Ita Era

Chapter 172 Ita's Upgrade
Ding Shi was pondering the hand seals when Xiao Tangtang's voice came from the sky: Someone has collected all five Truth Cards, unlocked the Bagua City, and activated the social functions.

The social feature, abbreviated as Ita Connect, is similar to WeChat; players can add friends and create groups. However, players inside the instance cannot communicate with those outside.

Bagua City, also known as Player City, offers a two-way teleportation ticket for players costing $50. Bagua City provides food and entertainment but primarily does not sell goods or provide housing. In short, it's a place for players to meet, relax, and enjoy themselves.

The Bagua City is vast, encompassing hot springs, skiing, diving, and various other eco-leisure activities. However, the system imposes many restrictions on Bagua City, such as an 11 PM curfew, and the only way to stay within the city is to stay in a hotel. Illegal activities are not permitted; there are no flour-related services, sex workers, or male escorts.

To trade in Bagua City, you must do so within the system-designated area through bots. The system doesn't handle sending or selling items; it only manages currency. Paper money cannot be transferred to players, and players cannot receive virtual currency. Transactions can only be conducted through bots. The bots will assess the value of the goods and deduct a 20-40% tax. The best method of trading for players is still barter.

The reason it's said that it basically doesn't sell goods is because the Bagua City only sells one type of product: a female or male master. This is what people call an AI companion, but not a servant companion in the traditional sense. You can choose your companion's personality, and he will guarantee his loyalty and help you with what he can. However, he will also be hurt by your actions and words. After accumulating a certain amount of hurt, he will activate a self-destruct program, essentially breaking up with you.

Each partner costs $1, and each person is allowed only one partner. Renewal is quarterly, and fees are based on partner satisfaction. If your partner considers you a perfect partner, the partner company will give you a bonus; otherwise, they will charge you a fee. The lower the partner's satisfaction, the higher the fee. Dungeon time is not counted, meaning your rating won't decrease due to being unable to accompany your partner during dungeons.

While listening to Tangtang's introduction in the sky, Ding Shi opened his email, which introduced the social features and the Gossip City. After reading and listening, Ding Shi opened the second email: The Truth About Ita.

No wonder the Four of Spades didn't come with the truth; it turns out it was planning to tell itself all the truth at once.

The newspaper report was largely accurate: the planet Ita was nearing its end, and its explosion would destroy the entire solar system. An extraterrestrial high-dimensional civilization had established the Ita system for the only human in the solar system.

Summarized as follows:

Truth 1: The Ita system is not perfect. It is currently building a reincarnation system and an Earth-like system, which will take at least 20 years. At that time, Ita will return the right to reproduce to humanity.

Truth #2: All Four Symbols Cities are experimental cities. An extraterrestrial civilization is searching for a mechanism suitable for human survival, and this mechanism will be chosen by humanity itself. In short, they are observing the development of each Four Symbols City.

In the future, the world of Ita will be recreated as an Earth-like planet, divided into several or even thousands of countries to ensure global diversity, allowing people to choose their own place to live. For example, if many people dislike Black people, a country that bans Black people as its nation will be created; if many people like Shrimp, a small country that loves Shrimp will be created.

The first approach is deep intervention, where AI robots specify the rules, and humans obey those rules.

The second approach is moderate intervention, where AI acts as the executor, with humans setting the rules and AI ensuring the fairness and impartiality of those rules.

The third option is to intervene lightly, with AI only managing global security and preventing wars and terrorist attacks.

The fourth option is non-intervention, allowing humanity to develop entirely on its own. This option implies that extraterrestrials will no longer interfere with humanity, even in the event of nuclear war or the destruction of Earth by humankind.

Truth 3: Purpose of the dungeon: Before the full construction of Ital, to provide humans with a tool to pass the time.

Objective 2: In preparation for Plans 2 and 3, those who perform well in the dungeon will have the opportunity to obtain positions and become the first managers of various countries around the world.

Objective 3: To develop mental and physical abilities and to learn about the culture.

Objective Four: To enrich the human species within the Interstellar Alliance. The aliens will select elite humans to participate in the Interstellar Alliance Tournament. The qualification for participation is completing all civilization instances. Since they are representing humanity, they must have a certain understanding of human cultural development. Achieving good results in the tournament will elevate the status of Earth's human species within the Interstellar Alliance.

Objective Five: Demigods, more accurately superhumans, also known as immortal sages. Demigods will die, but their reincarnations will retain their memories, and their abilities can be used on Earth-like planets. Demigods will not require a mother's womb, can choose their birth age, and can construct their physical characteristics independently.

As a demigod, I am qualified to attend the Interstellar Alliance meeting and have an obligation to explain the development of Earth-like systems to the Alliance.

Demigod status is the ultimate reward for an individual in dungeons. To become a demigod, you don't necessarily need to complete all civilization dungeons, but you must obtain a sufficient number of hidden points. There is no limit to the number of players who can become a demigod, but there is a time limit. The specific time and points required will change based on the progress of Ita's development.

