From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

The topic quickly shifted back to computers, servers, and the Internet.

"Before those workstations are delivered, we need to confirm the actual conditions of the site."

"It would be best to finalize the power connection, ventilation, moisture-proofing measures, and wiring routes beforehand. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a tour of the mansion after dinner."

"Of course." Rebecca wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I'll show you around."

The sunlight after lunch was even brighter, making the corridors inside the mansion seem less gloomy.

Rebecca led Edmund on a tour starting from the first floor. To the right of the foyer was the living room connected to the dining room, then a kitchen that was almost too spacious, and the last room on the first floor was a study.

When Rebecca opened the door, the smell of old paper reminded Edmund of the Gulfstream City Library.

The study has bookshelves covering most of the three walls, and a large writing desk is placed by the window, but it is clear that it is rarely used.

Edmund's gaze swept across the bookshelf, and he noticed that there were many old works of history and anthropology—some of the books still had faded gold-embossed titles on their spines that, upon closer inspection, could still be identified as titles such as "On Magic" and "Folklore of the Northern Coast."

“These are all from my adoptive father’s collection.” Rebecca noticed his gaze. “If you’re interested, you can try borrowing them from Thomas.”

Edmund nodded. He would love to flip through "On Magic" if given the chance.

The second floor consists of bedrooms and guest rooms, including the master bedroom, Edmund's room, and three other guest rooms.

Rebecca turned toward the stairs: "The third floor is where you really want to see it."

The space on the third floor is slightly more compact than the two floors below, and you can see that there is an attic above.

Rebecca pushed open the innermost door and turned on the light. Edmund was somewhat surprised to see two computer systems in the room, the equipment quite sophisticated.

"This is the computer base I built before," Rebecca said proudly as she turned around. "Most of the components and tools I developed were completed here."

Edmund approached one of the machines, his gaze sweeping over the label on the main unit.

The configuration isn't top-of-the-line, but it's more than enough for him, since his primary need is security.

He turned to Rebecca and asked, "Could you sell me one of these two? I don't have my own computer right now, and it's not very convenient to use those public computers all the time."

Rebecca pondered for a few seconds, her gaze shifting back and forth between Edmund and the two machines, before finally nodding.

"Alright. You can have the one on the left. No rush to pay—we can talk about it later when things get better on the server side."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Rebecca pulled up a chair and sat down, then promptly turned on her computer: "In that case, we'd better get the settings all set up now so it's convenient for you to use."

After the two worked on it for a while, a terminal window popped up on the monitor, with a green cursor blinking steadily.

"Alright, this one's yours." Rebecca stood up. "The network is configured, and the dial-up script is set up. Give it a try."

"Thanks."

Edmund sat down in the chair and placed his fingers on the keyboard. He typed a few commands to check the system status, then connected to the network via a dial-up script.

He then opened a hidden private email account and entered an address he had memorized. The email server was hosted on a node known to few, a setup he had made during his time with the cult to store important files that couldn't be stored locally.

Login successful. There is only one small text file in the email folder.

"What is this?" Rebecca leaned closer to look at the text on the screen.

"The prototype novel for the MUD game we talked about before," Edmund said. "I've always had a basic setup document in my remote mailbox."

He sent the file to Rebecca's machine via the local network, and Rebecca opened the file on her own computer and quickly browsed it.

This is a novel called "The Legend of the Martial Arts Heroes". Interestingly, it uses corner marks to indicate many "optional" plot developments.

"Interesting, it looks quite rich, like the style of the nine provinces of the Far East." Rebecca scrolled through the text. "Did you design this yourself?"

Edmund leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head: "That's right. I think it has a rich web of power dynamics, a clear path to growth, and plenty of random events, making it perfect for being transformed into a MUD."

Rebecca stopped rolling and looked up at him: "When do you plan to start development?"

"Once the server is in place," Edmund said, "before that, I can use this machine to set up the text framework for the core system."

"Good luck." Rebecca stood up, glanced out the window, and said, "The sun is about to set. I'll take you to see the basement and garage; that's where the server deployment is mainly located."

"Just a moment." Edmund resumed working on the computer.

Rebecca didn't disturb the other person and picked up the monthly magazine she had put down earlier to read.

Five or six minutes later, Edmund looked at Rebecca sitting opposite him.

"It's all set. Remember to check your email later. I've sent you information about an anonymous account containing 5000 yuan—my server group deposit."

"Great, it seems our plan will go smoothly." Rebecca nodded.

The two turned off the computer and left the room on the third floor.

After coming down from the third floor, the two walked through the narrow corridor next to the kitchen on the first floor and opened the thick oak door to the basement.

Behind the door is a downward stone staircase, with iron wall lamps made from candlesticks embedded in the walls on both sides. The air gradually becomes cool and humid as you descend.

"The basement of this mansion is even older than the upper floors," Rebecca said, walking ahead. "It might even date back to my adoptive father's grandfather's time, or even earlier."

As she spoke, Rebecca pushed open another door at the end of the steps and casually pulled the pull cord switch on the side of the door.

The incandescent bulb clicked and lit up, illuminating a space that was even more spacious than Edmund had anticipated.

The basement is roughly rectangular, estimated to be at least 80 square meters. The walls retain their original stone masonry, and the ceiling is high enough for an adult to walk upright without bumping their head.

Near the entrance, to the left, is a row of wine racks, while to the right are wooden shelves for storing miscellaneous items and several old wooden crates covered with canvas.

At the deepest part of the wall, there is a distribution box and several rows of old-fashioned copper wires, next to which is a boiler that looks quite old.

"The main power line is connected to the municipal power grid, but I later added an independent circuit specifically to supply power to the third floor," Rebecca gestured to the distribution box.

"If we want to deploy servers here, a supplier has already provided a power upgrade solution. They said they can send people to modify the power distribution system."