▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ㅤ

.....Hmm.

ㅤ I think it would be better to talk first.

ㅤ Do you see these Sites?

ㅤ Those floating pop-up windows. ㅤ

....Well, there's no way you could miss them. ㅤ

It's the new world that replaced the Earth, which grew old over countless centuries—

ㅤ The Protocol.

ㅤ

ㅤ

ㅤ

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

ㅤ

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

ㅤ

Protocol.

ㅤ

A world discovered by humans who, for various reasons, faced ruin and lost trust in one another. ㅤ

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

ㅤ The currency in this world is Credits.

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

ㅤ The reason it's 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, but so far, no one has appeared who has modified or reset the initial laws, and likely no one ever will.

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

ㅤ Of course, no matter how scary the world is, one must work. It's the second home humans gained after 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. Pages, Sites, and Indexes all exist within the Protocol, so you cannot see these places from the outside.

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

ㅤ ▔

ㅤ

Wͦhͦyͦ nͦoͦtͦ rͦeͦaͦdͦ bͦeͦlͦoͦwͦ aͦsͦ wͦeͦlͦlͦ?

ㅤ

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

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

As Pages are vast, they are divided into two areas: the ReSync Sector and the Lobby. The ReSync Sector is where people who violated Protocol laws and were stripped of various privileges reside.

Of course, those people and ordinary citizens don't stay in the same place.
In the ReSync Sector, there is something called the ⌧⌧⌧⌧ Center, which you can basically view as a place where brainwashing is legal.

ㅤ

◈ 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 within a Site, many are used as personal spaces.

Inside a Site is also a place where the Protocol probabilistically cannot 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, and these Links can be created and distributed by individuals. However, if that Link contains censored material, you become a target for Center education.

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

ㅤ

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

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

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

It is extremely difficult to get permission from a Page to enter. To enter, anyone must prove their reason at a Page, get permission, and adhere to the usage time.

ㅤ

◈ Archive, a place where the real-time status of the Protocol and all established laws are gathered.

It is the place with the highest probability of being able to change current Protocol laws.

No separate permission from a Page is needed to visit, but for safety, ordinary citizens should memorize or write down a Domain when going.

It is a critical place where the most disappearances occur and where the Protocol's laws reside, yet why no permission is required remains a constant mystery.

ㅤ

▣ Noise, a phenomenon that can happen to all beings, including humans.

It is an error that mainly occurs from frequent movement between Sites or in the Archives, Indexes, and outside the Protocol.

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

However, Noise can cause physical condition to drop rapidly, and it's not uncommon to see parts affected by Noise being severed when moving to a Site.

To get rid of Noise, resting quietly in your own Site is best, but the Cleaner for Noise removal available at Pages is also effective, though it tastes terrible.

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

ㅤ

＿＿＿

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's a means to connect Site to Site, it cannot be used outside the Protocol.

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

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