In the weeks it took for the Ingeium to be delivered, Brian split his time equally between researching The Jianghu and reading his uncles novels.

He had tried to read the Young Adult series, but just couldn't seem to get into it. He could no longer relate with eight year-old Johnny Whoopus and the rest of the gang. Truth be told, Brian had only ever had the first two novels read to him and then he kind of grew out of the story. That didn't stop his uncle from writing them, though.

The books he had been reading were the translations of Heroic Forest's novels. He had ate these up, finishing half of them in a single day. It helped that most seemed to be relatively short. More like novellas or novelettes. He had enjoyed them, though. Some were even up to six-hundred pages. He had never been much of a reader, but for some reason these stories sucked him in like nothing he had ever experienced.

He could see why his uncle had fallen in love with this type of fiction. It was basically fantasy superheroes. Most of them seemed to center around a single man on a journey of self-discovery, traveling around ancient China. He would start off weak, but as things progressed and the protagonist learned more, his abilities would end up at a superhuman caliber.

Really, it was no different than a Western superhero story. Except the protagonist learned his powers through training. And it was set in ancient China instead of modern times. But other than that, there were a lot of similarities. Heck, most of the origin stories began with tragedy. Parents killed by a villain, pushing the protagonist to do good and fight against evil.

Johnny Whoopus got his start that way. His uncle had written Johhny's parents death so Brian could relate to him, of course. But it seemed like Johnny's adventures had a lot in common with the general formula for a Wuxia novel. Heavily Americanized, of course. But most of the elements were there; Tragedy, adventure, mystery, revenge, lots of Kung Fu, and even some romance in the last two novels.

He had also done a decent chunk of research into The Jianghu. The game honestly didn't seem so much more advanced than some of the games he played as a kid. Of course, the key feature which made it all the more amazing was the Virtual Reality. He had VR Goggles as a kid - most people did back then, before the fad had faded. But they weren't true Virtual Reality, just an image projected onto your eyes.

With the Ingenium, you would actually be in the game. You would be your character, have complete control over all its movements. And the Jianghu wasn't anything to scoff at, either. Supposedly taste, smell, and even textures could be replicated spot-on. No one knew how they accomplished it. Heck, during their initial ad campaigns, there had apparently been a coalition of scientist who had claimed what Brain Dynamic Corp was promising with the Ingenium was simply impossible. They got proven wrong, of course.

The game was completely free-form. You were dropped in the world and then left to do whatever you pleased. Of course, there might be consequences for some actions. The game had a large population of NPCs you had to coexist with. Which was another anomaly, as far as the great minds of the world were concerned. Apparently, even with some massive leaps in computing technology, it shouldn't be possible to do anything like what the Ingenium had accomplished.

Brian had spent day after day, staring at the computer screen and trying to find any solid information regarding the game and how to play it as he could. Most of it was futile. People often wouldn't agree on things and would offer conflicting information. A lot of the good information was hidden behind password-protected forums and chatrooms.

Every once in a while he would come across a tip or piece of information that he believed he could trust, which he would write down in a journal. It was just after he had jotted down a particularly juicy tip that he heard his doorbell ring.

Groaning as he stood and stretched, he headed to the door. What he saw instantly had his adrenaline pumping. Through his living room window, he could see a truck with the Brain Dynamic Corp logo on the side.

He was so excited he had trouble opening the door for the deliveryman.

"Hell-," The deliveryman started but stopped, staring at Brian.

Confused at first, Brian realized he had forgotten to wear a shirt.

"Oh," Brian chuckled.

After a moment the deliveryman joined him in his chuckle.

"I guess you're Brian Lin?" The man inquired.

"Yep, that's me," Brian replied, "And I guess you're the man who will install my Ingenium?"

"Sure am," The man stuck out his hand, which Brian shook. "I'm Mike."

Brian spotted an old T-Shirt sitting the back of his nearby couch, which he grabbed.

"Now, where would you like your Ingenium installed, Mister Lin?" The man asked as Brian slipped the shirt on.

"Well," Brian paused to think. He hadn't actually thought about this, which he berated himself for.

