He had a very long dream.

He was waiting for someone.

He had already waited for a very long time, but that person never appeared.

So he left the place that trapped him.

He wondered if it was because the person he liked preferred humans with arms and legs, and not a formless ball of light like him.

So he tried to become such a being, but he failed.

His existence could not be touched.

—Unless he could find a body.

With that thought, he drifted across an open field and found a corpse lying abandoned by the roadside.

Perhaps it was because an infant's body could not survive a long journey, but whatever the reason was, his parents had abandoned him.

The soul was overjoyed and slipped into the body. His original 360-degree vision vanished, replaced by sight that could only look forward. It felt strange at first, but he quickly adapted.

A passing car picked him up.

Then, he saw many humans and even spotted a tower that was almost identical to his home.

He was so happy.

But one day, after feeling an intense pain, his vision split into two. One part drifted away, nearly evaporated, but finally clung to a plant. The other became an ordinary human and grew up normally.

His memories wandered along with the roaming fungal plant, while his human self knew nothing.

After a long period of wandering, he found the base of the fungal plants and settled there for the time being.

His human self continued to grow day by day.

That human self experienced many things, while the mycelium simply rested in silence, conserving its strength.

Until one day, the mycelium met that person again.

In an instant, the desolate world bloomed with countless brilliant colors.

He thought, I finally found you.

His consciousness began to blur, unsure of where he was now. But he heard that person's voice, giving him an anchor in the midst of his drifting unease.

Sometimes, when he woke up from the dream, he would hear people nearby saying, "Mr. Ruan, this idea is far too bold. I don't think it will succeed. We can't waste such manpower and resources on something based on mere speculation. You know the pollution outside hasn't been dealt with yet."

Mr. Ruan's voice came from very close by, almost above his head. His tone was gentle but firm. "This is the only way to ensure the problem never returns."

The soul felt warm hands touch its body. Certain memories began to clear, causing his ears to burn and his heart to race. If he had a human body, his face would have been bright red.

His consciousness began to drift again.

When he woke up again, the people outside were still speaking.

"Professor Ruan, the equipment has been built. We're only waiting for your approval for final assembly."

The voice was respectful, almost like a different person entirely.

The soul felt it was strange. His waking periods seemed longer now, and his abilities had grown stronger. He could even see what was happening outside.

He saw himself "walking." He was being taken to a strange site.

There were many machines he couldn't understand. Yet, they felt oddly familiar. Like he had encountered this kind of power long, long ago.

"Begin," someone said.

The soul thought for a moment, then heard the sound of excited cheers.

"Professor Ruan! It worked!"

"Wonderful!"

"At last! Mom! Do you see this? We did it!"

Countless people shouted and cheered. The soul found it noisy, but when the young man lifted him up and kissed him lightly, he thought perhaps this noise wasn't such a bad thing.

There was a flicker of surprise in the young man's green eyes.

But the soul, immersed in the kiss, didn't notice.

When they returned home, the soul saw the youth's completely bare body in the mirror and finally saw his whole appearance.

Beautiful.

That was the only word that popped into his mind.

Then the young man turned on the shower, and…

Something happened that made the soul tremble violently.

He couldn't close his eyes, and although he couldn't feel it directly, his entire being felt hot. At the same time, certain memories slowly began to resurface.

That time had also been in a bathroom.

Before he could recall more, his consciousness slipped away again.

When it was over, Ruan Xing put the pendant back around his neck.

The next morning, when Ruan Xing entered the laboratory, he could already sense a clear change.

His assistant stood by, looking extremely excited, clearly having stayed there all night.

"Professor, we actually detected that kind of energy!"

Ruan Xing said, "Continue with the next set of tests."

The assistant nodded vigorously.

Several researchers gathered around.

After the machine was activated, the pollutant behind the glass looked even more twisted than before.

Just as the researchers were regretting the apparent failure, the readings on the instruments suddenly dropped.

The pollutant's gaze cleared, and its terrifying pollution levels rapidly fell to a very low number. It became a normal human in appearance, though covered in scars.

He scratched his nearly bald head and spoke. "Where am I?"

Light filled their eyes.

Someone exclaimed, "He turned back into a human!"

"The experiment worked!"

"The world is saved!"

Ruan Xing removed his glasses and touched the pendant.

Fu Zhi, do you see this?

This is the world I prepared for you.

Soon, people noticed that the Investigation Corps had been going out more frequently, even taking the Administration Department along with them.

What? The Administration Department was all desk workers! Sending fragile staff on missions, was last time's death toll not enough?

Many looked hopeless. Since the fall of the Tower, despair had spread widely among the population. This was inevitable.

Despite An Mao's repeated claims that things were improving and research had made a breakthrough. No one believed it.

After nearly a century of the Tower's dominance, now they were told it could be solved in a few months, and the world could be saved?

Impossible!

Many believed death was the better option and encouraged others to give up.

Fu Zhi was gone. The Investigation Corps had no new top combat power, there were no knights for purification, and no heavy weapons for overwhelming force. What were they even doing?

Were they planning to send the surviving humans into space to find a new home?

But unexpectedly, even the usually pessimistic Administration Department made optimistic statements about the future.

Rare indeed!

Could there really be some new secret weapon?

The people didn't have to wait long.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone in the base felt a strange stirring in their hearts.

