Chapter Three: The First Reservation—One Billion Credits

When Zhou Yuan rolled out of Room 001, the lobby's oxygen alarm was screaming. Old Chen lay beside him, clutching a red rubber ball. Water glistened on its surface, then vanished like steam. All that remained was a silver-white crystal. GUEST CHEN QIMING HAS COMPLETED CHECKOUT. OBSESSION RESOLUTION: 92%. MANAGER SERVICE RATING: EXCEPTIONAL. MOONGLOW POINTS AWARDED: 100. EMOTIONAL CRYSTAL ACQUIRED: THE UNFINISHED JOURNEY. HOTEL ADVANCED TO LEVEL 1. The silver ring blazed. Light flowed like liquid through the twelve black columns and raced along patterns in the floor. The base, dormant for an unknowable age, woke with a deep vibration.