> Tank_Rearview: Don't worry. Shipping is faster than FedEx. You'll probably get it today.
With a mere thought, Viserys sent this message directly to his broke buddy on the other side of the screen.
It seemed his luck was finally turning. Someone in the "Just Here for the Memes" discord group was actually showing genuine interest.
> F_Around_Find_Out: @Tank_Rearview, I clicked register. When does this "free VR helmet" the website promised actually show up?
[ Closed Beta Registration: (2/100) ]
Wang Wu, a college student known online as F_Around_Find_Out (or just "FaFo"), was currently sitting in his dorm room. He was slurping down instant beef noodles while a desk fan blasted warm air into his face. Behind his thick glasses, his unblinking eyes were glued to his laptop screen.
Hmph. I'm just here to see what happens.
True to his username, he had registered mostly to expose his friend's lie. But deep down, a tiny spark of anticipation flickered in his chest.
What if it's real?
> Goji_Berry_Enjoyer: Good lord. Are you not afraid of malware at all?
> F_Around_Find_Out: I've got 360 Security and Kaspersky. I'm invincible.
> Paradox_Gamer: @F_Around_Find_Out What a legend. With that kind of digital condom, your PC is practically bulletproof.
> Step_Sis_Im_Stuck: @Tank_Rearview, I clicked register too. @Everyone, brothers, I'm going in first to scout the area. If it turns out to be some weird virus that fills my screen with Rickroll videos, I shall bear that burden alone!
[ Closed Beta Registration: (3/100) ]
> Mouse_Is_Duck: Warning to the user above: I suspect it's not a Rickroll, but something far worse. However, I have no evidence, so I've decided to investigate personally!
[ Closed Beta Registration: (4/100) ]
[ Closed Beta Registration: (5/100) ]
> Bun_Immortal: Eh, clicked it. Let's see.
> Pineapple_Pizza_Lover: You guys register first. I'm gonna spectate for a bit.
> Mouse_Is_Duck: Spectating is a crime. Register immediately.
> Pineapple_Pizza_Lover: It's not that I won't register, it's just... tactical patience. Strategic deployment. Basically, I'm scared my PC will get a virus or the helmet will explode. You guys play first. If you don't die, I'll join.
> Mouse_Is_Duck: GG.
It seemed FaFo had started a chain reaction. Driven by peer pressure and the desire to troll, four people from the small gaming group—which had less than twenty active members—actually clicked the link and registered.
The small chat was popping off like never before. Six or seven users were spamming messages non-stop.
Even though only a handful had signed up, while the rest lurked or talked trash, Viserys felt this was a fantastic start.
After all, this was real. There was a legitimate, 100% realistic world waiting for them on the other side. Viserys was convinced that the moment the first wave of players logged in, they would become die-hard fans of this "game."
It couldn't be helped. It was the world's first full-dive VRMMO, something no other company could replicate.
---
Viserys closed the system interface, suppressing the excitement bubbling in his chest. Now, he just had to wait for the players to log in.
"For you."
An old baker with graying hair handed a loaf of black bread to Viserys.
Viserys took the bread, muttered a quick thanks, and watched suspiciously as the man walked away.
This kind of behavior was rare in Essos. Good people were practically non-existent here.
The market was full of starving orphans and beggars, yet Viserys hadn't seen this baker offer charity to anyone else over the past few days.
Viserys knew exactly why. It was because of him and his sister—their otherworldly silver hair and purple eyes, the lingering aura of nobility that dirt couldn't hide. It had attracted the baker's attention—or rather, the attention of the person backing him.
It seems that while we're struggling to survive right now, help is on the way.
In this city, Pentos, there was only one person who fit the bill: Illyrio Mopatis.
Judging by Daenerys's age, the main plot hadn't started yet, or was just about to. As the Magister of Pentos, it wouldn't be strange for Illyrio to have already taken notice of the "Beggar King" moving between the Free Cities.
The Targaryen siblings returned to their temporary residence in Pentos—a dilapidated rental house on the outskirts of the city, just far enough away from the slums to be safe.
Viserys had paid the rent with money made from selling silver plates and jade trinkets he'd stolen from the Myr merchant, the "upstart" Lollo.
Ever since the original owner of this body sold his mother's crown, he had become quite skilled at swiping silverware during dinner parties. After all, relying on the "charity" of rich masters was unreliable. If they didn't steal, they would have starved to death long ago.
Those masters always had fancy dining sets, and a single silver fork could feed the siblings for a day.
Transmigrators usually don't arrive with grand ambitions of conquest immediately. Most are forced forward by circumstance. At least, that was the case for Viserys. He wasn't the original delusional prince, nor was he some tragic hero obsessed with restoration.
The truth was simple: he couldn't stand the suffering of a commoner in this world. He was only built for the decadent life of a feudal king.
Every second he smelled the mold in this room, his desire to reclaim the throne grew stronger.
Unable to stand the stench any longer, Viserys left Daenerys inside and walked out to lean against a large tree near the entrance.
[ Host: Viserys Targaryen ]
Strength: 7 (Average adult male is 8-10. Your Grace, have you not hit puberty yet?)
Constitution: 6 (Average adult male is 7-9. We know you're malnourished and weak, but ask yourself—is your laziness not also to blame?)
Agility: 5 (You can't even outrun the old lady selling ice cream.)
Perception: 6 (Average. You are destined to have no affinity with magic.)
Insight: 8 (If you were a commander, your army would be run in circles by the enemy.)
Willpower: 8 (With your weak will, you'd be overwhelmed trying to command even a thousand men.)
Magic Skills / Talents: None.
Combat Skills / Weapon Mastery: None.
One-Handed Weapon Proficiency: 5.
Combat Rating: 23 | Command Rating: 16 | Magic Affinity: 6
Viserys closed the tragic character sheet.
"System? You promised me a reward after players registered."
He mentally summoned the interface again.
"Rewards issuing..." the System Sprite responded instantly.
As a transmigrator's cheat code—the backbone of the Targaryen Restoration and Viserys's survival tool—the Game Admin System obviously had more functions than just summoning players.
The System Shop was the second essential feature. The shop contained everything from swords and armor to fine warhorses, Valyrian steel weapons, and even dragon eggs, griffin eggs, magic scrolls, and experience tomes.
In short, the items in the shop could turn the low-magic world of Game of Thrones into a high-fantasy playground.
But all these dazzling items required Kingdom Coins—the virtual currency used by the System and, in the future, by the players for trading.
Kingdom Coins could be earned by completing System missions or by exchanging local currency.
However, the exchange rate was a rip-off. Whether it was Westerosi Golden Dragons or the gold coins of the Free Cities, the rate was strictly 1 Gold Dragon = 0.5 Kingdom Coins.
If Viserys relied solely on completing missions himself, he wouldn't be able to afford a dragon egg until the next Ice Age.
But with the players arriving, things would be much easier.
Take the "Newbie Recruitment" mission as an example. The reward for completing it was 100 Kingdom Coins and a Bronze Treasure Chest.
Viserys could take a similar mission, modify the reward to 10 Kingdom Coins, issue it to the players, let them do the work, and pocket the remaining 90 Kingdom Coins for himself.
Before the players had even arrived, Viserys was already sharpening his sickle, ready to harvest the (chives/noobs).
[ Reward Issued: 100 Kingdom Coins have been added to your account. ]