has hit rock bottom."
Compared to the initial shock and confusion, his eyes now shone with excitement.
With his memories fully integrated, Bai Ze understood the cause and effect. It wasn't that people here had never had imagination—it was that they had destroyed it themselves.
Once, there had been myths, legends, and fantastical wonders. Then, someone uncovered the mysteries of science. Using it as a banner, they struck down the mysterious and unknown until it was half-dead. Generations afterward kept "finishing the job" in the name of science, erasing fantasy and myth until nothing remained.
Imagination had been severed at the root.
Now, traces of the old world could only be found in small remnants—like the dragon emblem of the Tianlong Kingdom, faintly resembling an Eastern dragon. Perhaps there were still hidden relics scattered across Canglan Star, waiting to be discovered.
At first, Bai Ze found this depressing. But now, he saw it as the perfect opportunity.
The reason he had been browsing these games for so long was to find the right entry point into this world's industry. But now he realized…
"…It seems I can start anywhere."