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November 11th.
On Earth, this date was Veteran's Day—a day of remembrance. In this world, it was the date of the world's birth—named "Founding Day."
Simply put, this day was equivalent to New Year's or Christmas.
This wasn't something the people of the continent had fabricated. It was an oracle personally delivered by both the God of Light and the God of Darkness, and even the Ice Snow Goddess had agreed to it.
Therefore, apart from the Beastmen Continent that had descended from another plane, for the Initial Continent, the Dragon Continent, and even the distant Demon Race Continent—November 11th was an extraordinary holiday.
The weather outside the window was very cooperative.
Heavy snow fell, setting the mood perfectly. This greatly excited Caelan, who had been a Southerner in his previous life. He secretly took advantage of no one being around to roll around in the accumulated snow in the backyard several times.
Thoroughly enjoying himself.
Inside the house, servants were preparing a lavish dinner. Delicious Cloudbanner Dragon meat. Plankbird meat. Gale Wolf meat. Colorpaper bird eggs. Various fish from rivers and seas. Vegetables and fruits that Caelan's parents had never even heard of.
The large dining table was piled high.
"Cheers!"
The family raised their glasses and clinked them, then turned to the table where the five servants were seated.
"Happy Founding Day!"
To celebrate this major holiday, Caelan waved his hand and made an announcement: for the next three days starting today, everyone could log in and receive one large game or three small games for free.
The large games were the five premium titles: Super Street Fighter, Dragonspire New Century, Knight of Light, The Punisher, and Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens.
The small games were the other classic titles.
In terms of value, under normal circumstances, one would naturally choose a large game. But if someone had already bought all the large games, they could choose three small games as compensation.
If they had all the games... then they must be someone who didn't lack money and certainly wouldn't care about a few paltry coins.
But Victor cared a lot.
Victor: You, Caelan—I treated you like a brother, and you backstabbed me? I was even going to wish you well.
Cassius: Silently liked.
Caelan: I'm innocent! How did I backstab you?
Victor: You knew I bought all the games, and you still pulled this game giveaway? You're telling me that's not backstabbing?
Cassius: Silently liked.
Nicole: Silently liked.
Caelan: Don't you all know what kind of families you come from? Are you still quibbling over a few coins?
Victor: I care. I care a lot.
Quinn: Um, if I say I care, you shouldn't have any objections, right?
Caelan: Quinn, I never considered charging you interest. You wouldn't want me to remember that, would you?
Quinn: Okay, I suddenly don't care anymore 🐕
Victor: Quinn, don't bow down to evil forces!
After some squabbling, Caelan asked them and Quinn where they were currently located.
Cassius: Still in Southwood. Sigh, I didn't expect the Swift Weasel to be so hard to catch.
Quinn: If it wasn't hard to catch, why would it be so valuable?
Victor: Quinn, where is your team now?
Quinn: We're in Jadepeak, currently luring Water Spirit Birds.
Victor: Water Spirit Birds? The Demonic Beast you're catching is even more valuable, right?
Quinn: Exactly. Otherwise we wouldn't specifically come to catch it.
Actually, after they became friends, Caelan had offered to give the handheld console to Quinn for free. But Quinn firmly insisted on paying, saying it was a transaction made before they became good friends, and one thing was one thing.
Caelan could only let her have her way.
Victor: Damn, it's raining again.
Caelan: Is it raining heavily?
Nicole: Quite heavily. Cassius and Victor are already setting up tents, and Priscilla is holding an air shield for them to block the rain.
Quinn: The most annoying thing when adventuring outdoors is rain, especially in winter. The animals don't come out.
Caelan: It's snowing heavily here at my house.
Camille: It's also snowing heavily in Crimson Port.
Nicole: Sister Camille, Victor is asking what you've been doing lately?
Camille: Playing Elephant Chess with his mom.
After chatting for a while, Caelan exited the chat and checked the Forum.
Its content had become very complex. It wasn't just about games anymore—there were also many discussions about magic and martial skills. At first glance, it was dizzying.
Caelan thought for a moment and updated the Forum, dividing it into sections: a Game Section, a Magic Section, a Combat Arts Section, and a General Discussion Section.
Within these, there would be further subdivisions. For example, the Game Section was divided into areas for each individual game.
After having the testers categorize all the posts, Caelan pushed the update live.
Soon, people discovered the Forum changes and posted praises in the General Discussion Section for the Illusionist's improvements. Some wanted to post their praises in other sections but found their posts weren't approved.
There was moderation for this?
Caelan didn't pay attention to these complaints. After updating the Forum, he focused on enjoying his grand meal.
After finishing the sumptuous lunch, people began to visit Caelan's home to offer congratulations.
Ever since his new house was built, and after his mother's illness was cured and Caelan brought his parents back to live there, his relatives and friends had suddenly increased. Even more than when he was the richest man in town before.
Caelan didn't have any aversion to this. After all, it was human nature and unavoidable. In his previous life, he would also have cared more about the opinions of wealthy friends.
However, today was generally for visits from non-direct blood relatives—such as the cousin who had just arrived. Tomorrow and the day after were for direct relatives.
Caelan had prepared a lot of Cloudbanner Dragon jerky, all saved for his parents to give away during this period. This stuff wasn't something just anyone could afford. Although not extremely expensive, it was hard to buy in the Moonwatch Empire. All this jerky had been brought by Nicole and Priscilla—two rich women with Storage Rings—whom Caelan had entrusted earlier. Although it was jerky, it was still preserved in the underground warehouse using a freezing array.
Besides that, he'd also bought a lot of candies and dried fruits. Relatives would receive several pounds each, allowing his parents to gain face in front of their family.
His grandparents were no longer alive, so he also needed to send some to his uncles and aunts nearby.
However, Caelan was too lazy to deal with these guest reception matters. He found an excuse—saying he was busy making new games—and hid in his room for some peace and quiet.
The peace and quiet didn't last too long.
Caelan was called by a maid sent by his mother, who said that his Great-Aunt—his grandmother's sister—had arrived and wanted Caelan to greet her.
Alright.
This relative had indeed always been quite close. In the memories of his body's original owner, the two families had always been in contact, and his Great-Aunt was very affectionate toward Caelan.
So Caelan had no resistance toward this Great-Aunt. He immediately got out of bed, ran downstairs, and saw an old woman sitting next to his mother, holding hands and chatting.
He greeted her. "Oh, hello, Great-Aunt."
After speaking, he still felt a bit awkward—like the old Caelan—and hugged the elder. There was no other way. The old Caelan had always greeted people like that.
"Oh, Caelan, you've really become accomplished recently!" His Great-Aunt smiled even more happily today. "Everyone's been saying you've made a big name for yourself in our county recently."
At this moment, a female voice came from the side: "Grandma, not just in our county—he's famous throughout our entire Moonwatch Empire!"
Only then did Caelan notice two girls beside him.
Both had brown hair—one yellowish, one reddish. Both were quite pretty, though compared to the beauties Caelan had seen at the academy, like Quinn and Nicole, there was still a gap.
Of course, it might also be because they were younger and hadn't fully matured yet.
Seeing Caelan look over, the two girls actually blushed in unison.
Caelan tilted his head. "?"
The girl with reddish hair, who was younger, immediately lowered her head. The other, though blushing, still said, "Cousin Caelan, long time no see?"
After speaking, she tugged at the brown-red haired girl next to her.
The girl could only raise her head and softly say, "Hello, Cousin?"
Caelan: "???????"
He searched through his mind palace.
He didn't know these two girls at all.