Chapter 163 Public Beta! (two in one)

   Azure Federation.

   Iron Tower City.

  Universal time, in the morning, seven forty-five.

  Polaris took a deep breath and stepped into the sleeping cabin.

  He held on to the door frame of the machine, turned his head to look outside the room, and sighed at the unwashed dishes on the living room table.

  He got up early today, excited, just for the start of the public beta of "The Age of Mysteries". After waiting for more than two months, this day finally came.

  Polaris lay down in the sleeping cabin, the cabin door was slowly closed, and the nutrient solution began to pour in, covering his face. The signal of the equipment link was connected, and he gradually fell asleep.

   "The doctor said that grandma's illness can be cured, but amputation is required... I want to replace grandma with a mechanical prosthesis so that she won't be so sad.

   But it requires a lot of money... If you can, you must never take a loan from a consortium, the interest is too high, and you can't finish it.

  This game is my hope. With so many years of experience in games, I will definitely succeed in it. Earn enough money, cure grandma's illness, take her away from Iron Tower City, go to a better city in the Federation, and live a good life...! "

  A few thoughts flashed through Polaris' mind.

  【User "Polaris" requests access to...】

  【Connecting to the game...】

【connection succeeded! 】

  【Loading...】

  【Loading successfully! 】

  In the dark vision, the sound of wind began to appear in the ears.

  A dim light lit up and turned into a kerosene lamp, hanging above his head, illuminating this small area.

   "Hey, I remember that there was no such thing during the closed beta."

  He chuckled curiously.

  Under the faint light of a kerosene lamp, a retro full-length mirror stood in front of him.

  Polaris walked over and looked in the mirror.

  In the mirror, there was an ordinary man with short black hair and ordinary facial features, except for a little more determination in his eyes.

  He was wearing trousers and a high-collared white shirt, a pair of mechanical gloves on his hands, and a trumpet gun on his waist.

  【Do you want to read the closed beta archive "North Star"? 】

"yes."

   Polaris confirmed.

  The next second, he felt that he had a shape and a sense of touch.

  He lowered his head to check, and found that his body inherited the image in the mirror, which was the male character during the closed beta.

  Polaris continued to walk forward, and found that the full-length mirror beside him was like a collapsed sand sculpture, turning into fine sand and drifting away into the darkness.

  The kerosene lamp on his head went out, and another one lit up in front of him, which seemed to be the direction to guide him.

  Polaris followed the lights and walked forward.

   Soon, a burst of intense light covered his vision, and everything he saw was white.

  Boom!

   There was a shock in my mind.

   Immediately Polaris found that his sight had returned to normal.

   But it appeared at a high altitude, looking down.

   Surrounded by misty white clouds, as well as a sacred and solemn beam of light that penetrates the clouds and forms from the sky.

  Below, there is a tall and magnificent building complex, which seems to be a certain city.

"this is…"

  He was so surprised that he opened his mouth and couldn't speak.

   "Yes... this is Trisur, the hometown of the sun, the center of the continent where the sun shines directly..."

  The voice of a holy young woman sounded in the head of Polaris.

  She expounded without emotion, like talking to herself, or like a narration.

  “…This is a place favored by the gods, a place bestowed by the gods.”

  After the female voice finished speaking, Polaris seemed to vaguely see a young woman kneeling on the ground in a golden palace, whispering.

   Needless to say, he also inexplicably learned the identity and name of the young woman—

  Princess of the Sun, Anna Trisul.

  The misty clouds in front of Polaris began to surge.

  Hoohoo...!

  The clouds and mists were lifted again, and the exposed pictures turned into scenes of other cities, small towns and villages. Each region is different and full of diversity.

   After a flash, the screen stopped at a tall and solemn church. On the top of the towering building, there are angels holding fruit baskets on the outer wall, surrounded by the goddess in the middle.

  In the fruit basket, there are all ripe and sweet red apples.

   "This is Red Apple Church..."

  Polaris secret channel.

  On the screen, a series of barrages slowly drifted across.

   "Handsome! These buildings can only be seen in the game!" "Red Apple Church!"

