Chapter 12
Pei Sen followed Eagle back to the Golden Rose Manor; of course, the mentioned errand to fetch something was ultimately not carried out. He didn’t bring it up, and neither did Eagle.
In truth, Pei Sen felt that this brat was exceptionally perceptive, much like when he had instantly detected Pei Sen’s lie back then. Whether or not such an item existed might have originally been of great concern to Eagle, who worried deeply about being deceived; yet after Pei Sen took that blow for him, it no longer weighed so heavily on his mind.
The brat’s temperament was as changeable as the weather; even though generosity and forgiveness were utterly foreign to his nature, Pei Sen had, after all, provided him considerable comfort through today’s events.
In Eagle’s eyes, many around him had betrayed him, yet Pei Sen, his personal butler who had not been by his side for long, at least did not disappoint him in this matter.
The player’s recovery speed differs from that of ordinary people; by the time they returned to the manor, Pei Sen’s injuries had already healed by about half. He explained this as a characteristic of the Bix race, and Eagle asked no further questions.
Thus, “self-destructing” does have its advantages; otherwise, many things would be impossible to explain.
After Artwell returned and cast a healing spell on him, Pei Sen quickly recovered. Not only that, but he also eagerly made his way to the young master’s side.
To uncover the truth behind the matter, one must be exceptionally attentive.
Eagle glanced at Pei Sen, who appeared unusually docile, and did not dismiss him. Shortly afterward, a man named Sardin arrived accompanied by Lady Mary. Upon seeing Pei Sen present, Sardin seemed somewhat surprised; however, since Eagle had not ordered him to leave, Sardin said nothing.
After only a few exchanged words, Pei Sen deduced Sardin’s identity.
He was the chief steward of the Golden Rose Manor.
Satin Brisk, born of a fallen noble family and an eighth-rank Great Swordsman, held the most power within the Golden Rose Manor after Eagle. Although Kesso also served as a steward, he was merely the deputy; judging by Lady Mary’s attitude, it was clear that Deputy Steward Kesso was not well-liked.
The handsome yet weathered head steward looked at the petulant Eagle with apparent helplessness. “Regardless, you cannot go to the Royal Capital right now.”
“So, I’m supposed to stay in this remote, desolate countryside until I die?” Eagle’s voice was low, but his words were sharp.
Lady Mary quickly came out to soothe him, “Young Master, for now, you just need to endure a little longer—”
“Endure?” Eagle slammed the cup on the table. “I’ve endured long enough! Now he wants my life!”
Sardin pondered for a moment. “Actually, I believe these assassination attempts are not ordered by His Majesty Lether.”
Pei Sen, standing nearby, was shocked. Wait, wait—His Majesty Lether?
As a player, Pei Sen actually knew little about the situation in the capital, which lay thousands of miles away. Although players had been active for several years, and some enthusiastic explorers had ventured far, very few had ever encountered high-ranking nobles.
In roughly two years, the Kingdom of Asmia would descend into chaos.
Eagle, however, refused to believe it. “I know he wants me dead!”
“But he’s even more worried about displeasing His Grace the Grand Duke,” Sardin sighed.
Eagle’s expression remained gloomy. “I don’t care, I’m returning to the capital.”
Lady Mary also tried to persuade him, “Young master—”
But Eagle turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge anyone.
With no other choice, Sardin and Mary could only withdraw for now.
Pei Sen stayed cautiously in the room, feeling as though a storm was gathering all around Eagle. He moved with extra care, not wanting to provoke him at such a moment.
“Pei Sen.”
“Young Master?”
Eagle looked at him, his emerald eyes reflecting Pei Sen’s image. “Do you also think I should endure? I’ve endured too long already in this desolate countryside…” Though still very young, his voice held no trace of irritability, only exhaustion.
“Does Young Master feel that your territory is too backward now?”
“Isn’t it?” Eagle said coldly. “Have you ever seen the prosperous royal capital?”
“No.” Indeed, he hadn’t. By the time his main character rose to power, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Asmia had already been engulfed in war, its former glory lost forever.
“I came to this frontier because I was exiled.”
Eagle’s territory now includes three small towns and the Starfall Plain, which can practically be called wilderness; indeed, it is exceedingly barren.
Aside from its vast size, it is virtually useless, especially since those three city lords do not seem very obedient.
Pei Sen’s heart skipped a beat. “Since Young Master dislikes his own territory, but you are the lord, we can reshape it into something you’ll love.”
Eagle let out a scornful laugh, about to retort, when he suddenly stopped and glanced thoughtfully at Pei Sen. “True enough; I am, after all, the lord here.” His tone turned vicious. “Sartin won’t easily let me return to the capital. I know he was sent by Burk Anger to keep tabs on me. In that case, I’ll utterly destroy this territory!” He looked at Pei Sen. “You’re quite clever, Pei Sen.”
Pei Sen: “…”
That’s not what I meant, Young Master!
Pei Sen felt a pang in his stomach, as if stabbed anew. “Young Master, may I retire a bit early today?” After all, he had been injured, even if he had already recovered.
Eagle’s mood had shifted from gloomy to cheerful; he waved his hand generously. “Go ahead.”
Pei Sen felt as though he’d been granted a reprieve, only to hear Eagle’s cheerful voice call out from behind, “Come back tomorrow so we can discuss how to destroy my territory.”
Pei Sen: “…”
In truth, Pei Sen had meant nothing of the sort. What he was actually thinking was that although only two hundred players were participating in this closed beta, the next batch would number two thousand! That’s right—soon there would be over two thousand players available to “utilize.” This represented a tremendous force. If he could manage to issue some quests, perhaps he could even help develop Eagle’s territory?
