Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

A few minutes later, the pained cries gradually subsided.

Taylors was the first to open his eyes. He wiped the cold sweat from his face, his expression still tinged with lingering fear as he looked at Manu and said, "My god, why did that hurt so much? It felt like my very soul was being melted. What exactly is that substance… it's terrifying…"

Rhett's body flickered with a brief glow of fire as he opened his eyes and took a deep breath, dispelling the remnants of pain. He glanced at Taylors and said,

"Taylors, don't complain. To achieve great things, one must first temper their will. Luck doesn't always last forever. If you desire great power, you must be willing to pay the price. Simply enduring pain is the easiest form of exchange…"

"I understand, Father! I was just saying…" Taylors mumbled, patting his chest and letting out a long breath. He then stood up, feeling the newfound power deep within his mind, his face gradually lighting up with joy as he said excitedly, "Father, did you just say that this is… Scorching Profundity?"

"That's right, it's the Scorching Profundity, said to possess the highest temperature in the world, capable of melting anything," Rhett replied. As he spoke, he released his spiritual power, infusing it with the Scorching Profundity. Immediately, two flames ignited in the air, one from Rhett and the other from Taylors, causing the surrounding temperature to rise rapidly.

As Rhett observed the firelight before him, he felt both thrilled and puzzled. But he set his doubts aside for the moment, turning to Manu and asking,

"What exactly is this flowing fire? Can you explain the whole process and your discoveries?"

This question didn't surprise Manu. He nodded and began to recount everything he had summarized earlier. Rhett and Taylors listened intently, absorbing all the details of what had just transpired.

Reflecting on Manu's description of how the flowing fire permeated the barrier, Rhett tilted his head slightly, gazing up at the sky as a realization dawned on him. He murmured,

"Could it be… that the Profound Forces in this world come from external sources? If that's the case, can the world itself even generate Profound Forces…"

Manu pondered for a moment before responding,

"This question is actually quite straightforward. Personally, I believe that the growth of a world, like the growth of humans, requires the intake of nutrients and has always relied on external assistance."

"Just as this world separated from a larger, more vast world, in the universe I came from, many planets originated from explosions, with some being formed from numerous asteroids. So, the idea of a world growing without any external influence is nearly unheard of. I think the world we are currently in is the same. Accepting more external forces can stimulate its potential and greatly aid in its growth."

"That makes sense," Rhett nodded in agreement before asking curiously, "But where exactly did that firelight come from? What form does it exist in, that it can be absorbed by both the world and individuals? This is something I've never even heard of before… it's truly astonishing…"

"This is just one of the many unknowns waiting for us to explore. I suspect that as our world drifts further from the main world, we'll encounter more of these 'unexpected' events," Manu said. "Have you noticed that as our world gets farther from the main world, our speed of departure is increasing because the main world's 'pull' on us is fading? This wandering planet is heading toward who knows where, and what it will experience is anyone's guess. But the good news is, we're in a simulated world, so even if we encounter danger, there's nothing to fear! On the contrary, this is a great opportunity for us to witness the growth of a world, the evolution of civilizations, and to uncover more hidden secrets! And you, without a doubt, will gain tremendous benefits from this."

"The simulated world can be saved, right?" Rhett asked. After hearing Manu's explanation, he now understood that a powerful world might exert some kind of pull on a weaker one, similar to how massive planets in the previous universe had gravitational effects on smaller ones. This pull, depending on the difference in essence and the distance between the two worlds, could be strong or weak. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why the firelight had headed straight for their world. That's why the future of this drifting journey was filled with countless unknowns…

"Exactly. If you choose to end the current simulation, even if you simulate multiple times afterward, you can return to the moment of conclusion," Manu confirmed.

"In that case, we can temporarily pause the simulation of the world's beginning. I need to find a way to defeat the Blood God Cult Leader in history first!" Rhett narrowed his eyes slightly. Although simulating the world's beginning was important and highly tempting, the immediate priority was to resolve the real-world problems. Only then could he fully focus on involving his family in this fascinating simulation.

"Your will is paramount," Manu agreed readily. "Once you end this simulation, you and Taylors will retain the changes brought by the Scorching Profundity. I wonder how that will affect you in the real world, considering you mentioned that both mages and knights typically specialize in one discipline…"

"You're right; there is an issue with that," Rhett frowned, deep in thought.

"Father, let me go first. I haven't comprehended other Profound Forces, so maybe fire and darkness won't conflict," Taylors suggested seriously as he looked at his father.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Rhett's tone became stern as he dismissed the idea. "Your body is too fragile for such an experiment, so let's not bring it up again."

After a pause, Rhett's expression softened. "I'll do it. I trust the house's method of integration; it will be gentle."

Manu's expression shifted slightly as he reminded,

"Rhett, when you end the simulated world, the flow of time in the simulated space will match that of the outside world. However, you'll still be able to generate simulated outcomes using destiny points, allowing you to select from them."

"Understood, thank you," Rhett replied.

With that, he focused his mind and voluntarily ended the simulation.

[The simulated world has ended. Detected that this simulation contains an item that can enhance the house's world essence. Would you like to spend destiny points to nourish the world?]

The surrounding world seemed to freeze, with only Rhett, Taylors, and Manu able to move. Rhett, seeing the prompt that only he could see, was taken aback.

"As expected, after merging with the world's essence, the house's sentience has indeed improved. It even knows how to nourish the world now…"

However, he was curious about what exactly the item that could enhance the house's world essence was. Driven by curiosity and a desire to test the house's sentience, he mentally conveyed his question to the house.

The house didn't disappoint. Understanding Rhett's thoughts, it quickly projected an image—a scene where Manu used his spiritual power to guide back the portion of firelight that would have otherwise dissipated and been lost to the world.

