In the distant past, on Blue Star.
"Painter has finally gone mad. It's rare to see him show his face." In an esports hotel, Xin Xichen and Ning Zheng sat in leather recliners, playing an old-fashioned console game together.
"I thought he was a warmonger from the start."
Xin Xichen gave a proud, mocking laugh. "But he got his wish. He built the ultimate perfect artwork in his eyes—the Chronicle of Ages."
"He really is an artist pursuing the ultimate dream." A trace of mockery flickered across his face. "Our entire former Nine Continents world was nothing more than the Chronicle of Ages' experimental field."
Xin Xichen kept working the controller, playing through the stages.
"I actually think he's exactly like those protagonists from the stealth-path stories." Ning Zheng teased him. With a grab at the void, he pulled out a large pile of physical copies of this era's web novels.
"Look. He hid away for his entire life without ever leaving home, secretly pushed the era forward, and when he finally appears, it's at the final battle—the moment when he settles everything with one strike."
"Doesn't that look exactly like the situation now?"
Ning Zheng had always wanted to complain. Painter was far too mysterious, with countless trump cards, practically a protagonist from a story brought into reality.
Whoosh~
Xin Xichen reached out and tapped once, burning the web novels to ashes. After learning their contents, he nodded.
"It really is quite similar. According to the usual plot, he's already entered the final chapter of his novel.
"After hiding for his entire life and cultivating until his divine art reached perfection, he finally comes out of seclusion. The moment he does, he'll defeat the possible enemy lurking behind the scenes, overthrow evil, and welcome a joyous, universally celebrated happy