This is quite impressive. The last time he transmigrated, he only lived for a short seven days, yet he gained two skills and one specialty. If he lived longer… wouldn't he be soaring?
Basic Endurance is a rare specialty that adds to the stamina coefficient. Basic English Proficiency is useless in the game, but it gave him a Linguist sub-profession, which also makes things smoother in the simulation. As for Basic Pickpocketing… combined with his Dexterous Hands specialty, he might be able to untie the ropes behind him with some effort.
Just then, the door opened again, and three Curse God Cult members walked in. They roughly pulled a young man from the ground and dragged him out.
Even Zhou Ning couldn't help but inwardly gasp this time. This young man was not far in front of Little Fatty. Perhaps in a few more rounds, it would be their turn.
Not long after, another line of text flashed before his eyes:
[The sacrifice has died. Current progress: 27/36.]
According to the dungeon's setting, these inhumane cultists would sacrifice 36 people in a short period. Every single person here, without exception, would not escape.
Little Fatty trembled with fear, pressing close to Zhou Ning, and asked in a shaky voice, "Hey, do you think we're dead for sure?"
Zhou Ning understood Little Fatty's desire for comfort, but he never lied. Besides, who wasn't a baby?
After a moment of silence, the honest Zhou Ning truthfully replied, "Yes, and most likely, it will be a very miserable Death."
Little Fatty:...If there were a negative emotion system, a prompt of "Negative Emotion +1000" would likely appear above Little Fatty's head.
He had sought comfort, but received the opposite answer. Little Fatty could no longer hold back and burst into loud wails.
He was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and he had probably trained, as his lung capacity was full. His cries were extremely loud, like operatic singing. Many people in the room were already crying, but for a moment, they were all stunned by Little Fatty.
"I'm still young, I haven't enjoyed enough yet, I don't want to die, I really don't want to die…" Little Fatty cried extremely sadly, his fat trembling with his body.
"Don't cry. Everyone dies eventually, sooner or later. Besides, aren't there so many people to accompany you?" Zhou Ning was also stunned by Little Fatty's crying at this point and quickly tried to comfort him. Unexpectedly, it only added fuel to the fire, and Little Fatty cried even harder.
"I don't want to die. My father is a Duke, and I will be a Duke in the future. And… I'm already engaged to Earl Harold's daughter. We'll get married in two years, boo hoo hoo… Can anyone save me… I want to get married…" Little Fatty cried more and more sadly.
Zhou Ning's expression was a bit strange. This Little Fatty was chubby, but he was actually an heir to a ducal title and was even engaged. He himself, at such an age, having lived two lives, had never been married. He couldn't help but lament that the disparity in life was precisely this.
Wait, a Duke? If he remembered correctly, there were only two Dukes in the Blystone Kingdom, right? And only one whose heir died at the beginning… A message suddenly popped up on his panel:
[You have triggered a D-rank quest [Vester Family's Gratitude]. Accept/Abandon?]
Zhou Ning understood. His guess was correct; it was indeed the Vester Family.
There was nothing to hesitate about. Accept!
[Quest Hint: As the banner of the Blystone Kingdom's nobility, the Vester Family has and only has one legitimate heir: Alan Vester. He is extremely important to the Vester Family. Try to rescue him from danger, and you will gain the Vester Family's friendship and gratitude. Of course, the choice is yours; not saving him will not cause you any loss, and no one will blame another victim.]
It was indeed the Vester Family. Zhou Ning's eyes flickered.
According to the game's setting, besides the familiar warrior-mage-priest trinity found in other games, this world also had two unique professional systems: Meteorologists and Clan Knights.
The Vester Family was representative of the Clan Knights.
Clan Knight families mostly possessed prominent status, genealogies long enough to fill books, and a Clan Training that they had to strictly adhere to.
By adhering to the Clan Training, they could gain various miraculous powers. However, in the game, Clan Knights first appeared ten years ago, and their role was not primarily in combat.
In his previous life, Zhou Ning had once read an anecdote in the game's Grand Library:
About seventy to eighty years ago, there was a prominent family in the Farick Kingdom called the Blaidengreze Family. This family's Clan Training was fair trade, haggling over every penny, and never suffering a loss.
Although they haggled over every penny, their integrity and fairness quickly helped them become the Farick Kingdom's largest commercial family, accumulating enormous wealth.
But when the Blystone Kingdom breached the capital of the Farick Kingdom, this immense wealth became the source of disaster.
At that time, King Charles V of the Blystone Kingdom forced the head of the Blaidengreze Family to hand over their money. But due to their Clan Training, the family members had to haggle over every penny and could not suffer a loss. No money, only Death.
To extract a confession, the King broke the Blaidengreze Family head's bones one by one. Before he died, the family head finally awakened the power of the Clan Training and issued a Curse:
"Anyone who takes the Blaidengreze Family's gold coins shall suffer eternal punishment."
Although the head of the Blaidengreze Family died, the other family members were not as unyielding. Charles V eventually got the money he wanted. What was the result? Just like the Curse, everyone who possessed this money suffered accidents. Charles V even died from an accidental fall from his horse during an outing.
By now, the Blaidengreze Family mansion had become a tourist attraction, filled with gold coins, but no one dared to take even one.
This was the power of the Blaidengreze Family's Clan Training: fair trade, haggling over every penny, never suffering a loss. Adhering to the Clan Training allowed them to possess immense wealth, and anyone who forced them to violate the Clan Training would pay a huge price.
