Seeing the cat bristle with fur, Pei Sen was sure it had done something sneaky. Still, he didn’t care much—he simply rubbed Pex’s round little head and continued talking with Sadin.
Sadin, on the other hand, glanced at the cat thoughtfully. He remembered seeing several deep scratches on the Pope’s hand earlier…
Could it have been this cat?
But he didn’t mention it to Pei Sen for now—he planned to bring it up with Eagle once he woke up.
Even now, Sadin had no fondness for Pei Sen—especially since Eagle had said he wanted to stay with Pei Sen and no longer carry on the Lanno bloodline. Every time Sadin remembered that moment, he felt a deep, bitter ache.
Perhaps that’s just how Lanno people are—they only ever have one person, and they never care for reason or logic. Love works that way, doesn’t it? Just like His Grace, the Duke… No matter how many years Sadin stood by his side, it couldn’t compare to that one fateful encounter with Leiser.
Then again, Pei Sen didn’t need Sadin’s approval.
Now that everything had settled and the Holy City had become a ghost town, the entire Duchy of Tulip was effortlessly absorbed into Frost Maple Territory. The ruling Duke of Tulip and his entire family had resided in the Holy City and had been wiped out by Divine Judgment—completely, with not a trace remaining.
Given how impoverished Tulip had been, it was impossible for its civilians to organize resistance. Only a few religious fanatics—upon hearing that even the Pope had been killed—completely broke down, convinced these people were blasphemers.
Other than that, everything had gone surprisingly smoothly.
“We’re controlling more and more land,” said Aiken. “I think it’s time we stopped calling it just Frost Maple Territory. Maybe we should rename it the Duchy of Lanno or something?”
Sadin liked the idea. Even Ichabod thought it was great.
But Pei Sen just rolled his eyes. “What’s the point of talking about this now? Wait until the young master wakes up.”
No one was more anxious than Pei Sen. Actually, no one else was anxious at all. Eagle’s vital signs were normal; he just remained unconscious. Aside from his coma, he was stable and safe.
Guards were stationed day and night by the Spring of Light to ensure nothing went wrong. So far, there had been no issues. Eagle was still absorbing the spring’s power. Likely, the overwhelming Light energy within him required much more time to stabilize.
Since there was no immediate danger, no one else was worried.
Except Pei Sen.
What if Eagle didn’t wake up before Pei Sen had to leave?
Pei Sen was not the type to just leave. And knowing Eagle’s personality, he couldn’t just vanish without saying goodbye—the brat might do something irrational.
As the launch of the Qinghun Era server approached, Pei Sen grew increasingly agitated. But no matter how worried he got, there was nothing he could do if Eagle wouldn’t wake up.
The players didn’t know a new server was about to launch. With spring arriving after a long winter, everyone was unusually busy in-game, and the forums were bustling.
Pei Sen opened the forums—and almost thought he’d stumbled onto an agriculture tech board. Nearly every thread was about farming.
“Most games let you plant a seed and wait. Worst case, someone steals your crops. In this one? I planted a whole patch and they ALL DIED.”
“LOL you can’t even keep a cactus alive IRL and you think you can grow crops in-game?”
“Farming is hard. Each crop has different needs. I’ve been watching CCTV’s agriculture channel and reading manuals just to figure this game out.”
“…I just wanted to play a game. Why do I have to study first?”
“Forget farming. I bought a house and planted flowers. They all died after a month!”
“LOL even gardening is that realistic?”
“Tell me about it. I’m so bad at this that I bought my mom a game pod. She logs in daily to water my garden.”
“Genius move! My parents live far away too—I’m buying them game pods. They’re expert gardeners.”
“My professor set up an experimental farm in-game. He’s applying for funding to put a game pod in our lab.”
“No way???”
“Yup. The in-game farm lets him redo experiments anytime. He’s already made a few fertilizers himself. The game even notified him that he’d unlocked the Life Skill. Now he sells fertilizer and veggies in-game. His IGN is Wind and Cloud—contact him if you need supplies!”
Pei Sen vaguely remembered this player—probably older. His fertilizers were indeed very effective and always in demand. Many players sold them in Frost Maple and Lanno, and even NPCs came to buy.
Bit by bit, interaction between players and NPCs had deepened. From crops to shops to food, players’ weird inventions and culinary experiments had become immensely popular.
For players who loved casual gameplay, it gave a strong sense of achievement.
Combat players also welcomed the arrival of spring. During winter, wild beasts had retreated, but now they roamed again across the plains and forests.
The hunting and crafting chains had improved too—nothing went to waste. Players gained EXP, materials, and profits.
In the newly rebuilt Arzi Town, BraisedSpicySnack and his party arrived. It was once again a hub for adventurers—but now with far more competition.
LostDeer stretched. “You guys go ahead—I’m heading back. If I don’t water my flowers, they’ll all die again.”
Nana rolled her eyes. “Give it up. What flowers have EVER survived more than a week in your garden?”
“One week’s doable!” said LostDeer stubbornly. “This batch looks promising.”
BraisedSpicySnack waved her off. “Fine, go. We’ll check the tavern for intel.”
Though their strength was growing, players still lagged behind native adventurers in knowledge about monsters and beasts.
The Fortune Tavern, clearly player-owned, had a tacky name no native would’ve come up with.
