After just a single public appearance, Tomorrow's Development gained nearly a thousand new members. And this was only the beginning. Felix couldn't possibly stand at the gates of Lungmen forever, personally welcoming each new arrival.
NPCs had to maintain a certain distance from players. If the leader himself stooped to personally recruiting every single adventurer, it would cheapen his standing and strip away the sense of mystery that a leader should carry.
Encouragement and recognition were necessary, but holding players in the palm of his hand as though they were fragile treasures would be going too far. At the end of the day, players were always the Fourth Calamity—the freest mercenaries in Terra. Today they might join Tomorrow's Development for profit; tomorrow, they might chase a better offer elsewhere. Sentiment alone wouldn't hold them.
Within just three days, the number of players who had entered Lungmen surpassed sixty thousand. The vast majority chose to join Tomorrow's Development. Only a handful stayed unaffiliated, wandering the city streets to see if any other factions were worth pledging to.
And Lungmen was vast. If they came just to sightsee, they could spend days without covering half the districts. But these players weren't tourists—they would be living here. Using missions as excuses to scout locations was the smarter play.
For many, just this one city felt more alive than any old games had to offer. Its map dwarfed those old titles, and the sheer freedom it promised left players intoxicated with joy at their newly minted temporary residency.
Some immediately dove into shopping for stylish "glamour" outfits—choices far beyond what Newbie Town could provide. Others stuffed themselves at restaurants, marveling at flavors leagues better than the bland rations they'd grown used to. A few already dreamed of settling permanently, combing listings with Tomorrow's Development staff for available housing. Competition was fierce—prime rentals were scarce. More than once, landlords looked on in terror as rival groups of Undead came to blows over who got to sign first.
Unsurprisingly, public security inside Lungmen cratered on day one. Just as Wei Yenwu had predicted, troublemakers couldn't resist the temptation. Out of tens of thousands of players, some inevitably chose the red-name path. One group hijacked a car the moment they entered, reenacting Grand Theft Auto on the streets of Lungmen.
Officer Chen cursed under her breath as she slammed the gas pedal, sirens wailing in pursuit.
The alarms of Lungmen's elevated expressways howled for a full day and night. Hundreds of players tanked their reputation values with Lungmen into the negatives. Worse, members of Tomorrow's Development discovered that their faction standing had dropped too. Any lower, and they risked expulsion.
Eventually, Nine and Chen rounded them up, slapped on handcuffs, and hauled the lot off to the Guard Bureau prison to begin their jail time.
News of this spread fast. Few were surprised. After all, they were the Fourth Calamity—who among them didn't have a little destructive impulse? Still, the sheer power of Lungmen's Guard Bureau shocked them. This wasn't like Newbie Town's half-asleep patrol guards. The difference was night and day.
New waves of players continued flooding in, while the job of guiding newcomers passed from MagicZX to others.
The veterans—the ones who had joined Tomorrow's Development back at the end of 1.0—gathered together. Their mission was heavier than running errands for newbies. They bore the higher responsibility of pioneering alongside the Pioneer himself.
Such a lofty duty sat squarely on their shoulders, and even professional players couldn't hide their excitement. New maps meant new opportunities, new resources. Running missions with the Pioneer guaranteed both money and contribution points—currencies that could be traded for rare gear in the faction store.
It was no wonder many envied the sidearm strapped to MagicZX's waist. When Yanfei, a Sankta player, saw the pistol, her eyes lit up. She clasped her hands together and begged him to at least let her see its stats.
Felix was a little surprised. In this life, Yanfei hadn't taken her group Yanyu Pavilion to Laterano. Instead, she'd stayed in Lungmen and stuck with Tomorrow's Development. Whether her presence would prove blessing or burden for the group's future was hard to say. Still, since they had chosen to stay, Felix would make sure they never regretted it.
"Are we heading to Kazimierz next with the Pioneer?" someone asked, curiosity brimming. "What's the big news there these days?"
Players clustered by nationality, their groups clear-cut. Among the CN contingent, Xi Yiye spoke first, tossing the question onto the table and setting the conversation rolling.
Yang Yan XF leaned on his hand thoughtfully.
"I got word from the Kazimierz strategy group—the preliminaries for the once-every-four-years Major Knight Tournament have already started. If the Pioneer's goal is tied to that… it wouldn't be surprising."
He exchanged a glance with Magic ZX, then nodded.
"Four years ago, the Pioneer went to the Kawalerielki City. That was his first encounter with the Black Knight, and also the origin of the dungeon Rainy Night Rider. If he's heading back there now, it won't just be to watch the games—he must have other business too."
"We might not be much compared to top NPCs, but at least we can be his support."
Huangtian Houtu crossed his arms and muttered. He still remembered how, when he first came to Lungmen, he thought he was invincible… only to witness the terrifying strength of the Guard Department operators. No wonder runaway players never escaped—when a dozen giant, heavily armed enforcers thirty levels higher rushed in to arrest you, all you could do was lie on the ground and yell: 'Help!'
"Kazimierz is all about knight culture. Who knows—maybe this trip we'll get lucky with some kind of event."
A few professional players with Defender classes nodded at that. To be honest, the knight subclass had excellent stat bonuses for melee builds, and if advanced properly, it synergized with heavy units—turning them into both shields and sources of real damage.
Now that the level cap had been raised to 60, everyone wanted to grind fast, level up, and earn money for gear. But they quickly discovered that the 30–60 stretch wasn't easy at all. Not only did second- and third-tier promotions double the EXP requirements, but maxing out skills and traits drained just as much. Even pro players couldn't just breeze through.
"I heard there's a black market in the Kawalerielki City… should we check it out?"
Xueyu whispered carefully. He spoke quietly enough that only their group caught it.
"I'm in."
"No problem."
"Count me in."
