It had indeed been a long time since he last returned to Columbia—over a year had passed.
For researchers and scientists, time was something observable, something measurable. For them, it was merely the duration of an experiment. With life-extending medical research now a top priority, they no longer cared about the passage of time. They buried themselves in their work, pouring all their energy and passion into the realm of science.
Felix thought it might be better to explore some ruins instead—maybe he could unearth some ancient technology. After all, he hadn't even finished excavating the Iberian coastline ruins before returning to Lungmen. It wasn't just Iberia; the land of Kazdel had similar untapped sites.
After returning to Lungmen, Felix began editing Babel's cooperative missions in the faction panel, starting with transport tasks. As for trading with the Iberian Inquisition, those deals had already been concluded. Now, the employees of Tomorrow's Development could freely roam within Iberia.
Unlike Babel, Felix hadn't negotiated any special deals with the Inquisition. Yet the Inquisition still extended a cunning olive branch to the "undead" in their eyes, offering tasks they could accomplish and loyalty points they could redeem. Over time, the Inquisition would skillfully abandon Tomorrow's Development and pull them into their fold.
The advantage is mine!
Players lurking on the forums immediately noticed the pinned post.
"Tomorrow's Development might have struck a deal with the 'Babel' organization."
Comments began pouring in.
"Who's Babel?"
"Is this the new 2.0 main questline?"
"The person we saw in the PV?"
The usual nonsense guesses flew about. Yang Yan XF, who had spent time in Kazdel and now frequented the area, posted a clarification.
"Back in 1.0, the Twin kings of Kazdel already had conflicts. By the late stages of 1.0, the civil war broke out. The Military Committee was led by General Theresis, while Babel was guided by Princess Theresa. Both appeared in the 2.0 PV—check around 3:02."
His reply quickly rose to the top, and many players who rewatched the PV chimed in under his post.
"Wow, what a stunning beauty! This is the most beautiful NPC I've ever seen!"
"Definitely worth grinding affection for (smirk)."
"Your Highness, my Lady!"
Chaos ensued.
Ten minutes later, Dreamchaser posted a summary:
"Our guild affiliates have been collecting materials in Kazdel these past few days. The Tomorrow's Development officially arrived last month at the territory now called the Frontier Zone or Frontier District. Everyone knew about it on the forum, but it now seems highly likely they've formed a partnership with Kazdel's Babel faction."
"From the 2.0 PV, it's clear this brother-sister duo are the main characters of Kazdel's storyline. Players who didn't join either faction couldn't trigger the war plot, only recording progress through forum posts. But now, Tomorrow's Development gives us a legitimate chance to experience Kazdel's main questline."
"This cooperation with Babel is official. I believe that, until the next plot update, our main battlefield will be the Frontier District, where we will continue completing tasks for both Tomorrow's Development and Babel."
The comment immediately rose to the top. Magic ZX, who hadn't yet posted, shook his head, deleted a long draft, glanced at the rainy night outside the Grand Knight Hall window, and continued waiting outside the company where an uncle worked late, delivering him food as family support.
Players collectively realized the logic: it made perfect sense. Being part of Tomorrow's Development allowed them to trigger a nation's storyline without joining the opposing faction. With Tomorrow's Development's generous rewards and support, this was an absolute win.
Within days of Felix's return and while he was still preparing his luggage, players from the Kazdel area all flocked to the Frontier District. Tens of thousands more rushed in from elsewhere—missing this opportunity meant having nowhere to complain.
Except for a few players actively on missions or in consecutive tasks, every Tomorrow's Development player gathered in the Frontier District, drawing attention even from those who hadn't joined or closely followed the forum.
Word-of-mouth incentives spread quickly. A fresh wave of new players joined Tomorrow's Development. Apart from a few veteran players, many newcomers born in Kazdel post-2.0, feeling the pressure, flocked to the safe Frontier District. Hearing about Tomorrow's Development, they eagerly signed up.
This further expanded Tomorrow's Development's scale.
As for their mission, aside from Babel's commissions, Felix gave them a single instruction:
Dig. Dig hard. Even if you have to dig three feet deep, find something useful.
The items they dug up could either be kept for themselves or turned in to Tomorrow's Development in exchange for corresponding contribution points. Felix had specifically asked the well-traveled Emperor to oversee this, since he had wandered far and wide for years and had seen countless ruins during his drunken boasting sessions.
When it came to pricing and rewards, Tomorrow's Development did it better than anyone else. That was why players loved it and remained loyal. For these players, it was like returning to the gold rush of the 70s and 80s—the barren land of Kazdel suddenly seemed rich with potential. Who knew what treasures might be buried there?
Meanwhile, Iberian players had also begun excavation. They believed that personal questlines belonging to the Inquisition existed within Iberia. Once granted exploration rights, they too transformed into grave diggers, unearthing ruins one by one.
Felix didn't particularly care about the ancient-grade weapons they found. Some players might treasure them for a while, but eventually realize the equipment's stats or class requirements didn't match their own.
Rather than letting a useless weapon gather dust in a warehouse until version 3.0 or 4.0, savvy players would turn it in for contribution points, exchanging those points for weapons, equipment, or skill books suited to their current class. This way, they wouldn't fall behind in PVP or PVE competitions.
