In less than a day, the No. 60001 novice village chief’s favorability toward Ye Tianxie had already reached the Heart-to-Heart level — undoubtedly an excellent state of affairs for his time in the novice village. Ye Tianxie bade the chief farewell and entered blacksmith old Wang’s shop.
“Hello, blacksmith. That’s 500 wolf fangs in all — should be enough to last you a good while.” Ye Tianxie smiled as he piled up all the wolf fangs he’d gathered that day before blacksmith old Wang. The blacksmith set down his forging hammer and let out a gasp of amazement. “Brave one from another world, you’ve let me feel your valor and warmheartedness once again. Such fine forging material — truly, I’m so grateful I hardly know what to say.”
“Ding… You have successfully completed the quest ‘Blacksmith Old Wang’s Commission.’ Gained 1,200 experience, one pair of Level 5 Apprentice Assassin Leg Wraps. As you have overfulfilled blacksmith old Wang’s commission, his favorability toward you increases by 15.”
“Ding… Blacksmith old Wang’s impression of you has risen to the Heart-to-Heart level.”
Overfulfilling the blacksmith’s commission more than tenfold, though the material reward hadn’t changed at all, that 15-point jump in favorability already had Ye Tianxie greatly satisfied.
Ye Tianxie was just about to turn and leave when blacksmith old Wang’s voice suddenly came from behind him: “Warmhearted brave one, might I take a look at the ring on your hand? From that ring, I sense a flow of mysterious power.”
Ye Tianxie turned around at once, took off the Ancient Ring of Life, and set it before blacksmith old Wang. The blacksmith picked up the ring, examined it closely for a moment, then looked up and said, “Just as I thought — this is a ring with a mysterious power to it. But because it has existed for far too long an age, it can no longer manifest its full ability. Warmhearted brave one, how about handing it over to me? With my reforging, I’m confident I can give it stronger power. Consider it a meager repayment for your rousing my wife and helping me so much.”
“Of course.” Ye Tianxie wore a calm, placid smile, though inwardly he was so thrilled he could have hugged blacksmith old Wang and planted a kiss or two on him… Favorability — this stuff was so damn lovable!
“Thank you for your trust. I’ll need half a day to draw out its power — come back after half a day. I might just have a pleasant surprise for you.” Blacksmith old Wang said with a chuckle.
“All right.”
Leaving the blacksmith shop, Ye Tianxie bought a small heap of reasonably tasty fruit at the general store and ate until his Hunger was down to zero. In the end his conscience even got the better of him, and he set aside one of each kind for Guoguo. Then again — Guoguo hadn’t come back out even once since returning into the Hour of Eternal Fate. She’d most likely, maybe, probably, perhaps overslept.
Ye Tianxie glanced at the time, closed his eyes, and silently intoned, “Log out.”
The world before him spun into a whirl, and when his vision recovered, what he saw was that familiar wall. The time already pointed to 8 in the evening, and having gone a full eight hours without eating, he naturally felt his stomach growling with hunger. He sat up straight, picked up the remote at his side and switched on the TV, then rose to go hunt down something to eat… But the news report on the TV screen suddenly brought his steps to a halt, his brow tightening without his meaning it to.
“…At 7:30 this evening, Prometheus — developer and publisher of the World of Fate and president of the Skyward Group — suddenly died at his own home. The cause of death is unknown and is currently under urgent investigation. Based on Prometheus’s expression before death and a suicide note at his side, confirmed to be in his own handwriting, it has been preliminarily judged a suicide…”
Prometheus… was dead?!
The world’s major media outlets were all reporting this shocking news in exhaustive detail. No one could have imagined that just as the World of Fate had, in less than a day, conquered nearly every human being on Earth, its founder would pass away on this very day… The reports mentioned that every part of his body, inside and out, and every organ, was intact and normal, without any sign of damage, and there was no lethal substance of any kind within his body either — yet Prometheus had bizarrely lost his life. The world’s top doctors tried to restore his heartbeat with the most advanced pacemakers, to no effect whatsoever.
