Chapter 824 - 184: Ascend as a God, or Become an Adult
"Uncle Beifang, you’re back," said Ji Mu without turning his head.
His attention was still fixed on the game console interface in front of him.
Han Zhan noticed that it was a fighting game with levels.
Although it was strange why there was a little boy playing video games in the room, the whole style seemed a bit out of place with Water Planet.
But he sensibly didn’t say anything.
Jian Beifang also remained silent, standing quietly behind, watching the little boy Ji Mu manipulate the controller.
The character he chose was jumping up and down on the screen, and unsurprisingly crashed into a white bullet and died.
A large "GAME OVER" appeared on the screen, and Ji Mu frustratingly patted his forehead.
"Failed to clear the level again."
"So many years have passed, and your gaming skills are still so bad."
The conversation between Jian Beifang and Ji Mu was relaxed, like old friends who had known each other for years.
In fact, they had indeed known each other for a long time.
"Uncle Beifang, can you play with me for a while this time?"
"After all, you can’t clear the level anyway, right?"
Ji Mu’s words made Jian Beifang purse his lips.
"That’s not necessarily true."
"Last time, I almost succeeded," Jian Beifang paused, "I told you, I’m a gaming expert."
A brief silence.
Ji Mu stood up from the game console, turned around, and Han Zhan got a clear look at his face.
He was a very cute little boy.
He had short black hair, innocent and bright eyes, clean fair skin, and two sweet dimples.
Seeing him made one want to pinch his cheeks.
Han Zhan was scrutinizing him, and he was scrutinizing Han Zhan too.
After a while, Ji Mu spoke again: "It seems you have found new companions."
"Good luck."
Jian Beifang nodded slightly, watching the little boy Ji Mu turn back and sit down again to start a new game while the two silently turned to walk toward the door.
After leaving Ji Mu’s residence, with Han Zhan’s Tier Nine Body Cultivator acute hearing, he faintly heard small sobs coming from inside the house.
He thought of what the Water Planet denizens, previously polluted by the curse, had said to Jian Beifang.
"Lord Ji Mu missed you very much, he had been hoping you would come back."
Clearly hoping for Jian Beifang to return, yet acting so calm upon meeting, what a contradictory kid... Han Zhan shook his head.
"He should really want you to play games with him," after some thought, Han Zhan finally spoke to Jian Beifang.
Jian Beifang’s steps slightly paused.
Then, he continued to take the next step, without turning or stopping.
"I know."
"But I can’t do that."
"Because we have more important things to do, for instance, clearing the Water Planet game."
Jian Beifang’s actions and words sparked Han Zhan’s curiosity about their story even more.
Not letting Han Zhan stay curious for long, Jian Beifang began to describe his experiences from more than a hundred years ago.
"It was an accidental encounter, I was swallowed by a Turtle, relying on my talent ability, I didn’t become its food. Then, I discovered this place, discovered their existence."
"Ji Mu is also a native of Water Planet. I know what you want to ask; he wasn’t affected by the evil curse because he is Water Planet’s first NPC."
Ji Mu was the first NPC in this virtual gamified Water Planet?
Becoming an NPC means being immune to the evil curse’s erosion?
Han Zhan nodded somewhat in realization.
So that’s how it is, which differed a bit from what he had originally guessed.
The denizens of Water Planet, mutated into Fishmen, were no longer affected by the curse because they had all become NPCs.
Therefore, to resist the evil curse’s erosion, the little boy Ji Mu gamified the entire Water Planet.
In doing so, the evil curse also became "a numeric value" within the rules.
Transforming something uncontrollable into something controllable.
Without Ji Mu, it’s hard to imagine what Water Planet would look like now.
"So, he designed Water Planet into a large-scale naval battle game, and the mainline objective is to resolve the evil curse in the Central Sea Area?"
Han Zhan, quick on the uptake amid Jian Beifang’s description, soon deduced the mainline of the Water Planet’s virtual game world.
"That’s right, after transforming Water Planet into a game world, another advantage is that it can leverage its trait to attract more adventurers from other Star Domains."
"Gathering the wisdom of various genius and powerful figures across the cosmos, surely it can resolve Water Planet’s evil curse problem."
This was the original idea.
The plan had no major issues; the only problem was underestimating the word greed.
"In the original game mainline, there are four Sea Legends: East, South, West, and North, each corresponding to East King, West King, South King, and North King."
"Once the four Kings are assembled, the final dungeon can be unlocked to challenge the root of the evil curse."
"Solving the evil curse can help Ji Mu complete his obsession and beat the entire Water Planet game. But..."
But, unsurprisingly, there was still an unexpected turn.
"When I teamed up with the other three Kings and laid out the plan entirely, they agreed on the surface but secretly plotted my assassination."
This assassination was known as the Battle of the Four Kings a hundred years ago.
The outcome of the Battle of the Four Kings can be seen from Jian Beifang’s current situation.
The reason the three other Kings backstabbed Jian Beifang was because...
"They didn’t want the game to be cleared."
"Clearing the game means an end, perhaps granting a final reward, but compared to this final reward."
"They wanted more to ascend, and become new gods through the Water Planet game!"
Offering great rewards brings genius and powerful figures flocking in, but similarly, one must worry about the possibility of having nothing left if it’s seized by others.
Profit is a double-edged sword.
Greed is an inevitable topic.
"And I want to end it all."
This is Jian Beifang’s choice.
Han Zhan didn’t ask Jian Beifang why he made this choice, clearing the game and becoming a deity—how to choose seemed obvious to any clear-minded person.
"But, can one really become a god?"
Han Zhan remembered that Chen Yuan, also a Level 9 Sea Adventurer, once said that on Water Planet one could only level up to Level 99.
Logically, it shouldn’t be possible to become a god.
Facing Han Zhan’s question, Jian Beifang gave his answer:
"In Water Planet, as there’s a mainline, there are also side quests. The mainline is to resolve the evil curse so the entire world can be relieved, as for the side quests."
"And the side quest task unearthed by the three Kings in the Central Sea, I suspect is..."
"To become a god of Water Planet!"
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