Little Pink Starfish

Pei Sen grabbed the cat in one swift motion. “This pendant—”

The cat guiltily nuzzled his hand and meowed innocently. Meow~ It already handed it over, okay! It was the former master who said it should be used as a collar pendant, not the cat’s idea!

Pei Sen turned to look. “Young master, did you see the letter I left?”

“No.” Eagle replied coldly. “Was there any need to?”

Pei Sen: “……”

He had expected Eagle to be upset, but he hadn’t anticipated just how stubborn this sulking could get.

Pei Sen was about to speak again when a “ding” rang in his ears—he immediately had a bad feeling.

Ding.
The “Gate of Eternity” server will soon launch. This server overlaps most with the real world and requires high player-world integration. Without this, it may have a certain degree of impact on the real world. To prevent this and better guide a large number of players into the Gate of Eternity, it is advised that the Guide travel there in advance.
The space-time train to the Gate of Eternity will be made exclusively available to the Guide three days from now. Please prepare accordingly.

Pei Sen: “…?”

So that’s why Bix Magic Cube had been so forthcoming earlier—it was setting him up for this!

Bix Magic Cube was no doubt highly intelligent—downright sly, in fact. Everything it had said to Pei Sen before was probably laying the groundwork for this moment, putting on a “leave the fate of the world to you” act, trying to instill a sense of mission and duty in him.

The problem was, Pei Sen didn’t even know if what it said was actually true!

Of course… most likely it was true. Bix Magic Cube probably wouldn’t fabricate something like this just to trick him.

He tried to recall the original timeline—The Gate of Eternity launched roughly two or three months after Soul Era. On that original timeline, Pei Sen had chosen Gate of Eternity as his main server, so he was actually most familiar with it.

In fact, in the later stages, the majority of players chose Gate of Eternity as their starting point, leveling up to 60 before taking the free space-time train to other servers.

The reason was simple: Gate of Eternity was the largest server in the early years of Bix Magic Cube, with the most complex worldbuilding and the greatest number of classes. Compared to the chaotic Yali Continent or the tightly regimented, specialized Soul Era, Gate of Eternity’s popularity was fully justified.

Now, Pei Sen also understood something else. Among all the servers, Gate of Eternity overlapped most with the real world on a dimensional level. That was why Bix Magic Cube was so eager to send him there—to maximize player-world fusion and mitigate any risk.

Pei Sen didn’t know if, in the original timeline, Gate of Eternity had ever impacted the real world. Maybe it had, maybe it hadn’t. Even if it had, as an ordinary person back then, he would’ve had no way of knowing. At least on the surface, the real world had remained stable.

Still, he vaguely remembered seeing some news from that time—reports about players becoming so obsessed with Bix Magic Cube that they couldn’t tell game from reality, claiming to have seen NPCs from the game in the real world. The reports framed these as cautionary tales, warning that excessive immersion in VR games could lead to blurred boundaries between reality and fiction.

But thinking back now, it felt a little strange. Those players hadn’t claimed to gain supernatural powers like in the game—that would’ve been typical confusion. Instead, they said they had seen game NPCs—in real life.

Pei Sen suspected that perhaps Bix Magic Cube really had worked hard to increase player immersion, but because the overlap between Gate of Eternity and the real world was simply too large, it could no longer contain the convergence within the game alone.

Of course, this was all just speculation.

“Pei Sen.” Eagle finally couldn’t hold back and grabbed Pei Sen’s wrist.

He could see that Pei Sen was distracted—and at a time like this! His gaze grew even deeper.

Just now, when talking with Wendel, Pei Sen hadn’t even zoned out!

If Pei Sen knew what Eagle was thinking, he’d be utterly speechless.

“Eagle, I have something important to tell you.” Pei Sen took the initiative, pulling Eagle toward the study—dragging along the clueless cat as well.

Eagle cast a casual glance at the unfocused eyes of Wendel, then followed Pei Sen into the study.

Left alone, Wendel looked pensive. Like Eagle, he had also been “force-aged” to his twenties. Though they were only half-brothers, they were surprisingly similar in some ways.

No matter what personalities they showed on the surface, both were internally mature beyond their years.

The servants in Red Maple Castle had just realized Pei Sen was back. In an instant, the whole castle came to life, abandoning the lazy habits they’d picked up lately.

The steward’s presence really did make a difference.

