Chapter 128: Spirit Space
Chapter 128: Spirit Space
Ras first launched the PC communication service with only this much prepared. It did feel like there was too little content, but the service would not be charging money at the beginning anyway, and one of the strengths of this bulletin-board-style system was its expandability, so they could gradually add more.
And Ras believed chat rooms alone would be enough to gather people.
In any case, since PC communication had already been in preparation for a long time, it could be launched before the magical connector entered mass production. Ras hesitated slightly when deciding on the service’s name.
At first, he had considered simply using something like Meta Communication or Metaria. But after the magical connector appeared and he learned it had a close connection to spirits, that point started bothering him.
Ras had a vision of developing the internet world far beyond its current state.
Naturally, the communication environment would also need to improve, but it would be impossible for him to develop and introduce technology identical to Earth’s at the pace he wanted, so he would probably still have to borrow the power of spirits then as well.
And by that point, the internet would no longer have much connection to Spirit Stone. Of course, he would continue releasing sequels to Spirit Stone, but unlike now, the proportion of Spirit Stone multiplayer within communication purposes would become extremely small.
That meant the means of negotiation would disappear. Of course, the current contract would not vanish. But they could not continue using devices at the current level forever.
“Then how about just calling it the Spirit Realm?”
Seeing Ras deep in thought, Ella suggested this.
Since Spirit Stone Network connections already displayed a message saying users were connecting to the Spirit Realm, many users already perceived the network itself as the Spirit Realm and referred to it that way. Ella was suggesting they solidify that image entirely.
“Would that be okay? Doesn’t it sound a little childish?”
Honestly, Ras found it slightly embarrassing. Back when he used it for Spirit Stone, it was just game terminology, but calling it the Spirit Realm every time people used PC communication felt somewhat awkward.
“Isn’t it fine? Everyone already calls it that.”
However, that feeling belonged only to Ras, who retained memories of Earth. This world was one where spirits truly existed. So unlike on Earth, where the Spirit Realm sounded like a term only appearing in fantasy novels, here it was a commonly used term like outer space or heaven, so it did not sound childish at all.
After realizing this from Ella’s reaction, Ras ultimately released the PC communication service under the name “Spirit Space.” Since Spirit Realm was already used as the name for Spirit Stone’s Network Mode, he changed it slightly.
Barval Soft Headquarters.
“Spirit Space? This is general software, right?”
“Yes. They said it’s network-related software.”
Paul Roxy accepted the new software released by Meta Soft and turned to Jennifer in confusion. This was the first time they had received software that was not a game.
In fact, Meta Soft had previously created things like messenger programs and file transfer programs. However, those had been distributed together with communication cards rather than through Barval Soft, so Barval Soft knew nothing about them.
“Are they planning to develop things other than games now?”
Still, he wondered if there was any need for that. If things were not going well, then perhaps they might search for another avenue, but Meta Soft was the most successful game company not only in the Smith Republic, but in the entire world.
Of course, perhaps there was nothing strange about it, since the name Meta Soft simply meant a software developer.
In any case, Barval Soft first ran internal tests to check for bugs or major problems before releasing it. Ras had wanted to distribute this software for free, but since there was no proper distribution method, he had no choice but to sell it cheaply as a package.
And since the service would be free for a while in the early stages, users would not bear much burden besides phone fees. Even those phone fees would be solved once the magical connector launched.
Thus, Spirit Space spread to stores throughout the Smith Republic. It was an unfamiliar program, but that was thanks to the reputation and distribution network of Meta Soft and Barval Soft.
“Hm? Is this a new game?”
Central Smith Republic, Gellulushi.
Victor, a thirty-year-old elf, went to the electronics store he frequently visited and discovered software released by Meta Soft. Since he liked games, he immediately picked it up after seeing the Meta Soft name.
Fortunately, before purchasing it, he noticed the classification label indicating it was general software rather than a game.
“What is this? Were they making software other than games too?”
After reading the text on the package, he learned it was network-related software. In the past, he would not even have known what a network was, but after playing Spirit Stone, he at least had a rough idea.
Normally, he would have lost interest immediately because he did not care much about anything except games, but he continued reading.
He was an enthusiastic Spirit Stone Network Mode player, so the words “network” and “spirit” caught his interest.
Hm. Spirit Stone information sharing?
There was also content that sounded tempting. Since Spirit Stone had network battles, unlike games that simply ended after seeing the ending, people dug much deeper into it.
Because of that, many people felt the strategy guides provided by Gamers were not enough. The best information usually circulated among network users who battled together, but since there were no bulletin boards and people could only talk through one-on-one messenger chats, information sharing was not very smooth.
Yet this Spirit Space supposedly had bulletin boards where such information could remain posted permanently, which piqued his interest.
