Little Pink Starfish

Pei Sen followed Eagle back to the Golden Rose Manor. Of course, the “thing” he claimed to go retrieve was never brought up again—he didn’t mention it, and Eagle didn’t press the issue.

Deep down, Pei Sen suspected that this bratty young master was surprisingly perceptive. Just like he had instantly seen through his earlier lie, Eagle probably did care at first whether Pei Sen was deceiving him. But after Pei Sen took that knife for him, it seemed like he stopped holding onto it.

Eagle’s personality was unpredictable. He wasn’t exactly known for tolerance or generosity, but at least for today, Pei Sen had brought him a measure of comfort.

From Eagle’s perspective, it probably felt like many people around him had betrayed him. Meanwhile, this personal attendant who hadn’t even been with him for long had, at the very least, not disappointed him.

Thanks to players’ accelerated recovery systems, Pei Sen’s injuries had already healed by half by the time they returned to the manor. He casually explained it as a trait of the Bix race, and Eagle didn’t question it.

Honestly, “outing” himself had its perks—made a lot of things easier to explain.

When Atwell returned and cast a healing spell on him, Pei Sen was nearly back to full health. Not only that, he even diligently went to visit the young master.

After all, if you wanted to know the inside story, you had to put in the effort.

Eagle glanced at the unusually well-behaved Pei Sen but didn’t kick him out. A little while later, the man named Sadin arrived with Lady Mary. They seemed slightly surprised to see Pei Sen there, but since Eagle didn’t dismiss him, Sadin said nothing.

They exchanged just a few words before Pei Sen figured out Sadin’s identity.

He was the chief steward of the Golden Rose Manor.

Sadin Brisk—once a nobleman fallen from grace, now an eighth-tier swordmaster. Within the manor, only Eagle held more authority than him. Although Kesso was also a steward, he was only the deputy. Judging by Lady Mary’s attitude, Kesso didn’t seem very well-liked.

This handsome and world-weary steward looked helplessly at the sulking Eagle. “No matter what, you can’t return to the capital right now.”

“So what then? I’m supposed to rot away in this remote, desolate backwater until I die?” Eagle’s mood was dark, and his words sharp.

Lady Mary tried to soothe him, “Young master, all you need to do now is endure—”

“Endure?” Eagle slammed a cup on the table. “I’ve endured long enough. Now he wants me dead!”

Sadin paused, then said, “I don’t think the assassination attempts were ordered by His Majesty, King Leiser.”

Pei Sen’s eyes widened. Wait—King Leiser?

As a player, Pei Sen didn’t know much about what was happening in the capital, far across the kingdom. Sure, after years of play, some explorers had reached distant areas, but very few had interacted with high-ranking nobles.

And about two years from now, the entire Kingdom of Esmia would fall into chaos.

But Eagle clearly didn’t believe it. “I know he wants me dead.”

“But he fears displeasing the Grand Duke even more,” Sadin sighed.

Eagle’s expression remained grim. “I don’t care. I want to return to the capital.”

Lady Mary also tried to reason with him, “Young master—”

But Eagle turned away, refusing to listen to anyone. Left with no other choice, Sadin and Mary quietly withdrew.

Pei Sen remained cautiously in the room, sensing the storm-like tension around Eagle. He moved gently, not daring to provoke him further.

“Pei Sen.”

“Young master?”

Eagle turned to him, those emerald-green eyes reflecting his image. “Do you think I should endure it too? I’ve been stuck in this godforsaken place long enough…” Though still a child, his voice carried exhaustion instead of anger.

“Young master thinks his territory is too backward?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Eagle said coldly. “Have you ever seen the splendor of the capital?”

“No.” He really hadn’t. By the time Pei Sen’s main character had risen to prominence, Esmia’s capital had already become a war-torn ruin, far from its former glory.

“I was sent to this borderland as punishment.”

Currently, Eagle’s domain consisted of three small cities and the barren Starfall Plains. It was… desolate, to say the least. Aside from the vast land area, it had nothing going for it. Especially those three city lords—they didn’t seem very obedient.

Pei Sen’s mind turned. “Since young master doesn’t like the current state of your domain, then as its lord, can’t we remake it into something you do like?”

Eagle let out a mocking laugh, as if ready to retort—but then he paused. He glanced at Pei Sen thoughtfully. “You’re right. I am the lord here.” His tone turned violent. “Sadin won’t let me return to the capital easily. I know he was sent by the Grand Duke to control me. Fine—then I’ll destroy this domain myself!”

He looked at Pei Sen. “You’re pretty clever, Pei Sen.”

Pei Sen: “…”

That’s not what I meant, young master!!

His stomach ached as if he’d been stabbed again. “Young master, can I rest early today?” After all, even if healed, he’d still taken a dagger to the gut.

Eagle’s mood had done a full 180 and was now sunny. He waved generously, “Go ahead.”

Pei Sen felt like he’d just been pardoned from execution, only to hear Eagle’s cheerful voice behind him: “Come back tomorrow. Let’s discuss how to destroy my territory.”

