Chapter 10: For This Game To Continue, Forever

  "A classic Tsun Zu's 'Feint to the East, Attack to the West'. From the start, Ignis had been fixated on Estaphalia; his target had never changed."

  "That's right. The only way to launch a raid on Estaphalia was to focus all attention on Asterith. Two weeks of intense fighting had drawn nearly all Estapha players to Asterith. Ignis sacrificed all six of his Mighty Summoners just to clear the way for Drarkarr’s breakthrough. This would be a 1v1 between the Bosses of both factions, and Drarkarr would crush Elenora, who wasn’t skilled in the game’s mechanics."

  Shun stopped speaking. Johnathan was deep in thought. On the screen, multiple battlefield reporters' streams were desperately trying to follow Nyxarion, capturing images in vain. Nyxarion had the fastest flying speed in the game. Reporters with winged mounts and Estapha’s Pegasus Knights couldn’t catch up. The dragon carried the Emperor, disappearing into the horizon, heading straight for Estaphalia, now unprotected.

  "Shun…" – After a moment, Johnathan finally spoke – "I’ve discussed the situation in Valia with many financial, economic, and political analysts. One of them used to be a defense advisor to the President of the United States, so you can imagine the caliber of people I’m dealing with here. Even I, once so confident in my own analytical abilities… it wasn’t until the Esta-doom campaign began that I started to get a faint sense of Ignis Flamma’s plans. Even in our Guild, you were the only one who predicted the attack on Asterith, a full-scale operation."

  "So that’s why he invited me here today," Shun thought.

  "Excuse me, would you mind if I smoke during tea time?" – Johnathan politely asked, pulling out a cigar box – "I know it’s a bit rude, but I need some nicotine whenever I think."

  Shun waved it off, signaling that it was fine. His father often exhaled smoke during tea sessions, and his mother always frowned in disapproval.

  Johnathan opened the cigar box, picked a dark one, and carefully cut the tip with a specialized knife. He flicked open a butane lighter and held it to the edge of the cigar to light it perfectly. Bringing it to his mouth, he took a slow drag, holding the smoke in his mouth before letting the gray haze rise.

  "Shun, don’t you think it’s fascinating to watch how the masses react to a major event? The internet, livestreams, chats… Never before has it been so easy and quick to listen to the hearts of the crowd. Valia is our entire world, yours and mine, and that world is now split in two. One half is jubilant and satisfied, because it sees the game ending, while the other half is full of regret, desperately trying to cling to it."

  Johnathan watched the constantly scrolling chat frames on the screen, a faint look of enjoyment in his eyes. The excitement of Zephrania members eagerly awaiting victory, the helpless anger of Estapha, taunting and self-deprecating remarks. A whirlwind of human emotions seemed to concentrate in a few chat windows.

  In the depths of despair, people sought salvation.

  "Dear God, please don’t let this game end."

  "Dear God!"

  "Dear God!"

  "Dear God!"

  ===

  9:20 AM, North Carolina.

  Bank of America Headquarters.

  "This is worse than the 2008 financial crisis!" Connor Hayes angrily threw his Chinese porcelain teacup into the corner of his office. Outside, the phone kept ringing. His secretary barged into the office for the sixth time that day.

  "Mr. Willis from Wall Street…"

  "Forget it, I’ll call back later!"

  The secretary, drenched in sweat as if she were fighting under Asterith’s walls, dejectedly closed the door. Her phone rang again.

  Connor was about to call her back to ask for another cup of coffee when he stopped. Then he grabbed his head in frustration. His face was turning bright red.

  "Titan Capital, Vanguard Apex, Blackstone Digital… and God knows what other funds were frantically pulling their investments. Just in one morning, the market cap of NFTs dropped by 50%, and it was still plummeting, just like Estapha’s fate."

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  The NFT department had barely celebrated its first anniversary, and Connor had recently been riding high, hoping to step into the role of CEO. "The NFT market will explode alongside Valia. This is a global phenomenon, and we cannot let China surpass us in this field!" he had boldly promised the Chairman.

  There had been doubts raised about the potential 'end of Valia', but Connor and many financial experts had dismissed it as a joke.

  "Do you really think 'he' will let this game end? The game’s market cap alone has surpassed $300 billion and will continue to soar! Only a madman would end a game that’s making billions like this!"

  Twelve months later, Connor’s arrogance had started to waver, sinking deep into the abyss of despair. All attempts to contact 'that person' had failed. The Bank of America could be short of everything, but money. 'How much money do you need?' was a typical opening line to crush even the toughest opponents. As the saying goes, what money can't buy, can be bought with a lot of money.

