“Look, look! Yan! This place is amazing!”
Tian Jiu excitedly lifted her face; normally introverted and shy, she couldn’t contain her excitement upon encountering such a wondrous sight.
Beside her, Miss Qing Bai, who usually maintained an unyielding, fearless arrogance, also found it difficult to suppress her astonishment, her mouth agape in a perfect circle as she gazed at the wondrous sight above, utterly speechless.
“No way, is this for real?”
Yan’s eyes widened in shock, his gaze fixed dumbfounded on the castle shrouded in white clouds above. He realized that the distant black speck he had once seen on the horizon from Wind Star City was, in fact, a castle floating in the sky, a full 800 yards away.
It was just like the legendary Sky City.
‘What kind of map is this?’ Yan thought. He had no recollection of such a landscape from the old server.
After all, a fantastical sight utterly impossible in reality, appearing within this hyper-realistic full-dive world, would surely spread like wildfire among players, their information networks ever-vigilant.
Yan had ample reason to suspect this place had only recently opened, which would explain why other players hadn’t discovered it yet.
And if it was a newly opened map…
‘It’s either some hidden event… or…’
Yan lowered his gaze to the golden [Guild Emblem] clutched in his hand.
‘Or it’s related to a guild building.’
Yan opened his map, checking the information for the Sky City overhead.
“As expected…”
A thrill coursed through Yan as he saw the words [Guild Building] displayed on the map next to Sky City.
‘No way? Seriously? Could a game guild really be built on Sky City?’
‘To create a small floating map just for a single guild building—what kind of grand gesture is this for a game to make!?’
Yet, regardless of Yan’s disbelief, Sky City remained suspended there, serene and silent, its green marker for a guild building unmistakably genuine.
“A guild can actually be built here?”
Qing Bai’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.
“It certainly seems so…”
Yan offered a helpless smile, confirming it.
“This is great, Yan!”
Tian Jiu excitedly latched onto Yan’s arm, swinging it back and forth, seemingly captivated by the peculiar sight of a “castle floating in the sky.”
“Let’s build our guild right here!?”
“Yes, I’d certainly like to do that…”
Yan glanced at Tian Jiu, a helpless smile gracing his lips, before his bewildered gaze drifted back to the castle in the sky.
“But how in the world are we supposed to get up there…?”
True to its name, Sky City floated in the air without any visible support, utterly detached from any structures below.
In ‘Companion Divine Realm,’ where flight had yet to be introduced, it appeared impossibly distant.
‘What an odd guild building,’ he mused.
Yan scratched the back of his head, unable to conceive of any way to ascend.
He could only circle directly beneath Sky City, searching for a path or passage.
The developers wouldn’t designate a location inaccessible to players as a guild building; there had to be a way to reach Sky City somewhere.
Just as he expected, he found it.
Yan gazed at the blue teleportation array before him, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
“Hey, I’ll go in first and take a look.”
Yan turned, a smile on his face, and spoke to the others behind him.
“Alright, be careful.”
Qing Bai, uncharacteristically, expressed a word of concern, making Yan feel a bit unaccustomed.
He chuckled, waved a dismissive hand, and stepped into the teleportation array.
Teleportation magic arrays came in many varieties within this game.
For instance, earlier, when Yan and Tian Jiu cleared the first area’s boss, the Cave Stone Ape, two teleportation arrays appeared at the end of the boss stage: one led to the entrance of Wind Star City in the second area, Wind-Roaming Hills, while the other transported players directly to the boss stage entrance, catering to those who wished to repeatedly farm the encounter.
While these two types of teleportation arrays were common in ‘Companion Divine Realm,’ magic arrays were not limited to just these; though all served to transport, their symbolic implications varied.
Broadly speaking, however, these teleportation arrays served only two main purposes: transporting players to a safe location, or to a trap.
At the entrances of many mazes or hidden stages, trap teleportation arrays were often set.
Stepping into one by mistake would instantly transport a player into a fatal situation.
