In November, with five days remaining before the players' departure, Felix saw that the players had spontaneously organized a celebration to commemorate all the little moments of version 3.0.
The final winner of the World Championship was Team Ice Rose. With the support of Qiu Muyu's Mechanic class, Ice Rose never fell behind in either team battles or one-on-one duels. They eliminated their powerful rival Team Yanyu Pavilion in the semifinals, then defeated Team Universe in the grand final. Beneath a rain of gold, Team Ice Rose successfully lifted the championship trophy.
As the time of departure drew closer, some players who were on good terms with Felix began approaching him, trying to communicate with him and piece together the plot of the next version from the fragments of information he let slip.
According to player speculation, there were roughly two possible directions for patch 4.0.
One centered on an era of exploration, including discovering ruins, uncovering pre-civilization technologies, and excavating ancient weapons, all still taking place on Terra itself.
The other, far bolder theory claimed that Terra's storyline was already nearing its end, and that the next step might actually be venturing into space.
After all, Terra's technology was advanced. Who knew what kind of starships they might already have developed? And after the war against the demons, when the false sky shattered, Terra had gained a real chance to explore the stars.
Even so, many players who supported this second theory remained skeptical. They argued that it was one thing to load Terra with such a realistic world and so many vivid NPCs, but was the game really large enough to justify an entire space-themed expansion? It seemed unlikely. The game was called Ark, not something like Stars, wasn't it?
In the end, the players got very little information from Felix. The only thing he revealed was that the focus of would be exploration and expansion. That statement lined up perfectly with the first theory, the idea of further exploring Terra, so that interpretation quickly became the dominant one.
Felix watched as the day of the players' departure drew nearer and nearer.
During this time, he was occupied with testing the Hope. By day, he worked with Kristen on Talos-II, and by night, he listened to exploration reports from the outposts. Compared to the past, however, he was not quite as busy as before. He no longer needed to be physically present for everything, though the number of documents requiring his approval had increased dramatically.
This really was starting to feel like living as the Emperor of Yan. Felix did not hold court sessions, but he did have to review a mountain of "memorials."
Before the players left this world, a group of legion players, including Kumori, Yanfei, and Yang Yan XF, came to bid farewell to Felix. Their excuse was the same as in the previous two versions: as adventurers, they needed to return home for a while, and they hoped Felix would understand.
Felix naturally approved their leave, smiling as he told them that they would surely meet again soon.
Players such as Kumori chatted with Felix for a while amid laughter, then took their leave and departed.
Three days later, the players vanished from the land of Terra.
Since similar disappearances of adventurers had happened before, the people of Terra did not intervene. Moreover, the players had left at a time when there was no major crisis underway. If the adventurers had suddenly disappeared during the war against the demons, that would truly have been a disaster.
[Version 3.0: The War Has Ended. Version 4.0: The Pioneering Era Is About to Begin.]
[Estimated Maintenance Time: Terra Time — 200 days; Earth Time — 5 days]
Wow…
Time had accelerated again this round.
Two hundred days was almost an entire year. That was more than enough time for Hope to be completed. At the same time, Felix looked at the title of version 4.0.
A new era was dawning, The Pioneering Era.
At least, he hoped so.
At first, everyone on Terra felt a little unaccustomed to the disappearance of the players, because now adventurers had long since become powerful figures with real work and real responsibilities. What the people of Terra did not expect was that the adventurers would be gone for such a long time this time, forcing them to reassign manpower to fill the vacant positions.
Felix continued his daily life. The routine of moving back and forth between Talos-II and Terra did not bore him in the slightest.
Three months after the players left, The Hope, on the Arc Light One construction platform, began her simulated ignition tests. Under the control of the crew, The Hope's enormous hull slowly floated into the air, then made a full circuit around the massive Talos-II.
The surface of the vessel was covered in solar panels and shield systems designed to withstand meteorite impacts. The calculated travel time to Earth was approximately 98 days, 11 hours, and 4 minutes.
After confirming the flight time, Felix brought the leaders of various nations aboard The Hope. They first circled Talos-II's orbital path, then flew to Talos-I and made a complete circuit around the planet.
The experience of truly being in outer space left those leaders pale, but their eyes shone with excitement.
Terra was about to enter the interstellar age.
After that test flight, Kristen began testing The Hope's weapons systems.
It was also at that time that the crew members fortunate enough to be selected for the ship saw The Hope for the first time. They had only been told that they would be taking part in an extremely difficult and highly confidential mission, and all of them had signed strict confidentiality agreements. From the vague hints they had received, they only knew that they seemed to be participating in some kind of space experiment.
But when they laid eyes on the enormous form of The Hope for the first time, they were stunned into silence for a very long time.
These future residents of the new civilization were all healthy, free of fatal disease, and blessed with long life by Terran standards. Some were Infected, some were not. After their identities were verified once more, they boarded the massive spacecraft. Their primary resting place would be the hibernation pods, though each group also had access to four-person dormitories for use while awake.