Truth #4: The Interstellar Alliance is currently deciding whether to restart the solar system. If humanity possesses value, the Interstellar Alliance is willing to invest massive amounts of resources to restart the solar system. "Restart" is a term used by higher-dimensional beings; in human terms, it means reconstruction, restoring a true solar system.

Whether it's worthwhile to do this for humanity was a subject of much debate within the Alliance, with neither side able to convince the other. Ultimately, they decided to leave the decision to humanity. If no elite humans emerge, the reboot plan will be shelved. Volunteers will be selected every 20 years to re-challenge the instance. If elite humans perform extremely poorly in the Alliance competition, the reboot plan will also be shelved, as humanity will not be deemed valuable.

As for whether elite humans are considered elites by humans, the Alliance doesn't care; they have their own standards for judgment.

Truth #5: Ita's energy comes from dungeons. Dungeons are like treadmills connected to generators. The more people participate in dungeons, the faster Ita improves.

Truth Six: A coalition of civilians opposing the Solar System Reboot Project has formed the Veil Organization, headquartered in the Veil Nebula of Cygnus. They have connected to the ETA System and will deploy a maximum of one person into a replica with the aim of eliminating the replica's humans. However, their actions are restricted by the ETA System and they must abide by ETA Rules.

Truth Seven: The Veiled Ones stole some data from Ita. They have some understanding of humanity. They may appear in the instance as instance members or as instance participants. Killing the Veiled Ones in the instance will increase your completion rating by 1.5 points.

Truth Eight: Apart from Truths One, Two, and Three, the remaining truths will be explained to the participants through the newspaper. Only by collecting all five truth playing cards can the complete truth be revealed.

Ding Shi summarized: The solar system is about to be swallowed by the Eta. A high-dimensional alien civilization has established a rudimentary Eta system, placing all of humanity within it. The system generates electricity from replicas, evolves the Eta, and ultimately completes the ecological cycle and the soul reincarnation system. After this step is completed, all of humanity will be allocated to Earth-like locations according to their own will, and humanity will restore its time system, its reproductive system, and resume life on Earth.

Although Ita didn't explicitly say so, Ding Shi could estimate that it would take at least twenty or thirty years for humanity to return to Earth. However, twenty or thirty years in Ita's world roughly corresponds to two or three years in real time. Humans could challenge the elites, but forget about demigods; that's just a pipe dream from aliens.

Ding Shi wasn't filled with enthusiasm; he knew he was merely a brick in a vast project, unworthy to determine humanity's future. His motivation stemmed more from the dungeon rewards, the dungeon's appeal, and the various items he could buy with the money he earned.

……

On the third day of the Tianmen Village Romance, Ding Shi spent half a day mastering eight hand seals. After lunch, Ding Shi went to the Divine Water Spring alone.

Shenshui Spring is a large circular water pit with a diameter of three meters and a depth of 0.8 meters. Spring water constantly gushes up from the bottom of the pit. The villagers used bluestone bricks to build a 270-degree enclosure around the water pit, and the seeping spring water flows down the mountain wall.

The spring water was icy cold to the touch but sweet to the taste, truly top-quality spring water. In modern times, this spring would either become a tourist attraction or a water source exclusively for a select few. Thinking of this, Ding Shi drank three large bowls, then poured out three more—that's how willful he was.

Ding Shi searched the vicinity of the Divine Spring but did not find the Divine Tree. However, the spring water flowed down the mountainside, and the ruins of the Divine Tree happened to be located at the foot of the mountainside.

After the sacred tree was cut down, the stumps should have been left behind, but the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be destroyed by the wind, and there are no stumps left under the overturned nest.

A collector from the provincial capital, aware of the warlord's actions, sent men to Tianmen Village offering a reward for small pieces of sacred wood. The villagers flocked to the offer, using saws and axes to chop down the tree stumps and exchange the small pieces for money. The collector then gave these pieces to master carvers to be crafted into various art pieces.

It is said that without any chemical treatment, these art pieces not only do not decay but also retain moisture and emit a pleasant fir scent for a long time. If it weren't for the stone tablet left by a scholar who passed the imperial examination nearby, no one would know that a sacred tree once stood in this weedy area.

Ding Shi searched the surrounding area, squatting and lying down, confirming that there was indeed no divine tree. However, he wasn't discouraged, because he knew where the divine tree was. It's just that this was something he couldn't do alone; he needed to recruit someone to join him.

Why didn't Ding Shi tell everyone about this?
The first reason is that this main quest is optional and does not affect the player's ability to leave Tianmen Village on the eighth day.

The second reason is that there is likely treasure around the sacred tree.

The third reason is that the advanced quest involves getting married under the witness of Feng Qiniang. Because NPCs are involved, even though I am selfless and willing to tell everyone the location of the Divine Tree, I will complete the advanced quest first before revealing it to avoid causing trouble.

Fourthly, $500 isn't much, is it? $300 is fine too. This is a money-making opportunity, and there's no reason to let it slip by. Besides, if you tell everyone the news for free and get everyone to complete the advanced task, not everyone will genuinely thank you; they might even secretly call you an idiot.

The fifth reason is the risk. If I make a mistake, or if someone dies, I might be held responsible.

