Federation Star City — Wind & Snow Headquarters
In the minimalist office of Wind & Snow's CEO, Qin Ruoxue, the air smelled faintly of coffee and ambition. Across from her stood Zhang Chi, project head for Fisherman Era. His face carried both awe and unease.
"Any reply from Sea Breeze?" Qin asked, pen gliding over a contract, tone casual.
She already knew the math: Sea Breeze couldn't possibly refuse. The other conglomerates were offering barbaric deals—half the company, full buyouts. Only Wind & Snow's terms were reasonable: ten billion for a guaranteed withdrawal from the competition. Ten billion to buy peace—and dominance.
Zhang hesitated. "President Qin… they refused."
The pen stopped.
Qin looked up slowly. "Refused to withdraw?"
He nodded. "They think they can ride their current momentum. Full of confidence. Just like we were… before our first win."
For a moment, nostalgia flickered in her eyes. Then a calm smile.
"Fine. Revise the offer. Same ten billion investment, but we let them stay in the contest. We take equity instead."
"Eh? President Qin, you're saying we might lose?" Zhang blurted out, shocked. In his world, Fisherman Era was unassailable.
She chuckled softly. "No one wins forever. Do as I said."
Zhang turned to leave—until another call came through. He returned minutes later, pale.
"President Qin… they already found investors."
Her brows knit. "Impossible. Which group? One of the giants?"
"Not exactly…" Zhang's words faltered. "You'd better see it yourself."
Sea Breeze Company Official Site
Qin typed the address, pressed Enter—and froze.
A red-pinned post glared from the top:
[Sea Breeze Announcement]
Given the overwhelming popularity of Age of Voyages, we are opening five additional closed-beta slots…
Harmless enough. But beneath it were two bolded replies.
[Sea Breeze]The five testers have been confirmed. They will appear live tonight at 7 PM in the official Age of Voyages stream.
Comments raged below in chaos:
[How the hell did they decide so fast?!]
[No draw? Just internal picks? Black box confirmed!]
[Gu Old Thief! You rigged this!]
[Give me back my slot, you fraud!]
And finally, a last pinned comment from Gu Feng himself.
[Gu Feng]: @Everyone
Couldn't help it. They offered too much. — Screenshot attached.
Qin clicked the image.
It was a transfer confirmation:
To: Sea Breeze Co. Corporate Account — Amount: 1,000,000,000 Federal Credits.
Her hand stilled midair.
"That's… ten figures." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Zhang murmured, "President Qin, maybe it's a marketing stunt?"
Qin wanted to believe it. "Or maybe… Li Jing's family is staging a fake transaction to boost hype." Her tone wavered, trying to convince herself.
Only this explanation made sense.
And yet… deep down, unease stirred. Age of Voyages carried a momentum that felt—inevitable.
That Evening — Federation Star City, Central Skyline Apartment
The sun melted over the horizon, painting the city in gold. Inside a luxury penthouse, a silver-haired young man reclined by the window, scrolling through the uproar of comments.
A grin touched his lips.
At 6:30, he slipped into the neural VR pod, connecting instantly to a private group channel.
SilverHair: Everyone ready?
Storm: Ready. Dude, was it really ten billion?
GoldenBell: You actually paid that? For a game?
Queen: Yeah, Kermin, this is insane—even for you.
DoctorFix: Hahaha, whatever. I just want to see what's next. What do we name the crew?
The young man chuckled.
SilverHair: You all know my handle—Kermin (Pay2ChangeFate).
This game has no cash shop, no microtransactions. So if I can't pay to win…
then I'll pay with my life.
He laughed, that sharp, reckless laugh of the filthy rich and terminally bored.
"If dying resets progress, then we'll just die more."
"If the game's about exploration, we'll map it with our corpses."
"If progress takes time, we'll buy time with death."
"Let the world remember our name."
He drew his cutlass in-game and pointed it toward the horizon.
Kermin:Pay-to-Die Pirates—set sail!
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