Little Pink Starfish

When Bix Magic Cube said those words, it felt a little guilty.
With its current capabilities, there shouldn’t be any problems for now. But to be honest, without Pei Sen’s help, things wouldn’t be going so well in Gate of Eternity.

Even in the beginning, if Yali Continent hadn’t had Pei Sen, it might have taken a very different development path.

If the chaotic and evil players had caused major destruction, then yes—the fusion rate would still be high. But in that case, the entire world might have ended up half-destroyed.

Especially since the transcendent power of Yali Continent wasn’t actually that strong. Once a large number of players leveled up, the native transcendents couldn’t completely suppress them.

Unlike over in Gate of Eternity, where no matter how players acted up, they’d still be held down by the numerous and powerful native transcendents.

“I really want to know—why me?” Pei Sen asked again. “Do I just have the face of a workhorse or something?”
Bix Magic Cube quickly replied, “…Not a workhorse, no. But you’re very capable! Although, I honestly don’t know why the me from the original timeline chose you.”

“If that ‘me’ was actually you, and you needed someone to solve the fusion problem, how would you choose them?” Pei Sen asked suddenly.
Bix Magic Cube: “……”

That unexpected silence gave Pei Sen a bad feeling.

If it were me choosing… Bix Magic Cube pondered blankly, eventually arriving at a conclusion:

I’d probably pick someone… at random.

But that answer—it absolutely could not tell Pei Sen.

Once again, Bix Magic Cube felt guilty.
Pei Sen was just too useful.
And now that he was with Eagle, even more so.
Eagle was a powerful native with special abilities—honestly, there wasn’t a second one like him across all the worlds.

Bix Magic Cube was extremely satisfied.

I should’ve told him that if it were me, I’d carefully handpick the best possible candidate! But… I don’t lie. So maybe I just won’t tell him at all.
Bix Magic Cube made its decision.

So Pei Sen never did get an answer to that question.
He never found out that he was most likely just a randomly selected lucky draw winner.

Looking at the worn key lying quietly in his backpack, Pei Sen finally made up his mind and looked up. “Young master, do you want to see my hometown?”

Eagle froze. “Your hometown? You mean… the place your Bix clan comes from?”
“Yeah.”

There had been many secrets Pei Sen couldn’t even tell Eagle—not because he didn’t trust him, but because it was literally forbidden.

Like the fact that, in the players’ minds, this world was “just a game.”

But now that Bix Magic Cube said Eagle could come with him to the real world, that meant the permissions had changed. Many things Eagle could now know.

Like the real world, the existence of derivative worlds, and how the “game” was only created after world overlap occurred—he could tell him everything now.

But before that, Pei Sen wanted to show Eagle his hometown—the real Earth, the foundational world that had spawned all the derivative ones.

“I’d love to see it,” Eagle frowned. “But… if I remember correctly, you once said you couldn’t go back.”

“I can now,” Pei Sen said. “I can go home.” His voice softened. “And I want to take you with me.”

Returning in these current bodies and appearances meant they’d be the only two transcendents on Earth—powerful beyond belief. Pei Sen wasn’t sure if Bix Magic Cube had placed some constraints on them… or if it simply couldn’t help it.

As derivative worlds increased, even Bix Magic Cube’s efforts might not be enough to prevent stragglers from slipping through. It probably needed help—and thus opened this gate.

When Pei Sen said that was his hometown, it was also because he knew—even though many saw Eagle as a spoiled young master with a bad temper and a bratty attitude—he actually had a very gentle side.

Knowing it was Pei Sen’s homeland, Eagle wouldn’t go around doing whatever he pleased, even just for Pei Sen’s sake.

“Just a short trip. You don’t need to pack much,” Pei Sen said. “I just… want to go home.”
Though even Pei Sen himself felt lost. Going back like this—was he still himself?

Eagle nodded, as if sensing Pei Sen’s unease. “Pei Sen, has it been a long time since you went home?”
“Yeah, a long time.”

And then there was the timeline problem. On the original timeline, Pei Sen knew that his real-world self had just started playing Bix Magic Cube. If he returned now, would that version of himself still exist?

If so—what would happen if he saw himself?

But now, it wasn’t the same anymore. Even if their souls were the same, they were already… two people.

Pei Sen wasn’t sure what to make of it all.
But still—he wanted to go back and see.

Because no matter which world he was in, the thing he missed and cherished most…

And so, he took Eagle with him.

“Should be fine, right?” Bix Magic Cube muttered. “I’ve already done nineteen evaluations. All results said the risk level was low. Pei Sen’s pretty trustworthy.”

The so-called gate was basically a backdoor program.
Bix Magic Cube hadn’t lied—it really could open the gate earlier than Pei Sen imagined.

During this time, it had been running evaluations. Not just on Pei Sen, but on Eagle too.

Risk level—that was something Bix Magic Cube had to take into account.

Its final conclusion was reassuring enough to allow for this door.

“This is your hometown?” Eagle stared in astonishment at the busy streets and neon-lit skyscrapers.

They arrived around 7–8 PM. The roads were packed, every home was lit up. For someone from a world like his—resembling the medieval era—this scene was absolutely overwhelming.

“Yeah. It’s better to come at night,” Pei Sen said. In broad daylight, Eagle’s looks alone would be too eye-catching. If they drew a crowd, Eagle would definitely feel uncomfortable. Pei Sen wanted to avoid that kind of trouble.

Besides… everything looked so unfamiliar.
Pei Sen didn’t have a phone, or any modern devices on him. He didn’t even know which city they were in.

