Chapter 99: The Journey Ends
[You discover that in Abbott City, the capital of Falric, the widespread adoption of steam engines and the factory system replacing handicraft workshops has resulted in massive, continuous unemployment. In this city of textiles and diamonds, countless workers become vagrants by the minute. Coincidentally, the Falric Codex contains a clause stating that any vagrant who fails to find employment within a month can, upon being reported, be sentenced to slavery under the informant. The "master" has the legal right to force them to work with chains and whips. Das Kapital was right—every pore of capitalism is soaked in blood and filth.]
[Archibald is extremely troubled by Abbott City's current state, as cultists of the so-called Curse God Cult have begun conducting ancient sacrificial rituals in secret. The arrival of the Old Gods requires a massive toll of the dead, blood, disease, and hatred—and Abbott City, without doubt, is the ideal place for this.]
[Goodwin, residing within your ring, is unimpressed. He believes this is the inevitable course of history. In the Eastern Continent—especially in the Kingdom of Falric—close your eyes and randomly point to a spot on the map, and it'll be the same story everywhere... Deep down, you find yourself agreeing with him. Looking at Earth, perhaps it is historical inevitability.]
Reading up to this point, Zhou Ning was now quite certain that this simulation world was without a doubt the Apocalypse World... He hadn't expected to have underestimated the Curse God Cult—their struggle against the world, soaked in blood and tears, had begun over a thousand years ago. Truly unwavering till death.
The corners of Zhou Ning's mouth twitched as he continued to watch the simulation unfold.
[October 12, Year 125. While waiting for an audience with the Pope, you temporarily part ways with Archibald and Louisa. Archibald wishes to investigate the Old God cultists, while Louisa is busy opening an alchemy shop in Abbott City. As for you, aside from continuing your study of this world, you're especially interested in Goodwin's life alchemy. Beyond its darker applications in altering the body, it offers intriguing aspects—such as crafting wriggling little lifeforms from blood and herbs. These creatures divide, multiply, and perish within seconds, endlessly repeating the cycle. It gives you the feeling of playing a sandbox game. You have gained Intermediate Life Alchemy.]
[October 19, Year 125. A week later, you meet the Pope of the Church of the God of Alchemy and Craftsmanship, Solomon Goss. If not for his age, no one would guess he was nearing 500 years old. Supernatural beings in this world truly enjoy long lives. Solomon Goss gazes at you with a complex expression and tells you: the God of Alchemy and Craftsmanship, Edgeworth, likes you very much and sees you as the "Child of the Plane" of this world. He encourages you to use your intelligence to invent new things and expand the Church's influence. In return, you will receive money, power, and strength. You wonder—do you really look like the kind of person who'd be corrupted by wealth and power? Well… he does have a point.]
[November 7, Year 125. During this time, you meet a new companion, a girl named Molly Cronin. She's a priestess of the Sun Goddess and one of Her chosen. A very beautiful young lady, and Archibald has been trying to court her. The problem? She's only sixteen. Beast.]
[November, Year 125 – November, Year 126. Over the course of this year, with the full support of the Church of the God of Alchemy and Craftsmanship, you invent movable-type printing, develop and improve screw-cutting lathes, and invent a steam-powered sailboat. You even begin researching steam locomotives for high-speed intercontinental travel. Everything goes smoothly. The Church even secures you a chance to become a noble. But it's not all sunshine—Archibald does uncover disturbing leads about the Curse God Cult, and your invention of the steam engine seems to have been the catalyst. Many deaths occur in Abbott City's western district, and several textile factories experience machine-breaking riots.]
[History on Earth has shown you that there are ways to resolve this. If you were king of Falric, you'd look toward the boundless seas—expanding to new lands could shift domestic tensions.]
[January 1, Year 127. The first day of your third year in this world. A special day. You meet King Augustine IV of Falric—a bloated man, yet surprisingly dignified, even you, a transmigrator, can't help but feel respect. Due to your many achievements—and the Church's efforts—you are granted the title of Baron and the right to establish a noble house.]
[Then something extraordinary happens, shocking everyone present. During the ennoblement ceremony, a golden holy light descends from the sky. Bathed in divine favor, you gain a miraculous power called Family Precept. From now on, as long as you and your bloodline abide by the precept, you will gain great strength.]
[After a moment's thought, you establish your family's creed: "Knowledge is Power." In that instant, a flash of lightning seems to pass between your eyes.]
[January 127 – December 135. Due to this public divine blessing, more and more followers gather around you. The Church of the God of Alchemy and Craftsmanship gradually surpasses the Earth Church and becomes Falric's dominant religion. Your influence grows rapidly.]
[You purchase a luxurious estate in Abbott City and hire a capable butler named Brock Bradenreiser.]
[During these 8 years, you live like every chosen protagonist: everything goes your way. You marry the daughter of a powerful noble—a textbook Western beauty—and have a son and a daughter. Your power only grows. Pope Solomon Goss retires, and your old acquaintance, Chris Pound, succeeds him. Louisa becomes High Priestess. The Church is now completely under your control. Your other companions have also changed: Archibald is now Abbott City's strongest knight and has received divine favor from the Earth God. Molly remains a devout priestess of the Ascetic Church, and you sense she harbors innocent affection for you. As for Goodwin, he's the most frustrated—because you've been too busy to practice Life Alchemy, he complains constantly, and you can only pacify him with empty promises.]
[Moreover, you completely sideline Augustine IV and become the de facto ruler. Under your orders, steamships sail across the seas. Serfdom is abolished, and many unemployed artisans find new work. Social unrest is greatly alleviated. You also win over the neutral Ascetic Church, and after the New Year, you plan to force Augustine IV to abdicate and create the ideal kingdom you've envisioned.]
[January, Year 136. On the first day of the new year, as you're on your way to the palace, you are unexpectedly assassinated in a plot orchestrated by royalists, the Curse God Cult, and another mysterious religious faction. Like many heroes with unfulfilled dreams, you fall just before dawn.]
You died.
Simulation ended.
Summary: A life of relative glory. You changed the world through technology and earned divine favor. You were one step away from becoming king and reshaping the world. But you fell just short. Days later, the Curse God Cult staged a manmade mining disaster, sacrificing 2,000 miners at the Darkland Mine to summon the evil god Nyastora. However, your friends managed to seal it beneath the mine and built a city over it—also named Darkland. In the Era of the Four Heroes, Darkland was nicknamed "Tranquility City" in your memory. Though controversial, you were still regarded as one of history's greatest scientists and among the top ten figures who changed the course of history. Yet for various reasons, your story was buried in the dust of forgotten pages, unknown to future generations.
Rating: C-
World Exploration: 41.8%.
You earned 18 Traversal Coins for surpassing 40% exploration, and an additional 15 Coins for your massive impact on world scientific history. Keep up the good work!
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