Not long after, the two of them arrived at the Ring Market. Rhett looked around, taking in the scenery and observing the hustle and bustle of the market with a complex expression, full of nostalgia and emotion.
Having witnessed the atmosphere from a thousand years ago through the simulation, being back in the present reality stirred unique feelings within him.
As Rhett strolled through the market, he subconsciously recalled the steps he had taken when he inhabited Velas’s body during the simulation. Walking slowly, Rhett calculated his pace and the ti in his mind, carefully tracking the distance he had traveled.
It wasn’t long before Rhett estimated that he had walked the sa distance Velas had in the simulation. Just as he stopped, a sweet, lodic female voice rang out in his ear:
"Lord Rhett, welco! What can I help you with today?"
Rhett’s eyes flickered, and he turned to see a petite and adorable young girl wearing a black-and-white maid’s uniform. Her large, bright eyes twinkled as she gazed at him.
Blinking in surprise, Rhett felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Though everything had changed in the past thousand years, the girl in front of him wasn’t the sa person from before. Yet, the fact that the store had preserved its style so well was remarkable.
"You... know ?" Rhett asked in surprise, looking at the maid.
"Of course! Your poster is still hanging at the entrance of the administrative office in the depths of the market! It was just put up this morning, showcasing your heroic battle against the orcs. Your valor left a deep impression, and you’ve even been nad the ’Orc Slayer’!" the maid giggled, her eyes forming crescents as she looked at Rhett with admiration.
Even though Rhett had known this from the simulation, hearing soone praise him like this in person made him blush slightly. "Ahem, thank you. It was a group effort. Your store looks nice. May I take a look inside?"
"Of course! How could I refuse a guest? Please, co in!" The maid turned and gestured with both hands, inviting Rhett inside.
Walking into the hall, Rhett felt a surge of nostalgia. The environnt of the shop was incredibly similar to how it had been a thousand years ago, giving him a strong sense of familiarity.
Out of habit, he glanced upward. The wooden staircase on the right still led to the second floor, but this ti, no voluptuous, enchanting woman appeared.
Looking around the store a bit more, Rhett casually asked, "I’ve heard that your shop has a long history?"
The maid tilted her head, thinking for a mont, before saying, "Yes, that’s true. I’ve heard that this shop has been around for over a thousand years."
"No wonder. The decor does have a bit of a vintage feel," Rhett nodded slowly.
The maid tapped her chin with her finger as she tried to recall, "This is actually one of our traditions. It’s said that an early shopkeeper established this rule to commorate his mother."
"His mother..."
Hearing this, Tylus’s eyes flickered, and a dazed look crossed his face. It had been a long ti since he’d heard or spoken the word "mother."
As he looked around the shop, Tylus bit his lip and quietly asked, "Father, do you still rember what Mother looked like?"
Rhett suddenly clenched his fist before quickly loosening it. He glanced at Tylus and replied, "I’ll never forget."
With a sigh, Rhett’s mood grew heavy. Originally, his visit to Vina’s House had been driven by curiosity, to compare how things had changed over the past millennium. But being reminded of Nicole made his mood sink further.
Glancing around the store again, Rhett felt a sense of listlessness.
"Let’s go..." Rhett waved his hand and sighed, shaking his head as he walked toward the door.
After leaving the Ring Market, father and son walked in silence along a secluded forest path.
Tylus gazed at the lush branches overhead, the dappled light filtering through the leaves, and spoke in a low voice: "Father, I miss Mother. Can we go to that place and see her again?"
Rhett’s body trembled at his words.
Tylus was, of course, referring to the simulation space, but this seemingly simple request was impossible to fulfill.
As the lord of the estate, Rhett had long thought about this—recreating a world in which Nicole was still alive, allowing him to see the one he missed most.
However, it wasn’t that simple. That tiline happened to overlap with the ti Rhett himself had transmigrated, and since the simulation world was created based on the historical imprint of the real world, it couldn’t deviate from actual history.
