Little Pink Starfish

Faced with such a scene, all the mages of the Mage Association wore stunned expressions, and Fire God and Zhaohua were utterly dumbfounded.

What the hell was this?

They knew who the legendary mage before them was. When they first joined the Mage Association, no fewer than three mages had explained to them the “formidable strength” of the Association. At the time, those mages spoke with evident pride, saying, “Even across the entire Yali Continent, our Mage Association ranks among the top powers.”

Yet the current situation had left Fire God and Zhaohua—two players who had gone through great effort to join the Association—feeling dazed and confused.

True, if the Mage Association truly had three legendary mages, it would indeed be a top-tier force on the continent. But strangely enough, despite such “strength,” the Association had always appeared weak before the Church of Light. Pei Sen had long suspected something was off with the Mage Association.

He had guessed that the legendary mage Alex—known to all players a few years later—had already broken ties with the Association at this point, which seemed entirely plausible. He had also guessed that Louise, who was originally going to die of old age soon in the original timeline, was now too frail to fight—another detail that could be deduced.

However, what truly shocked Pei Sen was that this vigorous, powerful legendary mage in front of him, Linya·Shalambo—who could be said to be the most legitimate pillar of the Mage Association—was also a traitor.

Just how much of a failure was the Mage Association that not a single one of its three elders could be relied upon?

“My mother was originally a devout follower of the Light. She received personal instruction from a priest during childhood and long ago established a steadfast belief in the faith…”

Sitting in the lavish conference room of the Mage Tower, Elrich looked utterly lifeless.

Compared to Pei Sen’s astonishment, it was likely the president of the Mage Association himself who had truly reached a state of spiritual collapse and worldview-shattering despair.

Linya·Shalambo was unlike the other mages who had joined the Association later, such as Alex and Louise. His father had been a high-ranking member of the Mage Association, and his grandfather had also served the Association in its early years. His mother, a noblewoman from Bonfrese, was known for her gentle disposition. Linya had demonstrated remarkable magical talent from a young age, which led to him receiving focused training from the Association.

Now in his sixties, Linya was still considered “in his prime” among mages. With a lineage of three generations tied to the Association, he was seen as someone with a solid background and absolute trustworthiness. After becoming a legendary mage, he had been viewed as the pillar of the Association.

Indeed, in the world of extraordinary individuals, only those with top-tier combat power could lead. That was why the Mage Association had continued to claim it had three legendary mages.

“I even owe my advancement to legendary status to the support of the Church,” Linya said, then suddenly remembered that the Church had been destroyed by Eagle and choked on his words.

In fact, ever since the Church of Light was wiped out, the prevailing view within the Mage Association had been to avoid making another move against Eagle. They simply hoped to ransom Finn·Rain and the others, and if the sigil ring had to be abandoned, so be it. As much as they coveted the ring, the Association itself had plenty of resources—it wasn’t something they couldn’t live without.

However, Linya had been pushing for retaliation against Eagle… for a simple reason. As a believer in the Light, he wanted revenge.

Who could’ve known that Eagle was truly the Son of Light—one could even say, the new God of Light!

“My Lord, I know where some remaining priests are located…” Linya said urgently, trying to continue, “They’re all devout followers. Since you’ve become the new God of Light, you can—”

“I’m not interested in where they are,” Eagle said coldly. “In truth, they’re not as devout as you think. I’ve met them in the Church’s temples. Oh, and that so-called Pope? He wasn’t devout either. They’ve all been desecrating the divine.”

Pei Sen thought of the Pope, who had disguised divine blood as the holy spring of light, absorbing divine power in an attempt to become a god himself. Then there were those priests who sold Light Seeds for profit, exploiting and oppressing the common folk while living in luxury. He agreed with Eagle—there weren’t many truly devout individuals in the Church of Light.

To think that this legendary mage before them was a genuine zealot… it was truly shocking.

Still, what was with the Yali Continent? One legendary mage after another seemed unreliable. Reaching legendary status should require an extremely capable mind, right? Especially since the difficulty for natives to ascend was far beyond what players like Pei Sen faced—they should be the smartest of the smart.

Yet whether it was Mebrek, or this Linya, they were all baffling. Oh, and let’s not forget Alex—the guy who would become notorious and constantly joked about by players for his wild behavior.

Elrich could no longer speak. His tongue felt stiff, his mind buzzing.

Louise, startled earlier, didn’t seem to be doing well either. The elderly woman sat slumped in her chair as if asleep—she was likely close to death.

Among the legendary mages, she was the only truly decent one—no betrayal, no madness, and certainly not like Alex, a man with the temperament of a menopausal old aunt, nor like Linya, a fanatical traitor.

She was just a normal old woman, quite kind to the Mage Association. Her relationships were harmonious, and she was even known for her gentle temperament.

Thus, even though the Mage Association was now in turmoil, she was one they could mourn without anger.

While Linya was too embarrassed to speak and Eagle remained silent, Pei Sen drifted into thought, and the whole conference room fell quiet.

At this moment, Fire God and Zhaohua, who had been happily browsing the forums, finally looked up.

They had just posted their video recordings, which instantly sparked a huge commotion online. The ending in particular left everyone just as dumbfounded as Pei Sen.

“Just how deep was the Church’s infiltration? I wouldn’t be surprised if they had spies in the Mage Association. But that spy turning out to be their strongest mage? That’s hilarious.”

