Chapter 37: Villain Simulator, Ch 37

Chapter 37: Villain Simulator, Ch 37Late Night.

After going through such a long and exhausting journey in the simulator, Lucas felt quite relieved. While the extended scenarios in the simulator provided richer rewards, it was undeniably draining.

It seemed he should mix things up with shorter and more concise simulations occasionally, just for a change of pace.

[Simulator cooldown has refreshed and can be started at any time.]

"I'm not doing it today, I need a break," Lucas sighed contentedly, lying on his bed. "You keep pushing me like this, be careful, or you might end up hanging from a lamppost."

But before his eyes were even closed for a minute, he shot up in bed, his brow furrowed. "Damn, I forgot something! What if Shenhe runs into trouble while I'm in Mondstadt?"

In Liyue, he could rush to her aid, but being far away in Mondstadt wouldn't allow him to get there quickly enough.

[Complete one more simulation to unlock the achievement reward: Pocket Waypoint. This item allows you to place an anchor point at a designated location for instant teleportation.]

"No way! I just happen to need something like this, and the system conveniently offers it as a reward..." Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You're not doing this on purpose, are you?"

[This is called a 'flexible reward.' If citizenship can be flexible, why can't rewards be?]

"I knew it..." Despite knowing it was a trap, Lucas couldn't resist. "Fine, as long as I can finish the simulation. No big deal—let's go for a quick one this time."

[Thats what she said]

"....."

[Acknowledged. Life Simulator is starting.]

[Please select three abilities from the following list. After the simulation ends, one will be randomly retained as a permanent talent.]

- [Chicken You Are Beautiful (Blue): You are naturally gifted in singing, dancing, rap... and playing basketball.]

- [I've Got Stronger (Blue): You have an immense talent for combat, but you'll be bald forever. (If you hide your baldness, your combat power will be greatly reduced.)]

- [Born with a Silver Spoon (Green): You will be born into a wealthy family.]

- [Monster Hunter (Green): You deal 10% more damage to non-human monsters.]

- [Wolf's Jaw (Green): You are born with an ugly, wolf-like face, but possess a powerful bite force.]

- [Puppet Master (Blue): You possess a lifelike puppet and can transfer your soul into it, temporarily acting as the puppet.]

- [Idol Master (Green): You are a natural manager, skilled in grooming idols.]

- [Rain Man (White): It is highly likely to rain whenever you go out.]

- [Wizard's Honor (Green): If you remain virgin until the age of 30, you will receive a Vision (attribute of your choice).]

- [World's Largest (White): You are born the size of a toothpick.]

Once again, a selection of odd talents.

The most advantageous seemed to be [I've Got Stronger], but the cost of perpetual baldness was way too steep. He didn't have the guts to embrace being bald like Saitama from One Punch Man.

[Wizard's Honor] also looked good, but Lucas doubted he could keep his purity intact within the simulator.

After such an overwhelming simulation last time, he wanted something more laid back this round.

"I'll choose [Chicken You Are Beautiful], [Puppet Master], and [Idol Master]," Lucas mused. "Maybe I can just be a regular idol manager this time."

No fighting, no killing, just working with cute girls—sounded like a nice change of pace.

---

[The Life Simulation begins.]

[Age 0: You were born into a middle-class family in Mondstadt. Your mother is a dancer, and your father is a pianist.]

A pretty nice start!

It was like the origin story of a shoujo manga protagonist.

Even Eden Academy's headmaster would say, "How elegant!"

[Age 1: Even before learning to speak, you could hum along to your father's piano melodies.]

[Age 2: Mondstadt suffered an attack from the Stormterror Dragon. Fortunately, your family remained unharmed.]

[Age 3: Your father began teaching you the basics of music and discovered your remarkable talent (Talent: Chicken You Are Beautiful) activated.] Searᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Age 4: The birds in the trees were drawn to your voice during your morning vocal practice.]

[Age 5: Your father developed a rare hand condition, causing stiffness in his fingers. You were young, but even you could hear the small mistakes in his music.]

[Age 6: While in Mondstadt Square, you heard a traveling bard performing. Without thinking, you joined in and sang along, attracting a large crowd.]

