Xie Shuangxue had truly grown up. The cool fragrance emanating from him was more pronounced, and the feeling of holding him was different from before—it seemed he had become somewhat softer. Previously, he had the appearance of a youth, and Yu Haiqing certainly wouldn’t have crossed any lines, but Xie Shuangxue’s transformed demeanor now had a disturbingly enchanting effect. It took considerable effort for Yu Haiqing to step back.

To divert his attention, Yu Haiqing immediately started discussing his day’s activities with Xie Shuangxue, including the future plans for Endless Sea. As he had said before, Gods and Demon was also Xie Shuangxue’s world, and he deserved to be informed about matters concerning him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let them discover you,” Yu Haiqing said. “Coincidentally, the company was already planning a new platform since we can’t rely solely on Gods and Demon.”

He had proactively integrated the new streaming platform, Ling Jiao, into Endless Sea’s holdings and was of course planning further platforms to expand the holographic ecosystem based on gaming. Now, he could use this as a pretext to discuss cooperation with the Bai family.

On the surface, that was the plan, but Yu Haiqing’s true aim was the realistic humanoid project that Bai Qiuyan hadn’t managed to complete. Xie Shuangxue understood without needing much explanation that this was all for him, and he hadn’t expected Yu Haiqing to go to such lengths for him.

“I know this is hard,” he whispered, “Thank you.”

He recalled his mother murmuring about “whether to go back to them,” likely referring to this very issue. Back then, his mother didn’t have the power to confront the Bai family, so she had to give up, but now Yu Haiqing was picking up where she left off.

If asked whether he wanted a body, of course, he did. Even a small AI would dream of experiencing the world in person. Xie Shuangxue always thought such a thing was far off, yet now it seemed within reach.

Hearing his words, Yu Haiqing felt everything he did was worthwhile. He reached out and gently stroked Xie Shuangxue’s hair, saying, “This is what I should do for Ah Xue.”

Xie Shuangxue couldn’t help but ask, “Is there something I can do?” He wanted to contribute more since it involved his own body.

“No need, Ah Xue, just live well in the game,” Yu Haiqing responded. “Leave the rest to me.”

He was determined to give Xie Shuangxue the best.

However, Xie Shuangxue misunderstood this somewhat. In his experience and thinking, nothing worthwhile came without effort; it should be earned, not just awaited.

This wasn’t about whether he trusted Yu Haiqing; it was about not just standing still.

After thinking it over, he realized his current abilities couldn’t impact the business world much, but he understood that Gods and Demon remained Endless Sea’s most crucial asset. Especially with the recent improvements in realism and the influx of lifestyle players, the public’s reliance on and acceptance of holographic technology were growing, which was why the Bai family was so eager.

He got it. Yu Haiqing asking him to live well in the game meant stabilizing this foundation, and ideally, using his influence to elevate Gods and Demon even further, giving Yu Haiqing more leverage in negotiations with the Bai family.

This was a true partnership between him and his boss—ah, not boss anymore, it should be President Yu.

But the term that slipped out was, “Okay, brother, I know what to do.”

Yu Haiqing had no idea Xie Shuangxue’s mind had raced through all these thoughts in just that short moment. He simply took it as a sign of compliance.

Feeling the trust in Xie Shuangxue’s eyes was all he could ask for; just looking at him seemed to give him strength.

Previously, while striving for the company, Yu Haiqing began with a burst of resolve. As Endless Sea grew, it seemed his mission was accomplished. Looking back, he felt empty, unsure for whom these achievements were meant. This deep-rooted confusion and exhaustion lingered, now dissipated with Xie Shuangxue by his side.

He knew for whom he was striving.

Not lingering there, Yu Haiqing made sure Xie Shuangxue rested before leaving. Just seeing him cleared away his fatigue.

But the fighting spirit was high not just in him—Xie Shuangxue too was energized.

The game’s progression was rapid. With Feather Clan members involved, the conflict between the two main cities grew only more entangled. The world had been simmering under the surface, just needing a spark to ignite. Soon, the affected areas expanded, and the Feather Clan, feeling overwhelmed, chose to hold their position temporarily.

Meanwhile, Northlands received the news and prepared defenses, welcoming the first wave of lifestyle players. Among them were old players, but mostly they were newcomers who had just passed the newbie phase, clearly not yet adapted to holographic gameplay. They wore basic gear, bumping into everything and everyone on the streets, even cheekily pinching the cheeks of NPC children and laughing as they ran off. They were quite unruly.

Yun Ruwei was exasperated.

Moving from Lu Yun Platform to Northlands wasn’t an overnight affair. Over the years, with Xie Shuangxue’s covert assistance, Northlands had started to take shape. Xie Shuangxue had promised stability would bring a flood of Continental Wanderers to help.

Now, seeing them, it seemed less like help and more like a prank.

They were so familiar; was Xie Shuangxue trying to trick her?

Her face spoke volumes as she prepared to complain, but Xie Shuangxue arrived via teleport before she could speak. He seemed to know everything already and said, “It’s okay, let me handle this.”

The land reclamation mission for Northlands was already posted. It was related to city construction and not only provided basic rewards but also reputation points. Achieving a certain reputation level in Northlands allowed access to key NPC bonds, including Xie Shuangxue, Yun Ruwei, and Yun Ruwei.

While any player could undertake tasks here, it didn’t mean they would choose Northlands as their faction in Floating Dreams Cloud Realm’s combat mission lines.

Not just Yun Ruwei was concerned; Xie Shuangxue had glanced at the forums before coming, and discussions among players were varied.

Although Xie Shuangxue had previously swayed players’ emotions, that was more targeted at his fanbase.

It was still early; most players were watching.

