Azure Federation.
Tower City.
General time, morning, seven forty-five.
Polaris took a deep breath and stepped into the sleeping cabin.
He held onto the door frame of the machine, turned his head and looked outside the room, at the dishes on the living room table that had not yet been washed, and sighed.
Today he got up early, excited, just for the launch of the public beta of "Secret Era". After more than two months of waiting, this day finally came.
Polaris lay down in the sleeping cabin, the door slowly closed, and the nutrient solution began to pour in, flooding over his face. The signal from the device was connected, and he gradually fell asleep.
“The doctor said grandma’s disease can be cured, but it requires amputation… I want to replace grandma’s limbs with mechanical prostheses so that she won’t be so sad.
But this requires a lot of money... If possible, you must not borrow money from the consortium. The interest rate is too high and you can't pay it back at all.
This game is my hope. I have so many years of gaming experience, I will definitely be able to make a name for myself in it. Make enough money to cure my grandma's illness, take her out of Iron Tower City, go to a better city in the Federation, and live a good life...!"
Several thoughts flashed through Polaris' mind.
[User "Polaris" requested access...]
[Connecting to the game...]
【Connection successful! 】
【Loading...】
【Loading successful! 】
In the dark vision, the sound of wind began to appear in my ears.
A faint light lit up and turned into a kerosene lamp, hanging above his head, illuminating the small area.
"Hey, I remember there was no such thing during the internal beta test."
He uttered a curious "eh?"
In the dim light of the kerosene lamp, there stood a retro full-length mirror in front of him.
Polaris walked over and looked in the mirror.
In the mirror, there is an ordinary man with short black hair and ordinary features, except for a firm look in his eyes.
He was wearing trousers and a high-necked white shirt, a pair of mechanical gloves on his hands, and a musket slung at his waist.
[Do you want to read the internal test archive "Polaris"? ]
"yes."
Polaris confirmed.
The next second, he felt that he had shape and touch.
I lowered my head to check and found that my body inherited the image in the mirror, which was the male character during the internal test.
Polaris continued walking forward and found that the full-length mirror next to him was like a collapsed sand sculpture, turning into fine sand and disappearing into the darkness.
The kerosene lamp above his head went out, and another one lit up again in front of him, as if guiding him in the direction he was going.
The North Star followed the light and kept moving forward.
Soon, a strong light covered his vision, and all he saw was white.
boom!
There was a sudden shock in my mind.
Soon Polaris found that his vision had returned to normal.
But it appeared high in the sky, overlooking the ground below.
All around were misty white clouds, and a sacred and solemn column of light shining from the sky and penetrating the clouds.
Below is a group of tall and magnificent buildings, which seems to be a city.
"This is……"
He was so surprised that he opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
"Yes... This is Trisur, the home of the sun, the center of the continent that is directly illuminated by the sun..."
The voice of a saintly young woman rang in Polaris's mind.
She spoke without emotion, as if she was talking to herself or narrating.
“…This is a place favored by the gods, a place bestowed by God.”
After the female voice finished speaking, Polaris seemed to vaguely see a young woman kneeling on the ground in a golden palace, murmuring.
Without any introduction, he somehow learned the identity and name of the young woman——
Annatrixul, the Princess of the Sun.
The misty clouds in front of the North Star began to surge.
Whoosh...!
The clouds lifted again, revealing a scene of other cities, towns and villages. Each region was different and full of diversity.
Then, the scene stopped at a tall and solemn church. On the top of the building, which was as tall as a spire, there were angels holding fruit baskets on the outer wall, surrounding the goddess in the middle.
The fruit basket is full of ripe, sweet red apples.
"This is the Red Apple Church..."
Polaris said secretly.
A series of comments slowly floated across the screen.
"So cool! These buildings can only be seen in games!" "Red Apple Church!" "The Seven Orthodox Churches are just the face of the show..." "The crappy church destroyed by that Jack!" "What Jack?!"
Seeing the surging barrage of comments, Polaris realized that the images before his eyes were the game's opening CG and the official trailer.
"Mysterious realm, touching the extraordinary... climbing the sequence, the road to becoming a god..."
That holy female voice is still whispering.
The scene changes to a luxurious yet feminine room.
A green-haired man, shirtless and wearing only a pair of linen trousers, walked to the bookshelf and took out a large book. An excited smile appeared on his face.
Behind him, half of a woman's body could be seen on the big bed, and she seemed to be asleep.
Barrages of comments flashed across——
"Gan Ziwen! My idol!" "Who is this ugly guy?" "Protect our lost general!" "One of the two extraordinary people in the internal test?" "Madam, you don't want your husband to be laughed at for being too short, right?" "Got it! I'll get promoted soon!"
Polaris showed a surprised expression. He didn't expect that there would be a beta test player in the opening CG.
The scene changed again and came to a bakery.
A young girl with orange pigtails and a white apron is kneading dough. Next to her are a pile of scrolls and a stack of books.
At the other end of the desk sat an unkempt middle-aged man, smoking a pipe, squinting at the girl and muttering something.
A look of delight appeared on the girl's face.