[Perhaps because you helped him earn more tips, the young bard gifted you an apple. After eating it, you felt much lighter.]

[Achievement unlocked: Anemo Archon's Gift]

[Talent gained: Blessing of the Anemo God]

[Effect: Agility increased by 20%.]

What a nice surprise! It was indeed you, Lord Barbatos!

Considering Barbatos's love for music, it wasn't strange to cross paths like this. After all, Mondstadt and music were practically synonymous.

Of course, if Barbatos knew that this boy with a lovely singing voice had, in another timeline, destroyed his country, who knows what he would think?

[Age 7: The second daughter of the Gunnhildr family was born. Your father was invited to perform at the celebration, but during the performance, his condition flared up, leading to a mistake. One of the nobles from the Gunnhildr family mocked him for it. Deeply hurt, your father left in silence, refusing to accept any payment.]

[Age 8: After that event, your father didn't touch the piano for an entire year and became increasingly depressed. To lift his spirits, you practiced music even harder, but nothing could make him smile.]

[Age 9: One morning, your father dressed formally and sat at the piano with great ceremony. You eagerly awaited the return of his music, but all you heard were discordant notes.]

[His stiff fingers and broken spirit meant he could never again play the beautiful music he once had.]

[Age 10: Your father passed away. When you went to wake him up in the morning, you found his feet hanging in the air. You realized that his fingers had frozen before his body.]

[Many people came to mourn at the funeral, including members of the Gunnhildr family—those same adorable sisters you'd seen before. Despite your young age, you harbored resentment against them, believing that the mockery from three years ago had caused your father's death.]

Reading through the unfolding story, Lucas started feeling a growing sense of unease.

It seemed like this time, the Gunnhildr sisters—likely Jean or Barbara—would be the targets of his ill will. However, he wasn't sure which one just yet.

[Age 11: Fortunately, your family was well-off. Your mother was a strong woman and soon recovered, determined to help you achieve greatness.]

[Age 12: With your angelic voice, you joined the choir at the Church of Favonius, where your singing quickly captivated everyone. A young, blonde girl with twin pigtails began to idolize you—Barbara Gunnhildr, the younger of the two sisters you had seen before.]

Barbara, no longer part of the Gunnhildr family, now went by a different name: Barbara Pegg. Her father was Simon Pegg, the Cardinal of Dawn and a key figure in the Church of Favonius.

[Barbara sang a song for you and asked for your feedback. Your evaluation was:]

1. ["Wow! Your singing is incredible—like the voice of an angel!"]

2. ["It's a bit rough, but I think you have great potential."]

3. ["If that can be called singing, then a butcher slaughtering pigs must sound heavenly!"]

Finally, a long-awaited GALGAME-style choice appeared.

Without a doubt, based on how the system works, choosing a kind response would probably lead to nothing good. Since he didn't select the [Try Again] talent this time, it was better not to take any risks.

"I choose... the third option..."

Sorry, Barbara!

[You coldly glanced at little Barbara and mocked, "If that can be called singing, then a butcher slaughtering pigs must sound like heavenly music!"]

[Your response instantly filled Barbara's once hopeful eyes with tears. Watching her cover her face and cry, a strange sense of revenge satisfaction welled up inside you.]

[Just then, a blonde girl suddenly punched you to the ground. Despite being three or four years younger than you, she easily overpowered you. That's right—it was Barbara's sister, Jean Gunnhildr. Her beautiful eyes were now filled with fury: "If you bully anyone from the Gunnhildr family again, you're dead!"]

Wait a minute...

Lucas suddenly realized—Barbara's surname was still "Gunnhildr"!

According to the game's storyline, Barbara's father should have parted ways with her mother, severing ties with the Gunnhildr family...

Could it be that the plot had changed? In this world, Barbara's parents never divorced, and because her father married into the family, she retained the family name?

[Age 13: Thanks to your connections and outstanding talent, you were sent to Fontaine's top art academy to study music. Before leaving Mondstadt, you performed in the choir one last time, but Barbara did not appear. Since the day you mocked her, she never attended choir again.]

