Chapter 3 Ordinary Life
This is quite impressive. He had only survived for seven days in his last time-travel simulation, yet it had already given him two skills and one specialty. If he had lived longer...
Isn't this the perfect setup for success?
Basic Endurance was a rare skill that increased his stamina. While Basic English wasn't particularly useful in the main game, it granted him a Linguist subclass, which smoothed things over in the simulation. As for Basic Pickpocketing...
With these dexterous hands, I might be able to work the ropes loose given enough time.
Just then, the door creaked open, and three members of the Curse God Cult walked in. They roughly hauled another young man to his feet and dragged him out.
This time, even Zhou Ning broke into a cold sweat. That young man had been just a few spots ahead of the fat boy next to him. Their turn would come soon.
A few moments later, another line of text flashed before his eyes:
[The sacrifice has died, current progress is 27/36.]
According to the dungeon's premise, this group of inhumane cultists planned to sacrifice thirty-six people in a short period. No one here was meant to escape.
The little fat boy was trembling with fear. He scooted closer to Zhou Ning and whispered, his voice shaking, "Hey... do you think we're dead men?"
Zhou Ning understood the boy's desperate need for comfort, but he wasn't one to lie. Besides, in a situation like this, wasn't everyone just a scared child?
"Yes," Zhou Ning answered after a moment of honest deliberation. "And we'll probably die miserably."
Fatty: ...
If there were a negative emotion system in place, a prompt for `[Negative Emotions +1000]` would surely be floating above the little fat boy's head.
He had been searching for a sliver of hope and had been served a dose of harsh reality instead. The little fat boy could no longer hold it together and burst into tears.
He was only about sixteen or seventeen, but he cried with the full lung capacity of a trained opera singer. His wails were so loud, like a bel canto performance, that they momentarily stunned the other crying prisoners into silence.
"I'm still young! I haven't lived enough! I don't want to die, I really don't want to die...!" the boy sobbed, his whole body shaking so violently that his fat jiggled.
"Don't cry," Zhou Ning said, startled by the sheer volume of the boy's wailing. "Everyone dies sooner or later. Besides, you have plenty of company here." This clumsy attempt at consolation only added fuel to the fire, and the boy cried even harder.
"I don't want to die! My father is a duke! I'm supposed to be a duke one day! Besides..." he hiccuped, "I'm engaged to Earl Harold's daughter! We're supposed to get married in two years! Waaah... Can't anyone save me...? I want to get married..." The little fat boy's cries grew more pathetic.
Zhou Ning's expression turned a little strange. This chubby boy was not only the heir to a dukedom but was also engaged. Meanwhile, here he was, having lived two lifetimes without ever getting married. He couldn't help but sigh at the sheer unfairness of it all.
Wait, a duke? I remember there are only two dukes in the entire Kingdom of Bryston. And since this one is about to die... there's only one possible heir...
A message suddenly popped up on his panel:
[You have triggered the D-level mission [Gratitude of the Wester Family]. Accept/Decline?]
Zhou Ning knew at once his guess was correct. It had to be the Wester family.
No hesitation. Accept.
Mission Details: As standard-bearers of the nobility in the Kingdom of Bryston, the Wester family has but one legitimate heir: Alan Wester. His importance to the family cannot be overstated. Rescue him from this peril, and you will earn the Wester family's enduring friendship and gratitude. The choice, of course, is yours. There is no penalty for failure, and no one would blame yet another victim for perishing.
It really was the Wester family. A glint appeared in Zhou Ning's eyes.
According to the game's lore, this world featured the classic warrior-mage-priest trinity found in many other games, but it also had two unique class systems: Meteorologist and Clan-Trained Knight.
The Wester family was a prime example of the Clan-Trained Knights.
Most of these knightly houses boasted prominent status, family trees long enough to publish as novels, and a clan motto that had to be strictly obeyed.
Adherence to these family precepts could grant them all sorts of mystical powers. In the game, however, Clan Knights had only first appeared about ten years into the timeline, and their roles weren't primarily combat-focused.
In his previous life, Zhou Ning had read an anecdote about it in the game's library:
About seventy or eighty years ago in the Kingdom of Falik, there was a great house known as the Bradenrezer family. Their family motto was: Fair trade, meticulous accounting, and never suffer a loss.
Although this made them incredibly stingy, their reputation for honesty and fairness soon helped them become the largest merchant family in the Kingdom of Falik, allowing them to accumulate enormous wealth.
But when the Kingdom of Bryston conquered the capital of Falik, this vast wealth became the source of their ruin.
King Charles V of the conquering Bryston Kingdom demanded the head of the Bradenrezer family hand over his fortune. Bound by his family precepts to "never suffer a loss," the patriarch refused. To him, losing his money was the same as losing his life.
To force a confession, the king had the patriarch's bones broken one by one. On the brink of death, the man finally awakened the power of his family motto and uttered a curse:
"Anyone who takes the gold coins of the Bradenrezer family will be punished for eternity."
Though the patriarch died, the other family members were not so stubborn. Charles V finally got the money he desired. However, the curse took hold. Everyone who touched the fortune met with a terrible accident. Even King Charles V himself died after a freak fall from his horse during a hunting trip.
Today, the Bradenrezer family mansion is a tourist attraction, its vaults still filled with gold coins that no one dares to touch.
Such was the power of the Bradenrezer motto: Fair trade, meticulous accounting, and never suffer a loss. Following it brought them immense wealth, but forcing them to violate it brought a terrible price.
