To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

“Instead of wishing for the sun to rise as usual, I would rather it didn’t. The annihilation of the world so that everyone perishes together—what a wonderful thing that would be.”

“Many people suffer greatly, but my only pain is in living.”

“Do you think I’m lazy? But being diligent is also useless since we’re all going to die anyway.”

“You’re giving me a gift? You like me? Isn’t that astounding? To like someone as worthless as myself—is that your XP?”

“Meow hahaha meow~ Just singing randomly, don’t mind me. I do have my moments of happiness, like now. Why are you walking so fast, is it because you’ve noticed a huge monster behind us ready to gobble us up?”

“Only two things can create eternity, and those are death and destruction? You say they are the same, seems like you understand neither death nor destruction.”

Its lazy demeanor and gloomy lines, along with its consistently lacklustre tone, made Black Cat Polar Night a character that could rival Plague Chicken, and its merchandise sold exceptionally well.

Yet, it was this same character, so full of negativity and laziness, that became the most popular icon under the “Remember Me” section, much to everyone’s surprise.

However, the charm of Black Cat Polar Night emerged more intensely later on, as its personality traits became increasingly pronounced the further the game progressed.

Having many lines, Polar Night’s past was especially richly portrayed.

As a Far Traveler, it seemed that the civilization that had brought it into existence had been destroyed; the region had been emptied, leaving it with nothing left to lose.

Responding to the Supreme Heavenly Lord was instinctive to it, so with thoughts of “just dying on the road,” it started on its journey, trudging to the very end.

Along the way, it would live through many events with the player, but once it reached the Great Hall, despite its reluctance to part with the player, it would still enter the hall and write down its name.

However, upon discovering that its name was actually green, suggesting a surviving ember of its civilization, Black Cat Polar Night finally burst into tears, and in the bittersweet parting, it rediscovered its original aspirations and merged with the Great Hall.

The arc of its story was incredibly complete, evolving from initial negativity to a slightly coy disposition; its character was portrayed with such depth that it became the forum’s mascot.

And furthermore…

Who could resist a black cat with three tails?

On the forum, the amount of fan art for Black Cat Polar Night was overwhelming, the number of fan fictions was countless, and some even used mods from “Spirit Vessel” to create small games related to Black Cat Polar Night, with people starting to draw comics and serialize them, further boosting the cat’s popularity.

Various quotes were also compiled, and some even began producing related cosplays; the extent of the craze was indeed hard to believe.

Under the ripple effect of Black Cat Polar Night, the sales of other Far Traveler-related products quickly soared as well. The inherently artistic Far Travelers, coupled with the intricately-made and practical products from the factory, meant the Spirit Grass Factory was operating at full capacity every day.

“Incredible,” Fang Cheng muttered.

Looking at the information provided by Wang Xiaoying, he discovered that the players’ thoughts and approaches were always somewhat amazing.

Surrounding “Remember Me’s” Far Travelers, a vast fan network was taking shape.

The lives of several main Far Travelers had become clear, while the backgrounds of others remained mysterious. However, as they traveled, the items they carried hinted at their pasts, introducing their history in a metaphoric way, giving the fan community plenty to speculate on.

Suddenly taken by inspiration, Fang Cheng calculated, then deduced that the Far Travelers were about to spark a new trend in fan creations.

And by simply letting things take their course and opening up copyright, another fan wonder was soon to emerge, with conservative estimates suggesting that the associated cultural and entertainment industries could reach hundreds of billions, with a cultural impact even more profound.

He guessed those Far Travelers could never have imagined that their stories would be celebrated in the form of a video game.

It was just impossible to predict the ways of the world.

However, the success of “Remember Me” was within Fang Cheng’s expectations. After promoting the game, he returned to the Great Hall to start checking names.

Some civilizations of the Far Travelers had already dissipated, but others were hanging by a thread, their names slowly fading, signifying that their civilizations, too, faced imminent catastrophe.

Recording all the names, Fang Cheng selected the dimmest ones and went directly there.

“`

However, after seeing the situation here, he furrowed his brow.

The world in front of him was riddled with holes, and the phenomenon of spatial collapse was particularly evident here.

The feeling was as if someone had built a skyscraper with stones, only to periodically dig out a piece from the stones.

Over time, the skyscraper could still stand, but it had become unstable and ready to collapse at any moment.

After reinforcing the spatial structure here with mana to temporarily prevent collapse, Fang Cheng began to observe the Dustfire here.