Pei Sen: “…”

Seriously??

He hadn’t meant that at all. What he was really thinking was: this test only had 200 players now, but the next wave would bring two thousand! That was a huge force. If he could find a way to issue some quests, maybe they could actually build up Eagle’s domain?

Bix Magic Cube was a highly open-ended game. If he could get Eagle, as the lord, to give players directives, it might evolve into a main storyline quest for all players.

That was the new experiment Pei Sen wanted to try.

Unfortunately, Eagle didn’t seem interested in playing along.

Pei Sen was already pondering how to coax the young master into doing what he wanted. As he turned down a corridor, he unexpectedly spotted Sadin and Lady Mary still nearby, quietly talking.

He hesitated, not intending to interrupt—but—

“You must be Pei Sen.” Sadin had already noticed him. He gestured for Mary to leave, then clearly had something to say to Pei Sen.

Pei Sen walked over. “Yes, Lord Sadin.”

Sadin studied him closely. “You’ve got magical talent. Mastered several spells in such a short time?”

Pei Sen calmly replied, “Though my aptitude isn’t great, the Bix are known for their learning abilities.”

Sadin chuckled. “You haven’t been in the manor long, have you? You must be curious about the young master’s background.”

Pei Sen looked at him, unsure of his intention. He was tempted to say he wasn’t curious.

“…I am.”

Of course he was! They’d just brought up the king and some grand duke!

“Fifteen years ago, King Leiser was still just a prince. The Grand Duke Burke Angre was only a count back then. However, even in those days, King Leiser had an almost obsessive attachment to the Grand Duke. Prince Latimer, who wanted to eliminate Leiser, set a trap—he arranged for the Grand Duke and Leiser’s younger sister, Princess Carolina, to… spend a night together. Soon after, the princess was pregnant. When the then-King Orlington found out, he forced a marriage between the princess and the Grand Duke.”

Pei Sen’s brow twitched. “So young master Eagle is…”

“Yes. Eagle is the only son of the Grand Duke and Princess Carolina. Not long after he was born, King Orlington died. Leiser became king and immediately ordered the Grand Duke and Princess Carolina to divorce. The princess was sent to distant Bonfrese.”

Pei Sen figured the “trap” meant someone got drugged and had a one-night stand. The whole thing sounded like a royal soap opera.

He did feel bad for the princess though—she really got the short end of the stick.

“Even if she was exiled, the Grand Duke is still the boy’s father,” Pei Sen murmured. Leaving your only child in the countryside didn’t scream “great dad.”

Sadin said mildly, “True. But the Grand Duke had no feelings for the princess and wasn’t ready to be a father. Still, Eagle is his only son. He would never truly abandon him. The Grand Duke arranged for this remote territory to be Eagle’s fief precisely to protect him. Being far from the capital is what keeps him safe.”

“And your point is…?”

“I know the young master trusts you. If you can persuade him to give up on returning to the capital, I might be willing to help you learn stronger magic.” Sadin looked at him meaningfully. “Think it over carefully, Pei Sen.”

Pei Sen stood alone in the dim hallway, watching Sadin walk away.

He wanted to scoff. Only son, huh? Sending him off to some remote backwater—it was less about safety and more about not getting in the king’s way or interfering with the Grand Duke’s ambitions.

After all, becoming a Grand Duke from a mere count wasn’t exactly easy.

But King Leiser and Duke Burke Angre? Uh… aren’t they both men?

Well, whatever. Even in the modern world, sexuality wasn’t a big deal. In a chaotic fantasy realm like this, it was hardly surprising.

Back in his room, Pei Sen collapsed onto his bed. As he lay there thinking about Eagle, he opened the game forum.

“…Whoa, this blew up?”

Someone had posted a screenshot of the hot search list. Six of the top ten were about Bix Magic Cube. That was wild.

Maybe the game company had finally started promoting it?

But once he clicked in, he saw players were actually roasting the game company for being weird—they had done zero marketing. All this buzz had come purely from word of mouth.

The initial test only had 200 players, yet the forum was on fire. Most of the heat came from “cloud players” watching screenshots and clips shared by the testers. Initially, people suspected it was all just staged videos and pre-rendered assets. But after a few prominent real-world figures—well-known players in real life—vouched for it on social media, the doubts vanished.

Some of the original 200 testers had been offered huge amounts of money to sell their accounts, and some had given in. As a result, the player pool now included wealthy elites, a trending celebrity, a third-generation rich kid, and a few popular influencers. Their involvement definitely helped drive the hype.

If this had been a fake marketing stunt, it wouldn’t have reached this level of credibility.

Pei Sen hadn’t joined the game this early in his previous life, so he never realized how explosive the launch had been.

“First 200, then 2,000. By the third test, there’ll be 10,000 players, right?” Pei Sen muttered. After that, the full open beta would begin—anyone who wanted to join could enter this world.

And now, Pei Sen was sure of one thing:

This is a real world. Not just a game world artificially built.

And the players… will completely change it.