The barrage popped up again like a gusher——
"Let me answer first! This is Honey Fool!" "I love you, little fool!" "So she found it by chance in the bakery?" " What kind of luck is this!" "Shi Zhiming and Chu Xi are two big names!"
Polaris looked at this scene and took a deep breath.
He secretly told himself that he would be able to become a transcendent like them soon and reach the forefront of the player echelon.
Because Polaris believed in his bet, the encounter during the internal test, the mysterious and powerful NPC, Mr. Jack.
He firmly believed that the final reward would definitely be greater than that of other beta test players...
As for Su Keying releasing Jack's video, he didn't say much. This was Su Keying's choice... It was just for fame and money, maybe a little bit of showing off, and a little desire to share?
Polaris didn't blame her.
Because Su Keying gave him money.
when!
A dull bell sound began to echo.
"A mysterious era, an extraordinary world... sins never cease, struggles never cease..."
The holy female voice continued to speak in the melodious yet sad rhythm of the violin.
The scene turned into fighting and bloodshed.
There are ordinary murder scenes, battles between humans and ferocious beasts, and even fights between extraordinary people...
Bloody and gorgeous.
The next second, Polaris' eyes widened.
Because he actually saw himself.
To be precise, it was himself, Su Keying and the other centaurs who watched the battle between Jack and Bishop Newman during the internal test.
In the inner courtyard of the church, the young man with black wings on his back and holding a silver sword was fighting with the red-robed bishop who had transformed into a huge beast.
The swords and claws collided with each other, sparks flew, and it was very intense.
This was exactly what he expected, the battle scene really looked like the trailer scene!
"What a handsome guy!" "Mr. Jack looks great! He's in every CG!" "Who on earth is this Jack you're talking about?" "Can you please stop telling riddles?" "All kinds of people show up in the trailer!" "As we all know, the boss won't show up easily!" "At a glance, it's identified as a small monster in the Novice Village!"
Polaris watched these comments silently.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little unhappy.
Calling up the control panel, he typed a line of text with a blank expression and joined the barrage:
"The howling of an ignorant loser!"
He exhaled and shook his head.
Logically speaking, this is not his character. In the past, he would just laugh it off when he saw this kind of comments, but this time he couldn't help it.
I can only say that the man is indeed very charming...
It made him unable to help but maintain it.
"After all, I am also a part of 'Jack Manor'!"
Polaris told himself so.
He remembered the task completion notification he received before the internal test ended, and he couldn't help but feel excited... The token of official membership should be temporarily stored in the panel mailbox, right? He would receive it after entering the game.
At this time, the female voice chanted again:
"The spiritual world is in turmoil, and the real world will be destroyed in an instant."
The picture perspective is hazy and unreal, and everything seems to be covered by a transparent curtain, distorting and shaking... The sky in the distance is dark, and slowly crawling towards the camera.
A tall figure stood at the horizon, blocking the pace of darkness alone.
Countless sharp swords grew out of His back, stacked up to form a pair of iron wings. Holding a bright red two-handed sword gleaming with golden light, He walked towards the darkness ahead without looking back.
With a loud bang, the light was blinding and obscured everything.
"The scarlet fruit revives, and the shadow of doom is coming."
There is a huge palace engraved with a golden sun logo. A figure whose face cannot be seen clearly sits on a high seat. Countless people are gathered below, and forces from all sides have gathered together.
A handsome red-haired man stood in the crowd, wearing a crimson robe and smiling.
"The times destined the birth of heroes, but also hinted at the emergence of sinners... Where will history ultimately go, and how will the fate of the world be written... No one knows, and no one can predict."
The holy female voice began to show emotion, and she said with a slight tremor:
"If you follow the destiny of the world's great men, saints, angels, or people with endless potential, you can also gain boundless luck, obtain powerful strength, and prevent the end of this world."
On the highest seat in the Golden Palace, the man whose face could not be seen clearly was looking down.
"André Trisoul, the Sun King."
In the hall filled with rose petals, at the dim dining table, sat a man in black.
"The Rose King, Mansfield."
In the wind and snow, at the highest point of the icy city wall, on a throne carved out of ice crystals, a lady wearing a tulle and a silver-white robe was gazing into the distance.
"King Shuoli, Priscilla."
In the deepest part of the grassland, at the top of a tower that reached the sky, there was an ordinary chair, on which an old man wearing a crown was leaning crookedly.
"King Byron, William Lev."
In the lost palace deep under the sea, the desolate and dilapidated throne was empty. There was only a figure crawling in front of the throne, motionless.
"The Seeker of Belle, Peter Garcia."
Polaris looked at the characters flashing by in the CGs, and couldn't help but feel excited. Just like what was said in the comments, these people must be important figures in the game and very important.
Then, the holy female voice continued to explain a series of seven or eight people, who seemed to be high-ranking officials of various churches.
The picture flashed.
A man wearing a flat black hat, a black suit, a black and brown glove on each hand, and holding a silver cane.
He faced the camera sideways, looking down in thought.
"The man guided by destiny, Jack Speight."
As the female voice spoke, Polaris' eyes widened and he muttered:
"The bet was right! The bet was right... It really is true. The man guided by destiny, Jack is really extraordinary!"
