Chapter 170: The Great Con Artist Chen Xu! (Fifth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

‘In ancient times, the world had not yet differentiated, shrouded in thick fog, filled with gray rocks, towering trees… and the Everlasting Dragons.’

The video was filled with white mist, desolate stones, and towering trees. Within the white fog, a massive dragon-shaped shadow flashed by.

‘But one day, the First Flame ignited, and all differences were born!’

‘Cold and heat’

‘Light and dark’

‘Life and death’

The scenes rapidly shifted. In the darkness, tiny sparks appeared, eventually forming a blazing fire.

This burning fire was so intense, so immense.

Compared to the small flame seen at the end of Dark Souls’ Link the Fire ending, this flame was like the sun itself.

‘Then, several species emerged from the darkness.’

‘They were attracted by the flames, and near the fire, they found the Lord Soul.’

Before the flames, countless dark shadows rose from the ground, facing the fire.

‘The First of the Dead: Nito’

In endless darkness, a massive skeletal corpse appeared, holding a flame in its hands as it stood up.

‘The Witch of Izalith and the Daughters of Chaos’

A woman in a mage’s hood, her face indistinct, gazed down at the flame in her hands.

‘Lord Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his Knight Legion’

Crowned Gwyn also held a flame in his hands. But compared to the flames of the Witch and Nito, the flame before Gwyn burned far hotter. Behind him stood an endless army of knights, ready for battle.

‘And the Dwarf, whom no one has ever seen’

In the otherwise empty Firelink Shrine, a shadowy figure stood up, holding a tiny flame.

That flame was so small, as if a single gust of wind could extinguish it.

‘They gained the power of the Lord Soul and challenged the Everlasting Dragons.’

‘Gwyn’s Lightning Spear pierced through the rock-hard scales of the Everlasting Dragons.’

‘The Witch’s flames formed a storm, burning the Greatwood to ashes.’

‘Nito released the Miasma of Death.’

‘And Seath the Scaleless betrayed the Everlasting Dragons, leading to their defeat.’

The scenes shifted rapidly.

Gwyn’s Lightning Spear, the Witch’s flames, Nito’s Death Miasma—relentlessly attacking the Everlasting Dragons in the sky.

Finally, atop a mountain of dragon corpses, Seath the Scaleless let out a mournful cry.

‘Thus began the Age of Fire, but fire will eventually fade, leaving only darkness behind.’

A massive city appeared—Anor Londo—but vanished in an instant, replaced by endless darkness.

After a moment, a tiny flame flickered in the darkness. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out and seized that last ember.

‘Now, the fire is about to die. Light can no longer illuminate the world. Night stretches on without end.’

Before a desolate graveyard in a valley, a woman knelt down. Any player who had experienced Dark Souls would instantly recognize her.

She was the Fire Keeper.

‘The cursed Dark Sigils begin to appear among the people.’

A hand touched a Hollowed knight. The camera pulled back, revealing the Dark Sigil.

The scene shifted, moving into a prison.

Inside the prison, countless Hollows were locked away.

‘Yes, the Dark Sigils signify the curse of Undeath.’

‘All Undead will be arrested and sent to the Northern Kingdoms, imprisoned until the world’s end.’

‘And… this is also your fate.’

Finally, the video’s camera moved to the deepest cell.

Inside stood an Undead clad in armor—just from his appearance, it was clear he was different from the others.

Then he looked up. The skylight opened, and a corpse was thrown down from above.

A knight, carrying a shield and with an obscured face, stared down at the Undead within the cell.

Then, the screen faded to black.

The four large characters ‘Dark Souls’ appeared in the center of the screen, with a subtitle beneath: Age of the First Flame.

………………

As the promotional video ended, every player at the exhibition instantly became excited and thrilled.

Yes! This was exactly what they had been waiting for!

Although the video wasn’t long—only about three minutes—it had already revealed a wealth of information.

First, the background of the Dark Souls world.

In the original Dark Souls, players could only piece together fragments of lore from scattered dialogue.

But in this trailer, players finally learned what the world was like at its very beginning.

They now understood the significance of the flames, and from the visuals, they could infer something important:

The timeline between the two games was extremely long—this was evident just from the difference in the flames.

In the promotional trailer, the First Flame blazed like a massive sun.

But in the original game’s Link the Fire ending, only a tiny flame remained, as if a single breath could snuff it out.

Combining the video’s content, many hardcore Dark Souls fans began making more detailed speculations.

They believed that at the dawn of the world, souls existed—but in chaos, without order.

The trailer mentioned that the First Flame brought about differences and inclinations.

This likely meant that souls were now categorized by nature, allowing the previously chaotic souls to gather and manifest in new forms.

These were the Lord Souls. The creatures who obtained a Lord Soul beside the First Flame became the beings later known as the gods.

They were the first to undergo the baptism of fire, receiving ordered souls. Their appearances and very existences were transformed by these souls, evolving into new forms.

Then, these first beings imbued with soul-power waged war against the Everlasting Dragons, who represented chaos—whether for survival, ambition, or other reasons.

Thus, the war between order and chaos began. Ultimately, with the help of Seath the Scaleless, the champions of fire triumphed. Order replaced chaos, and the Age of Fire began.

