Might of Players

---Viktor's POV---

No, I'm just overthinking things. I decisively dismissed the possibility from my mind and turned my warm, kind gaze toward Edgar.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I just came to share some good news with you."

"Last night, our plan made a major breakthrough!"

"The nerds, Edgar! They're practically divine power factories!" I explained to him the discovery that players could provide large amounts of divine power.

As I spoke, I watched his face fill with shock and disbelief, especially upon hearing how I had used the game console to successfully eliminate the side effects of divine faith from Luminaris' body.

"Viktor, perhaps you really are right!"

I could see the wheels turning in his head—if divine power could truly break free from the side effects of faith, it would undoubtedly become the best solution to achieving The Watchers' ultimate goal.

If that were the case, then even an increased workload was something he could endure.

He closed his eyes in reluctant acceptance. "Go on, keep explaining."

"Not bad for the wisest and most powerful paladin of the Radiant Church after the Era of the Fallen Gods!" I didn't hold back my compliments but quickly shifted the topic.

"I do have something I need your help with."

Edgar immediately wore a "knew-this-was-coming" expression that made me want to laugh.

I raised a bony finger. "Do you know what a trailer is?"

"Think about it—these nerds, they need proof. They need spectacle!" I'd been keeping up with the information circulating online on Earth and was well aware of the biggest criticism surrounding Chronicles of Aeltia—a lack of internal details and a general disbelief among players.

A game trailer would go a long way in silencing these doubts.

"And you want to use me for this... spectacle?" Edgar asked.

Over the past few days, I had steadily fed magic power into the blue light orb, finally accumulating enough resources to upload a 10-minute video to the official website. The struggle to unlock a single video upload feature showed just how much room there was to improve my so-called "cheat powers."

I carefully explained the concept of a game trailer to Edgar.

After hearing me out, he thought for two seconds. "Hm... You want to make a recording of me for your players to watch? I don't mind."

"So agreeable?" I was a little surprised. "I remember you used to strongly oppose leaving any sort of recorded image or traces behind?"

"After seven hundred years of your schemes, what's one more recording?" Edgar's voice carried a hint of dry humor.

I feel like I should be offended by that tone.

After all, once a recording was out there, the user had no control over how it might be used.

Given the current negative reviews of Chronicles of Aeltia, the first trailer we released could easily be picked up by trolls or rival companies. It wasn't impossible to imagine Edgar's likeness being turned into some meme-worthy material in fan edits.

That's precisely why I came to ask for his consent first—what a considerate boss I was.

Edgar calmly placed the rune forge by the bedside and turned toward me with a peaceful gaze.

"From the nerds you've brought here so far, their behavior is strange enough to make anyone uneasy. It's hard to predict how they'll treat a recording once they have it. But don't forget, ever since I met you, I've already experienced everything you're describing."

I knew that in the past, Edgar had simply disliked leaving records behind. But as a member of the Radiant Church, such situations were unavoidable. Some recordings from back then had eventually turned into evidence that supported his wanted status after he defected from the church.

By now, those records had likely passed through countless hands and been twisted in untold ways. What else could he do besides accept it, right?

I coughed awkwardly and changed the subject. "Since you've agreed, let's find some open space and start filming. Just imagine—Dawn Judgment in all its glory! Can you still perform it?"

Dawn Judgment was the signature skill Edgar created at age 14 and the origin of his Knight of Dawn title. Regardless of its raw power, it certainly looked impressive.

Back in the Radiant Church, this flashy skill, with its wide range and holy light effects, had played a major role in helping him gain the adoration of believers and rise to the rank of Knight Commander as soon as he came of age.

It was guaranteed to be a major selling point for the game trailer.

Edgar's expression grew complicated. "Viktor, I can barely light a candle right now."

"Wait—weren't you at 30% strength the last time I checked?"

"... Something happened."

"Oh."

I didn't press further. At this stage, asking questions wouldn't yield anything useful.

The room fell into silence for a moment.

Have I been pushing him too hard? I sighed.

Two injured individuals, each in worse shape than the other. My own power was even weaker than Edgar's, so I had no way of accurately assessing his condition, leading to some misunderstandings.

Looking back, the amount of work I'd been assigning him might have been a little much.

For a moment, my conscience pricked at me—though as an undead, I technically had no heart, so it only lasted for a second.

"We can work with what we have. Maybe a smaller light show?" I suggested brightly.

