Little Pink Starfish

The players still didn’t know the truth about the gods’ lies,
But they had heard about the lightning strike on the mountain.

“There really are a lot of transcendents among the NPCs on this server.”
“Yeah, remember when we were over at the Merchant Alliance in the Anser Empire? You think we wanted to run? Of course not. It’s just that there were too many strong NPCs tracking us—we couldn’t beat them. Dying only meant losing levels for nothing.”
“Luckily, after messaging Gubis, that brother sacrificed himself once to save us, and the Merchant Alliance’s bounty got canceled.”
“Shows that the emperor knows what’s what. That’s a contribution.”
“Maybe. Anyway, things are fine now.”
“Speaking of which, those gods who wanted to throw a party got hit with a lightning baptism—wonder what the outcome was?”

Some players were really curious about the result. Pei Sen wanted to say:
That kind of lightning probably didn’t affect the strong gods, but for weaker ones like Night Ancestor, Mirror God, or the Silent God—it definitely caused some damage.
Which just proves… what kind of gods are these? Getting injured by lightning? That’s pretty damn fragile.

“I’m going back to the Yali Continent with Eagle for now. So… when exactly will you let me go home?” Pei Sen asked suddenly.
Bix Magic Cube: “Soon.”
It answered too readily. Pei Sen paused, “You really can let me go back?”
“Of course.” Bix Magic Cube never lied.

Actually, Pei Sen had been hesitating.
If he logged out and went home—what about Eagle? Would he need to log in again just to see him?

In the real world, he had his own life. He couldn’t spend 24/7 with Eagle like now.

“This is turning into a damn online relationship… I gotta log in just to see him?”
Pei Sen didn’t like that idea at all. And he hadn’t even brought it up to Eagle yet.
Based on what he knew, Eagle definitely wouldn’t accept something like that.

“I really should say it. Otherwise I’d seem like a jerk who lies in a relationship.” Pei Sen sighed.
He knew Eagle wouldn’t accept it, and yet still got involved. If that’s not emotional deception, what is?

“From the start, I just wanted to solo a dungeon and he insisted on following. Telling him I’ll be logging out soon and only appearing sometimes…” Pei Sen figured Eagle would never agree to that.

“That was too impulsive,” he admitted to himself.
But staying in the game world forever and never returning to the real world… would he really not regret it?
That was his home, after all. The world he grew up in.

Pei Sen never understood the protagonists in isekai novels who chose to stay in the other world for love. Maybe in the beginning, love could push someone to make that choice.
But those moments of regret that cropped up afterward… they’d eventually shake the foundation of that “unbreakable” love.

Pei Sen did love Eagle.
They were still deep in the honeymoon phase. In times like this, love felt like the most important thing in the world.

“If it really doesn’t work out, I could just shut down my company in real life. Make the game world my new life center. I’ve saved up a lot. Eagle is loaded too. Even if I sell game currency, we’d be fine materially in the real world. The only question is whether I’d have a login time limit after logging out.”

He’d worked so hard over the years to build his own studio. Giving that up wouldn’t be easy either.

He’d only been “isekai’d” into this game world for a little over a year. He hadn’t forgotten his past efforts or the colleagues and employees who trusted him.

But if he really had to choose,
He’d still choose Eagle.

Pei Sen hoped he’d be the exception—that he wouldn’t be subject to online time limits.
But realistically speaking, once you log out, the system would impose restrictions. Those time limits weren’t just about addiction prevention—no matter how harmless the game pod was, it couldn’t maintain bodily functions forever. Nutritional replenishment still required logging out.

“Bix Magic Cube, I won’t turn into a horrifying mummy if I log out, right?” He’d been online so long—the thought was terrifying.
Bix Magic Cube: “……You’re overthinking it.”

Actually, Pei Sen had another worry:
When he logged out, would he return to his original timeline? Or would Bix Magic Cube wait for the exact temporal convergence point to log him out?

In any case, it wouldn’t be happening in the immediate future.

“So I still need to talk to Eagle. I mean, even married couples have to go to work separately during the day. If it’s just a short time apart, it should be fine.” Pei Sen comforted himself.

He’d already made up his mind.
Even if Bix Magic Cube let him log out, his life’s center would still remain in the game—by Eagle’s side.

The only issue now was…
How to bring it up.

They stayed out of the Divine Realm for a long time. Even though all divine power traces had been wiped, Pei Sen still didn’t feel safe. Just in case, he decided to use only purified divine power from now on.

After he explained the situation in detail to Eagle, Eagle gave him a look. “So your Bix clan really does have real gods, huh?”

Compared to that silent, devious gate—Bix Magic Cube…

After returning to the Yali Continent via air train, Eagle immediately sensed that Pei Sen wanted to say something, but was hesitating.

“If it’s something that’ll upset me, then don’t say it,” Eagle cut in first.

Pei Sen: “……”

Back at the familiar Red Maple Castle, Eagle visibly relaxed.

Turns out, no matter who you were, your own home was always the most comfortable place.

“You packed so much stuff before we left. Were you anxious?” Pei Sen set down the food tray. After coming back, Eagle’s “I-don’t-like-to-eat” syndrome had relapsed.

In many ways, he really was like a child—loved sweets, picky eater… clingy.

