Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 1270: Chapter 1269: Drink Responsibly After Coming of Age

”Cheers!”

Everyone raised their glasses high, clinking them together, unable to conceal the smiles on their faces.

”You all did a great job this time.”

Holding his glass, Fang Zheng nodded with a smile to Shiyu of Misty Hill and Yamada Elf in front of him. While Fang Zheng was working hard in the Main World, actions were still ongoing in other worlds. For instance, right now, Fang Zheng was attending a celebration party for the novel ”Sword Art Online,” a collaboration between Yamada Elf and Shiyu of Misty Hill, which garnered attention across all sectors of society upon its release.

After all, rather than a novel, it was more like a record or biography. The two used a multi-perspective narrative technique, through records and interpretations from different players, to present to readers how a group of young people summoned courage, fought tenaciously to the end, and achieved triumph in that world filled with death.

Humankind inherently possesses a curiosity, let alone the fact that ”Sword Art Online” was promoted with the gimmick of ”perfectly presenting the world of the Death Game” from its initial release. This made many people’s hearts itch, and coupled with the collaboration between Yamada Elf and Shiyu of Misty Hill, the book soared to the top of the best-seller list in Japan upon release, even attracting a fair number of readers overseas.

”Of course, have you forgotten who I am? I am Yamada Elf.”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Yamada Elf also patted her chest with a smile, while Shiyu of Misty Hill beside her glanced at her silently.

”It wasn’t big to start with, be careful it doesn’t flatten.”

”What did you say?! If you have the guts, say it again?!”

Watching the bickering between the two in front of him, Fang Zheng shook his head with a smile. In fact, the reason this book sold so well was not only due to their undeniable talent but also due to political necessities.

Indeed, because of the world of the Death Game, the Government of Japan faced criticism both domestically and internationally. Just like Fang Zheng thought, how could they have failed to detect that the helmet could cook the human brain and then released it for public sale? It was simply asking for trouble!

Although the government dismissed a lot of officials to appease public anger, it was clearly not that easy, and the support rate for the current government was precarious. Therefore, they were eager to find something to divert the public’s attention. The release of the novel ”Sword Art Online” coincidentally gave the Government of Japan an opportunity.

The novel’s content was quite positive, not delving into the negative aspects. Of course, it did describe the anxiety and fear of being trapped in the Game World, but the theme was one of struggle and striving forward with positive energy.

Of course, if the content of this novel were purely fictional, it wouldn’t have much effect. But the brilliance lies in the fact that every story in this novel was adapted from real events, with each character having a real-life counterpart. Not to mention that the game company still retained data and records from the game.

Therefore, aside from some personal privacy aspects that couldn’t be verified, other parts could be directly extracted from game records for verification. Precisely because of this, the ”authenticity” of this novel was never in question.

Because of this ”authenticity,” ”Sword Art Online” also received strong support from the government. They desperately needed this kind of ”human spirit” to divert public focus away from the government’s failures in the game incident and to emphasize the courage and perseverance of the people.

With the government’s covert support, various television programs about ”Sword Art Online” emerged successively, heavily promoting the novel. The results were quite good, as public opinion and the masses eventually forget and forgive. Moreover, the novel ”Sword Art Online” itself could indeed withstand scrutiny, and the existence of the character prototypes quickly formed a nationwide fan frenzy.

Of course, Fang Zheng chose to collaborate with the government with his considerations.

Japan is a homogeneous country with a strong sense of group identity. As a result, incidents of bullying and exclusion are prominent. Particularly after the Death Game incident, although many were successfully rescued, they were ostracized by the entire society. Even within schools, this was the case, which is why it was ultimately necessary to build a special school to accommodate these victims of the Death Game.

Although the Death Game incident had a relatively satisfactory conclusion, society wasn’t forgiving towards these players. Japanese society, similar to China, doesn’t view gaming as particularly honorable, especially given the scale of the incident. Many in society believed that these game players brought their suffering upon themselves. If they hadn’t been playing games, if they hadn’t been addicted, they wouldn’t have fallen into such a disaster.

There were even extreme opinions online that argued all these game players should collectively die, claiming their existence led to the event, adding trouble for the government and bringing shame to the entire country.

Consequently, the mainstream social opinion at the time was unfriendly towards these game players. Let alone the fact that being asleep for two years was considered a waste. Their interpersonal circles also faced many challenges.

Take Eiriri, for example. She had been a sophomore in high school, but by the time she returned from the Game World, her friends were already in college...

Social exclusion, pressure from public opinion, and lost social circles imposed immense pressure on many survivors.

Of course, some people didn’t care, like Sophie, who simply stated that her life went on unaffected. And Gabriel even wished she could stay in the Game World for a few more years...

But these were the minority.

Therefore, Fang Zheng deliberately collaborated with the government to transform these survivors into ”heroes,” reshaping social opinion. Fortunately, judging by the current sales and discussion heat of ”Sword Art Online,” they perfectly achieved their goal. Public opinion no longer focused on the government’s negligence in the game incident, and the survivors were successfully portrayed by the media as battle heroes who fought and triumphed.

Some entertainment companies even plan to find players from the Dark Moon Sword and design an idol group based on their image to debut...

”You did a great job this time.”

Looking at Yamada Elf and Shiyu of Misty Hill, Fang Zheng didn’t hold back his praise. Even though he provided the main direction for ”Sword Art Online,” he hadn’t dictated how it should be written. To his surprise, Yamada Elf and Shiyu of Misty Hill didn’t select a single character as the protagonist but chose a group narrative mode using various players’ perspectives!

This attempt was bold but also very successful. There was already someone discussing the rights for adapting ”Sword Art Online” into a film or drama.

Of course, don’t even think about the game rights...

”What are your plans next?”

”Haven’t decided yet.”

Since Fairy seemed closer to Fang Zheng, she was the first to answer with a cheeky smile.

”But next, I’m planning to write a long form light novel to show everyone that I, Yamada Elf, am still the strongest best-selling light novel author!”

In contrast, Shiyu of Misty Hill’s thoughts were more calm.

”I plan to continue studying further, then write a romance novel... This experience has been very beneficial, and I think I can go a step further based on it.”

”Since you’ve both decided, then go ahead and do it.”

Hearing their responses, Fang Zheng didn’t say much more.

”If you encounter any difficulties or need anything, feel free to reach out to me. Whatever I can help with, I definitely will.”

The celebration party had an exceptionally lively atmosphere. Besides the two protagonists, many others involved were also present, including many members of the Dark Moon Sword Guild. Fang Zheng also chatted with them for a long time. Ultimately, the celebration party successfully concluded, and everyone bid farewell to head home.

However...

”Miss Misty Hill?”

After wrapping up the remaining tasks, Fang Zheng walked out of the hotel and, to his surprise, saw Shiyu of Misty Hill standing absentmindedly at the entrance, looking up at the sky as if she were lost in thought. Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s voice, she turned her head to look at him.

”Ah, it’s Mr. Fang Zheng.”

”It’s so late... Haven’t you gone home yet? Is there something on your mind?”

”Not really, but...”

At this point, Shiyu of Misty Hill sighed and then seemed to think of something, looking over at Fang Zheng.

”Mr. Fang Zheng, would you like to go out for a few drinks with me?”