The Divine Crystal Continent, as the name implies, was a continent dominated by Divine Crystals, formed from a vast, boundless sea of countless, star-like gleaming ores.
From the lowest-grade soil and rock that allowed humans to stand upon this world, to the Divine Crystals containing the supreme, Order Divine Power-controlling facets…
Even one of the two most dazzling civilizations, the Eternal Steel Empire, derived its name from iron ore being the starting point of the mana-powered industrial revolution.
The Empire believed: All things decay and rot, only steel is eternal!
Among the myriad of ores, each with unique properties, “Crystal” was the ore with the most perfect mana flow properties.
The prosperity of the Empire’s mana industrial revolution was largely due to the remarkable contributions made in various “applied ore sciences”—using Combustion Ore to drive industrial mass production, utilizing Sky Stone to propel airships, and so on… Among all ore sciences, one of the most world-renowned achievements, hailed as the greatest scientific miracle of the millennium, was undoubtedly ‘Crystal Communication Technology.’
‘Crystal Communication Technology’ utilized Crystal’s unique “mana flow properties” to achieve the long-distance transmission of sound and image.
The finished product created using this technology had a simple, easy-to-understand name: the ‘Crystal Tablet.’
It was called this because, unlike ordinary Crystals, its shape was quite smooth and comfortable, like a flat board.
The ‘Crystal Tablet’ was not only immensely popular within the Empire, but a staggering 39% of its share was exported annually to the Star God Free Federation, showing just how widespread it had become.
Learning is the process of exposing one’s ignorance.
Similarly, as a technology continuously develops and improves, it inevitably leads to further subdivisions within its field.
And today, with Imperial Crystal Communication Technology reaching a bottleneck, it had also branched out into numerous sub-fields. Besides basic communication functions, it had seen a flourishing of literature and music. Among these, the most popular was undoubtedly “games,” which brought people pleasurable sensory experiences…
This was a new frontier, still in its pioneering and experimental phase, yet vast and boundless, containing immense potential.
While the unimaginably prosperous future of “gaming” attracted countless “Crystal Communication Scholars,” its incredibly difficult development challenges also made them balk.
But, for “Sunai,” these were not problems at all.
If Huan Moxi was born a Child of God, destined to be the Capricorn Star God Candidate, then Sunai was an unparalleled Prodigy in the field of Crystal Communication Technology, unprecedented in history.
Sunai spent a year creating the unique ‘Crystal Code’ (equivalent to C++, Java, and other computer languages), capable of converting elements like sound and image into a unique mana language, editing them into the Crystal Tablet for interactive feedback.
Afterwards, using her original Crystal Code, she wrote the game engine and programs. Outsourcing the music and art, it only took her a month to create a highly polished card-collecting game, which she submitted to the Empire’s most prestigious Crystal Communication Technology cultural distribution enterprise, [Rainbow Stone]…
Sunai’s genius creation, especially one born at the very dawn of game development, naturally shone like a brilliant morning star, becoming the first ray of light to illuminate the barren darkness of the gaming world…
On that day, throughout the Empire, anyone who owned a Crystal Tablet went mad! Because of the release of 《Imperial Mist》… they were thrown into utter frenzy.
However, the world only knew the Rainbow Stone dynasty, and no one knew the name Sunai.
Sunai didn’t mind, as long as her work gained love and praise, and she could earn her deserved compensation from it, enough to support her continued research.
Initially, the compensation Sunai demanded from that giant enterprise was 25% of 《Imperial Mist》’s shares.
Even considering the other party had outsourced all distribution, promotion, and maintenance costs, this ratio was not excessive at all. After all, aside from promotion, the main framework and core content of 《Imperial Mist》 all came from Sunai’s hands.
Rainbow Stone repeatedly invited Sunai to join them, but Sunai refused without leaving any room for negotiation each time.
Sunai had no need to shore up her weaknesses. Except for music and art, she had no shortcomings in Crystal Communication Technology. Staying with ordinary people would only stifle her talent.
《Imperial Mist》 grew more and more popular.
But Sunai only received the first month’s profit of 800,000 gold coins. During the following months, she never received another single coin.