Because Eagle had risen too fast, he had few trusted people around him. Without Pei Sen, the servants had grown lax. Eagle used to be picky and would stir them up a bit, but ever since Pei Sen left, Eagle often sat in front of the fireplace all day without moving—leaving the staff with increasingly little to do.

As soon as they entered the study, Eagle ordered the door shut. Pei Sen didn’t mind. What he had to say wasn’t for just anyone’s ears.

Eagle sat down and decided to give Pei Sen a chance. “Speak.” He wanted to know—what exactly did Pei Sen want to say?

Pei Sen looked at him. “Young master, I—”

Eagle: “???”

Peks, off to the side, shivered slightly. Master, it’s over!

“Three days from now, I have to leave.” Pei Sen continued.

Eagle’s emerald eyes swirled with stormy emotion. “Pei Sen, do you even know what you’re saying?”

“Young master, I’m sorry. I’m not someone who can stay in one place forever, no matter how much I might want to.” Pei Sen sighed, walked up to Eagle, and took his hand. “Honestly, I never expected to develop feelings for anyone here.”

No matter how real this world seemed, to someone from Earth, it was still just a game-based reality. Pei Sen’s words came from the heart.

Eagle’s lips pressed into a thin line, the corners of his eyes slightly red.

He didn’t understand. After waiting for Pei Sen for so long, this… was all he got?

No wonder, no matter what he said or did before, Pei Sen’s responses were always sparse and half-hearted. Back then, Eagle hadn’t worried—he thought there was still plenty of time, that he could wait for Pei Sen to sort out his feelings.

That kind of patience—only existed because Eagle liked Pei Sen so much. Otherwise, with his temperament, there was no way he’d be that tolerant.

A storm of dark thoughts churned in Eagle’s heart. As someone raised as nobility yet never truly disciplined, he was far less golden and dazzling than he appeared. If Pei Sen kept going, even he didn’t know what he might do.

Especially now—he was perhaps stronger than anyone imagined.

Previously, the archbishop of the Church of Light had power comparable to a Sword Saint or legendary mage. Eagle now, though never having fought such an opponent, was undoubtedly stronger than that.

Pei Sen was also helpless. This whole situation had spiraled out of control. Not to mention, he was a little guilty—he suspected his feelings for Eagle may have started from “being attracted to beauty.” With Eagle’s level of looks, who could really resist?

Besides, Eagle’s difficult personality at first—he had only tolerated it and treated him well because… well, the guy was good-looking. People are always a bit more patient with beauty.

Falling for Eagle really hadn’t been part of the plan.

“So, Eagle, will you come with me?” Seeing Eagle’s eyes redden, Pei Sen cut the talk short and dropped the real question.

Eagle lifted his head. His eyes were still tinged with red, but his expression was slightly dazed. “Go with you?”

Pei Sen knelt down, looked into his eyes, and spoke gently. “Yes. You once said I had to take you with me when I went out. Now I have no choice but to go elsewhere. Will you come with me?”

After asking, Pei Sen felt a little anxious. What if… what if Eagle said no?

But Eagle reached out and touched Pei Sen’s cheek. Only now did he notice the tired look in Pei Sen’s eyes. He looked utterly exhausted.

What on earth had forced him to leave like this? And why could he only stay for three days?

“…Alright!” Eagle agreed almost instantly.

So quickly, in fact, that Pei Sen was stunned.

Wait… not even a second to think?

Though Pei Sen hadn’t returned to Yali Continent in a while, he kept up with developments via the forum. He knew that Eagle was no longer the “little earl,” but had been officially made a duke.

Now, Eagle Lanor was a top-tier noble with vast lands and immense authority. There weren’t many people left in Yali Continent with higher status than him.

And yet, when Pei Sen asked him this question, Eagle hadn’t hesitated even for a heartbeat.

As if sensing Pei Sen’s thoughts, Eagle—who had looked so gloomy a moment ago—actually smiled. And since he was always beautiful to begin with, that smile nearly made Pei Sen’s heart stop.

“Because I like you… I love you, Pei Sen. So wherever you go, I’ll go with you.”

Eagle smiled, turned his head, and kissed Pei Sen on the lips.

No matter where it is—
It’s a thousand times better than being left behind by you.

Off to the side, Peks covered its face with both paws, too embarrassed to look.

The cat is not here. The cat does not exist! The cat saw nothing!