I woke up in a glowing blue area or a room or a blue cloud. It could be fog. OK, I am saying I woke in a blue mist around me.

  "Greetings, Walter Richardson; I am the Artificial Intelligence for Sol. Shall we start?" the machine said.

  "Yes, let's get started," I said, but I didn't form the word with my mouth more in my mind. I tried to lift my arms to see my hands, but nothing happened. This was weird, and I wasn't panicking at all.

  "The world of Sol has existed for thousands of years. It is older than any other world known, and you have the opportunity to become one of its greatest heroes or darkest villains. The choices you make now will support your desires and your journey. What are you to become?" the AI asked.

  "I want to be privileged. With luxury and not much in the way of responsibility." I said

  "A merchant, successful with influence in the great cities of the main lands. It is a fine profession. Accept or Reject" AI offered.

  "Accept," I responded.

  "What do you want to look like, large or small, male or female, or other?"

  "Base all physical characteristics on my real body," I said.

  "Do you want to progress your profession from level zero or buy a default pack?" the AI asked.

  "I want to be the wealthiest merchant in the capital city with staff and privilege. I want a default pack, the head of the merchant guild," I said.

  "This is an old world. A system credit charge will be applied to your account, for those with more deserve more. Do you want to connect your real-world accounts to your Sol coffers?" the AI asked.

  I had expected this question. The sleeper's connections had free-to-play or pay-to-play options, which we took into the worlds. When I leave the game, the system will send additional funds to the new world. The trans system credit system was set up when Earth colonised Mars for the second time. And the colony ships were to use it so we could trade with the other worlds.

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  "Yes, Accept," I said

  "Then choose a name and enter this world of Sol," The AI continued to prattle on. The instruction was tedious, and I wondered if I could skip it.

  "I am Walter Richardson," I said. The system beeped, and a scroll of text streamed in front of me eyes. Rolling down in simple white text on a black background. The last line read like a contract confirmation:

  The identity Walter Richardson has been created. The occupation head of the merchant guild has a been assigned to Walter Richardson. Walter Richardson accounts have been locked to the identity Walter Richardson. Walter Richardson is the owner of the identity Walter Richardson. Complete a write changes to the block chain? Accept or Decline.

  “I accept.” I said quickly.

  Then opened your eyes Merchant leader Richardson. I was in a room with a flagstone floor, wood panelling, and tapestries hanging from the high-valued ceilings and chests so many iron wrapped around wood chests filled with gold, and it was overflowing the rim with lids that could not close. It was comical how much gold I had.

  "Would you like a drink, my lord?" a woman asked. She was holding a tray with a stein on top and wearing clothes of a fantasy novel cover. Her bust was too large for the top and spilled like gold over the top of a corset too low and tight for any right-thinking person to be wearing. But that means I have servants or maybe a servant, but I am thinking of servants.

  "Yes," I replied, and she lowered the tray to offer me the stein. As I reached out my hand to grab the handle, I saw I had a ring on every finger: a red ruby, a clear diamond, a blue sapphire, a white opal and each with a gold or maybe platinum band. Or dare I say mytheril? You bet I do. Taking the stein, I lifted it to my mouth and drank the liquid. It was terrific, with a taste of honey and oak and sweet raspberry. I hit the jackpot, was the only thought running through my mind as I lowered the stein from my first drink. I lifted it one more time to test the taste. I was not disappointed walking to the window and looking out into a courtyard with the walls of what looked to be a modest keep just beyond, with people running around below running what looked like an auction.

  My new life will be fantastic, was all I could think.

  Pain! Extreme pain! A buzzing of vision and sound. The world swam, and my vision closed to black.