Fantasy Family Simulator

At this moment, the Earth Armor was no longer just the faint yellow glow of Rock Armor. Not only was the light brighter, but its texture was also far superior. It felt like diamond, yet it could stretch and move according to Rhett's will, almost like a part of his own body.

As the light reflected in Rhett's pupils, he couldn't help but exclaim, "With this level of defense, no mid-level opponent can even touch me!"

He conjured a spike and aimed it at a non-vital spot on his arm.

The spike whistled through the air, sharp and deadly.

But when it met the Earth Armor, it was like a toothpick hitting a steel plate—completely ineffective!

Rhett's smile widened, the glow around him still bright, like a golden saint's armor. His confidence surged, and he felt an overwhelming urge to crush that sixth-level white-headed eagle right now!

After familiarizing himself with the Earth Armor, Rhett quickly mapped out his current combat strategies. There wasn’t much that needed to change.

In his mind, if he had inherited the seventh-level earth magic—Dragon's Wrath, a colossal, thick-skinned, and powerful beast—he would need to rethink his battle tactics. But since it was just Earth Armor, treating it as an enhanced version of Rock Armor would suffice.

Before taking action, Rhett knew he needed one final simulation to revise his earlier plans and see the effects.

[Would you like to initiate a text simulation? Each year simulated consumes 5 fate points.]

"Yes, simulate for one year."

[Kinton Year 477, January 12th: You broke through to become a sixth-level magus. Congratulations! That day, you brazenly searched for the white-headed eagle in the White Rat branch. At night, ten kilometers southwest of Sawtooth Mountain, you discovered the resting white-headed eagle. Filled with rage at the sight of your enemy, you unleashed your full power, holding nothing back. Ultimately, with the combined advantages of the mysteries of dispersal, Spike Rain, and Earth Armor, the sixth-level white-headed eagle was no match for you. After a brief struggle, it died under the dazzling brilliance of Spike Rain. That night, you left the White Rat branch.]

[January 17th: Lawrence broke through to become a second-level knight, hailed as a true genius!]

[January 21st: Florano's wife, Lauryn, also broke through to become a second-level knight.]

[February 7th: Nigel, a student at the training ground, advanced to apprentice knight.]

[February 13th: Henk's brother, Felix, visited. The two were overjoyed to reunite, and Felix expressed his deep gratitude to you. After some persuasion, Henk's brother joined your territory. That day, you revealed that your territory possessed sand and snow spirits and inquired if Felix knew of other spirits. Felix was shocked to learn you had spirits, and after calming down, he excitedly claimed to know a master alchemist in the royal city who had connections with someone who supposedly owned a wind spirit. He believed that a mutual exchange of blessings between the spirits could be highly beneficial for both parties.]

[February 15th: The two magicians who joined your territory last year became apprentice alchemists under Henk's guidance.]

[February 25th: Carlton, the president of the Daughton Chamber of Commerce, visited from Twilight City to discuss establishing a branch in the Dark Eagle region. You gladly accepted. You also mentioned your plan to publish the novel Panlong, which piqued his interest. After reading the manuscript, he was astonished and agreed to the idea, predicting that the book would become a hit!]

[February 27th: An unexpected visitor arrived at your territory—the president of the Rose Chamber of Commerce. Seeing the potential of Dark Eagle City, he proposed relocating his shop there, which you welcomed with open arms.]

[March 13th: A traveler arrived in your territory and had a fascinating conversation with Riley. After spending three days learning painting from the traveler, Riley's skills improved significantly. To your surprise, the traveler turned out to be a sixth-level magus. You invited him to join your territory as the chief art instructor. Though he declined the position, he offered to open an art studio in Dark Eagle City, where interested individuals could pay for lessons.]

[March 25th: Vanessa gave birth to a daughter, a joyful occasion!]

[August 20th: Panlong caused a sensation in the royal city, sparking a wave of interest and pursuit!]

