Ruler from the Great Western Continent

The war had begun.

The Sunset Plains were clearly the open area at the center of the sandbox. When Lin Tuo cast his gaze back there, he realized the battle had already been decided.

The army near the Capital collapsed like a breached dam, a tide of fleeing soldiers spilling across the mountains and plains. Behind them rode the Western Continent Army, mounted on warhorses, wielding rifles and sabers.

Watching the dense gunfire and explosions, Lin Tuo finally let out a soft sigh.

"They ended up making guns after all."

When he first entered the sandbox and lectured on science, he had deliberately downplayed military weaponry.

A pity.

As society evolved, in a highly similar environment, weapons for war had still developed naturally.

He couldn't make out the details.

But given the historical context, Lin Tuo guessed that firearms by now had shed their primitive forms and could be classified as early rifles.

And after surviving the first Industrial Revolution, this seven-hundred-year-old nation finally faced a challenge beyond the imperial house.

The Governor of Xizhou...

It sounded like a regional satrap, some kind of frontier official. He seemed well-prepared, perhaps having schemed for years—otherwise, he couldn't have defeated the imperial army.

If one wanted to be cynical, maybe the emperor's death itself hadn't been natural.

"I'm afraid the Chi Kingdom is finally going to change masters." Lin Tuo sighed, a vague suspicion forming in his mind.

After a moment's hesitation, he didn't intervene. He simply activated the Qi-Eating Method, tried to absorb Aether, then restarted Time Acceleration.

His stance on the sandbox's civil war had always been the same: unless absolutely necessary, he would not interfere.

After all, war was often just a violent resolution to social contradictions, an essential part of civilization's evolution.

As for Aether, a dip during wartime was normal. Once peace returned, it would naturally recover.

Just as Time Acceleration resumed, text began scrolling across the Operation Log.

[...Battle of the Sunset Plains: Western Continent Army achieves decisive victory. They then march north. The imperial court is thrown into turmoil. The imperial army suffers repeated defeats.]

[Year 7,410,049 of world evolution: Western Continent Army reaches the Capital. They besiege it without attacking. Thirty-two days later, the city gates open wide, and the entire city surrenders. The Dachi Dynasty lowers its flag. The Governor of the Great Western Continent enters the Capital, establishes a new dynasty. The 741-year reign of the Chi Dynasty comes to an end.]

The Tucker Desert. The endless, magnificent Great Wall blocked everything.

That morning, as the research team tried new detection methods, no one knew that on the other side of that wall, on an entirely different continent, a dynasty was being overthrown.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The Capital.

Unlike the world outside the sandbox, it was deep winter here, the second month of the year.

The New Year was not far off.

In past years, this would have been a lively time in the Capital, the heart of the Chi Kingdom.

Schools and factories gradually closed. Shops along the streets stocked festive foods and decorations... a joyful atmosphere.

But this year, the entire Capital was shrouded in deathly silence.

The streets.

Desolate.

Citizens stayed indoors. The few who ventured out were listless, their faces panicked, like frightened animals—any small sound made them tense up.

As the city's electric clock chimed, gazes peered out from sealed houses along the streets.

Then, a cavalry column appeared in the distance, followed by a long line of infantry.

The soldiers had already changed into bright red uniforms, looking completely different from how they had on the battlefield. Their boots gleamed, their shoulder badges were spotless, and they carried rifles on their shoulders, marching in unison along the Capital's main road straight toward the palace.

"Dad, Mom... look... soldiers..."

In one room, a child's voice was quickly silenced by a parent's hand over their mouth:

"Don't make a sound... those are the new king's troops."

"...Where are they going?"

"The palace." The nervous parents watched the soldiers carefully. "Today is the day the new king enters the palace."

In the north-central part of the Capital stood a cluster of buildings that still retained a classical style.

Unlike the modern high-rises that had risen across the Chi Kingdom, the palace still preserved some of its old appearance: vermilion lacquered walls, white jade railings.

Only today, the spacious square before the palace was filled with orderly ranks of soldiers.

Though the square had been washed clean, large patches of dark red still remained; the corpses had long been dragged away, but the air still carried the lingering scent of blood.

At the front of the army stood an entire cavalry formation.

"Hee-hee-hee."

On this winter morning, those tall, sturdy horses draped in specific armor swished their tails and puffed out streams of white breath.

"So this is the imperial palace. I remember, last time I came, it was Feng Neishi who led me through the gates. To see the emperor, I had to cross eight thresholds—tedious to the extreme. Back then, I thought to myself, when I come again, I'll tear all those thresholds down."

At the very front, atop a pure white warhorse.

The middle-aged man, Governor of Xizhou and Rebel Leader, wore a set of light military attire. His left hand, clad in a white glove, held a riding crop, while his right hand pointed at the palace ahead as he laughed.

He paused, then added, "Oh, right, where is Feng Neishi? Returning to old haunts, I do miss him a bit."

Beside him, a Xizhou military officer replied:

"When we took over the palace earlier, the Former Empress led a small remaining group to hole up in the rear hall, fighting to the death without retreating... Feng Neishi was among them."

