Global Game: Developing a Knight Clan

Chapter 433 - 67: The Essence of the Game: You Don’t Lose, But I Make a Killing

Is ten thousand years a long time for Authority Level Deities?

No. At least, in the eyes of the Three Gods of the Cosmos, it was no more than the time it takes to have a nap.

It was only at the moment the True Game and the Cosmic Game truly merged that Lince finally understood the mechanics of the Cosmic Game.

The underlying logic of the Cosmic Game was actually not all that different from the True Game in many respects.

In other words, neither the True Game nor the Cosmic Game could do without the fundamental player base.

But there were key differences from the True Game.

The True Game’s player base was only Blue Star, and it recruited Players in a gentle manner.

The rules of the True Game even covered Blue Star, completely isolating the planet’s time flow from the outside world.

The Cosmic Game, however, was far more domineering.

This was because the Three Gods had existed since the Cosmic Game’s inception.

Therefore, under the Three Gods’ control, their rules for seeking Players were extremely simple and brutal.

They would choose, as much as possible, planets with developed civilizations as their source of Players.

After all, the inhabitants of unenlightened planets were too ignorant and inflexible. They lacked the broad knowledge and mental agility of beings from civilizations on the cusp of the modern era.

Consequently, the Players of the Cosmic Game, the "Ascenders," almost all hailed from worlds that had undergone an industrial revolution.

Of course, the Cosmic Game wouldn’t just absorb any near-modern civilization into its player base.

The rules established by the Three Gods operated on a simple principle: as long as they had enough "Ascenders," that was good enough.

Furthermore, even on the chosen planets, the surface-dwelling life-forms were subjected to a brutal screening process born of hardship.

The core tenet was survival of the fittest, designed to instill a sense of profound gratitude in the "Ascenders."

’I have to admit.’

’The Three Gods did have some skill.’

’But not much.’

’Still, no matter how you looked at it, the Three Gods were already powerful when they obtained the Cosmos. They certainly wouldn’t be as gentle as the True Game.’

Moreover, there was a crucial point, one that Lince had only just learned.

The True Game had first established itself on Blue Star.

Thus, the True Game had been imperceptibly influenced by the collective consciousness of Blue Star’s inhabitants—the Human Race.

And so began the great destiny of the otherwise unremarkable planet, Blue Star.

The True Game hadn’t been activated by beings like the Three Gods.

As a result, it had remained in a sort of standby mode for countless ages.

But even in standby, the True Game’s underlying logic—an operational mechanism akin to a "mastermind AI"—had made many preparations for its "boot-up."

Take, for example, the Power contracts the Deities of the Oakland Continent had previously encountered from the True Game.

Or how the fallen Dragon Race ultimately had every last bit of their value extracted by the True Game.

’I have to admit.’

At this point, Lince finally understood the origin of the True Game and the reason it had all begun on Blue Star.

Fragments.

Everything was fragments.

Just like the Cosmic Game, the True Game was also a fragment.

This fragment resembled a dim, yellow flame.

This flame was shaped like a fragment, yet it wasn’t a true fragment.

In short, no one knew what it was.

This was also true for the fragment the Three Gods controlled, the one that became the Cosmic Game.

However, the Three Gods speculated that these fragments were likely connected to the primordial secrets of the Cosmic Star Sea’s birth.

As for why the fragments’ Abilities manifested in the form of a "game"...

...the God of Thousand Faces was the greatest authority on the matter!

Take the Cosmic Game, for instance. It was actually acquired by chance by one of the God of Thousand Faces’ avatars.

When he said he "acquired it by chance," what he really meant was that by the time he discovered the Cosmic Game, it was already operating on a world with a civilization similar to one on the verge of modernity!

And at the very beginning of the game’s operation, the God of Thousand Faces used his absolute power to utterly destroy that planet!

That planet was not as fortunate as Blue Star.

It had no one like Lince to prevent it all.

Thus, after the planet was annihilated, the "Cosmic Game" fell into an unresponsive state.

No matter what the God of Thousand Faces tried, he could not reactivate the Cosmic Game.

So in the end, that god sought out the God of All Machines and the Mother of All Things.

And so, after the tireless efforts and research of the three of them...

...the Cosmic Game was finally reactivated.

And from its reactivation, they could determine three basic conditions were likely required.

First, a world civilization that has just entered a near-modern era. Its inhabitants must have a relatively high awareness and acceptance of the cosmos, possessing potential for cultivation. The fragment will then unfold its Power in the form most easily accepted by the beings of that world. Therefore, in the God of Thousand Faces’ view, a fragment doesn’t necessarily have to manifest as a game, but the available modes of manifestation are limited.

Second, on the planet chosen by the fragment, there must exist a "lucky one." This individual doesn’t need to be exceptionally strong, but they must possess a mysterious and profound compatibility with the "fragment," giving them the future opportunity to completely control and merge with it.

Third, once a fragment chooses a civilization as its underlying operational logic, not even beings as powerful as the Three Gods can alter this fact. For example, when the Three Gods managed to get the fragment to a new planet that met the first two conditions, the Players from the original world—whose souls it had protected—were all reborn when the Cosmos began operating again. Although it was a rebirth in the Game World, they were indeed the first batch of Players, the "Ascenders." The majority of these individuals went on to become members of the Three Gods’ direct Clans.

As for the purpose of the fragments, not even the Three Gods could say for sure.