At this point, Stephen slightly turned his head, his gaze falling on Nocth, and within his eyes a trace of sincere and deep emotion erged, that was a deep feeling of gratitude.
"Even though it was only for a brief mont, this was the first ti I felt the beauty of this world."
"And this beauty was actually sothing I felt together with another player."
"This was a scene I had never imagined before…"
"You are different from those players, you… you didn't treat as leather."
"You treated well… you treated as your friend…"
"You were willing to listen to my story, and even risk your life to protect …"
"Thank you…"
As he said this, Stephen couldn't help but let out a gentle sigh, slowly lowering his eyes, his gaze revealing endless longing and reluctance.
As if there were thousands of words he couldn't say, all condensed into a single sigh.
"If only I could stay a little longer..."
Yet, although he muttered this aloud, deep down in his heart what he truly wanted to say went far beyond this. The unspoken words surged like a raging undercurrent, endlessly crashing in his heart.
In truth, his inner desire was even more greedy.
"If only all players could be like you..."
Hearing Stephen's words, a wave stirred in Notch's heart, his thoughts surging like a tide. For a mont, he was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond. He couldn't help but ask himself.
'Can I really bear Stephen's sincere and deep gratitude?'
Yet deep inside, his answer was a denial.
Looking back at the journey he had walked alongside Stephen, Notch knew well that he was nothing more than a bystander.
He had witnessed too many things with his own eyes, and from Stephen he had heard of the countless difficulties and tortures those awakened beings had suffered.
All the pain those beings endured, in the end, ca from, the rules of the ga.
Monsters were set to be hostile to players.
Villagers were set to be trading tools for players.
Animals were set to be food.
These were all the most basic settings of a ga.
But the problem was, this ga was no longer just a ga.
As early as when the higher-ups contacted Notch, Notch had already realized this.
But because of the fear inside him, he had never wanted to face it.
Notch actually knew clearly that this ga world was full of complexity and mystery, but he still clung to wishful thinking.
When he learned that the beings in this world were gradually developing self-awareness, with his intelligence, he had long foreseen that these conscious lives would suffer from the rules of the ga. Yet, he refused to face it, choosing instead to escape reality.
As long as he didn't see it with his own eyes, he could pretend these things had never happened, as if they didn't exist at all.
Even though fresh lives perished every single day, Notch still buried his head in the sand.
Because he was the creator of this ga, these settings were made by him.
So every life that was lost was bound to him in countless, inseparable ways.
For that reason, what he had to face was a vast and heavy responsibility.
But he didn't truly understand this world he had created, which had already quietly changed.
Since he had never deeply understood it, how could he take on such a vast and heavy responsibility?
Until now, Stephen's gratitude had completely awakened Notch.
He began to reflect on the rules and order of this ga world, questioning their fairness and rationality.
What was once only a virtual world built from lines of code and algorithms had now, because of these awakened beings, beco so complex and real.
And as the creator, he could no longer turn a blind eye and sit by. He felt he had to take so kind of action.
But at this point, what could he do?
Should the officials directly release an announcent, warning all players not to kill those conscious beings?
That was obviously impossible, because the matter of consciousness appearing inside this ga was already widely known.
Yet, as long as the officials didn't step in to personally confirm the truth, no matter how many debates or discussions were stirred up, it would all just be empty talk, without evidence, unable to attract much attention or importance.
But once the officials really intervened, the very nature of the matter would completely change.
By then, whether the ga could even continue running was uncertain.
Or maybe, another way was for Notch to make all the conscious beings beco unkillable by players.
That is, give everyone an invincible buff.
But clearly, even in theory, such a thod was impossible to carry out.
How many beings in this ga world had already awakened? How many more were in the process of awakening?
Even if he could grant invincibility to them all…
The hatred between these beings and the players had already been born.
Just because players couldn't harm them didn't an they wouldn't strike back at players.
By then, while the beings' lives were protected, players would be facing animals, villagers, and monsters all carrying invincibility buffs, being wiped out daily.
Players weren't masochists. They played gas for fun, not to be endlessly crushed.
How long could such a ga last?
Without players, this ga world would naturally lose its value to exist.
Or perhaps, Notch could create another space, gathering all the conscious beings inside, separating them from players.
But that was no different from keeping cats and dogs penned up.
