Shao Shuangyue was one of those people who sucked at games but was hopelessly addicted. Thanks to an abundance of resources and a bit of juice from the Wisdom Fruit Su Zhou had given her, she had already reached the Initial Awakening Stage. She was even on track to pass the test before summer vacation and become a Formal Cultivator. But her gaming skills were just plain awful, so she got crushed every time she played. Nowadays, she could only get her fix by watching highlight reels.
Just as she was energetically armchair quarterbacking the game on screen and firing off comments, a mail notification suddenly popped up in the bottom-left corner.
[The game developer you follow has a new update.]
"A new game from 11 Bits? Interesting! Last time I heard, their employees were quitting. I thought they were about to go under!"
Seeing the update, Shao Shuangyue’s eyes lit up. She immediately clicked on it to see what it was about. "Let’s see... a post-apocalyptic management sim? ’In a world on the brink of destruction, a world about to be utterly annihilated, you are the City Lord. How will you lead your people forward?’"
On 11 Bits’ simple official website, a minimalist icon, a slew of concept cinematics, and accompanying text descriptions glowed on the screen, capturing the young woman’s attention.
[Elemental Era]
The End... the End is coming. The Reincarnation of the Elements has ceased, and all things have fallen into Silent Extinction. The remnants of humanity live in Shelters, having forgotten their history, their heritage, their glory. They have forgotten their pride as humans, living on like the walking dead, merely clinging to a wretched existence.
As a newly-appointed young City Lord, you begin with almost nothing, facing a perilous future.
Your city is old and decrepit; your people, numb and apathetic; your world, utterly barren. The pervasive Gray Mist and endless Undead prevent any exploration of the outside world. In this desperate apocalypse, all grand ideas remain trapped in your mind. Only the mysterious Mazes, scattered across the globe, can be targeted for exploration and resource gathering.
Even so, the multitudes of Demons living in the Mazes are no harmless pets. You will need to train more powerful adventurers to acquire resources from within.
But even so, is there any point?
In these last days, should you sort through ancient tomes, unearthing the history and glory all have forgotten, to show humanity what they once were and what the world was truly like before the end? Or should you pour all your resources into adventurers and exploration teams, seeking a breakthrough and the means for survival in the wilderness and the Mazes?
As for your apathetic subjects, will you spend resources to further dull their minds, turning them into puppets who obey your every command? Or will you, step by step, reawaken the fire in their hearts, inspiring them to follow your vision and burn for a greater purpose?
A more insane question—on the eve of annihilation, with everything about to be destroyed, why not indulge one last time? Why not turn the entire city into your personal playground of debauchery, your private paradise? Or why not launch a mad battle royale, and amuse your own demonic Soul with the blood of your foolish subjects?
A dead and silent land. A city, isolated in the wastes. A people who have long since lost all their spirit, living merely for the sake of being alive. And you, the City Lord, standing at a crossroads of countless choices.
Mysterious enemies in the wilds, a heretical faith spreading in the shadows, a bizarre man of unknown origin visiting the Lord’s Mansion, and rumors from passing merchants of other Shelter Cities gradually vanishing, some even destroyed overnight...
Explore the Mazes, explore the world, explore the truth. Build your own power, fend off invading enemies, trade information with neutral NPCs, and make your own choices at every twist and turn...
At this final hour for the world, for civilization, for all life, will you resign yourself to fate, or will you indulge in carnal pleasure? Will you struggle to survive in this barren wasteland, or will you seek the Source of all this suffering?
Or perhaps... you intend to obtain the most extravagant thing in this apocalypse?
You want to awaken in people’s hearts... a hope for the future.
—This is a story of hope.
Even living in the apocalypse, with destruction imminent, the essence of humanity still yearns for the future and the horizon, refusing to sink into depravity.
Whether at the bottom of the deepest Maze or the very edge of the wilderness, to ponder, to analyze, to record... to pursue the truth of all things—this is the instinct known as wisdom.
—This is also a story of Reincarnation.
Elements transform... Eras repeat... The world turns on a wheel of life and death, of illusion and disillusion, of decay and rebirth—a great Reincarnation.
After countless choices, countless cycles of Reincarnation, countless resolutions—
Please, find a way to break the cycle!
"Awesome!"
After watching the intro cinematic and reading the description, Shao Shuangyue shot to her feet, flailing her arms and legs in excitement. "That’s 11 Bits for you! They pull off stuff other game companies can only dream of!"
"The beta isn’t for another three months? Whatever, I’ve got to get a spot in that test... GAH?!"
But just as Shao Shuangyue was cackling with glee, tragedy struck.
She accidentally stepped on one of the square blocks scattered around her room—a LEGO.
What followed was a short, sharp cry of agony, and the sight of a young woman’s body collapsing limply to the floor, all the color draining from her as if she’d turned to ash.
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