Shepherding Humanity

Previously, Grantham had logged out, took off his VR glasses, ate and rested, then posted on the forum.

Now, after an hour of heated discussion, he logged back into the game.

"I have already told them that each hour—which is four years in game time—I will log out for one minute, and the medical researchers will report their progress in this thread, and tell me what I need to do in the other world, like what plants to investigate, or what topic to research."

"We’ll communicate every four years. I really hope that mobilizing the entire internet will help me find a way." Grantham stopped thinking and silently put on his VR glasses.

When he next opened his eyes, he was in a magnificent chamber in the royal palace.

For Grantham, his forty-something years of life on earth had been far too short, and he felt that the illustrious Emperor of Alchemy who reigned over a wondrous world of magic was the real him.

"Since I now rule this world unchallenged, I should boldly do the things that I like."

What did he like?

Of course, it was building things.

The Kingdom of Babylon, year 415.

Grantham, the Emperor of Alchemy, began to devote himself to the development of alchemical technology.

He ruled with an even hand, and was the most inspiring emperor in mankind’s history.

He was a flawless monarch.

He was heroic and full of charisma.

He pioneered the construction of alchemical machinery, promoted the development of alchemical pharmacology, and established the “Babylonian Magic Academy”, the “Beastmen Magic Academy”, and the “Royal Rose Academy”.

He set up the Department of Alchemy, the Department of Pharmacology, and the Department of Magic in the academies, founding the Three Fundamental Magic Disciplines.

Every three years, instructors would lead their students to a neighboring kingdom to exchange knowledge and participate in a competition to allocate academic resources.

In almost every graduating class, a genius witch would appear to lead the next generation. She would then enter the royal palace to become a minister, and serve at the feet of the great Emperor of Alchemy while listening to his teachings.

Grantham also abolished slavery, and advocated the equality of all living beings. He made laws to protect the giant beast species, and decreed that witches should refrain from overhunting them in order to protect the ecosystem, and keep them from going extinct.

He was the invincible emperor who ruled over this era, and there were countless women who considered him the lover of their dreams. Countless brilliant and beautiful witches who had graduated from the academies pined after him in secret, and longed to become his lover.

But, Grantham was a loyal and loving husband. The Emperor of Alchemy silently watched over the Seven Little Witches as they slept, and toiled away to develop an alchemical potion that would extend their lifespan.

Glorious, heroic, enigmatic, invincible, and devoted…

The Emperor of Alchemy’s achievements were too numerous to count… His name would be immortalized in history as countless bards wrote hymns singing his praise!

….

The Kingdom of Babylon, year 422.

The development of alchemical patterns and crest formations was finally completed, and the age of alchemy has truly begun. From the academies, genius graduates started appearing one after another, lighting up the world with their brilliance like countless stars in the sky.

In the same year, the magic text "The Gates of Truth" was published.

—The great Creator once said that mankind is considered an intelligent species because we have the ability to use tools!

—Mages are scholars and seekers of Truth. With enough knowledge, we can move the entire world!

…..

These sentences were the opening lines of the alchemical text "The Gates of Truth" written by the Emperor of Alchemy Grantham. They would set the tone for the Magic World’s civilization in the future.

The Kingdom of Babylon year 423.

With the help of genius alchemists from the Magic Academies, the Emperor of Alchemy created the miraculous construct—Adolphus.

This immense alchemical construct was a giant the size of a mountain.

With thirty thousand slimes acting as its power source, the giant Adolphus held an immense shovel, and spent every waking moment digging down into the depths of the earth, search for its lower limits.

The construct looked almost alive, a majestic giant who towered over the rest of the world like a great mountain; and every day, witches would deliver cartloads of "food" and "meat" to power this alchemical giant.

Three years later.

A yawning chasm a hundred meters in radius has appeared in the Charsi Grand Canyon.

A constant tremor could be felt in the depths of this endless pit, and people in nearby towns fearfully called it the alchemical pit of “Tartarus”. In their native tongue, this name symbolized devouring darkness and fear of the unknown.

"That terrifying giant keeps on digging day and night, making this horrible pit in the ground…”

"The great Emperor of Alchemy has reached an unprecedented level of skill in recent years. That giant keeps on eating and digging, never stopping; its persistence is almost godlike… If not for the witches periodically replacing its worn-out parts, we’d think that giant was alive…"

For the people of Babylon, Adolphus was a miraculous and awe-inspiring existence.

When he saw this, Xu Zhi was speechless.

Previously, when this guy was still in the smaller sandbox, he had evolved a bunch of tentacles and spent all his time digging, saying that he was mining. But to think that he would go back to his old hobby, and was furiously digging up the ground once again.

You really can't change human nature.

……

In the majestic throne room of Babylon.