It was as if something had changed.

But no one could say exactly what.

Most continued their daily routines, but those in the know began watching the global monitoring stations closely.

"Monitoring Point A13 reports a 2% drop in pollution levels!"

"Monitoring Point D321 reports a 3% drop!"

"Monitoring Point F99…" The reporter swallowed nervously. "Pollution down by 19%!"

The good news spread quickly. They still didn't know what had happened, but it meant the world's doors were slowly opening to them again!

Those with foresight began preparing, though they couldn't have guessed that this was only the beginning.

Some people woke up one morning and sensed colorful particles in the air. Not visible to the eye, but felt with the mind.

Thinking they had eaten poisonous mushrooms, they went to the hospital, but the checkup found nothing wrong. Soon, they were taken away.

More and more people experienced this.

Rumors spread that a new kind of pollution had appeared, and the affected were being quarantined.

However, the first person taken away then posted a picture online.

It showed a black card printed in gold cursive:

Student XX (name censored): Congratulations on your admission to the Class of 3001 undergraduate program. Please report to school at the appointed time, as indicated in this notice.

Signed: First University of Magic.

What on earth?

Was this person brainwashed?

However, as more people posted their admission notices online, and even the Administration and Enforcement Division publicly celebrated, the situation became surreal.

When one student posted their class schedule and a video of themselves using magic, the world went crazy.

People scrambled to find out what had happened.

As the secret was gradually revealed, they finally learned the truth.

The particles people sensed were called "magic elements." And the First University of Magic really existed, with Ruan Xing as its principal.

The name was legendary. In the Investigation Corps' later disclosures, it appeared more often than Fu Zhi's.

From the Mist City incident to the battle at the Tower, his strength was undeniable. Some insiders even claimed he was now leading a project that could change the world.

Was this that project?

Some still doubted, but more began to prepare. The "magic elements" became more prevalent, and people were astonished to see pollution gradually diminish.

Mercenaries returning from expeditions now brought back roaring magic plants. It was still aggressive, but far from the world-ending madness of pollution. With guidance, they could even be used.

The world had changed.

It turned into an unknown landscape.

Like ancient humans, they began to cautiously explore this new world. Every day, social media overflowed with frenzied posts.

And for the first time in 78 years, humanity once again began to explore and master their world.

While the outside bustled, in a certain room, the soul's consciousness woke up again.

This time, he found himself in an unfamiliar perspective, but with a human's limited vision.

He seemed to be submerged in some kind of liquid.

He opened his mouth, releasing a stream of bubbles.

The machines began to sound.

He had never seen Ruan Xing from this perspective before.

His face was clearer than ever.

"You're awake," Ruan Xing said, looking at him.

The soul realized he was inside a body.

Ruan Xing drained the liquid from the chamber. The body holding the soul staggered a few steps.

"Good thing I managed to save a fragment of the soul," Ruan Xing said with relief.

Fu Gui answered, "Yes. If you didn't use all of your magic to protect that piece, Fu Zhi might still be lost."

"Even if the soul is badly damaged, it's fine," Ruan Xing smiled. "He survived."

Fu Gui's beady eyes turned to the chamber.

The soul felt something awakening inside him. Countless memories surfacing and merging with him.

"I gave you half my soul power. It's only power, so it will not affect your consciousness. But it should be enough to help you recover somewhat."

In the past, Ruan Xing would never have dared to recklessly awaken Fu Zhi's soul.

But now that the world had changed. The active magic elements around them gave Ruan Xing an endless supply of magic.

This was thanks to Will. Without his experiments, Ruan Xing couldn't have gone further.

Will had turned the world into a chaotic, half-finished state. Ruan Xing then utilized the world's existing technology to recreate magic circuits, magnified infinitely by machines, that ran through the entire world and directly converted chaotic energy into complete magic.

Yes, Ruan Xing didn't know how to restore the world to its original state, and perhaps it was impossible. But that did not stop him from guiding it toward another stable form.

A world of magic.

With magic's existence, Ruan Xing could use every material at hand to slowly nurture Fu Zhi's soul back to health.

As for the body, it was just a vessel. Using the world's cloning technology, he recreated a new body and combined it with the original.

Now, he had succeeded.

Fu Zhi's eyes were only briefly confused upon waking. The return of his memories made him understand what had happened.

Those icy blue pupils reflected Ruan Xing's figure, filled with longing and a sense of nostalgia.

Ruan Xing was more mature than the last time he had seen him, wearing a purple mage robe and a monocle, exuding the light of reason and wisdom. Also closer to the image in Fu Zhi's distant memories.

It felt like a century had passed, so long since he had last seen him, and longing surged forth.

Fu Zhi's throat moved. "I'm back."

Ruan Xing tilted his head slightly, brushed Fu Zhi's hair aside to reveal his full face. He pressed down on his head and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "This time, you're not allowed to run off."

Outside, people cheered for the arrival of the first New Year in the New World.

Inside, longing became a spring that surrounded them both.

Welcome home.

Welcome to the new world.

[End of Main Story]

Author's Note:

Typing those three words (【正文完】) brought a rush of emotions. Thank you to all the little angels who have accompanied me along the way!

The main story has come to a close. There will still be some side stories later, so feel free to leave a comment with what you would like to see.