Still, even with the players having a rough relationship with the company itself, ANW was loved. The realism of the game was simply unmatched, as was the freedom afforded to their players.
Sure, that realism game with some problems. After all, people liked games not because they were realistic, but because they reflect reality while affording them a comfortable level of fantasy.
Now, ANW had a fantasy in spades. The fantasy here wasn't that type. Game elements like fast travel, dialogue skips, auto-combat, and such. ANW had some, but often there were restrictions on them.
It certainly wasn't for casual players. Well, combat certainly wasn't for the casual players. But there were plenty of other things players could do. Artis, for example, now the second largest player guild in Taurus, was a guild of non-combatants.
Back to the group and their talks, they all shared their opinions on the post. In the end, however, they couldn't do more than talk. None of them wanted to enter Miracle's crosshairs. They all understood that the company was simply too powerful.
Not only did ANW now have well over half a billion players, it was international and ANW was but one department of the company. They had many others. Technology was probably the biggest. Tech like the holograms.
Then there was the beauty and health department. The latter of which had some of the highest grade supplements available on the planet. At affordable prices. And the former had plenty of amazing products for skin health and so forth.
Honestly, looking at the company from the outside, they looked like saints. Even ANW was super affordable. There were even the personal virtual homes for people who didn't care for the game. Which allowed them to gain the time lost when sleeping, just like players.
If the users of the virtual homes were included, then ANW probably had over a billion users. Which was just insanity. And showed just how affordable things were.
Even the hologram tech was relatively affordable. Perhaps not so much that common people could afford it, but most businesses, especially those of engineering, had one or two. ANW had even gone above and beyond to spread it to hospitals at the price of manufacturing cost.
Attacking them was really just insanity. And that was because Miracle's ultimate goal wasn't money. Which was normally the goal of any company.
All the things they made and deliver to the people were but by-products of their research. Product that were deemed useful and capable of making funding for further research.
Even though the group knew the secrets behind the company, they couldn't ignore all the good that Miracle had done, either. The question of whether the ends justify the means was a question they all found themselves asking.
For example, if human experimentation could cure cancer, would it be good?
Most would probably say no. But it would depend on what happens to those in the experiment. If the worse that happens is a few weeks of discomfort, then most would probably suddenly think it is fine. If it causes permanent harm, then it is more likely to be considered wrong.
Regardless, Miracle had actually announced just a few weeks ago that they had found the cure to some cancers.
"Do you guys think that's real or fake?" Erik asked, having joined the group midway through their debate. Having come to deliver today's batch of potions. Akarui, fed up with always being left behind, had forced him to bring her along.
Though that was fine, since Erik wanted to head to Avgi. It was time for Akarui to get another check-up.
She had grown quite a bit, and while lively, Erik had noted that she sometimes grimaced in pain. Sadly, his knowledge was too lacking to do much but alleviate her pain. The medicine, which he snuck into her tea or juice, could only do so much.
As for the discussion going on in the room, he naturally couldn't let her hear what they were talking about. As such, he was currently helping to treat the injured along with Ceph. In the end, the undead had withdrawn, so there weren't that many patients.
Instead of taking a gamble, they had called their bets and accepted what they had already won. A sad situation for the kingdom, their efforts to lay their traps wasted. Still, it was a relief to not need to fight. It saved lives, even if it meant the threat remained for a while longer.
"We're clueless. None of us are doctors. What do you think, though?" Elizabeth asked. Knowing that Erik was probably the closest to a doctor. Though, he only had a few years' experience and self-study under his name.
"From what I read, it is likely true. Their method isn't so much a cure as cutting the affected organ out and replacing it with a lab grown one. Can't call that a cure. But it might work. As long as they get all the cancer cells."
"Do you think that is all there is to it?" Ilmadia asked.
"Considering they are sharing the information and tech, instead of making people come to their labs for the surgeries, I do. However..."
"Yeah?"
"I think the timing is strange. Didn't Eldrian recently visit the ANW headquarters?"
"He did!"
"Anyone know what they told him?" Erik asked. Unlike the others, he wasn't so close to the building they had bought. Sure, it wasn't more than a few hours away, but Erik didn't have much free time.
Thus, he couldn't visit often. And in the game, he had a home and shop in the ducal city. At best, he came every other day to help heal some injured and supply them with potions. A short trip by teleportation, normally only an hour or so long before he headed home.
Today, however, Erik came hoping to meet Eldrian and Ceph for Akarui. No one had heard from Eldrian since he went to Ganalin. In fact, the messages they were sending him weren't reaching him. Yet, he was unconscious IRL.
The group would have grown worried had they not known this was Eldrian. It was only the second day, too. At three, however, they were going to start worrying.
This was actually an instruction from Eldrian. To him, going two or three days without leaving ANW was normal. It was insanity to everyone else, but he considered it completely normal. Naturally, the group was worried about his health, but this was Eldrian they were talking about. He wouldn't listen to their concerns. When they lectured him, it just went in one ear and out the other.
"He said that the company found a way to gather mana."
"Is that good... or bad?" Erik asked. Everyone shrugged.
"We have no clue. I mean, I can see the benefits. Magic is really, really, really difficult to use on Earth. Like, at least ten times as difficult—according to Eldrian.... But it feels more like a hundred." Ilmadia said.
"So, it's good if we want magic to become a thing on Earth?" Erik asked, and again, everyone shrugged.
"Don't know if we really want magic or not. I mean, wars are still a thing. Can't think magic is going to make that any prettier." Was Judith's take.
"But the healing it will make possible might actually bring forth a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases like HIV." Nikki countered.
"But it might cause animals to evolve into monsters, like that post showed. It might be real." This statement by Elizabeth made the group fall into silence.
Indeed, the most worrisome wasn't the magic itself, since it amounted more or less to a gun. It depended on its user whether it would be good or bad. What it might do to the planet, however, was a different concern altogether.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Erik said, "But isn't the invasion because of growing mana instability? Causing something called Chaotic Storms or something which wipes entire empires of all life?"
"Surely that won't happen. Right?" An awkward silence hang in the air as the group considered this possibility. At that time, Eldrian finally responded to one of their messages.
The group, almost desperately, asked him to hurry up and come explain things to them. Their imagination running wild.