He didn't know the Wester family motto, nor did he know how potent supernatural powers were this early in the game's timeline. But one thing was certain: saving the little fat boy, Alan, would make him incredibly rich.
But first, Zhou Ning had to make sure he could even escape himself.
He had used one Time Travel Coin for his first simulation and received one back upon completion. Looking at the two coins he now possessed, Zhou Ning chose to start another simulation.
[Preparing to travel through time... Time Travel Coin -1]
[Matching you with a parallel space...]
[Do you want to spend another Time Travel Coin to re-match your talents?]
Zhou Ning chose "no" without hesitation. He only had one Time Travel Coin left, and he had to be careful with it.
[You have selected Talent 3, Talent 5, and Talent 7 by default.]
[In this parallel world, you are a PhD in electrical engineering, possess a great talent for literature, and are very lucky. You often win a "free bottle" prize when buying a drink.]
[Current world exploration level is 0.2%. When the exploration level reaches 66.7%, you will gain permission to open the next simulation map.]
[When you die in the simulation, the game ends.]
[Initializing the time machine…1%…33%…65%…95%… Whir… Travel complete.]
[You have traveled back to London in 1894. From this moment on, the wheel of history begins to turn.]
On December 17, 1894, you arrived. As a PhD in electrical engineering with a mastery of basic English, communication was no issue. You approached everyone you could, hoping to find a partner to build a two-phase AC generator. No one paid you any mind; they all thought you were a lunatic. It didn't matter. Geniuses are often lonely.
December 18, 1894. You didn't eat yesterday, and you haven't eaten today. No matter. Poverty cannot defeat a giant, but hunger can. As a last resort, you find a job washing dishes in a restaurant.
December 19, 1894. Washing dishes...
December 20, 1894. Still washing dishes... Today you broke three plates and had to pay 40p in compensation. In effect, the dishes washed you. (Happiness -1)
December 22-25, 1894. Washing dishes... On Christmas Day, you met a man named George Bernard Shaw. You should have had something in common, but the conversation went poorly, and you parted on bad terms. You decided you couldn't waste any more time like this.
On January 1, 1895, you celebrated your first New Year in London. To mark the occasion, you took a job in a textile factory.
January 2, 1895. You hear the roar of machinery once more. You find this life acceptable, aside from the rather poor air quality. (Happiness +1, Health -1)
On February 5, 1895, your luck paid off. You won the second prize of £1,000 with a lottery ticket you bought for 10 shillings. (Family Wealth +2)
[On June 7, 1895, your charm and handsome features catch the eye of a blonde girl named Elena, the daughter of the textile factory owner. It is a beautiful name.]
June 10, 1895. You have fallen in love. (Happiness +1)
On July 17, 1895, your relationship was met with strong opposition from the factory owner. You wanted to tell him that fortunes can turn on a dime and he shouldn't look down on a poor young man, but you were fired before you could get the words out.
On July 18, 1895, you were furious and began work on your two-phase AC generator in earnest. As the saying goes, the tables will turn. Don't look down on me because I'm young and poor.
February 15, 1896. It hasn't even been one year, let alone thirty, and you're already destitute. (Family Wealth -2)
On March 7, 1896, you began working at a machinery factory. Soon after, you were promoted to assistant engineer. (Family Wealth +1)
On April 5, 1896, you fell in love with a beautiful factory worker named Maggie. Later that year, Nikola Tesla invented the two-phase AC generator. (Happiness +1 for love, Happiness -2 for your stolen dream)
You were married at the end of 1896. Your married life was ordinary, but happy.
By early 1897, after two years in this era and a happy marriage, your English had improved rapidly. You could now read and write effortlessly, your speech as fluent as a native's. (You have acquired the skill: Professional English Proficiency)
In mid-1897, you were promoted to engineer at the machinery factory. (Family Wealth +1, Happiness +1)
At the end of 1897, your outstanding performance got you recruited by the John Rigby & Company gunmakers.
In 1898, your English mastery allowed you to contribute articles to newspapers and magazines. Several of your pieces garnered positive reviews, and you soon became a part-time columnist for The Times. (Family Wealth +1)
[In 1900, through your work, you passively mastered the mechanics and handling of various firearms. (You have gained the expertise: Firearms Knowledge, and the skill: Basic Marksmanship)]
In 1899, your first son was born. (Happiness +1)
In 1901, your first daughter was born. (Happiness +1)
In 1923, your son got engaged, and your daughter married a fine gentleman. (Happiness +1)
In 1925, you had two grandsons and one granddaughter. (Happiness +1)
In 1935, you began to feel the weight of your years, no longer as capable as you once were. (Health -2)
In 1939, Germany invaded Poland. World War II broke out, engulfing Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. That same year, your wife, Maggie, passed away. Sitting alone in your home, you felt an immense emptiness. Looking back on four decades of shared love and support, you wondered: if you could do it all again, what would you choose? (Happiness -4) [You have achieved: Sense and Sensibility.]
In September 1940, the Blitz began. During a German bombing raid over London, your home was destroyed. You, an ordinary man, died in the attack.
Summary: Happiness: -1, Health: -3, Family Wealth: 2. You lived a mediocre life, neither rich nor poor, happy nor sad.
[Achievement Unlocked: An Ordinary Life]
Evaluation: D. World Exploration: 29.2%. As your exploration exceeded 20%, you have been rewarded with 1 Time Travel Coin. This reward can be claimed for every additional 20% of world exploration.