Higashino Makoto raised his hand, and a familiar black sphere appeared in his palm.
It is a space created by the "Creator".
He reconnected space with the world.
Then he opened the door.
This time, it's about taking soil.
The earth began to tremble.
A massive rift begins fifty kilometers outside the city federation and encircles the Baharuth Empire and the Dragon Kingdom.
The mainland was like a giant cake, and Higashino Makoto took a slice with a spoon.
A long strip of land, approximately 20 kilometers wide and 10 kilometers deep, was removed.
Then, seawater rushed in.
The tunnels turned into straits, and the straits turned into the sea, a sea that encircles the entire northwestern continent.
The seawater shimmered with golden light under the sun, and the waves crashed against the cliffs on both sides, making a rhythmic sound.
That was the new frontier of this continent, a natural and difficult-to-cross barrier.
Higashino Makoto stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the newly formed ocean below.
The golden eyes reflected the shimmering sea, their expression utterly unchanging.
It's done.
Tingyun stood behind him, her Kohaku eyes gazing at the sea, her fox ears standing straight up.
"My lord... you've cut the continent in two?"
"I guess so, I just took some land."
"Those... those countries..."
They'll be fine.
Higashino Makoto shook his head.
"The tunnels only cut through uninhabited areas; there were no cities, no villages, no farmland. Just some forests, some mountains, and some rivers."
He paused.
"Forests can be replanted, mountain paths can be rebuilt, and rivers can be rerouted. But boundaries, once formed, cannot be easily changed."
Tingyun looked at him, her Kohaku eyes flashing with complex emotions.
"My lord, do you really think... a sea can stop those threats?"
"It can't be completely blocked."
Higashino Makoto's answer was concise and to the point.
"But it can block most of them, increasing the cost for demi-humans to wage war or hunt; the rest is up to humans themselves."
He turned around and walked in another direction.
"Let's go, there's still a lot to do."
It took Higashino Makoto seven whole days to complete the basic framework of the Creator Space.
Ocean, land, lava, forest, desert.
Everything is there.
But everything was "borrowed".
Seawater is borrowed from the ocean of this world.
The soil was borrowed from this continent.
Even the air is borrowed.
The sky is an illusion, not the real sky, but a curtain of light formed by magic, simulating sunrise and sunset, and the ever-changing clouds.
The land is barren.
Some of the plants that were forced to enter quickly adapted, and some birds and animals also began to breed and thrive here.
The ocean is silent.
There were no large fish or corals, but a small number of fish, shrimp, and algae stubbornly survived.
But Higashino Makoto was not disappointed.
Because he knew this was just the beginning.
"Tingyun."
"Exist."
What does this space remind you of?
Tingyun thought for a moment.
"Like... a baby."
Higashino Makoto chuckled softly.
"Baby?"
"Yes, a baby. A newborn, knows nothing, can do nothing, but has infinite possibilities."
Higashino Makoto looked at her, a certain light gleaming in his golden eyes.
"Maybe."
He turned around and looked at that false sky.
"It has endless possibilities."
He paused.
"And it is mine."
Tingyun's lips curled up slightly.
"Yes, sir, it is yours."
Higashino Makoto stood there, gazing at the sky, and remained silent for a long time.
Then he turned around and walked back the way he came.
"Let's go, it's time to head back."
"Sir, are you not going to continue?"
"I'm not continuing."
Higashino Makoto shook his head.
"The rest, let time do its work."
The two left the Creator Space and returned to Novas Etier.
The portal to the space closed silently behind them, transforming into a small, jet-black sphere that floated in Higashino Makoto's palm.
"The Creator..."
He said in a low voice.
"That's really terrifying."
He made a grasping motion in his palm, and the black ball vanished.
Tingyun followed behind him, her fox tail swaying gently.
"Grown ups."
"Um."
"Are you happy?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
"After all, I have a world of my own again."
Tingyun watched his retreating figure, her Kohaku eyes gleaming with a soft light.
"Then this young lady is happy too."
Higashino Makoto did not turn back.
But Tingyun could see that the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.
She quickened her pace, walked to his side, and walked alongside him.
The fox's tail gently wrapped around his wrist.
The two walked down the corridor of Novas Etier, their footsteps echoing in the empty space.
In the distance, artificial sunlight streamed in through the windows, bathing everything in a golden hue.
That was the start of a new day.
It also marks the beginning of a new world.
On the night Tingyun left, a faint, indescribable emotion permeated the corridor of Novas Etier.
The Tingyun period has ended.
Although for guardians who possess eternal life, separation is only a temporary interval, not a permanent loss.
A month is neither a long nor a short time; it's just enough to establish a habit, but not enough for that habit to become a dependency.
Higashino Makoto stood on the terrace of the Seventh Floor, gazing at the artificial starry sky outside the window.
Tingyun was gone; the warmth of the fox tail still lingered on his wrist, but the tail itself had disappeared at the end of the corridor.
She concluded by saying...
"I will return in two years."
"Okay, welcome."
Higashino Makoto said.
Then she left.
The footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor, the crisp sound of the silver ornaments grew fainter and fainter, and were eventually swallowed up by the sound of the wind outside the window.
Higashino Makoto stood there, gazing at the starry sky, and remained silent for a long time.
Then he turned around, walked back to his room, sat in the armchair by the window, picked up the last pot of tea that Tingyun had brewed before leaving, and took a sip.
The tea has gone cold.
It carried a hint of bitterness.
He didn't continue.
He simply sat there, his golden eyes gazing at the ceiling, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
Who's next?
He didn't know.
The rotation order was random; he didn't interfere.
But every time the player is replaced, he wonders, who will it be this time?
What kind of personality would they have?
What kind of surprises will it bring?
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Higashino Makoto did not get up.
"Come in."
Who's next?
He didn't know.
The rotation order was random; he didn't interfere.
So every time there's a change in personnel, he wonders who it will be this time?
What kind of personality would they have?
What kind of surprises will it bring?
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Higashino Makoto did not get up.
"Come in."