At his side was a suicide note, a long one, its most crucial lines being: “…That online player count, far surpassing any virtual game in history, proves the success of Fate. The greatest wish of my life is at last fulfilled, and I can bring this less-than-brilliant life to a close with a sense of gladness. Though I am no longer in this world, Fate will never fall. Alpha has returned to his homeland, and from a far-off place he will control everything about Fate…”
And the last line of the note was a few large characters written in ink dark red as blood: “Please cherish your own… Fate!”
That final, striking and uncanny line touched off discussion and speculation the world over. Every kind of conjecture spun off from it all but filled the entire internet.
His gaze fixed on Prometheus’s serene expression before death shown on the TV, that faint trace of a smile held no attachment to life, but rather a kind of satisfaction and release. Through Ye Tianxie’s mind echoed those few cryptic lines Prometheus had spoken at that final press conference at noon. He thought for a long while, then said in a low voice, “Prometheus, what was it you wanted to say — yet didn’t dare say outright?”
“Oh la la… what a comfy sleep. Did master miss me…? Huh? What is this place?”
Hearing this clear, familiar voice, Ye Tianxie — always unflappable in the face of danger — looked as though he’d seen a visitor from beyond the heavens. His expression went blank, his whole body stiffened, and he petrified utterly on the spot.
An illusion… an illusion… an illusion!! It had to be an illusion!
But a ball of white light floating up shattered his self-assurance outright.
The white orb rose, climbing until it was level with his line of sight, and then the white light dispersed. A dainty little girl spun elegantly in midair, jet-black hair and snow-white dress fluttering lightly with the motion, an exquisite little face appearing before Ye Tianxie’s dazed eyes.
“Huh? Master, what’s wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that? Did you miss me too much?” Guoguo drifted forward a little, cupped her own face in her hands, and struck a cute, bashful pose. Seeing Ye Tianxie still dazed, she puffed out her cheeks and tentatively poked his forehead with a finger. “Yee-yaa, master…”
The touch on his forehead sent a jolt through Ye Tianxie’s whole body, and his soul finally returned to it. He shook his head hard, his eyes fixed intently on Guoguo, and lightly touched the spot on his forehead she’d just poked… then whipped his head around again… and there before him was still Guoguo, wearing a face full of scrutiny.
An illusion…
Or was it not an illusion…
Then just what in the world was it?! Had the world gone mad?! Why would this little thing appear here… what on earth was going on?!
Ye Tianxie reached out and, amid a startled yelp from Guoguo, cupped her body in both hands. That soft, downy touch in his hands couldn’t be fake; there was no way an illusion this real could exist in the world.
Cupped in his palms, Guoguo carefully shifted her body about, lifted her head, and said, at once nervous and pitiful, “Master… did Guoguo sleep too greedily… and make you angry…”
“Guoguo,” Ye Tianxie stared at her and said gravely, “Answer me one question seriously… Just who are you, and why can you run out of the game world and come here?!”
“Huh?” Guoguo blinked at him, and only after a good while did she let out an “Ah!” and clap a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide, a great look of alarm surfacing on her face as she murmured in the smallest of voices, “This place… this place… is this another world…? Boo-hoo, I must’ve slept way too much and run out without noticing which world this was — no wonder it smells so strange… boo-hoo, what do I do, what do I do, I shouldn’t have come out this early, boo-hoo… what do I do, what do I do…”
Her pitiful little boo-hooing, seemingly muttered to herself, reached Ye Tianxie’s ears without a single word missed… So she’d wound up here by accident, then…
This little thing…
Ye Tianxie slumped down onto the sofa, the shock in his heart still unable to settle for the longest time. He said helplessly, “Guoguo, since you’re so fond of calling me master, then you ought to listen to me. If you keep hiding everything from me, I might just get very angry.”
“Boo-hoo…” Guoguo shook her head hard. She timidly raised her head, let go of the little hand covering her lips, and looked at him with wide, watery eyes. “I want to eat a lollipop.”
Thud! Ye Tianxie pitched headlong to the floor.
(End of Chapter 25)