Welcome to the Super Nova Castle control panel!

Your access level: Guest

Information output mode: video-assisted telepathy. How can I help you?

I shook my head, amazed. This didn't look like your ordinary menu options.

Are you sentient? I asked, just to be on the safe side.

After a second's pause, a faceless voice answered,

"Not exactly, even though I am closely approaching that idea. The control crystal contains a dissected soul of one of its mage creators, its freedom of will suppressed and all unnecessary emotions removed. My desire to serve and obey orders has been increased—the only thing that brings me satisfaction. What else can I do for you?"

I could hear a badly concealed plea in his voice: Do ask me something, anything at all!

"Current status?"

A Super Nova Castle. Decay level: 68%. Last authorization: 790 years ago. Last important event: 43 minutes ago, the restoration of 11% of its structure.

"Whose property is it?"

Question unclear.

"Who owns this castle?"

Since the restoration of the control center functionality, there were no registered ownership requests. Would you like to submit one?

You bet! "Yes!"

Forced activation of a one-off script. Establishing connection with the financial center as of instruction 82а.

This is AI Bordeaux7 stream 155. Congratulations! You have discovered an unclaimed castle. Class: Super Nova. As of clause 59 of EULA, you can claim ownership by paying the price of the real estate and repurchasing the land. Would you like to complete the transaction?

Yes! My voice broke. I swallowed. I'd never owned as much as a studio, let alone a castle.

The price of the 3 sq. mile plot is two million gold.

The price of the Super Nova Castle, including the unique Temple Complex with 68% wear and tear is 23 million. For your information, the castle has been recently restored.

"I know, thanks. That's twenty-five million..."

All that was left to do was bite my lip and tap the control panel. Over two million US dollars, an enormous amount even in real life. But more importantly, I just didn't have it. I simply had to wait for some Olders or others to buy the castle, then be cloistered in the Temple Hall without much right to anything else.

If you thought in terms of eternity, there was always the possibility of earning this sort of money. But right here and now? Then again, why not?

"Would it be possible to pay in installments?"

What monthly amount could you afford?

Did this mean it was possible? That's the solution, then! "How about ten thousand gold?" I added a pleading note to my voice.

The installment plan is limited to one year. Considering the state of your bank balance, we suggest the following solution: a down payment of one million gold which would secure your ownership of the castle, followed by twelve monthly payments of two million gold each. This is our best offer.

Oh. Where was I supposed to find two million a month? True, I had indeed managed to raise a similar amount in my first month in the game. The question was, how sure was I I'd have the same kind of luck for a further twelve months? Sure, I possessed a number of unique opportunities, but turning them into cash quickly and error-free was not going to be easy. In case of success, it would indeed consolidate my position in AlterWorld. If I failed—well, I would lose all the cash I'd paid. That was bad but sufferable. Should I go for it? What would my greedy pig say?

For the first time in my memory, he didn't react. Was the million in hand better than a castle in the bush? No answer. How I understood him! I had to do it.

Switching off all self-control and sense of reality, I said in a stilted voice, "Agreed."

This was how I'd always reacted whenever a situation called for inane determination, like doing a high-board dive or approaching a stunningly beautiful girl. I switched off all emotion, shrugged and stepped forward.

"Agreed," I repeated in a more confident voice.

Congratulations on your acquisition! I thought I heard a hint of amazement in the AI's voice. An invoice and standing order request have been sent to your address. Upon confirmation of payment, all deeds will be sent to your Private Message box, signed and sealed by the official AI of the Cayman Islands offshore zone. A copy of the deeds will be forwarded to your official registered mailbox.

Indeed, my Inbox flashed with a new message. That was Drow Bank informing me of the requests received. I heaved another sigh and confirmed the transaction, burning all bridges. Sorry, Mom, sorry, Dad. I know you'd spent a lifetime hammering into me that credits were evil. You knew better, what with your Second Great Depression experience and all. But this thing was completely interest-free. So I just prayed I hadn't made a fool of myself and hadn't just become the winner of the How-to-Lose-Your-First-Million race.

More messages flashed before my eyes.

Congratulations on your acquisition! You are now the legal owner of a Super Nova Castle.

Updati ng the virtual property register... OK

Sending form H:244 to the tax authorities... ОК.

Control of the funds' provenance... in progress.

For your information: As of 2029 Law 5011 on virtual property, the yearly tax rate of your property is 1.5%. The nonrec urring virtual property tax for amounts over 1,000,000 is 4%. Notice of payment has been sent to your bank. Please note that non-payment within ten days will incur a late-payment surcharge of 5% on every 24 hours.

They didn't mean it. I had barely signed the freakin' thing and already I owed the Feds one million gold. Talk about conjuring money out of thin air. If you closed your eyes and turned round, then pointed your finger blindly, whichever object you pointed to would be taxable. All those excise and customs duties, direct and indirect taxes—the entire society was entangled in a golden web, its precious threads wound into gigantic balls somewhere in the depths of the state machine. How many months a year did it leave you to work for yourself? Two or three? Four max. The rest you were supposed to surrender. I remembered reading that every loaf of bread included over a hundred various taxes. AlterWorld wasn't like that yet.

I imagined a monster dropping one gold and dozens of greedy hands reaching for it. Before you blinked, you were left with a handful of coppers you'd then take to the shops and pay VAT on top of everything else. The Tartar Yoke with its negligible tithe paled in comprison—a true tax-free Golden Age.

In any case, I had nothing to pay their taxes with. My rainy day million had already cleared my account, leaving me with a miserable twenty grand and over two million in monthly payments. Without the six-digit bank account, the world had changed its colors. The debt load burdened my shoulders, breaking my fragile wings and dissolving all my opportunistic plans. From now on, it was nose to the grindstone for me, only raising my head in order to look around for more work to do and someone willing to give it to me. Mom had been right, after all.

No. They weren't going to do it. No one was going to break my wings. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

I'd find the money even if I had to eat dirt.

By then, I was a bit fed up with standing bolt upright, but this sterile box of a room had no seating facilities. I slapped the desk. It reacted so fast I didn't have a chance to speak.

Master! so much passion and barely suppressed joy was in that voice that I felt ashamed.