THE king walked slowly towards the only high platform. His every steps were elegant and effortless. As if he was gliding instead of walking. Then he faced the players and spread both arms as if in welcome.

"My dear friends, I welcome you all to my palace," the King said with a gentle smile on his captivating face.

Luo Yan saw almost all the players bowing and saying almost at the same time. "We're honored to be here, Your Majesty."

"Do we really need to act like he's a real king or something?" Luo Jin whispered, quite reluctant to play the obedient subject.

Bai Ze put his hand on top of Luo Jin's head and made him bow. "Just play along. That NPC is programmed in a way that he could coerce anyone, players and other NPC alike, to show respect to him. So instead of being forced, it's better to just play along."

Luo Yan raised one his brows when he heard that. "Isn't that a bit overkill?"

"Well, he's the King of Arcadia. He's like the boss of all the bosses. He's literally the most powerful being here," Bai Ze said, shrugging.

"Now, before this year's entertainment begin, let's all enjoy tonight's feast," the King said. Then he sat gracefully on the throne behind him.

"We still need to eat?" Luo Yan asked, a bit unbelieving.

As he asked, tables suddenly appeared in the ballroom. The five of them sat down on the nearest one. Then maids and waiters brought plates of food on each tables.

When all the tables were filled with different dishes, the King said, "Let the feast begin."

Luo Yan picked the nearest dessert – a custard pudding. Since nothing would begin without them eating, then he might as well eat to his heart's content.

Shen Ji Yun, of course, noticed the rabbit's little action. He remembered when they first had a meal, the rabbit ate more dessert than the main dish. "Do you like sweets?" he couldn't help asking.

"Yes. But it's probably more because I couldn't eat that much sweets in real life. If I do, a certain someone would definitely scold me," Luo Yan answered, digging into the pudding.

"Of course I would," Luo Jin said, not hesitating to admit that he was this 'certain someone'. "You know you have to follow a strict diet. If I'm not strict with you, I'm pretty sure Dad and Older Brother would just let you have your way."

"Strict diet? Is Xiao Yan's body still not okay?" Bai Ze asked worriedly.

Shen Ji Yun also had the same thought. Seven years of coma, there's no way it wouldn't have any sequelae. As evidence of Luo Yan's petite body that was much smaller compared to other 17-year-olds. He was filled again with the same kind of worry that he first felt when he found out about Luo Yan's accident.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Luo Yan said helplessly, noticing Bai Ze and Shen Ji Yun's worried gazes. "I'm totally fine. If not, then I wouldn't be able to play Arcadia, wouldn't I? My body is just a bit too weak and short to my liking. But I'm sure I'll be taller in no time. After all, both Dad and my brothers are all tall."

Shen Ji Yun nodded. Whatever the rabbit wanted, he's sure that he would achieve it.

On the other hand, Bai Ze could only look at his little cousin with pity. It's a known fact that Luo Yan looked strikingly similar to Aunt Mei Hua. His aunt was a very petite lady. If we took into account the fact that Luo Yan was a boy, then at most, he'd probably grow 170 cm at most. But certainly, he wouldn't reach the height of his father and brothers. No, maybe if Luo Yan worked hard, he could at least achieve 175 cm.

[I'll be praying for your success, Xiao Yan.] – Bai Ze thought.

"If you want to grow taller, I know some effective exercise and diet plan that could help you. I could send it to you later if you want," Su Yuqi said after primly cutting a piece of steak.

Luo Yan instantly became interested. "Really, Sister Yuqi? Then should we exchange WeChat ID later?"

"Sure."

Luo Jin's ears perked up when he heard that. Should he also exchange WeChat ID? No, he didn't really have any reason to. He shook his head and just continued eating.

Luo Yan finished eating the pudding. He took a slice of pumpkin pie next. He then glanced at the King who was currently drinking wine. His every actions were so elegant that even if he did the most mundane of things, he would probably still look graceful.

Luo Yan stared at the King's silvery white hair that seemed like strands of moonlight and those black eyes filled with starlight. He looked at the King's ears. It was just a normal pair of ears, like a human's.

"Brother Ji Yun, what is the King's name and race?" he thought of asking.

"Both are unknown," Shen Ji Yun said.

"I also don't know his name. But regarding his race, maybe he's a god. After all, he's the strongest NPC. And what's stronger than a god?" Bai Ze said.

He actually asked Shen Ji Yun's uncle about this. But he refused to give any information, that cheapskate.

"Then maybe he's a moon god? After all, most of the things here, even this mark on the back of our hands, are related to the moon," Luo Yan commented.

"Ah, that's not exactly the case," Shen Ji Yun said. "My Uncle has some unknown obsession over the character 'Yue'. And the King is his favorite NPC, he was even the one who programmed him. That's why almost all the things related to the King has something to do with the moon."

Truthfully, when his uncle found out that he's making his own team, he insisted that he put the character 'Yue' in it. Because Shen Ji Yun was too lazy to think of a name, he just combined 'Yun' and 'Yue'. When his uncle found out about it later, he got scolded. Saying why he had to put his name together. Shen Ji Yun just let him raged. Because no matter how much his uncle scolded him, he couldn't do anything more because he had already registered the team name.

At the end, his uncle just let it be. Albeit very reluctantly.

'Yue', huh? Well, that character literally meant 'moon'. So because Shen Ji Yun's uncle was obsessed with the character 'Yue' and the King was his favorite NPC, a lot of things moon related was put in this castle. Wait- was the reason his gaming company named 'Moonlight Media' also related to that?

Wasn't that a bit too… eccentric?

On a certain cliff overlooking the city, a tall man was watching the bright city lights. His usual crisp suit was now askew. Some of the buttons on his shirt was not even properly buttoned. His black hair that was usually in order was now in a mess. He was not even wearing the golden rimmed glasses that he usually wore.

Shen Yi Mu raised his head and stared at the big full moon shining on the night sky. A smile full of bitterness and sadness crossed his lips. His dark eyes filling with pain.

"Happy birthday, Ah Yue."