Chapter 346: The Great Alchemical Revolution

As the voice faded, Rhett no longer lingered and, with a thought, ended the current simulation.

[The simulated world has ended. A source of world energy growth has been detected in this simulation. Do you wish to use Fate Points to absorb it back into your world?]

Once again, the surrounding world came to a standstill.

Rhett returned to his luminous form, as did Tylus, who had been elsewhere. Now, glowing brightly, Tylus appeared in the surroundings.

Tylus, as if just waking up, noticed the changes to his body and quickly opened his eyes in surprise, asking, "Father, is it over already?"

Just moments ago, he had been conducting alchemy experiments in a quiet room, and now, in the blink of an eye, everything had changed, filling him with curiosity.

"Yes, it's over. Stay quiet for a bit. We'll talk later," Rhett said, glancing briefly at his younger son before shifting his focus back to the light screen visible only to him.

Upon reading its content, Rhett's expression turned to surprise. Where did this source of world energy growth come from during this simulation?

As if answering his doubts, the system projected an image of a red, shadowy mist that appeared quite familiar.

—The Blood Demon's essence?

Rhett's eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing the blood-colored shadow.

At that moment, Rhett recalled how, after he had defeated the Blood Demon fragment, the powerful disintegration force had caused the opponent to dissolve into a puddle of blood.

Back then, the Blood Demon fragment had already lost its vitality, and Rhett had simply wanted to ensure its complete destruction. However, it seemed that even after its death, the Blood Demon had left behind something akin to an essence.

He speculated that this might indeed be the Blood Demon's essence, as Didala had mentioned that the Blood Demon fragment was a portion of the Blood Demon's painstakingly condensed and separated original power.

"Although it's smaller than the mysterious flame from before, if it truly enhances the world's energy, it's still a good thing…" Rhett muttered to himself, touching his chin. But this thing looked so sinister—would it really be safe to offer it to the world's core for absorption?

After a moment of hesitation, Rhett decided to trust his world. After all, his world had never let him down. If it said it could absorb this energy, it surely could. If the essence were truly harmful, the system would not have alerted him to it.

With this in mind, Rhett focused his thoughts on the blood-colored shadow, checking the Fate Points required to condense it—2210.

"Hm, it's a bit expensive, but still acceptable…"

Rhett nodded. Judging by the cost, the power contained within this Blood Demon essence was no small matter, even more potent than the mysterious flame from before.

Curious to see what changes would occur once the world absorbed the essence, Rhett made his choice.

"Yes!"

With his decision, beams of white light shot out from all directions within the simulation space, enveloping the Blood Demon essence and beginning to contract and pulsate.

In almost no time, the blood-colored shadow condensed into a solid form, becoming even more vivid, until it looked exactly like the scene after Rhett had defeated the Blood Demon fragment—unbelievably real.

"This… is the Blood Demon's essence?" Manu blinked in surprise. His face soon showed a thoughtful expression before curiosity overtook him, and he chuckled. "Interesting… I wonder what kind of changes this will bring."

Under the watchful eyes of the three, the blood-colored light, guided by the world's mysterious forces, shot away like a meteor, vanishing into the void.

[The simulated world has ended. Please select which family members to absorb the feedback and which attributes to enhance.]

[1. Constitution]

[2. Battle Aura]

[3. Spiritual Power]

[4. Other]

The familiar screen appeared before Rhett, and he immediately skipped through, focusing on the last option.

However, this time, it was blank.

Rhett realized why. In the simulation, he had allowed the blood mist to be obliterated by the Disintegration Mystery without absorbing it, resulting in no feedback for himself now.

"What a pity…" Rhett sighed and shook his head.

While he could always run the simulation again and absorb the blood mist this time, he was more interested in seeing what changes would occur in the real world after it absorbed the Blood Demon's essence.

If it caused unpredictable consequences, it would be too late to regret it.

After all, personal absorption would undoubtedly provide more direct enhancements, while absorbing the energy for the world would benefit all transcendent beings, but over a longer period.

"I'll choose spiritual power…" Rhett said nonchalantly.

After making his selection, the simulation world instantly dissolved, and the surroundings returned to the colorful, distorted space.

Back in the real world, Rhett opened his eyes and moved to the window to gaze at the scenery outside.

Tylus, too, opened his eyes, a hint of confusion flickering in them before he snapped out of it, recalling that everything before had been an illusion and that this was the real world…

He couldn't allow himself to get lost in that illusion!

"Father, did you gain anything from that?" Tylus approached and asked.

"More or less…" Rhett replied. Although the simulation didn't significantly improve his personal strength, it greatly broadened his perspective and replenished the world's core.

He hadn't forgotten what Manu had once mentioned—after binding with the world, his knowledge was infused into the planet's consciousness, ensuring that future generations of the family would be scientific geniuses.

While the nature of Rhett's world differed from Manu's, with certain features varying, Rhett believed that once the world's core fully recovered, it would activate this ability.

As the master of this world, its growth was inherently linked to his own. The only reason this wasn't yet apparent was that the world was still on the brink of collapse, barely awakened, and struggling to maintain itself. Through his connection to the world, Rhett could sense its vague and weakened state. Its self-preservation took all its strength, leaving little room to assist him directly.

"What kind of gain? Can you tell me?" Tylus asked curiously.

"Patience. You'll know soon enough…" Rhett said mysteriously, keeping his son in suspense.

"So, Father, where are we going next?" Tylus asked with hopeful eyes. "When… can we return home?"

"Home… soon," Rhett exhaled softly. "A little hard work now for lasting peace. I'll be heading out again in the coming days. You should stay here at the Circle Tower. I'll return for you in a few days."

"Alright, but please be safe."