  Seeing the raging barrage, Polaris realized that the images in front of him were the opening CG of the game and the official trailer.

   "Mysterious realm, touching the extraordinary... climbing sequence, the road to becoming a god..."

   That holy female voice is still whispering.

  The screen changed, and we came to a luxurious but feminine room.

  A man with green hair, shirtless on the upper body, wearing only a pair of linen trousers, walked to the edge of the bookcase, and found a large tome, with an excited smile on his face.

  Behind him, half of a woman's body could be seen on the big bed, as if she was asleep.

  Bullet screens flashed across—

"Gan Ziwen! My idol!" "Who is this ugliness?" "Protect our famous general!" "One of the two superhumans in the internal test?" "Ma'am, you don't want your husband to be laughed at." Is it too short?" "Understood! I'll be promoted later!"

  Polaris showed a surprised expression. He didn't expect that in the opening CG, there were still beta testers.

  The screen changed again and came to a bakery.

  A young girl with orange braids, wearing a white apron, is kneading the dough, with a pile of scrolls and stacked books next to her.

  On the other side of the desk sat a middle-aged uncle with unkempt appearance, smoking a pipe, squinting at the girl, and talking in his mouth.

  The girl had a look of joy on her face.

  The barrage popped up again—

"Let me answer quickly! This is a honey bun!" "I love you! Little bun!" "So she found her in a bakery?" "What luck is this!" Xi's two cards!"

  Polaris watched this scene and took a deep breath.

  He secretly told himself in his heart that he would definitely be able to become a Transcendent soon like them, and then reach the forefront of the player echelon.

  Because Polaris believes in his bet, the adventure during the closed beta, the mysterious and powerful NPC, Mr. Jack.

  He firmly believes that the final harvest will definitely be greater than other beta players...

  As for Su Keying releasing Jack's video, he didn't say much. This is Su Keying's choice...but it's for fame and money, perhaps a small part of showing off, and a little desire to share?

  Polaris doesn't blame her.

  Because Su Keying sent him money.

when!

   A dull bell began to echo.

   "Mysterious age, extraordinary world... crimes and fights are endless..."

  In the melodious but sad rhythm of the violin, the holy female voice continued to speak.

  The screen turned into fighting and fighting, dripping with blood.

  There are ordinary murder scenes, there are also battles between some people and ferocious beasts, and there are even fights between extraordinary people...

   Gory and gorgeous.

  The next second, Polaris widened his eyes.

  Because he actually saw himself.

  To be precise, it was me and Su Keying and the horsemen who watched the scene of Jack fighting Bishop Newman together during the closed beta.

  In the inner courtyard of the church, the young man with black wings on his back and a silver sword in his hand fought with the red-robed bishop who turned into a huge beast.

  The clanging swords and claws struck each other, sparks overflowing, very intense.

   This was exactly as he expected, the battle scene really became a trailer picture!

"Handsome duck!" "Mr. Jack's face! He is in the CG!" "Who is Jack you are talking about?" The BOSS won't show up easily!" "One look at the thimble, and I'm identified as a small monster in Xinshou Village!"

  Polaris watched these barrages silently.

  For some unknown reason, he was suddenly a little upset.

  Called the operation panel, he entered a line of text with a blank expression, and joined the ranks of the barrage:

   "The howling of ignorant defeated dogs!"

   He let out a breath and shook his head.

   Logically speaking, this is not his character. In the past, when he saw this kind of barrage, he laughed it off, but this time he couldn't hold back.

   It can only be said that the man is indeed very attractive...

   He couldn't help but maintain it.

   "After all, I am also a member of 'Jack Manor'!"

   Polaris told himself so.

  He thought of the task completion notification he received before the end of the internal test, and couldn't help but look forward to it... The token of the official member should be temporarily stored in the panel mailbox, right? Receive it after he enters the game.

  At this time, the female voice chanted again:

   "The spiritual world is in turmoil, but this world will be destroyed in one fell swoop."

