You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

The gate to the starry world slowly closed, and the figure of the brave man was swallowed up in the brilliant light, as if he was completely bidding farewell to this world.

The entire astral remnant fell into a brief silence, with only the sound of wind blowing sand echoing in the void.

At the same time, in the real world, the live broadcast picture gradually moves away, cutting into a panoramic view and freezing on the world that is being reconstructed.

The screen paused for three seconds before slowly fading out and switching back to the familiar live broadcast room.

Game anchor Wang Laoju sat in front of the screen, his headphones still on and the excitement on his face still lingering.

He let out a long breath, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples, and murmured:
"This is fucking amazing."

Wang Laoju calmed himself down, cleared his throat, turned to look at the camera, with an unconcealable gleam in his eyes.

"Bros……"

"I started livestreaming gaming in 2011. I've played so many open-world, ARPG, Souls-like, and MMO games... I can't even count them all."

“But I can say responsibly:
This "Stargate" is the game with the most solid world construction, the most thoughtful plot, and the most complete combat system I have ever played."

He paused, opened the live broadcast background interface, glanced at the number of online users in the upper right corner, and raised his eyes slightly.

"Fuck, 360,000 people online?"

"You all saw it, I'm not the only one who's excited."

As soon as Lao Ju finished speaking, the live broadcast room was instantly flooded with comments:

[I'm crying my ass off! Movies wouldn't even dare be made with this plot!] [How come the game isn't legendary yet when it's this bad?!] [The Star Walker setting is so captivating, I can't stop playing it] [The trial section gave me goosebumps, especially "The Last Light of the Stars: The Realm of Sundering"] [I'd call it the pinnacle of "story-driven Souls-like games"] [Can anyone tell me where to listen to the OST? I want to play the Star Gate BGM on repeat] [I'm a pure PVP guy, but I actually cried over the plot. I'm convinced] [Lao Ju, please start another game! I want to see the entire Dreamless Land!]

When Wang Laoju saw these comments, he smiled and shook his head.

"Your game is too emotional. I've only just come to terms with it."

"But seriously... think about it again. From the first chapter, when the hero left the village, to now when he became a star walker, the entire storyline is so seamlessly arranged."

"This isn't a forced, sensational narrative; it really draws you in bit by bit."

"I especially want to talk about the Star Council."

Wang Laoju sat up straight and looked serious.

"I really like the setting of the nine elders of the council. It's really rare to see such beings that transcend time and space, yet still maintain a sense of awe for fate."

"And have you noticed? There's no clear concept of 'God' in the game."

"It doesn't talk about faith or divine power, but instead uses 'fate' and 'celestial rhythm' to construct its entire philosophical core."

"This means—

In this game, you are not chosen by God, but you choose to be the fixer of your destiny."

The comments echoed:

[Isn't this the flavor of Souls? Every step isn't a gift, it's a responsibility] [It feels so good to rely on yourself, not on gods or systems] [I could even see the philosophical flavor in the Star Council scene; it's like a fusion of Dark Souls, NieR, and FF14] [I feel respected, really]

"Let's talk about fighting."

He opened a video playback window and captured the battle clip with Star Guardian Alsarian.

In the picture, the brave man collides violently with the Nine-Star Sword Formation, and the sword light and the conflict of laws are intertwined into a vast star map.

Lao Ju pointed at the screen and said excitedly:

"Look at this part. The splitting mechanism of the Nine Star Sword Formation is completely different from traditional Souls-like."

"It's not about hard-hitting operations, but about allowing you to 'understand the astral world' and 'resonate with the laws' through combat."

"This means that you have to do more than just dodge and block, but—"

"think."

"Fuck, this design is awesome."

The barrage instantly followed:

[Is the designer a PhD in philosophy?] [I feel like I'm not fighting monsters, I'm debating with the universe] [Souls-like new peak +1, no rebuttals accepted] [If this could have a multiplayer cooperative mode, I'd be willing to grind to death] 6. Lao Ju sighed: We are witnessing the birth of a future god-like work

Lao Ju slowly put down the mouse, leaned back in his chair, and his eyes became a little complicated.

