Zero vaguely seemed to hear someone using an exaggerated tone, speaking to him,
["Dearest friend, hurry and remember, recall the things from before, and then we can keep having fun together!"]
He was sunk deep in sleep, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself on a street paved with bluestone.
This was not the Luofu.
For some reason, he felt the scene before his eyes was both familiar and strange.
Looking up, illusory clouds gathered, and very quickly, rain fell from the sky.
He looked around.
Suddenly, a child with short gray-blue hair appeared in his field of vision.
The child wasn't even as tall as his thigh, yet had a pair of dazzling blue eyes.
They made one think of lake water and the summer sea.
The child dashed off toward a nearby pavilion.
Out of nowhere, a surge of uncontrollable joy welled up inside Zero, and he ran after, praising in an overly exaggerated tone, "It's raining and you actually know to hide? You're pretty smart!"
The child grew highly wary, stopped running, and after seeing Zero's smiling face, there was a trace of pity in those eyes.
'Where did this lunatic come from?'
After Zero understood that look, he didn't get upset. He swiftly stepped forward, grabbed the back of the child's collar with one hand, and pulled out his jade talisman with the other to summon people on the spot.
Before long, the scene before him shifted again. A blinding white light burst forth, first turning into an elevator full of futuristic style steadily rising upward, then into a sky-piercing corridor, with a massive stone gate ahead.
Zero seemed to hear countless voices whispering. Were they shouting Captain? Traveler? General-daren? Or some other title?
He couldn't make it out clearly.
Countless images flickered by, finally freezing on a game interface formed of large swathes of text and unknown symbols. At the bottom right were the words Start Game.
The game's introduction was far too long, he didn't read it.
As for the images, the art style was wild, the lines abstract, the only word for it was crude. If you squinted, you could barely make out that it was a ship.
The game's name, Immortal Boat Simulator.
Zero instantly threw everything that had just happened to the back of his mind.
Only one thought remained.
What kind of low-quality PowerPoint browser game is this?
He clicked Start Game, and a line of text popped up,
[You shall be the helmsman of this ship]
[A vessel bearing the hopes of many]
[Can you earn the favor of "Abundance"?]
Zero had an epiphany.
Then he glanced at the small print in the corner, it said this was a nautical-themed, love-and-peace-filled mini-game (for ages seven and up only).
'So, probably just a simple "be the captain" game?'
'Abundance must mean high crop yields, right?'
Next, a series of options popped up, like Equality, Centralization, Materialism, and Idealism.
'So you could build your ideal ship according to your preferences?'
'But it's just a ship, why would you need centralized power? What's Idealism or Materialism got to do with it?'
Looking carefully, Zero discovered each choice gave different bonuses.
For example, choosing Equality increased the chance of spawning scientific geniuses with outstanding talent.
Centralization increased population.
Zero chose Equality and Materialism.
Forget everything else, he needed to stack up experts.
Developing science never goes wrong.
As for Centralization? He was just a ship captain, not some local tyrant exploiting sailors or turning into a pirate plundering other ships, right?
After clicking confirm, a black map with white dots appeared.
Following the system's guidance, Zero saw only a small ship-shaped icon.
How small? Not even one-tenth of the whole map.
Looking around his ship's surroundings, there were markers for things like space stations, planets, and Planet-Destroyer Class Warships, everything was there.
Zero was completely stunned.
'What kind of scam game is this?'
From a little boating game to a full-on space strategy game.
Start with one ship, all resources must be stolen? Was he really going to become a pirate?
Fuming, he smashed the game's customer service.
[You call this a ship?]
The other side replied full of mockery.
[Lol, you tell me, is it or is it not?]
Zero had no choice but to open up his ship. The PowerPoint-style interface instantly upgraded into 3D.
Before his eyes, a desk piled high with documents, and beside it stood an utterly unremarkable male NPC.
He looked plain, but aside from low combat ability, his other stats were excellent. He reported all available energy, minerals, and money to Zero.
Zero turned to the quest log.
[Immortal Boat: Xianzhou]
[Star Calendar 1400, you are the General of Xianzhou]
[Within, "Joy" wreaks havoc; without, villains covet]
[Hidden enemies lurk, watching like tigers]
[Can you lead the people of Xianzhou to eternal life?]