Everyone agreed readily. Just the thought of a black market made their blood stir—lawless playgrounds always did that. What kind of shady goods would be up for auction? They couldn't wait to find out.
Of course, casual players thought differently. With their wallets, there was no chance they'd outbid pros on good gear. Instead, some of them… started eyeing slaves.
Yes—slaves. To their shock, players discovered that Kazimierz still had an active slave system. With enough money, you could outright buy people. The forums blew up when one player livestreamed himself sneaking into the black market, successfully purchasing a ten-year-old black-haired girl—only to be forcibly logged out the moment he brought her home.
The thread exploded. Female players were outraged. Some male players protested in righteous anger. And a certain breed of bored, shameless LSPs just laughed it off.
Even in the Pioneer's absent past life, when he never existed as an NPC, this was exactly how version 2.0 began. And in that timeline, mid-way through 2.0, the Pioneer eventually saved enough money and went to Kazimierz himself… where he bought quite a few slaves.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor, cutting off the chatter in the lounge. The door swung open—three people entered.
The Pioneer, Felix, had changed into a new outfit: a sleek inner coat with faint futuristic design elements over his well-toned frame. At his side stood Loughshinny—the "Wyvern goddess" who, to many players, had become a white moonlight figure. Her gentleness and warmth always stirred bittersweet memories, like that fleeting first love that never really existed: the afternoon sunlight pouring into a classroom, golden and soft, the girl standing by your desk with a faint smile—
"Stayed up too late again last night?"
Yeah. They cried. Did you?
On Felix's other side was someone who made the players' eyes widen in nostalgia. Once a little loli, now a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old beauty—Senomi. She smiled playfully, her black-and-white coat bearing the Tomorrow's Development insignia. A soft pink tail peeked out behind her, twitching back and forth—an irresistible, almost maddeningly cute sight.
"Is everyone here?"
Felix's tone was calm, businesslike. He wasn't smiling—he spoke like a leader about to assign a mission. The players quickly counted their squads, then one after another nodded in confirmation.
"Pioneer, are we driving there?"
One of the players asked with uncertainty.
Felix shook his head. "No. We'll be using something much faster."
The players didn't fully understand until they found themselves boarding a tourist bus that took them all the way to the airport. When they finally laid eyes on the massive transport aircraft parked on the runway, their jaws nearly hit the floor. So this was how they were heading to the Kawalerielki City… It was certainly faster than a car.
But the cost of such a plane—surely it couldn't be cheap, right?
They craned their necks, gawking at the enormous machine from every angle before following staff inside. Once seated, many of them looked around wide-eyed like country bumpkins on their first city trip. Sure, they had taken commercial passenger planes in real life, but who had ever flown in a military transport aircraft?
Moreover, this is the first time they have boarded the military transport aircraft that once carried the Autobots in Transformers 2. And this makes players wonder what the Pioneer's relationship with the USAF... uhh Columbian Air Force is for him to have a C-17 in his arsenal.
Felix stepped into the cockpit. Sitting in the co-pilot's seat was Mostima, who looked up and gave him a nod in greeting.
"Mostima-sis, long time no see."
From behind Felix, Senomi appeared, her smile sweet as she waved.
"Eh? Senomi! It really has been a long time. How did you get here?"
Mostima reached out and playfully pinched her soft cheek. Senomi laughed and explained, "Since Brother Felix was heading to the Kawalerielki City, I asked Sister Carnelian for leave. Then I came alone by transport plane straight to Lungmen Airport."
It was worth noting that in this era, flights—both in number and frequency—were scarce. With Catastrophes looming unpredictably, that was only natural.
"This trip to the Kawalerielki City… I guess it's like returning home."
Felix gently stroked Senomi's pink hair, enjoying the soft texture beneath his palm. The blissful expression she wore in return made him feel at ease. The timid, frightened child who once shrank from his presence had grown into a graceful young lady—thanks in part to his subtle guidance, and even more to the support of their extended family.
"How nice," Mostima chuckled. She squeezed Senomi's hand affectionately before glancing sideways at Felix. "I've already marked potential Catastrophe zones on the map."
"Much appreciated."
Just like in his previous life, Mostima had taken on the role of messenger while also dedicating herself to studying Originium arts and Catastrophe research. Mastering arts allowed her to wield Lock and Key more effectively, while studying Catastrophes ensured she could keep Felix safely out of danger zones.
With a Catastrophe Messenger aboard, their flight would be smooth.
When Mostima left the cockpit, Senomi immediately nestled against Felix, rubbing her head against the plating of his inner armor like a spoiled kitten.
"I didn't expect you to take leave for this," Felix said, rubbing her head.
She peeked up at him nervously, her voice barely above a whisper. "Brother Felix… are you mad?"
"Surprised, yes. Mad, no," he replied calmly, continuing to ruffle her hair. Her cheeks flushed pink, blooming like twin roses.
"Mandragora went to Victoria with you too," she murmured shyly. "So of course I couldn't fall behind."
"Fine, since you're here, let's get you used to the work ahead."
Senomi nodded without hesitation. She didn't need to be told—she already planned to seek out Loughshinny for advice. She wanted nothing more than to stay by Felix's side, and to help him in her own way. Her closest friends felt the same.
"By the way… that outfit suits you perfectly."
"Of course. It's a gift from you, Brother," Senomi whispered, her face turning pink once more. She darted forward, hugged him tightly, then quickly slipped out of the cockpit.
---
In the transport bay, the players felt their bodies lifted as the aircraft roared skyward. Some swallowed hard, others slumped into their seats to nap, while a few took the opportunity to log off for a meal—treating the flight like a temporary safe zone.
"Hey… if this world has planes, and even twin towers…"
"Shut up, unless you want to get zapped to death by Leithanien a hundred times over."