Chapter 48: Being Too Normal Is the Greatest Abnormality (Patreon)

It was still a 'good guy gets a happy ending' sort of conclusion, but Victor sensed something unusual about it.

It was precisely because everything was so normal that it seemed abnormal.

Even if one were to be a good person, it's impossible to go six or seven hundred years without any ripples or fluctuations.

His simulated self seemed to be deliberately keeping a low profile, like a pair of cold eyes silently observing everything from behind the scenes.

Victor had a premonition that 'he' was playing a long game and was currently just in a dormant phase.

【Fourth Life: You were born.】

【You possessed unparalleled talent in the medical arts, but no one knew about it.】

【By the time you were 6, you had already learned】

【In the eyes of others, you were merely a physician with average talent and average medical skills.】

【Without anyone discovering, you began to secretly use remains for human experimentation.】

Getting ahold of corpses on the Xianzhou is not easy. When a Xianzhou native is about to become Mara-struck, emissaries from the Ten-Lords Commission come to handle the situation.

When a Vidyadhara's lifespan ends, their remains transform into a Vidyadhara egg.

In other words, only those who die of unnatural causes leave corpses behind. The greatest number of corpses are generated during times of war, which is also the easiest time to acquire them.

【Through various human experiments, your medical skills and related techniques greatly improved.】

【You were clean in your work; no one discovered your activities until you died of old age.】

Victor's premonition finally came true; 'he' was starting to stir up trouble.

Now he was like a mad scientist lacking a moral compass. He hadn't acted before simply because his technical skills were insufficient and he lacked confidence.

So, he first spent a full three lifetimes leveling up, and on the side, practiced how to disguise himself as a good person.

Such cunning and temperament—a classic final boss template.

【Fifth Life, you were born again.】

【In this life, just like the last, you chose a low-key existence, causing trouble from the shadows.】

【By using corpses to conduct various human experiments, your medical skills continuously improved.】

【...】

【Sixth Life, your research continued.】

【Through your repeated research, your medical arts have reached a masterful level, especially the alchemy of the Luofu's Alchemy Commission, which you have perfected. A single crucible of elixirs you casually refine could save countless lives.】

【However, what no one knew was that you had a complete understanding of the anatomy of various races; a single scalpel in your hands could easily be lethal.】

【At the same time, you also mastered profound techniques for refining poisons.】

【But you were not satisfied. Your various skills had not yet reached their peak; after all, the dead could never compare to the living.】

【However, due to the cautionary tale of the Abundance, the Xianzhou is extremely secretive about techniques of longevity and modification, and strictly forbids human experimentation.】

The Ten Unpardonable Sins are the ten most severe crimes in the Xianzhou Alliance, and the first two are related to longevity and modification techniques.

On the Xianzhou, it's difficult enough to experiment on corpses, let alone living people.

【So you came up with a plan: to leave the Luofu and travel to other Xianzhou ships in the name of academic travel.】

【Although every Xianzhou ship has an Alchemy Commission, each one has its own specialty. For example, the Luofu excels in the art of alchemy, the Zhuming is unparalleled in the Alliance for its acupuncture, incense therapy, and moxibustion, while the Yaoqing specializes in unique dietary therapies, and so on.】

【This was a nearly perfect excuse. In the eyes of others, you had always maintained the image of a kind, unsociable person solely dedicated to medical research.】

【While traveling to other Xianzhou ships, you secretly established hidden research institutes and captured interstellar pirates to use as test subjects.】

【These interstellar pirates plundered wealth, committed murder and arson, trafficked people, and were capable of any evil. They were wanted by all major factions, and being a disorganized bunch themselves, no one would care even if large numbers of them disappeared.】

【No one cares about them, they are available in large quantities, and they come from a wide variety of species. These interstellar pirates were simply the perfect experimental material.】

【Furthermore, your academic tour to other Xianzhou ships was not a lie. As the saying goes, 'gather the strengths of all schools'—this was the righteous path for you to improve your medical skills.】

【Using interstellar pirates as experimental material, however, was the heretical path.】

【The righteous and heretical paths complemented each other, like the balance of yin and yang, causing your skills in medicine and poison to advance by leaps and bounds.】

【Seventh Life】

【Through the accumulation of continuous reincarnation and relentless research, your medical arts and related skills have nearly reached perfection, approaching the level of the Tao, and have even attracted a glance from Nous, the Erudition.】

【You have now fully mastered all you have learned. You now hold the power of life and death in your hands; with a mere flick of a finger, you can grant life or bestow death as you please.】

【Even the Xianzhou's greatest affliction—the Mara-struck—you can suppress for several thousand years.】

Victor looked at the content displayed by the simulation system, getting a sense of déjà vu, as if watching a final boss being gradually cultivated.

Cautious, patient, skilled in deception... this was no ordinary final boss.

Victor began to look forward to seeing what kind of major commotion he would cause.

Indeed, everyone is a potential follower of Aha.

【Eighth Life】

【In the path of medicine, you have almost reached a point where further progress is impossible. No longer satisfied with burying your head in research, you begin to devote yourself to currying favor with the powerful and influential.】

【No noble would refuse the friendship of a top-tier physician, especially one who can genuinely extend their lifespan.】

【However, while expanding your network, you continued to maintain your humility, caution, and low profile.】

【Your reputation remained excellent; almost everyone saw you as a kind person who didn't vie for fame or fortune.】

【A kind person of immense value who poses no threat to oneself—this is the type of associate most people prefer.】

【You quietly expanded your network, and in doing so, you came to see the true nature of the Vidyadhara high command, and even the upper echelons of the Xianzhou Alliance.】

【The Cloud Knights system established by the Marshal and Generals, backed by the Aeon of The Hunt, is still able to maintain a degree of integrity.】

【The Ten-Lords Commission, which existed even before Lan ascended to Aeonhood, represents the old guard of the Xianzhou. The Six Charioteers, who represent the civilian official faction apart from the Cloud Knights, have a bloated and convoluted structure. And then there are the Vidyadhara Elders, who have always held power. The interiors of these organizations are already thoroughly corrupt.】

【The Vidyadhara Elders are especially corrupt and depraved. In theory, after a Vidyadhara dies of old age and molts into a Vidyadhara egg, they should not retain memories of their past life and should be considered a different person.】

【But the Vidyadhara Elders, in order to keep power from falling into others' hands, risk using secret arts to retain their past-life memories. This way, after reincarnation, they remain the high and mighty Vidyadhara Elders.】

【Under the control of the Vidyadhara Elders, the entire Vidyadhara race has become like a pool of stagnant water.】

【Some Vidyadhara Elders crave power, some indulge in pleasure, some lust after long life, and many are sanctimonious hypocrites, just like you.】

【You did not choose to make a move in this lifetime, merely taking in all the ugliness of these Vidyadhara Elders.】

【Nine is the ultimate number. The time will soon come...】