At the end of the evening, Duck walked to a software store near his home with his briefcase.

Duck Wendell is an IT engineer and the legendary programmer ape.

Worked in the development of office software in a software company.

He loves what he does, but he also loves games.

Like many young people working in Seattle, he is not buying a house now, but is choosing to share it with someone else.

It's a bit like the plot in the recent hit "Friends".

In "Friends," Monica, Joey, and Chandler live in a penthouse apartment next to a café house called Central Park.

Of the apartments that Duck shares with others, he and another high school teacher named Sean are the only ones who are named.

Incidentally, the high school teacher also has a girlfriend, Elizabeth.

In other words, he is now sharing a house with a couple.

Hearing calls from next door at night is a headache for Dak, who is still single, and although they occasionally take into account Dak's low voice, you can't guarantee that there won't be a moment of excitement.

To cope with this, Dack often puts on headphones and immerses himself in the music.

Or play games to get through this ordeal.

Overall, as long as Sean and Elizabeth weren't doing something shameful, they got along quite well.

Not only can we watch TV together, talk about our favorite comics and characters, but sometimes we can invite friends to play group games at home.

By the way, the three of them are actually heavy group players.

I also love video games.

It's just that occasionally the young couple will do something more enjoyable than playing games, and that's when Duck feels a little lonely.

The software store is located in a commercial area near his home, where there are many electronic and digital products, as well as a number of small shops selling software. Duck often goes there to buy some commonly used software or games.

As soon as he entered the shop, the owner greeted him warmly.

"Hey Dak, there's a great new game lately, do you want to try it out?"

The shopkeeper, Myron, is quite familiar with Dark, and the two of them have drunk together and soaked in girls together.

But often by the end of the day, both of them will mess up.

Occasionally, Myron would play games with them in Duck's apartment.

Until now, Myron, like Dark, is both bachelors.

So there is more of a common language when it comes to games.

"What kind of game?"

Duck said as he rummaged through the shelves next to him.

In the software store, there are many game CDs, which are displayed on the wall of the store, and in the middle are many drawer-type software boxes, stacked with a large pile of software.

Sometimes it doesn't even show what it is on the outside, and you have to pull it out of the inside one by one to find out.

So there is also a kind of Taobao fun in it.

Fortunately, the game that Myron pushed today is displayed separately, and the position is quite conspicuous.

Myron walked over, took down the software box, and handed it to Dark, "Pokeni's "Eternal Ashes" is a very interesting turn-based game, and it is said that there are a lot of running elements in it. ”

"Supposedly?"

Duck gave him a suspicious look.

"I'm sorry." Myron smiled, "Actually, I haven't started playing yet, so I just glanced at the synopsis and thought you should like this game." ”

Well......

How can this be said?

Duck didn't refuse on the spot, just took the box and turned it over and looked at it carefully.

[There are a lot of random elements added to the game.]

At the same time, the game is advanced by rolling dice

The classic DND gameplay is applied as a basis.

A grand magical feast in which you take on the role of a soulless Ember Messenger on a journey to find his soul.

The gameplay in the game is diverse, the branch lines are rich, and there is a high degree of freedom.

Whether you become a demon or a warrior is up to you. 】

"It looks pretty good." Duck thought to himself.

But it may also be because he likes DND very much and is a heavy group player.

I don't know what other players think of this game.

So far, Duck really hasn't played a video game with a particularly good running mechanic.

The main thing is that running the group itself is a game that requires a lot of people and imagination, and if played solo, Duck wasn't sure the game would live up to his expectations.

Let's flip through it again.

On the cover is a knight wearing an iron helmet on his head and holding a large sword.

I guess it's a knight.

However, the light outside was dim, so the whole person's face was shrouded in the shadow of the helmet, and the face could not be seen.

Behind him stood a circle of strangely shaped [humans]

Or they can't be called humans anymore, because there are green-skinned guys, and there are rat-headed ones, and there are druids who look particularly strange......

The long-eared elves inside are well portrayed, which makes Duck feel particularly gratified.

In short, it generally presents a dark and magical style, plus a happy way of drawing.

Whether it's the painting style or the gameplay introduction at the back, it's actually quite good to hit Dark.

Looking at the price again, Duck couldn't help but gasp.

At $49, it's not cheap.

But it's not expensive.

Some games can be sold for $99.

As if seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Myron hurriedly put his arm around his shoulders and spoke,

"Bro, if you want, I can give you a little cheaper, how about $45?"

"Hmm...... All right. ”

……

Duck took the game disc and returned to the blocked apartment.

The roommate and his girlfriend don't seem to have come back yet.

Duck put the briefcase down, then went back to his room, changed into comfortable clothes, and sat down in front of the computer.

Place the game disc in the disc drive and follow the instructions to install it.

This process takes a little time.

So Duck got up, walked outside the room, and made himself a cup of coffee.

It's time for Optical Drive 3.0.

The read multiplier of the optical drive is almost 16 times that of the first generation.

If you had put it a few years ago, the installation would have been even slower.

Before 91, games on computers were still burned on floppy disks, and a floppy disk was only a few megabytes of capacity.

He just looked at it, and the hard disk space required for the game "Eternal Ashes" is 256M.

According to the original floppy disk's 1.44MB capacity, it takes 178 floppy disks.

Thinking of this, Duck couldn't help but sigh at the speed of development of technology.

With a CD-ROM, a disc is all it takes.

And with the continuous development and progress of science and technology in the future, it is possible for a disc to burn more than a few G, or even dozens of G, right?

……

After waiting for almost 10 minutes, the game was finally loaded, and a game icon from Ashes of Eternity appeared on the desktop.

In the middle is a lightsaber with a circle of red light underneath.