The ancient-grade weapons were naturally monopolized by the guilds with the largest professional teams. They would always find the most suitable equipment for their members, and any unsuitable items would be turned in without hesitation. That was simply how professional teams operated.
In truth, professional teams in the previous life had done the same—except back then, they hoarded everything and never sold anything. This time, with Tomorrow's Development, things were much more player-friendly. Felix, understanding the frustrations and pursuit of strength that players experienced in his past life, had set up the system in a terrane and considerate way.
The rule earned unanimous praise from players. As they enthusiastically began to dig into the land, Felix had already taken off from Lungmen by plane.
He had originally planned to bring Mostima and Fiammetta, but both were unavailable due to work reports in Laterano. So he only brought Lemuen and Lemuel, the sisters who had never been to Columbia before. This trip would at least give them a chance to meet his other companions.
After landing at Columbia's airport, Felix brought the angelic sisters back to his home in Trimount. There, he found Carnelian practicing Originium Arts in the training room.
"Long time no see, Boss."
Carnelian greeted Felix with her crimson eyes blinking. "I heard you went to Kazdel recently and just left me here in Trimount! My body's starting to rust."
"Want to stretch a little?"
Felix smiled. "Do you want to train, or do you want to fight?"
"What if I want both?"
Felix propped his chin on his hand. "I can let you manage the mercenary section, but that would mean living in Lungmen long-term. If you can accept that…"
"No problem."
Carnelian flexed her body. "It's been a while since I fought with Degenbrecher. I miss it."
Felix introduced Carnelian and her background to the bewildered Sankta sisters. Lemuen and Lemuel smiled and stepped forward to greet her.
Carnelian gave Felix a meaningful glance. "Poor little Mandragora…"
Felix didn't understand what she meant, but upon hearing "Mandragora," he clapped his hands. "Senomi and Mandragora will graduate soon, right? Perfect timing—I plan to scale back my strength for now and focus on Iberia and Kazdel. After the New Year, I'll bring them back to Lungmen. Susie and Rafaela will come with me as well."
Carnelian looked a little surprised. "Boss, are you planning to give up running Trimount?"
"There's still Rhine Lab here, so connections won't be broken… What makes it hard for Tomorrow's Development is the Columbian military presence. They've noticed the undead nature of adventurers and have already tried to recruit some during this period."
Felix smirked. "And if recruitment fails, the alternative might be… brainwashing. Of course, that tech doesn't exist. I mean more like confinement. But no adventurer in Tomorrow's Development will face that threat."
"Understood."
Carnelian nodded, stretching her body. "The four little ones still have some time before school ends. I'll go make some tea for you all."
"You've always been good at taking care of others, haven't you?"
"Of course. After all, I have a lovely little sister."
Carnelian blinked and left, and Lemuen sighed in admiration. "I used to think Lord Ers' praise was exaggerated, but it seems that, Felix, over all these years since leaving Laterano, you really have built quite an empire."
"Lord Ers, you say?"
Lemuen's eyes flickered with complexity. "He worries about the choices you might make in the future. Given your status and position, there will be difficult moments. Lord Ers has likely already foreseen this."
"Lucky it's the current generation of the Pope…"
Felix added.
Lemuen let out a long, soft sigh. If it had been one of the previous Popes, Felix might have faced assassination by the Notary Office—not to mention his enemies in Kazdel and Sankta, or the fact that Babel, a Sarkaz faction, had formed an alliance with him. Even his advocacy for creating coexistence spaces for infected and uninfected would have put a target on his back.
The old Sankta leaders were notoriously headstrong: you're Sarkaz, I'll fight you; you belittle Sankta, I'll fight you; you openly or covertly support infected in Laterano, I'll decide whether to take action.
Lemuen sighed for all those reasons.
Lemuel, on the other hand, felt nothing of the sort. She simply held Felix's hand, their fingers interlaced. Though her boyish face flushed slightly with shyness, she radiated courage.
Carnelian couldn't help but sigh for her apprentice at the sight.
Felix ruffled Lemuel's hair. His Guardian Pistol wasn't hers yet, but her coming-of-age ceremony was in December. This year, she couldn't return to Laterano, so he might have to preside over it himself.
While waiting for the four little ones to come home with tea, Felix began searching the Texas family on his terminal.
The Texas family wasn't particularly famous in Columbia—not even remotely on the same level as the Simon family he'd heard of before. At most, he found that they were a pioneering family, currently controlling part of the Pioneer Association's rights—but not much.
For a family, this wasn't a sign of success; it was a sign of decline. Without action to restore the family's prominence, the Texas family might soon become just another ordinary household in Columbia, a mere topic of gossip.
The Texas family had left Siracusa early on. Their mission was to pioneer the land in Columbia, gather intelligence for Siracusa, and earn some freedom—while still paying tribute annually to Lady Sicily.
It seemed the Texas family's days of survival were numbered.
"The Texas family may break free from Siracusa's control to become one of Columbia's notable households."
Seeing this report, Felix knew it was time to move.
"Boss, are you leaving?"
"Time waits for no one. I'll probably be back in about a week."
Felix glanced at a surprised Carnelian, but she quickly understood the gravity of the situation from his expression and nodded.
"Emperor is holding a concert in Columbia anyway. I'll go get him before I leave. After all the public resources we've used, it's time to put them to good use."