Little Pink Starfish

“…I can still go back? How?” Pei Sen quickly asked Bix Magic Cube. “Does this mean I can still log out?”

However, Bix Magic Cube had gone silent again, as if it had shut down—completely unresponsive.

Pei Sen was helpless. Because of this matter, when he returned to Eagle’s side, he was still visibly distracted.

Eagle clearly didn’t have much of an appetite today either. He only took a few bites of breakfast before setting down his spoon. “Pei Sen, what’s wrong?”

Pei Sen immediately looked over. “Ah, it’s nothing.”

This kind of thing wasn’t something he could tell the young master anyway.

Eagle frowned slightly, then after a moment of silence asked, “Did you have someone interrogate Fin Reign?”

“Yes,” Pei Sen replied. “Just like you suspected, the Mage Association indeed has no way of resolving the issue with the Seed of Light. He only said that to trick us into handing over the ring.”

Speaking of this, Pei Sen felt genuine disdain for that guildmaster. Did he really think the young master was that easy to deceive just because he was young?

Eagle chuckled softly. “I already expected that.”

“Young master, now our only option is to seek help from the Light Church.”

“Don’t worry. Even the Mage Association knows that the energy from the Seed of Light is too massive for my body to bear. The Light Church certainly knows as well,” Eagle said. “Why do you think Atwell insisted on following us? Right now, it’s a matter of endurance—seeing who gives in first.”

Pei Sen didn’t fully understand what that meant. A contest of endurance?

“The Light Church has possessed Seeds of Light for many years. Apart from forcibly awakening one early on with the help of the Spirit Order, which destroyed the seed and ultimately failed, they haven’t had another success. For them, I’m extremely important. They won’t just sit by and let something happen to me.” Eagle’s mind was very clear. “If I truly can’t endure the Seed of Light’s energy and collapse, the Church will do everything it can to save me. In fact, even now, they’re surely watching me closely, desperate to see what happens.”

But at the same time, they wanted Eagle to bow his head. If he took the initiative to seek help from the Church, that would give them greater leverage and control.

Therefore, both sides were holding back, waiting to see who would cave first.

Pei Sen listened with concern, because Eagle didn’t have just one Seed of Light in his body—he had two! Only one had been awakened, and that alone was enough to overwhelm his system. He was still carefully preventing the light energy from seeping into the second seed. If both were activated, Eagle would absolutely not survive—it would tear his body apart.

In other words, Eagle was constantly teetering on the edge of danger, and it was terrifying.

“Young master, if it really comes to it, we can go to the Light Church. It’s not the worst thing—”

“No,” Eagle replied stubbornly. “I will never be the one to make the first move. Otherwise, the Church will try to completely control me.”

Pei Sen sighed. “But this isn’t a long-term solution.”

Eagle’s face was calm. “I can manage it, Pei Sen. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to myself.”

Pei Sen: “…”

He wanted to believe Eagle, but this was like sitting on a volcano. How could anyone be at ease?

And it wasn’t just Eagle. The entire Frost Maple Territory had countless matters waiting for Pei Sen. He and Eagle had been away for a long time, so naturally a pile of issues had accumulated—especially those involving the Bix race… which no one else dared to touch.

Though they were highly capable, the Bix were notoriously difficult to deal with. This was already common knowledge at Red Maple Castle. So, anything related to the Bix was habitually handed over to Pei Sen.

Standing in the long, deep corridor of Red Maple Castle, Pei Sen murmured, “Spring is almost here.”

For most players, the in-game seasons usually didn’t matter much. But Bix Magic Cube was different. Winter was truly a miserable and painful time for them.

New players had to rely on drinking alcohol to stay warm, while experienced players had all kinds of tricks. But if you didn’t get your hands on warm clothing, it was genuinely difficult to survive winter in this game.

Even this short winter had already “frozen to death” an unknown number of players who forgot to drink alcohol—a helpless situation.

In addition, the winter scenery wasn’t particularly beautiful in this fully immersive game. For lifestyle-focused and scenery-loving players, it was a dull season.

“A game that mimics real-world time and even real-world seasons—too boring,” some players grumbled.

One optimistic player from the southernmost city countered, “I think it’s interesting. I’ve never experienced a real winter like this before.”

“…So that’s why you keep forgetting to drink alcohol?”

A certain someone who had died several times didn’t want to comment.

Spring’s arrival was eagerly anticipated by nearly everyone, especially the players planning to start farming.

In Bix Magic Cube, there were ample opportunities for all playstyles—combat, life skills, scenic exploration, and yes, even farming. But farming here wasn’t like a casual mobile game. It mimicked real-life agricultural practices closely, aside from some generous plant growth rates.

“I’ve never farmed in real life, let alone in a game,” one city-born female player said.