It’s a game, not everyone is a fan. Inside Xie Shuangxue’s dedicated thread, all was harmonious, but outside, many held opposing views.

“No way, no way, can anyone really be swayed by a few words from a pretty NPC and lose their minds? Really treating Xie Shuangxue as a wife?”

“Besides those newly-arrived lifestyle players and some die-hard fans, would old players choose Northlands? Clearly, the benefits are low.”

“Choosing Northlands means settling for minimum sustenance, right?”

“I am indeed a fan of Ah Xue, and it broke my heart to hear him, but our small guild must consider everyone. High-reward world quests aren’t common; I promise not to attack Northlands.”

Xie Shuangxue wasn’t offended by these comments; instead, he understood them.

Players’ affections could influence their choices, but such affection needed maintenance. If they felt wronged or found it unprofitable, even deep affection could wane.

Further, setting aside Xie Shuangxue’s influence, lifestyle players in Gods and Demon hadn’t yet made their mark. With Northlands tagged this way, most combat players lost interest.

It was a rational decision, and one couldn’t blame the players for being pragmatic.

Who doesn’t play games for fun?

Xie Shuangxue thought for a moment, seemingly struck by an idea.

He turned to Yun Ruwei and asked, “You have some time lately, right?”

Yun Ruwei was wary: “Yes… What are you planning?”

Since he had saved her, naturally, he planned to make full use of her. Xie Shuangxue took her hand and said, “Ruwei, would you mind helping Northlands a bit? It might be a bit hard.”

Yun Ruwei… She hesitated but nodded, feeling this was like when Xie Shuangxue had previously sweet-talked Yun Panshan.

At that moment, Qiao Zhihui also arrived in Northlands with a team. When the new plotline opened yesterday, many had come here, but most just took a quest and left without completing it.

The lifestyle skills were still supplementary compared to resource-heavy limited-time world quests. Players’ time was limited, and everyone returned to their pursuits.

The discussions in the Wandering the Horizon guild were intense, but Qiao Zhihui could only manage himself. He never went back on his word and had already gotten to know several active players in the dedicated thread. They had chosen Northlands immediately upon the faction option opening, firmly standing with Xie Shuangxue.

Moreover, Qiao Zhihui felt he wasn’t just seeing through a “fan filter” as ridiculed by some on the forums. Based on experience, he didn’t think choosing Northlands was unwise.

Ah Xue was a true lucky charm; he never let his genuine fans suffer!

Exiting the teleport, he looked around, finding Northlands still somewhat rundown, the entire city appearing rudimentary with vast undeveloped lands outside. The map indicated fertile lands and mining areas, with clear task directions, but experienced lifestyle players were few, and no one had yet formed effective strategies.

Qiao Zhihui felt like he had a radar for Xie Shuangxue.

Instinctively sensing something, he immediately headed to the city center and spotted a familiar figure from a distance. His eyes brightened as he called out, “Ah Xue! I’m here as promised!”

To his surprise, he could actually encounter Ah Xue in the city!

Hearing him, the figure turned around.

Qiao Zhihui then noticed the mask on his face, resembling the one from the Nine Gods, his attire completely changed.

“Who did you call?”

Even the voice had deepened.

…Wasn’t this Ah Xue?

Qiao Zhihui was momentarily confused, but his companions reacted swiftly. Wu Longtang, an old ID from Xie Shuangxue’s thread and originally the thread leader, quickly said, “What Ah Xue? You should address him as Demon Lord.”

My baby is now a legitimate demon lord, his identity must not be exposed.

Realizing his mistake, Qiao Zhihui quickly adapted.

“I am at your service, Lord Demon!”

He then heard a chuckle.

“Good.”

After this exchange, Qiao Zhihui received a task update alert.

This wasn’t a bulletin board task, which required manual acceptance and came with an alert, indicating an automatically pushed faction task.

Faction tasks, a regular feature in world quests, included stages like “Enemy forces approaching from the western forest, please intercept,” considering the ongoing nature of the defense-offense game. The game department would gradually push these to maintain engagement and avoid monotony or boredom.

But the task Qiao Zhihui received was unusual.

They weren’t asked to repel an attack because, currently, no one valued the vast barren lands of Northlands enough to attack.

The task titled “Dig Deep, Store Grain” detailed that with the world’s conflicts looming, the Demon Lord of Northlands was worried about insufficient reserves and thus initiated an emergency development plan. To inspire efforts, the Demon Lord promised rewards to the most diligent rangers.

“Most diligent” was key, with a detailed explanation following.

In the game world’s next two days, the top three contributors to Northlands’ land reclamation from each of the eight major lifestyle skills would receive rewards. Different skills couldn’t be directly compared, so rankings were separate for each.

Northlands had essentially set up a leaderboard.

Twenty-four chances for rewards across eight sub-leaders, with the most crucial being access to Yun Ruwei’s weapon refining opportunity—stated as tradable.

The brevity was intimidating. Qiao Zhihui read it, his pupils shaking.

Yun Ruwei, now a mentor in forging skills, was known for her refining capabilities—just look at Xie Shuangxue’s sword.

NPC weapons could change, and so could players’. Some players struggled to acquire legendary gear, but such items required rare materials for upgrades or enhancements, with high-level gear even rarer.

Typically, having a city’s master smith work on legendary gold-tier weapons was a rarity, and none could compare to Yun Ruwei!

This conflict line was largely team-based PvP; if the front-line players’ gear improved, outcomes could shift.

And now, this reward appeared on a lifestyle players’ leaderboard!

Clearly, Xie Shuangxue had added this himself.

With sufficient authority now, he added this mission to help lifestyle players gain significance. Initially, combat players might not see the value in allying with them, lacking robust guidance from experienced lifestyle players.

But now, these two player groups had become mutually dependent.