Shepherding Humanity

"Pretend to be the Emperor's pet first?"

Everyone thought that this was a good idea.

After all, it would be too unbelievable for a Slime to claim that it was the high and mighty Emperor of Alchemy who rules the entire Magic World.

"That's true. It's better to say that you’re his pet who got injured in the attack. That’s more believable."

Everyone agreed that this was the best solution. They hadn’t been thinking.

Seeing this. Xu Zhi was satisfied and logged out.

Following this, everyone began to enthusiastically discuss which lines would be best, and how to persuade the witches that Grantham really was the Emperor of Alchemy’s pet.

Another certified big-shot who was a renowned linguist then stepped forward, saying that he’s had enough of watching amateurs flailing around.

"Leave it to me."

Using his linguistic skills and knowledge of the human psyche, he edited Grantham’s lines to make them as persuasive as possible.

Hands off: "Wow, another big-shot has appeared. And it’s a linguist this time. Always having the right people for the right tasks could be considered a cheat ability, right? Future Skywhale is just like those transmigrators from the novels, and his cheat ability is the best!"

I love learning: "You are so lucky, and have all these amazing people helping you out. Try to persuade them with these lines, we’ll follow up with more ideas."

….

Grantham put on his VR glasses, then logged out after two or three seconds, and shamelessly continued to beg for sympathy:

"I succeeded! I’m so happy! They now believe that I am the Emperor of Alchemy’s pet, and are willing to help me. They’ve agreed to escort me to my vault… Actually, they were doubtful in the beginning, and if it wasn’t for the bossman’s lines, I wouldn’t have been able to convince them. I came that close to failing!”

Screenshots

Screenshots

Screenshots

(12 total)

…..

Beautiful wallpapers filled with fantastical CG-like scenery were posted, and everyone was delighted.

He succeeded just like that?

A full three hours have passed in-game, but it’s only been a few seconds for them.

They knew the result of their choice in seconds, and were also treated to many screenshots; this was really no different from a visual novel.

At this moment, the renowned linguist was sitting in front of his computer in a daze. "How can this game be so realistic? The AI ​​inside seem like real people, and can be persuaded by oratory techniques. There’s even this kind of detail?"

He was also surprised.

The old man was originally on a sight-seeing trip with his granddaughter when he got a phone call from his old friends. At their request, he temporarily joined a secret research center and began to follow this lively thread on his notebook.

He didn't care at first, but was now surprised and confused.

"What the hell is this?"

……

In the research center.

"We urgently contacted Mr. Xu who was traveling abroad, and he had been a great help." A staff member in a white lab-coat took a deep breath. He still felt a little dazed.

These past few days, they have established a secret research center and made good progress. They didn’t really care at first, but the more they learned, the more they were shocked by this game. The priority level of their research kept rising, and was now at the highest priority level in the entire nation.

Every photo in the game has been analyzed by experts in the field of digital imagery. They were detailed enough that each strand of hair and each thread of cloth was visible, as if they were pictures taken in the "real world".

Moreover, they’ve had their own personnel enter the third beta test. Because the competition was too fierce, and there were too many talented experts among the public, out of the five slots they expected to get, the government only barely managed to get one person in.

This person imitated a certain big-shot: he built his own farm, turned into a basement scientist, and made his own microscope inside the game. He found that he could see the molecular structure of every single object in the game under the microscope!

Unbelievable, right?

What’s more, compared to inanimate objects, the structure of living things was even more diverse.

They’ve looked at the screenshots that the Emperor of Alchemy gave to the medical students. Each plant and animal had their own cellular diagram. Each diagram was different and unique, and everything was in full compliance with biological laws!

According to their analysis, these were very plausible biological structures that could really exist, and yet, they did not belong to any known organism on Earth…

"You can use a microscope to observe every minute detail in this game, and it’s accurate down to the molecular level, this is not something that can be done without a super computer that’s centuries ahead."

Countless people were shocked.

At first, when they suddenly received a notice from above, they couldn’t understand it at all. Why should college professors and experts from various fields form a secret research group just to study an online game?

What was the government thinking?

It was just a casual sandbox game, albeit one that was highly acclaimed online for promoting learning and was loved by parents everywhere.

What was there to study?

Was this game made by the government in order to promote learning, and they were supposed to test for bugs?

Moreover, why were there experts from every single field in this research center?

Renowned professors of biology, linguistics, history, psychology, sociology, and various completely unrelated fields have been gathered here for a single purpose: to research the ecology and physical environment in this game.

They were all confused by this order and began their research full of questions. Some of them were even rebellious…

But now, countless experts have begun to make unbelievable discoveries, and they were all absolutely committed. Here, they could realize the infinite possibilities of their respective fields!

At this moment, they were all very excited, and wanted to take advantage of this conversation with the Emperor of Alchemy to make even more in-depth investigations!

……

Grantham naturally did not know this.

At this moment, he was super excited.

He had miraculously awakened, thanks to the method of self-awakening from an injury-induced coma.

He had miraculously avoided a death trap, thanks to a certain big-shot’s reminder.

He had miraculously convinced Ermin, thanks to the real-world’s amazing conversation techniques.

Renowned authorities from three separate fields had “coincidentally” appeared right when he needed them, and made three miracles for his sake. It felt as if he had cheat codes enabled. He would pull a reversal, and get out of this incredibly desperate situation in another world without much effort. The helpers that he’s gathered online were too amazing, and he was overwhelmed with glee.

"This is the best…"

Future Skywhale smiled happily in front of his computer.

I’m saved…

"Boss…."

At this time, his secretary knocked on the door. "It’s time for our company’s annual conference, and 3000 employees from all over the world are attending. We’ve arranged for a concert and invited many stars; boss, do you want to make a speech summarizing our company’s progress this year, or even sing, as you have done previously?"

"I don’t have the time. Let the vice-presidents take care of it!" Grantham snorted coldly.

His voice held the overbearing authority of a CEO accustomed to being at the top. This was further enhanced by his 200 years as the Emperor of Alchemy, which was several times longer than his age in the real world.

"Yes…yes… boss."

His domineering aura was too much for the secretary, who shriveled at his tone and quickly retreated.

Outside the door, several of the company’s vice presidents were waiting in silence. When they saw the pale secretary shake her head, they were all flustered…

What happened to our idol, our regal CEO?

At this moment.

In the room, Grantham, who hasn’t bathed in days, had messy hair and dark circles under his eyes; he had completely turned into a middle-aged net-addict. The cold dignity was gone from his face, and he had a flattering expression as he typed away.

"You pros are too amazing! Wow! My life is finally looking up! (??) What should I do next? Give me some advice, pleeeeease? (?)"

Yep! This gentleman was now completely shameless!

In this most critical of times, he has “given his brain a vacation” and completely abandoned his ability to think for himself. Even when he went to the toilet, he wanted the big-shots to help him choose, just in case there was another trap.

Has he lost his mind?

Not really.

At the moment, he was leisurely drinking tea while sitting before his computer:

"Haha, after playing this hard-core game for so long, I’ve gone half-bald from all the crazy research. But now, I only have to act cute, and I’ll be able to cruise through this crisis? That’s hilarious." He smugly stroked his hair in silence, and felt that logging out to ask for help online was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.