"I've got a spare room. But I'll need to move a few boxes around." Brian explained.

"No problem, it'll take me about five or ten minutes to get the Ingenium out of the truck. Just make sure there's a double socket nearby."

"Alright," He said as the man turned and walked back towards his truck.

Brian hurried back to his room and began to stack the boxes containing his uncle's stuff into one corner. Some had to be carried into his own room, but most were able to stay in the spare room. He also moved his computer over to the opposite wall of where he wanted the Ingenium installed, unsure of how much room Mike would need to work.

It wasn't long before the man showed up, pulling a furniture dolly that held a large, tall box.

"That wall, there?" Mike asked, nodding at the empty wall.

"Yep."

"Alright, then." He pulled the dolly into the room and gently let the box down. "Thank you for having a one-floor home, by the way. You wouldn't imagine how hard this thing is to take up steps."

Brian gave a polite chuckle at the comment.

"This will take a while," He explained. "You shouldn't leave the house, but no need for you to sit around with me."

"Ok," Brian replied. Then after his stomach let out a soft growl, "I'll be in the kitchen having lunch, then."

Mike nodded and got to work, cutting open the box.

In the meantime, Brian headed to the kitchen and made himself a peanut butter sandwich. He had neglected his grocery shopping and didn't really have anything in the house but some stale bread, peanut butter, and a few cups of ramen. Most nights he ordered out, so it hadn't really bothered him til now.

As he ate, he also noticed that his kitchen was a mess. The small size of the space made all the clutter look even worse. Pizza boxes, old Chinese food containers, microwave meals, and more occupied the counters and most of his table. Some of the trash had even spilled off the edge and fell on the floor.

After he was finished with his sad little sandwich, he began tidying up the kitchen. Half-way through, he realized he was out of trash bags and began ferrying armfuls of stuff to the trash and recycling bins behind his house. However, those also filled up as he hadn't taken them to the curb in a while.

Brian grimaced at his dilemma. I need to get my life back together...

On his return trip to the kitchen, he found Mike waiting for him, a tablet in hand.

"All done," He explained.

"Fantastic!" Brian smiled.

"Just a couple of things," He held the tablet to Brian. "Need a thumb scan here,"

Brian complied.

"And a signature there."

Brian had always found it awkward to write on touch pads, and was slightly embarrassed by the mess he created that was supposed to be his signature.

"And we're done." Mike tucked the tablet under his arm and Brian lead him to the door.

"The manual and Quick Start guides are on top of the pod. It's suggested that you at least read the Quick Start guide before hopping in the pod." Mike explained as they got to the door.

"Warranty information is on there, too," He continued before leaving. "Basically just says that unless you tamper with the thing, you have a life-time full-replacement plan."

"Alright, thank you for your help." Brian said as he closed the door on Mike. He didn't want to be rude, but he wanted to get in his Ingenium and give it a whirl.

He practically sprinted to his spare room. He stopped in the doorframe. For some reason, the Ingenium had almost seemed like a dream during these past few weeks. Until now, he had only read about it and seen pictures. A few videos, too. But still, actually getting to see it with his own eyes made it so much more real.

Seeing it now, he understood why it was nicknamed the "pod." It was a glossy black, about seven or eight feet long, half or so that across. It sat low to the ground on eight stubby legs. On the end towards the door, on the upper half that made up the lid, was a small screen that currently displayed the Ingenium logo. Brian guessed that it was eight by five inches in size. Beside the screen was another, much smaller, screen that was currently black. He wondered what it was for.

The whole thing had a rounded design that screamed, "Sci-fi!" to him.

Just as Mike had said, three separate booklets sat on top of the pod. He strode over and picked up the smallest of the three, assuming it to be the Quick Start guide. He was right, and began thumbing through it. Most of it seemed to be helpful tips, general safety warnings, and boasting about all the possibilities that Ingenium offered. About halfway in, though, it got to the real "quick start" guide.

The first portion explained that he would need to set up his account. Apparently the thumb scan he had done with Mike was the first step in this process and now all he had to do was give a second scan using the small black screen he had noticed next to the bigger one.

