In a daze, I walked through the city until we returned to my room. Before we left for the Tainted Prison, we needed to plan. We needed more information. We also didn’t have too much time. Jethia was only a few days away. It was possible that she’d know that I knew about the prison now and might be heading there to stop me from freeing myself. Either that or she’d send people to stop me once she reached a social area that could send messages to faraway locations.

“Lore?”

“Mmm?”

“So if the place we’re going to will take 5-6 days to get there, then that means I’ll be away from the real world for three days. Even more if it takes us a long time to finish these quests.”

“That sounds about right. Probably five days in real time just to be sure.”

“Then I need to find an apartment to rent because I can’t afford to keep staying at this hotel.”

Ah, wait, my log out point was now the same as hers. Didn’t that mean I would need to change my log out point as well? “I’ll go with you.”

“Wait. You can’t. If you come to my country, you won’t be there legally.”

“Your world only recently became part of the Passivity Precept, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then your government has more issues to deal with than a lone visitor who isn’t causing any problems. Also, once things settle down and more visitors come we can talk about my immigration. Because I am eventually going to immigrate.” It was my new reality, after all. It would be an issue if I wasn’t there legally.

“Alright, but we’ll have to get you some new clothes so you can blend in a little. Maybe a hat for your ears. Also, renting an apartment may take a couple of days.”

“We don’t have that kind of time. You can just rent a place to leave your bags or, if places like that don’t exist in your world, find a friend who can keep them. Then we can just log out while sitting on a bench or outside somewhere. And also, I should warn you that being logged into the simulation while your exit point is a building, isn’t a good thing.” At least it wasn't for me.

“What? Why?”

“Your people will probably figure this out eventually but, the Passivity Precept has some rules it needs to follow.”

“But isn’t it some all-knowing entity?”

I snorted. “The Passivity Precept, while amazing and mostly kind, is just one concept given consciousness. Whatever made you think there would only be one?”

Her eyes grew wide.

“There are several, they just don’t give a shit about mortals like the Passivity Precept does. Any rules that you find are strange or unfair, were most likely enforced by those other concepts in order for them to agree to let the Passivity Precept do its thing in each universe. And they can be slightly different for each. But the one that is universal is death. If you log into the sim in a location that gets destroyed by some disaster that was natural or animal made you will be considered to have died in that universe. And there are very few ways to return to it.”

“Eh? Wait. Did you die in your universe?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it. Just when did she get this smart?

“You see. It didn’t make sense that you didn’t just leave the sim if you were considered a prisoner within it. We haven’t had a lot of time but now that I can actually think about it, if you were considered dead in your universe then it would make sense. So, that means my world will actually become your new home right?”

My heart sped and I nodded slowly. I had wanted to keep this a secret for a little longer. “In a way. It’s my new reality. But my home is still the PPVS. It’s where my people are. Where the remnants of my clan are.” But it was good to finally get these things off my chest. I was keeping too much hidden from her and it was about time to explain some things. Especially if I decided to attempt a relationship with her, though the thought of that still terrified me.

“Okay. Then I’ll do what I can to help you.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, I think it’s time we sleep, and tomorrow we’ll go buy a storage unit.”

I nodded, I wasn't sure exactly what this storage unit was, but I'd find out. I could also tell from the name that it was a place to keep her possessions.

“But I’m not so sure about logging in and out in a public location. I mean, every time I log back in, it always takes a good five minutes before I can move again. What if someone comes up and tries to do something to me while I’m like that?”

“What do you mean? What could they do to you?”

“Like, grope me or steal my wallet? People can be gross.”

I frowned. “I still don’t think you realize what the Passivity Precept does. While it can be different in each universe, and aside from some trespassing or health reasons, no one will be able to touch you in places you don’t want them to without your permission. Also, if they steal your things, which, as long as your things are on your person, is even more unlikely, then you’ll receive the amount your items were worth from the person who stole from you, or enough that you can purchase a new item.”

Her eyes grew wide and her mouth opened. Ah, she was so cute. “Okay, well, since you can face your fear about the tainted prison, then I can try and trust the Passivity Precept a little. At least for this.” She grinned. “I mean, it also helps that this will save me money.”