It was run by a middle-aged man whose real-life hobby was brewing. His wife hated it—so he’d brought it into the game instead.
He didn’t log in much, so he often hired players to staff the tavern. Business was always good, especially among native adventurers who loved his affordable, tasty brews.
A group of adventurers were already half-drunk, talking about some monsters spotted in Moon Tree Forest.
“If I could catch that thing, I could sell it for a potion… I’ve been stuck at Level 3 swordsman for years. One potion might let me advance.”
“Everson’s been a Level 4 swordsman for over ten years. Advancing isn’t that easy. We fight more than nobles, but they just drink expensive potions and advance while we can’t even afford one.”
“Exactly.”
A bearded adventurer noticed BraisedSpicySnack’s group entering.
“Strange folks, these outsiders. I hear they get stronger just by fighting.”
“Getting stronger just from battle?” another scoffed. “If that worked, we’d all be high-rank by now.”
“Can’t be real.” They laughed and ordered more drinks.
Nearby, a table of players listened in. They were also here to gather intel.
Native adventurers tended to get chatty when drunk, while players—even though they could taste food and drink in-game—couldn’t get drunk.
So, the difference in behavior was obvious: the adventurers were all red-faced and loud.
“Getting stronger just from battle… That’s real,” one player thought silently, watching these struggling adventurers with some sympathy.
Many had spent their whole lives in danger zones—yet were still poor. They might be extraordinary, but not necessarily better off than civilians.
Advancement was hard for natives. Potions were too expensive. And most adventurers were stuck as low- or mid-tier swordsmen their whole lives.
For players, leveling and getting stronger just required EXP—their greatest cheat.
Just then, someone at the players’ table shouted, “New announcement!”
BraisedSpicySnack stopped eavesdropping and opened the forum.
Dear Players,
Bix Magic Cube will launch a new server, “Qinghun Era,” on March 17.
Due to the unique mechanics of this game, this server will operate under different rules. Please take note of the following:
The current server is “Arley Continent”, featuring classes like Swordsman, Mage, and Rogue, and supporting many casual gameplay styles.
The new server, Qinghun Era, is an exploration server. Players choosing this server as their starting point will not be able to select existing classes, nor will they have access to standard class skills or quests due to server limitations.
Exclusive classes for Qinghun Era have not yet been released. Players must explore and discover them themselves.
A special NPC named “Pei Sen” will guide players in Qinghun Era.
Players on Arley Continent who reach Level 60 and complete their advanced class quest may travel to Qinghun Era freely.
Those below Level 60 may purchase a Time-Space Ticket:
One-way: ¥100, Round-trip: ¥180.
(Currency conversion: 1 Gold Bina = ¥1; 1 Gold Yuan = ¥1)Tickets are non-refundable.
Qinghun Era will be a completely different world from Arley Continent. We welcome you to explore!
The post wasn’t long, but it instantly sent shockwaves through the community.
A new server wasn’t strange—most games had multiple servers.
But Bix Magic Cube hadn’t shown any signs of overload. Arley Continent was massive, and players often remarked how complete the world felt—more like a real world than a game.
So, why launch a new server now?
But then they saw the rest of the post—and were stunned.
“Wait… the new server is completely different?”
“Creating Arley Continent was already a massive job. The map, the NPCs—this is insane.”
“They’re basically launching an entire new world?”
“I don’t know why, but I have a feeling Qinghun Era will be amazing…”
“No way it’ll beat Arley Continent. The completion here is insane. No other game compares.”
“Besides, Qinghun is an exploration server. You won’t even get basic class skills or quests.”
“So… the classes don’t match the world? That’s wild.”
“I’ve never seen a game do this!”
“Is anyone even Level 60 yet? Who’s buying that Time-Space ticket?”
“Hell no. I’d rather buy a house in Frost Maple than spend ¥100 just to visit.”
“What if we delete our old characters and start fresh in Qinghun?”
“…Honestly, not a bad idea.”
Pei Sen read the announcement, stopping cold at the line:
“Guide NPC: Pei Sen”
He was speechless.
Guide? He hadn’t even gotten a proper ID in Qinghun Era yet! Even as an NPC, he’d still need a fake identity to guide anyone.
And worse—Bix Magic Cube was about to release its game pods overseas. That meant a horde of confused foreign players would flood Qinghun…
They’d all fall straight into a giant trap.
“You really know how to play, huh,” Pei Sen muttered, messaging the game’s system. “Domestic players are all in Arley, a Western fantasy world. And you’re sending foreigners to a modded Chinese server like Qinghun? That’s your plan?”
Bix Magic Cube replied with just one word:
Coincidence.
Pei Sen: “…”
You’re the devs! Don’t act like you’re not in control!
He almost asked what kind of “game” this really was—but he knew the system wouldn’t answer.
So he let it go.
“Can I at least wait a few more days before going?” Pei Sen asked desperately. “Eagle still hasn’t woken up.”
Bix Magic Cube:
“No.”
Pei Sen was silent. “Then when can I come back?”
Bix Magic Cube:
“On your day off.”
Pei Sen’s heart stirred. “And when’s that?”
Bix Magic Cube:
“When the time is right.”
Pei Sen: “???”
…This whole thing feels incredibly unreliable.
Little Pink Starfish 
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