Eagle glanced at him. “From childhood till now, the furthest I’d ever traveled was from the royal city to the Lanno territory. You know I was never allowed to leave freely.”

So originally it was forced hermitism, and after enough time, it became a habit.
Now, traveling far made him uneasy. Pei Sen completely understood.

“You see, Pei Sen—for you, I went everywhere. That was a big sacrifice,” Eagle added suddenly.

Pei Sen: “……”

Even if it was true, hearing Eagle say it so seriously made Pei Sen suspect he was implying something.

He’d always been sharp. Had he already guessed?

Pei Sen fell silent.

Meanwhile, the forums were heating up.
Since Bix Magic Cube launched, the game pods had begun selling in various countries, drawing in players worldwide. As player numbers increased, more server-specific playstyles were emerging.

Currently, the most recommended servers for new players were the Yali Continent server and the Gate of Eternity server—these had regular quests and stable leveling.

For solo players, casual gamers, or task-oriented ones, Qinghun Era was better. It had more immersion and emotional resonance.

Pei Sen was mainly watching player progress on the Gate of Eternity side.
Since he’d already uncovered the truth about that world’s nature, Bix Magic Cube could now guide player quests more effectively. And the more players got involved, the faster the integration rose.

One day, while he was idly browsing the forums, Ichabod suddenly burst in. Eagle looked up as he reported, “Freyr is dead.”

No surprise there. Freyr’s crude schemes were child’s play to someone like King Leiser.

Eagle had sent a letter. With Leiser’s resources, verifying the truth was easy.

If Freyr was dead, it meant the letter’s contents were accurate.
That Viscount Freyr of the Kingdom of Esmia really had tried to get Leiser killed.

Again, not surprising.
The man had sent assassins after Eagle—clearly had ambitions for the throne. And his father had also died at Leiser’s hands.

“Mm.” Eagle responded casually.

Despite sending assassins after him, Eagle had even kept Jekko—the assassin who planned it—as a retainer. Eagle no longer held grudges like that.

Still, Freyr’s death… was satisfying.

Not long after, Sadin arrived. He had gone to the capital and discovered the entire city was like a volcano about to erupt.

“Some nobles are already forming alliances, including that Viscount Auk who took over Young Master Aijin’s lands…” Sadin gave a brief summary, ending with a complicated expression. “King Leiser… probably doesn’t have long.”

Sadin didn’t quite understand. King Leiser had worked so hard to lift the curse—resulting in the Grand Duke’s death, Princess Carolina’s imprisonment, and Prince Wendell losing his sight. All that trouble just to preserve his life, and now he was squandering it?

Sadin could tell Leiser wouldn’t last. And he didn’t believe someone that shrewd wouldn’t see it himself.

It was like… Leiser wanted to die.

“You don’t need to understand him. Maybe even if he dies, Leiser still wants to do this one thing.” Eagle said.
Life or death wasn’t important to him anymore. What mattered was whether he could do it.

Even if it was doomed to fail, he would press on.
In the past, the curse made him powerless. Now that he could act, he no longer cared if it cost him his life.

In Eagle’s eyes, a feudal system wasn’t inherently bad.
But the Kingdom of Esmia could never become as strong as the centralized Anser Empire.

If the Anser Empire had operated under feudalism like Esmia, it would have been devoured long ago by the monarchic Summer Dynasty.

So Eagle understood what Leiser wanted.
He also knew Leiser was destined to fail.

“Don’t worry about him,” Eagle said. “Once he’s gone, for the sake of what he gave the royal family, I’ll make sure he gets a proper burial.”

Anyway… it wouldn’t be long now.

Pei Sen thought he’d still be living on the Yali Continent with Eagle for a long time.

But just a month later, he received a message from Bix Magic Cube.

Bix Magic Cube: “At first, these derivative worlds weren’t fully merged with the real world. But now, Yali Continent and Qinghun Era have reached high integration levels. There’s overlap now. With my power, I can still keep the overlap confined to the ‘game world.’”

“What are you saying?”

“The Yali Continent now has a sizable overlap with the real world. I’m very satisfied with your efforts, so I can open one more gate for you.” Bix Magic Cube said this straightforwardly, with no attempt to mislead.

Pei Sen’s heart skipped a beat.

He’d always assumed that when Bix Magic Cube said he could “go home,” it meant logging out.
He never expected… this kind of going home.

“I already gave you the key to this gate long ago. But be warned, it only allows up to two people to pass through.” Bix Magic Cube added smugly, “Aren’t I kind? I even let you bring your little sweetheart along.”

Pei Sen: “……”

Wait—did it really mean bringing their in-game bodies into the real world?

Wasn’t that a little too ambitious?
Didn’t it realize that he and Eagle were already practically demi-gods?

Bringing that into a science-based, powerless reality…?

Was this a joke!?

Something told him…
This wasn’t going to be simple.

“You’re letting me take him back too—so what are you not telling me?”

Bix Magic Cube: “……”

This is exactly why it didn’t like smart people!

“Don’t worry. It’s simple. Integration is already very high, so there shouldn’t be any issues. The overlapped areas are still locked in the ‘game’—but if, and I mean if, something slips through into the real world, uh—”

Pei Sen: “……”

Yeah. He knew it.