PNC Story/Oneiric Odyssey Nodes

This is a transcript of event nodes in combat stages of the Oneiric Odyssey event in Project Neural Cloud.

Stage 1

Node	Choices
ERROR&)((_+ERROR&&(*)(+)(_ You slowly open your eyes. Imhotep and Max are gone. You are alone in the aqua*&_(rium*&)(_)7*^( . There seem to be a few living beings mixed into the phantasmal shapes flitting around inside the vast and silent tanks...	Perhaps this is what an aquarium^&^(*)_x ought to look like.

Node	Choices
You see two strange forms on the screens of the security camera room. There's no way to determine the visitors' intentions, but out of politeness, it's probably best to go welcome them. However, Taisch doesn't look like she wants to head out. In that case...	Have Arctic Fox welcome our guests.
	Have Miss Bunny welcome the guests.
	Get on the cart and welcome the guests with Arctic Fox and Miss Bunny.

Node	Choices
Hm, They don't seem to be visitors, but they deny that they're intruders. There's no power for most of the facilities in the zoo. However, this is still Taisch's zoo, and while this was caused by unavoidable circumstances, handling such situations is still part and parcel of the experience. Where shall we take our guests from the Oasis? Or rather, which places should they avoid?	Lion Mountain.
	Giraffe Garden.
	The aquarium&*()*_(&.

Stage 2

Node	Choices
Max's eyes suddenly light up as she discovers "an empty nook". Compared to the air of abandonment emanating from the surroundings, this place feels... very different. "Need some help?"	Yeah. After all, tidying up every part of the zoo is a manager's responsibility*(&)(*_+_).

Node	Choices
ERROR&)((_+ERROR&&(*)(+)(_ You slowly open your eyes. Imhotep and Max are gone. You are alone in the aqua*&_(rium*&)(_)7*^( . The vast and silent tanks... Are completely empty. Despite being a zookeeper, there doesn't seem to be anything to do in an empty place like this. In that case, let's tidy it up.	Clean up the soaked debris in the water... Hm? What's this?
	Use a lawnmower to trim the weeds on the ground.
	Just sit down.

Node	Choices
SYSTEM REBOOT... While cleaning up the zoo grounds, you end up chatting about many things with Imhotep and Max, such as the fantasy creatures you often research during your free time. When that topic comes up, Imhotep looks thoughtful, while Max seems excited instead. "What's your favorite fantasy animal?"	Alicorns.
	Mermaids.
	Griffins.

Stage 3

Node	Choices
SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE Two familiar figures appear before your eyes. Imhotep...? Max...? Where are they? Will you look for them? Or have they...	They must be worried about me too. In that case, let's go look for them with Arctic Fox and Miss Bunny.

Node	Choices
SYSTEM REBOOT... Arctic Fox and Miss Bunny remain by your side as always. However, the surroundings are still abandoned and desolate. There are no guests and no workers here... Perhaps you've already grown used to all this, but is this really the natural state of affairs?	I don't want to keep going on like this... even if everything I have now breaks down.
	Let's keep toeing the line. That way, we can keep going on without issue.

Node	Choices
ERROR&)((_+ERROR&&(*)(+)(_ A strange sight once again appears before your eyes. The rushing sound of data turbulence fills the greying, fading realm before your eyes, and a faint light filters through the water's surface. Creatures that could not exist outside of fantasy swim through it. Indistinct voices speaks in your head; they are...	Are these... memories?
	Am I just imagining things? Let's move on...

Stage 5

Node

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In an age where labor was in short supply, the costs of hiring staff to keep zoos open were gradually increasing. Dolls, featuring broad functionality and high adaptability, became a must-have item in the workplace, and thus the project for the ZM series of animal husbandry Dolls was officially established by Universal Anything Services. Whether it was dealing with dangerous animals, handling dry tasks and so on, professional zookeeping Dolls like these were a superior choice compared to humans. As the number of orders with different requirements increased, many variants of the ZM series were produced. Among them was the ZM56 series, which was specially designed for family tours and whose body and neural cloud systems were made to resemble a human child. It retained the standard work functions for zoo environments, but the customization sacrificed a great deal of expansion slots, and it was not entirely satisfactory for mature visitors.

Its appeal is too niche... What will its sales be like?