For example, a trap array in a level 30 player maze might lead directly to a level 150 boss stage; once activated, players would face a formidable level 150 boss, and few, if any, would likely emerge alive from such an encounter.
‘Well, for Yan, it likely wouldn’t be a major issue,’ he mused.
A faint smile played on Yan’s lips as he stepped into the teleportation array.
A flash of blue light enveloped him, and when Yan opened his eyes again, the scene before him made him involuntarily draw a deep breath.
He beheld thick white clouds, almost solidified into a tangible mass, gently drifting before him.
‘This is…’
‘…Sky City?’
Yan slowly stepped out of the blue teleportation array at his feet, then looked down at the edge of the land beneath him, gazing at the distant figures of Tian Jiu and the others, who appeared no larger than ants on the ground far below.
‘This is truly… incredible…’
Yan turned, his gaze falling upon the pristine white castle standing majestically behind him, scarcely believing his own eyes.
Sky City was a small island floating high above the azure firmament, and upon this fantastical isle, a snow-white castle, seemingly plucked from a dream, stood resolutely.
Yan, stunned speechless by the overwhelming sight, finally remembered that his companions were still waiting below.
He hastily opened the party chat interface.
“It’s safe here. Come on up.”
A flash of blue light later, the figures of Tian Jiu and the others materialized within the teleportation array, directly before Yan.
“Wow!!”
Having just opened her eyes, Tian Jiu was utterly captivated by the castle before her, which seemed to have sprung straight from a fairy tale.
She cried out in excitement, her gaze darting around in curious wonder.
“Be careful not to fall.”
Yan chuckled, reminding the childlike Tian Jiu.
“Is this the building Master chose for the guild!?”
Xiao Qing (TL Note: A character whose name in Chinese is ‘小青’, not found in the initial glossary but added for consistency) looked at the snow-white castle before her, speaking with unreserved admiration.
“This is truly amazing…”
“As expected of ‘Game Addict’ (TL Note: A playful term referring to someone who spends excessive time playing games) Mister. This place is impressive, you’ve really got a knack for finding spots.”
Qing Bai nodded, seemingly quite pleased with the location herself.
“Even if you compliment me with that title, I won’t be happy about it…”
Yan retorted with a wry chuckle, then turned his attention to the great door of the pristine white castle.
Upon it, a circular indentation was perfectly sized, an exact match for the golden [Guild Emblem] in Yan’s hand.
Having served as a guild master before, Yan was intimately familiar with the process.
Even though the [Guild Emblem] had changed its appearance, the method for establishing a guild seemed to remain unaltered.
All he needed to do was press the [Guild Emblem] into that indentation, and his guild would be established.
“Then this is where we’ll choose.”
Yan said with a light chuckle.
“Tian Jiu loves it here!”
Tian Jiu extended a delicate, pale hand, attempting to grasp the drifting white clouds before her.
Naturally, she caught nothing, yet the joy on her face showed no sign of diminishing.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the clear air beneath the cerulean sky, seemingly relaxing her entire being.
Yan watched her, a gentle smile curving his lips.
Everyone seemed thoroughly pleased with the location, and for his part, Yan found the Sky City, suspended beneath the dome of the heavens, to be undeniably magnificent and imbued with a fantastical charm; he had no complaints whatsoever.
A smile playing on his lips, he slowly approached the majestic gates of the pristine white castle, gradually bringing the [Guild Emblem] in his hand closer to the circular indentation.
A system prompt materialized before his eyes.
[“Do you wish to establish a guild here (cannot be changed after selection)? Yes / No”]
“Yes.”
Yan raised his finger, aiming it at the green button, and gently…
…pressed it down.
****
“Ah…”
Yan’s bewildered cry sent an ominous chill through everyone present.
‘Could this place already be claimed by someone else?’
‘Or is it that guilds aren’t permitted here at all?’
Everyone watched, helpless, as the fantastical white castle seemed to slip through their fingers.
“What’s wrong?”
Qing Bai looked at him, her expression tense.
“The guild name…”
Yan slowly turned his head, revealing a bitter, crestfallen expression.
“What should we call it?”