Irony of the Divine: A System's Guide to Heresy

When Barnett, a political economist from Princeton, awakens from a car accident, he finds himself in the body of a 16-year-old Viking lord. In his hands is not only a battle axe—but a mysterious system that allows him to trade lifespan for industrial technology. On the icy plains of the Scandinavian Peninsula, he forges firearms to resist armored knights, uses calculus to unravel economic monopolies, and rebuilds feudal armies through a modern administrative system.

Yet every leap in progress demands a price in time—his own time. When agricultural reforms save thousands from starvation, his heart has already stopped beating for two hours. As the first water-powered forge roars to life, opposition voices fall silent.

Amid the clash of tradition and reason, Barnett begins to understand a dark truth: to build an empire more “sacred” than any that came before, gears must grind over ancient doctrines, and steel must carry the weight of unspoken truths. This industrial crusade, led by a man from another world, will prove one thing—the greatest empires don’t need divine approval. They become the new faith.