Little Pink Starfish

Pei Sen wanted to make a trip to the Qinghun Era, but he had to discuss it with the Bix Magic Cube first.

He had already built the basic framework there and had hired some relatively reliable people. “At the very least, players won’t have any issues leveling up in the early stages. But in the short term, it’s best not to overexpose the death-related traits of players. If we want to create room for advancement there later, we’ll need to find a proper opportunity.”

Bix Magic Cube replied, “Things on the Qinghun Era side can be handled.”

From Bix Magic Cube’s perspective, there weren’t any major problems over there. Although Kong’s account hadn’t been deleted yet, it was basically useless by now. He could just start over with a new one. Bix Magic Cube didn’t quite understand why Pei Sen wanted to go in person.

“Alright, I need to make the trip,” Pei Sen said softly. “If possible, I’d like to see if there’s a way to salvage Kong’s account.”

Bix Magic Cube didn’t understand. “Why?”

Pei Sen sighed. “Probably because I understand him, to some extent.”

In Korea, the passion for online games was extremely high. In the real world, they were considered one of the top countries in the professional esports scene. Even though Kong wasn’t a professional high-level player, the amount of effort he had put into that account was undeniable. Regardless of what reasons led him to go so far for Boss Yu, Pei Sen still felt he shouldn’t have to pay such a price.

If it were him, perhaps after losing an account like that, he might never want to play Bix Magic Cube again.

In the end, Bix Magic Cube agreed to Pei Sen’s request, but only gave him two to three days. After all, the launch of Gate of Eternity was imminent. Bix Magic Cube seemed a bit nervous—perhaps it had no confidence in that world.

Pei Sen called on Eagle, and the two of them took the space-time train, hurrying from Gate of Eternity to the Qinghun Era. To Eagle, this world was another brand-new shock!

“Just how many different worlds are there?” Eagle muttered, staring blankly at the bustling train station.

Given Eagle’s personality, he wasn’t someone easily shocked. But this kind of inter-world travel and the sight of entirely different worlds would move anyone to awe.

Due to Eagle’s blond hair, blue eyes, and deep facial features, quite a few people were glancing at him, while others subtly distanced themselves.

Fortunately, foreign players had worked hard recently and done a lot of good deeds, which somewhat improved the locals’ impression of them. At least, some were now startled by his appearance instead of outright fearful.

However, for old-school folks, these outsiders still inspired wariness and distance.

Pei Sen led Eagle straight to the current headquarters of the Qinghun Affairs Management Society—a garden villa just across from the presidential mansion of the Southern Government. It was usually a lively area, but as soon as they turned the corner, Pei Sen sensed something was off.

“Young master, be careful.” He halted and spoke to Eagle beside him.

Eagle smiled slightly. “Relax. There’s little left in this world that can actually hurt me.”

Even if he wasn’t a god of light, after absorbing the power of the Lightblood and slowly taking in the Seed of Light, he was now comparable to some of the weaker gods in Gate of Eternity.

“Pei Sen?”

A surprised player noticed Pei Sen and Eagle. These two NPCs really do wander all over the place…

Pei Sen glanced at him and asked naturally, “What’s going on up ahead?”

The player eagerly informed him, “The street up there is under lockdown. I think the Southern Government is preparing to go after the Qinghun Scythe! Not sure if it’s related to Kong…”

Pei Sen’s expression instantly turned serious.

He knew that in the original timeline, it was around this point that the Society was attacked again, and had to move from that remote, dilapidated factory.

But now he had already altered history, having them move early to the busy garden villa. Yet the raid still came?

Maybe things could have changed—but what Kong did triggered this confrontation again?

“This is the city center. Has the Southern Government really discarded even the last shred of cover?”

Because the Qinghun Scythe had an excellent reputation among civilians, in the past, whenever the Southern Government or the warlords made a move like this, they at least did it under the table—not so brazenly.

The player chuckled and pointed at the barricaded street. “Isn’t this lockdown their cover? Look—they’ve sealed the whole street tight. No one’s getting through.”

Pei Sen frowned. He wasn’t overly concerned about the safety of the Qinghun Scythe still inside. The villa had a fully equipped underground area. Back when he was there, he’d already stocked it with food and water to last months. Even if the Southern Government kept the blockade up, they’d be fine.

Besides, the Southern Government’s military strength wasn’t enough to truly threaten the Qinghun Scythe. To pose a real threat, they’d need overwhelming numbers and firepower—and in such a busy district, the advantage wasn’t on their side.

Extraordinary individuals were, after all, extraordinary. After years of restraint, unless they were dealing with Qinghun demons, the Southern Government rarely flaunted its might.

The real problem was that their top-tier combatants were too extreme. While high morality was admirable, their behavior could be wildly inappropriate.

“Holy crap, my friend just told me the fight inside is getting insane!” a player suddenly shouted.

Pei Sen frowned.

“Wait, why does the Southern Government have extraordinary individuals?”

Pei Sen’s heart skipped a beat—he finally realized what had gone wrong.

The corrupted Qinghun Scythe members from back then hadn’t all been purged. Many remained in hiding. This time, Kong’s assassination attempt on the negotiator had infuriated the president. As a result, he’d rather lock down the streets and deploy those hidden figures to inflict heavy damage on the Society.

“Young master, let’s go!”

Eagle nodded. He had no particular emotional connection to anyone in this world. Naturally, he had no position. But Pei Sen was his position.

