When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

Su Muqiu felt powerless as he looked at Lu Yuan's three-word reply.

"Leave me alone."

This supreme administrator seemed utterly uninterested in the miracles he had created. Whether it was bringing an entire race to its knees or launching a completely new class system, nothing seemed to matter to him as much as lounging on the sofa a little longer.

Qin Shiyue, who was next to her, also saw the reply. The highest commander of Dragon Shield showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, he wore an expression of "I knew it."

"Mu Qiu, you handle the aftermath," Qin Shiyue said in a deep voice. "Dwarves are natural-born craftsmen. Settle them in the forging center in the new city and give them the highest craftsmanship. Also, publicly declare that this is a strategic cooperation between 'Ark' and the Earthfire Dwarf Kingdom based on 'skill exchange'."

"I understand." Su Muqiu nodded immediately.

She knew that Qin Shiyue was trying to "rationalize" Lu Yuan's behavior and maintain the image of that gentleman as "unfathomable" in the eyes of the world.

Qin Shiyue's gaze shifted from the excited Su Muqiu's face to the huge holographic screen in the command center.

On the screen, the map of "Ark" was expanding at a visible pace. The life energy brought by the elves made the city lush and green, and the mines and forges where the dwarves were about to settle shimmered with the glow of energy. Everything was thriving and full of hope.

But a deep worry flashed in Qin Shiyue's eyes.

The more powerful "Ark" becomes, the more out of step with the outside world. While the rest of the world is still struggling for survival, Lu Yuan has already begun to plan for the next era.

He suddenly realized that they were playing a completely different game from Lu Yuan.

"Mu Qiu, I'm leaving this to you." Qin Shiyue straightened his collar, turned and walked out. "I... need to pay a personal visit to Mr. Lu."

……

Late at night.

Lu Yuan finally chased away all the subordinates who came to report on their work, enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet during the day.

He had just found a comfortable position on the sofa, preparing to sleep until noon the next day, when the doorbell rang at an inopportune moment.

Lu Yuan frowned and impatiently turned on the surveillance camera.

Standing at the door was Qin Shiyue.

He was all alone, without any guards, just standing there quietly, like a student who had come to seek the truth.

Lu Yuan sighed and opened the door anyway.

In the living room, Qin Shiyue did not sit down, but instead bowed deeply to Lu Yuan, who was dressed in casual clothes.

"Mr. Lu, I'm so sorry to bother you so late at night."

"Speak quickly if you have something to say." Lu Yuan's voice was slightly hoarse, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

"Sir, I am not here today on behalf of Dragon Shield, nor for any particular mission." Qin Shiyue's tone was extremely serious. "I am here for this country, for the hundreds of millions of compatriots still living on this land, to ask you for directions."

Lu Yuan leaned back on the sofa, raised an eyebrow, and gestured for him to continue.

Since the game's inception, the world has been plunged into chaos. Various factions wage war against each other for survival and power, a brutal struggle for dominance. Everyone is pursuing higher levels and stronger equipment, but is this truly the future?

Qin Shiyue's eyes were filled with confusion: "Until I saw the 'Ark.' You joined forces with the elves to create the Divine Gardener, solving the food problem; you enlightened the dwarves, enabling them to master divine forging techniques, solving the tool problem. Every step you took was not for mere 'strength,' but for 'creation.'"

"We... also want to embark on this path. But we don't know the direction. We earnestly request that you, sir, guide us and provide a guiding principle for the future of China!"

After he finished speaking, he bowed again.

Lu Yuan fell silent.

He finally understood. Qin Shiyue was envious of his side, which had both elves and dwarves leveling up too quickly, and had come to ask for a strategy guide.

He just wanted to live a quiet, uneventful life, so how did he become a life coach?

"You all have to walk your own paths," Lu Yuan said, waving his hand impatiently.

"Sir," Qin Shiyue didn't give up. Instead, he stepped forward, his eyes even more earnest, "We don't need you to bestow power or divine artifacts. We just need a direction, a common goal that everyone can strive for. Otherwise, even without monsters, humanity will perish in internal strife!"

Lu Yuan looked at Qin Shiyue's bloodshot eyes and sighed again.

He knew that he wouldn't leave until he gave this guy a satisfactory answer today.

The best way to solve this problem once and for all is to find them a "project" that is big enough, long enough, and can involve everyone.

Lu Yuan's consciousness sank into the system's backend.

Looking at the core of the system, which was formed from the collective subconscious of humanity and was constantly improving itself, he suddenly had an idea.

"Since you don't know where the road is, I'll draw you a map."

Lu Yuan closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, looked at Qin Shiyue, and said calmly:

"Go back and tell them that the future of this world does not depend on who has the stronger fist, but on who can bring more 'order' and 'new life' to this ravaged world."

"Order? New life?" Qin Shiyue pondered these two words.

"Go purify the polluted land, rebuild the destroyed homes, unite the races that can be united, create entirely new knowledge... The system will record all your contributions." Lu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry a magical power that defined the world. "Whoever contributes enough will gain the authority to modify some of the world's rules. This is the only path."

With a casual wave of his hand, a strange badge emitting a faint glow appeared out of thin air in front of Qin Shiyue.

"This is the 'Spark of Civilization.' Holding it will give your official organization a first-mover advantage."

Lu Yuan thought to himself.

That's fine. By supporting the most capable people, we can hold up the sky if it falls in the future, and then I can have some peace and quiet.

Qin Shiyue accepted the badge with trembling hands.

He felt that what he held in his hands was not a simple prop, but the future of an entire civilization.

"Thank you for showing me the way!"

Qin Shiyue bowed deeply again, then turned around and left quickly with unprecedented excitement and a sense of mission.

Just as he got into his car, ready to report this earth-shattering news to his superiors, a magnificent and vast system announcement resounded throughout the world, exploding in everyone's mind.

[World Announcement: System iteration complete! The second phase of the new era—"Chapter of Genesis"—officially begins!]

From this moment forward, the actions of all forces and individuals will be incorporated into the "World Contribution" assessment system.

The ways to obtain "World Contribution Points" include, but are not limited to: purifying data-contaminated areas, establishing and expanding safe zones, restoring civilized order, forming alliances with intelligent races, developing new technologies, creating new knowledge, etc.

When a faction's "world contribution" reaches a critical value, it will gain "world authority," allowing it to formulate "miniature laws" within its sphere of influence that conform to the fundamental laws of that world!

The announcement fell silent worldwide.

Three seconds later, it boiled completely!

"My God! The rules of the game... have completely changed!"

"To establish laws? This is to make us...gods?"

"Don't be naive! This is forcing us to transform from robbers into farmers! From plunderers into builders!"

"Quickly! Stop all guild wars immediately! Put all manpower into city building and cleanup missions! This is about seizing the initiative for the next era!"

At this moment, all forces around the world mobilized frantically. A global "creation" competition officially began.

The person who started all of this was lying on the sofa in the villa, covering his face with a cushion.

"Now I should be able to get a good night's sleep, right?"

He muttered something and rolled over.

Outside the window, a brand new era has begun.