The moment Luo Shu activated the Higher-Dimensional Projection ability, his consciousness split in two.
The majority remained in his body, still observing the Hard-to-Destroy Reptile in its hydrochloric acid bath.
A small fragment of his consciousness was hurled into a vast sea of stars—an endless expanse resembling the cosmos, where countless stars shimmered with intelligent light.
This fragment of Luo Shu's mind hovered above the starry expanse like an omniscient observer, detached from all things, gazing down upon existence itself.
Though he didn't fully grasp what was happening, he focused on a random star.
Instantly, his consciousness plunged toward it at speeds beyond light, arriving in a blink.
A world unfolded before him.
He repeated the process, shifting his attention to other stars.
Each time, a new world—rich or barren, vibrant or stagnant—revealed itself.
Countless lives played out within them, some glorious, others mundane, but always with a few shining figures whose power, words, or ideas shaped their worlds.
Time flowed at different speeds in each world, entirely subject to the observer's will.
If something caught his interest, Luo Shu lingered.
If it bored him, his consciousness simply moved on.
Some worlds thrived, pulsing with life, seemingly eternal.
Yet when Luo Shu accelerated time, he saw them eventually collapse into ruin, falling silent.
Others were frozen in a single moment, like insects trapped in amber, unmoving no matter how he adjusted the flow of time.
In that instant, Luo Shu understood—
This was a higher-dimensional being observing lower dimensions.
He instinctively looked upward, wondering if somewhere, in an even higher layer, someone—or something—was watching him the same way.
Then, he sensed a familiar warmth emanating from one particular star.
His consciousness descended upon it.
The world before him was a wasteland, scarred with festering wounds of earth, where a handful of survivors struggled to endure.
Luo Shu recognized it immediately—
This was My Cultist Simulator world!
A system prompt suddenly appeared before him:
"Dear Player, the system has detected that you have returned to My Cultist Simulator via Higher-Dimensional Projection. The game will now proceed to Stage Six—Global Domination."
Startled, Luo Shu checked his body.
He now had two bodies!
His primary consciousness remained in his original form, standing beside 682's acid tank.
His secondary consciousness had manifested as a new avatar inside the game.
Even stranger, he could control both simultaneously, though his divided attention meant neither could perform complex actions without the other stalling like a frozen computer.
This was simply due to his inexperience with dual consciousness—with time, he'd likely adapt.
But more pressing than the novelty of two bodies was the realization that he'd entered the game without activating Anomalous Item-CN-1451's ability.
This proved that higher narratives held absolute dominance over lower ones, bypassing their rules entirely.
The system continued, indifferent to his thoughts:
"Per your preset configurations, the game has progressed via automated management to the 'East Asia Unification' stage. Your two additional setting requirements are not phase-specific indicators; execution efficacy is not guaranteed. Please evaluate and adjust as needed."
Luo Shu didn't need the system to tell him that automation was inferior to manual control.
He only cared that the broad direction remained correct.
After surveying the global landscape, his consciousness returned to his starting zone—the tutorial area.
The northern city had transformed.
Ruins had been cleared, replaced by crude structures welded from scrap metal, each belching steam from boilers within.
Even the occasional car chugged along, spewing smoke like a steam-powered relic.
As expected, under the Cultists' efforts, the steampunk tech tree had been unlocked.
The system prompted again:
"As you have entered via Higher-Dimensional Projection, your direct influence on My Cultist Simulator will be minimized. However, you may enforce your will through divine edicts, decrees, or other means. Your followers and subjects will act according to your directives."
Luo Shu materialized inside a steampunk-styled temple, where he found the game's heroine—Sasha.
Now the "Saintess," she resided in the temple as his mouthpiece.
Seeing Luo Shu suddenly appear, Sasha gasped in shock before dropping to her knees.
"My Lord… have you returned?"
After all these years, she had fully embraced her role as a devotee, even though Luo Shu had never brainwashed her.
Considering his projected form's limitations—slow reactions, inability to multitask—Luo Shu decided on honesty.
"I have not fully descended. This is merely a projection."
Sasha hesitated before confessing: "My Lord, the faith has stalled. Without your miracles, recruitment has slowed. Most new converts are… superficial believers."
"How long has it been?" Luo Shu didn't even know the current in-game year.
"Ten years!"
A whole decade.
To Luo Shu, less than a month had passed since he left My Cultist Simulator—time spent causing chaos in Beijing, Area-13 (Greece), Site-17 (New World), and now Area-14.
He couldn't help but pity Sasha, who'd spent ten years as a 'Saintess' (and, apparently, a 'leftover woman').
Testing his limits, Luo Shu attempted to open the Anomalous Item Catalog with his projected consciousness.
To his surprise, it worked—though abilities were shared between his two bodies, with cooldowns synchronized to the primary world's time flow.
In short, abilities would only refresh after a day passed in the anomalous world, not the game world.
Next, he pricked his finger, watching blood well up.
His projection was nearly identical to his true form.
Decision made, Luo Shu declared:
"Prepare a ceremony. I will publicly appoint new Divine Envoys."
Nothing would prove his divinity more convincingly than creating reality benders on the spot.