Lu Kang, of course, had a cheat. Merely possessing the knowledge of a transmigrator was not enough of an advantage in this world. Even if he knew many secrets about this place—that this world with the Clock Tower, magi, and mystery had appeared in his previous life as a fantasy work called "Type-Moon"—the realm of mystery and magic was profound and unfathomable. This world was not short of sages with prophetic abilities who could observe the future.
Only a 'cheat' could give him a true advantage over others. The reason he slept in class every day was precisely to accumulate mental energy, to piece together the fragments and awaken this ability.
Today was the day the 'piecing together' was complete. He could feel a new 'phenomenon' in his mind, though now was not the time to investigate it deeply. He suppressed the excitement in his heart.
At that moment, the young man's confident and proud words echoed in the empty grand classroom. Waver, who had been packing, froze. He chewed on the words, and the more he read them, the more wonderful, the more marvelous they seemed! "Well said!" Waver felt that Lu Kang was truly a 'genius'. He couldn't help but stand up and applaud.
"Since you think I spoke well, then get ready to treat me!" Lu Kang also stood up. "You made me miss the cafeteria hours, so you'd better compensate me with your wallet—we're going to the most expensive restaurant nearby!"
"I refuse—I have no money!" Waver Velvet's response was unhesitating. When it came to his wallet, even a kindred spirit could not be spared!
...
In the end, Waver did treat Lu Kang to a 'big meal'. It wasn't the most expensive restaurant, just an ordinary street-side eatery. Waver was well aware of Lu Kang's predicament. Though both were from small, rural magus families with only two or three generations of lineage, it was clear that Lu Kang's family was even worse off than his. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in the cafeteria every day. One had to know, the food at the Clock Tower's cafeteria was very... 'ordinary'.
After extorting a meal from Waver and eating his fill, it was already approaching evening when they went their separate ways.
In the quiet bedroom, the sky outside was gradually darkening like a heavy curtain slowly falling in a theater. The last rays of the setting sun outlined the silhouette of the modern, bustling city. Far away, the skyscrapers rose and fell like shadows. Back in his dorm room at the Clock Tower, Lu Kang leaned against the window and yawned lazily, letting the dappled light fall on his face.
It's time, he thought. Time to investigate the completed 'cheat'.
The next second, the information that had been suppressed in his mind burst forth like a breaking dam, instantly overwhelming his thoughts.
[Dream Fragment Assembly Complete]
[Successfully Generated 'Family (Master) Simulator']
[Dream AI Automatically Generated]
[Simulation Spirit, at your service.]
It was like a spark igniting in his consciousness, then instantly becoming a wildfire. Lu Kang broke free from the torrent of information. That came on fast, he thought, feeling like he was drowning, but he couldn't help but feel elated. Although there was no 'ding' or quirky tone—the nascent AI was clearly not that advanced—this so-called 'Family Simulator' was undoubtedly his advantage!
It was the fruit of his daily 'efforts' of slacking off and sleeping. Every time he slept, all his dream consciousness activities were automatically collected. After accumulating enough, they had naturally pieced together this thing. This was his 'cheat'...
[This system will help you simulate family lineages and generate a powerful bloodline background!] the simulation spirit's crisp voice sounded in his mind, audible only to him.
Yes, this is the ability I need! In the world of magi, where 'lineage' and 'bloodline' are paramount, there is nothing more important than family history!
'Lineage' determines the power of the Magic Crest. A Magic Crest is the crystallization of a magus's life's research. Before death, every magus condenses their magecraft into a crest to be passed down to the next generation. The more times it is passed down, the stronger and more comprehensive the mystic codes contained within it.
'Bloodline' determines the magus's own talent—that is, the quantity and quality of their Magic Circuits, which represent the amount and strength of their magical energy. Generally speaking, only powerful magi, through multiple generations of procreation, can produce offspring with sufficiently strong and numerous Magic Circuits.
For a magus, 'lineage' and 'bloodline' are both indispensable. The former is like an engine, a solidified tool for recreating phenomena from ancient times in the present day. The latter is like the fuel that ignites the engine, or rather, the 'oil well' that refines the fuel. A genius might be able to create powerful magecraft through one generation of effort, researching an advanced 'engine', but without high-quality fuel in large quantities, it is useless.
