Chapter Two: Traveling Through Time to Become Emperor

“So that’s it—the Random Career Experience System. I fully understand it now.”

Gu Fangchen calmly pulled aside a section of the gauze curtain and briefly bandaged his hand.

He swept the scattered pearls off the bed and sat down casually, crossing his left leg over the right knee, propping his elbow on his thigh as he rubbed his chin.

—This was his habitual thinking pose whenever he hit a bottleneck.

As an epoch-making single-player game with a 90% realism rate, Mirror of Dust naturally offered its own leisure modes and various secondary careers.

However, in this game, acquiring a secondary career did not require formal employment or transfers; it was a matter of “occupying a position and managing its affairs.”

Players only needed to perform corresponding actions in-game to obtain the related secondary career.

If a player wished to become the Emperor, that was entirely possible.

Whether by overthrowing the existing regime or establishing an independent nation, as long as you took the throne, it was your accomplishment.

But such maneuvers in Mirror of Dust were extraordinarily difficult.

Because here, “national fortune” was a tangible, perceptible entity.

Even if you found a tribe of primitives in a remote mountain and became their emperor, you would immediately be sensed by the Great Wei court due to the divided national fortune.

The yellow robe was donned in the morning; the Blood-Clad Guards arrived in the afternoon.

For players, though, it merely meant losing a saved game—there were always some who delighted in courting death.

Some strategy groups had even compiled lists of all obtainable careers in the game.

Before Gu Fangchen’s crossing, two hundred and seventy-two had been documented.

And that was not all!

As a professional strategy content creator, Gu Fangchen had naturally delved deeply into the secondary career system.

Because different careers granted players two unique special skills.

Among these, some bizarre abilities produced unexpectedly potent effects at certain junctures!

In fact, in his successful save, several careers had to be obtained as part of the storyline.

But regardless of the save, the Emperor career, due to its overwhelming difficulty, was never part of his plan.

Now, however, he had randomly received it right from the start. Truly, this kind of cheat was exhilarating.

Although the career and experience duration were random, the benefit was skipping the prerequisite processes, allowing direct acquisition of careers with extremely stringent requirements.

“And... I recall the two skills granted by the Emperor career are ridiculously powerful.”

Gu Fangchen glanced up at the two skills.

Skill One: Mandate of Heaven (Passive)

Description: You are appointed by Heaven and share the national fortune. Your luck is extraordinary.

The first skill was a constantly active passive.

According to player tests, this passive mainly influenced “probabilistic events” and the “probability rates” of incidents.

Simply put, it made you luckier and skewed all outcomes positively.

—Jumping off a cliff would most likely see you caught by a branch and even discovering peerless martial arts.

It was the embodiment of the phrase “When the time comes, Heaven and Earth aid you.”

This also explained why newly crowned emperors were immediately ambushed by the court.

Obtaining this passive forcibly seized part of the national fortune for oneself; the legitimate Great Wei emperor would undoubtedly be enraged.

“Now that I’ve taken the throne, the court’s attention is bound to be drawn, isn’t it?”

Gu Fangchen pondered silently.

“Yet, when fleas abound, the itch lessens; when debts pile high, worries lessen...”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Though the Northern Pacification Prince’s mansion appears glorious, the Blood-Clad Guards watch it closely behind the scenes. If the court takes notice, this could actually become a card in my hand.”

At this moment, for Gu Fangchen, the first passive was merely a bonus.

What truly offered timely aid was the second active skill—

Skill Two: Life and Death Authority (Active)

Description: You wield imperial power and command the fate of life and death. Upon using this skill, you may designate one person per day for death, ignoring all conditions.

Indeed, this was a death warrant.

The true grim reaper’s roll call—whoever was named would die.

Because the Emperor career’s acquisition difficulty was so great, if one did not resort to underhanded means, the day of coronation was basically the moment to conclude the storyline.

Obtaining such a skill did not ruin the game experience.

But now, Gu Fangchen had this godlike skill right at the start!

“Alas, the career experience lasts only one day...”

“So I have but one chance.”

Gu Fangchen tapped his chin thoughtfully; the flickering candlelight reflected in his eyes, wavering.

The Northern Pacification Princess had borne only a single child.

As long as Gu Yuandao’s blood relationship with the Northern Pacification Prince was confirmed, his status as the false heir was a foregone conclusion.

Moreover, the prince was clever—he had chosen to acknowledge kinship openly in court.

Forcing the emperor, or rather... compelling the emperor’s direct acknowledgment.

At this moment, the emperor should have already decreed a thorough investigation into the matter.

Whether Gu Yuandao or Gu Yuye were killed, the situation could not be reversed.

“How to break this death trap by killing only one person?”

Gu Fangchen closed his eyes.

When he reopened them, a gleam of eagerness flashed within.

“Then I might as well go all out!”

As a player who crossed over expressly to be emperor, why hesitate?

If the start was unfavorable, then shatter the entire situation and rebuild!

Gu Fangchen leapt off the bed and examined the spiritual runes on the door, brushing his hand over them to feel their essence.

Though his current body was in disarray, unable to store any spiritual power internally,

his game experience told him at least three ways to dispel common seals without spiritual power.

Fortunately, the disdain the mansion’s occupants held for Gu Fangchen meant no advanced seals would be set.

Yet, Gu Fangchen had no intention of breaking the seal.

Instead, he planned to strengthen it.

The general consensus in the mansion was to confine the unidentified Gu Fangchen to prevent mischief.

Waiting for the Northern Pacification Prince’s return before making further decisions.

Even if he could escape now, he would be forcibly brought back.

Without strength, he was a mere plaything.

To leave, he must take the opposite approach...

Because only one person in the entire mansion could temporarily guarantee his release.

Using the pearls he had taken from the bed as a medium, Gu Fangchen dipped a needle in his blood and inscribed a somewhat unstable “Backflow Array” on one.

—Although drawing formations with the naked eye was a fantasy for most cultivators, it was a joke—he had done pixel art before, after all.

The pearls in this prodigal heir’s room were no ordinary trinkets but Tears of the Merfolk, tribute from the Maritime Kingdom.

They could serve as formation cores.

Though Gu Fangchen could not cultivate, his body had been infused with three top-tier poisons, rendering his blood akin to a rare treasure capable of channeling spiritual energy.

Since the Backflow Array’s level was roughly three or four tiers above the seal’s,

if he activated it at the right moment during a gap in the seal’s rune cycles, he could overlay and alter its nature.

Though theoretically there was a chance of failure, he must not forget the passive Mandate of Heaven skill he possessed.

“Success!”

Gu Fangchen gazed at the pearl emitting faint blue, wave-like runes and took a deep breath.

Supporting himself on the doorframe, he waited a few seconds.

Then, he forcefully pressed the pearl inscribed with the Backflow Array onto the seal.

In an instant, the pearl crumbled to dust.

The runes instantly merged with the seal, intertwining.

A faint blue haze of runes appeared on every wall and beam in the room, fiercely emitting spiritual energy in tidal surges.

Backflow—meaning the rippling of water waves.

It was a counterattack formation.

“Bang!”

Gu Fangchen was violently knocked to the ground by the spiritual energy, his face pale, chest shaking as he shouted hoarsely:

“Mother! It hurts!”

After yelling, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.