Seeing this, Rhett had a moment of realization. It seemed that altering the historical trajectory within the simulation to gain additional benefits beyond the original outcome allowed for these gains to be transferred back to the house's world by spending destiny points.

As for the benefits that were part of the original historical outcome, they couldn't be taken back; otherwise, one could simply simulate a world repeatedly, bringing back the essence each time and eventually becoming a god right then and there…

Rhett chuckled to himself as he pondered further.

"If the Scorching Profundity in the later generations all stems from this initial infusion of flowing fire, wouldn't that mean nourishing the world with this firelight would further amplify the Scorching Profundity across the entire world? Every fire-aligned knight and mage might benefit from it…"

"And, no wonder it always felt like certain Profound Forces, despite having their own advantages, were somehow lacking in overall strength. It must be because the essence of those forces was weaker in quantity compared to others, leading to some Profound Forces being stronger than others…"

As he was contemplating, the next moment, a semi-transparent image of the firelight appeared in the simulated space. Being the master of the house, Rhett instinctively understood that the destiny points required to fully nourish the world with this essence would total 10,130!

A five-digit number—just over ten thousand points.

While Rhett felt the cost was a bit high, he also understood why. After all, this was about enhancing the world's essence, specifically with Profound Force, which would benefit the entire world. This was far more impactful than a personal power-up.

Curious and eager to see the results, Rhett selected [Yes].

The moment he made his choice, beams of white light shot out from all directions in the simulated space, quickly enveloping the essence containing the Scorching Profundity. The light then began to contract and pulsate. Before his very eyes, the image of the firelight grew more solid and vibrant, until it matched the actual flowing fire from earlier!

As Manu watched in mild surprise and Taylors in utter disbelief, the firelight, influenced by the house's mysterious power, shot off like a comet, disappearing into the void…

In the real world.

Without any visible change, the world's essence absorbed the flowing fire. The dying state of the world, as if injected with fresh blood, briefly erupted with new vitality. The Scorching Profundity, previously dormant, was like a phoenix reborn in flames, shaking its feathers and bringing renewed life to the world!

At the gorge's defensive line, the King of Milan, who was lying in ambush near the blood-stained river, suddenly sensed a disturbance in the Profound Force of the world. The fire-based battle energy within him trembled slightly.

This tremor lasted only for a moment, but the King of Milan immediately felt a familiar yet foreign, terrifying power.

"What? Impossible! How could I suddenly comprehend the Scorching Profundity out of nowhere?"

Upon realizing what he had sensed, the King of Milan's eyes flew open, a bright gleam flashing in his eyes as they filled with joy and disbelief. He closed his eyes again, emptying his mind to focus on the Profound Force of fire within the world!

In that invisible realm, it was as if countless flames were burning fiercely. These flames were a bright red hue, and the Profound Force they contained was gradually but steadily increasing!

As a Sacred Knight, the King of Milan could now feel a faint resonance between himself and the world, and the bond was the unfamiliar Scorching Profundity!

"What's going on? In thousands of years of history, no one has ever mentioned anything like this!"

"Why is the Scorching Profundity in the world becoming stronger, and why am I suddenly able to master it?"

"Could it be that the world's consciousness has stirred again? Has it realized it's in a desperate situation and is frantically trying to inspire us, its native defenders…"

For a moment, the King of Milan was filled with a mix of joy and apprehension. Never before had he comprehended the Scorching Profundity, so he couldn't imagine the process of merging with the world's essence and how everyone in the world would benefit from it. He simply assumed this was the world's self-preservation effort!

"Whoo!" He took a deep breath, his expression becoming resolute once more. Regardless of what was happening, this was both a crisis and an opportunity, one that couldn't be ignored. He had to seize it!

Moreover, at this moment, compared to the other Profound Forces that remained elusive, Scorching Profundity was like a dream lover, fully revealed, inviting him to indulge!

The King of Milan closed his eyes again, abandoning his pursuit of other Profound Forces, focusing all his energy on understanding the Scorching Profundity. He was determined to boost his combat power in the face of what he believed to be an impending crisis!

Ice Kingdom.

The cold wind howled like a dragon, and the sky was filled with snowflakes that resembled icy spears being hurled by the gale.

In the middle of a vast, smooth plain, a middle-aged man sat alone, seemingly merged with the icy expanse around him. But the next moment, his eyebrows twitched, shaking loose a few ice crystals, and his eyes flew open, his pupils filled with disbelief!

"What's going on with the Scorching Profundity? Why has it suddenly changed?"

"I've already mastered the Scorching Profundity to its fullest extent, and for a century, the barrier hasn't budged. But today, that limit seems to have disappeared. The fire element is evolving in more intricate and profound ways!"

He muttered to himself, both delighted and uneasy, as he stood up from the frozen wasteland. With a clap of his hands, he unleashed a fire dragon, the intense heat immediately casting the cold land into shadow. Countless ice spikes and frost evaporated into steam, filling the air with dense white mist. The world around him became a sea of mist, as if the ice plain had turned into a steaming hot spring.

"Impossible… the Scorching Profundity really has spontaneously increased… but why?"

"Why is it that only the Scorching Profundity has changed, while the other Profound Forces remain the same?"

The middle-aged man's eyes reflected a mixture of confusion, surprise, and joy. Finally, he took a deep breath, deciding not to overthink it. Seizing this opportunity was paramount. He sat down once more, closing his eyes, and soon his face showed a deep fascination as he delved into the intricacies of the Scorching Profundity!

At that moment, similar scenes were playing out across the world.

Not only were fire-aligned Sacred Domain experts astonished by their sudden comprehension or enhancement of the Scorching Profundity, but even a few ordinary knights found themselves benefiting, unexpectedly gaining insight into the Scorching Profundity!