Xu Zhi laughed despite himself, amused by the unexpected turn of events. "Well, it's not exactly how I planned, but things are still back on track now. The wizarding world's trajectory has been corrected."
He couldn't deny it—being cautious and sneaky was smart. Only old veterans survived in the long run, especially a farming-oriented casual player who preferred developing technology over engaging in combat.
Fighting monsters? Leveling up through battles? That was all just surface-level enjoyment. For a farming simulator player, nothing beat secretly developing high-tech gadgets, climbing the tech tree, and leisurely enjoying the fruits of research.
After all, science was the greatest productivity.
Xu Zhi took another bite of his juicy apple, savoring its sweetness, though a slight frown creased his forehead.
"Still, I didn't expect Circe would leave such a hidden arrangement behind. Using Medusa to perfect her incomplete spell of 'Resurrection of the Dead'? Was she planning to use her disciple's hands to revive herself?"
Circe really had huge ambitions.
Honestly, if not for Li Shengjiang appearing and forcing Medusa to reveal this hidden card, Xu Zhi wouldn't have even noticed Circe's secret plot.
After all, he wasn't genuinely an omniscient creator. He was simply "farming" his sandbox world. Even Gilgamesh had plotted against him without his awareness earlier.
One day in the orchard equaled a hundred years in the sandbox.
Keeping constant watch over every detail was impossible. Inside, everyone moved as blurry afterimages due to the accelerated timeline, making it difficult to see clearly what they were up to.
His supposed omnipotence was just a façade. He was really just a countryside farmer, occasionally chatting with the lady next door, impressing his cute girlfriend, and leisurely raising civilizations in his backyard sandbox.
"As for this necromantic magic, it touches on the fundamentals of souls…" Xu Zhi sat in the yard, pondering carefully.
"Technically, this wizarding world doesn't yet have a proper underworld. Powerful souls like Gilgamesh remain as faint, drifting spirits within the sandbox after death. It's feasible to communicate with these residual souls. This civilization is still primitive; they haven't developed enough understanding about souls and the afterlife yet."
Should he restrict this area of development? After some consideration, Xu Zhi decided to allow natural progression. After all, diversity led to prosperity.
Moreover, if this forbidden magic truly developed, it could add excitement. Imagine legendary heroes like the Three Witches or Gilgamesh being resurrected from ancient history—it could be fascinating.
Besides, if such necromancy magic developed successfully, Xu Zhi himself, after eventually becoming a legendary-level wizard, might find it useful. At the very least, he could help those close to him if they passed away, couldn't he?
Xu Zhi finished his apple leisurely, then had lunch, comfortably relaxed.
Returning afterward, he discovered something intriguing. "Huh, that transmigrator Li Shengjiang actually logged out after unifying the world? He's already on the forums boasting about it?"
This surprised Xu Zhi greatly. Time moved differently inside the sandbox—one hour in reality was four years within. Yet Li Shengjiang had willingly exited, wasting precious time just to brag online?
Year 412 of the Babylon Kingdom.
Grantham, the Alchemy Emperor, now ruled the entire wizarding world.
He abolished slavery and tyranny, uniting the three kingdoms: the mountain-top Rose Kingdom of witches, the plains Babylon Kingdom, and the desert Nephthys Kingdom of half-beasts.
Alchemy spread rapidly.
Magic patterns, alchemy formations, mechanical constructs, gears, wrenches, modified creatures—these terms filled the wizarding world.
Previously, traditional witches lagged far behind their evil counterparts due to slower meditation progress. But with alchemy's arrival, traditional witches returned to dominance because only their stable, meticulous, and gentle mental energy could craft sophisticated alchemical devices.
Rose witches, who specialized in rapid, violent cultivation, excelled at combat but couldn't harness the precision required by alchemy. Slowly, they became obsolete.
That same year, the Alchemy Emperor attempted to persuade Medusa to abandon her path and study alchemy instead.
Medusa adamantly refused to give up her obsession with men.
Left without choice, Grantham imprisoned Medusa, the Death Monarch, beneath the Gorgon Alchemy Island beyond the great ocean Okeanos, spending three full years setting up a massive alchemical formation powered by countless slimes to suppress her.