Next to her, a male player was earnestly planting seeds. “My classmate told a professor at the Agriculture University that this game simulates real-world farming conditions. The professor was very interested. We should be glad we got a plot now—soon, you might not even find land to farm. It’ll all be taken.”

The female player: “…”

Surely it wouldn’t go that far?

The guild was also developing rapidly—so rapidly, in fact, that it was astonishing. Aiken, who had stepped away from his lord duties since Eagle returned, often checked in on the territories he had assigned. Though the land grants were approved by Pei Sen and Eagle ahead of time, it was Aiken who formally issued them. He worried the Bix might mismanage the land.

But he soon discovered the opposite. The Bix weren’t just brilliant at combat and construction—they were also incredible administrators.

The areas under Bix management were not only well-planned but also had well-ordered governance, economy, and defense. Compared to them, the personnel originally left in Red Maple Castle were completely outclassed.

“No wonder Pei Sen said that for any short-term task—no matter the field—it was worth trying the Bix.” Aiken thought aloud as he looked toward the Lanno Territory, still a bit hesitant.

He had initially approached Pei Sen to ask if he could do something about Auk—maybe even just one sword blow to drive him off. After all, Auk had technically come to visit Eagle, and Aiken didn’t feel it appropriate to go too far.

But now, he was tempted to visit the Lanno Territory. He knew that the first batch of houses sold to the Bix were located there, including some shops. Though shops sold in Frost Maple Territory weren’t many, Lanno had sold almost all of theirs.

That was because many Frost Maple shops were already in use—sold with goods included—whereas Lanno’s vacant stores gave players full freedom to develop them as they wished.

Aiken rode through the streets. This land, seized through war, still needed digestion. But with the numerous Bix, it no longer seemed like a problem. They were quickly stabilizing the region with their extensive experience in both destruction and rebuilding.

Everything was overseen by Pei Sen, and everyone trusted him to handle it.

When Eagle had first been taken to the royal capital, many questioned Pei Sen’s promotion to Pioneer Knight and High Steward. But in just a short time, no one could challenge his position.

The miracles the Bix created simply couldn’t be replicated by anyone else. Just look at the Frost Maple Knights now—practically in ruins.

Even worse off were the Red Maple nobles who had managed to settle temporarily in Snow Lion Ridge. In the blink of an eye, they were all purged from Frost Maple Territory, and Snow Lion Ridge itself was destroyed.

They and the Snow Lion Lord’s family fled to the capital of the Barst Principality. There, the Red Maple Marchioness’s nephew, once full of righteous indignation, was now a broken man—bedridden and scared out of his mind.

The capital of Barst Principality was gripped by unrest. Rumors spread daily that the Bix army from Frost Maple Territory was on the way. Even though these proved false, morale kept dropping. More and more citizens and nobles quietly fled, seeking refuge in nearby nations or even trying to blend in with those under Pei Sen’s control.

Especially the commoners—they’d heard that the Bix weren’t monsters. That villages under their rule were being built up. Some refugees had even heard that their old hometowns were now doing better than before!

And now it seemed the capital was about to face war. Surrounded by the expanding forces of Frost Maple Territory, what hope of victory was there?

None.

Even with two Sword Saints present, it was rumored that the Frost Maple Lord had one as well. The war was unwinnable, and few wanted to die for the Principality’s nobles.

So every day, more people disappeared from the once-prosperous capital.

But the truth was—Eagle hadn’t planned anything against the capital recently. He didn’t even have the energy. The Seeds of Light already consumed most of his attention.

Pei Sen had taken a brief trip to Lanno Territory to check on the players who had bought houses and shops, to assess whether they should continue expanding this program.

Pei Sen visited one of the earliest player homeowners, Lost in the Deer, who had bought a small house on the busiest street in Lanno Territory. Compared to the homes of commoners, this wooden house might not have been particularly spacious or sturdy, but it had its own advantages. Unlike the standardized big houses, this small, charming two-story building with a courtyard suited the aesthetic tastes of players—especially female players, who were practically determined to claim those few small wooden homes.

After buying it, she didn’t even follow BraisedSpicySnack to the Starfall Plains to grind monsters for a whole week. Decorating her own house took priority—there was no time for anything else.

When Pei Sen arrived, he immediately saw the striking house and the female player diligently transplanting flowers and trees.

Not only had she decorated the interior beautifully—having the best lifestyle players craft custom-sized wooden beds and cabinets based on her specifications—she had also purchased delicate handmade woven rugs from NPCs. The walls were adorned with landscape paintings created by players and local Atwell-style ornaments.

Compared to most games, what Lost in the Deer loved most about Bix Magic Cube was the complete freedom in house decoration. There were no item limits, no rigid “this item takes up X space” rules, no nonsense like “inventory full” when the house was still obviously empty.

There also weren’t exclusive furniture designs locked behind paywalls. As long as she wanted it, she could make her house look any way she pleased.

