To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 478: Chapter 282: New Game Theme (Part 2)_1

Just as he stepped into the book, Fang Cheng found himself back in outer space above the planet.

But unlike the desolation he had seen before, the Sumeru Illusion presented a planet with clear mountains and beautiful waters, willows green, peach trees in bloom, Sect buildings towering into the clouds, and numerous exotic flowers and herbs.

Seeing the scene before him, Fang Cheng felt as if he had, in a daze, returned to a thousand years ago, witnessing the prosperous era of the Immortal Way.

However, after a while, he realized something was off.

Though it seemed bustling, the entire world was still a Box Garden World; everything before his eyes was an illusion, not truly existing.

After observing for a while, Fang Cheng descended to the ground and began walking along the street.

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Immortals flew through the sky, while the pedestrians on the ground, used to such sights, went about their own actions without much care.

At a glance, Fang Cheng was astonished by the number of eateries, the limitless variety of food, and a dazzling array of local and exotic cuisine.

Beyond the familiar delicacies, Fang Cheng also discovered many spices that he didn’t recognize. Tasting them lightly, he found their flavors rich and delicious, likely new ingredients developed by the immortals of the Immortal Assembly after their arrival here.

After a moment of reflection, Fang Cheng realized that although there seemed to be many Sects here, in reality, they were all branches of the Food God Sect.

“Does the Immortal Assembly have a connection with the Food God Sect?”

The Food God Sect was an interesting Sect, whose Disciples were mostly gourmands. Even after achieving immortality, they still couldn’t put aside their passion for cuisine, carrying pots every day in search of new ingredients, not sparing even dragon liver or phoenix marrow.

If that was the case, then the purpose of the Sumeru Illusion was clear.

It was a tool for the Food God Sect to assess its disciples, and only those who could prepare satisfying food could leave the mountain to continue learning the Sect’s recipes.

Although he understood the purpose of the Sumeru Illusion, Fang Cheng was still confused and puzzled as to why such a hidden place as Earth’s Heart was chosen to house the assessment illusion of the Food God Sect.

Fang Cheng didn’t think they would do this out of sheer boredom, so the only explanation was that something very important must exist here, hidden deep within.

“Hmm, it’s worth giving it a try.”

Though Fang Cheng was picky when it came to eating, he himself did not know how to cook.

He could serve as a judge, but cooking and taking on the challenge here would be too difficult for him.

But no matter, his adversaries… the player-characters were multitalented, and surely some would be able to present acceptable test dishes.

Without delay, he called out, “Mysterious Mirror, how are things on your end?”

“I can’t get out!” the voice of Mysterious Mirror rang in Fang Cheng’s ears, “This place has trapped me!”

Driven by curiosity, Fang Cheng walked over and found that in the depths of the illusion, Mysterious Mirror was caught in a Formation, unable to move.

The Formation itself was not too profound, but its effects were somewhat troublesome; Mysterious Mirror was almost fused with the Sumeru Illusion, making separation difficult.

To separate them, the illusion would need to be destroyed. Despite feeling a bit regretful, Fang Cheng could only sigh with pity and then prepared to take action.

However, at that moment, he suddenly felt an impulse to divine for Mysterious Mirror. The divination indicated that not only would Mysterious Mirror not come to harm, but it would also gain considerable benefits.

After some thought, Fang Cheng stood in front of Mysterious Mirror and said, “You have two choices before you.”

“Mr. Fang, you call the shots!” Mysterious Mirror immediately responded obediently.

“That’s good. You’ll stay here for some time, at most a month or two, and then you should be able to get out,” Fang Cheng decided.

A month or two wasn’t too long, and Mysterious Mirror felt no loss and readily agreed.

Meanwhile, Fang Cheng’s Primordial Spirit returned to its place. He took the Sumeru Illusion, established a teleportation point in the local area, and then went back to the studio.

Having not returned for almost a month, his employees seemed to have grown quite lazy.

Xu Qingling, sitting at the reception, fiddled with her earrings out of boredom, sighing at the door every so often, seemingly lost in thought.

Huang Ping lay listlessly in the break room, staring blankly at the sky as if his entire soul had departed.

Xiao Douzi had opened “Towards Death and Life” again, silent and expressionless like a deranged killer; moreover, based on his actions, he seemed to have accumulated quite a bit of stress.

“Sorry, I’m back,” Fang Cheng apologized.

The Monkey looked up in disbelief at Fang Cheng standing at the doorway, suddenly shouting excitedly, “Boss, you’re finally back!”

Xu Qingling stood up excitedly, pondering whether or not to embrace Fang Cheng in her emotional fervor, when Gao Tianyun, attracted by the scent, rushed over and grabbed Fang Cheng’s sleeve, gushing, “Mr. Fang, you’re finally back.”

“…You were on the first floor, how did you know?”

“I suddenly had a feeling, so I ran up here,” Gao Tianyun replied.

Looking at Gao Tianyun’s snotty face, Fang Cheng admired his intuition; it was truly remarkable, no wonder he could choose the right path among countless wrong ones and light up the world of virtual reality technology.

But after some thought, Fang Cheng realized he had indeed been away for quite some time.

The location of the Immortal Assembly was too remote, and it had taken him a long time to get there. Plus, immortals’ sense of time tended to be vague, so forgetting to return was within reason.

However, seeing his colleagues’ blend of mild complaint, partial dissatisfaction, and overwhelming excitement, Fang Cheng decided he should not leave for too long in the future, or else his employees would all fall ill.

After all, they were idleness born of having no work to do.