Brian kneeled down next to the pod and placed his thumb on the pad. He felt a brief flash of heat and then the larger screen came to life, displaying instructions for the next step. Apparently he also had to do an iris scan using a small scanner above the large screen. He hadn't even noticed it because it was so flush with the rest of the pod, but looking closer it was obvious. Once that was done, the screen prompted him to continue reading his guide.

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It explained that the thumb and iris scan set him up as the master account holder for the Ingenium. If he wanted to, he could add new users for other household members or friends, but only he would have a master account. Apparently, this was to help keep people safe, as only a registered account holder could open an Ingenium, by press their thumb to the scanner pad. Didn't want strangers playing with your bits while you're in Virtual Reality, right?

The quick start guide let him know that if he wanted to change any settings for the pod, he could either use the touch-screen on the outside or do it while in the pod itself. Otherwise, it was mostly used to let people know when the pod is occupied. There was also a single button inside the pod, used to open and close it from the inside. It explained that once the pod detects a human inside, it will begin the start process by itself.

The last of the guide gave him a brief description of what to expect once he was actually in the pod, but it was mostly fluff. So he tossed it over with the other two packets and pressed his thumb to the scanner pad.

It took a second, but then he heard a soft hissing sound. Another second passed and the top portion of the pod began open. It almost looked like a mussel opening up.

Inside the pod reflected the outside, for the most part. A glossy black. Brian could see the orange glowing from the open-close button on the padding that made up most of the lower portion of the pod. The padding had him worried, as it looks like there wouldn't be much room for him. He pressed a hand into it, to test how soft it was, and was surprised to find it mostly hard. However, after a few seconds of pressing his hand down, the padding seemed to begin absorbing it.

He freaked out and jerked his hand back. He tested it again, but it was hard once more.  

Deciding that it was time to actually get in the pod, he kicked off his shoes and began crawling in. It was awkward, but after a few moments of fiddling, he was able to get in a position that felt right. Once ready, he pressed the button that would close the lid. As it closed, his body began to sink into the gel-like padding. Putty was the best description he could come with as it molded to his body.

As the lid closed the last tiny bit, there was a much louder hiss than the one he had heard from the outside when it opened. It only lasted a few second, and when it was over he was completely sealed within the pod.

The darkness seemed to stretch forever. When's this thing supposed to start? After what seemed like minutes had passed, he began to panic. This is not a good time to discover I'm claustrophobic.

And then there was a bright, blinding light and he found himself floating in nothingness.

"Welcome to the Ingenium, Brian Lin." A male voice called out, sounding a bit robotic.

"What would you like to do? This unit has New York, Paris, Hobbito-"

"The Jianghu!" Brian cut off the voice. Floating in an endless abyss was freaking him out and he wanted to get out of it as soon as he could. Great, first claustrophobia and now agoraphobia...

"You would like to load The Jianghu Virtual Experience?" The voiced inquired.

"Yes."

There was a blinding flash as soon as the word left his lips, causing him to snap his eyes shut.

After a few moments, he ventured a peek through one of his eyes. He found himself in a room with a polished wood floor. Opening his other eye, he was able to see the whole room.

It had a very rustic look to it. Everything was made of wood, and the walls were plastered an egg-shell white. There were only three pieces of furniture. To his left was a body-length mirror with a very ornate frame. It reminded him of the kind of designs he would see in a Chinese restaurant. To his right was a wardrobe, with similar designs. The wardrobe was only a bit taller than himself and about as wide as it was tall. In the center of the room was a very plain desk, with a very non-plain man sitting behind it.

He seemed like a giant. Brian could see the tops of his knees over the top of the desk. He had a wild mane of black hair, crowned by some odd hat with a strap that went under his chin. He had a long beard that fell between his legs. Loose robes, that allowed for very deep cuffs, covered his large frame. Brian was sure that the cuffs could dragon on the ground if the man didn't hold his arms up.

Hesitating, Brian slowly approached the man. He was surprised at how smoothly he walked. Feels almost like I'm floating.

"Hel-" Was all Brian was able to get out before the large man held out a massive meat stick that roughly looked like a hand.