“Hey, Bix Magic Cube. Even if we’re back, we don’t have IDs or anything. Is that really okay?”

This was a hyper-digital society—unlike other worlds, you couldn’t just live without identification.

Bix Magic Cube: “Don’t you have magic?”

Pei Sen: “…”

That’s a… great answer.

Soon, they walked into a pawn shop and legally sold a few intricately engraved gold coins. Pure gold—precious metals were a universal currency across all worlds and eras.

Then he bought two smartphones, found a corner in a café, and used the Wi-Fi while quietly explaining the device to Eagle.

The phones didn’t have SIM cards, but thankfully modern tech had enough public networks to make most functions usable.

“This place is…”
Once they figured out where they were, they got something to eat. Eagle, sampling different dishes, concluded, “Your hometown’s food is really good.”

The next day, Pei Sen took Eagle to a nearby police station and got a temporary ID. Then he filled out the official application for a replacement ID. The process would take twenty days.

As for how they got through the process…
Well, charm and illusion magic always worked wonders for hiding the truth.

Even Eagle’s classic foreign appearance didn’t raise any red flags in this second-tier city’s local bureau.

In their eyes, this blond, blue-eyed young man was perfectly ordinary.

Eagle licked an ice cream cone. It was their third day in Pei Sen’s hometown, and they hadn’t used a single transcendent ability.

Just like Pei Sen said—no need to.

This world… was just too convenient.

“Come on, let’s take a plane.”
Eagle looked at the giant metal bird in disbelief. “It’s so heavy—how can it fly without magic?”
“It just can.”
This world kept shocking him over and over.

But Pei Sen never quite felt at ease.
He had finally returned to his true home.
The familiar city.
The place he had struggled to build his life.
Even seeing familiar faces.

But he didn’t dare go meet his old friends—afraid of revealing something by accident.

Especially because, on this timeline, he was still just an ordinary “employee,” a newbie mage who had just entered Bix Magic Cube. Like many others in the city, he worked hard and lived a normal life.

“Pei Sen, what are you looking at?” Eagle asked, peeling open a candy wrapper and tossing a milk candy into his mouth.

Pei Sen was staring across the street—
There, a young man in a white shirt and brown pants sat on a bench, holding coffee and a quick meal.
His hair was slightly tousled.
His face wasn’t as outstanding as Pei Sen’s current one, just a clean, ordinary look.

He seemed tired, probably from working overtime. After buying his coffee and food, he sat on a nearby bench to rest for a bit.

Though exhausted, his eyes were still bright and determined.
He hadn’t given up on his dreams and was still working hard toward them.

Eagle looked at Pei Sen in confusion—watched as he crossed the street, approached the stranger, and gave a smile Eagle had never seen before.
“Keep going,” he said.

Eagle narrowed his eyes instantly, feeling rather irritated.

“Who was that?” he asked.
Pei Sen didn’t respond.
Eagle scowled. “Was that someone you used to care about? Someone you liked?”

Pei Sen: “……”

Young master, you’re overthinking this.
He couldn’t help but laugh—Eagle was actually getting jealous!

That was himself, after all. That was also him.

Eagle turned back, gave the man a glare—and suddenly froze.

Because something about that person… seemed familiar.

“That’s impossible. This is Pei Sen’s hometown—I shouldn’t know anyone here…” Eagle murmured, confused. “Is he a Bix clan member too?”
But no, with his memory, if he’d seen someone before, he wouldn’t forget.

And yet… that person was somehow both unfamiliar and familiar.

“So weird.” Eagle muttered, then quickened his pace to catch up with Pei Sen.

Pei Sen didn’t say anything.
Together, they walked away from his past self.

He didn’t change his life’s path.
Even though he had thought about it—if he did, maybe he wouldn’t get isekai’d later. If he stopped himself from playing Bix Magic Cube now, maybe he’d never travel into the game world.

If Eagle hadn’t been there, maybe he’d have done it.
That version of himself was working hard and living positively—wasn’t that a better way to live?

Why go through a whole isekai adventure?

But in the end… he did nothing.

“Pei Sen, come on—who was that?” Eagle kept pressing.

Pei Sen just smiled, turned, and gently kissed Eagle’s lips.

And so, he stopped asking.

This was enough.
Pei Sen didn’t want to change anything—because this journey, this encounter, had been wonderful.

He didn’t want to miss this special connection with Eagle.

“Eagle, I love you.”

He didn’t want to rewrite the past—because he loved the present.
He cherished the person beside him.
He wanted to stay like this, just like in the past year,
Accompanying Eagle, changing his fate, falling in love.

Eagle didn’t get shy—he grinned brightly and kissed Pei Sen back.

“I love you too.”

The Lanno family finally had someone who found happiness.

So maybe… stubborn love wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Eagle thought proudly.

At last, he felt no more unease.

The two of them—wouldn’t disappear anymore, would they?
They never would.

Under the shade of the trees,
Their figures suddenly vanished.

Cloaked in magic,
No one noticed.

They had come together—
And they left together.

Pei Sen had changed the fate that, in the original timeline, saw Eagle’s homeland nearly destroyed.
And Eagle was willing to accompany Pei Sen in protecting his homeland.

Even though Eagle didn’t know—without Pei Sen, Yali Continent might have been ravaged by chaos, leaving only devastation behind.

But now—everything was different.

Though even if he knew, Eagle might not have cared.
His moral compass had never been particularly rigid.
He wasn’t inherently kind or righteous.

Everything he did…
Was for that one person beside him.

For Pei Sen.

Main Story End