A Sudden Long-distance Relationship

Xu Zhi quickly walked out of the Orchard Courtyard's gate and stood at the entrance, chatting with Chen Xi.

"What exactly are you doing? Can farming really make you happy?"

Chen Xi peered curiously into the courtyard. Other than a patch of lush vegetables growing quite well, she saw nothing. She could only whisper, "Hey! I'm really upset. Am I not pretty enough? You hardly ever ask your pretty girlfriend out on dates."

Xu Zhi said, "Don't I often go shopping with you? Don't we ride the Electric Scooter around together in the mornings?"

Faced with Chen Xi's mild resentment, Xu Zhi felt that he had not neglected to spend time with her.

Other than farming, Xu Zhi was not completely shut-in. Every morning, he went out for a walk and rode the Electric Scooter around with her. It was quite carefree and relaxing.

Though he had always felt that farming was far more interesting than dating his girlfriend.

"That's different. You spend one hour with me each day, then farm all day long." Chen Xi was very dissatisfied. She whispered, "I've been working hard to learn about this, taking our dates very seriously. Is my charm really not enough?"

"What have you been learning?" Xu Zhi could not help laughing.

"I have to go back to school in four days." Chen Xi was furious, then immediately became listless. "Summer vacation is about to end."

Xu Zhi froze for a moment as he took the lunchbox.

After calculating the days, he realized that summer vacation was ending. In an instant, he snapped out of his battles of wits with those Sand Sculpture Players in the courtyard.

Honestly, he would have a hard time adjusting without her delicious packed lunches every day.

He knew very clearly how Chen Xi felt about him. She had come through for him when he needed it most, voluntarily staying by his side when he had terminal cancer and was at his loneliest, becoming his girlfriend and accompanying him through the final stretch of his life.

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Long-distance Relationship isn't a big deal. We can call and video chat."

He had already planned it out. They could talk on the phone every day, admire the countryside scenery, then he could farm and tend to the Sand Table. It was an exceptionally wonderful and peaceful rural life.

"That's different. Completely different."

Chen Xi stubbornly said, like a young couple about to be separated, "That's a Long-distance Relationship. Calls and video chats aren't really being together."

Xu Zhi was speechless. His brow twitched. "Oh, right. Have you heard of a game called Spore Evolution?"

"No." Chen Xi froze for a moment.

As an Innocent Beautiful Girl, she usually only played casual little games. She did not play overly violent ones.

"It's a casual Sand Table game, very relaxing and very free. It's a construction game like Minecraft. Have you played it?" Xu Zhi smiled.

"Minecraft? I have." Chen Xi nodded this time.

Xu Zhi said, "I heard this casual Sand Table game is Black Technology. It's a second world, completely realistic. We can meet there. It'll be just like meeting in real life, much more real than video chatting."

"Really?"

Chen Xi froze. "A completely realistic second world? We can meet there?"

Xu Zhi thought for a moment, then added, "But the closed beta slots have certain requirements. You need to write a scientific paper on natural evolution."

Chen Xi was instantly dumbfounded. Her eyes widened in shocked suspicion. "A scientific paper? Are you sure this is a casual game?"

"It's fine. I can handle it."

Xu Zhi reassured her. "Once you're back at school, just download the game. I'll hire someone to write the paper and get you a closed beta slot. Then you can just log in. But your school computer probably isn't powerful enough to run it. I'll pay around twenty thousand yuan to buy you one that can."

"Love you!"

Chen Xi immediately grew excited. She fiercely kissed Xu Zhi on the cheek, then shyly skipped away.

Xu Zhi stood at the courtyard entrance and lightly touched the cheek she had fiercely kissed. He laughed. "Sure enough, throw enough money around and say some cheesy lines, and no girl can resist."

As the Creator, it was one thing for the spores created in his little Sand Table to rebel against him, and for Gilgamesh in the Great Sandbox to spend every day plotting to kill a god. But if he could not even fulfill his girlfriend's tiny request, what kind of Creator would he be?

As for a closed beta slot, wasn't that just a matter of a single word from him?

Of course, buying a high-end computer powerful enough to run it would cost him a bit. Of his one hundred thousand yuan in savings, twenty thousand had been spent, leaving only eighty thousand.

"Money is meant to be spent. It's nothing, but I really should find a way to make more." After comforting Chen Xi, Xu Zhi did not think much of it. He still had plenty of ways to earn money.

Actually, when the two of them usually dated, they only rode around, looked at the scenery, and chatted.

In the future, they could move their dates to the miniature Sand Table. The scenery there was quite nice too, with clear waters and green mountains. The two of them could sightsee while watching a bunch of Sand Sculpture spores, strange creatures, race madly around everywhere.

It truly was a beautiful, dazzling fantasy world.

Perhaps this little Sand Table was incredibly wise. It had gained yet another use and become a place for them to meet and date.