The oval hall was lined with columns carved with delicate magical crests, and a faint ray of light was shining down from the snow-white dome above.

High up in the hall, a handsome three-meter-tall man sat on a sculpted snow-white throne.

He had deep, soulful eyes, and the body of a Greek god. At this moment, he was sighing softly.

"Back then… the great Sumerian Hero King Gilgamesh mapped the world’s borders and told us that the earth was square while the sky was a circle. But, he only explored the world’s four poles, and did not explore its upper and lower reaches. "

"Today, I—the Emperor of Alchemy, Grantham of Babylon—will complete the task and perfect our knowledge of this world… The history of mankind is a saga of passion and courage; it’s a record of our forebears' valiant struggle against nature!"

"I will become one of these forebears."

The witch ministers below held their breath.

This was a historic moment; no praise was too great to describe this great being!

The Kingdom of Babylon has reached never-seen-before heights.

It was more prosperous than any civilization recorded in history, surpassing even the fleeting glory of ancient Sumer.

Their majestic king was in no way inferior to Gilgamesh!

After a while, a stunningly beautiful witch walked in from the entrance of the throne room.

She knelt down with a grave expression, and ardently raised her staff, "Our great King of Babylon! Emperor of Alchemy!! Master of the Magic World!! Adolphus has reached the lowest depths of the earth as you commanded… This land is thirty thousand meters deep; thereafter is the end of the underground, and no further excavation is possible."

Xu Zhi had naturally set limits on this sandbox world; it was not possible to go past these limits in any direction, and digging downwards was no exception to this rule.

"Thirty thousand meters?"

In the Royal Palace, Grantham sighed deeply. He quietly spoke:

"If the earth has limits, then what about the sky?"

He looked up from his throne, his eyes intense as they gazed into the distance; it was as if he could see past the veil of the endless blue sky beyond the palace walls.

"The sky is uncharted territory! It’s where the gods live… When the Three Witches died, the God of Wisdom, Mercury, sent down three great miracles from heaven: the flower monument, the fragrant crimson rain, and the symphony of fate."

"Today, I will lead you up into the sky to look for the legendary land of the gods "Achilles". We will pay our respects to the gods of heaven, and thank them for the gifts they’ve granted to the people of earth!"

In the Babylonian language, "Achilles" meant "The Home of the Gods".

"Historian."

"I am here." A witch in beautiful crimson robes stepped forward.

"I order you to record this historic moment. In "The Spear of Witchcraft", write down the following: The Kingdom of Babylon, year 428. The Emperor of Alchemy, Grantham, used the power of his kingdom to build the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, in order to reach the Nine Heavens above, and have an audience with the gods!"

He quietly dictated, then waved his staff.

Boom!

Ripples spread on the ground.

The entire palace began to shake.

Rumble! !

After all these years, the Royal Palace of Babylon has long been converted into a flying fortress, one that was much larger than the airship he had used back then.

This awe-inspiring alchemical construct was powered by thirty thousand slimes and was a miraculous and unique creation comparable to "Adolphus". Its name was "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon".

Click! ! !

Throughout the Royal Palace of Babylon, countless structures filled with flowers and plants rose from the ground and flew up into the sky.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon's body was made of sturdy wood and the snow-white bones of giant beasts.

It looked like a giant J-20 fighter jet, with streamlined wings and an aerodynamic frame. An intricate palace complex sat on the back of the plane, and the throne room was located in front of the plane's cockpit.

"Oh my God, what is that!"

"That's the entire Royal Palace of Babylon."

"It’s flying!"

The enormous plane blotted out the sun, its immense shadow covering the ground in darkness. Countless people came out into the streets and looked up.

In the huge cockpit.

"Now let me see what kind of world awaits me above the clouds."

"Will the gods of this world be surprised when they see my airplane? Who knows, they might even recognize my intellect! I’ll ascend the divine throne, light my divine flame, and become the God of Alchemy—Grantham!"

Grantham was regally sitting on his throne, staff in hand, looking down on his beautiful witch ministers.

These orthodox witches were the greatest geniuses of this era. They wore the crimson robes of the royal court, proudly displaying the mystic crest of Babylon on their chest. Their pale shapely legs were half exposed, inflaming the passion of any man who would gaze upon them. Magic staff in hand, they stood respectfully side by side in front of their king.

"Grantham, you are too much! You’re a goddamn transmigrator! Why are you not practicing alchemy, studying medicine, and finding a way to heal me like I wanted you to? Why waste time building such a big plane and taking your ministers up into the sky searching for the gods? You want to find the mythical land of the gods, "Achilles"?"

At that moment, Xu Zhi had just come out of his shed.

He took out his high-powered electric fan, and smirked. "You are too full of yourself; it seems you are the same as Akina’s Speedster, and still need to receive a proper beat down from society!"