Who should we choose? The monk won't do. Regardless of his inner character, he appears to be a generous and selfless person. Even if we provided the information ourselves, it doesn't stop him from being generous with his own money.

The Confucian woman from Dongcheng has no outstanding appearance; she is either deep-seated or vulgar. Such a person may not be a helper but rather a burden.

The Taoist nun had a volatile temper and didn't like traveling with others.

Ji Shan and Ji Yue are husband and wife, and I am an outsider traveling with them.

All that's left are Little Ni and Silly Bone.

If I'm not mistaken, Xiao Ni should be the ghost cultivator that Sha Bi mentioned.

Evidence 1: Ding Shi saw Xiao Ni enter Ji Yue's new house at night, which most likely indicates that she had contact with evil spirits. It was only by working together with Ji Yue, Ding Shi, the monk, and Dong Cheng that they barely managed to get Ji Shan out of Ji Yue's new house.

Evidence Two: It's clear that Liu Niang's family has a major problem. Xiao Ni and Xi Jiu aren't very familiar with each other, nor is she familiar with the idolized Taoist priest. The reason she's targeting Liu Niang's family is because the priest told her they possess a rare item. That's pure nonsense. They've known each other for less than 24 hours; would the priest really tell Xiao Ni such important information? Why didn't he tell anyone else?
Okay, even if the Taoist priest and the young nun were on good terms and the priest told the young nun about the rare item, why didn't he provide any more information?

Of course, the above evidence isn't really conclusive, and besides, the player Ghost Cultivator is merely someone who wields ghostly power, not necessarily a bad person. However, since he has a choice, Ding Shi won't choose Xiao Ni.

Sha Bi and Ding Shi were mortal enemies before the era, and they continued to fight each other in the post-era instances, but they also cooperated to a small extent. Besides, Sha Bi did pay protection money after all.

One of the two most important reasons is that Sha Bi is still very weak today. Although he can get out of bed and move around, his complexion is still very bad.

Secondly, Ding Shi knew how much urine Sha Bi had, but he didn't know if the others had any hidden skills. Cooperating with Sha Bi was actually the safest option.

Before returning to Tiezhu's house, Ding Shi met with the Daoist nun and learned that the routine meeting after breakfast would end in an awkward silence. With Wang Zhu no longer a possibility, and Ding Shi's ideas diminished, the morning meeting was just a waste of time. The monk was the one who made the decisions, but when he had none, there was nothing anyone could do. The whole morning was spent wandering around the village.

It's best to only believe half of what they say. For example, Xiao Ni has her own ideas, and she only holds morning meetings to gather more information. The Taoist nun, for instance, was injured and had her left arm braced with a wooden stick, but she wouldn't say why she was injured. Dong Cheng, on her way home at Ding Shi, was found chatting with Granny Liu.

Sha Bi was sunbathing outside in the courtyard, and his face finally regained some color. Ding Shi sat down next to Sha Bi, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and leaned closer to say, "Aunt Cuihua will help us get some dry food at noon. Come with me to find Shenmu this afternoon."

The seemingly unambitious Foolish Bone's eyes immediately lit up: "Oh? You know where the Sacred Tree is?"

Ding Shi: "Not sure."

Silly Bike pondered: If this guy wanted to kill him, he would be powerless to resist, which ruled out the possibility that he was trying to kill him. Besides his life, he had nothing of value.

Did he know about the reward Tie Zhu was giving him? Was he trying to steal it? No, he shouldn't know that he had to bring the skill book onto the bus so that he could truly master the skills in the book when leaving the dungeon.

Sha Bi nodded, "Okay." He didn't doubt why Ding Shi would look for him; after all, they were people who had actually done bad things. The monks were probably good kids eight or nine times out of ten before the new era.

Ding Shi said, "Listen to me."

Sha Bi nodded again: "Okay."

Ding Shi asked, "What did you get from Uncle Tiezhu's house?"

Sha Bi looked at Ding Shi, and Ding Shi looked at Sha Bi, saying, "Sincerity."

Sha Bi scoffed, "What did Cuihua give you?"

Ding Shi said, "I know where the sacred tree is."

Sha Bi choked, then said helplessly, "Ghost Control Technique. It means that I can add another evil ghost inside my body. Through time, they will merge together, and I can then add another evil ghost."

Ding Shi exclaimed in surprise: "Then you're invincible? The power of each evil spirit accumulates, and the final punch can kill the sun."

Sha Bi scoffed, "You think evil spirits are like cabbages growing on the roadside?"

Ding Shi pointed at Tianmen Village: "One-third of the homes are haunted by evil spirits."

Sha Bi said, "It's not that simple, especially when you can't use items. Let me put it this way, my Ghost Shadow is not affected by yang energy or daytime, but other evil spirits are not. To obtain a second evil spirit, I must use my Ghost Shadow to capture the evil spirit when it is at its weakest, constantly let the Ghost Shadow absorb its power, and then constantly feed it with my essence blood, so that it recognizes me as its master. It's similar to training a hawk."

Neither humans nor eagles sleep. The eagle will either die from exhaustion or accept food from humans. Once it accepts food from humans, it will become a slave to them.

(End of this chapter)