Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The solemn and magnificent lecture hall was bathed in brilliant sunlight streaming through the enormous glass dome overhead. Massive marble pillars supported the spacious entrance, and the floor had been polished to a mirror-like sheen that reflected the gathered crowd.
At this moment, the tiered seats on both sides of the central stage were completely filled with designers of every rank and specialty. Their expressions varied wildly. Some faces showed eager anticipation, others displayed puzzled confusion, a few appeared grimly solemn, while certain individuals in the back rows wore barely concealed expressions of disdain and skepticism.
Alto swept his gaze methodically across the diverse audience. These people represented every tier of the designer community, all personally invited by the temple elders to attend this unprecedented lecture. A trace of genuine nervousness rose unbidden in his chest, but he forcibly suppressed it through sheer willpower.
Over the past three days, he had practiced extensively and repeatedly, all to prepare for precisely this moment. People had to learn to break through their limitations and face their fears in order to truly grow.
He gathered his scattered thoughts, straightened his formal robes with deliberate care, and stepped forward onto the elevated stage with measured confidence.
After delivering a brief self-introduction that established his credentials without excessive humility, Alto began speaking in a clear, steady voice that carried throughout the vast hall.
"When we trace back the ancient origins of the Dreamscape, we discover that its existence stretches back an almost incomprehensibly long time," he began, his tone respectful of history. "It is deeply rooted in the very foundation and earliest days of Moon Elf civilization itself."
"In those ancient times, our Moon Elf ancestors lived under the divine protection of the Moon Goddess, allowing our fragile people to survive, grow, and eventually flourish despite overwhelming odds."
"From that sacred moment forward, the Dreamscape became inseparably and fundamentally bound to the Moon Elf race in ways that transcended simple technology or entertainment."
"In that harsh era, our ancestors faced countless existential threats from every direction. Reality was perpetually filled with suffering, loss, and separation that tested their spirits daily."
Alto's voice took on a somber quality as he listed the hardships. "An environment where food was desperately scarce. The heartbreaking loss of beloved family members. The constant menace of savage magical beasts. The ever-present shadow of brutal, unending war."
"And it was precisely through the emergence of the Dreamscape that we were finally able to experience a sense of completeness, beauty, and hope that cruel reality could never offer our battered people."
He paused deliberately, letting the weight of history settle over the audience before continuing.
"At that time, the Dreamscape did not possess the grand epics we see today, nor did it feature the complex mechanical systems and elaborate settings we now take for granted. But it carried the most fundamental and vital purposes, purposes that mattered more than any technical achievement."
"Training essential survival skills. Preserving and passing down our precious culture. Bringing scattered people closer together in a shared experience. Everyone could briefly escape the relentless cruelty of reality through the healing beauty of the Dreamscape."
"In dreams, we could reunite with loved ones who had tragically left us, hone our combat abilities safely, or even symbolically overcome the terrifying enemies we once feared while awake."
A low murmur of recognition and emotion spread throughout the audience like ripples across water. This was their own history, the arduous path their ancestors had walked through blood and tears. Alto's words resonated deeply with something primal in their collective consciousness.
"Eventually!" Alto's voice rose with triumphant energy. "As the long centuries passed, our elven race defeated every single external threat that had once seemed insurmountable. We overcame every powerful hostile race on this entire continent through courage and unity."
"Together with our brothers and sisters of other allied races, we established the most powerful and prosperous empire this land has ever known! That desperate era filled with constant mortal danger finally came to an end after millennia of struggle."
His tone shifted to something more contemplative. "The empire entered an unprecedented period of rapid development and expansion. Our lives became comfortable and stable. On the surface, everything seemed to be steadily improving with each passing generation."
Alto paused dramatically, his expression growing troubled. "But then why," he asked quietly, the question hanging in the air, "does it feel as though the Dreamscape has been gradually forgotten and relegated to an afterthought?"
The lecture hall fell into profound, uncomfortable silence.
In the earliest days of the empire, even elves of other racial backgrounds had genuinely loved the intricate Dream Worlds woven by Moon Elf designers. Back then, although each race worshiped its own patron deity through different traditions, that cultural separation had never prevented anyone from admiring the Moon Goddess and appreciating the Dreamscape's unique gifts.
But at some indefinable point in history, everything had subtly changed. When exactly did that shift begin? So much time had passed, entire generations rising and falling, that no one could remember anymore. All they knew with certainty was that as the peaceful years accumulated, faith in the Moon Goddess no longer burned as fiercely as it once had in desperate times.
"I believe I understand why," a young male elf in the audience suddenly raised his hand and spoke up boldly. "It's because people today are well-fed and comfortable. Life has become materially better, so the Dreamscape has become functionally unnecessary for survival."
"What you've said contains truth," Alto acknowledged calmly, nodding respectfully at the young designer, "but that observation is not the primary root cause of the decline."
He swept his gaze across the confused faces. "Even in today's society, where we have sufficient food and stable, somewhat comfortable lives, every single one of us still encounters daily worries, crushing pressure, and the struggle of caring for our loved ones."