Although Dustfire is often used to check whether one’s own game is done correctly, its proper use is actually to observe the livelihood of the people and to check on imperial movements.

When one discovers that the monarch is unrighteous, they need to be admonished; if they do not listen, they must be warned; and if they still do not listen, then do not blame us Taoists for turning to rebellion!

However, Fang Cheng had never done this before, as many Taoists who liked to cling to emperors preferred to do so, because winning would lead to a huge profit, and losing, at worst, would mean entering the cycle of reincarnation.

Now, Fang Cheng was observing the situation here through the Dustfire, and then his brow furrowed even more.

The plight of the people here was even worse than the structure of the space.

The Dustfire was dim and without light, the black flames carrying the deepest malice, making this place seem like hell itself.

Black represented hatred, animosity, and slaughter, and the residents of the entire world were almost completely tainted by this blackness, with almost no need for salvation.

If it had been the past, for Fang Cheng to reinforce their world structure and prevent its destruction would have been an act of great kindness and righteousness.

However, considering they had given birth to a Far Traveler, and Fang Cheng had a bit of admiration for Far Travelers, influenced by a multitude of factors, Fang Cheng decided to give them an opportunity.

Whether they could seize it depended on their destiny.

Moreover, this opportunity could not be given for free, so he decided to incorporate this place into his own game. That way, it would satisfy himself, the players, and also provide them with a chance for self-redemption, a win-win-win situation.

So, what kind of game should he make?

Hiding his presence, Fang Cheng went above the area where traces of life existed.

There were planets here as well, but due to the instability of space, even the planets had become unstable.

And this place was also beset by Shadows, the invasion of Shadows filled the voids in space, causing the laws here to become bizarre and unpredictable, with the entire world in an eerie and uncertain environment.

Unlike the world with the Heavenly Tao network, there was no Heavenly Tao network here to resist the Shadow Invasion; the existence of loopholes instead formed natural barriers, but the fall was only a matter of time.

The locals had also realized that the world was collapsing, but they no longer had the capability to leave this place. The few gods that survived even struggled to maintain their own existence, their blessings to the faithful also mixed with Shadows, making their blessings dangerous and erratic.

Quietly sensing for a while, Fang Cheng realized that the laws here were too bizarre, and fixing them would be far more troublesome than remaking them.

However, for the players, it should be fine.

After all, they could even enjoy unpaid labor in the factories, so they should be able to accept this as well.

Staring at the Dustfire here, Fang Cheng continued to ponder.

The world had been reinforced by him, temporarily free from the risk of collapse, but the people did not know this.

They were still immersed in the fear of the impending apocalypse, the darkness in human nature was laid bare here.

And what they needed most was not something else, it was education!

These barbarians, who were dwelling in feral conditions, needed a group of teachers to educate them, just like Confucius once walked on this barbaric land, using his compassionate heart to influence these people, making them realize how meaningful it is to be devoted to goodness.

Therefore, the theme of this game should be education.

The players will play the role of a teacher, preaching and teaching, walking on this wasteland, resolving conflicts, mediating disputes, and then step by step leading the entire world towards peace.

Thinking about it this way, it actually seemed quite interesting.

Fang Cheng once had a fellow disciple who was addicted to educating others. Although the disciple was a Taoist, he was also very enthusiastic about education, and Fang Cheng would occasionally help him out, feeling that educating others was indeed quite meaningful.

Following his own ideas, Fang Cheng gradually formed his own concept.

The environment was ready-made, but he still needed a god or an Artifact Spirit to help, because there were quite a number of spatial loopholes here that needed someone to help manage.

It would be best if it were a god skilled in education, so that it could match his ideas perfectly, and allow his philosophy to be carried out.

After figuring it out, Fang Cheng made a trip to the Heavenly Tao network, and when he returned, he carried a god with him.

The god was a short old man, dressed in elegant attire, holding a teaching stick, looking very much like a retired headmaster.

Rubbing his bones, the God of Education spoke cautiously, “Great Heavenly Lord, could you be gentler in the future, I am no longer young. Respecting the elderly is a necessary virtue.”

“If we go by the time of birth, I am older than you.”

“…Sorry, I was presumptuous. So Great Heavenly Lord, what do you need me to do?”

“Just keep an eye on those players, I’ll send you the details later.”

After giving the God of Education his instructions, Fang Cheng activated the laws of this world and began creating the game.

“`