"Mom! I want to buy this!"

"Okay, we'll buy it."

Such a conversation was probably every child's dream.

But for Leaf Grace, it was just everyday talk.

"Mom, I think we should open a game console shop just for this game. We can advertise at our school gate..." Leaf Grace began scheming. "Then give away a few consoles through a lottery to attract crowds. We'll fix the winners... yeah, like these people..."

"Wenwen just wants to play with her close classmates, doesn't she?" Her mother saw right through her.

"Ahem..."

"No problem at all. Whatever my Wenwen wants, she gets. It won't cost much anyway—just an investment in a new venture."

"Mhm!"

Leaf Grace knew Autumn Ease's family was ordinary for this era. Buying a TV was fine, but a dedicated game console? Probably impossible.

So she simply gave him one.

To keep it secret, she slipped it to him during school hours.

Naturally, this sparked intense curiosity about just how wealthy Leaf Grace's family was.

As for Autumn Ease, he was no longer the one being 'beaten up'. Instead, he was treated like a 'prince consort'.

Boys hoped he'd introduce them to more rich girls like Leaf Grace.

Like Water Poem, who always walked to and from school with her.

That way, they'd never need to work hard again.

Of course, they didn't know Water Poem was actually Leaf Grace's personal maid.

For Earth Online, buying the dedicated console included a free account card.

Without the console, you had to buy the card separately.

One card cost 75 yuan.

The game was buy-to-play—everything free after purchase except cosmetic shop items.

Yet to people in this era, the price still felt incredibly steep.

The no-wipe beta test arrived as scheduled.

Naturally, Leaf Grace's family bought the priciest console model.

Priced over twenty thousand yuan, it was worth it: a 4K HD screen in this era gave Leaf Grace the illusion of time-traveling ten years into the future.

The included account card was top-tier Diamond VIP—no server queues ever, plus a solid starter pack.

This basement, once a retro game room, now held over a dozen Earth Online consoles after half a month's renovation.

Leaf Grace actually had another console in her bedroom. She could play there or downstairs.

Being rich meant being that spoiled.

Of course, she chose downstairs—more people meant more fun.

Not all maids were present; others had duties.

Only the free ones joined, equally excited to log in with Leaf Grace.

Her spot was naturally the comfiest and brightest.

She sat under the skylight, sunlight streaming down.

Water Poem sat beside her, already inserting the account card.

The beta server was live. Rumor said no separate servers—all players shared one global world.

It was hard to imagine what kind of server could handle that.

Definitely beyond ten years' tech. Maybe thirty, or even fifty to sixty years ahead.

Perhaps... even more.

"Alright, logging in!" Leaf Grace said excitedly, gripping the mouse.

Tea Li, the golden-haired maid, bounced her leg eagerly. "What class will the young mistress create?"

"Hmm... I'll see once I'm in," Leaf Grace replied uncertainly.

"Whoosh—" The game opened with a page-turning sound, then tense BGM swelled.

The screen showed the developer's logo.

"Raging Flame."

That was the company's name.

A CG animation played immediately—exquisitely crafted, almost indistinguishable from real footage.

It outlined the game's world: a parallel Earth with no nations, only villages and towns.

Players creating characters in different regions would spawn in matching areas with unique races and classes.

Diamond VIP accounts like Leaf Grace's ignored these limits—they could pick anything.

Clearly, divisions followed real-world cultural customs: demon clans, humans, elves, demon races, god races...

Broad categories split further. Humans, for example, divided into Sunlight, Moonlight, and Nightfall lineages—essentially Caucasians, Asians, and Africans.

Ordinary accounts here could only create Asian characters.

"Wow... these graphics... amazing!" Tea Li brushed her golden bangs, awestruck. "Never seen a game look this good!"

Leaf Grace and Water Poem just smiled silently.

The visuals were impressive—better than their past eras—but still familiar.

To this era's players, it was mind-blowing.

After all, what were games like Legend known for? Pixelated messes.

It was like comparing Legend to GTA 5. The gap was enormous.

With no transitional games, the shock was overwhelming.

Leaf Grace was certain: this era-defining game would be a massive hit.

"What race will Wenwen choose?" Water Poem asked softly.

"Since it's a game, I'll skip common humans... Hmm... demon clan!"

"Young mistress picks demon clan? Then I will too!" Tea Li chirped.

"Great—everyone pick demon clan."

Demon clan was a valid choice here.

One account card meant one character—choose carefully.

Unwanted characters couldn't be deleted; the card was wasted.

Many players probably agonized over this now.

Even Leaf Grace, who didn't care about the cost, hesitated.

"Idiot, what race did you pick?" Leaf Grace texted Autumn Ease.

"Ah, planning demon clan."

"Just like me, huh."

"Yeah."

"Then let's both spawn in the small town region."

"No problem."

Leaf Grace rested her chin, remembering Heavenly Sound's fox ears. She finally chose the fox spirit sub-race.

Water Poem selected the spirit cat clan.

"What about you, Tea Li?" Leaf Grace turned.

"I'll pick... wolf demon!"

"Hmm, not bad. We might coordinate well," Leaf Grace nodded.

Next came character customization.

The game offered HD facial recognition—converting your real face into the game, flaws and all.

No beautification possible.

Only the confident used it.

Verified accounts got a badge and a small gift.

Leaf Grace and the maids all chose verification.

Honestly, the maids were quite pretty—each a class beauty outside.

Even if not as stunning as Leaf Grace, they were dream girls to average boys.

After customization came stat allocation.

Initial stats varied by race, plus ten points to fix weaknesses or boost strengths.

Stats: Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Stamina, Perception, Charisma, Luck.

Fox spirits had high Intelligence, Charisma, and Perception—but low Stamina.

Diamond VIP accounts could reset racial stats, granting twenty points total.

Leaf Grace put one point in each stat, then dumped the rest into Charisma.

It's a game—no need to be rigid! This build might be fun.

Tea Li boosted her strong stats safely. Water Poem distributed evenly.

Finally, region selection—a Diamond VIP perk. But the three skipped it, entering the in-game area matching their real location.

The game world bloomed with birdsong and flowers. They didn't control human forms—just three animals.

Leaf Grace piloted a little fox, tail wagging.

Around them, other players controlled demon clans.

Hmm... surprisingly realistic.

They'd need to level up to transform into humans.

Leaf Grace checked skills first.

Tea Li examined her character.

"This wolf is so fluffy, just like real! So lifelike!"

"Indeed," Water Poem chuckled softly. "The scenery is beautiful too."

"It feels immersive."

"Look closely. Could this use our small town's terrain?" Water Poem mused.

"Eh, it's familiar... Wait, isn't this Bailiu Mountain's peak?"

Leaf Grace studied the landscape carefully.

Indeed.

Even their tiny town's terrain was replicated exactly.

Then she recalled the game's name: Earth Online...

If it truly copied Earth's entire terrain perfectly...

Even Leaf Grace had to marvel at the company's power.