“And so, let the wedding commence!”
A vivacious short-haired female player, serving as the emcee, sprang onto the stone platform as the bride and groom took their places, her cheerful voice heralding the start of the ceremony.
“First, I invite the groom, Mr. Potts, to speak.”
With that, the emcee girl stepped a few paces aside, ceding the stage to the groom.
“This is… quite embarrassing, really…”
The Mage player, whom Yan had previously engaged in conversation, sheepishly scratched his head, his face flushing faintly as he spoke with a hint of bashfulness.
Though his nature was generally outgoing, allowing him to converse amiably with strangers even after Yan had stopped him, this was, after all, his own wedding—such a momentous occasion would naturally induce a degree of nervousness in anyone. Witnessing the sheer number of players present at the ceremony only amplified his sense of being overwhelmed.
“It’s alright, darling.”
The girl, who had gently looped her arm through his, looked up at him, her face alight with a blissful smile.
The bride simply uttered those words, then lightly nudged his back, urging him two steps forward. This simple gesture was enough to calm Potts; the unease and nervousness in his heart vanished in an instant, leaving only an overflowing sweetness and happiness.
“Mm.”
He nodded firmly at his beloved beside him, then turned his smiling face to survey the multitude of players below the stage who had come to offer their blessings.
“Thank you all for being willing to attend my wedding, for being willing to bestow your blessings upon our marriage. Thank you.”
He said, smiling, and offered a slight bow to the players gathered below.
“Hear, hear!”
“Isn’t that obvious?!”
“As the first newlywed couple to emerge since our guild’s new beginning, you absolutely must find happiness!”
“Enough with the pleasantries! Finish up quickly and get to the bridal chamber (TL Note: Refers to the newlyweds’ room for their wedding night)!”
A chorus of cheers and boisterous shouts erupted from the crowd, even including jokes about players being more eager for the bridal chamber than the couple on stage, prompting widespread laughter among the players. The bride on stage couldn’t help but blush, a shy smile gracing her lips.
“What are you saying?”
Groom Potts looked at the Tank player who had just uttered that outrageous remark to liven the atmosphere, and couldn’t help but playfully scold him.
“Chishan, if you’re so eager for the bridal chamber, why don’t you hurry up and get married yourself? Aren’t things pretty serious between you and Lily of the Valley?”
Their bond was clearly a strong one; Potts, having been teased by Chishan at his own wedding, couldn’t resist spilling the beans about his good friend Chishan’s budding romance, thereby evening the score.
“Potts! You scoundrel… didn’t we agree to keep it a secret?!”
Chishan, who moments ago had been playfully teasing others with a mischievous grin, heard this and felt a faint blush creep across his rugged, resolute face as he cried out in indignant embarrassment.
“Oh? Did I say I’d keep it a secret?”
Potts lightly pressed a hand to his forehead, seemingly deep in thought.
“Oh, right, I think I did say I’d keep it quiet for you, but only while you were ‘pursuing’ her, wasn’t it?”
He leaned forward with a sly grin, looking down at Chishan in the crowd, and wagged a slightly raised index finger.
“‘After you’ve successfully won her over’ isn’t covered by the secrecy agreement, you know~”
“Pfft…”
Yan, mingling in the crowd below, was thoroughly amused by Potts and Chishan’s little skit, barely managing to suppress the laughter bubbling up.
‘Such a scene could only unfold in a full-dive virtual reality game.’
A faint smile touched his lips as he observed Potts on stage, utterly devoid of any self-consciousness about being the groom, and the uninhibited players below.
Weddings in reality were certainly beautiful, with guests offering sincere blessings to the newlyweds, yet they often followed a rigid protocol, making even genuine well-wishes sound somewhat dry. This was starkly unlike the vibrant scene unfolding before Yan’s eyes.
Though perhaps a bit boisterous and crude, it undeniably showcased the profound friendship between Chishan and Potts, and Chishan’s heartfelt blessings for the couple on stage.
“You scoundrel…”
‘My fists are clenching… clenching hard…’
Hearing Potts’s cunning words, Chishan was torn between embarrassment and anger, yet could only stomp his foot in exasperation.
The petite Assassin girl standing beside him also blushed, instinctively shrinking back behind Chishan.
“Oh, oh? Something’s going on here~”
The players gathered around them, seemingly well-acquainted with the group, all wore gossipy smiles as they looked at Chishan and the girl, having just heard Potts drop such explosive news.
“Potts, you better remember this: if it weren’t your wedding right now… once this joyous day is over, I’ll definitely sort you out, kid.”
Chishan, suppressing his indignant embarrassment, threateningly rolled up his sleeves and shook a clenched fist at Potts on stage.
“Oh~ that’s truly terrifying~”
Potts spread his hands, feigning a look of fear, though his performance was rather clumsy.
“Pfft~”
The bride beside him couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth as she laughed aloud.
The multitude of players below the stage also erupted in laughter.
“What’s going on, Chishan? You really ought to tell everyone how you managed to win Lily of the Valley over! Keeping it a secret from all of us, how cunning of you!”
