Chapter 18: Who Is the Mastermind?

Chapter 18: Who Is the Mastermind Behind the Scenes?

*Gurgle, gurgle*
The water has boiled!

Chu Xuan glanced at the salt that Xiong Yan had somehow dug out, picked a large grain, and dropped it into the boiling water. Then he sealed the stove door, and after a few breaths, the fire went out.

As for reincarnation, souls, primordial spirits, and the like—those concepts felt too distant now. Chu Xuan only listened to them to pass the time. Whether he truly kept them in mind was known only to himself.

After the water boiled, Xiong Yan approached the rice container, lifted the lid, took a look, and said seriously, “Modern people actually enjoy a very high standard of living. Even the average landlord in this virtual realm can’t compare to them. Suddenly transitioning from modern society to a feudal one will inevitably affect them—you must be mentally prepared.”

The quality of rice here was inferior to the real world; the pork was subpar and barely filling; even the salt was impure—by modern standards, it was worse than industrial salt, so poor that even pigs refused to eat it!

There was no oil for cooking!

Those on diets would be pleased, but how many ordinary people would enjoy that?

So, what to do?

“Well, I’m just the director of a research institute, not the head of the administrative department. My job is to focus on research and raise questions. Solving these problems is your responsibility, the tool’s job!”

“I will complete the investigation quickly, then take control of the town and four nearby villages, establishing effective governance. Moreover, I understand the principles of sustainable development—you can’t drain the pond dry.”

Then Chu Xuan looked at Xiong Yan.

“According to what you said, the virtual realm has its limits. But the butcher visits the county seat every ten days. At that moment, I started to suspect something. I deliberately visited several elders and, after talking with them, reached a shocking conclusion.”

“Oh?” Xiong Yan asked with a smile.

“They do have a problem. They are not truly human!”

“Their life experiences are real, their lessons genuine. The bonds between husbands and wives, fathers and sons, are authentic. But their essence is false!”

“Explain.”

Calmly, Chu Xuan took five or six gourds he had already cleaned and began filling them with water. “Before I left the town for the county seat, I had only traveled five li when I encountered a mist. Moving deeper into it, I saw the figures of one villager after another.”

“There were county officials en route to the town, dutiful sons buying medicine for their mothers in the county seat, beggars and vagrants seeking food in the town—but all were motionless.”

“I tried touching them—visible, yet intangible.”

“I called out to them, but there was no response.”

“I tried to proceed further, but hit an invisible barrier, unable to pass.”

“At that moment, I even began to wonder if this so-called virtual realm, this spirit tide outbreak, was intentionally fabricated by you. Perhaps, like protagonists in those online novels, you obtained a broken spiritual treasure and are using the power of the Great Xia to restore it...”

“I even contemplated whether this is a so-called Master God Space, currently awakening, and that the virtual realm is merely a half-broken divine tool designed to harvest naive souls.”

Good heavens!
Good heavens!
Is this truly the perspective of a wise man? Seeing boundaries in the virtual realm and immediately imagining a mastermind behind the scenes, a Master God Space?

Could it be that at this moment Chu Xuan had already figured out who the mastermind was and how to investigate?

No doubt, once Chu Xuan left, his first move would be to probe in that direction!

“And then?”

“Then I retreated and began verifying my suspicions. Most villagers have never left this county in their lives; some have never even been to the county seat, staying in the town their entire lives.”

“Gathering data from various sources, I can only confirm that this place is under the rule of the Ming dynasty. Except for the inability to cross the boundary—the invisible barrier and white mist—everything else aligns closely, even identically, with true history.”

“It’s like reliving yesterday, as if someone extracted a snippet from the past and transformed it into this virtual realm. Then, at its boundary, they used white mist to confuse all the villagers.”

Once the villagers enter the mist, they lose consciousness.

When it’s time to awaken, they do so.

It’s like the butcher. His travels to the county seat every ten days are not real trips; upon entering the white mist, he freezes in place.

A day later, he believes he’s eaten and drunk his fill in the county seat, returning with a pig’s leg. In reality, he remains trapped in the mist, only that a pig’s leg suddenly appears on him.

After a brief silence, Chu Xuan changed the subject. “Ming dynasty towns are governed by local gentry; imperial officials have no reach here. So, if we replace the gentry, we establish effective rule.”

“That’s right.”

“I have a hypothesis. What if we just openly raise a banner and rebel in the town?”

“There are two possibilities.”

“First, nothing changes. You rebel, but without breaching the county seat, the magistrate won’t report it up. It’s direct deception both up and down the chain.”

A rebellion? Impossible!

What? You say someone in your hometown rebelled?

You slander the gentry—what crime is that? What are your intentions? Who sent you? Who are your accomplices? Why are you doing this?

Beat him!

Under three trees, what is there that cannot be sought?

“As for the second possibility, an army might emerge from the white mist to suppress you, the rebel!”

But even summoning an army consumes resources. How many troops could this tiny virtual realm conjure?

Even if an army did arise from the mist, their numbers and quality are questionable.

“Besides, this involves the complex issue of virtual realm ascension...”

“Tomorrow, I will continue gathering intelligence and investigating the entire town. Do you have any suggestions? Which real-world story do you think this virtual realm evolved from?”

Hearing this, Xiong Yan shook his head. “It’s just a small town. Whether there are true transcendents here is uncertain. Does the prototype of such a small town really matter?”

“Moreover, this is the first virtual realm the Great Xia has explored. Relatively speaking, it is very peaceful and friendly. In theory, as long as you don’t act recklessly, you won’t die here.”

“In contrast to virtual realms born from chaos or battlefields, this one is very benign. Theoretically, the first virtual realm any nation encounters will be similarly friendly, so there’s no need to worry excessively.”

“But likewise, there can be no truly valuable treasures hidden here, no peerless inheritances, no unimaginable ancient masters in seclusion—there’s no such thing!”

“With your wisdom and Peng Bing’s martial prowess combined, you can easily dominate this town!”

(End of Chapter)