[September 5th: The third prince, Hoggis Kinglon, quietly visited your territory. He was greatly impressed by your prowess as a sixth-level magus. He also expressed his admiration for Panlong, especially its depiction of the mysteries of wind, which left him in awe. On that day, Hoggis, eager for a challenge, requested a sparring match with you, which you humbly accepted. During the battle, Hoggis demonstrated remarkable skill, with his swift movements and deadly sword aura. The two of you fought fiercely, evenly matched. After a prolonged struggle, Hoggis unleashed a sword aura that tore through space, and you instinctively sensed a terrifying threat. You realized that even in a dispersed state, the attack would reach you. As your Rock Armor shattered, your mind entered a state of clarity. Amidst the swirling sands of dispersal, a diamond-like earth element condensed, and the loose sands suddenly coalesced into an indestructible shield. The spatial slash crumbled upon impact. You had grasped the nascent form of the mysteries of condensation.]

[September 11th: Hoggis stayed in your territory for a week, during which you sensed his growing interest in you. After receiving your rushed update of Panlong, he solemnly asked if you would become his secret ally. After a brief hesitation, you agreed. Hoggis was overjoyed, promising to allocate significant resources to you upon his return, though he insisted on keeping it a secret. Seizing the opportunity, you requested alchemical knowledge and personnel. After some thought, Hoggis agreed, promising to send a few mid-level alchemists to work in your territory for a few years.]

[September 19th: Lauryn broke through to second-level knight.]

[October 2nd: The snow spirit Nina awakened, propelling Riley to become a third-level magician.]

[October 15th: Due to your delay in visiting, Master Neeru from the Circle Tower came to your territory himself to discuss the Blood Source Bead. He requested a trade for one of your crimson Blood Source Beads, which you accepted. After some negotiation, you received an alchemy manual.]

[October 29th: Cleena became pregnant with her second child.]

[November 4th: Olrix from the training ground advanced to first-level knight.]

[December 11th: Your eldest son, Tucker, mysteriously disappeared and had not been seen for three days. You began an investigation.]

[December 12th: After thorough inquiries, you learned that Tucker had entered the Dark Eagle branch four days earlier and had since vanished without a trace.]

[December 15th: Tucker was still missing, and your second son, Riley, also disappeared. You felt an ominous sense of dread.]

[December 17th: Thales disappeared, and you were utterly shocked!]

[December 19th: One by one, your family members vanished, and you were overcome with panic.]

[December 21st: Desperately searching for your missing family, you were suddenly struck by a flash of blood-red light and lost consciousness. When you awoke, a figure bathed in blood stood before you, calling himself the Blood God Cult Leader. A chill of unease gripped your heart. As expected, he had learned of your past actions and discovered that you and Riley possessed spirits. He had captured your family, intending to extract every ounce of their value. You feigned compliance, outwardly agreeing to his demands.]

[December 29th: Unable to bear the fate of your family being trampled upon, you launched a desperate counterattack, only to be easily subdued by the Blood God Cult Leader. You and your family endured horrific torture.]

[Text simulation complete. Would you like to continue simulating?]

"No!"

After reading the simulation, Rhett’s expression grew dark, almost to the point of dripping.

"The Blood God Cult Leader... damn you!" he spat through gritted teeth. Though it was only a simulation, the thought of his family being harmed filled his heart with unquenchable rage and murderous intent!

Slowly, he calmed himself.

His mind drifted back to his last visit to the White Rat branch, where, during a real simulation, he had encountered the Blood God Cult Leader, who had threatened to use his family as leverage to control him and extract the value of the sand spirit.

"Hmph, so you really followed through..." Rhett muttered coldly, clenching his fists.

Once he had regained his composure, Rhett fell into deep thought. "Something’s not right. My only contact with the Blood God Cult Leader was during that real simulation. At no other time did I expose myself, so how did he find me?"

There must have been a shift in events that led to this disaster!

Rhett’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Soon, he pinpointed a critical moment in mid-October, when Master Neeru from the Circle Tower visited and requested a crimson Blood Source Bead.

This was the most suspicious link.