At first glance, it looks a bit like a dragon's mouth.

The light is the open teeth, and the lightsaber becomes the part on the forehead of the evil dragon.

It's a pretty design-like desktop icon.

Duck thought to himself.

……

He put the coffee cup aside and pulled out a chair and sat down.

Then put your headphones on yourself and double-click on the icon to start the game.

The sound coming from the headphones startled him.

Because it sounds like a demonic roar out of nowhere.

Duck froze, smiling and breathing a sigh of relief.

Yes, pokeni, I'm very good at making an atmosphere.

The game begins, and the entire game interface fills the entire screen.

It was pitch black.

Immediately after, a pair of eyes opened from the darkness.

As its gaze quickly crossed, it was pulled from the abyss to the surface.

The whole ground is a green world full of life, forests and grasslands.

[A long, long time ago.

On this continent, wars have broken out between humans and other races.

In the war, there were countless dead and wounded, and rivers of blood flowed.

Humans, who were clearly physically vulnerable, were beaten back one after another. 】

Like Diablo, "Forever Ashes" begins with a static painting of a parchment scroll.

Plus a thick metallic UI interface.

It's epic.

In the picture, it is a human knight charging in armor, and in the dark shadows, there are pairs of green eyes.

Around the humans, strange guys with green skin, looking like goblins or something.

And they fought against dwarves and centaurs......

In short, it brings together many elements of the wizarding world, and just this series of battle scenes, even static pictures, ignite Duck's blood at once.

[At this moment, humanity discovered and inherited the power from the abyss underground.

Humans with the power of the abyss quickly rose to become the strongest in the continent, thus defeating the other races and enslaving them.

Then, after countless more hours, the continent split again.

The war never stopped.

Whether it's humans or elves...... Or other different races, they have all discovered this terrifying power from the abyss.

There is a gradual imbalance of power.

After overuse, they will become enslaved by the dark arts, and thus lose their souls.

The soulless enslavers began to wreak havoc in this world.

Once dead, these ravages are reduced to a cloud of ashes, scattered by the wind.

That's why it's called the "Ash Messenger"

The Ashbringer who has lost his mind and soul only heeds the call of the abyss.

Now, the call of the abyss has arrived.

The Abyssal Emissaries launched an attack on the mainland. 】

……

[And you, as the former Ash Messenger, still retain a trace of sobriety after losing your soul.

You!

Embark on a soul-finding journey soon! 】

Airplanes!!!

In the darkness, a pair of eyes suddenly opened.

The sound of the game came to an abrupt halt.

……

Fortunately, this time Duck was prepared and was not as startled as the first time.

The next thing you enter is the corner creation interface.

Dark, who had experience with Diablo, was quite familiar with this.

But...... Duck thought it was strange.

From the very beginning to the present, this game doesn't look like a turn-based game at all, but gives him a feeling of [Wizarding World American Comic Version of Black Destruction].

"A journey to find your soul?"

Duck chewed on the words and couldn't help but laugh.

There are a number of options available in the Tron Corner interface:

The first thing you have to do is choose your race, which you can choose from:

Mankind.

Kaka: The Kaka are a vegetative, truly vegetative race, they have green branches and leaves all over their bodies, and can rely on photosynthesis to provide nutrients, and adult Kaka can grow up to several meters tall.

Some Kaka families grow in the same body at the same time, like the relationship between a tree and its branches.

They can produce their own food, supply themselves, and produce fruit and juice at the same time......

Akashya Worms: Akashya Worms are sapient species that evolved from bee-like monsters.

Their evolution is due to the gift of the Amber Tree (Charas), and the Hive will is above each individual Akasha Worm.

But unlike the flesh and blood puppets who don't have a mind of their own, each Akashya has his own complete mind and personality.

The Akashya Bugmen grieve the deaths of their companions, sit around the campfire with like-minded fellow aliens, and share their experiences with the travelers they meet along the way.

Due to their orderly and kind nature, the Zerg Traversers are often very popular with travelers, willing to provide armed protection for caravans on hitchhikers or provide shelter for fellow travelers with their blades and magic, and none of them choose to become outlaws such as robbers or thieves.

Therefore, the insects are very popular with other forces and creatures on the side of the order. And for those chaotic and evil beings, unless those with bad intentions are the first to attack the insects or their companions, the insects can often communicate with each other with a blind attitude, or even reach limited cooperation.

……

In the selection screen alone, there are as many as 8 races on offer.

Scary, is this game so complicated?

Duck was a little dazed for a moment.

However, he was unusually happy and excited in his heart.

Seriously, seeing these dazzling settings and descriptions, he really has the feeling that he is playing a running group, and the choice of different races will cause your character's appearance to change as well.

These changes are very obvious in the corner interface, and the central character image is visible to the naked eye.

Seriously, just looking at the race and character setting, Duck can watch it for a day.

I'm afraid this interface won't be able to get out if it's delayed any longer.

Forget it, the first time you play, let's honestly choose humans.

After the selection is over, it is time to choose a career.

Duck also chose the most familiar mage.

At this point, the selection is complete, and the name is entered in the corner field——

【Dak】

……

The game has officially begun.

……

————————————————————————

There is no update tonight

Thanks to the book friend [Fengshan] in the group for providing racial and character ideas, and also thanks to the up master of station B [Hannah Num], and thanks to the friends of the "Magical Creatures Investigation Team".

A lot of the character and race settings in this part of the game come from the inspiration they provide.

They're really imaginative and they're a lovely bunch of people.

Hannah's race-related videos at station B are also quite exciting, and interested friends can go and watch them.

It's been a few days, and I'll only post one chapter today, so I'll take a breath.

Thank you

See you tomorrow.

(End of chapter)