Chapter 46: New Direction

"Just slacking off?"

Zhao Si had been carefully studying how this round of the simulation differed from the previous one, but upon seeing this choice, he froze for a moment:

"This kid…… has he been ruined by the blow?"

Zhao Si had long verified that each option in this simulation was not randomly given; it was not deliberately extreme, but rather reflected the protagonist's own thoughts.

For example, during the first simulation, the protagonist was still an immature minor dragon, his mind not mature, always daydreaming, so the options given to Zhao Si were utterly absurd, such as openly uttering heaven-defying remarks like "Suggest letting humanity be dogs".

And in the second simulation, because its duration far exceeded that of the first, the protagonist's mind matured with age, and the options offered to Zhao Si gradually became more normal.

Even eventually, without needing player control, he could make his own opinionated choices on many major matters—for example, he self-destructed twice in a row without ever consulting Zhao Si's choice.

This undoubtedly reflects his growth.

【You've just been growing up day by day, and Brother Er Bai Wu remains as close to you as in the previous two lives, the two of you sharing everything without reservation.】

【Looking at the kind goddess, and then at the little clay figures she shapes with her hands, you realize the turning point of fate is right before your eyes; to completely resolve the future conflict between demons and humans, you must do something!】

【"The Wu Clan's bloodline is ancient and powerful, yet merely because their civilization is backward, the Heavenly Court oppresses them in governance; every Wu clansman is born as cannon fodder for war, promotion is fraught with difficulty, the Wu Clan above and below suffers immensely, and sooner or later a spark will ignite, causing change right where they stand!"】

【Just thinking of your previous life's crushing defeat, you become pessimistic about the progressive Heavenly Court system, so instead of immediately resuming your immortal cultivation, you become, just like in your first life, an unremarkable Gold Flood Dragon Crown Prince N.】

"Could it be that because you were defeated too badly in your past life, you feel useless, thus developing a slacking-off mindset?"

"Huh? Isn't it just pure slacking off?"

【"First I'll loaf around waiting for death, then when the heavens change, I'll act!" you answer seriously.】

【As you draw nearer, Nüwa looks up at you in a daze; she is a benevolent primordial goddess, so she does not raise a hand to drive you away, but instead smiles and asks what you need.】

【Brother Er Bai Wu: ……】

Zhao Si even felt greatly comforted by this, as if he had raised a son for over a decade and finally seen him grow up, an indescribable feeling……

【Brother Er Bai Wu: ……】

Upon reading these two descriptions, Zhao Si suddenly realized he might have been mistaken: the Jin Bing of this third-life simulation had not had his confidence crushed; he was not planning to slack off at all, but merely wanted to use this route to achieve another of his ideas!

"Well then, let me see what your other idea for breaking through actually is……"

Zhao Si, feeling somewhat hesitant, lingered a bit and could only choose the most negative option:

【You scoff: "A heavenly official? Even if I became the Heavenly Emperor, what would change? Nothing at all……"】

【He had been puzzled for a long time, perhaps also because he could no longer bear to see your decadent life at home; thus, despite the rule that royalty may not leave the palace, he made an exception and allowed you to go out for studies—after all, the law and order in the Primordial Wasteland are tolerable, and problems are generally few.】

【Brother Er Bai Wu: …… (He moved his seat slightly farther away from you)】

【The Heavenly Court? Just a bunch of wine sacks and rice bags; when I become Heavenly Emperor in the future, I'll blast the Heavenly Court's aromatic formation straight through Di Jun……】

【Brother Er Bai Wu: I beg you, stop posting!!】

【Brother solemnly tells you that these words may only be spoken to him; besides him, not even Father King nor Mother Empress may hear them, or disaster will strike!】

【"Inside the East Sea Crystal Palace are nothing but worthless bears; these old fogeys are just wall-clinging grass, struggling to survive with no spirit left! Dry bones in the tomb!"】

【Another day, another brothers' drinking gathering; you, drunk and dazed, utter some bizarre remark, then collapse into sleep under Brother Er Bai Wu's speechless gaze……】

One option is to retrace the past life's path to Heavenly Emperor, but try to avoid the pits you previously stepped into; it belongs to the positive category.