"I've been live streaming for so many years, and I've seen too many games that started out strong but ended up weak."

"But StarGate is different."

“It doesn’t just rely on visuals or gimmicks, but is serious from the root.”

"It uses a worldview to tell a story about 'responsibility' and 'choice'."

"It uses system design to turn the abstract concept of 'fate' into something you can manipulate and experience."

“It…allows the player to be the author of the story.”

The live broadcast room was instantly filled with moving comments:
[Brother Ju is right, it is not telling a story, but letting us live in the story] [I really cried, it was the first time I felt in a game that "I am not a character, I am myself"] [Star Walker is not an NPC setting, it is each of us players] [This is the direction of future games, no longer just entertainment, but resonance] 7. The promise before the end of the live broadcast
Wang Laoju glanced at the time and saw that the live broadcast had lasted for six hours.

"Okay guys, that's all for today."

"I know you guys still want to see 'Land of No Dreams,' but I'd like to save that for next time."

"This game is worth our time."

"It is also worth it for each of us to seriously experience the process of each world collapsing and rebuilding."

He smiled at the camera and raised his glass to everyone.

“May we all become the repairers of our own destiny.”

The live broadcast screen slowly faded out.

One minute before the live broadcast ended, the barrage of comments fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, as if they had made an appointment, countless players began to post the same sentence:

【I am a star walker.】

【I am the repairer of destiny.】

【See you next time.】

On the front page of a player forum, a post titled "[Handmade Map] Detailed Explanation of the Nine-Star Sword Formation Mechanics in the Star Realm (GIF Included)" went viral, racking up over 100,000 views in just three hours. The poster, known as "Dao Ye," was a renowned "mechanics hunter" in the community, famous for reverse engineering the AI ​​logic of a hidden boss in Soul Iron Age.

He wrote in the post:
"The Nine Star Sword Formation's attack logic is 'dual mapping'—the surface layer is positional induction, while the deeper layer is the rhythmic flow of astral energy. The quicker you react, the faster it attacks. Only by synchronizing the rhythms can the formation be broken."

The accompanying image is a GIF. In the image, a player heroically shatters the core light blade in the center of the star array with a single sword strike. Then, the entire field of starlight collapses. The boss, Alsarian, nods slightly and says, "You have seen the starlight."

Dao Ye commented below:

"This line is triggered conditionally, and most people can't hear it at all."

The comment section under the post exploded:
[Oh my god, it turns out it’s not that I’m clumsy, it’s that I don’t have the “resonance”? ]

[The mechanics of this game aren't just about action, they're about philosophical manipulation...]

[Once I finish this phase, I'll also make a video called "When the Game Starts to Talk About the Structure of Fate."] Meanwhile, the homepage of Bilibili was dominated by videos related to Astral Gate. The user "Remaining Light Knight" uploaded a homemade MAD, "Astral Gate's Final Light," which used the animation of the game's ultimate move, "Severing World," paired with Maaya Sakamoto's "Be Mine." The editing was smooth and emotional, and the screen was filled with a barrage of comments:
【Here it comes, here it comes! Kill him! 】

【Oh my god, my tears are coming down! 】

[I couldn't contain myself when Alzarian nodded!]

【This is not a game, this is epic! 】

In the comment section, Canguang Knight responded to fans' messages and said:

"It took me 35 hours to get through the Ether Remnant. I recorded every scene, not for the source material, but because I couldn't bear to miss any lines."

"I even feel that this game isn't for me to 'play,' it's for me to 'participate.'"

One night, Huya's anchor "Under the Night Sky" explored the hidden room of the "Beginning of Destiny" ruins with the audience in the live broadcast room.

He searched the entire temple and finally found a faintly glowing star map behind a weathered stone wall.

"Wait, this picture...does it look like the star map behind Alzarian in the main storyline?"

The audience barrage exploded instantly:

[The one on the upper left is indeed similar! ]

【Quickly post the main line screenshots for comparison! 】

[You touched it correctly! This is the Celestial Melody Chart!]

Under the night sky, he immediately took out the Key to the Star Realm and gently touched the core of the star map.