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Most examples of the ZM series ended up being purchased by zoos in a corporate capacity due to the way they were designed. The only ZM56 that was not a corporate purchase was custom-ordered by an older woman. Not much is known about the client, but data indicates that she developed a strong desire to purchase one after seeing the marketing material. During the customization process, the client made several requests for modification to the Doll's neural cloud and named her "Taisch".

Dear client, what changes do you wish to make to your newly-purchased Doll?

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Not long after Taisch was purchased, she soon appeared on the market as a second-hand Doll. The family that purchased Taisch sold her to a zoo at a low price, and according to her owner information logs when she was purchased and transferred, the old lady who first commissioned Taisch was probably no longer among the living. After being resold, she worked at a themed zoo funded by a company that specialized in biosynthetic animals. Her job description indicated that she would need to serve as a zookeeper, tour guide, and breeder, with an emphasis on tasks like guiding young visitors around and basic maintenance work in cramped spaces which adult staff would have a hard time performing.

Can such a tiny Doll wear so many hats at once?

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Due to a shift in company conditions behind the scenes, the zoo slowly ran out of funding and its operational status began to decline. It was under these conditions that Taisch was acquired. At the start of her service with them, she ran into a problem commonly experienced by many ZM56 units; due to her blank facial expressions and her childlike appearance, Taisch had difficulty gaining the trust of her human coworkers and certain guests. After several incidents where she managed to soothe youthful visitors, she slowly won her co-workers over with her calm work attitude, her practical demeanor, and of course, her ability to manage younger guests.

Looks like she's a pretty efficient worker.

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Although Taisch was an exceptional worker, that did not ease the crisis that the zoo was facing. Not only were there fewer and fewer visitors, leading to lower profits, several accidents led to the zoo being engulfed in a storm of public opinion. After attempts to expand the facilities and host events met with no success, the investors finally decided they would be abandoning this venture. Due to many complex reasons, the zoo was promptly closed, and as part of the zoo's assets, both Taisch and the bionic animals within were abandoned.

How can an abandoned Doll survive on her own?

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Due to her relatively low neural cloud storage space, Taisch had to be formatted many times over the course of her career, and after the zoo went bankrupt, Taisch was once again cleared of all her work data by the employees before they left. By the time Taisch came to again, she found herself facing a closed, abandoned zoo. Without human workers to answer her questions or guide her, Taisch could not understand what had happened. All she could do was follow the base commands she had been programmed with and continue to take care of the bionic animals. Thanks to her hard work, the biosynthetic animals were in good condition at first, but they slowly began to break down due to a lack of maintenance.

She couldn't keep the zoo from declining by herself.

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This state of affairs lasted for several years, during which Taisch's zoo became the subject of urban legends, an abandoned, desolate landscape through which bizarre creatures and a ghostly, childlike form darted and ran. After Universal Anything Services learned of this, they recovered her and made a few basic decisions about her situation. Taisch's neural cloud developed fairly severe bad sectors during her long time alone, and it had ended up melding with the mechatronic animal assistants that accompanied her. The chances of complete recovery were extremely low. Since the ZM56 production line had been terminated by then, Taisch was sent to 42Lab to take part in Project Neural Cloud as the sole surviving member of her series.

The Magrasea Cloud Server...? What's that?

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Before she arrived at the Oasis, Taisch's unique nature made her the subject of an intense debate on the Oasis forums. In order to help stabilize Taisch's neural cloud, the Professor had the Engineering Department carve out a small region for her to be her new workplace. However, the spooky atmosphere and mysterious keeper led to the "Oasis Zoo" once again accidentally becoming the subject of a new urban legend on the Oasis forums. In truth, the small size and lack of visitors led to Taisch's zoo once again being abandoned.

Still, that's enough for Taisch.

Node	Choices
"Product Model: ZM56." "Body Model: SSD-56NA" "Product Serial Number: XS41502AE1" "Product Activation Date: October 4th, 2055." "Product Name: Taisch." "Neural Activation Percentage: ??% (Neural cloud has been encrypted and examination is not supported)" "ZM56, CALL NAME: Taisch... Verification complete." Entered Project Neural Cloud.	"Taisch, welcome to the Oasis, where there's a new zoo for you."