  In response to Connor’s brash offer, and to the Bank of America’s, there was only a mocking silence.

  "Zephyr Digital Trust has directly canceled the contract. They’re pulling out $500 million now and will finish withdrawing $12 billion today."

  Bang!!!!!

  The secretary jumped at Connor’s desk slam.

  "Damn it!" Connor cursed loudly. "At this rate, the FDI Reserve Bureau would get involved, and they were likely already preparing for it. Some specialists might already be on their way, key in hand, ready to investigate."

  Being investigated for misconduct wasn’t the worst part. That wasn’t as terrifying as dealing with the 'big bosses' in Asia. Connor instinctively glanced at his hands, as if making sure his ten fingers were still intact.

  "I shouldn’t have stuck my nose in those high-stakes bets," Connor gritted his teeth. "I’ve sunk too deep into this pit with a blind belief: Valia cannot end, at least not yet. It was just a silly online game for the idle rich, a bunch of social parasites. Two factions were fighting—so what? Would it get more intense than the Gulf War? If one side wins, does the game end? Is this a children’s tale? Would any real war truly end if it was still generating money? Ask the U.S. government."

  Connor had committed, like a sure bet, that Valia would last at least another six months, if not a decade. Just look at League of Legends. The massive NFT investment in Valia further demonstrated the U.S.'s unwavering trust in the game, which bolstered the confidence of all the gamblers.

  "Johnathan…" – Connor gritted his teeth – "Where the hell is that bastard Johnathan?!!!!!"

  "I’ve been trying to contact him since early this morning, but he’s not opening the line, sir…"

  Bam!!!!!

  Another furious desk slam.

  ===

  "Do you think God will save this game?"

  "You're asking me?"

  "Yes." John turned to look at him. Even as the fateful moment was approaching, he remained oddly calm. "I'm curious about your perspective."

  "I think... no." Shun hesitated. "I don't fully understand God, it's just my personal feeling. How should I put it? I guess because I'm not someone who's obsessed with money. Valia could be a tool to rake in billions of dollars, but the creator of this game, God, he seems like he wouldn't care about that. He said he'd do it, if one side wins, the game will end. His personal desires are paramount, you know, he considers himself to be God. It's hard to think of any reason for God to change his mind, whether it's billions of dollars or any kind of power in the world."

  John smiled again, his eyes brightening with astonishment.

  "Indeed, you're quite an interesting person, Shunsuke. Connor Hayes, the head of the NFT department, no, even the top brass of Bank of America couldn't realize that. So many of the most powerful and wealthy people in the world can't understand God as well as you do. That's right, I'm afraid when Drarkarr enters Estaphalia, the game will end."

  "John, I have a question."

  "Ask away."

  "If Valia is so valuable to you all, why can't you... create it yourselves? A large-scale MMORPG that could create a massive capital market. If you created such a game, you wouldn't need to rely on God's will, right?"

  "Of course, many people have thought of that idea, and the simple truth is... it's impossible." John chuckled, taking another puff of smoke. "If you gathered all the supercomputers in the United States, and added 10 years of development, well... I think it might just be possible."

  "You're not exaggerating, are you?"

  "You know how vast the world of Valia is, right? It's not like those patchwork games. If you dug into the ground with a shovel, you'd find the earth thick and smooth, and you'd see worms eating the fallen leaves. Every square millimeter in that world is filled with data. Just copying the map of Valia alone consumes an enormous amount of memory. Then the characters, skills, equipment, and every coin in that world are all encrypted by complex blockchains. Every single coin, Shun. With the current technological capabilities of the United States, that is impossible."

  "So why..."

  "Why can God create a game like Valia with such a complex world, accessible on multiple devices, with an experience so smooth it's almost unbelievable? Oh, and I haven’t mentioned yet, 54 cities all on one map, and 10 million players existing simultaneously on a single server!"

  "A super server that surpasses current human technology!" Shun exclaimed in amazement. "That's what you all truly care about!"

  "You're more perceptive than you think, Shun, but that's what 'they' care about, not me. I’ve said before, in my boring life, I just want Valia to continue, forever. Oh, and there’s something, don't take it out of this room."

  "Why?" Shun swallowed. He suddenly regretted coming here at this moment.

  "We've found God. Or at least a location. Or more accurately, God has allowed a meeting. To be honest, he's being protected in a place that even the U.S. government wouldn't dare to invade."

  "A place that even the U.S. government is wary of? Could it be Russia, China, or..."

  "The Arab world. The United Arab Emirates."