"First," He intoned, his deep voice booming and echoing in the small room, "You must create your appearance." He gestured to the mirror on Brian's left.

Brian shrugged and walked up to the Mirror, but was stunned when he stepped in front of it.

In the mirror, all he saw was a small green marble, with a glow of the same color, floating about five feet off the ground. He waved his hand, but the ball only shook a bit. A moment later, about a dozen screens popped into existence in front of Brian on the edges of the mirror.

Each seemed to be focused on creating an avatar. The screen at the top gave him the option of six different basic body shapes. He reached up to press one of the option before he remembered he had no arms. Despite this, though, when he looked back at the mirror he was greeted by some kind of flesh monster that had no details.

Brian was familiar with character creation in games, so he had a general idea of what he should do. The problem, though, was that he was never any good at it. He usually went with the default or a random generation for his characters. Luckily, there was a big "Default" button on one of the floating screens. Brian pressed at it with his meat-lump of a hand.

Now he was presented with an exact copy of himself. An almost copy, anyways. The version of himself seemed to be in perfect condition. It stood straighter, had muscles that were a bit more toned than the real deal, and he lacked hair on his head. No eyebrows, either. Wonder if that's because the Ingenium can't tell what my hair looks like?

Brian began searching through the various hair options until he found something he liked. Only about three inches long and trimmed so that none of it got into his eyes. Surprisingly, it defaulted to his own hair color.

Satisfied with his new-old body, he pressed the "Accept" button that floated towards the bottom of his vision and walked back to the mans desk.

The man just stared at him for a moment and shook his head.

"You must alter your appearance to fit with The Jianghu setting." He explained. "Do you want me to make this alterations for you, or would you like to do them manually?"

"You can do them," Brian shrugged.

The man nodded and Brian felt a slight change. Mostly in his vision. It seemed... off for some reason. Looking back at the mirror explained why. He looked exactly the same, but his hair was now a bit darker. And his eyes had a very slight slant to them. He wouldn't be confused for full blooded Asian, but there were hints of it in his appearance now.

"You are about to enter The Jianghu. China is in a time of strife and the world is dangerous. You may be attacked by other players, and NPCs, at any time. While you will not feel pain, you may encounter feelings of extreme disorientation and may, at times, become uncomfortable. Do you agree to participate in The Jianghu knowing this?"

"Yes," Replied Brian.

"Fill this out," He handed Brian a piece of parchment.

Looking at it, it looked like a character card. It asked for information like his character name, characters date of birth, a short background description, and his "Home Location." As he focuses on each question, he notices that it seems to float off the paper a bit.

"Simply focus on a question and speak your answers," The man filled in.

He focused on each box and answered; "Junjieming, default, none, and Louyang." He had heard good things about choosing Louyang as a starting city. Plus, one of Heroic Forest's novels had been set there.

He handed the card back to the man, who examined it and then placed it on his desk.

"Very well," He started. "You will enter Louyang with only your starting equipment. It is suggested that you refrain from speaking to NPCs about the real world, as they will simply think you insane and it may negatively affect your reputation."

"You may," He gestured at the wardrobe to Brian's right. "Choose an outfit from there."

Brian walked over to the wardrobe and began looking for an outfit to wear. He settled on something that didn't look trashy, but wasn't fancy either. Not that there was much in the wardrobe that looked fancy. The outfit he had chosen was a thick dark brown, almost black, fabric. Despite its thickness, it managed to feel soft in his fingers. The design was simple enough, and consisted of pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

"This is your choice?" The man asked.

At Brian's nod, the man waved his hand and the clothes had disappeared and reappeared on Brian's body.

"Would you like an explanation of the user interface?" The man asked.

"No," Brian answered. He had researched the controls extensively already. It was some of the few solid pieces of information he could find on the game.

"Then, when you are ready, walk out the door and you will find yourself outside Louyang's Southern gate." The man thrust his hand out, pointing behind Brian.

Brian turned and looked. The door in question was more of a portal. A rainbow of colors swirled on a background of white. Brian walked up to the portal, hesitated long enough to take a deep breath, and stepped through.

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