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.....Hmm.

ㅤ I think it would be better to talk first.

ㅤ Do you see these Sites?

ㅤ I mean those floating pop-up windows. ㅤ

....Well, there's no way you wouldn't know. ㅤ

It's the new world that replaced an Earth so old we don't even know how many centuries have passed—

ㅤ The Protocol.

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......Excuse me? No, you're saying you've never heard of it?

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▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

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Protocol.

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A world discovered by humans who, for various reasons, faced ruin and could no longer trust one another. ㅤ

No one knows where, how, or why it was discovered or how humans can live here, but strangely, no one points this out.

ㅤ Currency in this world is known as Credits.

• For example, one taco is 10 Credits.
• Minimum wage is 150 Credits.

ㅤ The reason it was named Protocol is unknown.

ㅤ There are absolute Laws in the Protocol. For example, limits on Site ownership, or not doing ◆⌧⌧⌧ to fellow humans...

ㅤ These laws were all created and set by humans, and so far, no one has appeared who has modified or reset the laws first established, and likely no one ever will.

ㅤ Humans made the laws, but the Protocol executes them without exception. Truly, without any exception.

ㅤ Of course, no matter how scary the world is, one must work. It's a second residence humans obtained after barely surviving ruin; we can't afford to blow it again through poor management.

ㅤ If you are kicked out of the Protocol, it is very difficult to return. Since Pages, Sites, and Indices all exist within the Protocol, you cannot see these places from the outside.

ㅤ Therefore, when visiting places like peripheral Sites or Archives, it is best to check the Domain that can take you back to the Protocol's Pages or Sites before you go.

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Wͦhͦyͦ nͦoͦtͦ rͦeͦaͦdͦ bͦeͦlͦoͦwͦ aͦsͦ wͦeͦlͦlͦ?

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◈ Page. To use a game analogy, this is the lobby before the game starts.

It is where the Log is located, which issues permits to visit restricted Sites or places like the Index.

As the Page is vast, it is divided into two areas: the ReSync Sector and the Lobby. The ReSync Sector is where people who have violated Protocol laws and been stripped of various rights reside.

Of course, those people and ordinary citizens do not stay in the same place.
In the ReSync Sector, there is something called the ⌧⌧⌧⌧ Center, which you can think of as a place where brainwashing is legalized.

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◈ Site. If the Page is the lobby, this is like the game world.

Depending on the scale of the Site, a single Site can contain a village or a city.

However, since there is no day, night, or nature in a Site, many are used as personal spaces.

Inside a Site is also a place where the Protocol occasionally fails to intervene. But if you keep acting up, you might become a resident of the ReSync Sector, so please be careful.∥

When moving between Sites without going through a Page, a Link is required. These Links can be created and distributed by individuals. However, if that Link contains censored material, you become a subject for Center education.

Individual Site ownership is limited to two, but private Sites are sometimes traded in secret.
If caught, Site access is immediately revoked, and you are moved to the ReSync Sector.

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◈ Index. A place where Protocol Links and various information are gathered.

It's easiest to think of it as a very large library.

Except now, that library contains the personal and private information of everyone in the Protocol. Possessing this by any means makes you a candidate for the ReSync Sector. Site permissions are also revoked.

It is a place where it is extremely difficult to get permission from the Page. To enter, anyone must prove their reason at the Log, get permission, and strictly observe the usage time.

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◈ Archive. A place where the real-time status of the Protocol and all set laws are gathered.

It is the place with the highest possibility of changing the current Protocol laws.

Separate permission from the Page is not required for visiting, but as a precaution, ordinary citizens should memorize or write down their Domain when going.

It is a crucial place where the most disappearances occur and where the laws of the Protocol reside, but why permission isn't required remains a constant mystery.

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▣ Noise. A phenomenon that can occur to all beings, including humans.

It is an error that mainly occurs during frequent movement between Sites, or in the Archive, Index, or outside the Protocol.

When contaminated by Noise, pixelation or glitches appear on the skin. It doesn't hurt much as long as you don't touch it.

However, it is not uncommon to see one's physical condition drop rapidly due to Noise, or the area where Noise occurred being severed when moving to a Site.

To get rid of Noise, resting quietly in your own Site is best.
The Noise-removing Cleaner available at the Page also works well, though it tastes terrible.

(According to those who have tried it, it tastes like rotten corn rubbed on a mop...)

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ㅤᵀᴹᴵ

• Difference between Link and Domain

When learning a Link, you must know the exact spelling.

If you enter the spelling wrong and connect to a non-existent Site, Noise may form on your body. Since it is a means of connecting Sites, it cannot be used outside the Protocol.

If a Link is for movement between Sites, a Domain is a broader concept.

As long as you know the address correctly, you can easily return to your Site even from outside the Protocol. It acts like a title deed when owning a Site.