Even before The Hope officially launched, her future residents had already begun moving in one after another. During the day, they explored the unknown vessel and the facilities on each of her decks. At night, they returned to their dormitories to rest.
After the civilian residents, the scientists boarded The Hope in waves as well. Unlike the residents, some of them were already advanced in age, and the moment they boarded, they chose to enter the hibernation pods and place their bodies into cryogenic sleep. Every extra day spent on Talos-II meant one less day of research they could devote to the new world in the future.
These scientists were treated differently from the ordinary residents. They had private bedrooms, private bathrooms, and specially tailored diets designed to ensure their health. In every sense, they enjoyed far more privileges and protections than ordinary passengers.
Soon, after spending several days adapting to life aboard The Hope, the vast majority of scientists also entered long-term hibernation.
Felix, meanwhile, was still handling Terra's affairs. His plan was to go to Earth first, establish contact there, and then continue exploring the surrounding star systems in search of a planet suitable for colonization somewhere between Earth and Talos. That world would serve as a transfer hub for both sides and as a new starting point for exploring the wider universe.
In his final days before departure, Felix bid farewell to many friends and acquaintances. The journey would last nearly a year. During those last days, he drank and chatted with Wei Yenwu, old Lin, and others; ate ice cream in the holy city of Laterano together with the Pope and several cardinals he knew; and toured Terra with his wives.
Before leaving, Felix guided his harem through a collective evolution of their races. Aside from a few branches whose evolutionary paths he had yet to fully understand, most of the girls advanced far further along the path of life.
Mostima was now Teekaz, with Banshee as her branch, and had gained the talent of incantation.
Lemuen's branch was Djall, and she had grown a pair of beautiful heart-shaped horns.
Lemuel's branch was Vampire, and now she clung to Felix every day, because the pure blood flowing through Felix's body was precisely what Lemuel desired most.
Apart from the Sankta family, Texas evolved into an Arctic Wolf and could now use ice-based Originium Arts. Theresa evolved into a Lich, wielding the powers of banishment and nothingness. Muelsyse's elven race also evolved, and now she could summon an endless supply of pure water. Her body itself had become one with water.
"Your Majesty... if we simply close our eyes and open them again, will we arrive at our new home?"
"Mm."
Theresa looked at Felix with reluctance, her eyes filled with dependence and longing.
Lying inside the hibernation pod, unwilling to let go, she looked as though she had returned to that moment when she had once been gravely wounded and close to death. She held Felix's hand tightly, unwilling to release it.
"I will find a brand-new home for Terra, and Terra will surely enter a new era."
"A pioneering era."
Felix gently kissed Theresa's forehead.
"It's time to sleep. Once I finish the last of my work, The Hope will depart."
"Mm... see you on Earth."
Felix smiled and held her hand for a moment longer, feeling the softness of her fingers. Then, slowly, he let go. The hibernation pod sealed shut, and Theresa smiled as she closed her eyes.
Felix stood, rose, and walked out of Theresa's room. Kal'tsit was waiting for him in the corridor.
"Did you say goodbye to the Doctor and Amiya?"
"Yes. But one day, in this new starry sky, we'll meet again, won't we?"
"Yes. In that case, I'll trouble you to accompany me on the final round of inspections."
The voyage would last less than four months, which meant that a portion of the crew would remain conscious throughout the journey. These were the crew members responsible for maintaining and piloting the ship. Felix would also remain awake. At the system level, his lifespan was already effectively limitless, so a mere ninety-some days meant nothing to him. Likewise, Kal'tsit had no intention of entering hibernation. From the very beginning, she had stated that she wanted to serve as Felix's adjutant during the mission aboard the ship.
"...Unexpectedly, in the end it's you and me setting out on this journey."
"That sounds rather ambiguous," Kal'tsit said, looking out at the star-filled sky.
A tiny shift appeared at the corner of her expression.
"I have seen the brilliance of the stars, and I have also seen their dimness. These are all memories from my AMa-10 era. Priestess wanted to destroy Terra, to cover the entire world in Originium. She succeeded, and yet she also failed. You gave the previous civilization a chance to begin again, and you also gave Terra a new life."
"As for the possibility of the previous civilization returning..." Felix shook his head. "I only hope that someone will remember them. This visual data will be preserved in the archive as the most glorious history, just as the memories of the previous civilization's humans laughing will be preserved. And as for Terra..."
Felix suddenly laughed and extended a hand toward Kal'tsit.
"Thank you, Kal'tsit. Truly, if Terra hadn't had me, it might already have reloaded its save for some bizarre reason."
Kal'tsit glanced at Felix's outstretched hand, then stepped forward and took it.
"Please guide me well."
"Mm."
___
Magic ZX woke from sleep with a long yawn. He had not logged into Ark for three days, and it felt as though his second life had simply stopped. Not seeing "uncle" left him restless and uneasy. He had tried streaming other games over the past few days, but in the end none of them felt interesting… Was this what it meant to have an electronic fix for the soul?
"Hello? Yeah, it's me. Ah, right, I'm heading out now!"