"Ding--"

The scene trembled, the stone wall slowly cracked, and a spiral staircase quietly opened up, leading underground. As he went deeper and deeper, ancient spells and flowing light emerged under his feet. He held his breath and concentrated, step by step, entering the never-before-mentioned area.

The barrage has exploded:

【Hidden plot?!】

[I've been traversing the main questline for two days and still haven't found this place! ]

[Please record the video! Please give me some tips!]

On the other hand, in the "Star Realm Second Creation Fan Zone" of Tieba, a user named "Purple Star Core" published his own novel series: "Under the Star Realm, the Afterglow Never Sleeps."

The first chapter begins like this:

"He stood at the edge of the void abyss, the Astral Key in his palm beating like a heart. It was not a weapon, but his final contract with fate."

"The world collapsed, time froze, and only he remembered the oath - 'If I cannot die for the world, I will live for the world.'"

The comment section exploded:
[Fuck, this is even more exciting than the official one! ]

[I don't need an official novel anymore, I'll just look at what you write! ]

[Please update daily, otherwise I will go to the Star Realm Council to petition you to become a Star Realm writer]

"Violet Star Core" is updated with 3,000 words every day. In the twelfth chapter, it even created an original character "Star Reflection Irene", a star walker who had failed the trial of fate.

Surprisingly, in the subsequent game updates, the official actually added an NPC named "Eileen" to the hidden mission, and her setting was almost exactly the same as the character created by "Violet Star Core".

Tieba exploded instantly:

[Are you a ghost?!]

[Xinghe, who are you?!]

[Is this the first case of a folk story being incorporated into an official setting?!]

The Stargate development team posted an intriguing tweet:
"Destiny is not written by us, but constructed by you. Thank you to every Star Walker."

After that, the "Star Creation Plan" was officially launched. Players can submit their own secondary creation settings, character sketches, and plot branches. The outstanding ones will have the opportunity to be included in the subsequent chapters of the game.

The player "Feng Mian" designed a star relic swallowed by yellow sand, and added a hand-drawn map and quest chain text. After being selected, it became the official branch of "Land of No Dreams".

She wrote on Weibo:
“While I was painting, I suddenly burst into tears because I was creating a world that others could enter, feel, and save.”

"I finally understand why we are so invested in a game—"

"Because it's not a 'game', it's a different world where we can live, think, and change our own destiny."

After that, the setting drawings of "Feng Mian" were officially printed into a physical setting collection, which was sold out within five minutes during the limited release.

At the same time, in a game narratology course at a well-known domestic university, the professor listed "Stargate" as a classic example of "interactive narrative structure."

In class, the professor played a cutscene of the hero's battle with his "dark self" and asked the students:

"Who do you think the real 'opponent' is?"

Students raised their hands:

"It's my own fear."

"It's a fate not chosen."

“It’s the possibility of being forgotten.”

The professor nodded and said with a smile:
"So do you understand? Games are not about escaping reality, but about facing reality in another way."

In the corners of the night, countless players are still uploading their star travel diaries on Station B:

Some people recorded that they spent four hours just sitting in the hall of "The Beginning of Destiny" and listening to the BGM; some people specially collected poems from every astral rift to piece together a hidden cosmic myth; some people made a small program to record their psychological changes at each "decision point"; and some people wrote themselves into the game and reconstructed the soul trajectory of the brave with words.

StarGate is no longer just a product, it has become a cultural phenomenon - players are no longer "players", but creators, recorders, and participants.

They cry, laugh, fight and think in this world.

They no longer escape from reality, but face life again with the courage and fantasy they learned from the game.

Someone wrote this on Zhihu:

"I'm thirty years old and an ordinary office worker, but I became a Star Walker through the Star Gate."

"I restored seven worlds, saved countless souls, and finally, redeemed myself."

This answer received 300,000 likes.

In the comment section, a highly praised message read:

"We have all been lost, but we have all lifted the key to the astral world one night."

"We will all be forgotten by the world, but we have changed the world."

"We are the Star Walkers."

The light is no longer just a special effect on the screen, but a flame ignited in the hearts of players.

That is a star realm that belongs to everyone. It belongs to everyone who is willing to fight for their destiny. (End of this chapter)