The problem lay in the fact that the estate couldn’t simulate another estate within itself. The power of the estate was not capable of creating a simulation within a simulation, leading to an infinite loop.
Furthermore, there was another issue preventing Rhett from returning to that tiline: the conflict between souls and consciousness. The simulation world couldn’t generate two Rhetts with the sa soul and consciousness! These two fundantal contradictions made Rhett’s wish impossible to realize.
Looking down at the gray soil, Rhett sighed and said, "If it were possible, do you think I would have waited until now, Tylus?"
"It’s really not possible..." A trace of sorrow flashed through Tylus’s eyes. After a mont, he reluctantly said, "Alright, I believe you, Father."
"It’s not completely impossible..." Rhett hesitated before speaking, his mind swirling with conflicting thoughts.
"What?" The sadness in Tylus’s eyes quickly faded, replaced by hope and nervous anticipation. "Father, what do we need to do? Will it co at a heavy cost?"
Rhett tilted his head back, gazing up through the gaps in the leaves, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his face as he whispered: "This is just my guess, but there’s a way we might be able to cheat the system—if I don’t participate in the simulation myself, then it’s possible to simulate a ti before any of you were born."
"I see," Tylus nodded in sudden realization, his thoughts clearing up as he grasped the logic of the simulation space. Excitedly, he said, "Then what are we waiting for? I can’t wait to see Mother, and... Father, when you were young!"
Rhett didn’t respond imdiately, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes.
He suddenly thought: if they truly created this simulation, even if he didn’t participate, would the version of himself that the simulation generated be the transmigrated Rhett, or the original Rhett native to this world? After a mont of contemplation, he couldn’t figure it out.
So, he entered the simulation space and shared his doubts with Manu.
Manu, surrounded by a faint glow, stood in the void, deep in thought. After a few monts, he said: "I’ve been pondering this for a while. I believe your transmigration was caused by so mysterious force—an incredibly high-level power. The simulation world may not be able to replicate your arrival."
"If we start from a ti before you were born, even if everything follows its natural course, the estate might not be able to simulate your transmigration, aning the world could develop along an entirely different path. In that case, the original Rhett would be born, but it wouldn’t be you!"
"On the other hand, if we start from after your transmigration, the simulation world might not be able to run smoothly."
"Of course, this is just my hypothesis. If you’re unsure, you can always try it out."
Manu’s thorough explanation lifted the fog clouding Rhett’s thoughts.
He sincerely expressed his thanks, "Thank you!"
Manu waved his hand, smiling, "No need to be so formal. I’m also curious to see what will happen if we simulate this conflicting tiline."
Rhett nodded, "Wait a mont. I’ll uncover the truth of this mystery."
With that, Rhett focused his thoughts and issued the simulation command.
In an instant, a screen appeared before him.
[Please select the starting ti for the simulated world.]
"Thirty years ago."
[Please select participants.]
"Rhett."
[Each simulated day costs 1 point of destiny. Would you like to start the simulation now?]
"Yes."
As Rhett made each selection, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation. At this mont, no matter how good his mood had been earlier, he couldn’t keep himself calm.
With hopeful eyes, he watched as the screen faded away.
But contrary to his expectations, there was no dazzling flash of colorful light, and the surrounding atmosphere remained unchanged.
Puzzled, Rhett watched as another screen appeared before him: [Due to unknown reasons, the simulated world cannot be created.]
Seeing this notification, Rhett furrowed his brow, his heart sinking.
Even though he hadn’t been optimistic about the outco, witnessing the failure still filled him with frustration.
He thought for a mont, then asked the estate, "What are the unknown reasons?"
[A mysterious force is interfering, preventing the estate from detecting the cause.]
That was the estate’s only reply.
But this simple answer sent Rhett into deep thought: "A mysterious force? If even the estate refers to it as a mysterious force, there’s only one explanation... Could it be related to my transmigration?"
Rhett narrowed his eyes, realizing that this situation was far more complex than it appeared.
He had often wondered about the reason behind his transmigration, but its root cause had always eluded him.
Now, the fact that this force could even block the estate’s detection proved how powerful it was.