No matter what Pei Sen wanted to do, he would support him unconditionally.

At his core, Eagle didn’t really possess much of a moral compass. He was a noble raised crooked. Though nobles on the Yali Continent weren’t necessarily evil, few could be considered good.

Eagle’s background made him even more twisted than most nobles.

Nearby players watched in shock as Eagle and Pei Sen forcefully broke through the Southern Government’s blockade. One bullet, two, three… who knew how many rounds rained down on them, but they were all deflected by the ice shield Pei Sen summoned. Not a single shot got through.

Government soldiers began to surround them, but a bright, glowing lightbird suddenly flew off Eagle’s shoulder. It turned into a radiant arrow and expanded into a field of light. The glowing field grew until it enveloped the whole street. The soldiers’ vision was overwhelmed by the brightness, rendering them blind and throwing them into chaos.

“Holy crap, that’s badass!” one player couldn’t help but exclaim. “That glowing little bird looks powerful.”

At this moment, hiding in a nearby alley and ready to sneak in, Pex looked rather pleased.

Powerful? That bird? A cat could easily take down ten of them!

Then the cat waddled its plump behind forward, quickly running toward the two, lest it get scolded again.

With the lightbird clearing the way, Pei Sen and Eagle advanced without any obstruction until they reached the front of the villa. There, more government soldiers blocked their path. Pei Sen raised his staff and cast the advanced wind spell “Tempest.” Instantly, the soldiers were blown away, clearing the entrance completely.

…These soldiers were just ordinary humans—they had no resistance to magic. For Pei Sen, they were an easy fight.

“Young master, let’s go.”

Eagle glanced at the building. “Not a bad house, but the garden’s terribly kept. Looks like the servants here are pretty useless.”

“…Actually, there aren’t any servants. The garden’s been nearly dug up to plant vegetables.”

Eagle looked confused. “A garden is a garden. Why plant vegetables in it?”

Pei Sen: “…”

Because the Qinghun Affairs Management Society is seriously broke.

The two finally entered the building. The moment they stepped in, Eagle frowned slightly. Not only was the garden a mess, but the interior was chaotic too. It had no aesthetic at all.

So perhaps the only decent thing was the exterior.

“Pei Sen?” In the villa’s main hall stood Jing Hui. Her condition didn’t look good—surrounded by several individuals in high-ranking military uniforms. These people were clearly extraordinary individuals. In other words, former Qinghun Scythe members who had fallen and now worked for the Southern Government.

Over the years, the Southern Government had provided them with rich resources, making them stronger than before.

The leader among them was about equal in power to Jing Hui.

Seeing Pei Sen and Eagle walk in so casually shocked them. The leader didn’t sense any extraordinary aura on them and assumed they were ordinary people. He immediately frowned.

Are the government soldiers outside all useless? Can’t even block two normal people?

“Ms. Jing, looks like you’re in some trouble,” Pei Sen said.

Jing Hui sighed. She had wanted to say that the real trouble came from what that Bix tribe member had done—but ultimately, she kept silent.

Her temperament was actually slightly tougher than Chen Qingxu’s. After Kong’s incident, she had instead chosen to stand on his side.

One of the attackers said coldly, “I don’t care who you are—this isn’t something you can meddle in. If you know what’s good for you, get out.”

A sinister-looking man beside him added cruelly, “Leaving is an option too—after we capture you. You both look pretty good. That Qinghun Scythe who acted out did it for that so-called Boss Yu—just a plaything. I think these two will do nicely. Let’s offer them to Young Master Qin to cool his temper.”

Upon hearing this, Jing Hui couldn’t stop herself from closing her eyes. She didn’t want to witness how miserably this man would die.

They hadn’t spent much time with Pei Sen, but she was well aware of his character… The guildmaster always called her hot-tempered, but Jing Hui never agreed.

At least compared to this Pei Sen, she really was a saint.

What she didn’t know was—the one beside him… had a temper far worse!

“What did you just say?” Eagle didn’t understand the Qinghun Era’s language—unlike Pei Sen, he didn’t have a built-in language converter. But that didn’t stop him from picking up on the intent behind the man’s gaze and tone.

Eagle had always been sensitive.

The sinister man suddenly found himself unable to control his body. He floated in midair, staring at the blond man whose green eyes seemed to harbor a storm.

“Sorry, I don’t understand your words,” Eagle said. “But I’m very unhappy now.”

Countless tiny light blades burst forth, circling the man in an instant, followed by a horrific scream.

In just a moment, his body was covered in tiny wounds. His skin cracked like shattered porcelain.

And that wasn’t the worst part—those tiny light blades slipped into his body through the wounds, slowly slicing apart his flesh and bones bit by bit.

Although the light blades had only circled him once in the blink of an eye, the process now seemed agonizingly slow—so slow that he could feel his body being dissected piece by piece.

It was more painful, more terrifying than death by a thousand cuts.

Eagle slightly curled his lips upward, still holding the man midair. “Say it again. But don’t scream—if you do, I’ll cut out your tongue first.”

Pei Sen sighed helplessly. “Young master…”

“Oh right, I forgot he doesn’t understand me,” Eagle said as he turned to Pei Sen, blinking innocently.

Pei Sen covered his forehead and let out a long sigh.

Jing Hui: “…”

She had been wrong.

Compared to this one, Pei Sen really was a kind and gentle gentleman.

Truly, there’s always someone more terrifying in this world.