"Your optimism would be inspiring if it wasn't so concerning," Edgar muttered.

"No worries! Just use the fanciest skill you can manage right now, and we'll make it work. Let's go!"

"Wait!" Edgar stopped me.

"What now? I'll say this upfront—I'm not accepting any regrets or backtracking!"

Edgar shook his head. "It's not that. Earlier, you said the trailer is meant to showcase Aeltia's landscape and attract more players to join us. You want to use this recording to recruit more players, right?"

I nodded.

I had 164 points of divine power left and was indeed planning to recruit new players. Three players simply weren't enough. At our current pace, who knew how long it would take just to leave Honeyvale Town?

The sooner we could recruit more players, the better.

I planned to release the game trailer alongside an announcement for the next round of closed beta recruitment, hoping to bring in a few more new players.

Edgar understood my reasoning but felt it necessary to remind me. "We're running low on equipment for the nerds."

I knew what he meant—recruiting new players not only required divine power but also demanded a significant amount of beginner gear and tools for their tasks. As our de facto Minister of General Affairs and Finance, Edgar had to make me aware of our current resource constraints.

We were especially short on beginner gear.

Edgar had only brought back ten sets of clothing initially. After the players got caught in the rain yesterday, six sets had been used up in one go.

Who knew if there would be further losses? If we didn't address this issue, any new players who arrived in Aeltia would have no choice but to run around in their underwear!

The situation was far from ideal.

I rubbed my temples. "Can't you raid another wealthy town like Nary Town? Oh, right, your strength isn't enough for that."

"Some of us still have moral standards," Edgar replied dryly.

"Morals are expensive these days, aren't they?"

Initially, I had thought he had looted the warehouse of some well-off farmer in Nary Town. But now it seemed he had only managed to trade for clothes and tools from abandoned farms on the outskirts, far from the reach of the militia.

No wonder the items didn't fit properly.

The underpowered Edgar said nothing, pretending not to hear my final comment.

Instead, he explained, "These farmers barely survive winter themselves. The farmers' lives aren't much better than ours. Ten sets of clothing were the most I could exchange for using Altari Coins."

"The church's currency still holds that much influence?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Some things don't change, even after seven hundred years."

Of course I knew Altari Coins were still a widely accepted currency minted under the influence of the God of Light and controlled by the Radiant Church.

"If I asked for more, it would have impacted their survival, and no amount of money would have convinced them to trade."

It went without saying that the money Edgar had couldn't be used carelessly. The farmers, at the very least, needed to hide their Altari Coins for a year before they even thought of leaving the area to spend them in neighboring towns.

And if the supplies provided to Edgar were to affect their livelihood for the next six months, the farmers would definitely not be happy.

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "That is indeed a problem..."

Even if the new players' clothing issue was resolved, the recurring scarcity of supplies would still be a problem before their strength was restored.

So aside from architects to build houses and blacksmiths to make tools, we also lack tailors to sew beginner outfits.

In addition to players, I needed to find some locals to take on crafting tasks in the game, becoming NPC guides for the players.

I made a firm decision. "Let's record the trailer first. I'll figure out a way to solve this problem as quickly as I can."

The game trailer was filmed quickly.

After all, the "camera" was my eyes, and the magic used by Edgar wasn't just special effects.

To make the final result even better, I dragged out the soundly sleeping Luminaris.

"What's happening?" he mumbled groggily.

"Rise and shine! You're about to be a star!"

"I don't like the way you're grinning..."

My initial plan to "film against thin air" was replaced with heading outside town to find an unlucky monster.

The real battle, with its sense of danger and blood, packed a much stronger visual punch!

By the time we finished filming, the morning dew had just evaporated.

The three players still hadn't woken up.

I checked on their condition and discovered that the aftereffects of their mana depletion were severe. They were still unconscious and likely wouldn't fully recover until the next day.

In other words, Aeltia would be without any players for an entire day. Luminaris successfully got a day off!

Edgar tried venturing out to see if he could buy some unwanted clothing from other farmers. Regardless of whether I could find a tailor, the immediate problem had to be dealt with first.

Meanwhile, I stayed in the chapel, focusing on issues related to the Earth network.

After some effort, I successfully edited and compressed the ten-minute video down to six minutes. I reviewed it several times and, after confirming there were no issues, set it aside for the moment and began working on the game announcement.