Rhett shook his head. Given the circumstances, there was no point in dwelling on it further. Besides taking things one step at a ti, there wasn’t much else he could do.
However, there was another approach he hadn’t yet tried—starting the simulation from before his transmigration and letting the tiline progress naturally until the mont he crossed over.
Once again, he issued the command to start the simulation.
[Please select the starting ti for the simulated world.]
"Fifty-one years, four months, and twenty-one days ago."
[Please select participants.]
"Rhett."
[Each simulated day costs 1 point of destiny. Would you like to start the simulation now?]
"Yes."
This ti, Rhett chose a date that he calculated to be the day before he was born.
His idea was simple: since he transmigrated as a fetus, he wanted to start the simulation the day before his birth. By participating in the simulation without altering the tiline, he could witness the birth of the newborn and discover its true identity.
—Would the baby be the transmigrated Rhett or the native Rhett? As Rhett made his selections, a colorful light began to twist and swirl rapidly.
Seeing this, Rhett’s heart raced with excitent.
There’s hope!
The colors rapidly rged, split, and swirled in infinite patterns, constantly changing within a second.
Soon, just as the simulated world was about to take shape, Rhett, as the lord of the estate, excitedly scanned his mories, quickly locating a small village near the southwestern border. He chose to inhabit a dying man near his original birthplace.
Boom! The world solidified!
After inhabiting the man’s body, Rhett’s vision went black for a mont. The surrounding temperature felt mild, likely indicating it was either spring or autumn.
In a daze, he heard the barking of several wild dogs.
"Woof!"
"Woof!"
"Woof!"
Opening his eyes, Rhett found himself staring at several black-furred wild dogs. Their nacing eyes fixed on him, drool dripping from their mouths as if they saw him as prey.
He couldn’t help but chuckle—he had inhabited the body of an old beggar who had died alone in the wild. Even in death, his body was about to be devoured by wild dogs.
Rhett stood up, feeling the weakness of his frail body. Though he had little strength, his basic combat skills were intact, and he quickly picked up so stones to defend himself against the rapidly approaching wild dogs.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
At close range, the stones struck the dogs squarely in the head, causing them to yelp in pain. Their heads were the most sensitive and vulnerable part of their bodies.
Seeing Rhett pick up another stone, the dogs growled, but there was a glimr of fear in their eyes.
These old stray dogs had survived in the wild for a long ti and were as cunning as foxes.
Sensing danger, they whimpered and, without hesitation, tucked their tails between their legs and fled.
It took only a few seconds to subdue the wild dogs, but Rhett felt no sense of accomplishnt. He dusted off his filthy hands and, without caring about his tattered clothes, sighed and took in his surroundings. Recognizing a familiar landmark, he began making his way toward it.
A day and a night passed.
A ragged beggar sat by the side of a dirt path, gazing straight at a small courtyard on the opposite side of the road. His eyes occasionally flashed with emotion.
Rhett had never expected to lay eyes on his birth parents again in this lifeti.
Since his mind had developed as an adult from the beginning, Rhett hadn’t ford the traditional emotional bond with them as parents.
But to say there was no feeling at all would be untrue. At the very least, he regarded them as elders worthy of respect.
That was why, when he heard they had died all those years ago, he had given up his travels without hesitation and rushed to the front lines—to repay the debt of their care...
If it were possible, he wouldn’t hesitate to save them in the real world.
But unfortunately, the soul passage he had learned about couldn’t guide ordinary souls to the underworld.
If reviving Nicole was nearly impossible, then resurrecting his birth parents was out of the question.
As Rhett was lost in thought, the cry of a newborn rang out from the house before him.
Hearing the cry, Rhett remained calm, his heart settling.
—This baby wasn’t him. When he had been born, he hadn’t cried.
Rhett stood up, brushed off his clothes, and took one last look at the house. He felt no urge to go inside or to see what was happening.
This was better. He was just an unexpected visitor in this world.
Allowing his birth parents to have their real child, rather than himself, was a happiness they deserved...
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