After Ji An confirmed, the system began the simulation.
[This simulation will run the special simulation mode: "River of Time."]
[Time Fragment loaded: "Lament from a Distant Ancient Kingdom."]
[In this mode, attribute points and talent skills will use a fixed template with no initial value restrictions.]
[In this mode, the final evaluation score will receive a base score increase of 60 points. Additional points will not be affected by the simulated life, but depend solely on the host's choices.]
[In this mode, this simulated life will have no impact on reality.]
Ji An was stunned when he saw this.
This special River of Time mode was completely different from all the previous ones. Just those few lines contained an overwhelming amount of information.
First — the "fixed template" meant he couldn't freely distribute points or select talents like before not like he ever could to his knowledge anyways. But where did this template come from?
Or rather, whose life was this simulation based on?
Second — the +60 base points to the final evaluation score sounded almost too good to be true.
That meant he was guaranteed a passing grade at minimum. The rest would depend on how many bonus points he earned through his decisions. If he did well enough… could the rewards be far beyond the mediocre skills he'd received before?
Finally — "this simulated life will not have any impact on reality."
At first glance, that seemed fine. But thinking back to his past simulations…didn't that imply that the previous simulated lives had affected reality?
"Anyway, let's just continue for now."
Ji An suppressed his swirling thoughts and proceeded with the simulation.
[Activating fixed template attributes and talent skills.]
Attributes:
[Appearance]: 5
[Physique]: 5
[Intelligence]: 46
[Family Background]: 3
Intelligence… how much?!
Ji An rubbed his eyes, double-checking to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Hiss——!
He drew a sharp breath.
The average person's intelligence was 5. His first simulation's 15 Intelligence had already been surprising, but now there was 46?!
Was this guy the Genshin version of Einstein?!
No wonder the system had mentioned "no initial value restrictions." The owner of this template was clearly anything but normal.
Next came the talent skills. Ji An looked over them — and sure enough, the list went far beyond the usual limit of three:
---
[Science Fanatic]: Passionate about scientific research since childhood.
[Mechanics Fanatic]: Passionate about mechanical engineering since childhood.
[Soul of an Artisan]: Possesses exceptional craftsmanship talent.
[Worship of Force]: You tend to solve problems through violence.
[Unstable Element]: When happiness falls below 1, there is a chance of mental mutation.
[Human Evolution]: All attributes +1.
[Can't Let Go]: You have OCD.
[Lover]: Faithful and devoted to your beloved.
[Devoted Father]: You deeply love your child.
Whose template was this? Which great deity did it belong to?
After reading through the list, Ji An felt completely numb.
Fortunately, the shocking 46 Intelligence had prepared him somewhat; otherwise, he might've suspected the Game Master himself was stepping in.
Still, from a few of those talents, he could sense a faint whiff of… tragedy.
"I hope it's just my imagination."
Ji An slowly exhaled and pressed [Start New Life].
[0 years old]: You were born, a boy.
[1 year old]: Your family held a first-birthday ceremony for you. During the Zhuāzhōu (grabbing ceremony), you chose a craftsman's hammer and a dagger. No matter how your family tried to make you let go, you refused to release either item.
Hmm, just as the talents suggested — a child already brimming with martial spirit.
That's good. At least he probably wouldn't get bullied at school.
[4 years old]: While other children were obsessed with playing, you were fascinated by the intricate mechanisms inside machines. You began studying them.
With such high intelligence, it was unlikely this child could blend in with others.
Still, since it mentioned "machines," this probably wasn't in Liyue…
Ji An pondered. His understanding of the Genshin world was shallow — he only knew that the continent was called Teyvat and had seven nations.
Was this child born in one of the technologically advanced regions?
And what was that "Ancient Kingdom" mentioned in the fragment…?
[7 years old]: An older boy from next door bullied you. You blinded him in one eye with a homemade electric gun.
"???"
Holy crap!
He just said this kid had martial spirit — but this was excessive!
Blinding someone directly? That's beyond redemption!
And to think I was worried about him getting bullied earlier…
[12 years old]: Your family finally finished paying off the compensation from that incident. You grew increasingly obsessed with mechanical research. Your parents, desperate, pulled some strings to enroll you in the Kingdom's Intermediate School of Science and Technology.
As expected — you always pay for your actions eventually
[13 years old]: You ranked first in your grade, with perfect scores in Mechanics and Dynamics, far surpassing the second place.
[14 years old]: At a seminar, you met two friends — a boy named Corker and a girl named Evelyn.
Oh? One boy, one girl? Classic setup for a love triangle.
Ji An felt a flicker of anticipation.
[15 years old]: You confessed to Evelyn, but she rejected you, saying her mother wouldn't let her date before graduation.
[16 years old]: You graduated and confessed again. She rejected you once more, saying her mother wouldn't let her date before adulthood.
[17 years old]: Corker told you that Evelyn wasn't against dating — she just didn't want to date you. If he confessed, the result would be different.
[18 years old]: You heard that on the day Evelyn became an adult, Corker confessed to her and was rejected. She said he was "a nice guy."
[19 years old]: You and Corker heard that Evelyn was pregnant. The father was a rich, handsome, and famous man from the research institute.
Damn… that's way too real.
[20 years old]: Heartbroken, you and Corker vowed to never fall in love again. You poured all your energy into mechanical research, swearing to create the finest autonomous machine in the world.
[21 years old]: You met a gentle farm girl and got married.
Tsk. "We agreed to stay single together, but you secretly went and found a wife, huh?"
[24 years old]: Your beloved daughter was born — you named her Herloxia.
[25 years old]: You devoted yourself completely to raising your child.
[26 years old]: You devoted yourself completely to raising your child.
[27 years old]: Your wife fell ill. You took her everywhere in search of treatment.
[29 years old]: Your wife's condition worsened. You saw Corker in the newspaper — he had created what was hailed as the "perfect autonomous machine" and was now famous and successful.
[30 years old]: Your wife passed away.
[31 years old]: You resumed the research you had abandoned years ago.
[32 years old]: Continued research.
[33 years old]: You were diagnosed with a terminal illness... and continued your research anyway.
As Ji An read further, his mood grew heavier. Even his urge to complain faded.
He could almost feel the pain of the man in the simulation.
His wife dead, his body failing, his former research partner basking in glory — while the true genius remained forgotten, buried among ordinary people.
Just imagining that disparity was enough to drive someone insane.
[33 years old]: You began experimenting with machines to sustain your own life. Continued research.
[40 years old]: ————
Ji An was puzzled. How could someone with a terminal illness live this long?
Suddenly, a system prompt appeared.
[The simulation has reached a major turning point in the character's destiny.]
[Enter immersive state to experience it?]
[Hint: Entering this state increases the chance of learning special skill proficiencies.]
"Enter."
Of course, there was no need to think twice. Ji An confirmed immediately.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!
patreon.com/deadlygoober