“Susan, honey, did you plug in to chat with Santa?”


    “Uhm yeah, sure, Mama.” She frowned.


    “You don''t sound very excited.” Her mother hugged her.


    “I gave him my wishlist, but …”You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    “But what?”


    “I thought Santa is supposed to be a real person.”


    “He is, but he uploaded his consciousness and is in the metaverse now.”


    “What about the elves in the workshop?”


    “They did the same thing after the Big Labor Protest.”


    “They’re AI, too?


    “Yes.” She nodded. “Now they operate manufacturing robots.”


    “And … the reindeer?”


    “Unfortunately, they’ve gone extinct, but Santa 2.0 ingeniously uses delivery drones!”