"Go, warriors from other lands, to the land where the sun shines--
Experience the customs, advance to the extraordinary, explore the mysteries, and save the world..."
The female voice finally said.
boom!
All the images turned into nothingness, shattered, and dissipated.
A gust of wind swept over, and Polaris couldn't help but squint his eyes.
He suddenly felt himself back in darkness.
[Current time, Azure Federation Standard Time, 07:57...]
[The countdown to the 1.0 public beta of "Mysterious Era" is 00:02:35...]
Time was ticking, and Polaris looked at the countdown reminder of the queue, feeling a little annoyed.
This feels very torturous.
Although it was only two minutes, when I stared at it, it felt like a year.
Soon, the time finally came to eight o'clock.
This overlaps perfectly with the time in the game.
boom!
Polaris noticed that the darkness around him suddenly shattered like glass, as if revealing something underneath…
Tap tap tap…
jingle……
call……
The sounds of carriages, bells, and wind, along with the rustling of newspapers or the sound of falling leaves, reached the ears of the North Star.
Light appeared all around, the temperature began to rise, and a strange smell came, which seemed to be candy, or some kind of paint, somewhat complicated.
Polaris was very familiar with the smell. He knew it was the unique smell coming from a candy store near Jack's Manor.
He regained consciousness and found himself in an alley.
"Huh...Finally, I'm back."
Polaris exhaled and walked out of the alley.
"It's a bit strange though... I remember we went offline at the manor house, so why are we online here?"
Looking at the pedestrians and carriages on the street, he shook his head, stopped worrying, and a smile appeared on his face.
After checking his panel, he indeed saw that the remaining mission rewards had not yet been claimed.
After confirming and receiving it, he found a silver ring on his palm.
【Token - Silver Snake Ring】
Item description: A ring forged from a mixture of silver and other metals. It looks like a silver snake with its tail bent, its eyes inlaid with emeralds, and the letter "J" carved on the snake's head, which seems to represent some meaning.
This is a token of official membership of the supernatural force "Circus". Holding it will allow one to carry out daily activities at the circus, accept related commissions and tasks, and can also be exchanged to purchase limited edition specialty items.
"'Circus'? Why not 'Jack Manor'...?"
Polaris' heart skipped a beat.
"Could it be that Jack's forces have been destroyed by the authorities? Was it the shelter and the church that did it...?!"
He was shocked by his own guess.
He quickly opened the address book and was about to send text messages to Su Keying and Ma Ren, but he saw that Ma Ren had sent him a message first.
"——Brother Polaris, have you received the 'Silver Snake Ring' token? How about we meet at Jack Manor first and talk about it after we meet?"
Polaris replied:
"——Okay, we'll talk about it later."
After sending the text message, he left the place and headed straight towards Jack's manor.
…
…
…
When Polaris arrived at the gate of Jack's Manor, he saw from afar that the centaur and Su Keying were already waiting there.
"Why are there only two of you, Dog-Headed Gold and Forgotten Wuji?"
Polaris asked.
"I don't know. I sent messages to both of them, but no reply yet..."
The centaur shook his head.
"Well, in that case, let's go into the manor and see what's going on... By the way, haven't you noticed that the faction we're in has changed from 'Jack Manor' to 'Circus'?"
Polaris leaned over and whispered to both of them.
Ma Ren and Su Keying immediately showed strange expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong……?"
Polaris looked confused.
The centaur pointed at the two servants standing at the door and whispered:
"You'll know if you try it."
“Try…?”
Polaris glanced at the two servants, who were standing on either side of the door with expressionless faces.
Then he walked straight over and prepared to enter the manor.
Swish!
The two servants acting as gatekeepers immediately raised their hands to block his way.
"Please leave."
A servant said coldly.
Polaris was startled, this wasn't the case in the manor before.
He quietly threw a probe at the two servants and was immediately startled.
"——Level 20 orange dangerous NPCs, and these are just two servants guarding the door? When I looked at their panels, they were all just a series of horizontal bars, and the only thing I could see was 'Killer LV10 (MAX)' on their secondary occupation!"
Polaris sent a short message in the chat room.
He could clearly feel the murderous intent of these two people. It seemed that if he did something a little bit out of line, he would be attacked by the other party and killed on the spot.
"——Brother, I asked you to show your token, not to kill yourself! (wiping sweat expression)"
The horseman sent a short message.
Polaris was stunned.
"——Polaris, didn't you notice that they are peripheral members of the 'circus'? We are 'formal members', so our status should be higher than theirs. Don't worry... This may be a new development for Jack during our offline period."
Su Keying sent a text message.
After reading it, Polaris had a clear idea in his mind, so in front of the two gatekeepers, he took out the silver snake ring and put it on his finger.
It flashed in front of them, attracting their attention.
“I’m a full member.”
The two gatekeeping servants looked at each other, confirmed Polaris's identity, and spoke.
Then, one of them took out a letter and handed it to .
"This is a letter left for you by the head of the group, Mr. Jack."
"letter?"
Polaris took it and looked confused.
He opened the letter on the spot and began to read it.
Soon, a look of shock appeared on Polaris's face.