Rhett chuckled. "Haha, who in this world can threaten me?"

"A lion uses all its strength, even when hunting a rabbit. You taught us that, Father. Don't take unnecessary risks," Tylus said seriously, staring at his father.

Laughter filled the room, echoing against the window's reflection, but Rhett's expression soon softened. He turned to Tylus, placing a hand on his head. "You're right, son."

As Tylus returned to his seat to meditate and refine the new mysteries he had grasped, Rhett looked away, pondering to himself:

"At this point, only the Blood God Lord and the Beast King pose any real threat to me. But now that I've mastered the Scorching Mystery, I wonder how I'd fare against them."

With the new insights he had gained through the simulation—particularly regarding the Purification Mystery's effectiveness against the Blood God Lord, as well as his own enhanced power—Rhett knew that the course of real-world events would inevitably shift.

To prepare for the unknown, Rhett decided it was time to run a text-based simulation to explore different possibilities.

With a thought, he activated the system.

[Would you like to start a text simulation? Each year simulated will cost 5 Fate Points.]

"Yes, simulate one year."

[Year 482 of the Kingdom of Gylin, April 24. The elite Beastman army, led by the Violent Bear Clan, Boarmen, and Blood Moon Werewolves, launched a fierce counterattack on the Coldstream defenses. Three Saint-level warriors of the Grayru Kingdom appeared to assist Ankus in slaying the Violent Bear Saint and routing the enemy forces.]

[On the same day, you arrived in the Kingdom of Rem to assist in clearing the battlefields of Beastmen. You deliberately allowed a few Shadow Tigers to escape and relay information. You also learned that the Empress of the Ice Kingdom is a Holy Light Magister who has mastered both Purification and Penetration Mysteries.]

[The world's core was replenished, causing transcendent beings worldwide to grow stronger. It was also discovered that consuming any creature's flesh could slightly enhance both physical and mental strength. You tested this by eating various types of meat and found that even ordinary beef provided immediate feedback to your physique and spiritual power.]

[Hypast informed you of an anomaly he had observed and explained that combining this discovery with alchemy would lead to a revolutionary breakthrough in the field.]

[April 26. You traveled to the northern ice fields and, while crossing the frozen sea, suddenly sensed a sinister blood aura behind you. Turning around, you saw an unfamiliar face beneath the projection of a blood-colored bat. Your instincts told you this was the Blood God Lord!]

[The Blood God Lord seemed just as surprised to see you there and, without a word, attacked. You responded with a fierce counterattack. The battle was intense, drawing the attention of Saint-level warriors from the Ice Kingdom, who arrived to assist. After a grueling fight, the Blood God Lord was severely injured but managed to escape with the help of the blood bat.]

[You expressed your gratitude to the Saint-level warriors who came to your aid and inquired about the location of the Ice Empress. They informed you that she had ventured to the Far East in search of the ruins left by the first King of Ice.]

[April 27. Upon hearing reports from various battlefronts, the Violent Bear Chieftain, also known as the Beast King, flew into a rage. Upon learning of your actions, he became convinced that you were the 'Child of Destiny' and ordered all forces to converge on the Kingdom of Gylin.]

[May 3. While the Beast King's forces marched, you ventured to the heart of the Beastmen's territory and carried out a massacre against their civilians.]

[May 5. During the slaughter, the Blood God Lord arrived with the Beast King and more than ten Saint-level Beastmen, surrounding you.]

[Enraged by your actions, the Beast King and the Saints launched a furious attack. The fully restored Blood God Lord joined the fray. Despite unleashing your Scorching Mystery, you found yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents.]

[In a desperate gambit, you called out the name 'Jeanka.' The Blood God Lord froze in shock, staring at you with confusion. But before he could speak, he resumed his attack at the Beast King's urging.]

[May 6. After a long and exhausting battle, your spiritual power was depleted. The blood bat's sharp fangs latched onto your throat, draining your blood and spiritual energy. You felt yourself growing weak and, eventually, you died.]

[The text simulation has ended. Would you like to continue simulating?]

"No."

As the screen disappeared, Rhett began to contemplate.

Dying again in this simulation didn't surprise him. After all, his plan had been to face the enemy head-on and assess their true strength.

Unfortunately, despite his mastery of the Scorching Mystery, he still wasn't a match for them…

But what truly caught him off guard was the strange phenomenon discovered during the simulation—that consuming blood and flesh could enhance one's strength?

Instinctively, Rhett thought of the Blood Demon's essence. Could this change be a result of the essence being absorbed by the world?

Squinting, Rhett turned to Tylus and asked, "Tylus, are you hungry?"

Tylus blinked, rubbing his stomach. "Now that you mention it, Father, I think I am. I have some jerky here if you want."

"I'd like a steak," Rhett mused. "Find me a live cow, and get a chef to prepare a medium-rare steak right here, using fresh ingredients."

"A steak? Got it, I'll go get it now," Tylus responded. Though his father's request seemed a bit odd, he didn't question it and quickly left the room.

Turning back to the window, Rhett replayed the final moments of the simulation in his mind—how the Blood God Lord had reacted when he called out Jeanka's name. The surprise and hesitation confirmed his suspicion: the Blood God Lord was indeed Jeanka from a thousand years ago.

"Interesting… So, in the original timeline, did Jeanka become fully possessed by the Blood Demon fragment and eventually walk down a path of no return?"

"Well, regardless of the details, I'll need to defeat him first to get any answers. For now, I must focus on teaming up with the Ice Empress…"

"But why is she out searching for her ancestor's ruins instead of in her kingdom?"

Frowning, Rhett found himself unsatisfied with the simulation's results. He needed to adjust his strategy and run another simulation to verify his next steps.