In the end, the Yunshang Nation landed safely on the ground.
Even those who weren’t of the Tianjing Clan found themselves swept up in the overwhelming relief and joy of surviving a catastrophe, so much so that when they looked up at the Kirin Insects circling in the sky, they no longer felt the same fear and dread as before.
“Oh, look at them, aren’t they beautiful…” Some people, perhaps not thinking clearly, even began professing their love to those hideous Linchong Species, as if it hadn’t been them fleeing in terror just days ago. Strangely, countless others nodded in agreement, as if this made perfect sense.
Yet, the Kirin Insects paid them no mind at all.
After setting down the last Floating Island, they seemed to receive some signal and, just as they had arrived— aloof and graceful as the wind— departed with the same cold elegance.
Some returned to the mountains and forests, some dove into the layers of rock, some disappeared into the depths of the Mist high in the sky…
In just a moment, not a single soaring silhouette remained to be seen above.
With the shadow of doomsday finally swept away, the radiant morning sun once again shone above the clouds.
Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, a crisp and refreshing breeze wandered freely across the vast land.
Only now did everyone realize what an astonishingly beautiful day it was.
They breathed in deeply, again and again, as if they wished they could embrace every wisp of wind brushing across their foreheads and shower it with kisses.
But soon enough, as the pounding hearts of those who had narrowly escaped death finally began to calm, the crowd snapped out of their excitement and suddenly realized—
“Where’s that Golden Dragon??????!”
Such a massive being, the brilliant sun that had just led and commanded countless Kirin Insects— how could it simply vanish!?
This realization instantly sent the just-relaxed crowd into another frenzy!
“It must have left together with all the Kirin Insects! Did anyone see which direction he flew off to?”
Outside the screen, viewers who had chosen the omniscient perspective laughed loudly, like schoolchildren waving their hands and shouting “I know!” in class, smug and self-satisfied. “Look at them running around like headless chickens! Zai Zai’s Crystal Stone energy has run out, of course he turned back into a kid— bet you didn’t see that coming!”
“White Bro is looking too! This batch of Chasing Dragon Knights isn’t cutting it! I can’t stand Zai Zai being off camera for more than a minute— White Bro, hurry up, ahhh!”
“Come to think of it, so the Dragon Clan really does eat Rare Energy Crystals? Who could afford to raise one now— unless your family literally owns a mine.”
“Thanks for the tip, I just created a Chasing Dragon Clan account, already started mining— my goal is to empty every mine and patch of land in all Wanzu. Anyone want to join me?”
“Wait for me, bro, I’m coming right now!”
“Wait for me +1”
“……”
“+10086”
As a new wave of players— now reading as “Chasing Dragon Knights,” but writing themselves as “Dad Army” and “Mining Experts”— flooded into Wanzu, Beiyuan had already curled himself into a ball, squatting inside a Forging Workshop in the Central Main City.
While everyone outside Yunshang Nation was busy searching farther and farther away, no one imagined that the one they sought was actually right where they’d started— the classic case of missing what’s right under your nose.
Though Yunshang Nation had lost quite a few buildings in the attack by the Linchong, this most important Central Main City had always been well protected by Beiyuan.
So, after commanding the Kirin Insects to retreat, he’d come here at once.
Inside the Central Main City were preserved a great number of precious ancient books, Core Machinery, Rare Energy Crystals……
All of these were the Tianjing Clan’s foundation for rebuilding their homeland, and the last item was also what most interested Beiyuan right now— if they could float an entire nation, the energy stored inside those crystals must be enough to completely fill his belly.
“Hey, where did this little guy come from? You’re not of the Tianjing Clan, are you?” A Tianjing Clan elder hurried by inside the Forging Workshop, catching sight of Beiyuan squatting all alone in the corner beside a smelting furnace, and couldn’t help but stop.
Beiyuan twitched his nose, following the scent to the large pot the old man was carrying, which held several Energy Stones.
He couldn’t help showing a look of longing. “Can those Energy Crystals be traded?”
Don’t be fooled by how cool he looked as a dragon earlier— the energy drain was truly terrifying. He’d nearly crashed mid-flight from exhaustion.
Now, his state was an even more exaggerated demonstration of what it meant to be so hungry you couldn’t move.
