Embers?
With the terrified screams of Puffy Eyes and the others, everyone froze. They've heard that large-scale battlefield deaths often lead to ominous occurrences—Embers, but did it really appear before them now? And on our side, the blacksmith?
Yet they all involuntarily backed away a few steps, fearing the figure might charge at them.
Food God frowned, speaking in a deep voice, "Shao Chaikun, what do you think?"
Shao Chaikun observed Dizzy's micro-expressions, his face turning stern, "That silly look, still just as foolish-looking... Confirmed eye contact, it's definitely Dizzy."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
No doubt about it, it's him.
That vivid expression—nobody else can imitate it.
Dizzy was also bewildered, taking half a step back, "What are you guys saying? Why are you surrounding me? I just passed out last night, I didn't die, I just got stuck in a bug and couldn't log out."
The more genuine he acted, the colder Puffy Eyes and the others felt inside.
Even more strangely, the "Dizzy" in front of them was talking while scratching his armpit, a definite habit of his they all recognized.
After all, they were dormitory brothers from university until now.
His tone, expressions, catchphrases, and movements were all identical.
A chilling horror burst from their hearts, crawling up their spines, shooting straight to the top of their heads.
This game... is too eerie!
How could it achieve this?
The movements, expressions—if not told, even with their daily interactions, one wouldn't recognize it wasn't Dizzy.
"Could it possibly be AI imitation?"
Su Yuniang's face showed a hint of curiosity, beginning to discuss,
"Let's believe in science. Analyzing from a logical perspective, currently, it can only be that an intelligent AI replaced him, a new NPC mimicking his actions and behaviors before death... after all, from the old steward, we know this game's AI intelligence is extremely high."
Jiucai Rong, listening to Su Yuniang's analysis, looked timid and cautious, being the kind who couldn't watch horror films.
He was someone who trusted his gut, and his intuition felt it was too creepy, "Is there a chance? It's not AI, but the game is actually haunted?"
Su Yuniang shot him a look, a useless little cowardly steward, huh.
"Honestly, we find it terrifying." Puffy Eyes gulped difficultly, the more they observed, the more frightening it seemed... as if inducing the uncanny valley effect.
They consistently felt.
To perfectly imitate someone, you would need that person's memories, friend circles, real-life trajectories...
But how could an AI in a game have real-life memories?
They felt an inexplicable emotion, like looking at their friend's tombstone with a faint sadness, emotions inexplicably surging.
If they had to describe their feelings.
It was as if they had just attended a funeral for Dizzy and suddenly saw Dizzy's resentful spirit appear before them, that instinctive sorrow of a close friend's departure.
They suddenly fully understood how mortals in this world felt when they saw Embers of their friends and family, working, walking, eating in the room—an overwhelming sorrow that made them want to rush over, embrace, and cry with the person.
Emotions surged, always coming without reason.
"Dizzy, do you remember what the name of the store we often went to was?"
They asked some real-world questions, and the other party couldn't answer them well, as if most memories were lost...
After all, that's normal.
As Embers, depending on the level of intensity, they're left with vague memories from before they died.
Only true powerhouses retain complete previous-life memories after death, too weak living beings can remember nothing.
But at this moment, for the long-acquainted Puffy Eyes and others, it was mysterious, while from other blacksmiths' perspectives, it seemed quite novel.
"Is this the ghost?"
"Can we touch it?"
"No wonder you don't need to log off at night."
"I understand now, folks, it's a special hidden pet system!"
"Pet?"
"The ghost fills the gap of us being unable to log in at night, lets them work for us at night, forge iron, having their own habits and knowledge."
Suddenly, everything became crystal clear to everyone.
Hidden pet?
Wow, is it here waiting for us?
This is the Clone Stream!
The strength of it depends on the personality, capability, and skill level of the original blacksmith.
For instance, if one's forging level is highly developed, their post-death [Embers] would also possess the same knowledge, continuing to forge and craft for them, like an exact twin brother!
It can even patrol for you, reconnaissance, forge, build houses at night—it's like another player, another blacksmith, another you!
Of course.
If the person themselves were lazy, always slacking off, then their embers would also inherit their personality, equally leading to slack, thieving, and treasure chest hunting.
It might even inherit your spirit of "how could I be content being beneath others," whimsically triggering the fourth catastrophe attribute, sneak-attacking and killing you, resulting in uproarious laughter.
The more people think, the brighter their eyes become.
This setting is simply revolutionary!
On further thought, the extended gameplay possibilities are truly endless.
"I also really want one; if it were exactly like me, that'd be so cool."
"Yeah, in reality, I've always wanted a brother, and this looks just like Dizzy, done so realistically—if you told me the Dizzy from the Parallel World had died and traveled here, I'd believe it."
"Wake up, folks, the appearance rate of [Embers] is very low; to foster one, you might have to die hundreds of times to pop one out. Can you afford to die that much? This is a luxury pet for the rich."
"I'm not afraid; I'm just a primary school student, I have time, I want to earn money, I must get one, tie it with a dog's chain, and parade myself down the street, making you all envy me to death!"
The crowd chatted enthusiastically, stirred up to a boil!
They also realized this manor's peculiar nature.
Starting with some hat trickery again, eh?
This time it's the legendary Clone Green, right?
This should be one of the core gameplay!
The creativity of this game is also extremely explosive in the industry!
But watching "Dizzy," they were all filled with envy.
Green with envy.
They wanted it.
That damn European Emperor!
Double experience!
A full double!
Even staying up nights to forge iron, earn money to help buy lives—who wouldn't want that?
"Dizzy" trembled with fright, these people... so scary.
I'm clearly not a ghost; at that time, I just played dead, and even if you mistook me for a ghost, you're not afraid at all?
Instead, you seem even more thrilled; could you please remove those pig hands...
I'm still a male university student who's never had a girlfriend; it was just a glitch, unable to log out, just like in Sword Art Online.
Dizzy looked pitifully at Blind and the others.
Blind and the others, looking at their good brother, it was as if they saw a real person, the three stepping forth, "Don't bully our brother!"
After all.
This Dizzy didn't even know he was dead, or even fake, maintaining his behavior habits from before, even staying up late forging, saving money to resurrect them three.
With such a buddy, it's truly touching.
At this moment, Jiucai Rong, who had been rubbing his chin in thought, suddenly spoke:
"Wait, we can't go down the mountain, but could our [Embers] do it? After all, as such Yin Spirits, there shouldn't be any restrictions, right? If they could descend the mountain, wouldn't it be no different from us ourselves descending?"
Everyone: "..."
It has to be you, capitalist Jiucai Rong.
Turning into a ghost after dying, that's quite normal, isn't it?
But to think of such an absurd approach, players committing suicide, becoming ghosts, letting their vengeful ghosts work and venture out...
This must be the most explosive idea of all time.
Su Yuniang was overly excited:
"Sword Casting Manor is too fun, only now have I discovered the true meaning! This is Traveling Frogs, no, Traveling Embers!"
"Our brothers and sisters, all descend the mountain, go to the town, the outside villages, search for materials, take missions, battle monsters... then bring resources back for us to forge."
"This is the most correct way to play, I get it!"