Chapter 295 - 285: The Game Begins, New Players

Hearing Kai York say he was tired of mini hot-pots and self-heating rice, Moira Lynch pulled a basin of steamed buns and a jar of chili sauce from her Space Button.

The other three people’s eyes lit up at the sight of the plump, white buns.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Moira returned to her room, lay down on her bed, and closed her eyes.

You might think she was meditating to cultivate her power.

But no.

She was observing the situation on Veridian Prime.

This had become Moira’s favorite thing to do over the past few days.

Her current life was filled with tension and immense pressure, so she liked to watch cheerful things to relax.

At that moment on Veridian Prime, all sorts of excavators and Talents with awakened abilities were still working tirelessly.

Elsewhere, in the completed buildings, a different scene was unfolding.

Some kindergartens and elementary schools had already opened.

At first, the children were panicked and confused.

Some of the younger ones, separated from their parents, became extremely anxious and frightened.

Even with people constantly trying to soothe them in soft voices, those who were going to cry still cried.

At times like this, the Calming Bells that Moira had arranged for would suddenly appear.

A pleasant ringing echoed through the air, like a gentle, giant hand, steadily soothing the children’s anxious hearts.

Seizing the opportunity, the soldiers stationed on Veridian Prime brought out the food they had prepared in advance.

Since the apocalypse began, it was as if these children had fallen from heaven into hell.

Before, their families would chase after them to get them to eat. Now, they had to fight just for a single bite, and every one of them was sallow and emaciated from hunger.

Veridian Prime had plenty of food, and the children who arrived here quickly adapted to their new life.

Some of the older children even started to voluntarily help take care of the younger ones.

The Flower Sprites and the Candies also quickly integrated themselves among the children.

The Candies, in particular, were a huge hit, as the candy they produced was beloved by the little ones.

Looking at the harmonious scene on Veridian Prime, Moira felt as if she were seeing Caelus as it once was.

Jay Zane was fifteen this year. When his parents put him on the transport, he thought he was being abandoned.

But he didn’t cry or make a fuss. He just held his two little sisters tightly.

That’s right, he had a pair of twin sisters who were five years old.

Even though he worked hard every day to find food, his two sisters were still sallow, emaciated, and on the verge of death.

The pressure of raising three children at once was immense, so Jay didn’t blame his parents in the slightest.

He simply swore to himself that he would take good care of his sisters.

However, when they reached their destination, they were completely stunned.

The smooth roads, the clean streets—it all felt like a dream.

Jay felt as if he had returned to Caelus before the apocalypse.

Afterward, still in a daze, he followed the crowd. Under the direction of a person in a military uniform, he and his sisters were assigned to a thirty-six-person dormitory.

That same day, they received new clothes and ate a full meal for the first time in a long while.

Besides him and his sisters, there were thirty-three other people in the dorm.

Although the space was a little crowded, Jay was ecstatic.

The environment here was countless times better than what he was used to.

Moreover, the person who had arranged their housing said that new dormitories would be built soon and asked them to make do for now.

Jay wanted to say that this wasn’t "making do" at all. Just being able to live here and eat his fill every day made him incredibly happy.

After a few days of rest, once everyone had adjusted to their new lives, they were scheduled to begin their studies.

In the past, Jay hated school more than anything. Now, sitting in a classroom again, watching a teacher walk in with a textbook, he was so moved he almost cried.

......

Moira withdrew her attention from Veridian Prime.

’I wonder when the natural disasters on Caelus will end.’

"Patience, do you know the reason for all these natural disasters on Caelus?" Moira suddenly asked.

[According to our investigation, Caelus is currently undergoing an unknown transformation, which is causing the appearance of extreme weather. Originally, based on Caelus’s condition, these changes were supposed to occur gradually over the next million years. However, humanity’s destruction of the environment, excessive exploitation of resources, and pollution have accelerated this process.]

After hearing Patience’s explanation, Moira cursed her bad luck internally.

’The water and electricity a normal person saves over a lifetime probably isn’t even enough for one day of a rich person’s consumption.’

"So, are the Talents we’re awakening related to the game or to the changes on Caelus?"

This time, Patience did not answer Moira’s question.

After a long silence, Moira sighed. "Fine, if you can’t say, you can’t say."

She was just curious.

However, she felt it probably had little to do with the game.

Otherwise, why would things like the Awakening Stone and Awakening Potion exist?

That implied that people across the stars could also awaken Talents.

The appearance of the game likely just accelerated the process.

As the days passed, the insect plague outside began to show signs of weakening, but it was still impossible to go out.

And as the start of the game drew closer, everyone who had awakened a Talent and all the previously eliminated players, in addition to the original players, became extremely tense and anxious.

Although the game said it would choose from all the people on Caelus, the difference between having a Talent and not having one was still immense.

Without a Talent, it was very easy to be eliminated during the game.

Thanks to Moira’s existence, the number of people in Cathaya who awakened Talents in the later stages was far greater than in other countries.

It was worth noting that even without the Awakening Potion, some people had begun to awaken on their own. However, the process was extremely perilous; out of every ten people, only one would succeed.

The other nine all died gruesome deaths, their skin looking as if it had been scalded in boiling water.

This reminded Moira of the high fever she’d had when she first awakened.

So, if nothing unexpected happened, Cathaya’s player count would reach an unprecedented new height after this.

As the start of the game drew closer day by day, Moira also began her monthly ritual—cooking.

Since she couldn’t use an open flame, she could only make something simple this time.

She just steamed some rice and made a few sandwiches to get by.

After the game started, Moira went back into her space to take a shower, blow-dried and tied up her hair, changed her clothes, and put on a mask.

When she came out of her space, she glanced at the time. There were only fifteen minutes left until midnight.

All that was left was to wait quietly.

With five minutes remaining until midnight, the game system’s voice suddenly rang out.

[Dear players, welcome. Before the game officially begins, please join us in welcoming the new players!]