"Oh? So he's dead?" The Governor of Xizhou raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"How strange. I never saw that kind of backbone in him before. With his character, I thought he'd have been among the first to surrender." The Governor of Xizhou said, somewhat surprised.

"Reporting to Your... Majesty, the situation at the time was unusual. According to what we've learned, the group in the inner hall seemed... a bit off in their minds. What I mean is... they were stubborn beyond reason. Their bodies were riddled with bullets, yet they seemed to feel no pain..."

"Is that so?" The Governor of Xizhou frowned, a flicker of doubt in his mind, but after a moment's thought, he didn't press further. After all, at this very moment, the diehards had already been wiped clean. He had more important matters to attend to.

"It's about time. Follow me into the palace." He glanced at his watch, then dismounted with his men. A throng of Xizhou officials and generals surged grandly through the palace gates.

Entering the central hall.

The central hall of the palace, though not as vast as the front square, was still sizable. Because it was winter, the trees around the courtyard were bleak and withered, not much to look at, with patches of unmelted snow still on the ground.

At the very center stood a statue over ten meters tall.

Carved from white jade, it depicted a young man.

He wore a classical long robe, held a teaching rod in one hand, and bore a serene expression. Standing in the palace square, his gaze looked into the distance, as if overlooking the entire empire. His eyes were deep, seeming to hold infinite wisdom.

"Lin Sheng..." The Governor of Xizhou paused at the sight of the statue, softly uttering the name.

Yes, this was Lin Tuo's statue.

Ever since he left the Chi Kingdom over two hundred years ago, the monarch had ordered statues of the Sage to be erected in every city across the nation. The one before them was cast by the Imperial Chief Artisan two centuries ago.

For two hundred years, the image of Lin Sheng had become a kind of spiritual imprint. To draw an analogy, it was somewhat like Confucius on Earth. Every emperor, in name, was a disciple of the Sage.

"No one else can sleep beside my bed... I can't touch you yet, but just wait—I'll tear you down sooner or later..."

Muttering under his breath, the Governor of Xizhou averted his gaze and continued forward.

The few officials nearby who accidentally caught his words all felt their hearts skip a beat, but dared not say a thing.

Past the statue lay the main hall.

This was where the ministers were summoned to discuss state affairs.

At this moment, quite a few people were already standing in the hall.

They were ministers from various departments of the Chi Kingdom, not too many, but not too few either. Among them were new faces and old ones.

Seeing them, the Governor of Xizhou suddenly squeezed out a brilliant smile, as warm as spring rain, and said, "I've kept you all waiting."

The ministers hurriedly bowed in unison: "We pay homage to Your Majesty."

At that, the Governor of Xizhou's smile grew even brighter.

Striding up to the emperor's throne, he took a deep breath, turned around, and sat down in the dragon seat. With an air of boundless ambition, he waved his hand and said:

"Ministers, no need to be so formal. I spent decades in Xizhou and never got used to the Capital's etiquette, nor do I like wasting words. The great war is settled; next comes pacifying the people. I've called you all here today to decide how to restore stability to the realm as quickly as possible..."

The proceedings in the palace continued in an orderly fashion.

What the Governor of Xizhou called "discussion" was more accurately described as a notification. The entire process essentially consisted of him unilaterally issuing orders to the heads of various departments.

With troops stationed outside the palace and thousands of rifles aimed, everything naturally proceeded without a hitch.

And so, from time to time, officials could be seen emerging from the hall, trembling with fear as they crossed the square.

When the sun rose, dispelling the chill within the palace, only one person remained in the great hall besides the Governor of Xizhou.

That person was a somewhat special "official":

The Vice Director of the Kyoto Research Institute, and also the Empire's top scientist.

The Director had taken poison on the day the city fell, martyring himself to the former dynasty.

By order of succession, he was now the foremost scholar of the empire.

Compared to the other ministers, the Governor of Xizhou clearly regarded him more highly.

He personally rose, amiably took the Chief Scientist by the arm, and chatted about trivial matters for a while before slowly speaking:

"The old dynasty grew strong through science, and I deeply understand its importance. I raised my army from Xizhou and came all the way here, killing many along the way, but I have never killed a single scholar."

"Your Majesty is merciful."

Hearing this, the Governor of Xizhou's smile grew even wider. He made more promises, generally urging him to continue serving the new dynasty.

Finally, as if remembering something, he inquired about the strange state of the group of resisters in the rear hall earlier.

For some reason, he felt that the man before him likely knew something about it.

Hearing this, the Chief Scientist paused for a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. In the end, he sighed and said:

"To report to Your Majesty, I am indeed aware of this matter... At that time, they must have activated the 'Secret Seal'."

"The Secret Seal?"

"Yes. It is the result of a scientific research project with the highest level of confidentiality in the nation."

He paused, then added:

"A 'machine' capable of manipulating the human heart."

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PS: Asking for recommendation votes on Monday!!!