[After the performance, Jean approached you once more. She had grown even more beautiful in the past year, but the hatred in her eyes toward you had not changed. She told you that Barbara had been deeply depressed ever since your harsh words, to the point where she no longer dared to sing. She demanded that you apologize to Barbara. Your response was...]

[1. "I'm very sorry. I'll go back and apologize sincerely."]

[2. "I was just being honest."]

[3. "My father was mocked the same way by your family."]

---

"The third option."

---

[Upon hearing your response, Jean suddenly remembered who you were, and her face showed a complex expression. She didn't press you to apologize further and left in silence. You knew that your revenge on the Gunnhildr family was far from over.]

[Age 14: You officially enrolled in Fontaine's art academy. Thanks to your angelic voice and extraordinary talent, you quickly became a rising star.]

[Age 15: You formed a band with some classmates, and it caused quite a sensation.]

[Age 16: A song you wrote and composed topped the music charts.]

[Age 17: In just two years, you created numerous popular songs, gaining fans not only in Fontaine but across all seven nations.]

[Age 18: At the peak of your fame, you unexpectedly retired from performing and moved behind the scenes. Many were disappointed and confused by your decision, but only you knew that this was all part of your plan.]

[Age 19: After graduating, you founded an "idol agency" dedicated to discovering and managing idols.]

[Age 20: Drawing on your past experience, connections, and personal talent, your agency quickly produced a successful idol group (Talent: Idol Master activated).]

---

So, he actually became an idol producer?

Lucas smiled wryly. After all, the concept of idols didn't really exist in Teyvat.

In the game, Barbara only knew about idols because Klee's mother, Alice, brought an idol magazine from another world.

So, packaging a group of girls into popular idols using effective marketing strategies naturally yielded quick success.

[Age 21: You began to expand your business, and your agency soon established itself in Fontaine.]

[Age 22: You directed your first film, The Stained Stage Costume, which received high praise. Although some critics saw it as a mediocre work riding on the popularity of idol actors, it still performed well at the box office.]

[Age 23: You heard troubling news about Mondstadt. The "Dragon Disaster" had escalated, and Mondstadt was struggling to survive. The Knights of Favonius and the Gunnhildr family had to send many troops to fight. After a brutal battle, they finally defeated Dvalin.]

[However, the battle took a heavy toll on both the Knights of Favonius and the Gunnhildr family. Acting Grandmaster Jean Gunnhildr was gravely injured and bedridden.]

[Upon hearing this news, you believed the time was ripe. After settling your affairs in Fontaine, you decided to head to Mondstadt and open a branch of your agency there.]

[Age 24: Although you occasionally visited Mondstadt over the years to take care of family matters, this time, when you returned, the city had changed drastically. Ruined buildings lined the streets, and the faces of the people no longer bore smiles. The city, once a symbol of freedom, now seemed cold and gloomy.]

[Yet you felt no sadness, as your memories of this city were not fond ones.]

[You went to visit the Gunnhildr family. Given your status and reputation, this was easy. Once a grand and luxurious estate, their home now stood desolate. The family, once strong, had sacrificed many of its young members in the fight against the Stormterror Dragon.]

[The Gunnhildr family was now a shell of its former self. You learned that even maintaining Jean's expensive medical treatments was a heavy burden on them.]

[You entered Jean's sickroom. After not seeing her for over a decade, she had grown into a beautiful woman. Sadly, due to her injuries, she remained unconscious, like a dandelion scattered in the wind.]

[Her sister, Barbara, had been tirelessly caring for her. Barbara, now as beautiful as her sister, had a face filled with worry.]

[To your surprise, Barbara immediately recognized you. Her eyes filled with suspicion, yet when you handed her a check, she hesitated before accepting it. At that moment, you spoke:]

[1. "How pitiful. The once-proud Gunnhildr family has been reduced to nothing more than beggars."]

[2. "I can turn you into a popular idol. You don't want to see your sister wither away like this, do you?"]

[3. "I'll pay you a million mora for your most precious thing. Hand it over to me right here, in front of your sister."]

Looking at these three options, Lucas once again fell deep into thought.

The first one was the simplest form of revenge, but it felt a bit too plain.

As for the third one...

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Author's Note: Well here comes barbara arc >_<

Cmon vote powahstonesss!!!