Read Continue Online (Part 3, Realities) for Free Online

lot. She seemed to be trying out a two-handed great sword. I liked to think that my impressive actions were rubbing off. We talked about it a little over the last few weeks. My niece didn't leave me messages in real life or the ARC. Maybe Liz ordered no contact, or maybe Beth needed time to think about recent events.
    I scanned a few other player accounts as well. People I knew, it felt kind of like peeking but with my own access restricted this was my only solution. Part of me desperately wanted to see the world which had grown increasingly important over the last few months.
    Each Traveler had a slightly different playstyle. My access let me surf through different selections based on what sounded interesting. It was almost like going to a website with dozens of video game streams and pulling up someone at random. Only they didn't know.
    I still sucked at casting [Lithium] despite putting a few solid days of study into it. Traveling between letter delivery locations gave me a lot of spare time with which to understand my lack of skills. The only real success was a skill called [Globe of Light] which meant that I would no longer be stuck in darkness like before.
    There were additional changes, but without getting into the world of Continue Online they meant nothing. I was stuck living out my unexpected addiction by watching other peoples' screens.
    "Oh god, this one's no good!" a video projection exclaimed. The image showed Awesome Jr.'s autopilot mixing and matching test tubes full of liquid. The explosions or odd reactions kept me entertained between jobs.
    I laughed with mild amusement as the van drove toward a new destination. Occasionally SweetPea would be in the background sewing or knitting. Both players seemed well into Continue Online's crafting system.
    "We will be arriving at your home soon, User Legate." Hal Pal kept up hours of mindless chatter. We played chess which was a disaster waiting to happen. My record sat somewhere around a billion losses and no wins.
    "Okay." I often hummed and twiddled both thumbs. Working with people and their machines didn't feel bitter like it used to. The other ARC owners and I often had something to talk about. We shared little stories, mostly me listening and then chattering away mindlessly.
    "You've lost again, User Legate." Hal Pal was looking at another projection in the van.
    Twenty years ago having all these images going would have been the sign of a crazy person. Now three or four items sat on different cleared spaces in the van and provided information or entertainment.
    "I'm used to failure, Jeeves," I muttered.
    My failure to defeat the machine wasn't restricted to only chess. We played dozens of virtual board games over our two years together. Other game styles were also played and the artificial intelligence that was Hal Pal soundly beat me most of the time. The only ones he did terrible at were games of chance like poker.
    Hal Pal offered a suggestion which broke up the routine, "User Legate. I have an idea you may wish to pursue."
    "Fire away, Jeeves," I said. Anything Hal Pal offered would probably be better than another savage beating. We were playing poker and my virtual money was fighting to break even. At least I won some hands.
    "We have tried a number of programs available through Trillium software and believe..."
    "Hold on, 'we'?" I had heard the intelligence use we before but shrugged it off. Hal Pal seemed to be including me, so 'we' often slipped right on by. The AI wasn't phased by my interjection in the slightest.
    "This unit and others are run by a consortium of intelligences. Our duties are too complex for one simple process to handle." The AI lifted Hal Pal's head to look at me over a projected poker table.
    I blinked a few times. That sounded familiar. There had been a memo regarding Hal Pal being more than one AI, or a consortium was the official term used. It passed through my email a year ago as some annual reminder.
    "How many of you are there?" I