A nosy player called out, seemingly intent on turning Potts’s wedding into a double ceremony.
Yet, Groom Potts and the bride on stage merely smiled, seemingly unbothered by this turn of events. Indeed, it seemed they rather anticipated such a development, hoping it would make the wedding even more entertaining.
“Get your priorities straight, you idiots! This is Potts’s wedding right now.”
Chishan, standing below the stage, appeared to have given up resisting, no longer concealing his romance. He spread his hands, playfully scolding the players who had been teasing him.
“Alright, alright, I give up. I’ll tell you all after the wedding, okay?”
“Yay!”
Listening to the excited shouts of the players, the Assassin girl hiding behind Chishan blushed even deeper.
“And now, I invite the bride, Lilith, to speak.”
The short-haired girl serving as emcee, adept at reading the atmosphere, skillfully concluded the tangent and continued with the wedding proceedings.
Lilith, the bride beside Potts, smiled gracefully and stepped forward two paces, gently looping her arm through Potts’s. As if drawing strength from his presence, she took a deep breath, then smiled as she looked out at the guests below.
“Allow me, once again, as Potts has said, to express my gratitude for your presence and your blessings. I also want to thank our guild, for allowing me to meet him. I never imagined that in the world of a full-dive virtual reality game, I would find my destined one…”
Lilith was unexpectedly articulate; her face flushed with a blissful smile, she practically re-confessed her love to the groom, Potts, right there at the wedding, completely disregarding his reddened cheeks.
Thanks to her, Yan finally gleaned some information about the players present.
Almost all the players attending the wedding (with the exception of a very few passersby like Yan) belonged to the same guild.
This guild was certainly not Yan’s [White Cloud Snow]; Yan had heard no news of such an enviably happy couple emerging from his own guild, otherwise he would have insisted on attending in person.
Nor could it be Xiao’s [Three-Chi Ming] or An Ruina’s [Queen’s Royal Guard], for Yan had not spotted those two conspicuous figures in the crowd.
Therefore, it was clear that the players before Yan belonged to one of the two remaining guilds among the first five to open—guilds whose leaders had purchased a golden [Guild Certificate] at great expense from Lian or Little Green.
‘But how did this group become so close so soon after the guild’s establishment? And there are already two couples, no less…’
‘Not to boast, but Yan suspected his own guild members probably hadn’t even gotten properly acquainted yet…’
‘How remarkable… how did these guys manage it? Could it be that they were already acquaintances before the guild was even founded?’
Yan could think of no other explanation.
“…That’s all I have to say. Thank you, everyone.”
Lilith concluded her speech, seemingly only realizing the extent of her embarrassing public declaration after she had finished speaking. Blushing, she clutched Potts’s arm, her rosy lips pressed shyly together.
“And now, I invite the guild leader of our Spirit Pavilion… ah, no, ‘Isle of Love’ guild to come on stage and bless the newlyweds.”
The emcee girl said this, but was met with silence. Her gaze, filled with confusion, swept over the crowd below, only to find the guild leader unmoving.
“Chishan… Guild Leader? It’s time to come up.”
Potts said with a mischievous grin.
‘Eh? Chishan is the guild leader of this guild!?’
Yan looked at Chishan in the crowd with surprise. This guy really lacked any guild leader’s gravitas, to be so casually teased by his own members…
‘Though Yan himself had received similar treatment in the old server; perhaps once guild members grew close, the guild leader became the designated target for playful torment.’
As he pondered this, Yan couldn’t help but let a faint smile play on his lips. This was precisely the harmonious guild he had envisioned, where every player could become a friend. He nodded, thoroughly appreciating the atmosphere of this guild.
“You still remember I’m the guild leader!?”
Chishan exclaimed angrily, then jumped onto the stone platform.
“Haha, don’t be mad. It’s just because we’re so close! Calling you ‘Guild Leader, Guild Leader’ all the time feels too formal.”
Potts said this, patting Chishan’s shoulder with a laugh.
“Ahem, ahem…”
Chishan raised an eyebrow, cleared his throat, and turned to face the audience below.
“There’s not much to say, really. In short, I wish this rascal Potts and Lilith happiness. If we ever find out he’s not treating Lilith well, what do you think will happen to him?”
He looked down at the players with a mischievous grin.
“We’ll beat him up!”
The players below shouted this in response.
“Hahaha.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
“Our guild moved entirely from another game to this one, transforming from [Spirit Pavilion] into [Isle of Love]… You two are the very first new couple to emerge in this game, so you’d better make sure to…”
Chishan turned back to face Potts and Lilith, beginning his unique blessing.
It turned out that Yan’s initial impression of the players in this guild being overly familiar with each other stemmed from the fact that they had all been members of the same guild in another game. That full-dive virtual reality game had later shut down due to poor management, leading most of their guild to migrate together to the new server of “Concomitant Divine Realm” to continue playing as a single guild.
‘How impressive… such a bond…’
Suddenly, Yan realized something. He slapped his forehead, a wry, helpless smile gracing his lips.
‘Ah, no… was he here to attend a wedding, or to gather intelligence on another guild?’