"Did I… transmigrate?"
Gu Feng stared at the unfamiliar office and the flood of foreign memories surging through his mind, utterly dazed.
A quick sort-through told him he'd crossed into a parallel world called Blue Star. Unlike Earth's relative stability, Blue Star was ravaged by frequent natural disasters; for countless reasons, the sea level kept rising.
About a hundred years ago, a global consortium of scientists predicted that in roughly a century Blue Star would be completely submerged. Ninety-nine percent of land would be swallowed by the oceans.
By 2025, that forecast had been refined to "about ten years." In other words, by 2035, less than one percent of Blue Star would remain above water. Even now, only around ten percent was still land—and every day the shoreline retreated a little more.
Under that pressure, the great powers unified, ushering in an era of centralized rule: the Blue Star Federation. Over the next century the Federation tried countless approaches and finally found a way forward—emigrate to another blue world: Sea Star. Its environment resembled Blue Star's; the oceans were vast, but it was far more livable than Blue Star's current state. The Federation set the true large-scale migration for ten years from now. In this final decade, besides logistical prep, it ordered every industry to pivot toward ocean survival. Military, civilian, even entertainment and gaming—everything was reshaped.
The body Gu Feng now inhabited belonged to the small boss of a game studio. Fresh out of college he'd started a company with like-minded friends, only for the team to fracture over clashing visions. He now ran a tiny indie shop alone, and the project they'd just launched had flopped, leaving the company on the brink of bankruptcy.
Knock, knock.
The door opened and a figure stepped in—a striking woman with poised grace, Gu Feng's partner in the company.
"Jing-jie."
Li Jing nodded, took the chair beside his desk, and looked at him. "It's okay. Our game failed this time—the spotlight got stolen entirely by Era of Fishermen—but at least it proves our direction wasn't wrong."
With land about to disappear and migration imminent, the Federation heavily subsidized films, games, and other ocean-related projects. It steadied public morale and spread knowledge about surviving at sea. Gu Feng's shelved project had been exactly that: a sea-survival, fishing-and-sailing game.
Unfortunately, it had launched head-to-head against the hottest studio in the scene—Fengxue. Their Era of Fishermen had a budget dozens of times larger and tech far superior. Unsurprisingly, at the latest Maritime Game Championship, Gu Feng's Great Age of Sail sank to the bottom of the charts, while Fengxue's title surged into a runaway first.
The championship wasn't even over yet, but the result was all but decided.
Li Jing glanced at the silent Gu Feng, at a loss for words. After sitting a while, she started to rise to leave—when his voice stopped her.
"Jing-jie, wait."
She paused, puzzled, as Gu Feng's eyes lit up at the sudden panel that flashed before him.
Strongest Game System. It could, by his will alone, construct an almost real world for players to enter and experience.
"Jing-jie, how long has our game been offline?"
A week into the championship, Era of Fishermen had hoovered up all the traffic. To save on costs and server cycles, they'd shut Great Age of Sail down. Any entrant that stayed closed for seven days would be deemed to have forfeited.
"Three days. What are you planning?"
"I want to take one last shot."
Seeing the light return to his eyes—hope rekindled—Li Jing still didn't understand, but after a moment's thought she nodded. "We can try. With what, though?"
Era of Fishermen had drained the market dry. The competition spanned three months, but first place clearly belonged to Fengxue. Having collided head-on, Great Age of Sail had no realistic chance at a comeback.
Even so, the look on Gu Feng's face reminded her of the man he used to be—eyes full of light and possibility.
"With Great Age of Sail," he said, smiling.
The Maritime Game Championship had many categories: fishing and sailing like Era of Fishermen; drifting and survival at sea; naval combat; deep-sea exploration—an entire fleet's worth. Winners would receive official commendations and strong, ongoing support from the Federation. If a title was good enough, it could catapult its creator straight to the top.
Li Jing almost laughed, but his earnestness made her fall quiet. She thought it over, then nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
Though partners, they'd agreed from the start who would take the helm. Gu Feng was, unequivocally, the one calling the shots. Since he'd made up his mind—even if it was the wrong course—she would follow.
"Nothing heavy," Gu Feng said with a small grin. "Line up a few streamers. Three days from now, when we relaunch, push the word for us."
The game had been offline for three days; he needed three more to prepare. They'd bring it back right at the edge of the forfeit window.
This time, he would tear Era of Fishermen to pieces.
Li Jing didn't know where his confidence came from. She gave a helpless smile, shook her head, and left the office.
When the door closed, Gu Feng studied the system in earnest. Its core ability was to build a real world and let players truly enter it. In other words, he wasn't just making a game—he could create a world.
As for progression, the system demanded Popularity as the currency of upgrades—easy enough to grasp. So long as people genuinely immersed themselves in the world he made, they would feed him that value.
"Well then…"
He looked out the window. From the hundred-plus-story height, the horizon was a blank sheet of white where the sea swallowed the sky.
Gu Feng smiled. "Great Age of Sail—begin."
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