  The hazy and unreal perspective of the picture, everything seems to be covered with a transparent curtain, twisting and shaking... The distant sky is dark, and slowly creeping towards the camera.

  A tall figure stands on the horizon, blocking the dark steps alone.

  There are countless sharp-edged long swords growing out of His back, layered on top of each other, forming a pair of steel wings, holding a red two-handed sword with golden light flowing, without looking back, heading towards the darkness ahead.

   With a bang, the light was dazzling, covering everything.

   "The scarlet fruit revives, and the shadow of doom descends."

  Inscribed with a huge palace with a golden sun logo, a figure whose appearance cannot be seen clearly is on the high seat, and countless people are crowded below, and all forces gather.

  A handsome man with red hair stood in the crowd, wearing a dark red robe and smiling.

  "The era is doomed to the birth of heroes, but it also hints at the emergence of sinners... Where will history eventually go, and how will the fate of the world be written... No one knows, and no one can predict."

  The holy female voice began to show emotional fluctuations, and she said with a slight trembling:

   "Use the world's great men, or saints, or angels, or those with endless potential...to follow the trajectory of their destiny, and you can also get boundless luck and powerful power to prevent the end of this world."

  On the highest seat of the Golden Palace, the man who couldn't see clearly was looking down.

   "The Sun King, Andre Trisul."

  In the hall full of rose petals, on a dark dining table, a man in black sat alone.

   "The Rose King, Mansfield."

  The wind and snow were fluttering, and at the highest point of the icy and snowy city wall, on a throne carved from ice crystals, a lady wearing tulle and a silver-white robe was looking into the distance.

   "King Shuli, Priscilla."

  In the deepest part of the grassland, on the top of a sky-high tower, there was an ordinary chair, on which an old man wearing a crown leaned crookedly.

   "King Byron, William Lev."

  The lost palace deep under the sea, the deserted and dilapidated throne is empty. There was only one figure crouching in front of the throne, motionless.

   "Peter Garcia, Seeker of Berliet."

  Polaris couldn't help feeling overwhelmed by the characters flashing through in these CGs. Just like those barrages said, these people must be the big players in the game and they are very important.

   Immediately afterwards, the holy female voice continued to explain a series of seven or eight characters, who seemed to be high-level figures in various churches.

  The screen flashes.

  A man wearing a flat black top hat, a black dress, a pair of black and brown gloves of different colors on each hand, and a man holding a silver cane.

  He faces the camera sideways, bowing his head in thought.

   "The man who guides fate, Jack Speight."

   Following the narration of the female voice, Polaris widened his eyes and muttered:

   "You made the right bet! You made the right bet... It really is true, the man guided by fate, Jack is too simple!"

   "Warriors of foreign lands, go, to this sunlit land—

  Experience the style, advance to the extraordinary, explore the mysteries, save the world..."

  The female voice finally said.

  Boom!

  All pictures turned into nothingness, shattered and dissipated.

   A gust of wind swept in, and Polaris couldn't help squinting his eyes.

  He suddenly felt himself back in the darkness.

  【Current time, Azure Federal Standard Time, 07:57...】

  【There is still a countdown to the "Secret Age" 1.0 public beta: 00:02:35...】

  Time ticks, Polaris looks at the countdown reminder that is queuing up, feeling a little bored.

   It feels like a lot of torture.

  Although it was only a short two minutes, when you stared at it, the seconds seemed like years.

   Soon, the time finally reached eight o'clock.

   This perfectly overlaps with the in-game time.

  Boom!

  Polaris noticed that the surrounding darkness suddenly shattered like glass, as if revealing the things underneath...

  Tap tap tap...

  jingle bell...

  Hoo...

  The sound of carriages, bells and wind, along with the sound of rolled up newspapers or fallen leaves, reached Polaris' ears.

  There was light all around, the temperature began to rise, and there was a strange smell, which seemed to be candy, and it seemed to be some kind of paint, which was a bit complicated.

  Polaris is very familiar with this smell. He knows that it is the unique smell emanating from a candy store near Jack's Manor.

  He shook his head and found that he was already in the alley.

   "Phew... Finally, I'm back."

