In less than a day, the village chief of Novice Village No. 60001 had already developed a deep trust in Ye Tianxie. This was undoubtedly an excellent start for his time in the novice village. After bidding farewell to the village chief, Ye Tianxie entered Blacksmith Old Wang’s smithy.
"Hello, Uncle Blacksmith. Here are 500 wolf fangs, which should last you for quite some time," Ye Tianxie said with a smile, placing all the wolf fangs he had gathered in front of Blacksmith Old Wang. The blacksmith paused his hammering and let out a gasp of admiration. "Brave warrior from another world, you have once again amazed me with your courage and dedication. Such high-quality forging materials… I truly don't know how to express my gratitude."
Ding… You have successfully completed the quest 'Blacksmith Old Wang’s Commission.' You received 1,200 EXP and a level 5 Apprentice Assassin Greaves. Due to exceeding the requirements of Old Wang’s commission, his favorability towards you has increased by 15 points.
Ding… Blacksmith Old Wang’s impression of you has risen to the level of deep trust.
Ye Tianxie had completed the blacksmith’s commission more than ten times over. Although the material rewards remained unchanged, the 15-point favorability boost was enough to make him very satisfied.
Just as he was about to leave, Old Wang’s voice suddenly called out from behind. "Kind-hearted warrior, may I take a look at the ring on your hand? I can sense a mysterious power flowing from it."
Ye Tianxie quickly turned around and took off the Ancient Ring of Life, placing it in front of the blacksmith. Old Wang picked up the ring, examining it carefully for a while before looking up and saying, "As I suspected, this is a ring imbued with a mysterious power. However, due to its extreme age, it can no longer fully display its abilities. Brave warrior, would you be willing to entrust it to me? With my skills, I am confident that I can reforge it to unleash even greater strength. Consider this my humble way of repaying you for awakening my wife and helping me so much."
"Of course," Ye Tianxie replied with a calm smile, but deep inside, he was so excited that he could have hugged and kissed the old blacksmith… Favorability points—what a truly wonderful thing!
"Thank you for your trust. I will need half a day to unlock its power. Come back then, and perhaps you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise," Old Wang said with a hearty laugh.
"Alright."
Leaving the smithy, Ye Tianxie bought a small pile of decent-tasting fruits from the general store, eating until his hunger level returned to zero. In a rare moment of conscience, he even set aside one of each fruit for Guo Guo. Speaking of which, ever since she returned to Eternal Moment, she hadn’t come out again—probably, maybe, possibly, she had overslept.
Ye Tianxie glanced at the time and closed his eyes, silently thinking: Log out.
The world around him spun wildly, and when his vision stabilized, he was greeted by the familiar sight of his bedroom wall. The clock showed 8:00 PM. Having gone eight hours without food, he naturally felt famished. He sat up, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV before heading to look for something to eat…
But the news broadcast on the screen suddenly made him stop in his tracks, his brows instinctively furrowing.
"…At 7:30 this evening, the CEO of Tianwai Group and the creator of Destiny, Pross, was found dead in his home under mysterious circumstances. The cause of death remains unknown, and authorities are currently conducting an urgent investigation. Based on his final expression and the suicide note confirmed to be in his handwriting, preliminary conclusions suggest suicide…"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Pross… is dead!?
The world’s major media outlets were reporting on this shocking news in extreme detail. No one could have anticipated that on the very day Destiny took the world by storm, its creator would perish…
According to reports, there were no visible injuries on Pross’s body, nor any signs of internal damage. No traces of lethal substances were found in his system. And yet, he was inexplicably dead. Even the world’s top doctors attempted to revive him using the most advanced cardiac defibrillators, but to no avail.
Beside his body lay a lengthy suicide note. The most critical lines read:
"…The online player count, surpassing anything in history, proves Destiny’s success. My lifelong dream has finally been fulfilled, and I can now depart this unremarkable life in peace. Though I may no longer be in this world, Destiny will never fall. Alpha has returned to his homeland and will continue to oversee Destiny from afar…"
The final line of the note, written in deep, blood-red ink, read:
"Cherish your… destiny!"
This eerie, striking statement triggered global speculation and debate. The phrase alone spawned countless theories that flooded the internet.
Ye Tianxie’s gaze locked onto the TV screen, focusing on Pross’s serene expression in death. There was no regret—only a sense of fulfillment and relief. His mind replayed Pross’s final words from his midday press conference, which now seemed laden with hidden meanings. After contemplating for a long time, Ye Tianxie murmured, "Pross… what is it that you wanted to say but couldn’t?"
At that moment—
"Oh la la… That was such a good nap. Did Master miss me…? Huh? Where is this place?"
Hearing this clear, familiar voice, Ye Tianxie—who had always been calm and composed—suddenly froze as if struck by lightning, his expression turning to complete shock.
Hallucination… This must be a hallucination…
But a floating ball of white light shattered his self-delusion.
The white light rose, slowly ascending to his eye level. Then, it dispersed, revealing a small girl twirling gracefully in midair. Her jet-black hair and snow-white dress fluttered gently as she spun, her delicate face coming into view.
"Huh? Master, what’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? Did you miss me that much?" Guo Guo pouted, pressing her hands against her cheeks in an adorable, bashful expression. Seeing Ye Tianxie remain motionless, she puffed up her cheeks and hesitantly poked his forehead with her tiny finger. "Eyaa… Master?"
The sensation on his forehead jolted Ye Tianxie back to reality. He shook his head violently, his eyes locked onto Guo Guo. He reached up and touched the spot where she had just poked him—then shook his head again.
She was still there, staring at him curiously.
A hallucination…
Or maybe… not a hallucination…?
What the hell is going on?!
Ye Tianxie suddenly reached out, cupping Guo Guo’s tiny body in his hands. The soft, cotton-like sensation in his palms was unmistakably real—there was no way this was just an illusion.
Guo Guo shifted nervously in his hands, looking up with a pitiful expression. "Master… Are you mad at me for sleeping too much…?"
"Guo Guo," Ye Tianxie stared at her seriously. "Answer me honestly—who exactly are you? And why are you here in the real world?"
"Huh?" Guo Guo blinked, processing his words for a moment before suddenly covering her mouth in shock. Her big eyes widened, her face filled with panic as she mumbled, "T-This… This is another world…? Oh no, oh no, I must’ve overslept too much and didn’t realize where I was going before I ran out! No wonder everything smells so weird… Uuu, what do I do, what do I do? I wasn’t supposed to come out so soon… Uuu, what do I do now…"
Ye Tianxie heard every word of her distressed murmuring loud and clear.
So she came here… by accident!?
This little troublemaker…
Ye Tianxie collapsed onto the sofa, his mind still reeling from shock. With a sigh, he said, "Guo Guo, if you call me Master, then you should listen to me. If you hide things from me, I might get really mad."
"Uuuu…" Guo Guo shook her head vigorously, then timidly looked up at him. She hesitated for a moment before softly whispering, "I want a lollipop."
Thud!
Ye Tianxie fell face-first onto the floor.