Only when the two are combined can the preservation of mystery be truly achieved, can ancient phenomena be recreated in an era where mystery is increasingly scarce. Therefore, the ability to go back to the past was extremely useful! And the older, the stronger—this applied not only to magi but also to the world's environment. If he could travel back to an era when mystery was more concentrated, he would have more room to study the secrets of magecraft, to conduct mystic research that was impossible in the present day.
In the right environment, he might even be able to merge lineage and bloodline into a single system, making it a 'foundation' that gathers the mysteries of the past, present, and even the future! This was a very important step.
A 'Foundation' was a crucial part of modern magecraft. Every ancient family lineage has its own Magic Foundation, and the countless individual foundations come together to form the complete modern Magic Foundation. The modern foundation allows many families without their own to grasp mystery, but they are ultimately dependent on others. It could be said that only those with their own Magic Foundation could be considered truly ancient magus families. And this simulator gave Lu Kang that opportunity.
A thought stirred in Lu Kang's mind. To be safe, he asked, "Is this system... legit?"
[Verified. More legit than a pearl is real!] the simulation spirit replied almost instantly. [This system uses the host's dreams as a bridge to help the host travel back in time and achieve their ideals. The entire process is completely real!]
It's not one of those trashy systems? Lu Kang was slightly surprised. But since that was the case, he had no reason to hesitate. This thing was completed by piecing together his own dreams; it was like another 'self'. It probably wouldn't be dangerous. And besides, it was just a 'simulation', just a dream.
"Then let's begin!" Lu Kang said. As he spoke, he glanced out the window again. The sun had dipped below the horizon, its last rays completely gone. The vast night was dotted with stars, the moon like a turning wheel. A gentle evening breeze blew into the room, making the curtains sway. Countless mysterious instruments gleamed under the moonlight, and on the four walls, faint magic circles were inscribed, bearing the weight of mystery. This was Lu Kang's bedroom. At the same time, it was also his 'workshop' as a magus—a base for mystic research and his home ground.
For Lu Kang, there was no safer place in the world.
At that exact moment, the simulation spirit's voice sounded in his mind again.
[Simulation Confirmed]
As the voice fell, Lu Kang's vision went dark. He had entered the 'dream'.
[Simulation Start]
[Welcome to the Dimension of Infinite Possibilities]
...
[Late 19th Century AD]
[Age 0, you were born in a rural area of the Tsarist empire. A massive famine broke out in your birthplace. With no way to survive, your parents abandoned you in the woods. Fortunately, a young nun from a convent heard your cries and found you.]
[You were adopted by the nuns. They named you 'Lu Kang Luvest' based on the markings on you. This name is neither Tsarist nor Russian.]
[You grew up in the convent.]
[Age 1, you began to babble. The first words you learned were 'God said' from the Bible. The nuns were astonished, believing you were a blessing from God.]
[The next day, you tore up a Bible and got a spanking.]
[Age 3, you formally began your education. You showed extremely high intelligence, quickly mastering the Russian language.]
[You began to follow the nuns around, giving 'blessings' to the people.]
[People called you the 'Little Priest'.]
[Age 4, you discovered a hidden room in the convent's basement, filled with strange instruments and books.]
[Your activities were discovered by the prioress. Expecting to be punished, you instead found the old prioress asking you kindly if you wanted to learn real 'miracles'.]
[It turned out the prioress was a real magus. As a member of the clergy, such an act was undoubtedly blasphemous, but you, being young, didn't understand. You were just thrilled by the power of mystery she displayed. Her time was running out, so she decided to take you as her disciple, to ensure her life's research had a successor.]
[This year, you officially stepped into the world of mystery.]
[This year, you awakened the twenty-three dormant Magic Circuits in your body. The prioress deemed you a 'genius among commoners'.]
[You studied magecraft every day.]
[...]
[Age 15, the prioress passed away. Before her death, she passed on her life's research to you in the form of a 'Magic Crest'.]
[After her death, you declined the position of prioress and began to travel throughout the Tsarist empire to broaden your horizons.]
[1912, the Tsarist empire was plagued by internal and external troubles. War and famine brought great suffering to the people. As a 'clergyman', you used the power of mystery to soothe their pain and, in the process, began to research your own magecraft.]
[You became known as the 'Little Sage'.]
[The Tsar of the empire, Nicholas II, heard of your deeds.]
[You also heard that Nicholas II was widely seeking capable individuals to treat his son, Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia.]
[In the autumn of 1912, you were invited to the royal court in Moscow.]
[This year, you are 17 years old.]
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