Though it might look like a form of protection, it would strip them of the right to freely grow, explore the world, and interact with the outside.
For so long, the countless suffering and sacrifices these beings endured were not just to exchange for a seemingly safe, but truly restrictive cage.
On the contrary, what they longed for was real freedom, equality, and mutual respect.
From Stephen's words it was clear, he wanted to truly experience this world, to live in it as soone acknowledged and recognized.
Thinking this, Notch's feelings were hard to calm.
Unconsciously, he recalled his original intention when he created this ga world.
Minecraft.
At that ti, he held onto dreams, wishing to create a unique and magical virtual space where every player could find their own joy and comfort.
He hoped this world could beco a sanctuary for people's hearts, away from the pressure and troubles of real life.
He longed for this world to be like a pure land, nurturing endless creativity and beautiful mories.
In Notch's vision, there would be no wars, no deceit, no harm, only friendship, cooperation, and the exploration of the unknown.
But this world never beca what he imagined.
The more he thought about it, the more restless and uneasy Notch felt inside.
He hated this feeling, clearly, it was a world created by his own hands, yet it never beca what he had truly envisioned.
Not before, not now.
Guilt, anger, unwillingness, fear… countless emotions surged into his heart all at once.
Notch only felt his head splitting with pain.
In a daze, two voices seed to flash through Notch's mind.
Those two voices gave him a feeling that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
["Since the ga is called Minecraft, this should have always been your world alone. You created it, you stand above everything, and everything here exists to serve you. If the problems make you feel troubled, then wipe them out completely… this is your pure land alone…"]
["This is no longer the world you created. Even if it was you who made it at the beginning, it is no longer what it once was… this world has its own rules. It no longer belongs to you. You should not intervene, nor should you interfere…"]
Those two voices were faint, hazy, almost unreal.
But Notch could clearly sense that they did not co from his own heart.
The voices that appeared in his mind just now were not another form of his inner thoughts.
They seed to co from so far and deep place beyond ti and space, piercing through layers of fog, reaching into the depths of Notch's soul.
Notch thought silently. This strange sound seed to be deeply connected to his past experiences.
Perhaps they were words soone had once spoken to him, only buried deep over the years, now resurfacing once more.
This feeling, both familiar and strange, left Notch confused.
He tried to search his mind for clues, piecing together fragnts to form a complete picture, yet everything remained blurry, like looking at flowers through mist.
Though Notch had never heard these voices before, the tone, the choice of words, and the concepts behind them felt unbearably familiar to him.
A strong intuition rose inside him, these two voices belonged to people very close to him, who knew him deeply.
'Then whose voices… are they?'
Notch shut his eyes tightly, his brows furrowing, waves surging in between them like the roaring sea.
He focused all his attention, recalling the faces of those close to him, digging into the depths of mory to find anything that might match those two mysterious voices.
'Not Brother Jiang…'
'Not Rookie…'
'The higher-ups...'
'No… it can't be them…'
One na after another flashed through his mind, each carrying fragnts of mory. Notch carefully savored those mories, trying to catch any thread that could unravel the mystery.
But even after eliminating everyone he knew, Notch still couldn't find the clue he sought.
'Nothing…'
'Why nothing?…'
Ever since the event ten years ago, Notch had changed.
He used to be a complete E-type person. But after that incident, Notch stopped liking to go out, and he disliked socializing even more.
After joining the company, apart from opening his heart to Rookie and becoming friends, he had never again built any deep friendships.
His daily life was monotonous and dull, facing the sa overly familiar faces each day.
Yet it was exactly these limited connections that beca Notch's only possible clues.
He kept replaying every person's voice in his mind, carefully distinguishing subtle differences, trying to match them with those mysterious voices.
But unfortunately, despite countless attempts and effort, Notch always found nothing.
His mood grew heavier, his body unconsciously slumping down.
The feeling was like a worn-out detective, who after endless hardship finally locked onto the culprit. All the evidence pointed clearly to one person, and just as the truth was about to be revealed, he suddenly discovered that this so-called "culprit" didn't exist at all!
"What's wrong with you?…" Stephen's voice beside him pulled Notch back.
Stephen saw Notch's state seed sowhat off, thinking maybe he had said sothing wrong.
Notch rubbed his temples, shaking his head tiredly.
"Nothing…"
"Just suddenly rembered sothing, but no matter how hard I try, I can't recall it…"
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