---

[Chronicles of Aeltia: Test Server Hotfix Update Announcement]

[Key Updates:

Currency System Enabled:

The Watcher will no longer provide free meals or starter clothing for newcomers. These will now require the use of the faction currency—Magicoins—to purchase. Magicoins can be earned by completing tasks and other means.

The trade function is now enabled. If needed, players can purchase a variety of new items from Knight Edgar.

Resurrection Mechanic Improved:

Upon death, players will lose a certain amount of Magicoins.

Resurrection cooldown time:

The faction leader, I am gravely injured. Each time I craft a new body to guide a player back to Aeltia, it requires a 12-hour cooldown period. Added save point functionality. Upon revival, players' bodies will revert to the data from their last save point. Current save point: Honeyvale Town's initial chapel. The game is challenging—please cherish your character's life!

Honeyvale Town Surrounding Creatures Updated:

Added new creature entry: Red-Skinned Worm.

Base Building Event Underway!

After the update, housing construction tasks will grant bonus experience points and additional Magicoins! Land purchase options are now available—details can be inquired from Knight Edgar. Build your dream home and work together to create a thriving and vibrant Honeyvale Town!

Other Updates:

- Visual style optimization

- Physics engine adjustments

- Minor bug fixes]

I reviewed it to ensure there were no issues and set it aside as well.

Next up was the website update announcement.

[Chronicles of Aeltia Official Website Update Announcement]

[Key Updates:

The test server application channel for Chronicles of Aeltia is reopening! The application page now includes a "Player Skills" section to provide outstanding players with more chances to be selected.

A new trailer for Chronicles of Aeltia has been added.

A new forum discussion module has been added for in-depth player exchanges.

A new game compendium module has been added, which will periodically update with background lore and creature entries for Chronicles of Aeltia.

Website layout and design optimization.]

"That should be enough."

I hit the send button, posting the two announcements and the trailer on the official website.

Looking at the increasingly polished webpage, I grew more and more satisfied.

"What do you mean, just because I haven't touched code in 682 years I'd forget it? Picking it back up was a breeze!" I said proudly.

I also replaced the game icon with a picture of the sleeping Luminaris. The round, ball-shaped light cluster filled the entire image.

With its stubby limbs and gaping mouth, its color scheme was not as plain as I initially imagined—just right.

"As expected, this little thing is mascot material!"

I once again reaffirmed my choice. Look at this—how could this not be the perfect game icon?

Just as I was about to close the webpage, a registration notification popped up in the background.

"???"

"One registration? Already?"

During the last beta test, I practically begged for players by spamming posts, and it took several days just to get three.

How was it that this time, as soon as I posted it, someone signed up right away?

Not only that...

Ding!

Ding! Ding!

More and more registration notifications popped up in quick succession. "Two... three... six? What's happening?"

In no time, I had information for six players in hand.

I opened the application for one player named "GameLord420."

In the comments section, I saw a message: "Recommended by ShowMaster—hoping for some favoritism."

"ShowMaster? Could it be that 'NeverShowOff' player?"

My jaw dropped in surprise. "Did he recommend Chronicles of Aeltia?"

I immediately searched the name online and indeed found a game blogger with the same username. As luck would have it, the blogger had just released a new video an hour ago.

"Does Virtual Reality Gaming Really Have No Future? No, the Future is Already Here!"

The title was too obvious. The only virtual reality games being discussed online were Netherworld Revolution and Chronicles of Aeltia.

I clicked on it without hesitation.

"Hello everyone, I'm NeverShowOff!"

"Virtual reality gaming has been a hot topic recently, huh? As it happens, my longtime viewers know that I'm an old fan of VR games!"

"While everyone's debating whether Netherworld Revolution can live up to the promise of true VR gaming, I secretly snagged a beta spot for another game of the same genre!"

"By now, you've probably guessed the name of the new game. That's right, it's Chronicles of Aeltia! Since recording footage isn't allowed for now, I'll use promotional images from the official website and other materials to illustrate."

"Side note: The Chronicles of Aeltia website is trash! A cat could walk across a keyboard and make a better page! Game company, send me $50 and I'll find a college student to fix it!"

"... Why does he have to get personal?" I muttered.

What was wrong with the website? It had all the basic functions!

Sure, the design might not be great, the loading times a bit slow, and the bugs... well, there were a few...

But it was functional! More or less...

Anyway, it was being optimized.

It was being optimized!