The audience grew visibly confused and unsettled. If that fundamental truth remained unchanged, then what was the actual problem? The Dreamscape today was objectively more prosperous, technically advanced, and grandiose than ever before in recorded history.
People began whispering urgently among themselves. Some discussed theories in pairs, others quietly voiced their own half-formed thoughts and observations.
Alto paused deliberately, allowing the speculation to build, then continued in an even, measured tone that cut through the noise.
"Repetition."
"Repetition?" several voices echoed questioningly.
"Yes. Mindless, exhausting repetition," Alto confirmed firmly.
"I believe we have all personally experienced scenes like this in our daily lives. When I need to purchase something from a shop, I must walk around browsing and choosing items, then negotiate payment, complete the transaction, pack everything carefully, and physically carry it all home."
"It's genuinely troublesome and time-consuming. I already have to perform these exact same tedious actions in reality, and then I'm expected to experience them all over again in the Dreamscape with no meaningful difference or improvement."
"When I want to eat roasted meat in reality, I must acquire and clean raw ingredients, gather fuel and light a fire, carefully grill the meat, add precise seasoning, and wait patiently for a considerable time."
"In the Dreamscape, I still have to go through that exact same complicated, time-consuming process with no shortcuts or enhancements."
Alto leaned forward intensely. "My friends and colleagues, haven't you overlooked something critically important? You are all esteemed designers with prestigious positions and successful careers. Most of you earn comfortable incomes more than sufficient to support yourselves and your families well."
"You don't need to perform exhausting, soul-crushing labor. You have ample leisure time to savor life's beauty and pursue personal interests at your own pace."
His voice grew sharp. "But what about the vast majority of people who aren't so fortunate? Their time is fragmented and precious. They are constantly busy. Reality already exhausts them completely, draining every ounce of energy they possess."
"Do they really want to spend their scarce free time experiencing another monotonous, tedious day in the Dreamscape that feels identical to their waking suffering?"
"Since this is literally a Dream World, a space of infinite possibility," Alto challenged, his voice rising with passion, "why must it so rigidly and pointlessly follow real-world limitations and rules?"
"That is precisely why I believe with absolute conviction that a truly good work must first and foremost respect and prioritize the player's experience above all other considerations. This is the sacred core principle every single designer should uphold and defend."
The audience fell into deep, contemplative thought. This fundamental philosophy was perfectly embodied throughout Stardew Valley's revolutionary design. Everyone present had experienced that work extensively over the past weeks, and at the very least, most had been thoroughly convinced of its superiority.
To a significant extent, Stardew Valley achieved elegant simplification while maintaining depth. It was essentially a reimagined peaceful small town that felt simultaneously familiar and fresh.
Although it still fundamentally involved farming and mining as core activities, no one would normally have much interest in performing such tedious manual labor in reality, yet somehow Stardew Valley managed to make them genuinely engaging and even addictive.
Alto continued his lecture with growing confidence. "Furthermore, I believe passionately that an outstanding work cannot be separated from a profound sense of meaning and purpose. It is not merely a disposable tool for shallow entertainment, but also a powerful medium for conveying important ideas and truths."
"Of course," he clarified quickly, "this does not mean that simply having a grand historical backdrop or more magnificent architectural buildings automatically imbues something with meaning or depth."
"Narratives do not need to be epic in scope to matter. Scenes do not need to be spectacular and overwhelming to resonate. Sometimes, by focusing intimately on ordinary moments of daily life, as long as players can genuinely feel warmth and healing through small, authentic interactions, that sense of meaning can still deeply resonate with them on a profound level."
The audience's understanding was clearly mixed. Some stared blankly into space, lost in contemplation of these foreign concepts, while others had already pulled out notebooks and begun writing furiously, desperate to capture every word.
Many of the revolutionary ideas Alto articulated today were concepts they had genuinely never considered before in their entire careers. For countless centuries, they had followed established conventions and rigid formulas, striving earnestly to create outstanding works, yet had unknowingly fallen into a subtle mental trap that stifled true innovation.
"Lastly, I want to discuss innovation and balance," Alto announced, his voice growing more animated and passionate.
He spoke fluidly, ranging from ancient historical patterns to modern social development, from philosophy to artistic expression, from immersive player experiences to core gameplay loops and self-sustaining closed systems.
If this lecture were being delivered in the real world of his previous life, many cynical industry veterans might have dismissed portions of it as empty theoretical talk disconnected from practical reality.
But the designers of this world had never been exposed to such advanced, systematically refined concepts and frameworks. It was revolutionary knowledge that challenged everything they thought they understood.
If Alto were to directly discuss addiction mechanics, sunk-cost psychological fallacies, or exploitative monetization systems designed purely to extract maximum revenue, it would likely spark immediate and undesirable backlash from the more traditional designers.
That was absolutely not something he wanted to see happen, not when he was trying to win hearts and minds.