Magic ZX hurriedly grabbed his jacket from the hanger, slipped on his sneakers, and rushed out the door. Since Team Ice Rose had won this year's World Championship, they had invited members of the legion and the professional teams to dinner at City's Square. As part of the strategy team, he had naturally been invited as well.
Sitting on the subway, Magic ZX took out his phone and idly scrolled through the forums. To be honest, the Ark dev team had not released any new PVs lately… Even though they always put out tons of PVs, shouldn't one have come out by now? Were they really planning to hold back something huge until the last possible moment?
The subway arrived at City's Square Station.
Magic ZX got off and quickly spotted two familiar figures in the crowd. He smiled and waved at them. It was Yang Yan XF and Little Wolf. One was wearing a hoodie, the other a pair of headphones. Magic ZX had met them before, so of course he recognized them.
"What are you planning to cover in the next version?"
"No idea. Maybe we should do a special on exploring Terra? I'm telling you, Magic ZX, your Kazimierz content is almost dried up, isn't it?"
"It's fine. Before I logged off, I found out that Młynar would be stationed in Kazdel afterward. Doing a Kazdel series wouldn't be bad."
"Brother… he's completely hopeless."
The three chatted as they walked toward the restaurant. Soon they saw members of the pro teams in their uniforms standing outside. Magic ZX spotted Qiu Muyu in Ice Rose's uniform, her delicate face instantly recognizable, and walked over with a grin. Then he noticed a beautiful black-haired girl beside her and froze, eyes widening.
"Are you Yui?"
"Yeah. You didn't recognize her, did you?" Qiu Muyu laughed and Yui smiled at Magic ZX.
"Hello, I'm Yui, I believe this is the first time we met in real life."
After exchanging greetings Qiu Muyu patted him on the shoulder.
"You guys head inside first. The strategy team is almost all here."
Just as she said that, Yanfei, captain of Team Yanyu Pavilion, arrived with her teammates. Yanyu Pavilion was arguably the team with the largest number of female members, and their appearance immediately drew a lot of attention. Everyone already knew one another, so after some laughter and banter, they all entered the restaurant Ice Rose had reserved.
Magic ZX looked at the sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows and felt that life was really beautiful.
"Yanfei, when exactly are you going to start your plan to pursue Felix?"
"Hmph, don't rush me. Once version 4.0 launches, I'll give Felix a huge surprise. How about a striptease right in front of him? Anyway, Ark has already unlocked Felix's wedding route. If not now, then when am I supposed to make my move?"
"Wow! You've got guts!"
Hearing the female players' somewhat scandalous conversation, Magic ZX chuckled and went out to the balcony. There he ran into Dandao Dantart, whom he had not seen in a very long time.
The three of them laughed and began talking about what they planned to do after version 4.0 launched.
"It's time for Terra Times to add something new. With so many new players joining during 3.0, shouldn't we make a new section?"
"I agree. We need more people on the strategy team, otherwise how are we supposed to gather that much intel?"
Listening to the strategy team's lively discussion, Magic ZX contentedly drank from his sugary beverage.
Then, without warning, the blue sky above changed drastically.
The clear sky suddenly looked as if someone had stirred them into a pot of porridge, turning gray and heavy, as though rain were about to fall. In the next instant, a massive storm eye began to form, as if the sky and earth themselves were about to collapse.
Magic ZX, Dandao Dantart, and Qiu Muyu, who had just come out onto the balcony to discuss version 4.0 content, all stared in stunned disbelief.
Just as they thought a violent storm was about to break, a colossal spaceship descended through the clouds and approached Earth.
People everywhere stared in horror at the scene before them, thinking it was the end of the world, or an alien invasion, or perhaps that they had not slept enough the night before and were still trapped in a dream.
Under the shocked and horrified gaze of the crowd, the spaceship's hatch opened.
A figure stood suspended in midair, surrounded by glowing electronic screens. He wore a gentle smile as he looked down upon the city, one that felt both familiar and strange to him.
Dandao Dantart stared in total disbelief. Qiu Muyu trembled uncontrollably. Inside the restaurant, all the staff, the professional players, and the strategy team members alike were wide-eyed and utterly frozen.
Why was Felix here?
Why were Ark's NPCs here?
Were they dreaming?
Yanfei pinched her thigh hard. She stared at the man in the sky. There was no mistake, absolutely none. That face was perfectly modeled, impossibly handsome.
It was Felix.
But why was he here?
Having known Felix for quite some time, Kumori and Yang Yan XF slowly sank into their chairs, staring blankly upward at the figure in the sky and the colossal spaceship behind him.
On the ship was the emblem of Tomorrow's Development, representing the stars, the future, and the will to explore.
"Fe… Fe, Felix!" Magic ZX screamed, his legs going weak as he collapsed to the ground.
It seemed to him that the young man glanced in their direction, his eyes carrying a trace of amusement.
Then the young man opened his arms and bowed to the world, and to the Earth itself.
"Hello, people of Earth. I'm Felix, a pioneer."