Without saying a word, Zero opened the system's tech tree, locking onto a Colossus-class ship and the star-destroying weapon it could mount, Neutron Annihilator.
This tech could wipe out all intelligent life on a planet without damaging its buildings. Simple, efficient, perfect for his chronic fear of insufficient firepower.
Unfortunately, resources were limited at the start. He could only proceed step by step.
Zero spent half his resources to launch the Colossus Project, but the system displayed 130 months required for research.
The NPC's expression grew indescribable, but still took the order.
Soon, the NPC returned, struggling under a massive stack of documents, inching forward.
Bang!
The mountain of paperwork slammed against the ground with a dull thud.
The NPC smiled, spreading his hands to show the pile nearly as tall as the desk, and said, "General-daren, these are the documents needing your review."
Zero, "..."
He sat down, picked up the top file, and glanced through cover after cover. The titles were dazzling, each longer than the last.
He carefully picked out the one that seemed simplest.
Its name, Proposal on Xianzhou Road and Traffic Planning Revisions. Not from any official body, but submitted by a local resident.
His eyes glazed as he slogged through all the bureaucratic jargon, until finally, at the end, he found the point.
In short, the road was too narrow, and traffic jams happened at rush hour.
Zero pulled up the system map to check the location.
Looking closely, Xianzhou's roads were wide and interconnected, easily meeting all needs.
Especially the section mentioned, it was already plenty wide. Wide enough for ten star-chariots to pass side by side.
During rush hour, only that road was congested. Other places were practically empty. Why didn't they just take another route?
If they had, there'd be no need for such a proposal.
Zero flipped through more files, working to extract the real points from the fluff. One after another, he realized they were nearly all resident suggestions.
Some matched up with markings on the map, making it easy to judge authenticity.
It was like having God's perspective. Even if he stayed in the General's mansion, the map let him know everything happening in every alley and corner.
For example, in one file, the Alchemy Commission's resources were said to be insufficient, making medical treatment difficult. The writing was dramatic, as if not expanding the facility would make Zero the sinner of all Xianzhou.
It sounded reasonable, but checking the map showed the opposite.
The Alchemy Commission's panel indicated patient numbers were within capacity. Even if the number doubled, they could handle it smoothly.
Zero ignored the files, continuing to watch the map.
He spotted one person dragging down Xianzhou's satisfaction rating by 30% alone.
This person sulked, complaining, "Why doesn't Xianzhou have four seasons? Why doesn't it rain? I feel terrible! Nothing like my hometown!"
Plenty of people echoed him.
Want rain? Easy.
Barely cost anything.
Zero tossed in a tiny fraction of resources, gave advance notice, and made it rain in Xianzhou.
Seeing satisfaction rise, he kept watching the map.
Some residents angrily protested that the Xingcha Port was too far from their homes, needing five minutes' walk.
Others complained it was too close, the daily noise ruining their luck, demanding it be moved away.
Zero turned to the NPC, "Has compulsory education been universalized yet?"
He understood. He suddenly understood everything. These were just brainless rogue civilians.
'What kind of Rogue Civilian Simulator is this?'
He was really worried he'd get so angry he'd just slaughter them all.
Just as the NPC was about to reply, someone suddenly burst through the door.
This man looked panicked, and upon seeing Zero, shouted, "General, the monsters have seized control of the ship!"
The game's customer service chimed in, dripping sarcasm.
[Do machines have feelings? Hehe, I find this answer interesting. Now they're responding with fists.]
"Mobilize the troops. Fight."
Ignoring the message, Zero stood up, deciding to personally lead troops into battle.
Then another person rushed in, shouting, "General! The Alchemy Commission is short on manpower!"
Zero, "Because of the monsters? How many civilians are injured? Is it serious?"
The man replied, "Because of the rain."
Zero, "..."
The man's gaze dodged, and he forced himself to say, "It was Xianzhou's first rainfall. Everyone got so excited they forgot to hide… Please don't worry, General. It's just ordinary colds, no danger to their lives."
Zero, "..."
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