He was also curious about this thing called chat. He had used one-on-one messenger conversations quite a bit, but he could not imagine what it felt like for up to fifteen people to converse simultaneously.
Now interested, Victor flipped the package over to check the price.
15 Del? That’s really cheap?
If it had been expensive, that would have been one thing, but at this price, he felt like trying it once. Considering game software usually cost fifty or sixty Del, this was not even one-third of that.
In truth, Ras had wanted to make it even cheaper, but packaging and distribution costs made that impossible. Even this was almost being sold without profit. Still, in a world where software was considered expensive, this was already revolutionary.
It was the sort of price normally only seen when clearing out old unsold inventory.
So even though it was not a game, Victor did not feel too bad carrying the paper bag containing the package. After all, he had purchased a new Meta Soft software product for a small amount of money.
After returning home, he immediately opened the package and took out the diskette.
Only one disk?
Not just Meta Soft, but most games were trending toward larger capacities, so it was rare for packages to contain only one diskette anymore. Thus, he felt slightly disappointed. However, Victor let it go after considering the software’s price and the fact that it was not a game.
But in the first place, this software could not possibly be large. It only contained formatting for arranging the data sent by the server and a basic network system.
After all, the important thing in PC communication was the content on the server.
“Oh... It’s Earth?”
The moment he launched the software, what entered his eyes was the image of a massive blue sphere floating against a black background. The shapes of oceans and continents made it obvious what the sphere represented.
At the very least, the first impression was quite intriguing.
<Connecting to Spirit Space.>
The image of the massive Earth slowly rotated while the message appearing in its center made Victor remove his hands from the keyboard and wait. It was a message he had seen many times in Spirit Stone’s Network Mode.
<Please enter the name you will use in Spirit Space.>
Since he had already done this in Spirit Stone, Victor created an ID without much confusion.
[Spirit Masters and Elves Are Truth]
In reality, he was just a city elf who knew absolutely nothing about spirits, but he made the ID based on images from old stories. Fairy tales often featured elves who commanded spirits and performed mysterious feats.
<Welcome to Spirit Space.>
Then the main screen appeared, and Victor felt slightly cheated. It was too bare. There were only a few bulletin boards, and that was all. All the content listed on the package cover was indeed there, but because it was just plain text, it felt rather empty.
That was inevitable for someone accustomed to games with flashy graphics.
In any case, he first entered the information-sharing board.
I just click it, right?
He had read the manual before launching the software, and the manual was still open on top of the computer. Following the instructions written there, he clicked the text labeled Strategy Board.
“Oh?”
Immediately, the screen changed and a large amount of text began appearing. Since this was still an era with terrible communication speeds, the lines appeared one by one slowly like a dot printer outputting text, but Victor, as a person of this world, felt freshness rather than frustration.
[How to Beat Getta.]
[Strongest Water-Attribute Spirit]
[How Do You Clear the Southern Branch?]
[Easy Way to Obtain Advanced Evolution Stones]
A whole list of strategy-like titles appeared, but just from the titles alone, they felt different from Gamers strategy articles. They felt unrefined. Familiar, yet rougher.
People in this world were accustomed to seeing only polished print from publishers and newspapers, so internet posts felt very unfamiliar.
Victor slowly read through the titles and began opening the posts one by one.
Some contained information he already knew, while others were excessively sloppy, but there was also plenty of information he had never learned before.
Ohhh.
He welcomed the new information, but the bulletin board itself also felt fun somehow. According to the manual, most of these posts had been written and uploaded by users just like him, and the unpolished nature of the posts really conveyed that feeling.
And the “Write Post” option in the bulletin board menu showed that he too could write posts like these.
Ah. So this is how it works.
He tried pressing it once. A large rectangular box appeared, along with a familiar blinking cursor. The interface was intuitive enough that he immediately understood how to use it.
Since he had nothing particular to write, he pressed cancel and returned to the previous screen.
Then he visited the Free Board, and that place was truly chaotic. It felt as though every random sound in the world was gathered there.
At least posts about winning several Spirit Stone online matches or finally obtaining a certain spirit were relatable and easy enough to accept, but there were also posts insulting school friends, talking about what someone ate that day, or preaching the greatness of the Smith Republic. It felt endlessly and absurdly free.
At first, he felt slightly resistant, but as he read those trivial posts one by one, he suddenly realized he had already read all dozen or so posts on the page.
Why am I even reading this stuff?
Still, one thing was certain. Everyone here was an ordinary person just like him.
He became interested. Interested in the people here. Until now, it felt as though he had only listened to them talking one-sidedly, but now Victor felt like he also wanted to say something.
So he decided to try writing a comment, something like a small note attached beneath a post.