Although he didn't know what the Vester Family's Clan Training was, nor did he know the level of supernatural power in this world so early in the game, one thing was certain: saving Little Fatty Alan would definitely make him incredibly rich.
However, for now, Zhou Ning had to first ensure he had the ability to escape.
He had previously consumed one Transmigration Coin, and after completing a transmigration, one was returned. Looking at his balance of two Transmigration Coins, Zhou Ning once again chose to simulate.
[Transmigration preparation in progress… Transmigration Coin -1]
[You have been matched with your parallel self…]
[Would you like to spend another Transmigration Coin to re-match your talents?]
Zhou Ning unhesitatingly chose no. He only had one Transmigration Coin left; it had to be used wisely.
[You have defaulted to talents 3, 5, and 7.]
[Your parallel self is an Electrical Engineering Doctor, possesses high literary talent, and is very lucky, often winning free drinks with "try again" on beverage caps.]
[Current world exploration progress is 0.2%. When exploration progress reaches 66.7%, you will have permission to unlock the next simulated map.]
[When you die in the simulation, the game ends.]
[Riding the time machine… 1%… 33%… 65%… 95%… Swoosh… Transmigration complete.]
[You have transmigrated to London in 1894. From this moment on, the wheel of history begins to turn.]
[December 17, 1894: As a Doctor of Electrical Engineering, you have mastered Basic English, making communication easier. You flirt everywhere, trying to find a partner to build a two-phase AC generator. No one pays attention to you; everyone thinks you're a madman. But it doesn't matter; geniuses are always lonely.]
[December 18, 1894: You didn't eat yesterday, nor today. But it doesn't matter; poverty can't defeat a giant, but hunger can. Out of necessity, you found a restaurant to wash dishes.]
[December 19, 1894: Washing dishes…]
[December 20, 1894: Washing dishes… Today you broke 3 plates and paid 40 pence in compensation, which actually means you were washed by the plates (Happiness -1).]
[December 22 to 25, 1894: Washing dishes… On Christmas Day, you met a man named George Bernard Shaw. You, who should have had common ground, parted unhappily due to poor communication. You felt that you really couldn't waste any more time.
[January 1, 1895: You spent your first New Year in London. To celebrate the New Year, you started working in a textile factory.]
[January 2, 1895: You experienced the roar of machines after a long time and felt that this life was okay, except the air quality was quite poor (Happiness +1, Health -1).]
[February 5, 1895: Your luck was good. A lottery ticket you bought for 10 shillings won a second prize of 1000 pounds (Family Status +2).]
[June 7, 1895: Your demeanor and handsomeness attracted the attention of a blonde girl. Her name was Erina, the daughter of the textile factory owner, a beautiful name.]
[June 10, 1895: You fell in love. (Happiness +1).]
[July 17, 1895: Your romance was strongly opposed by the textile factory owner. You really wanted to say the line: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully a young man in poverty." But before you could say it, you were fired!]
[July 18, 1895: You were very angry. You started building a two-phase AC generator. Still, the same line: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully a young man in poverty."]
[February 15, 1896: Before thirty years passed, you were already very poor. (Family Status -2).]
[March 7, 1896: You started working at a machinery factory. Soon after, you were promoted to Engineer Assistant. (Family Status +1).]
[April 5, 1896: You fell in love with a very beautiful ordinary female worker named Maggie. In the same year, Tesla invented the two-phase AC generator. (Happiness +1, Happiness -2).]
[End of 1896: You got married. Life after marriage was uneventful but very happy.]
[Early 1897: Two years of transmigration and long-term marriage life rapidly improved your English proficiency. Now you can read and write without pressure, and your English is as fluent as a local. (You gained skill: Professional English Proficiency).]
[Mid-1897: You were promoted. Now you are an engineer at the machinery factory. (Family Status +1, Happiness +1).]
[End of 1897: Due to your outstanding performance, you were headhunted by John Rigby & Co. Gunmakers.]
[1898: Having a proficient command of English, you began to try submitting articles to newspapers and magazines. Several of them received positive reviews. Soon after, you became a part-time columnist for The Times. (Family Status +1).]
[1900: Although your talent was not high, due to your work, you passively and accurately mastered the structure of firearms and Shooting Mastery. (You gained specialty: Firearms Knowledge, you gained skill: Basic Shooting Mastery).]
[1899: Your first son was born. (Happiness +1).]
[1901: Your first daughter was born. (Happiness +1).]
[1923: Your son got engaged, and your daughter also married a decent gentleman. (Happiness +1).]
[1925: You had two grandsons and one granddaughter (Happiness +1).]
[1935: You started to feel a bit old, and everything felt beyond your capabilities (Health -2).]
[1939: Germany invaded Poland, and World War II broke out, with war spreading across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. In the same year, your wife Maggie passed away. You sat alone at home, feeling empty inside. Looking back at more than forty years of living together, if you could start over, what would you choose? (Happiness -4). You gained achievement: Sense and Sensibility.]
September 1940: Germany bombed London, England. Your home was accidentally destroyed by artillery fire. As an ordinary person, you died in this air raid.]
Summary: Happiness: -1, Health: -3, Family Status: 2. A mediocre life, neither poor nor particularly happy.
You gained achievement: Ordinary Life.
Rating: D. World exploration progress: 29.2%. Since exploration progress is greater than 20%, you received 1 Transmigration Coin as a reward. This reward can be claimed once for every additional 20% exploration progress.