“This is way more fun than decorating in real life,” Lost in the Deer said with pride as she admired her house. She enjoyed inviting friends over. Now that she had moved plants from the Starfall Plains into her garden and set up tables and chairs in the courtyard, she could host in-game tea parties with her girlfriends. Just the thought of it was delightful.

Pei Sen didn’t really understand the passion female players had for buying and decorating houses in games, but he knew many players had this need. As he toured Lanno Territory, he noticed something interesting: all the player-owned houses were easy to spot at a glance.

Many were crammed full of items—clearly being used as storage. This was because in Bix Magic Cube, anything stored inside your own home was relatively safe. The game would not allow players to steal your belongings. However, if an NPC decided to rob you… well, that was out of the game’s jurisdiction. Luckily, Lanno’s public security was decent, so thefts were rare. And if one did occur, the homeowner would receive a personal quest to catch the thief—a fun little gameplay feature.

Other houses, like Lost in the Deer’s, were decorated with great care and were just as recognizable.

After all, most commoners in this world were too focused on survival to bother with home décor.

“Compared to the houses, these shops are even more interesting.”

Indeed, player-run shops were far more varied and creative than homes. There were standard weapon stores, general goods stores, and material shops, but also ones selling bizarre black-market cuisine and others that bought up random junk—making for quite the spectacle.

Some of the player-run restaurants, taverns, and snack shops were even popular among the NPC locals—who had never seen so much variety in food before.

“Are they… reselling magic stones?” Pei Sen stood outside a magic stone specialty shop, glancing casually inside—and found that business was booming.

And that wasn’t surprising. Magic stones in faction shops required contribution points to buy. Even players who had joined a faction didn’t always have time to grind points daily. So some were willing to spend a bit more gold to buy them directly here.

What’s more, faction shops had quantity limits on purchases. Wealthy players eager to level up quickly would want to buy more. This store collected extra magic stones from players who grinded contribution points every day, then sold them here. It was a thriving business.

Pei Sen only stood there briefly before being recognized by several players nearby, causing a stir.

“Uh-oh, are we gonna trigger an NPC punishment quest for reselling Pei Sen’s magic stones?”

“Who knows? He’s standing right in front of the shop… Who owns this place again?”

“I think someone from the Tianzhao guild. They hired a bunch of players to grind faction contributions and supply the store.”

“Tsk tsk, I wonder if this will piss him off.”

Pei Sen heard their chatter. Honestly, he didn’t care. As games developed, things like this were bound to happen. Studios and other players would always find ways to profit—it was unavoidable.

He was just about to leave when someone called out to him.

“Pei Sen?”

He turned and saw Atwell on horseback.

Pei Sen had no particular fondness for the priest from the Light Church, but since Eagle’s situation now required the Church’s help, Pei Sen forced himself to be a little more cordial.

He greeted Atwell and glanced at the carriage beside him.

A black-robed priest was driving it—Pei Sen recognized him as one of the priests formerly from Golden Rose Manor. But aside from Atwell and this man, the other priests were nowhere to be seen.

“Who’s inside…?” Pei Sen asked.

Atwell sighed. “I’ve failed the young master’s trust. I couldn’t rescue Prince Wendell before he was imprisoned in the ruins.”

“So now—?”

“His Majesty Leiser’s curse has been transferred to Prince Wendell, but the prince’s Seed of Light cannot be awakened. So, I brought him here to see the young master.”

Pei Sen’s expression instantly turned cold. He understood—this was a calculated move by the Light Church, playing a shrewd hand.

The Church had long been trying to uncover how Eagle awakened the Seed of Light. Now, they had transferred the curse to Wendell Bonfrese and brought this near-death prince to Eagle. If Eagle wanted to save his half-brother, he’d have to reveal that there was a way to awaken the seed. And if he refused, the Church wouldn’t lose anything anyway.

Looking at Atwell’s ever-sincere and kindly face, Pei Sen had never felt more disgusted.

This man—with a face tailor-made to win trust—was actually more sinister and hypocritical than anyone.

The same went for the Light Church, which claimed to uphold the will of light.

Inside the carriage, Wendell Bonfrese, barely clinging to life, lay pale and writhing in pain.

When Pei Sen opened the carriage door, he saw a youth so frail he no longer looked twenty. Compared to Eagle, who had been taken to the capital at twelve, Wendell still retained traces of boyish innocence. His features vaguely resembled Eagle’s, and his eyes—once the same vibrant green—had lost all light.

His eyes would never see light again.

Perhaps, in another fate, Eagle would have ended up like this.

Pei Sen pressed his lips together, gripping the carriage door tightly, his heart sinking like it had been plunged into freezing water.

If it weren’t for him… the person in this state might very well have been Eagle.

And that filled him with both fury and sorrow.