“Yeah, like I was just sent in undercover, but oops, now I’m the boss?”

“Exactly. Who cares about the president? That Church traitor is the only legendary mage the Association can still count on!”

“Incredible. If the Church hadn’t been destroyed, I bet they could’ve caused even more chaos!”

“Clearly Linya’s mom was planted there by the Church on purpose. Otherwise, what are the odds? And the entire Association didn’t even know she was a believer? Given the strained relationship between the two groups, hiding that is a massive issue.”

“Anyone with eyes could tell. And she must’ve brainwashed Linya from a young age—that’s the only way he’d still be a zealot after becoming a legendary mage.”

“That’s a decades-long scheme. Linya’s in his sixties now…”

“Unbelievable. Just… wow.”

The players’ speculation wasn’t wrong. In the original timeline, the Church of Light had stirred up many major events on the continent. Many nobles were secretly connected to them.

Even then, Linya’s identity hadn’t been exposed. At least before Pei Sen crossed over, no one knew the Church had planted such a ticking time bomb inside the Mage Association.

Now that you thought about it, the Mage Association really had it rough—so rough even Pei Sen felt a little sympathetic.

“So here’s how it’ll be,” Eagle finally spoke. He glanced at the distracted Pei Sen beside him and the few Bix tribesmen who had stood quietly as background props the whole time. “From this day forth, the Mage Association will be governed by a council. The temporary council members will be myself, Pei Sen, Linya, and those two Bix tribesmen.”

Fire God had been listening absentmindedly, but when Eagle finished speaking, he blinked and looked around the room, then pointed at himself with wide eyes. “Me and Zhaohua?”

“Yes, you two,” Eagle said. “When Pei Sen and I are absent, you’ll make decisions for the Mage Association alongside Linya.”

Fire God: “…”

Zhaohua: “…”

Pei Sen thought the idea wasn’t bad at all. He smiled at Elrich. “I assume the president has no objections?”

Elrich opened his mouth, but what could he possibly object to? Everyone here was a big shot—except the two mid-level mages. He couldn’t afford to offend any of them.

“Then it’s settled,” Eagle said, not wanting to waste more time. “Linya.”

“Present.”

“From now on, assist these two in managing the Mage Association. I don’t want to see the magic capital in its current state anymore. I hope you’ll surprise me.”

“Your will shall be done!”

Ding.

Main Quest: Reorganize the Mage Association.

The Mage Association has developed slowly over a millennium on the Yali Continent, yet mages remain incredibly rare. Even in the magical capital of Semia, high and mighty mages dwell in their towers, forever out of reach for commoners. Where is the path to the future of magic?

Main Quest Prerequisite: Accept Council Member Status in the Mage Association.

Accept Main Quest? (Yes/No)

Note: This is a special main quest. Once accepted, it cannot be canceled. Player actions will be subject to certain restrictions. In addition to experience, gold, and plot point rewards, players will receive an extra epic-tier special reward.

Fire God and Zhaohua glanced at each other. Their hesitation and anxiety vanished in an instant. Without any hesitation, they stepped forward and accepted the quest.

Come on—just look at that reward. What’s there to even think about? Let’s do this!

Pei Sen raised an eyebrow. Not bad. The Bix Magic Cube had issued a very solid quest. What would happen to the Mage Association if it were placed in the hands of players? Could they use magic to change the city, or even the entire continent?

If they could really pull it off, the increase in integration would be immeasurable. No wonder the Bix Magic Cube was willing to go all out and offer such generous rewards.

“If you run into anything too difficult, you could also consider consulting your friends. Our Bix tribe has always produced talent, and we don’t mind helping,” Pei Sen said suddenly.

Fire God and Zhaohua paused for a moment. They almost thought Pei Sen meant “if you can’t handle it, find other players.” Uh, but he’s just an NPC, so probably not that… Based on the game’s setting, he’s part of their tribe. Maybe he just meant they could look for fellow Bix players for help?

Well, in any case, they could always post to the forums. There’d be plenty of creative ideas.

Judging by the quest, they were supposed to use magic to do something significant.

What could they do… Develop magic that even commoners could use? Try creating some kind of magical tech?

Sounded difficult.

Forget it. First, they’d work on transforming Semia.

The two math prodigies, Fire God and Zhaohua, immediately began brainstorming with great enthusiasm.

Pei Sen smiled. He was genuinely looking forward to seeing what kind of transformation those two—plus the help of other players—could achieve with the Mage Association.

No matter what, it would be beneficial for both the Bix Magic Cube and the real world.

Too bad you couldn’t just set this up in Gate of Eternity.

Pei Sen thought with some regret.

“Young master, let’s go.”

Eagle nodded. “Alright.”

A god? No—they weren’t gods yet. At least not for now.

In fact, Eagle was quite curious himself—what was the true nature of the gods in Gate of Eternity?

He didn’t know when it started. Perhaps it was because he had grown stronger.

But Eagle had begun to feel a new kind of ambition—one he had never experienced before.

If he could grow even more powerful… that wouldn’t be a bad thing. That way, someone as mysterious as Pei Sen could never leave him again.

Otherwise, one day, Pei Sen might disappear once more.

And that—was something he could never accept.

So, Eagle wanted to become a god. An all-powerful god who would never again fear loss.

“Because… there are just too many secrets, Pei Sen,” Eagle said softly.