Beiyuan resolved that from now on, he’d always stockpile food— one day, he’d be able to toss around Crystal Stones at will like a true big shot. (Arrogant.jpg)
Unfortunately, the little spark of arrogance had barely ignited before it was snuffed out under the elder’s furrowed brows. “Normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but right now the Tianjing Clan needs these crystals to power the engine rooms. There aren’t enough to go around, even within our own clan. Besides—”
The old man scrutinized the boy with a professional and precise gaze, pausing briefly on his eyes before continuing, “These kinds of crystals are usually only needed by Half-Mechanical Lifeforms or Modified Lifeforms. But you don’t look like either.”
“All right…” Beiyuan thought of the Tianjing Clan’s situation and quickly gave up insisting. “Sorry to bother you. I’ll leave after resting a bit.”
Once he regained some strength, he’d eat the last Meteorite Fragment given to him by the Greattail Catfish King. Weapons could wait—filling his stomach was the top priority now.
So Beiyuan continued to squat motionless on the ground.
Seeing this, the elder’s frown deepened. After watching him for a while, he suddenly sighed, took out an Energy Stone from his pot, and handed it to him. “Here, take it.”
Beiyuan blinked and looked up.
“Consider it a celebration for surviving disaster together.” The elder naturally assumed that Beiyuan, like himself, had been hiding out in this Forging Workshop ever since the calamity began— just hadn’t been noticed until now. “Besides, your eyes are truly beautiful…”
As he spoke, the old man glanced out the window, as if recalling the golden dragon that had soared past not long ago.
Only those trapped in this city could truly understand the shock and awe of that moment.
And now, in the golden glow of this child’s eyes, he found himself recalling that magnificent sight, feeling moved.
He placed the Energy Stone in Beiyuan’s hand and hurried away, clearly very busy.
After all, Yunshang Nation was now in desperate need of rebuilding, and every class had a mountain of work to do.
Beiyuan cradled the Energy Stone, watching the old man’s departing figure, and couldn’t help but narrow his golden eyes contentedly, murmuring, “I’ll just take this as payment for helping the Tianjing Clan.”
Unfortunately, the old man had barely been gone half a minute before a man approaching from the front called out, “Yo, isn’t that Old Hawke? Long time no see!”
The man wore a neat, tailored trench coat, tall boots, and had a short/gun at his waist. With the brown felt hat on his head, he looked just like the “Cowboys” described in ancient texts.
In fact, as Beiyuan, who had seen him together with the old man, knew, this NPC’s entire design and inspiration came from just that.
As mentioned before, today’s Wanzu was already nothing like what Beiyuan had known in his previous life. Existence like Yunshang Nation and the Tianjing Clan hadn’t even existed back then.
Yet just as Beiyuan had almost come to regard “Wanzu” as a completely foreign world, this incredibly familiar man appeared—
“Sinsid!” Old Hawke shouted, looking nothing like his previous calm and kindly self, almost jumping up. “You dare show your face in Yunshang Nation!”
Sinsid scratched the back of his head sheepishly, pulled out a cigarette, then— seeing the old man’s glare— coughed and put it away. “Don’t get mad, old folks shouldn’t lose their temper— it’s bad for your health.”
Old Hawke snorted, “Since you’re here, I’ll assume you’ve come to pay off what you owe for the last time we fixed your weapon. Where’s the money?”
Sinsid pressed down his hat brim. “…I’m a bit short these days.”
Wanzu’s modeling never disappoints. Even though his words betrayed his embarrassment, the man’s handsome features and every gesture exuded a mature, masculine charisma and wild, mysterious allure.
Too bad his opponent was a debt collector who’d seen it all and was in a foul mood.
“I knew it.” The old man took a deep breath and waved his hand impatiently. “You’ve seen the state of Yunshang Nation. I don’t want to waste time here with you. You can go.”
Sinsid grimaced helplessly. “Yeah, I saw. Got quite a scare stepping out of the teleportation array—looks like things are rough here too. If you need help, you could hire me—no charge, just to pay off my debt. How’s that? …All right, all right, I know you don’t want to. Just a suggestion. Actually, the real reason I came to find you is—”
Beiyuan watched as Sinsid kept trying to persuade Old Hawke to help him repair his weapon.
Compared with the impression from his memories, the man before him gradually shed the thin, screen-bound image of the past, becoming more vivid and real.
So, as he rested and recovered, Beiyuan watched with interest.
—Sinsid, the leader of the cowboys on the Western Corridor Plains map, was one of the earliest and most iconic NPCs of Wanzu. “Earliest” here meant all the way back to the first generation— he’d been part of Wanzu since the very beginning.