"I imprison her not because I don't want to kill her. Although my alchemical construct 'Grantham' allows me to defeat her, I'm still ultimately just a sixth-level wizard. I can't completely kill her—especially since she excels in death and soul manipulation."
On Babylon's majestic throne sat a cute little slime, bouncing adorably with a glittering golden crown atop its head. "She will remain imprisoned until she dies of old age."
At this point, Lilith had already abdicated, quietly standing beside her beloved Garfield. With a sigh, she spoke, "My King, Garfield and I will retire now. I'm over two hundred years old; even with the life-extending potions you developed, my time approaches its end."
Li Shengjiang gazed at the former queen, now on the verge of death, overwhelmed with emotion. With another sigh, he gently responded, "Then go, Lilith. You've endured enough. The future glory of Babylon, I'll protect."
After Lilith departed, Li Shengjiang addressed his ministers from his throne. "Starting today, I'll enter secluded cultivation for four years. I'll leave my Alchemy Fortress here. With Circe's fourth-level spell, 'Mental Control,' you can jointly operate the ten thousand slimes within as a kingdom guardian."
The beautiful female witch ministers quickly agreed, eyes sparkling with admiration. "Please rest assured, Your Majesty—we will guard the kingdom!"
Satisfied, Li Shengjiang bounced out of the hall.
Behind him, excited chatter broke out among the young witches. "Ahh! Our King is so adorable!" "Apart from us, who else knows that the mighty Alchemy Emperor, who conquered the entire world, is actually the weakest creature—a super-cute slime?"
Back in his secret alchemical lab, Li Shengjiang gazed silently at the seven little witches resting within high-tech "biological chambers."
"Even with my help, they reached only level three. Elizabeth reached level four. Despite the life-extension potions, after one hundred twenty years, their lives are nearly spent. They can only sleep in stasis to prolong their existence."
Li Shengjiang's emotions were complicated.
Normal humans only lived around thirty or forty years here. Even powerful witches at level four merely tripled that lifespan. Even the legendary Three Witches died around 240 years old. He himself, despite his incredible strength, would live barely 250 years at sixth level.
"Even after becoming invincible and reigning supreme, I'm already halfway through my life. My lifespan won't be much longer…" Li Shengjiang, having conquered everything, was filled with the familiar ambition of all powerful rulers: immortality.
"I must think of something."
After a moment, he decided to log out.
Removing the VR goggles, he immediately felt intense hunger and an urge to use the restroom.
"I never believed stories of gamers sitting over 20 hours nonstop—but now I believe it! Damn, I'm starving…and the bathroom sounds heavenly!"
Over twenty hours, he'd only briefly visited the restroom once, not daring to eat. After all, a few minutes outside equaled weeks inside. He hadn't dared risk leaving the unstable situation until fully secure. Now, finally invincible, he could safely log out.
"Ahhh, this is heaven!" Li Shengjiang cried out, relieved after using the restroom. He called for food.
His secretary approached, reporting anxiously, "Boss, Mr. Smith from the US electricity company wants to discuss a multi-billion-dollar contract tomorrow. Also, we planned negotiations with Qiandu about AI integration in cars…"
"Tell the vice presidents to handle it!" Li Shengjiang snapped. "I'm busy now!"
The secretary was dumbfounded. Their calm, authoritative billionaire boss—admired worldwide as a technological legend—had become…this?
What the hell happened in just one day!?
The secretary stood frozen: "?????"
Ignoring him, Li Shengjiang returned to his room, hastily logged onto the game forums, and quickly typed a post:
[Urgent help, fellow players, please save me! (crying emoji)]
[I farmed, climbed the tech tree, cautiously hid and developed secretly for over a hundred years. Now, I'm the invincible Alchemy Emperor ruling the entire wizard world, but my seven adorable little witch wives are dying of old age! Currently, they're frozen in my alchemical tech chambers. Please, someone think of a way to save them. Urgent! Online waiting! Thank you!!]
Seconds later, the forums exploded.