From these characters, players could clearly see echoes of deeper lore.

For example, Seath the Scaleless, closely tied to sorcery; Gwyn’s gods, central to clerical faith; and the Witch, linked to pyromancy.

As for the Dwarf, he sparked intense debate among players.

The trailer made no mention of a Dwarf obtaining the Dark Soul or participating in the War of the Ancient Dragons. Moreover, while Dark Souls was a fantasy setting, it lacked traditional elements like Dwarves or Elves.

So what exactly was this Dwarf? And how was the Dark Sigil mentioned in the trailer related to the Dark Sigil brought by Lordran’s followers in the previous game?

These questions left many Dark Souls fans puzzled.

But regardless, most players expressed the same sentiment: ‘Hand over the game, take my wallet—I’m buying it like crazy!’

As the trailer ended, countless players struggled to contain their excitement, discussing it fervently.

Players interested in the story dissected every line revealed in the video.

Those who simply loved boss fights were even more thrilled.

Look at what the game mentioned!

Lord Gwyn the Sun King, the Witch of Izalith and the Daughters of Chaos, Nito the First of the Dead—each a renowned figure.

In the previous game, players fought the Lords of Cinder. This time, they’d battle the ancient gods themselves! How exhilarating!

Filled with excitement, players watched Chen Xu return to the stage.

‘As you’ve all seen, Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame will return the battlefield to the distant ancient era, offering players a more thrilling and captivating Dark Souls experience.’

‘At the same time, I can reveal a key piece of information: the launch date for Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame is tentatively set for early July!’

As Chen Xu announced this, a date suddenly appeared on the massive screen behind him.

This time, Chen Xu wasn’t deceiving anyone.

Given the current progress, it was entirely feasible.

After all, this wasn’t development from scratch. With the framework of the previous game in place, the most time-consuming and labor-intensive part was the art resources.

Hearing Chen Xu’s words, the audience erupted into cheers once more.

Clearly, having a release date filled them with excitement.

Then, after delivering some standard exhibition remarks, Chen Xu stepped down from the stage, replaced by the event host.

Wait—Mr. Chen, didn’t you forget to announce something?

Where was the trial version segment for Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame!?

Many players looked bewildered at Chen Xu, who had just left the stage, then turned to the host currently introducing upcoming activities and content.

This time, Nebula Games hadn’t truly come to the exhibition with only the sequel’s trailer.

There were other things as well—such as a new version of Sanguosha and its new National War Mode, a new version of Fall Guys with themed maps, and various player-exclusive events.

For example, cooperative play of It Takes Two, rewarding simple collectible figures as souvenirs.

There was also a Dark Souls challenge, where players could battle different bosses and monsters. Whether they succeeded or failed, they’d receive commemorative toy souvenirs.

As players watched the showgirls and cosers take the stage, they finally realized one thing:

There was absolutely no trial version for Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame!

‘Unbelievable! Chen Xu is such a con artist!’

‘Yeah, I thought there’d be a playable demo at the exhibition, but it’s just a trailer!’

‘Although the trailer revealed a lot, and Chen Xu directly announced a release date—which definitely got me excited—what about the promised trial version!’

‘Exactly! Isn’t this going back on your word!’

‘Ahem, you two bros, calm down. Check Chen Xu’s official Weibo account. He never mentioned a trial version in the first place!’

‘Damn it, you’re right!’

Although the lack of a trial version disappointed many players, it wasn’t a huge deal. Every year, many exhibitions only showed trailers without playable demos.

Besides, Chen Xu had directly announced the launch date for Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame!

At the very least, they now had something to look forward to.

Moreover, the on-site activities were quite lively. The prizes, while not expensive, were exquisite, making many players feel Nebula Games truly valued its community.

Additionally, players could directly download the test versions of Sanguosha and Fall Guys released at the exhibition to experience the new content.

Just like last year, there was no need to queue—this convenience earned Nebula Games much goodwill, dispelling some of the disappointment from missing a Dark Souls trial version.

Furthermore, events like the Dark Souls challenge and the It Takes Two Chemistry Event attracted large crowds.

‘Old Song, aren’t you queuing?’ Zhang Yi and Wang Han stood in line, watching Song Ren walk in the opposite direction, curious.

‘Nah, I’ll just check out other games.’ Song Ren glanced at the hand-in-hand Zhang Yi and Wang Han, then at the It Takes Two experience zone ahead, forcing a smile.

Queue?

Did he not want to play!?

The problem was—it wasn’t something you could play alone!

He’d never played it before—only watched videos—despite how long the game had been out!

Especially seeing all the couples around him, hand in hand, Song Ren took a deep breath.

No more looking. No more looking. My blood pressure’s rising.

I need to play something to lower it.

Glancing at the nearby Dark Souls experience zone, Song Ren quietly shifted his gaze. Then he noticed a peculiar spot.

In a small corner of Nebula Games’ booth, four wall-mounted monitors were set up. In front of them stood four large water tanks, each containing inflatable hammers.

He had noticed them earlier but assumed it was a work area for Nebula Games’ staff. But now, it clearly wasn’t!

Curious, Song Ren walked over.

Could this be Nebula Games’ new thing?

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