this infinite world

“I met with Gwyndlin.”

These were Chu Hao's first words to the North Ice Continent team upon his return from the royal city of Anor Londo... Compared to this earth-shattering news, even his major achievement of successfully bringing back a royal artifact seemed less shocking.

"...Is it that cross-dresser?"

After a moment of silence, Tom was the first to speak. His words reflected the sentiments of the vast majority of the Arctic team members.

The words may be crude, but the sentiment is sound. Despite being the renowned "Shadow Sun," Gwyndolin's image in the minds of players is limited to this. "Little boy," "tentacle monster," "cross-dressing sissy"... these nicknames are far more memorable than his official name.

In the game, Gwyndolin appears as a hidden boss. Just as the moon itself does not emit light, but only reflects the sun's brilliance—this seems to be a reflection of Gwyndolin's fate. After the eldest son of the sun was exiled and the sun princess Gwyneth Aviayana went far away, although he became the de facto ruler of Anor Londo, compared with the former two and even the glory of the sun king Gwyn, this "Shadow Sun" indeed seems insignificant.

Of course, during Gwyndolin's reign, Anor Londo was no longer the glorious place it once was. King Gwyn entered the First Forge alone, the eldest son of the Sun was banished, the Sun Princess was married off to a foreign land, Havel the Rock was missing, and Seath the White Dragon imprisoned himself in the Duke's archives, maintaining a detached and aloof demeanor. No one knew what the most notorious traitor among the ancient dragons was up to.

Even the most famous and loyal of the Four Horsemen had long since fallen apart. Ornstein the Dragonslayer, leaving behind his armor and dragon-slaying spear that had accompanied him through many battles, disappeared without a trace; Artorias the Abyss Walker, sent by King Gwyn to conquer the Abyss, has yet to return; Cearán the Wasp's whereabouts are a mystery, though he is said to be constantly searching for Artorias's trail; and the last of the Four Horsemen, Goff the Hawkeye, was ostracized because of his giant status, and exiled himself in desolation, never to be seen again.

Like stars scattered by the clouds, before long, the vast land of Anor Londo was depleted of its talent. Apart from Gwyndolin himself, the only one capable of standing alone was Smo the Executioner, who was equally powerful but too bloodthirsty to be ranked among the Four Horsemen of the King.

Those in the know understand that Gwyndolin was like a tinkerer, desperately trying to maintain the crumbling rule of the Sun Gods and Anor Londo. Whether it was capturing the Undead, vigorously promoting the glory of linking the First Flame, or using Lothric as a shell company to list on the stock exchange, relegating Anor Londo to a secondary role, these were all attempts made by this second-generation king… But it was clear to everyone that from the moment King Gwyndolin stepped into the First Forge, the sun's radiance was destined to decline. This irreversible tide could not be turned back by the efforts of one person alone.

Gossip is something people often enjoy discussing. Just like how most players are more interested in who Gwyndolin's mother is than in him as a person. After all, Gwyndolin's lower body doesn't have legs, but rather octopus-like tentacles…

“I remember Gwyndolin is known for his charm spells, so you’d better keep your mind clear.”

Of course, Ares was no exception, but he coughed and immediately brought the atmosphere that Tom had led astray back to the right track: "I think, Chu Hao, you shouldn't cause any unnecessary trouble or do anything unnecessary."

“I understand.” Chu Hao nodded in response to Ares’s kind reminder: “On the way back, I did a self-check and also asked Nian Xikong to check my mental state. There’s nothing wrong.”

"You know what's going on..." Ares shook his head helplessly: "So, what did you talk about?"

"We talked a lot, such as the exchange of spells, the situation in Anor Londo, and the preliminary cooperation reached..."

"But the main topic is still about linking the fire and the future of this world."

Chu Hao nodded, giving an answer that was not unexpected by anyone, and even Tom could have guessed it. After all, everyone knew that Chu Hao had a certain obsession with "saving the world," but fortunately, this time he did not focus all his attention on linking the First Flame: "According to the information I got from Gwyndolin, the chances of the world not being destroyed after the linking of the First Flame is ended are about 60%."

"...How did you arrive at this probability?" Ares complained.

"Because the world is not that fragile."

Chu Hao looked at everyone, seemingly hesitating for a moment, but ultimately chose to skip the process and gave a temporary conclusion: "At most, it's just a return to the 'original state.' Otherwise, the scene that the main god deliberately showed us would be meaningless."

Chu Hao was referring to the world where the ancient dragons existed before the First Flame appeared, the world that the North Ice Continent team saw when they first entered the world of Dark Souls—a world deliberately shown to them by the "God." After all, everyone could clearly see that the world already existed before the First Flame ignited…

"However, this can also be attributed to the fact that Gwyndolin is a second-generation god and has not truly come into contact with the First Flame like Gwyn did, and does not understand the scene at the beginning of creation. But fortunately, Gwyn was not the only one who received the First Flame."

Of course, Chu Hao didn't rule out any possibility, since practice is the best teacher: "So, the process of getting to know NEET next could very well be an opportunity to verify that."

"The plan remains unchanged, but we must be prepared for both possibilities..."

……

"What's wrong, Zhang Heng? Why aren't you saying anything? This isn't like you."

Just as Chu Hao was explaining his plan and assigning tasks to the members of the Arctic team, Lu Zixue, who had only recently joined the team, suddenly noticed that Zhang Heng seemed a little distracted. So she gently patted her boyfriend and gave him a reminder...

...Okay, he's not my boyfriend yet, at least Zhang Heng hasn't given a clear answer yet.

But to everyone else, the two were clearly a couple, and the kind where the woman took the initiative and they both understood each other implicitly. Their relationship had withstood the test of life and death and was unbreakable; no one knew what Zhang Heng was hesitating about and insisting on.

As an old acquaintance of Zhang Heng, having interacted with him many times before entering the Main God Space, Lu Zixue was all too familiar with his ways. Normally, this guy would have been cracking those facepalm-worthy jokes; even if he was too embarrassed to laugh, he would never be so unsettlingly quiet as he was now…

"Ah, it's nothing! I just remembered something!"

Hearing Lu Zixue's voice, Zhang Heng, who seemed still pondering Chu Hao's words, suddenly snapped back to reality, instantly reverting to his somewhat goofy state. The young man scratched his head sheepishly: "I just thought of a phrase, a really sophisticated one, but I can't quite remember it..."

"...Is it really that important?"

"Uh, if I said it out loud, it would probably cause quite a stir..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Heng was struck in the side abdomen by an elbow, causing him to bend over immediately. The sudden pain made him remember the words that had only left a faint shadow in his heart...

"Before the 'world' was created, when there was neither birth nor death..."

"Are those lives truly 'alive'?" (End of Chapter)