MTL - Rebirth of the Rich and Wealthy - ~ 60, buried in practice, someone provocative

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

The people of Earth have been summoned once again

Scientists document six extinction events in Earth's history, but none of them were as natural as they claimed.

Sylas and his family have been called back to the Browns, a family of billionaire elites with assets reaching into the trillions. He isn't sure what to expect until he touches a floating bronze cube that changes his life.

[Bronze City Stele]

[Status: Dormant]

[Time to Activation: 04:13:38]

Unfortunately, there's only one Stele and the Browns have already decided upon their candidates. If Sylas wants to control his own fate, he'll have to enter the Trial.

Now, woefully unprepared, and stuck in a world filled with the extinct creatures of Earth, he'll have to carve out his own opportunity... whether the Browns like it or not.

Everyone knows that after the eldest Miss Shen was abandoned by a wild man, she was willing to degenerate.

The notorious Shen Ruojing appeared at the birthday banquet of the old lady of the Chu family of the first family, and everyone ridiculed:

“Sit at a table with a million-dollar gift.”

“Sit at a table with ten million gifts.”

“Miss Shen, how much gift did you give?”

Everyone was waiting to see her joke, but they saw Shen Ruojing pushing out a little boy with pink makeup and jade carving, “Please ask the old lady, which table is the grandson to sit at?”

***

Shen Ruojing, who was brought into the Chu family by her mother and son, just wanted to eat and wait to die and be a salted fish, but was rejected by the Chu family in various ways:

“We have first-class hackers, music masters, painting geniuses, and tech madmen in our family. Everyone is well-known in their respective industries, and what do you know?”

Shen Ruojing touched his chin: “I know a little bit of what you said…”

The three cute babies stood beside them and nodded in unison: We testify that Mummy does know a million dots.

- Description from novelbuddy