361: Chapter 361 My Own Land

Yang Tongan was silent for a moment, staring at Lin Yuan with a burning gaze, and asked again.

"Then, when ordinary users come in for the first time, faced with operations that completely subvert common sense, how do they know these rules?"

"There will be an exclusive Artificial Intelligence assistant to guide them."

Lin Yuan spoke, his tone steady and without the slightest ripple.

"After every ordinary user enters the Initial Space for the first time, they will have a basic assistant to guide them in understanding the common sense of the second world."

"For example, how to go to public spaces, how to return to the Initial Space, how to develop and utilize the Initial Space, how to use basic communication functions, how to exit the second world, and so on."

"These things become as simple as breathing once you get used to them, but for someone encountering it for the first time, if there is no one to lead the way, it is very easy to waste precious time on meaningless fumbling."

Speaking of this, Lin Yuan glanced at the two big shots, the smile on his lips receding slightly, revealing a measure of calm confidence.

"The reason the assistant didn't appear for us is because I am here."

"What needs to be explained, I can just explain directly."

After hearing this, Elder Zhang slowly rubbed his cuffs with his fingertips, his voice lowered, filled with emotion.

"This set of procedures is quite like the introductory education prepared by a new society to accept immigrants."

"Elder Zhang, that metaphor is very apt."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"The second world is not a toy for people to come in and experience for novelty."

"It will subsequently have to bear a large number of functions transferred from real society."

"Therefore, from the very first day, rules, common sense, and a sense of boundaries must be written into every user's first experience."

"Even for the most ordinary user, they must understand one thing before entering the public space."

Lin Yuan's voice was steady as he said.

"This is not a place outside the law."

"Every transaction here, every public statement, every malicious attack, is bound to a real identity in reality."

"The second world can give people freedom, but it will not give anyone the opportunity to escape the consequences."

Hearing this, neither Elder Zhang nor Yang Tongan spoke immediately.

Their gazes fell upon the phantom of the public space that was still suspended in mid-air.

They knew the weight of these words too well.

The sludge and filth left behind from the traditional internet era cannot be brought into the new world unchanged.

If the second world engraves real-name registration, order, and boundaries into its underlying logic from day one.

Then, at its inception, it would have already diverged onto a completely different path from the internet of the old era.

Hearing this, Yang Tongan let his gaze rest on Lin Yuan's face for two seconds.

Afterward, he looked back at the vast, empty area around them.

"You just said that the Initial Space can be developed and utilized; are there other functions?"

"Yes."

Lin Yuan answered very crisply, his fingertips lightly tapping in the void.

"This can also be considered a small benefit for every user who connects."

"After all, the core advantage of the second world is that virtual reality itself possesses extremely high plasticity."

"Public spaces need to follow a unified order and cannot be arbitrarily modified."

"But the Initial Space is different."

"This place belongs to the individual user."

"As long as they do not touch the underlying security restrictions, users can completely modify the Initial Space according to their own wishes."

Yang Tongan's gaze paused.

Elder Zhang's fingers also stopped at the edge of his cuffs.

"According to their own wishes?"

Elder Zhang slowly repeated these words, his voice filled with inquiry.

"Correct."

Lin Yuan smiled, his smile revealing a measure of deeper meaning.

"For example, someone might want a study."

As the words fell.

The grass beneath the three men's feet suddenly retreated silently to both sides.

In the next second, an antique, Chinese-style study appeared before them.

Dark wooden shelves stood along the walls, filled with thread-bound books.

Outside the window, there was a babbling stream and a plum tree in full bloom.

On the desk, an inkstone sat quietly, and beside it, a piece of rice paper was pressed down, bearing half-finished ink marks.

The faint scent of ink mixed with the fresh aroma of wood drifted into their nostrils with each breath, so realistic it was dizzying.

Yang Tongan's eyelids twitched slightly.

He reached out to touch the bookshelf beside him.

The moment his fingertips touched the wood grain, he could even feel the warmth and smoothness that comes from years of polishing.

Elder Zhang walked to the desk and looked down at the rice paper.

The texture of the paper fibers, the degree to which the ink had bled at the edges, and even the slight pause at the end of the brushstroke were all incredibly realistic.

Lin Yuan, however, did not stop.

"Some people might want a seaside cottage."

The study shattered silently.

The plum tree outside the window and the bookshelves dissolved into tiny specks of light and vanished.

Beneath their feet, it turned into soft white sand.

Not far away, waves pushed onto the shore layer by layer, foam dispersing at their feet, bringing a cool dampness.

The air was filled with the salty scent of the sea breeze.

In the distance, the sky was clear, and golden light danced upon the sea surface.

"Others might want a mountain courtyard."

The waves receded.

Green mountains rose and fell, and bamboo forests swayed.

Stone tables, wooden chairs, and fenced courtyard walls unfolded in an instant.

In the corner of the courtyard, there was even a small clay pot steaming, with white mist gently overflowing from the edge of the lid.

"Some might even want a starship bridge."

The next second.

The mountain breeze dissipated.

Beneath their feet, it turned into a cold, gleaming metal deck.

In front of them was an entire curved porthole.

Outside the porthole, the deep universe unfolded boundlessly, with galaxies spanning the darkness like silver dust.

Elder Zhang looked up, his breathing subconsciously pausing for half a beat.

Even though he knew it was just an image generated by the virtual space, when the vast galaxy truly pressed before his eyes, the instinctive sense of human insignificance still made his throat tighten slightly.

Yang Tongan's fingers also tightened slightly at the edge of his cuffs.

He looked at the starry sky outside the porthole, and something that had been dormant for many years deep in his eyes was silently stirred.

Lin Yuan stood in the center of the bridge, his tone remaining steady.

"Of course, there will also be people who want immortal cultivation abodes, cyberpunk apartments, snow-capped mountain cabins, or sky gardens."

"As long as the imagination is clear enough, the Initial Space can help them construct it."

Elder Zhang withdrew his gaze from the starry sky and slowly turned to look at Lin Yuan.

"That is to say, it is not just a spawn point."

"It is also everyone's home in the second world."

"That's right."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"It is a home, a studio, a study, a training ground, and a private territory before socializing."

"In reality, many young people try their best, but they may not necessarily own a house that truly belongs to them in a big city."

"But here, everyone can own a space completely defined by themselves."

Hearing this, Yang Tongan slowly let out a breath.

His gaze shifted from the galaxy back to Lin Yuan, his half-closed eyelids lifting completely.

"You are planning to give 1.4 billion people each a piece of land of their own."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan's smile was gentle.

"Resources in the real world are limited; land, housing, Ministry of Transport, and energy all have objective boundaries."

"But the second world is different."

"The boundaries here are computing power, permissions, and imagination."

"As long as the underlying order does not collapse, the possibilities this space can carry are much broader than reality."

Elder Zhang's fingertips lightly touched the edge of the porthole.

He did not speak, only staring at the vast sea of stars outside the window for a long time.

After a while, he said in a low voice:

"No wonder you said this is not just a game."

"That is natural."

Lin Yuan said softly, his tone revealing the certainty of someone in control of everything.

"The second world will redistribute people's time, space, and social relationships."

"It will become a buffer zone for reality, and it will also become an extension of reality."

"Even, for some people, a second life that they cannot obtain in reality will begin here."