The Royal Capital of Tyria was usually a symphony of sounds: iron carriage wheels on cobblestone, street hawkers shouting prices, and the clang of the blacksmiths.
Today, it was a cacophony of beeps, chimes, and confused shouting.
Elian walked through the massive city gates, his [Cloak of Anonymity] still rendering him as a harmless scholar. Everywhere he looked, he saw the blue glow of the System.
A beggar was staring intently at empty air, poking a blue button only he could see.
Two guards were ignoring their post, comparing stats.
"I have 12 Strength!" one boasted.
"Yeah, well, I have the [Keen Eyes] passive," the other retorted.
Elian navigated toward the Grand Plaza. This was the economic heart of the kingdom, where the Merchant Guild held absolute power. Or at least, they used to.
"Thievery! This is sorcery and thievery!"
The shout came from the center of the plaza. A fat man in velvet robes—Master Galt, head of the local Merchant Guild—was red in the face, screaming at a young adventurer.
"I will not take your 'Credits'!" Galt spat. "I want Gold! Physical, heavy, King's-head-stamped Gold! You want this sword? That will be fifty Gold pieces!"
The young adventurer looked desperate. "Master Galt, I don't have fifty gold. But I have 500 Credits from the tutorial! The System says that's worth a fortune!"
"The System is a lie!" Galt roared, knocking a display of potions over. "Gold is the only truth!"
Elian sighed. Resistance to change. Typical.
He stepped through the crowd. "Actually," Elian said, his voice amplified slightly by a passive audio-tweak skill. "The exchange rate is currently stabilizing."
Galt turned, sneering. "And who are you? Another wizard peddling fake coin?"
Elian ignored him and addressed the crowd. "The Merchant Guild is trying to price-gouge you because they control the local supply. But the System doesn't care about local supply. It cares about Global Supply."
Elian raised his hand. "Open your Menus. Navigate to the [Auction House] tab."
The young adventurer blinked. "Auction House?" He tapped the air.
Suddenly, a massive holographic grid projected in front of the boy, visible to everyone because he had accidentally set his privacy to 'Public'.
[Global Auction House]
[Current Listings: 4,000,212]
"You want a sword?" Elian asked. "Search for 'Iron Longsword'."
The boy typed it in. The list populated instantly.
Iron Longsword (Quality: Common) - Seller:
Smith_from_North - Price: 50 Credits
Iron Longsword (Quality: Good) - Seller:
Dwarven_Forge_01 - Price: 75 Credits
Iron Longsword (Quality: Poor) - Seller: Galt_The_Merchant - Price: 5,000 Credits (converted from 50 Gold)
The crowd gasped. Galt's price was a hundred times higher than the others.
"This is the Global Server," Elian explained, his voice carrying over the square. "You aren't limited to buying from the person standing in front of you. You can buy from a smith in the Iron Mountains. You can buy herbs from the Elves in the Western Woods."
"How?" Galt sputtered. "How do you get the item?"
"Buy the one for 50 Credits," Elian told the boy.
The boy pressed [Buy Now].
CHIME.
A swirling vortex of blue pixels opened in the air in front of the boy. The handle of a sword slowly materialized, solidifying into real steel. It fell into his hands with a heavy clatter.
[Transaction Complete.]
[Item 'Iron Longsword' transferred from Inventory: Smith_from_North -> Inventory: User_442.]
"Teleportation magic..." Galt whispered, terrified. "For a simple sword?"
"Matter digitization," Elian corrected. "It's much cheaper."
He turned to the crowd, who were now looking at their own menus with ravenous hunger.
"The Economy has three tiers," Elian lectured, pointing to a diagram he projected in the air.
Tier 3: Bronze Coins. For simple meals, beggars, and trash loot.
Tier 2: Silver Coins. (1 Silver = 100 Bronze). For daily wages and basic gear.
Tier 1: Gold Coins. (1 Gold = 100 Silver). For land, bribes, and high-end physical goods.
Tier 0: System Credits (SC). The Universal Standard.
"You can convert your coins," Elian said. "Look at the [Currency Exchange] tab. You can list your physical Gold for sale. If a player needs Gold to buy a house, they will buy it from you using Credits. If you need Credits to buy a Skill Book, you sell your Gold."
The realization hit the crowd like a hammer. The power had shifted. The Merchant Guild no longer controlled the price; the World did.
Galt sank to his knees. His warehouse of overpriced steel was now worthless.
[Later that evening - The Blue Moon Inn]
Elian sat in a corner booth, finally relaxing his posture. The Inn was buzzing. But instead of drunken brawls, people were sitting in quiet clusters, manipulating glowing blue screens.
Elian opened his own interface. A notification was blinking on the [Social] tab.
[Friend Request Received: Kaelen_Vanguard]
[Message Attached: "My Lord! It works!"]
Elian accepted the request. Immediately, a chat window opened.
[Private Message - Kaelen]: Lord Elian? Can you read this? I am speaking into the air like a madman, but the text appears here!
Elian typed back on a holographic keyboard.
[Elian]: I can read it, Kaelen. It's called Instant Messaging. Use it to coordinate your hunting parties.
[Kaelen]: This is miraculous. I just spoke to a man in the Southern Deserts. He wants to trade 'Sand-Scorpion Carapaces' for our 'River-Fish'. We are arranging the trade on the Auction House now. Riverbend will be rich!
Elian smiled. The world was shrinking. War would change. Diplomacy would change.
He looked at the [Friends] list interface.
Add Friend: (Search by Name/ID)
Block User: (For harassment)
Create Group Chat: (Up to 10 Users)
At the table next to him, a teenage girl was waving her hand excitedly. A holographic projection of a boy's face was hovering over her table—a video call.
"No way!" the girl laughed. "Show me the loot!"
The boy in the hologram held up a glowing dagger. "It dropped from a sewer rat! It has +2 Agility!"
Elian took a sip of his ale. He had turned a fantasy world into a digital MMO lobby in less than 24 hours.
Suddenly, a global notification—one that Elian hadn't triggered—flashed red across everyone's vision in the Inn.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT]
[The First 'World Boss' has spawned.]
[Location: The Royal Palace Courtyard.]
[Target: The Usurper King.]
Elian nearly choked on his drink.
"The Usurper King?" Elian whispered, checking his Admin logs. "I didn't name a boss that."
He scanned the code. His eyes widened.
The System hadn't generated the boss. The people's perception had. The hatred for the corrupt King was so high, and the mana density so thick, that the System had interpreted the King himself as a Raid Boss.
The entire Inn went silent. Then, fifty heads turned toward the castle visible through the window.
A mercenary at the bar stood up, drawing his axe.
"Did... did the sky just tell us to kill the King for loot?"
Elian stood up, tossing a Gold Coin onto the table. "Oh, this is going to be messy."
System Feature: The Auction House & Socials
1. The Auction House (AH)
Listing Fee: 5% of the sale price (Sinks money out of the economy).
Bidding: Items can be set for "Buy It Now" or "48-Hour Auction."
Delivery: Instant via [Spatial Inventory Transfer].
Cross-Faction Trading: A Human can buy from an Orc. The System does not care about race, only Credits.
2. Currency Exchange (The Forex Market)
Real-time graph showing the value of Gold vs. Credits.
Current Rate: 1 Gold Coin = 10 System Credits.
(Gold is crashing as people rush for Skills).
3. The Comm-Link (Social)
Whisper: Private text message.
Holo-Call: Face-to-face video projection (Consumes Mana per minute).
Party Chat: Automatic voice link for people in the same group, regardless of distance.
Friend Code: Users can share a unique QR-style rune to add each other instantly.