【Is the sun rising in the west?】

【Familiar scenery grows more and more, and you draw ever closer to your destination…… Finally, you catch sight of the goddess far below that mountain in the distance!】

【Your slacking off takes immediate effect, for you act too ordinarily, so your parents, following their usual attitude, pay no heed to you, who is neither here nor there; they don't even give you a name—"Jin Bing," the name that has accompanied you for over a dozen yuanhui, this time has no affinity with you……】

【Brother Er Bai Wu is very curious about your thoughts.】

【As for the purpose, naturally you don't want to tread the old path of your past life; you wish to change your angle and your method to face the destined demon-human conflict……】

Zhao Si is very curious: under these conditions, does Jin Bing still have any other room for maneuver?

【The place where Nüwa creates humans is none other than Mount Shouyang in the Eastern Wasteland, where the prehistoric human race's main base once stood; you know this route like the back of your hand, so you proceed straight there without stopping, heading straight to the place where the dream began.】

【Until that day……】

【"So, since you care so much about Primordial Wasteland affairs, why not go study at the Heavenly Court?"】

【Brother Er Bai Wu encourages: "I've heard the Heavenly Court has an 'Elite Youth Class,' whose students may someday directly assume heavenly official posts; given how skilled you are at posting, why not go and put your ambitions to use?"】

But another option that seems positive on the surface is actually even more unacceptable to choose!

"What's the point of retracing the Heavenly Emperor's path? The fundamental contradiction lies with the Heavenly Dao itself; if you can't solve the problem of the Heavenly Dao's injustice, you'll just repeat history—doesn't the third round just become a wasted effort?"

【Brother Er Bai Wu: …… It sounds as if you've actually served as Heavenly Emperor before……】

Another option, and it turns out to be the pure slacking-off choice.

【At this moment, the beautiful and benevolent she is shaping one clay figure after another; this seemingly childish game she engages in tirelessly, and you can instantly see she is in a state of enlightenment, solely focused on molding the clay, her mind not turned outward.】

【Father King:?】

【As for this, you actually understand everything in your heart, but you just want to vent; as for your parents…… they know how to draw boundaries, and you've long experienced that.】

【So, you choose (?)】

【Moreover, because you deliberately indulge in self-destruction, even your father, who normally doesn't care much about you, has scolded you for this, urging you to make progress; naturally you readily agree, but in reality you continue to live in a drunken, dreamy haze.】

【Thus, you idled away a long era in comfort within the Gold Flood Dragon King Palace, daily feasting and reveling with your brothers and sisters, utterly delighted, truly a textbook spoiled aristocrat.】

But looking at it now, Jin Bing's third simulation seems off—why has it become extreme again?

【As for why you set out at this point, it's because you've calculated the date; not long from now, the first of the Six Sages of the Primordial Wasteland to attain sainthood, Lady Nüwa, will be creating humans……】

【You have successfully stepped out of the Gold Flood Dragon Clan's gate!】

【"Time is almost up."】

【The next day, you uncharacteristically packed up neatly, solemnly applied to your father for permission to go study abroad, wishing to go to the Primordial Wasteland to learn useful knowledge.】

【As the conversation went on, the topic inevitably turned to Heavenly Court administration, for in your past life you had mingled within the system for over a dozen eras and even served as a proper Heavenly Emperor; after a couple of drinks of immortal wine, you couldn't help but start posting about politics……】

【You chose option B: the Heavenly Court and such are utterly meaningless; what's the use of becoming Heavenly Emperor anyway? I want to laze around, to slack off!】

"Choose B, slack off!"

Zhao Si thought it over; given his urgent need to gain great power to drive the demon tribes from the remnants of the Primordial Wasteland, this slacking-off choice could certainly not be selected.

【"What do you want to do in the future?"】

Never mind, at worst I'll die twice, then I'll just write my own strategy!

【A: Let out a loud roar, charge at the mud people, solve the problem from the root of the conflict; as long as humanity never existed from the beginning, there would be no human-demon conflict! B: Expose my identity, confess everything to Nüwa, earnestly plead with her not to let the primordial realm be stained with pointless bloodshed!】

(End of chapter)