Any first-generation player like Beiyuan, who’d ever fought Spider Monsters on the Western Corridor Plains, would know him. After achieving the “Slay 1,000 Spider Monsters” achievement, Sinsid would even throw his arm around your shoulder, call you “brother,” and take you for a night of wild revelry at the Underground Bar.
Beiyuan had once stayed up late grinding just to collect all the achievements.
To see an NPC he’d once known so well appear before him in the flesh was a strange feeling— yet it made the world feel all the more real.
As if, even when you weren’t there, the world kept turning. Even if you turned off the screen, the NPCs on the other side would continue living their lives. Time kept moving forward, whether you noticed or not.
Sure enough, Old Hawke refused Sinsid’s request. “Unless you pay— just enough for an Energy Stone, that’ll do.”
Sinsid sighed, “I wonder if there’s such a thing as a second tab here…”
Old Hawke laughed coldly, “We do have a trade-in service. You could always give me your short/gun.”
Sinsid replied, “Silver Star and Lily are my lifeblood— I’d sell myself before I sold them.”
Old Hawke knew Sinsid’s beloved gun was named Silver Star, but, “Who’s Lily?”
Sinsid replied, “The horse I raised.”
Old Hawke: “……”
Old Hawke: “Get lost.”
Sinsid could only protest in vain.
Sinsid had noticed someone watching him from the start, but he was long used to being stared at. Only now did he finally spare a glance— and spotted Beiyuan clutching an Energy Stone.
The man’s eyes lit up instantly.
Though there had always been a screen between them, Beiyuan knew Sinsid well: Trying to make a move on me? Even snatching candy from a kid— shameless.
Before the other could do anything, Beiyuan stuffed the entire Energy Stone into his mouth and swallowed it whole, his golden eyes calmly meeting Sinsid’s gaze as he gulped down the last bite right in front of the cowboy.
Sinsid, who saw it all clearly: “……”
Under the cowboy’s wordless, almost horrified stare, Beiyuan walked over to Old Hawke, tugged his sleeve, and said, “Grandpa, I’d like to ask you to forge a weapon for me.” He took out the Meteorite Fragment. “Would a quarter of this meteorite be enough as payment?”
Old Hawke’s eyes had already lit up the moment he saw the Meteorite Fragment. He immediately tossed Sinsid aside. “Good stuff! This is great stuff!!”
For any blacksmith, nothing is more alluring than the raw material for forging a peerless weapon— it means they could create a masterpiece, a “child” filled with their own effort and hope.
Old Hawke slapped his thigh. “I’ll take the job!”
Sinsid watched this scene with a heavy expression, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Still… this kid was clearly no ordinary person. Old Hawke had better not get burned this time.
He couldn’t help but squat down, meeting Beiyuan’s eyes. “It’s dangerous for kids to play with weapons. Why not be like big brother and raise a horse? It’ll be your best partner one day.”
Old Hawke, not understanding the man’s concern, just scoffed at his narrow-mindedness. “Says who? Heroes are always young. The Tianjing Clan has kids this age going out to train. Having a weapon for self-defense is just right.”
Sinsid could only sigh.
The closer he got to Beiyuan, the more a faint sense of danger crept over him— not strong, but impossible to ignore.
Especially when he’d deliberately met Beiyuan’s gaze just now, all the instincts and intuition he’d honed through countless brushes with death screamed that this was the truly terrifying one.
He quickly looked away the next second.
Only certain races possessed such a tangible sense of oppression. Human appearance… a mimicry, perhaps?
Beiyuan had no idea Sinsid had just tested him. Of course, he knew the man was the type who seemed lazy but was sharp inside.
Still, it had only been a short while since his first transformation into a dragon, and even though he’d tried to restrain it, the innate Dragon Might of the Dragon Clan still lingered about him.
Just as people walking on the ground never think about whether they’re stepping on ants, he couldn’t be sure if anyone would be intimidated by his leaking aura.
But he did notice the way Sinsid looked at his eyes— direct, especially overly intense, eye contact was a challenge to many creatures.
Beiyuan gave the man a meaningful glance, but didn’t think much of it. After all, he only wanted a weapon, nothing else.
Soon, he was deep in discussion with Old Hawke, and they quickly settled on making a sword.
Thus, no one noticed Sinsid silently pressing down his hat, cold sweat beading at his brow: Old Hawke, Old Hawke, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time! …Well, whatever. It’s everyone’s duty to help the weak and young. Hey, you owe me another favor now.