"Could it be that during Neeru's visit, I accidentally revealed too much about the Blood God Cult? Or maybe the trade of the crimson Blood Source Bead gave them more information, prompting the Circle Tower to investigate the Blood God Cult Leader and draw his attention to me?"

Rhett squinted slightly. "If that's the case, I’ve been unwittingly caught in the crossfire..."

Taking a deep breath, Rhett decided to run another simulation to see if this was indeed the source of the conflict.

[Would you like to initiate a text simulation? Each year simulated consumes 5 fate points.]

[Text simulation complete. Would you like to continue simulating?]

"No!"

After yet another simulation, the overall situation hadn’t changed much.

But Rhett breathed a sigh of relief.

Because in this simulation, Rhett had avoided Neeru’s visit by leaving beforehand.

As a result, there was no confrontation with the Blood God Cult Leader. It seemed that his earlier assumption was correct: the Circle Tower's investigation had drawn the Blood God Cult Leader’s attention, leading to the tragedy.

"This was truly a disaster beyond my control." Rhett smiled bitterly.

But at least he could relax now. Although the Blood God Cult Leader was now on his kill list, he had to put that goal on hold. For now, targeting the Blood God Cult Leader was like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly unrealistic.

With this weight off his shoulders, Rhett allowed himself to reflect on the other events in the simulation.

Sure enough, after breaking through to the sixth level, he found it hard to find a worthy opponent. Even the white-headed eagle was easily dealt with.

Only a fellow genius could pose a real challenge, like the third prince, Hoggis!

Rhett’s face lit up with joy at the thought.

The spatial slash that Hoggis unleashed at the end of their duel—ordinary techniques couldn’t achieve that. Rhett believed it must have been the result of mastering an advanced mystery, which is why it posed such a threat to him, even making the Sand Mystery difficult to counter.

In any case, after their duel, Hoggis seemed keen on winning Rhett over.

This was undoubtedly a great opportunity, but what excited Rhett even more was that, after mastering the Sand Mystery, he had also, through battle, grasped the nascent form of the Condensation Mystery!

With Hoggis' support, the resources and talent he could provide would be invaluable to Rhett’s territory.

"And there’s also the fact that a spirit bearer resides in the royal city, which is quite unexpected."

"But... Felix said he had no direct contact and only knew a little. There’s still a chance this could be a trap." Rhett narrowed his eyes.

What if... it’s just a fishing expedition?

After seeing the Blood God Cult Leader’s actions in the simulation, Rhett’s caution had reached its peak.

Since he had now connected with the third prince and no longer lacked alchemical resources and personnel, there seemed to be no need to pursue the lead on the spirit bearer.

The biggest benefit would be accelerating the growth of his wind-element beasts, but weighing the risks, Rhett decided it wasn’t worth it.

Better to be safe than sorry.

While he could use the text simulation to test the spirit bearer’s intentions, the white-headed eagle incident had shown him that changes in events could lead to unexpected consequences, potentially attracting powerful enemies—even saints.

If an unforeseen shift occurred and these people harbored malicious intent, what could he do, even if he foresaw it through simulation?

Or worse, what if it didn’t appear in the first year’s simulation but brought disaster in the second or third year? Rhett shook his head; the risks far outweighed the rewards.

After organizing his thoughts in the cave, Rhett turned to the corner where Fireclaw was shielding Dick from the wind and cold with its broad wings.

Dick was fast asleep, drooling slightly, lost in a sweet dream.

"Hehe, just like Tucker when he was little..."

Rhett smiled gently, cleaned up the area, and left the cave.

In the forest clearing.

The twilight deepened, casting a stark contrast between the black forest and the falling snow. A thin mist shrouded the mountaintops. The sky was filled with stars, and the rising moon illuminated the ground, where gnarled branches and vines cast menacing shadows in the snow.

Fireclaw walked beside Rhett, not flying overhead.

Rhett feared a sudden ambush by the white-headed eagle, so he kept Fireclaw close.

They had reached the foothills of Sawtooth Mountain and slowed their pace. Everywhere Rhett looked, there was snow-covered ground and strange footprints left by unknown creatures.