Bix Cube was an incredibly free-form game. If Eagle truly gave his consent, then as a lord, his wishes conveyed to the players could very well evolve into a main storyline quest for all of them.
This was a new attempt Pei Sen wanted to make.
However, Eagle clearly wouldn’t cooperate so easily.
As Pei Sen pondered how to coax the young master into doing what he wanted, he turned the corridor and unexpectedly discovered that Steward Sardin and Lady Mary hadn’t gone far; they were standing right there talking, which surprised him somewhat.
He hesitated for a moment, as deep down he didn’t wish to disturb the two of them.
“You must be Pei Sen.” Sardin had already spotted him; after waving for Mary to leave first, he clearly had something to say to Pei Sen.
Pei Sen had no choice but to approach the Grand Steward. “Yes, Lord Sardin.”
Sardin examined him carefully. “You possess magical talent? How else could you have mastered several spells in such a short time?”
Pei Sen replied calmly, “Though my innate aptitude is poor, the Bix race has always been gifted when it comes to learning.”
Sardin smiled. “You haven’t been in the manor for long, have you? Are you perhaps somewhat puzzled about the young master’s status?”
Pei Sen looked at him, unsure what this head steward truly meant. He would have liked to claim he had no doubts whatsoever.
“Yes.”
Of course he had doubts; this involved kings and grand dukes, after all!
“Fifteen years ago, His Majesty Lether was merely a prince, and Grand Duke Burkan Ang was only a count at that time. However, His Majesty Lether had harbored an almost obsessive affection for the Grand Duke since very early on. Prince Latimer, who sought to scheme against His Majesty Lether back then, set a trap that led Grand Duke Burkan Ang and Princess Carolina, His Majesty Lether’s younger sister, to… become intimate. Soon afterward, Princess Carolina became pregnant. When the then-reigning King Olinton learned of this, he arranged for Princess Carolina to be married to the Grand Duke.”
Pei Sen’s brow twitched. “Young Master Eagle is—”
“Yes, Young Master Eagle is the only son of His Grace the Grand Duke and Princess Carolina. Shortly after Young Master Eagle’s birth, His Majesty Orinton passed away. When His Majesty Lasser ascended the throne, he forcibly compelled the Grand Duke and Princess Carolina to divorce, arranging for the princess to be married off to the distant kingdom of Bonfris.”
Pei Sen figured that whatever scheme had brought the young master’s parents together likely involved an accidental encounter—perhaps drugging? They were just putting it more euphemistically.
Still, amidst the whole affair, he couldn’t help but think the princess was truly unfortunate.
“Even though the princess was married off to a distant land, His Grace the Grand Duke is still the young master’s father.” Abandoning his own son in the countryside for years hardly makes him a good father, does it?
Satin, however, remarked indifferently, “That is true. Yet His Grace the Grand Duke harbored no affection for the princess and had never intended to become a father so soon. Nevertheless, since the young master is his only son, he would never abandon him. The young master, being too young, fails to understand His Grace’s intention in granting him this remote territory as his fiefdom. Only by staying far away from the royal capital can the young master remain truly safe.”
“What exactly do you mean, Chief Steward?”
“I know the young master treats you well. If you can persuade him to abandon any thoughts of returning to the royal capital, I might assist you in cultivating stronger magic,” Satin said meaningfully. “Think it over carefully, Pei Sen.”
Pei Sen stood in the dim corridor, watching Sardin slowly walk away.
He felt like scoffing aloud. The only son? Sending his son off to a remote countryside was clearly to avoid offending that king, and also to pave his own path to promotion.
After all, rising from a count to a grand duke was no easy feat.
But wait, His Majesty Lether? Grand Duke Burkanger? Uh, those are both men, right…
Oh well, even in the modern world, sexual orientation isn’t a major issue; in this chaotic fantasy realm, it matters even less.
Returning to his room, Pei Sen lay down on the bed, pondering over Eagle’s matters as he opened the forum.
“Whoa, is it really that sensational?”
Someone posted screenshots of the trending topics on the forum; out of the top ten, six spots were all related to Bix Cube, which seems a bit too exaggerated.
Could it be that the game developers have started their promotional campaign?
However, upon clicking in, he discovered players were all complaining about this bizarre game company; it turned out there was indeed absolutely no promotion, and all this buzz was generated entirely by these armchair gamers.
Only two hundred players truly entered the closed beta, yet the forum’s热度 was terrifyingly high. The vast majority could indeed be called “cloud gamers,” fervently discussing screenshots and short videos posted by those two hundred beta testers. Initially, some skeptical voices claimed this was merely a marketing stunt using pre-produced videos and fabricated screenshots. However, after several players with prominent real-world identities voiced their support on Weibo, even the doubts vanished completely.
Among the first batch of two hundred beta accounts, some were sold due to exorbitant offers from the wealthy, as not everyone could resist the temptation. Consequently, this group of players included quite a few rich individuals: a popular celebrity with a massive fanbase, a third-generation heir from an immensely wealthy family, and several Weibo influencers with extremely deep pockets. This likely contributed significantly to the sensational impact seen on the trending searches.
Speaking of marketing, some people would be nearly impossible to hire, especially considering that posts related to the game also appeared in the social circles of several influential figures.
What’s real is real; if this were a fabricated marketing campaign, it could never have reached such a level.
In his previous life, Pei Sen hadn’t entered the game right from the start, so he was unaware that it had already created such a sensational impact from the very beginning.
“First two hundred, then two thousand; by the third closed beta, I recall there will be around ten thousand players,” Pei Sen murmured. After that would come the large-scale open beta, where anyone willing could enter this world.
But now, Pei Sen knew clearly that this was a real world, not merely a game realm constructed by humans as he had originally believed.
Players would completely transform an entire world.