  Polaris let out a breath and walked out of the alley.

   "Although it's a bit strange... I remember that we went offline in the manor villa, why did we go online here."

  Looking at the pedestrians and carriages on the street, he shook his head, no longer struggling, and a smile appeared on his face.

   Checked his panel, and he saw that the remaining mission rewards had not yet been claimed.

   After confirming to receive it, he found a silver ring in his palm.

  【Token-Silver Snake Ring】

  Item description: A ring forged from silver and other metals. It looks like a silver snake with a curved tail. The eyes are inlaid with emeralds. The letter "J" is engraved on the snake's head, which seems to represent a certain meaning.

   This is the token of an official member of the extraordinary force "Circus". Holding it can carry out daily activities in the circus resident, receive related commissions and tasks, and can also be exchanged for purchase of limited special products, etc.

   "'Circus'? Why not 'Jack's Manor'…?"

  Polaris's heart skipped a beat.

   "Could it be possible that Jack's influence has been destroyed by the authorities? It was the hands of the shelter and the church...?!"

  He was taken aback by his guess.

   Quickly opened the address book, and was about to send a text message to Su Keying and the horses, but saw the horses sent him a message first.

   "—Brother Polaris, have you received the 'Silver Snake Ring' token? How about we go to Jack's manor to gather first, and we'll talk about it when we meet."

  Polaris replied:

   "—Okay, we'll talk about it later."

  After sending the text message, he left the spot and headed straight for Jack's manor.

  *

  *

  *

  When Polaris came to the gate of Jack's Manor, he saw the horseman and Su Keying waiting here from afar.

   "Why are there only two of you, Gou Tou Jin and Wang Wang Wuji?"

   Polaris asked.

   "Don't know, I messaged both of them, but no reply yet..."

  The centaur shook his head.

   "Okay, since this is the case, let's go to the manor first to see what's going on... By the way, you haven't noticed that the faction we belong to has changed from 'Jack Manor' to 'Circus'?"

  Polaris leaned over and whispered to the two of them.

  Ma Ren and Su Keying suddenly showed strange expressions.

"What's wrong…?"

  Polaris looked puzzled.

  The horseman pointed to the two servants standing at the door, and whispered:

   "Just try it and you'll know."

   "Try...?"

  Polaris glanced at the two servants. They stood expressionlessly on both sides of the door.

   Then, he walked over directly, preparing to enter the manor.

   Shua!

  The two servants acting as gatekeepers immediately raised their hands and blocked his way.

   "Please leave."

  A servant said coldly.

  Polaris was taken aback, the manor didn't have this before.

  He quietly threw a probe at the two servants, and his heart skipped a beat.

"—A level 20 orange dangerous NPC, are these just two gatekeepers? I look at their panels, and they are all a series of horizontal bars. I can only see a 'killer LV10 (MAX)' hanging on the sub-professional! "

  Polaris sent a text message in the chat room.

  He could clearly feel the killing intent of these two people. It seemed that as long as he acted a little more out of line, he might cause the other party to attack and kill him on the spot.

   "—Brother, I asked you to show the token to try, not to make you die! (wiping sweat expression

  The horse sent a text message.

  Polaris was taken aback for a moment.

"-Polaris, you haven't noticed their identities, are they peripheral members of the 'circus'? We are 'full members', and logically our status is higher than them, don't worry... this may be during our offline period, New development for Jack."

  Su Keying sent a text message.

  After reading it, Polaris felt confident, so in front of the two gatekeepers, he took out the silver snake ring and put it on his finger.

   flashed in front of them, attracting their attention.

   "is a full member."

   The two gatekeepers looked at each other, confirmed Polaris' identity, and said.

   Then, one of them took out a letter and handed it to Polaris.

   "This is a letter from the leader, Mr. Jack."

"letter?"

  Polaris took it with a puzzled look on his face.

  He opened the letter on the spot and browsed it.

   Soon, Polaris showed a look of shock on his face.

   Thank you Brother Tape for your reward~

   And your monthly pass~Thank you very much~

  

  

  (end of this chapter)