No one could imagine what a massive sum that compensation was, a sum even Rainbow Stone was reluctant to pay!
Unwilling to suffer in silence, Sunai went to demand payment herself.
Using the threat that Sunai hadn’t joined them and thus posed a risk of leaking the game’s code secrets, Rainbow Stone demanded a re-allocation of equity.
Without any power or backing, her voice small and insignificant, Sunai was eventually forced to agree to only 15% of the shares.
By the end of the third month, Sunai still hadn’t received a single coin.
And Rainbow Stone, using the exact same excuse, wanted to exploit Sunai’s shares down to 5%, unless Sunai signed a hundred-year servitude Contract and joined them…
This was pushing people too far!
Did they really think the Empire’s laws couldn’t deal with them?!
Sunai first pretended to accept, then immediately filed an appeal with the Imperial Tribunal. She held the ‘Work Transfer Contract’; if it truly went to court, Rainbow Stone’s chances of winning were slim.
After the appeal was filed, it needed to go through layers of political summons procedures. The Imperial Tribunal told Sunai to go back and wait for news.
But on her way back, Sunai never imagined she was being followed…
It happened at the time when Luotendo’s declaration of war for revenge against the Snow Kingdom was causing a huge uproar.
And Rainbow Stone always had good relations with Luotendo. This time, to leave no flaws, they specially had Luotendo’s forward Scout, on the way, bring Sunai to the Snow Kingdom…
Knock her unconscious, dump her right in Illusory Snow City, and leave an empty gun and an Imperial Medal beside her as irrefutable proof she was an Imperial Citizen…
They believed that given the Snow Kingdom citizens’ hatred for the Empire, she wouldn’t just die, she would die a most miserable death…
…The Imperial Tribunal, unable to summon the plaintiff, would inevitably become suspicious. They would send enforcement teams to investigate Sunai’s whereabouts, but they would never imagine Sunai had died in Illusory Snow City, thousands of miles away!
Of course…
Rainbow Stone also absolutely could not have imagined that their supposedly flawless plan, by not killing Sunai directly in an overcomplicated scheme… allowed Sunai to meet Weilin… and be reborn.
?
“Poor child…”
Weilin sighed, her gaze gentle and pitying. “…What about your family? Do they know what happened to you?”
“I only have one grandfather…” Sunai bit her lower lip, her voice low and dim. “He passed away three years ago.”
“Ah, I’m sorry…”
“You don’t need to apologize for something like that… Um, Weilin saved me, so as repayment…”
Sunai’s right hand gently stroked the Spatial Ring (an enchanted spatial magic array ring) on the ring finger of her left hand, taking out a shimmering golden Gold Coin Card. “…Here is a 500,000 Gold Coin Card. My life… is worth this price, so please don’t refuse, take it.”
Huh?
What did she mean, her life is worth this price? Did she think Weilin would think it was too much and not dare to accept it?
Sunai said very seriously, “This is only a part… When I earn more money in the future, I… I will give half to you! After all… you, you saved me…”
“You want to support me?” The young girl’s bright eyes sparkled as she asked with a playful laugh.
“…As long as Weilin doesn’t spend money too recklessly, I… I will support you! After all… you saved me…”
“Pfft, hahaha…”
“Weilin… you don’t have to be this happy…”
“I’m very happy.” Weilin gently curved her willow brows, giving a pure, sincere smile. “…Truly happy, not laughing for any other reason. But, you should stay here and rest well for now. Absolutely no one will harm you here, I promise.”
“Ah… is Weilin leaving already?”
“Yes.”
Sunai glanced around the Flowing Firefly Palace, like a sculpture carved from ice and jade, a look of confusion on her face. “Leaving me alone to live in such a big house…?”
“I really have things to do today, I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Where is Weilin going? I want to come too…”
Weilin thought for a moment, then with an expression that brooked no argument, cut her off: “No!” Immediately after, her voice softened again, “Nainai, rest well, and don’t go anywhere. I’ll bring back some good things for you, okay?”
And so, Sunai failed to persuade Weilin to stay and could only watch her leave, biting her lip.
Unbeknownst to her, she had already been firmly targeted by Weilin. (referring to the coder)
