Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

The silver-armored knight twisted the lock open. "Sir Rhett, would you like to open the 2nd chest yourself?"

"You do it," Rhett replied with a smile, though inwardly he thought the knight was being overly cautious. During the simulation, the knight had been eager to open chests 6 and 8 quickly, but now, faced with a real chest, he was dragging it out.

If it weren't for the simulation, someone else might have wavered and changed their second choice by now.

As the 2nd chest was opened, a basketball-sized mineral lay inside, its light blue color shimmering. The silver-armored knight lifted it and praised, "Not bad, this Starwind Ore could fetch over a hundred gold coins."

He placed the Starwind Ore in Rhett's hands, and Rhett immediately felt its lightness.

"Starwind Ore is an excellent conductor for wind-element Dou Qi. However, this quantity is only enough to make a few daggers," Rhett mused internally.

The silver-armored knight smiled and asked, "What are your plans now, Sir Rhett?"

Without a word, Rhett calmly pointed to the 22nd chest.

The knight sighed inwardly but followed protocol, unlocking and opening the chest.

His body trembled as he gasped, "This... this can't be!"

Rhett paused for a moment before chuckling to himself. The knight's acting was quite impressive, nearly on par with his own...

The knight's reaction piqued everyone's curiosity. Tack, the fastest, rushed over and shouted, "Father! We've struck gold! It's a high-grade magic crystal!"

"What? A high-grade magic crystal!" Rhett, still standing back, feigned a look of excitement.

The silver-armored knight's expression was complex. "I must say, Sir Rhett, your luck is truly remarkable. Only two chests, and you've already hit the jackpot!"

He handed Rhett a dark, multifaceted crystal, its black surface glistening ominously.

"This is the high-grade magic crystal?" Rhett feigned surprise, then said, "Hmm, it looks like it's of the dark element."

"What rank is it?"

"Of course, it's a seventh-rank magic crystal. The price of an eighth-rank one would be twice as high, and you'd never find one here," the knight replied, rolling his eyes.

Rhett nodded thoughtfully. On the market, a seventh-rank magic crystal usually fetched around 2,500 gold coins.

All things considered, he had turned a 200-gold investment into about 2,600 gold—a huge win.

Gripping the seventh-rank dark magic crystal, Rhett decided it was time to quit while he was ahead.

"Father, just a few more times! With luck like this, we should capitalize on it!" Tack licked his lips, his eyes glued to the dark magic crystal in Rhett's hand.

Reilly, on the other hand, looked at his father with growing bewilderment. How was this possible? Could it all really come down to wisdom?

The silver-armored knight, feeling conflicted, waited for Rhett's decision. He was torn—hoping Rhett would gamble more and potentially lose some of his winnings, yet dreading the possibility that Rhett's luck might strike gold again.

Finally, Rhett spoke, shaking his head with a smile. "One experience is enough. I'll quit while I'm ahead."

The knight sighed in relief and personally escorted Rhett and his group downstairs. Despite his inner turmoil, he waved them off with a polite, "Come back anytime!"

But in his heart, he thought, Please don't come back...

The following morning, the Eagle Town caravan was already on the road home.

A closer look at the group revealed that the person leading them was not Rhett, but Tack, riding a black horse instead of the usual gray one.

As for Rhett, he had donned light armor and blended in with the rear of the caravan.

In his last simulation, he had hidden his presence and wiped out a band of thieves. He planned to do the same this time.

However, from the time they left the city until the next morning, they had yet to encounter the thieves.

"Could the situation have changed in reality?" Rhett wondered.

Reflecting on his previous simulation, Rhett realized that there were already several discrepancies between the simulation and real events—different times for entering and leaving the city, for instance.

Frowning, Rhett decided it was time for another simulation.

He opened the system.

Do you wish to begin a text simulation? Each simulation costs 5 Destiny Points per year.

"Yes, simulate one year."

[Year 473 of the Kingdom Calendar, December 21st] You concealed your presence and led the caravan out of Twilight City without incident.

[December 22nd, late at night] You encountered two knights being pursued by bandits, crying for help. You intervened and eliminated the bandits. The knights, a married couple, expressed their gratitude. After a conversation, you learned they were wandering adventurers who had discovered a secret about an evil organization. They accepted your invitation to join your territory but were too injured to share more information immediately. You allowed them to rest for the night.

[December 23rd] After taking potions, the knights recovered some of their strength. They informed you that the bandits were part of a larger evil organization and that their leader was a second-rank knight. Alarmed, you decided to preemptively strike the leader after the knights provided his location.

[December 24th] You arrived at an abandoned mine and were ambushed by the second-rank knight. Furious, you severely injured him, but he escaped due to his knowledge of the terrain.

[December 30th] The caravan returned home.

[Year 474 of the Kingdom Calendar, January 2nd] Steward Sweta informed you that the black horse, Black Gracie, was pregnant.

[January 3rd] A second-rank Ironhorn Ram and a second-rank Fire Hound fought fiercely near your territory's Sun Lake, both sustaining serious injuries. You had been lying in wait and seized the opportunity to claim victory.

[January 4th] The Snow Elf entered a deep sleep.

[January 8th] A traveling merchant visited your territory. When you asked about his hometown, he became wary and left with a hostile attitude.

[January 15th] The lord of Maple Forest Town, having heard of your recovery, visited you and offered a bottle of Red Maple Potion. He also proposed a marriage alliance, which you politely declined.

[March 15th] The latest caravan did not return as scheduled, and you grew suspicious.

[March 20th] An evil alchemist, a third-rank mage, arrived at your territory and attacked your castle. During the slaughter, a mysterious, short-statured figure intervened. The alchemist was overpowered and fled, sparing your territory from destruction. You heard the mysterious figure shout, "I am the greatest villain in the world!" as he chased the alchemist away.

[April 5th] Reilly did not return as expected, and you were gripped by fear. You began to suspect he might have fallen to the alchemist.

[May 12th] Tack advanced to a late first-rank knight.

[July 1st] The stable master, George, helped Black Gracie give birth to triplets—an event worth celebrating.

[August 9th] A third-rank Thunder Armor Bear wandered into your territory. Thanks to your preparations, you evacuated everyone, preventing casualties, though your territory suffered devastating damage.

[October 3rd] Earl Nilo Branwen issued a proclamation that a minor beast tide was brewing in the Dark-Pattern Eagle branch of the Monster Mountain Range, urging everyone to prepare for battle.

[October 17th] A second-rank Dark Frost Wolf led a pack of beasts in an attack on your territory. During the defense, the second-rank knight you had previously fought ambushed you. After a fierce battle, you defeated both the beasts and the knight, but at the cost of an arm.

[October 20th] Earl Branwen began organizing a counterattack. You were initially assigned to the front lines but were granted a postponement due to your injury.

[November 1st] Once your condition stabilized, you set out for the Dark-Pattern Eagle front.

[November 6th] You joined Earl Branwen's forces. Thanks to your battlefield experience and achievements, you were promoted to squad leader, commanding five second-rank knights and ten first-rank knights.

[December 5th] After a month of fighting, your squad lost two second-rank knights and six first-rank knights. You also suffered multiple minor injuries. However, due to your squad's outstanding performance in slaying twenty-four second-rank beasts, you earned Earl Branwen's recognition.

[December 13th] The beast tide subsided, and you were rewarded with four bottles of Moonshine Potion.

[December 20th] Upon returning to your territory, you used Fire Essence to incubate the magic beast egg, causing quite a stir. Eventually, a young Firefeather Eagle hatched, its first sight being your familiar face.

The simulation ends. Would you like to continue?

"No."