After dealing with Chen Xi's anxiety over their Long-distance Relationship, Xu Zhi merely smiled. Holding the lunchbox at the gate, the worry in his heart finally settled.

Meanwhile, inside the courtyard.

"Genesis? What's this?"

A group of players could not help crying out.

"Why did this term—Genesis—suddenly appear in the game Sand Table of our Spore Evolution? Could this be a hidden story branch, or the world setting of this Sand Table game?"

The players clicked their tongues in wonder. They were deeply shocked and wildly excited, as if they had discovered a new continent.

Sure enough, this game had an absurdly high level of freedom. It was like real life itself—every hidden storyline had to be explored.

In the players' eyes, their actions had clearly triggered the main plot! That was right!

They were going to attack the boss, so they had definitely triggered a cutscene! Which of the players present was not an Online Game veteran?

Naturally, they knew that most Online Games had world settings. Western fantasy Online Games and Eastern immortal cultivation Online Games all had their own historical storylines. They must have triggered a background-story cutscene.

"I never expected this Sand Table game to have a background setting too! I thought it was simply a Sand Table world for evolving spores!"

"The design team may be hardcore, but they're unbelievably conscientious! They even gave us a whole background world to uncover!"

All sorts of bizarre and exotic species sprawled across the enormous page, talking excitedly among themselves.

"Stop messing around and wasting time. Hurry up and turn to the next page to see what this book, Genesis, actually says. Damn it, brothers, this game is fucking hardcore! We players even have to turn the pages ourselves to trigger the background-introduction cutscene!"

The group had stumbled into it by accident, believing that they had triggered a game storyline.

Then, led by Mount Akina Speed, everyone hurriedly worked together, scrambling off the enormous page and turning the second page. On it were three words: "Dark Martial Era."

Dark Martial Era. Heaven and earth changed abruptly. The sun set and the moon rose, plunging the world into five thousand years of endless darkness. Ninety-nine percent of marine life went extinct. Only Blue Moon Grass survived by absorbing moonlight, becoming the sole surviving species and multiplying rapidly. It flourished greatly throughout the dark ocean. Blue Moon Grass became the overlord of this era!

The first mass extinction?

Countless faces trembled slightly.

"These are ancient historical eras?"

"Don't study it too closely! Hurry and record it with the VR Glasses. We can figure it out later. If we delay any longer, the giant boss will come back. Next page!" someone shouted in a low voice.

Countless people snapped out of their daze. It was their first time playing a game with such excitement that they felt almost mentally unstable.

It was too thrilling. This sneaky feeling was utterly exhilarating.

In an instant, they turned to the next page.

Three words were written there: "Light Martial Era."

Light Martial Era. Heaven and earth changed abruptly. The moon set and the sun rose, leaving a blazing sun suspended in the sky for five thousand years. The Blue Moon Grass overlord that had endured the Dark Martial Era began to suffer widespread extinction. Yet Purple Zhao Grass, a weaker branch of Blue Moon Grass, unexpectedly rose into the sky and became the protagonist of this era, ruling over it!

Ruling over a vast era? The protagonist of an age?

The second mass extinction?

Everyone completely lost their composure and hurriedly turned to the next page.

Three words were written there: "Newborn Era."

Newborn Era. The era welcomed new life as all kinds of animals exploded into existence. The first marine animals appeared. It was a golden age of species, where countless contenders competed in splendor. Invertebrates relied on their shells to dominate the seas for a time, becoming the overlords of the era. Yet they did not rule for long before vertebrates were born and defeated them through their agility. Vertebrates became the overlords of the Newborn Era and would rule over a long, vast age!

What was this?

They half understood it, yet also found it incomprehensible.

The background setting of this Sand Table game seemed difficult to understand, but its worldview also felt immensely vast. This Sand Table game was incredibly free, and there was still so much they had not uncovered!

It was not until they turned to the next page and reached the fourth era of this vast history that they were completely dumbfounded.

Genesis. Intelligent species appeared. The intelligent ape race developed tribal city-state civilization, drove away giant beasts, and became the overlords of the era. Yet they were cruel and violent, intolerable to Heaven. The Great Flood descended from the skies and destroyed all living things. The third mass extinction began, wiping out ninety-nine percent of all life.

Intelligent life had once appeared!?

City-state civilization?

The Great Flood from the heavens was actually the third mass extinction? Hiss!!

Seeing this, everyone completely lost their composure. They sucked in a cold breath, trembling as they hurriedly turned to the next page. There, they saw the line Xu Zhi had just written—the fifth era that was currently unfolding.

Prosperous Witch Era. God of Wisdom Hermes spoke with the people of the earth. The Three Witches thereby opened the path of Witches. In Babylon, year 198, the Three Witches reached the end of their lifespans. The god bestowed a miracle to mourn them.

God of Wisdom! Hermes! What exactly was this!? Everyone's minds went blank, as though a magnificent and grand game Sandbox World were slowly unfolding before their eyes.